The eunuch stood under a tree, playing with a jade pendant without saying a word.

Wang Mingfu and his group dared not whisper, bowing their heads and waiting quietly. Even the dozen or so injured people didn’t dare make a sound, enduring the pain.

The eunuch had already sent soldiers into the forest to check the condition of the game. If it deemed the loss to be severe, it would punish everyone.

Ten minutes later, the soldiers returned and reported to the eunuch. After listening, a smile finally appeared on the eunuch’s dead face.

“Not bad, you all did well!” The eunuch rewarded them. “Let’s go to the official residence and reward you with a bowl of dog food!”

Everyone immediately burst into tears of joy.

“Is this passing the test?” Zhao Tong covered her mouth with her left hand and sobbed.

“We finally made it!” Zeng Chuan excitedly clenched his fists a few times.

However, Wang Mingfu wasn’t as happy. He walked over to Lin Baici and asked in a low voice, “Lin Shen, what will we face next?”

“I don’t know!” Lin Baici honestly replied, but he estimated that the divine remains should be in this royal garden.

Following the eunuch, everyone went to the previous courtyard where there was a residence for resting. However, just as they entered, before they even saw the food, a eunuch in a blue robe hurriedly ran over.

“Xiao Li?” Lu Yingxi was shocked because this eunuch was the young man who had been taken to be cleansed earlier.

Xiao Li looked embarrassed and subconsciously touched his abdomen. He didn’t speak to everyone but rushed to the eunuch in front of him. “Wang has ordered a grand feast today, celebrating with the common people. Let the commoners who have offered fine wine and delicacies go to the Zixing Palace!”

“As you wish!” The eunuch respectfully replied and looked at Lin Baici and the others. “Have you all heard? When we arrive at the Zixing Palace later, be careful with etiquette and don’t offend the king.”

Following the eunuch, everyone stepped on the stone path and entered deeper into the garden. After about eight or nine minutes, they finally stopped in front of a group of palaces.

Gurgle!

Lin Baici had been feeling a slight hunger, but suddenly it intensified, making him salivate. He felt like eating the monsters in front of him raw.

[Oh howl, the most delicious feast is right ahead, hurry up!]

Lin Baici knew that the divine remains were on the table.

Lu Yingxi wanted to ask Xiao Li how he and Tang Zhiqian were doing and what the situation was inside, but Xiao Li didn’t want to talk to her.

Everyone followed the eunuch and entered the palace gate, then walked up a 720-step staircase and arrived at a platform.

On the north side was a loft, where a middle-aged man with a beard and wearing a dark golden royal robe was kneeling. In front of him was a huge low table filled with delicious food, fruits, pastries, and wine.

They didn’t see any musicians, but there was the melodious sound of bells and chimes echoing on the platform.

It had a strong ancient charm.

The king held a beautiful woman and kept laughing and persuading her to drink.

Lin Baici had good eyesight and was startled when he looked at the “beautiful woman” because although she was wearing gorgeous court clothes, her exposed face was already dehydrated, like dried beef, revealing strands of muscle fibers.

“Beauty, come, drink this cup!” The king teased and drank the wine in the golden goblet in one gulp, then held it in his mouth and fed it to the dried corpse in his arms.

“…”

Lin Baici felt that he had already seen many underworld scenes in the two divine ruins, but this scene still made his hair stand on end and gave him goosebumps.

Too disgusting.

On both sides of the platform were low tables about one meter wide, also filled with food, but there were no guests kneeling behind them.

“Are…are there ghosts?” Du Xin was scared.

Because there were obviously no guests, but there was the bustling noise of a banquet, and from time to time, someone spoke in classical Chinese and toasted the king.

In the middle of the platform, a group of beautiful palace-dressed female singers and dancers were dancing, but without exception, they were all dried corpses.

“Ah!” Zhao Tong suddenly exclaimed and quickly covered her mouth.

She saw one of the dried corpse singers’ eyeball fall to the ground. Before she could pick it up, it was smacked by the singer next to her and crushed.

“…” Everyone shivered.

[The moon is high in the sky, it’s the king’s night banquet, but unfortunately, there is too little food and not enough fine wine, disappointed! Disappointed!]

[But fortunately, there is a “beauty” that can be eaten!]

[Kill the king quickly and snatch that beauty!]

“Are you referring to her?” Lin Baici looked up and looked at the dried corpse beauty in the king’s arms. Are you seriously going to “eat” her?

No, even if it’s serious, it’s still a bit unacceptable, right?

[A king with a capricious temper and a violent personality, tormented by headaches for many years. It invited you all here to solve this stubborn illness!]

Food God’s comment.

Lin Baici raised an eyebrow. As expected, it wasn’t a good thing.

[Hey, there’s also a buffet table next to it, but unfortunately, there is only one dish on it, and it’s also troublesome to eat it. Regretful!]

On the right side of this platform, there was a loft with 360 steps. On the steps were various fierce beast paintings, showing their teeth and claws, vividly displaying a wild aura.

At the top of the loft, there was a circle of bronze racks, about twenty of them, each with a brazier on top. The burning charcoal inside occasionally made a “bibo” explosion sound.

From a distance, these braziers looked like stars.

“Why aren’t you all kneeling and paying respects to our king?” The eunuch urged.

Plop! Plop! Several girls who had been frightened by this series of rules without hesitation knelt down.

“No need!” The king’s voice came from the north loft. “Take your seats!”

Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

Gu Rongjie instinctively looked at Lin Baici, waiting for his instructions.

There was definitely no choice but to take their seats and participate in this banquet. However, before he could speak, the king’s voice sounded again.”These people, why are they so dirty and messy?” Wang was displeased, feeling that the banquet had been dirtied.

In the crowd, chaos ensued.

“Who? Who is it talking about?” Du Xin was afraid because her linen robe was torn in many places, and it was soaked in alcohol. She had also stayed in the forest, so she was dirty and disheveled.

“It must be the injured people, right?” Gu Rongjie guessed, glancing at Zhou Ya.

She was covered in injuries, with bloodstains all over her body, and she looked completely lifeless.

There were about ten more people, all in a similar state, with injuries ranging from severe to mild, but without exception, they all looked terrible.

“Take them away!” Wang scolded, “Execute them!”

Boom! The sound of uproar filled the air. The words “execute them” were like the fingers of the Grim Reaper, directly tightening everyone’s nerves, making everyone nervous and anxious.

The soldiers standing on both sides of the platform rushed forward like wolves and tigers, breaking into the crowd, intending to drag the unlucky ones who were injured out.

“Help, help, I don’t want to die!”

“Manager Wang, please help me!”

“Lin God, I beg you!”

On Lin Baici’s side, there weren’t many injured people, mainly thirteen members of Wang Mingfu’s team who were immediately singled out.

Du Xin was originally standing next to Zhou Ya, but when she saw a soldier rushing over, she immediately moved to the side.

Zhou Ya didn’t ask Lin Baici for help. After her appearance was ruined by those cannibal crows, she had already lost all hope for life. Even if she managed to survive and leave, what would be the point?

With her face and body covered in scars, she couldn’t find a job at all. Even when she looked in the mirror, she would feel disgusted.

“Chief Eunuch…” Lin Baici wanted to ask if there was any way to save Zhou Ya’s life.

[It’s useless. Her fate is sealed.]

Food God’s comment: [Moreover, she has already lost the will to survive and believes that there is no meaning in living. It’s better to let her go!]

[This ingredient has lost its soul and is not worth eating!]

At the moment Zhou Ya decided to give up her life, she was no longer worthy of being eaten by Lin Baici.

The soldiers were very strong, and these ordinary people couldn’t resist them at all. They were like little chickens, being dragged to the edge of the platform by the soldiers.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The soldiers pressed down on these people, making them kneel on the ground and lower their heads.

Clang! Clang! Some soldiers drew their swords.

“Help!”

“I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!”

“Wife, I was wrong. I won’t hide money anymore!”

They shouted and screamed, their mentality collapsing.

The soldier behind Zhou Ya raised his sword and brought it down.

Crack! Zhou Ya’s head was chopped off, and with a thud, it fell to the ground and rolled a few times.

Sizzle! Bright red blood sprayed out, splattering all over the ground.

The soldier pushed hard, pushing Zhou Ya’s body off the platform, then lifted his foot and kicked the head.

Bang! The head rolled away.

Du Xin shivered and hugged her arms.

Goosebumps covered her skin.

The deaths of others didn’t affect her deeply, after all, she wasn’t very familiar with them. But Zhou Ya, her roommate for four years in college, was different.

Now, watching Zhou Ya’s head being chopped off, Du Xin felt her soul trembling.

She felt like she was also freezing here.

“Xiao Bai!” Hua Yueyu tightly held Lin Baici’s hand, her lips trembling.

As the soldiers carried out the execution, the cries of the unlucky ones abruptly stopped, and then their bodies were thrown off the platform.

Wang Mingfu and his group had ugly expressions, and many of them were trembling.

“Is this a feast of Hongmen?” Guo Zheng’s scalp tingled. Several people had already died before the banquet even started. If they finished the meal, wouldn’t the entire army be wiped out?

“What is your name?” Wang spoke again.

Everyone was startled, who was he talking to?

“Xiao Linzi!” Xia Hongyao worried. With her good eyesight, she could see that Wang was looking down at Lin Baici.

“Lin Baici from Haijing University of Technology!” Lin Baici suppressed the urge to immediately attack Wang. There was too little information, he had no idea what kind of monsters were in this Star-Picking Palace and what Wang was good at.

Starting a war recklessly would only lead to a dead end.

Wang fell silent for a few seconds before speaking again, “Take your seats!”

Among these commoners, only this man and the woman next to him, who didn’t show fear when they saw their companions being killed.

A woman… was not worthy of being asked her name by Wang, but this man, with his handsome appearance and tall figure, coupled with his courage, must have a delicious and exquisite heart!

I want to eat him! Wang licked his lips.

Under the arrangement of the Chief Eunuch, everyone nervously took their seats.

Fang Wengang sat cross-legged, but was immediately scolded by the Chief Eunuch.

“You rude person!” the Chief Eunuch scolded.

“What… what’s wrong?” Fang Wen panicked.

“Kneel and sit!” Hua Yueyu reminded him.

“Oh! Oh!” Fang Wen suddenly realized. He had watched TV dramas before and knew this was ancient etiquette.

“Hurry up and take your seats!” the Chief Eunuch urged.

Everyone hurriedly found their seats.

Wang Mingfu wanted to sit next to Lin Baici, but there was no space left.

Xia Hongyao and Hua Yueyu sat on Lin Baici’s left, while Du Xin wanted to sit on Lin Baici’s right, but was pulled by Guo Zheng by her hair and dragged to the side.

Gu Rongjie hesitated for a moment, but didn’t sit next to Guo Zheng. Instead, she chose to sit next to Xia Hongyao.

“Damn it!” Du Xin cursed. There was no other choice but to sit next to Gu Rongjie.

These low tables were about one meter long and half a meter wide, with a classical design. There were exquisitely crafted bronze animal heads embedded at each of the four corners, with one table for each person.

Kneeling and sitting seemed simple, but if you hadn’t practiced it before, this posture would make your legs very uncomfortable, and they would go numb after a while.

The Chief Eunuch stood on the steps leading to the north side loft.

“The banquet begins, bring out the dishes!”

The Chief Eunuch elongated his tone, sounding like the dead souls in a mass grave were calling out.

Xia Hongyao looked around, observing the environment. “Xiao Linzi, to pass this test, we probably need to assassinate that Wang.””Maybe?” Lin Baici was uncertain.

“Look!” Hua Yueyu exclaimed.

One by one, large bronze plates the size of washbasins, unattended, lined up and floated in the air, drifting over from the steps.

Everyone gasped in shock. The scene was like something out of a horror movie, but what was even more terrifying than a horror movie was that they were in the middle of it.

The bronze plates were beautiful, adorned with carvings of dragons and phoenixes, and images of birds and beasts. However, they were not filled with food. After they floated over, they landed on the tables in front of each person.

Eight dishes and a pot of wine for each person, it looked very sumptuous, but unfortunately, the plates were all empty.

“What are we supposed to eat? Air?” Fang Wen frowned.

“Idiot!” Du Xin muttered under her breath. Even if there was food in these plates, would you dare to eat it?

Bronze chopsticks, made of quicksilver, landed on the tables.

The fog was thick, and the sky was dark. On the platform, more than ten meters away, the mummified songstresses in gorgeous palace dresses were dancing. The lights shining from afar made the place dim and gloomy.

What was this? A party in the underworld? Everyone felt their scalps tingle.

“Raise your glasses, toast, to celebrate our king!” The chief eunuch shouted.

Everyone was in a flurry, hastily raising their bronze wine goblets, but there wasn’t a drop of wine in them.

Of course, thinking about the wine in the underground cellar that had been soaked with corpses, Lin Baici and the others would rather have empty goblets.

“Beloved subjects, drink up!” The king laughed heartily.

Everyone put the wine goblets to their mouths, pretending to drink.

The chief eunuch continued to shout, and after three rounds of toasting, the king waved his sleeve: “Beloved subjects, please feel at ease.”

The king started flirting with the beauty in his arms again.

“What do we do now?” Guo Zheng asked quietly, “Just sit here?”

“Do you think we could pretend to need to use the bathroom and leave?” Gu Rongjie suggested.

“You could try!”

Guo Zheng’s eyes lit up, thinking this was a good idea.

Gu Rongjie chuckled to herself. If she dared to do that, why would she have suggested it?

【Once you enter the Star Picking Palace, there’s only one way out, and that’s death, unless…】

Lin Baici listened carefully, but the Food God stopped talking halfway.

“Beloved subjects, do you think I have been good to you?” The king looked down at the crowd, his gaze sweeping over each face.

No one answered. They all looked at Wang Mingfu, only to find that Wang was looking at Lin Baici, and Gu Rongjie and the others were already looking at Lin Baici.

Lin Baici was the backbone. When everyone didn’t know what to do, they would definitely look at him.

“Hmph, why are you looking at him?” The king snorted coldly, sounding displeased. “Do you think I have not been good to you?”

“You, speak!” The king pointed at someone randomly.

Everyone was startled, then followed the king’s finger to see who he was pointing at.

“…”

Lv Yingxi’s face was solemn, her gaze meeting the king’s.

“Thank goodness, it’s not me!” Du Xin patted her chest, her expression one of relief for having dodged a bullet.

Everyone was looking at Lv Yingxi.

“The king has been very good to me!” Lv Yingxi spoke up, her voice loud and clear.

“Then are you willing to die for your king?” The king asked.

“I would go through fire and water for the king, without hesitation!” Lv Yingxi hesitated, wondering if she should kneel to show her loyalty.

“Haha, well said!” The king laughed heartily, raising his goblet and taking a big gulp.

“It should be fine now, right?” Hua Yueyu muttered.

Just when everyone thought it was over and that Lv Yingxi had passed the test safely, the king spoke again.

“Someone, bring wine!” From the loft, a eunuch in a blue robe came down.

Lv Yingxi looked up and was stunned. “Brother Tang?”

Guo Zheng’s gaze fell on Tang Zhiqian, but he had no intention of mocking him. Under the influence of the rules, it was good enough to be alive.

Tang Zhiqian walked to Lv Yingxi’s table and poured her wine.

This time, green wine flowed out.

“Yingxi, run!” Tang Zhiqian whispered a warning.

Lv Yingxi was startled. “Is there something wrong with the wine?”

“No, it’s much worse than that. Don’t wait for the king to ask the next question, run!” Tang Zhiqian, as a eunuch, had served a group of people in the Star Picking Palace before Lin Baici and the others, and had witnessed that terrifying way of death.

Lv Yingxi’s face darkened, almost as if ink was dripping from it. She knew Tang Zhiqian wouldn’t harm her, but to run…

Lv Yingxi looked at the long staircase, at the soldiers around her, and felt nothing but despair.

Even if I manage to run out of here, where can I go next?

“I have a headache, which has been bothering me for decades. Every time it acts up, the pain is unbearable. Since you are willing to die for me, I would like to borrow something from you to cure my headache.” The king looked at Lv Yingxi and wiped the corner of his mouth.

“What does the king want to borrow?” Lv Yingxi had a feeling that this thing could be deadly.

Everyone else was listening quietly.

“I would like to borrow your heart!” When the king said this, his expression was indifferent, as if he was borrowing a copper coin, something insignificant that anyone could easily give.

Lv Yingxi’s face changed instantly, and she instinctively turned to look at Lin Baici.

Everyone else also looked horrified, because after the king borrowed hers, he would definitely borrow from others!

Damn it! Since when is the heart something you can lend to others?

“Ah!” Tang Zhiqian sighed. His good friend was doomed, but he was powerless to help.

“Why are you silent?” The king’s face darkened, his voice stern. “Since you are willing to die for me, why are you hesitating?”