Chapter 302: Reipe Book

Blood Sacrifice.

Ji Zhixiu's still agitated heart started to palpitate once again the moment she laid eyes on the book's title.

From the titles alone, the previous few books would seem mysterious and intimidating, but before seeing the contents, a casual observer could only rely on their imagination to deduce what was inside.

Someone like Ji Zhixiu, who was already well accustomed with Boss Lin's capabilities, would naturally be in awe of these books.

However, to an ordinary person, these books would cause some doubts.

More so when the latest book with its rather appalling cover page was before everyone in all of its bloody glory.

The contents of the book could be deduced at a glance.

Blood sacrifices!

Rituals which involved living flesh and blood to be sacrificed to the gods!

But some queries stood: whose flesh and blood was to be used? What type of ritual was to be conducted? And who was the godly recipient of these offerings?

Ji Zhixiu's heart pounded violently. She recalled that faithful rainy night, where the old man Wilde had passed her by outside the bookstore.

According to recent sources, that old man had now established a new yet powerful force in the shadows of Norzin—an evil sect known as the 'Corpse Devouring Sect.'

It was rumored that they had chosen a god whose 'omniscience held the knowledge and power equivalent to the indefinite universe.' They would carry out extremely cruel methods in order to turn their enemies into sacrifices to be offered to their god.

The popularity of the Corpse Devouring Sect had recently seen a boom in Norzin, gaining strength and members at such a high rate that they were almost rivaling the Sun's Faith.

The two were like light and darkness; one akin to rays of sunlight shining unto humanity, while the other was like a rapidly spreading mold.

Their inhumane methods, stringent rules, and fanaticism of the followers were all factors which made people fear the Corpse Devouring Sect.

The organization was viewed like a scourge, denouncing the sudden appearance of this alleged omniscient entity as an evil god.

Only, they probably didn't even know the name of this evil god, nor did they know of his origins and legends. All of this was fabricated by Wilde. It was a cunning ruse to quickly rope and brainwash others into being his followers.

But as a regular of the bookstore, a daring thought had popped into Ji Zhixiu's head.

That is, this evil god must be somewhat connected to the bookstore.

There was a question that remained: Was Boss Lin a man of faith?

Though Ji Zhixiu didn't know the answer to that question, she dared not to make an assumption.

Yet at this very moment before her, the answer was about to be revealed.

Ji Zhixiu stared at the book in fixation.

Lin Jie was taken aback. None of the previous books had elicited such a reaction from Miss Ji. He initially presumed that the young lady would show more interest in The Count of Monte Cristo or Pride and Prejudice, yet, unexpectedly, the young heiress showed the most preference to the most ordinary book.

As the saying goes, 'extremes meet.' Perhaps she was too used to the love-hate relationships of upper-class societies that the ordinary now appealed to her.

Therefore, showing interest in a recipe book was also pretty reasonable.

Lin Jie couldn't help but ask, "I never expected you to be interested in a recipe book. Have you perhaps been thinking about trying your hand at cooking?"

Miss Ji, who was born with a silver spoon, was too stunned to speak. As she deciphered the words from Boss Lin, her shock only intensified.

"Huh?! Re-recipe book?"

Lin Jie picked up the book and flipped through it again, confirming that it was the right one.

"Yeah, isn't this a recipe book?" His tone was laced with suspicion as he uttered the most rhetorical of questions with widened eyes displaying bewilderment.

If she were to blindy judge the Blood Sacrifice book in Lin Jie's hand by the two large bloody words for its title, Ji Zhixiu would have nearly been deceived by Boss Lin's expert acting.

Mr. Lin still has that dark humor, huh. Ji Zhixiu thought to herself before she suddenly froze up.

Perhaps this book is really just a recipe book to him.

Having reached this notion, Ji Zhixiu felt a chill down her spine as goosebumps rose all over her skin.

'Blood Sacrifice.' There was only one meaning to it—to kill a person and use his fresh blood and corpse as a sacrifice, as the means to worship and satisfy the divine.

To any ordinary individual, this behavior was inhumane, evil, and straight-up cruel.

But to a follower, this was a holy ritual to prove their loyalty.

What about toward a divine entity?

Weren't these sacrifices simply just a 'variety of dishes'? If so, wouldn't the books recording the methods of blood sacrifices be known as 'recipes'?!

Ji Zhixiu's head felt numb, her body getting colder by the second as she seemingly felt as if she was looking into the realm of gods from another perspective. Like a fish out of water, suddenly finding herself hard to breathe.

If this was the case, then Boss Lin would definitely be—

"Why have you gone silent??"

Lin Jie waved his hand in Ji Zhixiu's face, then flipped through the book again. With scrunched up eyebrows, he asked again, this time with a silver of self-doubt, "I'm not wrong, am I? This is a recipe book, isn't it?"

Ji Zhixiu forced a smile and replied, "It is. I was just occupied with other thoughts. You aren't wrong. This is indeed a recipe book."

"Alright then."

Lin Jie stared at One Thousand Classic Home Dishes (The Complete Colored 365 Days Edition) in this hand, having the feeling that something was off with Miss Ji.

Had she abruptly been reminded of that scumbag because she started cooking recently? Was that the reason she suddenly seemed so sad?

That seemed like the most likely possibility.

Lin Jie decided not to probe further, lest he touch a raw nerve of Miss Ji's. "Based on my predictions, this book would likely be the most popular among the five. As such, I hope you will invest more publicity into this book.

"After all, everyone should know a little something about cooking or, at the very least, be involved in the process. What's more, this book has tons of homemade dishes. To be more specific, made with ingredients that are common in every household."

Lin Jie then added on, "However, the dishes in this recipe book aren't easy to master. Even if the steps are all listed out, the result would still depend on an individual's ability."

Ji Zhixiu nodded stiffly.

Indeed, when it came to this 'cooking', everyone ought to be involved. Who wouldn't become an ingredient when all was said and done?

The ingredients were common indeed; every household had people. Not having someone in a house would be an uncommon phenomenon instead.

'Not easy to master' was an understatement. The minimum requirement to become a sacrifice for the Corpse Devouring Sect was allegedly Pandemonium-rank. If a sacrifice didn't possess sufficient ability, things tended to spiral out of control. Therefore, to be able to perfectly complete a ritual, skill was a must.

"Anyway, I assume you've understood my requests for all five books."

Lin Jie stacked the books up once more and placed them in Ji Zhixiu's arms.

Ji Zhixiu panicked momentarily upon feeling the cumbersome weight in her hands, then she steeled herself and nodded her head firmly.

"Understood. Rolle Resource Development will source out the most suitable buyers for you."

"That's not necessary. It will be alright as long as you deem them suitable."

Lin Jie gave a smile to express that he didn't expect too much of them.

The pressure on Ji Zhixiu's shoulders only grew, but she could only press on, "Thank you for the trust you have in us.

"Here's your invitation. We will personally chauffeur you there on the day of my birthday party."

Lin Jie accepted the invitation card and squinted at it. Then, he shook his head. "There's no need to go to that trouble. I will head over by myself."