Lin Jie saw the oozing blood on the floor, then looked towards Wilde before falling into thought.
From his experience, he was certain that it was blood and not hot sauce or some other red substance.
And there was certainly quite a lot, judging from the growing puddle. The source had to be either a large container of blood or some sort of large animal.
So obviously, two questions sprang to his mind.
First, what animal was this blood from?
Second, why was there so much fresh blood on the floor of Wilde's house?
As a normal person with a normal mind, Lin Jie's first reaction was astonishment before he quickly thought, Could this be human blood?
However, he quickly dismissed this speculation because Wilde was still natural, relaxed, and sincere up till now. He had even been chatting enthusiastically with Lin Jie and definitely didn't act like a 'murderer'.
Lin Jie who had known Old Wil for quite some time also believed that the old man wouldn't deceive him. And even if he was lying, Old Wilde would definitely act peculiar.
Most importantly, Old Wil's words a moment ago had completely moved Lin Jie and made him believe that the beautiful vision Old Wil had was genuine.
"Letting those astray find the true meaning of life." Look, how thoughtful and enlightened he is!
It could be said that Old Wil could fully appreciate the essence of Lin Jie's chicken soup.
While other customers still waited to be led by Lin Jie, Old Wil had not only emerged from the haze of the past but also even planned to start learning and applying what he had gained to others. He had inherited Lin Jie's will and chose to guide other downtrodden people to discover a new meaning of life.
If this isn't love, then I don't know what love is.
"Get them to listen to your teachings," Such a high-level way of thinking. Not only does he put into practice what he learns, he even understands my desire for mone... No, haa, my desire to guide customers warmheartedly.
Committing to help those that had gotten caught up in this multi-level criminal organization and bringing them to the bookstore for chicken soup and to cleanse their souls.
If this isn't compassion, then I don't know what compassion is.
Such love and compassion was what Lin Jie was willing to believe in.
He finally steadied himself and decided to ascertain the truth of the matter first.
After Old Wil had poured out all these enlightened thoughts, being misunderstood would be a really massive blow to this empty nester.
Moreover, given the existence and connection to 'Blood Feast', this blood could also be their doing.
Lin Jie remained calm and placed a hand on the violin case beside him. If it was really 'Blood Feast', then, he wouldn't be able to wait for Old Wil's intervention and just do his utmost to cleanse their filthy hearts.
Upon hearing his words, Wilde, who was opposite Lin Jie, immediately turned around and followed Lin Jie's line of sight. His expression suddenly paled and he got up hurriedly. He's surely seen the blood!
"I'm terribly sorry!" Visibly upset, Wilder quickly got up and went over. "I was only tidied up in a hurry and didn't expect this to happen!
"What a disgrace, I'm truly sorry that you have to see such an unclean sight. I'll deal with it right away. Just a moment!"
Wilde behaved so naturally as if there was nothing strange and this was something he usually did. Thus, Lin Jie relaxed and asked casually, "What's up with the blood?"
Wilde smiled awkwardly and a sense of guilt washed over him.
It's over, Boss Lin must be very displeased.
He had followed the sacrificial ritual according to Corpse Devouring Sect: Rites & Ceremonies that Boss Lin had written himself. Clearly, what ought to be a sacred and elegant ritual had been made so unseemly...
Wilde tried to justify himself in his mind.
I'm a black magician that frequently kills and slaughters. Destruction is in my blood and my lack of technical proficiency in dealing with these raw materials is rough around the edges.
Next time! I'll definitely pay more attention to the ritual next time!
It was fine when nobody saw it, but having his crude technique exposed in front of Boss Lin was just downright embarrassing.
Boss Lin's words are chastising me for my carelessness.
A merciless Destructive-rank black magician in the eyes of others, Wilde was now like a timid student who had made a mistake in the science laboratory.
He carefully tried to explain. "Uhm, after reading your work, I've been working hard to try out some of these rituals but...
"How should I put this... It's somewhat difficult. It's hard to understand some of the meanings, and replicating it is tough, so..."
Wilde gave a sheepish smile as he pointed at the blood on the ground. "So it turned out ."
Lin Jie was stunned for a moment before his lips twitched.
What the... Trying out?!
The stuff written in his book was mostly about Chinese folk customs, and of course, it touched upon some rituals from ancient times.
For example, ancient emperors would often have a ritual where they sacrifice 'Tai Lao' (Cow, Sheep, Pig) to the gods, while lower officials would sacrifice 'Shao Lao' (Sheep, Pig).
And in ancient taoist beliefs, three species of deer formed the three sacrificial animals to which the deities relished.
There were other rituals such as 'Raising the Golden Beam' and 'Commemorating Gods' where the steps, sacrificial objects, and meaning were all explained in the book.
And to make the book more interesting and because ancient Chinese sacrificial ceremonies were about food and culture, Lin Jie would often add in some food customs and methods of preparing them so that the book's content wouldn't be too boring.
Haa... Old Wil. You are really one inquisitive old man.
Lin Jie never expected that Wilde would go beyond just reading to actually trying to imitate the rituals in the book!
A finely dressed and refined western gentleman with rolled-up sleeves, brandishing a knife and slaughtering a chicken, duck or maybe even a pig... Then bleeding it out and removing the innards...
The imagery wasn't beautiful and Lin Jie didn't dare imagine further.
Lin Jie didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but the worry in his heart had dissipated slightly.
No wonder... How could it not end in disaster?
The stuff written in his book were all Chinese dishes...
Even a Chinese person with no culinary experience would find it extremely difficult, much less a westerner like Old Wil.
Lin Jie could almost imagine the messy and miserable scene behind the partition wall.
"Uhh, what can I say?" Lin Jie sighed as he noticed Old Wil's awkward expression. "Let me teach you how it's done."
Wilde waved his hands to decline. "What I've done is too unsightly and might thoroughly disgust you..."
"Alright then." Lin Jie revealed a relieved smile, understanding the heart of a novice chef wanting to hide his failures.
"I'll just stay here and give you instructions from a distance. How about you tell me which step you are at?"