Wait a second... I just realised something and Idk if it's true. Did the author make make them eat da gong so he can reincarnate into one of their children or grandchildren. If you think about it if da gong chose to reincarnate it has to be near our preverted protagonist right. So why did da gong reincarnate in the emperor bloodline it because the emperor suddenly ate da gong's meat as well. Even chef wen said it was unexpected for the emperor to eat it and he also had to make sure the party eats da gong's meat. If our spicy chicken author did this then bravo to you.

I can't wait to see if Da Gong will transform into a phoenix or not

I love how the pacing is neither too fast or slow. Eventhough it's short compare to other books I read it is still incredibly fulfilling. I agree with others when they say it's a hidden gem. Plus if you like morally grey characters this has quite a few.

don't forget about he Eq

instead of bony fingers change it to define knuckles

I think it would only make him more motivated