Acai's Sky

The dusk was like thick ink, making the streets and alleys in the west of the city even darker.

Ah Cai stumbled on the uneven stone road and had to use lightness skills to float on the road and walk quickly.

"Oh my god, even Lu jumped out to sing a different tune."

She deliberately chose this sparsely traveled path. The dilapidated eaves creaked in the wind, and a few tiles fell from time to time, startling a group of roosting crows. The flapping sound of their wings was particularly harsh in the silent alley.

Finally, according to the task prompt, a dilapidated house appeared before our eyes.

The walls were covered with mottled cracks, and the rickety wooden door was half-open, as if it would be easily blown down by a gust of wind at any time.

The moonlight filtered through the broken window frames, sprinkling like frost on the dusty ground, adding a touch of eeriness and mystery to this abandoned dilapidated house.

Ah Cai took a deep breath and shouted into the house, "Is anyone there?"

The sound echoed in the empty room, causing a slight rustling sound.

"Come on, come on!"

A cheerful and somewhat abrupt voice came from above.

Ah Cai subconsciously looked up, and in the dim moonlight, she saw a middle-aged man in a tattered Taoist robe hanging upside down on the beam, with the corners of his clothes swaying gently in the wind.

In his hand, a string of bright red candied haws shone with an alluring luster in the moonlight. The plump hawthorns wrapped in sugar coating were round and translucent, like a necklace made of rubies.

"Are you the Tanghulu Hero?"

Acai widened her eyes and asked in surprise.

In her imagination, a hero should be majestic and dignified, but the man in front of her had messy hair tied up casually, and his Taoist robe was covered with patches.

There were even some suspicious stains on him, and there were sugar residues at the corners of his mouth from who knows when. No matter how you looked at him, he looked more like a lazy "slacker", which was a far cry from the image of a hero in her mind.

"It's down!"

The hero grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, and his two rows of fangs gleamed slightly in the moonlight.

He turned over neatly and landed on the ground as steadily as a light swallow, making almost no sound.

When it landed on the ground, the candied haws in his hand was still steady, without any shaking, which shows his extraordinary skills.

Only then did Ah Cai see his face clearly. Although he was dressed in rags, there was a sense of cleverness and cunning between his eyebrows, and his eyes were bright and lively, as if they contained countless stories.

Before Ah Cai could speak, the hero couldn't wait to ask, "I heard you made special candied haws for me?"

His tone was full of anticipation, just like a greedy child.

Acai quickly took out the carefully made candied haws from the system backpack.

This string of candied haws embodies her several days' hard work. The hawthorns were carefully selected, one in a million, with uniform size and rosy color.

(Maluo just threw a few to her, she had no choice.)

She also ingeniously added special ingredients to the icing. The icing she made was not only crystal clear, but also exuded a faint exotic fragrance, which complemented the sour and sweet taste of the hawthorn.

The hero took the candied haws and his eyes lit up instantly, as if he had discovered a rare treasure.

He held the candied haws up to his eyes, examined it carefully, and sniffed it gently with the tip of his nose. An intoxicated expression appeared on his face: "Not bad, not bad! However, if you want to get the secret book, you have to pass my ultimate test!"

"What test?"

Ah Cai asked in surprise, unable to hide the helplessness in her tone.

Since she took on the task of finding the secret book, she has gone through many levels. She didn't expect that at the last step, she would have to face this sudden test.

She cried out in her heart, this mission was endless.

The hero shook the candied haws in his hand and said mysteriously, "Don't worry, listen to me slowly. This ultimate test is related to the candied haws. You see, this candied haws may look ordinary, but it actually contains infinite mysteries. My test is-"

He deliberately dragged out his words, keeping the audience in suspense. Seeing Ah Cai's anxious expression, he continued with a grin, "You have to use this candied haws to make three different people sincerely say 'delicious' within one hour!"

"Is it that simple?" Acai couldn't believe it.

"Of course it's not that simple!"

The hero smiled cunningly, "These three people are not just random passersby. I have already chosen them for you. The first one is the famous Iron-faced Judge in the west of the city. He is ruthless and extremely picky about food. He has never praised any food as delicious.

The second is a little beggar on the street. He is hungry sometimes and full sometimes. His requirements for food are very low, but once he decides that something is not tasty, he will never change his mind.

The last one is a blind old woman who lives in seclusion. She has a keen sense of taste, but because she is blind, she is wary of strangers. How about it, are you confident?

Ah Cai bit her lip, but when she thought of the secret book being within reach, she nodded firmly: "I'll try!"

Just give it a try. If it doesn’t work, do the dungeon mission again. Just try again. It’s an infinite dungeon anyway!

"Okay! Remember, one hour, no waiting after that!"

As the hero spoke, he found a broken chair to sit on, crossed his legs, and leisurely ate the candied haws in his hand, making "tsk tsk" sounds of admiration from time to time.

A Cai turned and walked out of the house, walking quickly towards the mansion of the judge in the west of the city.

The streets were even more deserted than before, with only a few scattered lanterns emitting faint light.

She stood in front of the door of the judge's residence, took a few deep breaths, and mustered up the courage to knock on the door.

"Who?"

An impatient voice came from inside the door.

"I'm here to bring delicious food to the judge!" Acai said loudly.

The door opened a crack, and a servant poked his head out. He looked Ah Cai up and down, his face full of disdain: "Another salesman! Our masters have tasted all kinds of delicacies, so why would they be interested in your little thing? Go away!"

Ah Cai quickly stopped the door from closing and said anxiously, "Please let the judge try it. This candied haws is unique and might suit your taste!"

The servant was about to lose his temper when a steady voice came from inside the house: "Let her in."

The servant then reluctantly opened the door and led Ah Cai into the mansion.

After passing through the winding corridors, Ah Cai finally saw the legendary Iron-faced Judge. He sat in the main seat of the hall, with a righteous demeanor, a stern face, and eyes as sharp as an eagle.

"You said you had some delicious food for me to taste?" The judge looked at Ah Cai with sharp eyes.

Ah Cai handed over the candied haws respectfully: "Yes, sir, please try this special candied haws."

The judge took the candied haws, frowned slightly, and his eyes were full of suspicion.

He took a careful bite and chewed it a few times, his face still expressionless.