Chapter 1122
New City: Haha, I'm dizzy.
"How dare you!" Obik slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, his gaze instantly shifting from Cui Ming to Shadow Mage, filled with disbelief and rage. He pointed at Shadow Mage and shouted angrily, "Shadow Mage! You brat, you actually want to try this evil stuff? Have you forgotten our rules! Ramen is the only authentic stuff!"
The Shadow Mage shrank back at his shout, but still couldn't help glancing at the bowl of noodles with soybean paste, and whispered in protest, "But... it smells really good. Just one bite shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Nothing to do with you?!" Obik jumped up and down in anger, pointing at Shadow Mage's nose and yelling, "You spineless coward! You were lured away by this aroma? I think you're a traitor! A traitor to ramen! You've gone along with that brat Cui Ming!"
"I didn't," the Shadow Mage said, his head drooping pitifully. His shadow had dimmed a bit, but he still hadn't given up completely and secretly moved closer to the bowl.
Cui Ming was overjoyed and simply picked up a mouthful of noodles and handed it to the Shadow Mage: "Here, try it quickly, don't mind him. This guy is just an old stubborn man who doesn't know how to be flexible."
The Shadow Mage's eyes lit up, and he immediately leaned over to take a bite. His eyes widened in surprise, and the shadows around him swayed lightly. His voice was full of delight: "Delicious! It's even more flavorful than ramen!"
"You!" Obik trembled with rage, grabbing an empty bowl from the table as if to smash it. "You traitor! I'll teach you a lesson today! How dare you betray ramen and praise this unorthodox way of eating!"
The Shadow Mage, terrified, immediately hid behind Cui Ming, using his body to shield himself from Obik's rage. Only half of his shadow was visible as he whispered, "I'm just telling the truth, it really is delicious."
Cui Ming stood in the middle with a smile, blocking Obik while teasing, "Alright, alright, don't be angry. Even Shadow Mage thinks it's delicious, which means there's nothing wrong with my way of eating it. Besides, trying new flavors is always better than sticking to the old ones."
"Strong my ass!" Obik was furious, but Cui Ming stopped him from doing anything, so he could only curse at the Shadow Mage, "You traitor! You're not allowed to learn bad things from Cui Ming in the future! Otherwise, I'll throw you back to the old village in the Ultra Universe and make you eat wild vegetables every day!"
The Shadow Mage, hiding behind Cui Ming, peeked out as a shadowy figure and whispered in rebuttal, "I don't mind eating those things."
"You son of a bitch!!!" Obik was so enraged that he broke free from Cui Ming's obstruction and reached out to grab the shadow mage's shadow. The two chased and dodged each other, making a ruckus in the small, dilapidated house. The tables and chairs swayed slightly from the impact, and the room was filled with Obik's angry curses and the shadow mage's laughter.
Just then, a soft knock came at the door, the "knock knock knock" interrupting the noise inside. Cui Ming looked up and saw an abbot standing at the door, dressed in a dark blue monk's robe and holding prayer beads. His features were gentle, and he exuded a Zen-like aura, though there was a subtle, almost imperceptible, liveliness in his eyes. Cui Ming recognized him at a glance as no ordinary person, but a tanuki that had cultivated into human form, and also a long-time friend of Obik. He was gentle and had never shown any malice towards humans.
Obik and the Shadow Mage also stopped their playful fight. Obik straightened his disheveled clothes and shouted irritably, "Who is it? Can't you see I'm busy!"
The host pushed open the door and walked in. His gaze first swept over the two men, whose faces were now covered in a mess, before landing on the bowl of noodles covered in thick sauce on Cui Ming's table. His eyes lit up slightly, and he walked over with a smile, his tone full of teasing: "Obik, you've finally decided to update the menu? I remember your little shack has only ever had ramen for hundreds of years. We're so tired of it, our mouths have practically memorized that same taste." Obik's face darkened at this, and he pointed at the bowl of jajangmyeon, furious: "What menu update! This is some weird way of eating that Cui Ming came up with! Drinking all the ramen broth and then mixing it with jajangmyeon, it's a complete waste!"
The raccoon host approached the table with great interest, sniffing the rich aroma of the sauce. The strong smell of the sauce intensified his curiosity. "An unorthodox way of eating? It looks pretty good to me. It smells much better than your ramen." He then turned to Cui Ming, cupping his hands in greeting. "This must be Cui Ming. I've heard so much about you. I'm a friend of Obik's, and I'm practicing at a nearby temple."
Cui Ming nodded in return, casually pushed the bowl aside, and joked with a smile, "You're too kind, host. Would you like to try some? I guarantee it tastes better than Obik's ramen."
“Alright!” The Tanuki host readily agreed, completely ignoring Obik’s ashen face. The Shadow Mage immediately chimed in, “Host, please try it! It’s really delicious!”
"You guys! You've all been corrupted!" Obik was so angry that he jumped up and down, pointing at the two of them and stomping his feet repeatedly, but he couldn't stop them. He could only watch helplessly as his old friends were also "falling" into this evil way of eating, and he had nowhere to vent his anger.
Inside, a great commotion was raging. Obik was glaring at the Tanuki Host and the Shadow Mage, while Cui Ming watched with great amusement. Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from the doorway. Xin Cheng peeked in, still clutching the duty recorder in his hand, and asked, "Instructor Cui, have you finished eating? There's something the team needs to discuss with you."
As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze swept over Obik, the Shadow Mage huddled in the corner, and the Tanuki Host, whose figure exuded an unusual agility. The air froze for two seconds. Shinjo's smile stiffened, and he quickly composed himself, taking two steps back without a word. He leaned against the doorframe, closed his eyes, and lay down, pretending to "see nothing," even deliberately keeping his breathing light.
Cui Ming looked at his ostrich-like posture, shook his head helplessly, and a knowing smile flashed in his eyes.
The raccoon host put down the chopsticks he had just picked up, watched Shinjo's back with interest, and teased softly, "Shinjo is still so afraid of ghosts."
“That’s right.” Obik snorted irritably, finally finding an outlet for his frustration. “We’ve been with Cui Ming, training him countless times, trying to boost his courage and explaining the principles, but he’s still the same. He acts like he’s seen a monster when he sees us.”
Shadow Mage also floated to the side, staring curiously at Xincheng's motionless body, and whispered in agreement: "There's nothing we can do. He seems to be naturally more sensitive to beings like us, and the more he trains, the more stage-frightened he becomes."
Cui Ming stood up, walked over to Xin Cheng, and gently kicked his leg: "Stop pretending, you saw everything, what are you pretending for? They're not hurting anyone."
Xincheng slowly opened one eye, glanced quickly at Obik and the other two, then immediately closed it again, muttering, "I'm not pretending, I'm just tired and need to rest. You guys chat, you guys chat, I'll wait for you to finish." The panic in his voice was impossible to hide. (End of Chapter)