Bocuse raised his glass and took a sip, "He was once the youngest director in our association, possessing a rare gourmet talent, but geniuses are often obsessive as well. When he was promoted to the sixth elder, he was discovered to be secretly researching Dark Cuisine and created a branch of it."

"I heard that the Dark Cuisine branch has been purged?"

Bocuse shook his head and smiled bitterly, "He was already one of the strongest members of the association, very meticulous in his actions. After creating Dark Cuisine, his strength advanced even further, and he secretly recruited many members. Even after we gathered the elite forces of the association, he still managed to escape. Over the years, the association has been investigating, never expecting him to hide in the obvious Hedan. It seems he must have accumulated enough power over these years, not to be underestimated."

"Is Anthony's heart extraction after drinking wine a side effect of Dark Cuisine?" Li Xin suddenly asked.

Bocuse nodded, "It should be. The Gourmet Association's food philosophy is to bring goodness. Customers enjoy the food and give us Wish Power in return. This process is slow and not addictive, but Dark Cuisine is different. Its purpose is to conquer and draw from the user's Wish Power. Once consumed, it controls the person, and they must consume it periodically, or they will emotionally collapse and go mad. But if maintained well, it gives the eater a false sense of improvement."

Both Li Xin and Christie felt a deep chill. The opposition had already corroded Anthony to such an extent. How many people in Hedan have consumed Dark Cuisine? Were the large numbers of missing people used as ingredients?

"You both probably realize the severity of the situation, and there are stronger people backing him, possessing nearly omnipotent roles in Hedan. Frankly, the Night Patrol's strength in Hedan is not enough to intervene in this case." Bocuse said sincerely, "I suggest you two think it over."

Li Xin glanced at Christie. Christie smiled faintly and said firmly, "Mr. Bocuse, the Night Patrol fears no evil forces. This is the purpose of our existence, especially since he has caused great disasters to ordinary people. We are willing to go all out for this case."

Bocuse's sharp features showed no change, but there was more admiration in his eyes. Words are easy to say, but he could see Christie's determination, even though, in essence, this case had little to do with the Night Patrol.

Unfortunately, determination alone is not enough. "The Gourmet Association must definitely clean house. If you can find him, the association will remember this favor. His original name is Alain Ducasse, but he may be using other names now. Remember, under no circumstances should you touch Dark Cuisine. Once tainted, not even the gods can save you. Also, please hand him to us for processing. This time, we won't let him escape again."

Both parties reached a preliminary consensus, but it was clear that Bocuse was not targeting the Night Patrol but rather Li Xin.

As they left, Bocuse gave them little gifts, some jam he made himself, which could be eaten with bread and other foods. In Bocuse's words, Li Xin and the Gourmet Association were fated.

The jam jars were very pretty. Li Xin thought he could use them to store things after they were empty. Since acquiring Yazama Karashi, he suddenly had a heart for collecting, always wanting to fill it up, even storing some nan would be nice.

The danger of Dark Cuisine was always speculated, but today it was professionally confirmed. Simmons had already informed Didia, urging him to be cautious. Currently, neither the Gourmet Association nor the Funeral Attendants could find the opponent; only Didia might contact them, to lure the snake out of its hole. But the snake was quite cunning, and so far, Didia had found nothing.

On the way back to Lirong Inn, the destination was tacitly understood. The surrounding scenery was beautiful. The carriage clip-clopped along the bay, the magnificent view all around, but the scenery in the carriage was even more breathtaking. Yet, Christie inside the carriage had no heart to appreciate it.

"Sister, you're not thinking of handling Number One all by yourself, are you?" Li Xin asked.

Christie shook her head, "In fact, in Hedan, only a dozen or so people could have achieved this, nobles, big figures in the Church."

Li Xin agreed. By this point, the range was already narrowed down. But after interacting with them, Li Xin thought none of them were fools, the Church Court, the Funeral Attendants, even today's Gourmet Association, they might all have suspicions.

"Definitely, after going around recently, I found that everyone is a giant in words but a dwarf in action," Li Xin said helplessly. "They always want us little folks to step up and be cannon fodder."

Finding Li Xin's words amusing, Christie couldn't help but laugh, "You're not a small figure anymore, being recognized by both Prince Achilles and the Gourmet Association. Such people are rare in Hedan."

"They just need me for now. Big figures like to use cheap friendliness to get underlings to work desperately. It's nothing to be proud of," Li Xin chuckled. "But I'm happy that you enjoyed dinner tonight."

Christie's body trembled slightly, and when she turned to look at Li Xin, her eyes were already teary, "How many women have you misled with that mouth of yours?"

Li Xin smiled bitterly, "If I say I'm a theorist, with little chance for practical experience, would you believe me?"

"I believe you," Christie said.

"Ah?" Li Xin was curious about her swift response. He didn't think it was due to some trust between the two, "Why believe?"

Christie couldn't help but look out the window, "Every time you're like... a big wolfdog."

???

Li Xin already had an arm around Christie's waist, soft, delicate, and smooth, something he experienced deeply, "Sister, hang on a bit longer, we'll arrive soon."

"The one who should hang on is... mm~"

The atmosphere shifted, and the two ended up kissing, but knowing it wasn't the right place, they restrained themselves... until the carriage arrived at the entrance of Lirong Inn.

The door opened, and Li Xin stepped down with a dignified demeanor, then helped Christie down. As the carriage drove away, the two entered the room hand in hand, and the moment the door closed, they could restrain themselves no longer.

...

After the passion, they lay entangled, Christie's eyes already clear, "The Inner Demon's number one and number two can actually be seen as two separate cases. Number two is the one the Church Court is seriously investigating, spending considerable effort, but the opposition is exceedingly skilled at hiding. Each time they dispose of a body, it's done expertly, with professional methods. Number two bears no malice towards ordinary people, only killing those who deserve it, targeting the Earth Mother Goddess Court. Number one is the real demon, and this demon is powerful enough to make the Prince, Church Court, and Gourmet Association all wary. Can we speculate in this direction?"

Li Xin nodded, leaning against the soft, snowy white, wanting to play the fool.

"Such people shouldn't be many in Hedan, right?"

"There are still some, the most suspicious are probably about five or six, but they are just the most likely targets. Whether they're the culprit or not needs investigation." Christie lightly bit her finger, wanting to investigate these people was something beyond the capability of ordinary people, the Night Patrol's strength in Hedan would shatter upon contact.

While Christie was deep in thought, she felt the wolf-dog swelling again.

She didn't realize her movements were lethal, and there was no stopping it anyway.

"We should investigate where necessary, as difficult as it is, things become simple once you start acting," Li Xin said, "I see Bocuse is determined to clean house, but he doesn't want to involve Hedan's forces, just wants to catch their traitors. With such a stable Secret Organization, we need to leverage their strength rather than confront them directly. It just feels like their urgency isn't that strong."

"No, the Gourmet Association and Dark Cuisine branch are incompatible as water and fire. The Gourmet Association controls a path to the divine, while the emergence of the Dark Cuisine branch disrupts their fortune. Simply put, the Gourmet Association coalesces people's wishes through cuisine, a win-win approach, whereas Dark Cuisine absorbs wishes to benefit themselves at others' cost, greatly impacting the Gourmet. Therefore, no matter what, the Gourmet Association must clean house. Bocuse is just the manager, their manpower is far more than this." Christie wrapped around Li Xin, also getting into the mood.

"Shouldn't we let the Funeral Attendant handle this opponent, and we just deal with the outskirts? Direct confrontation is too dangerous."

"Of course, we need to achieve the best results while ensuring safety, results recognized by the Hedan royal family," Christie laughed, "That's also our task, ah~"

Due to the two deliberately holding back, Li Xin's sudden move caused Christie to let out a soft moan that was almost bone-melting.

Li Xin was unyielding too, being able to focus on work at this time made him feel he wasn't working hard enough.

Knock knock knock......

"Again? What's going on? Can't people live?"

"Yesterday it was David, today it's Ah Xin, tomorrow it'll be David again, these two keep coming and going, it's inhumane."

"Sigh, there's no work in the middle of the night, if there's money to be made, I'd go out and work. Youngsters, they're not restrained at all. David lives like there's no tomorrow, but Master Xin, you're so confused."

"Old Fang, at your age, you should have gotten over it."

"Bullshit, my body is in great shape!"

Dalivin and the others really couldn't sleep as soundly as David and Dragon Mother, even in such a situation it felt like they were hypnotized, so they went out to cool off. Hedan was fine, just the weather was too hot.

In the room, Li Xin didn't know what Christie was thinking. Sometimes he could feel warmth and sincerity, other times it felt like her mind was elsewhere. He knew Christie wasn't a woman willing to be bound, but should he, as a man, take the initiative to clarify their relationship?

At the Lanau Bay Restaurant, when faced with Bocuse, he had an urge to speak up, but it always felt like something was missing.

"Christie, I want to..." Li Xin said.

Christie smiled lightly, looking gently at Li Xin, "What are you thinking? Don't let your thoughts run wild. There's no rush about pursuing the culprit, take your time. We've already made significant progress. They're the ones who should be anxious."

"No, I meant to say..." Li Xin hesitated on how to speak.

Christie chuckled, "You want... to go again?"

...

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