Chapter 51

The ghost servants in the food storage area were buzzing with discussions. Strange things had been happening lately, and the truth that was spreading was terrifying enough to scare even ghosts.

It was said that a ghost servant lived deep in the food storage area, specifically targeting ingredients of grade two or higher. He would take on all the wooden plaques that had been piled up for years and always managed to submit the ingredients unharmed and intact.

More terrifying was the discovery of a pile of white bones inside the iron cages used to store the ingredients, with no sign of the ingredients' bodies, suggesting they had been devoured.

The ghost servants were in a state of panic, mistakenly spreading rumors that a ferocious ingredient had broken out of its cage, hiding in the blood mist during the day and only coming out to hunt at night, entering other cages to devour the fierce beasts inside.

As the rumors spread, they became even more exaggerated. Even the mysterious ghost servant who submitted high-grade ingredients was rumored to be the ferocious beast in disguise.

Su Xing, of course, had no idea he was being rumored to be a ferocious beast, described as having a green face and fangs, extremely cruel. He simply submitted the ingredients according to the wooden plaques, ate the leftover meat, and lived a carefree life, not committing any wrongdoings, so the main kitchen would not investigate him.

"Burp~" Su Xing half-leaned on a thick iron chain, burped, wiped the soup from the corner of his mouth, and looked satisfied.

This was a huge birdcage, with white bones scattered on the ground and thick iron chains crisscrossing in the air. The chains creaked, making a sound that made one's teeth grind.

Su Xing lay there leisurely, took out a small stick to pick his teeth, and lived a carefree life. His waist belt was full of wooden plaques, all of which were ingredient plaques except for his identity token.

"Hmm, let me see..." Su Xing's hand touched his waist belt, pulled out a wooden plaque, and glanced at it.

"Blood Horned Bull, a pair of horns." Su Xing read, a strange expression appearing on his face.

Su Xing had also taken on wooden plaques for ingredients related to bulls, most of which were for bull tongues, stomachs, penises, and loins. A whole bull was almost completely taken, leaving little meat for Su Xing to eat.

Therefore, Su Xing was not very willing to take on wooden plaques for bull ingredients, as it was a lot of work with little reward. Without meat, there was no motivation.

However, this wooden plaque for the Blood Horned Bull was different. It was not for a meat bull, and the ingredient was only the pair of horns on its head.

"In that case, the whole bull is mine?" Su Xing's eyes lit up, and a thread of saliva involuntarily dripped from the corner of his mouth, which he quickly sucked back in.

Su Xing was excited and jumped off the iron chain, landing with a thud, his feet firmly on the ground, leaving two dents in the iron cage, showing his incredible strength.

"Clang!"

Due to the impact, a wooden plaque fell.

"Huh?" Su Xing bent down to pick it up, and his eyes immediately brightened as he glanced at the plaque.

"Century Fruit Tree?" Su Xing muttered, puzzled. Just by the name, it was not hard to imagine what kind of ingredient it was, and the name seemed gentle. However, placed in the deep food storage area filled with ferocious beasts, it seemed somewhat out of place.

"A tree, so my secret method won't work?" Su Xing muttered to himself, conflicted, "But eating meat every day has made me tired of it. If I could change my diet and eat some fruits and vegetables, it would be much better."

Smacking his lips, Su Xing decided to deal with the Century Fruit Tree first, to taste some fruit and clear his palate, as eating rough meat every day made his taste too heavy.

In the depths of the food storage area, Su Xing found the iron cage where the Century Fruit Tree was located, a place he had visited countless times. With his photographic memory, he could easily find the locations of various ingredients even if the blood mist obscured his vision.

"Century Fruit Tree, Level 1 danger?" Su Xing read the warning on the wooden plaque, glancing at the iron cage.

The blood mist was thick, and the outline of a large tree could be vaguely seen.

"I want to eat fruit!" Su Xing chuckled, opening the iron cage.

"Whoosh!"

Before the cage was closed, a black branch lashed out, creating a fierce wind, like a bolt of lightning.

"Whoa!"

Su Xing let out a strange cry, pulling his neck back to dodge the black branch's attack.

Thud! The black branch struck the iron cage behind Su Xing, scraping off sparks and making a metallic clanging sound.

Then, three more black branches lashed out from the center of the cage, as hard as iron. If one were to be hit, no ghost servant could withstand it, and their fragile bodies would surely be torn apart!

Facing the three branches that shot out like arrows and the branch that fell from above, Su Xing let out a strange cry, rolled to the side, and then ran around the edge of the cage, desperately trying to escape.

The Century Fruit Tree was about fifty feet tall, with a thick trunk and a large, umbrella-like canopy. The leaves rustled, and a hundred branches shot out like arrows, turning into lightning, aiming for Su Xing.

Su Xing, agile like a monkey, jumped and dodged, and the hundred branches missed him, hitting the cage bars and scraping off sparks.

"Thud, thud, thud..."

The black branches, like steel rods, struck the cage, making a crisp sound, like a blacksmith's hammer hitting iron, rapid and resounding.

The Century Fruit Tree was a magical tree, its branches swinging, reminding Su Xing of the willow trees on the embankment of the San途 River, whose branches could stretch infinitely and were incredibly powerful.

"You can't hit me." Su Xing laughed, kicked off with his legs, and shot towards the hanging iron chain like an arrow.

Behind him, the hundred branches followed, twisting and turning, like a hundred spears, aiming to pierce Su Xing's body and create fist-sized holes.

"I don't know how the ghost servant who locked the cage managed to contain the Century Fruit Tree. The branches move wildly, it's too dangerous!" Su Xing complained, frowning and glancing back to see the spear-like branches tightly following, making his back cold.

He also saw the severed limbs and white bones at the bottom of the cage, likely from previous ghost servants who had been harmed by the Century Fruit Tree.

"Clank!"

Su Xing approached the hanging iron chain, hooked it with his ankle, and his body spun like a windmill, suddenly changing direction. He kicked off the iron chain and rushed towards the Century Fruit Tree.

The hundred branches grazed the iron chain, sparks flying, and due to inertia, they shot towards the top of the cage, unable to catch up with Su Xing.

"Hehe!" Su Xing's lips curled, and he took out a butcher's knife from his ghost pocket. The blade was dark and deep, absorbing all the light, with a thick back and a sharp edge, flashing with a cold light.

"One cut, two pieces!"

Su Xing rushed to the Century Fruit Tree, diving into the large canopy. The butcher's knife flashed, and branches flew out of the canopy, trembling as they felt pain.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

Su Xing raised the butcher's knife and slashed down, the blade so sharp that the roots of the hundred branches were severed, and the thick branches crashed onto the cage.

With the branches cut, the Century Fruit Tree was like a tiger with its teeth pulled, no longer intimidating.

"You will be punished now." Su Xing leaned on the butcher's knife with one hand and placed the other on his waist, standing in front of the Century Fruit Tree, laughing.

The Century Fruit Tree was kept by the main kitchen of the City God's Office, not planted in the orchard due to its ferocious nature. Instead, it was kept in the same cage as the ferocious beasts, fed with blood, and when it bore fruit, ghost servants would come to pick it.

Therefore, Su Xing could not cut the roots of the Century Fruit Tree, but only its branches.

However, this was enough. It would take many years for the Century Fruit Tree to grow new branches, giving Su Xing plenty of time to pick the fruit.

Su Xing looked up at the large, canopy-like crown of the Century Fruit Tree, which was laden with ripe fruit, and his mouth watered.

"Truly a Century Fruit Tree, living up to its name!" Su Xing said, amazed that a single tree could bear pears, apples, pineapples, bananas, and lychees, truly a wonder.

"Let's pick the fruit quickly." Su Xing found a basket in the corner of the cage, climbed the tree like a monkey, and picked the fruits required by the wooden plaque. He then sat on a branch, picking and eating the nearest fruits.

The fruits of the Century Fruit Tree were extraordinary, not only juicy and delicious but also rich in nutrients, grown from a large amount of blood. They had a light taste without any bloodiness.

"Snap!"

Su Xing reached out, twisted the stem, and picked a red apple, ripe and full.

He immediately took a big bite, and the juice splashed, the fragrance filling the cage.

"Crunch, crunch"

Su Xing ate the apple, then the banana, and the pear. He even found a watermelon in the depths of the canopy and broke it open to eat.

After a while, Su Xing ate a pink peach, and suddenly, a surge of ghostly energy burst from his body.

"Breakthrough?" Su Xing's eyes lit up, surprised. This was a natural progression, and by refining the essence of the fruits with the *Niraya Sutra*, his cultivation directly advanced to the seventh level of a ghost soldier.

"Eating so much meat made my taste too heavy, but now, by changing my diet, I finally broke through." Su Xing said, proud of himself, his mouth still fragrant without the heavy meat taste.

"Indeed, a balanced diet is necessary." Su Xing picked apples, mangoes, and other fruits, preparing to cook the Blood Horned Bull. After several days of practice, Su Xing had improved his cooking skills, making the rough and unpalatable meat more edible.

With time, Su Xing was confident he could turn the rough meat into a delicacy, and there would be nothing in the food storage area that could stump him.

Su Xing jumped down from the Century Fruit Tree, found the iron cage of the Blood Horned Bull, and confidently took out a large piece of meat, dripping a drop of Meng Po's Soup on it.

Meng Po's Soup, which Su Xing had drunk in large quantities but not yet refined, was stored in his ghost body. It was now very useful, becoming his secret weapon for obtaining ingredients.

By dripping a drop of Meng Po's Soup on the meat and throwing it to the hungry ferocious beast, Su Xing could, with his silver tongue, trick the beast into forgetting everything, even its parents, and lying on the chopping board, allowing Su Xing to cut it.

As for the Century Fruit Tree, Su Xing thought that trees did not