Lantern Sister is still very capable.

Chapter 44 Banquet

Chu Deng wasn't lying. She was so disgusted by Cheng Mai's unhygienic urination at Chuiguang Lake that she gave up eating fish. Just then, she overheard Cheng Mai talking about "divine blood" and "special abilities." Full of doubts, she clung to the bottom of Cheng Mai's car and followed him to Shangyuan Villa. Cheng Mai then took her to the front yard.

While one of the maids came to call for someone, Chu Deng strolled over. As it turned out, this place not only had no signal, but also had many trees, and the paths were winding and twisting with no signs. People who were not familiar with the area could not find the core location at all.

So, upon hearing the footsteps, Chu Deng deliberately bumped into them, adapting to the situation. If things didn't work out, she would run away. What was there for a level three ability user like her to fear in a place full of ordinary people?

“Then I’ll take you to the banquet hall,” Hong Shang said softly. She also took this opportunity to go and see the banquet hall. She originally thought she would have to follow those goods to get in, but now that she was helping the little girl find her father, it suited her just fine.

Chu Deng held Hong Shang's hand, subtly glancing left and right while dealing with Hong Shang.

"Little sister, what's your father's name?" Hong Shang still had some doubts.

"My dad told me not to tell the people here."

Using your real name to do bad things? How could anyone be so stupid? If this were a place where ordinary people wanted to exploit the awakening of superpowered individuals, those people probably wouldn't even dare to show their faces.

Chu Deng was well aware of these sordid matters, but to reassure Hong Shang, she brought up the topic of superpowered individuals, saying, "Dad said he came this time to let me taste the best things in the world, sister, do you know what that is?"

What could it be? The flesh and blood of children with special abilities.

Hong Shang thought to herself with a chill, but smiled outwardly, "You'll see when you get there."

Hong Shang had witnessed that scene: the sacrificial person lay on the round table, and the black doctor, who was skilled in anatomy, personally performed the operation, opening up the person's brain and eating the brain marrow of his own kind, just like eating monkey brains.

The blood was removed before serving, supposedly to reduce the fishy smell.

It's like opening a blind box; you only know if someone is a superhuman by opening the brains of those offerings. Those with a gem between their eyebrows are unique divine blood offerings, while those without are just ordinary people.

Ordinary people die in vain, disposed of by corpse handlers, while the divine blood offerings are devoured completely, leaving not even bone marrow. The entire process will be broadcast live on the dark web to satisfy those dark and bizarre evils.

However, the child's parents are quite carefree, actually bringing their child to the event.

As far as Hong Shang knows, parents who want their children to awaken usually have their children wait in the lounge, and after they have finished consuming the divine blood offerings, they leave a little blood for their children.

Thinking this, Hong Shang couldn't help but tighten her grip on the little girl's finger.

No, no, something's not right...

"Sister, you're hurting me."

By the way, all guests who come to Shangyuan Villa wear masks in order to conceal their identities!

Hong Shang looked down and saw the little girl smile at her. The next second, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and lost consciousness completely.

Chu Deng hid the person in the lush flower bushes nearby. She had already heard the commotion not far away and knew the direction to go. She noticed that Hong Shang seemed to have noticed her strange behavior, so she decided to strike first.

To make his disguise more thorough, Chu Deng climbed to the top of a tree to observe the characteristics of the crowds coming and going.

People kept walking towards the central courtyard and into the castle-like building. The people who came were covered with wide robes to conceal their figures, wore top hats to make it impossible to distinguish between men and women, and wore masks on their faces. An unsuspecting person would only think that a masquerade ball was being held. Each person had a small gold badge with a name printed on it on their chest. Chu Deng looked closely and saw that "Tulip", "Carnation" and "Baby's Breath" were all names of flowers.

Seemingly to match their nicknames, each person's robes and masks were different, seemingly printed with patterns representing brand names, and were custom-made.

That's a really unique way to play, and it also prevents unrelated people from sneaking in.

Chu Deng had no choice but to resort to the same trick again, knocking out a small guest who was similar in stature to himself. The unfortunate fellow was the same height as him, but unfortunately, he was a boy, so he would have to try not to speak later.

She hid the little boy in a women's restroom stall, put on a robe with flame-shaped flowers, wore a mask, and tucked her hair into a top hat before walking out openly.

As soon as she stepped outside, a furtive man grabbed her arm. "Where have you been?! You must stay close to me here."

Chu Deng pointed to the men's restroom next door.

The man with the orchid name tag hanging around his neck relaxed, but still held Chu Deng's hand tightly. "You're not allowed to leave my side for even a moment, understand?"

Chu Deng nodded.

The man, speaking to himself, said, “I know you’re sick and not feeling well, but I’m here to treat you. Once you’re cured, your mother will definitely come back to us… No matter what, she has to come back to us…” As he spoke, the man gripped Chu Deng’s hand tighter and tighter, seemingly lost in his own fantasy.

Chu Deng sighed inwardly. What bad luck, she'd run into a madman!

Chu Deng struggled symbolically for a moment before Phalaenopsis loosened her grip, but she still didn't let go. Instead, she led Chu Deng towards the banquet hall. For some reason, the two walked for a long time without reaching the banquet hall, and instead ended up in a dead end.

Phalaenopsis returned nonchalantly, trying several times, each time ending up in a dead end. Finally, she encountered a waiter who guided her, and the two successfully reached the banquet hall.

"It's my first time here too, and he's not familiar with the place," Butterfly Orchid explained, but she didn't meet Chu Deng's gaze; she knew the man was guilty.

Because the Phalaenopsis orchid got lost, the large and small orchids arrived just as the radiant flowers were already in bloom.

People stood in the magnificent hall, talking in hushed tones. Different colored patterns intertwined, like a richly colored painting. But the masked people all seemed to have mysterious smiles on their lips. An atmosphere of excitement and tension permeated the air, and the entire banquet hall was plunged into a secret revelry.

"Have you heard? This time there's high-level divine blood!"

"I know, I know, the cult leader has finally decided to release people for sacrifice..."

"I wonder if this divine blood will awaken my powers?"

"Come a few more times. Don't just drink the divine blood; also eat the crystal marrow and the brain marrow mixed with gemstone energy. Just one bite and you'll feel the power surging through your body!"

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the man in the golden mask appeared, dressed in a black robe, and his appearance immediately drew applause from the crowd.

"Master Ying has arrived."

Ying Chengji smiled smugly, tapped his wine glass a few times with the spoon in his hand, and after everyone quieted down, he said, "I'm glad you've all been waiting for me. I'm very happy to be here with you all today to celebrate the blood of the gods."

"Before the main course, why don't we have a few appetizers?" After saying that, Ying Chengji turned around and saw three bunny girls in uniforms, each holding a clean-washed child, who were placed on the round table.

Ying Chengji put down his wine glass and picked up the scalpel handed to him by the waiter. "This time, let me announce the results for everyone."

"Clap clap clap!" Everyone applauded in welcome.

Ying Chengji gently made a cut between the child's eyebrows with a scalpel, and blood seeped from the wound. He then inserted the scalpel into the child's forehead and gently stirred it. The friction between the blade and flesh produced a chilling sound, and the hall fell silent.

The unconscious child only twitched twice before falling silent.

"Looks like we didn't win," Ying Chengji sighed, then dissected the other two unconscious children in the same way, but unfortunately, they didn't have any gems between their eyebrows.

Chu Deng watched indifferently as Ying Chengji performed the corpse-whipping act. The three children had already died before they were served, which was why they were pale and silent. Any twitching was just a lingering instinct.

Chu Deng looked up and saw that the butterfly orchid's lips were pale. Her hand was being held tightly.

Seemingly realizing she'd been tricked, but not wanting to frighten the child, Phalaenopsis murmured, "Baby, don't be afraid, Daddy's here..."

After three attempts, none of the children turned out to be superhumans. Ying Chengji's face turned cold, while the three bunny girls who were responsible for bringing the children up trembled in fear.

But Ying Chengji knew everyone was waiting for his reaction, so instead of reacting on the spot, he laughed and said, "It seems everything is arranged perfectly. If there's no appetizer, let's go straight to the main course!"

The long-awaited guests forgot the awkward silence and started screaming with excitement.

"Divine blood! Divine blood! Divine blood!"

A woman whose limbs were tightly bound by iron chains was brought onto a round table.