Translator: CatatoPatch Editor: Vermillion
The rain had yet to stop. Raindrops fell relentlessly like great sheets from the sky.
Wen Renchou stood there stiffly, with an expression of shock and terror plastered on his face. His lips mumbled something unintelligible and his eyes shone with a weird light.
In front of him, a searing-white teleportation array appeared and began to shine brilliantly. Mysterious ripples emanated from the teleportation array into the surroundings. An indistinct silhouette gradually stepped out of the teleportation array.
Tap tap tap…
The crisp sound of footsteps of the silhouette not only left Wen Renchou stunned, but it also shocked the customers who were in the queue. None of them expected that a teleportation array would appear in that place.
The person who stepped out of the array had to be someone incredible! Was everyone nowadays really so extravagant? They could actually afford to arrive in a teleportation array just for a meal at Owner Bu’s restaurant!
Naturally, that was simply what they thought in their minds. However, in reality, no one recognized the person who stepped out of the teleportation array other than Wen Renchou, who was still frozen on the spot.
It was a young man who wore a spotless chef robe and he had a head full of light blue hair. He looked ethereal and his marble-like pale skin and slender body lit up many pairs of eyes in the crowd.
The crowd was curious. Why was this person wearing a chef robe?
“Junior Brother Wen, it seems like you aren’t doing so well,” the young man said disdainfully, directing a smirk toward Wen Renchou as his teleportation array vanished.
“You… How could it be you?! What are you doing here?!” Wen Renchou growled as his eyes revealed a sliver of terror and he began to tremble violently. The young man’s look of arrogance intensified and the gaze he laid on Wen Renchou was even more contemptuous.
“You still dare to ask me what I’m here for? As for what you have done… you should know best!” The young man replied apathetically. “You initiated a Chef’s Challenge without permission outside the valley and you even got defeated… You lost the Crystal Cleaver and, on top of that, the right to cook. You are no longer qualified to be a chef of the Valley of Gluttony.”
The pupils of the customers in the surroundings shrunk and they had a confused look on their faces as they watched the spectacle of Wen Renchou and the young man unfolding before their eyes.
What’s the situation now? Wen Renchou and this young man were acquainted? The young man was even wearing a chef’s robe… Could it be that he was a chef as well? Looking at the arrogant expression on the young man’s face, could his culinary skills be even higher than that of Wen Renchou?
“I… I just slipped up for a moment there!” The blood drained from Wen Renchou’s face and hopelessness could be seen in his eyes. He knew that this young man was there to deliver judgment onto him. He knew that he would be unable to contest whatever this young man said from that moment on. He was to return to Valley of Gluttony and receive punishment accordingly.
“Senior Brother… Please spare me! I don’t want to return to the Valley of Gluttony…” Signs of weakness gradually appeared in Wen Renchou’s eyes. When he imagined how pathetic he would be after returning to the Valley of Gluttony, he could no longer bear it.
The contempt in the young man’s eyes for Wen Renchou rose by another notch, “Wen Renchou, you really are getting more and more disappointing.” After saying his piece, the young man opened his palm. A ball of green flame burned on his open palm. “As a chef of the Valley of Gluttony, you will be a member of the Valley of Gluttony when you’re alive and a ghost of the Valley of Gluttony when you’re dead… You cannot escape this fate.” The young man snorted coldly.
His words sent shivers up the spines of many of the people surrounding them.
A pure white bun appeared in the ball of green flame. With a flick of the young man’s fingers, it was sent flying toward Wen Renchou. The latter stared at the bun and fear and helplessness were written all over his face.
“I don’t want to! Zhou Tong, how dare you do this to me!” Wen Renchou howled as he retreated frantically. He turned and fled into the distance. He wanted to escape. Once he consumed the bun, everything would be over.
However, the young man who was called Zhou Tong simply smirked. “No wonder our master was so disappointed in you… Wen Renchou, ah Wen Renchou, you’re really the greatest disgrace of our Valley of Gluttony,” Zhou Tong said plainly.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately disappeared. In the next moment, he appeared in front of Wen Renchou. With a wave of his hand, a jade talisman appeared. As Zhou Tong crushed the jade talisman, a wave of unique ripples spread out from it. A bright light shot forth and bound Wen Renchou tightly.
“Just eat this entire bun and follow me back to the valley. Join the servants obediently. From today onwards, you’re no longer a second-grade chef of the Valley of Gluttony” Zhou Tong mocked lightly.
He grabbed Wen Renchou’s chin firmly and channeled a wave of true energy through his fingers.
Wen Renchou’s nerves were triggered and his mouth opened wide without his control. The bun was forced into Wen Renchou’s mouth and in an instant, his eyes turned a dead grey. On the crown of his head, the indistinct figures of two spirit beasts appeared. When the bun entered his stomach, the figures of the beasts dispersed like smoke.
Zhou Tong patted him gently on his back and a chain emerged and wrapped around Wen Renchou tightly. He put Wen Renchou in a cage and placed him under supervision. After completing this, Zhou Tong let out a soft sigh.
As if feeling the gazes of the surrounding customers, he was slightly startled. He turned his head towards them and gave a warm laugh. “Oh, this is actually a restaurant? Could the chef of this restaurant be the chef who trounced my Junior Brother in the Chef’s Challenge?” Zhou Tong said with a slight smile. His voice was as gentle as the whispers of a spring breeze.
However, no one dared to take him as a gentle person. The sight of him force feeding the poisoned bun to Wen Renchou was carved deeply into the minds of all who witnessed it. This was an extremely ruthless person!
“This restaurant is really small,” he said indifferently with a smile while casting a perfunctory glance over the restaurant as he stood outside.
The rain in the sky descended in sheets. The raindrops that landed on him were instantly boiled into steam by the green flame burning on the surface of his body, endowing him with an elegant air.
The surrounding audience watched on in silence.
Zhou Tong began to walk slowly as he passed the crowd and headed toward the Cloud Mist Restaurant.
“If you want to taste the Boss’ dishes, you have to queue up!” someone in the crowd said disgruntledly after seeing Zhou Tong walking to the front of the queue.
Zhou Tong was shocked. Standing in front of the restaurant’s entrance, he slowly turned his head to look toward the person who expressed his dissatisfaction. His gaze was incredibly sharp and his body emitted an air of crushing majesty which would leave others trembling.
“There are restaurants which are worthy of me queuing up for, but this isn’t one of them.” Zhou Tong replied emotionlessly. With a smirk tugging on his lips, an air of extreme arrogance and pride was oozing out of his very presence. “As someone who was able to defeat Wen Renchou in a Chef’s Challenge, this person should have some skills. Really not too bad… He probably has a future. I can give him a chance and show him some pointers.”
Arrogant! How could this person be so haughty?! He actually dared to mock Owner Bu’s culinary skills! Who was this person? How could he be so presumptuous as to claim to be worthy of instructing Owner Bu in cooking? Who in the world did he think he was?
Everyone in the crowd was extremely indignant but they could only hold it in. Although they were truly enraged, the pressure coming from Zhou Tong’s aura stopped them from voicing out their dissatisfaction.
Looking at the silently seething crowd, Zhou Tong lightly sniggered. He knew that they were not daring enough to oppose him. Other than the people from the Hidden Dragon Royal Court, everyone else was retarded. As a unique existence in the Hidden Dragon Royal Court, the usual patrons of Valley of Gluttony were usually the geniuses within the Court. They were the real heroes of this mainland. Hidden Dragon Royal Court was known as the heart of Hidden Dragon Continent and its influence was immense. Being the number one chef of the Valley of Gluttony, Zhou Tong dealt with the holy maidens and holy sons of the holy land in the Court on a daily basis. It was natural that he developed an air of coercive pressure over time.
He was arrogant because he possessed the background to be arrogant. He despised these people. It was all due to the fact that he had seen heroes who these rabbles could never match up to.
Clasping his hands behind his back, Zhou Tong gave a small laugh and stepped into the restaurant.
The customers in the queue were all silent and brooding. There was only the gentle sound of the rain splashing against the ground. Upon entering the restaurant, Zhou Tong raised his eyebrows.
“Hmm? This seems interesting? The spiritual energy in this restaurant feels unexpectedly thick. The interior decorations are classy and cozy too.” Zhou Tong sized up his surroundings the moment he entered the restaurant. “It’s a pity its too small. It certainly lives up to its name of being a small store. However, it does give off an air of a restaurant from the Valley of Gluttony.”
Zhou Tong’s eyes swept over the entire area, finally landing on the Path-Understanding Tree in the distance. A Path-Understanding Tree… An extremely common tree.
Lying underneath the tree was a black dog. Hmm? This dog seemed too plump… It was really too damn fat! Zhou Tong gave Blacky a look and was slightly amazed.
An aroma wafted through the air. Zhou Tong narrowed his eyes and took a sniff. He nodded to himself… As expected of the chef who was able to defeat Wen Renchou, the fragrance coming from his dishes was pretty good.
Huff huff huff!
Hearing these huffing sounds, Zhou Tong was stunned. As he turned toward the origin of the sound, he found an extremely good-looking man holding a red stick and sucking on it furiously. A faint aroma of spices emanated from the red stick.
“Is that edible?” Zhou Tong was really shocked this time.
Squinting his eyes, The Nether King was sucking on the red Chili Strip with a look of pleasure. Suddenly he felt the gaze of a retard on him and his ire was instantly roused. He turned over and saw a fellow garbed in a chef robe looking at him with incredulous eyes.
Chomping on the red Chili Strip, the Nether King glared at Zhou Tong.
“Young man, what’re you looking at? Haven’t seen a handsome man eating Chili Strips before? Naughty.”
Zhou Tong was stunned. In the next instant, the corners of his mouth started to twitch. Naughty your a**! Such bad eating habits and you still dare to eat in public? What kind of customer was that…
“Little Ha, this fellow surely despises you. I wanted to say this a while ago, but the way you’re eating those Chili Strips is truly unsightly.” Nangong Wuque bellowed out and said to the Nether King while stuffing a piece of meat full of spirit essence into his mouth.
The Nether King’s eyebrows instantly shot up. He twisted his head to look at Nangong Wuque and the two of them begun exchanging jibes at each other.
Ignoring the comical spectacle of those two, Zhou Tong turned his head to inspect the menu behind him which showed the dishes served by the restaurant.
“Hmm? Ten thousand crystals for one Buddha Jumps Over The Wall Soup? It isn’t cheap either. However, as he is able to defeat Wen Renchou, perhaps this dish deserves to be priced as such.” Zhou Tong squinted his eyes. “Crazy Hot Chili Strips? Buddha Jumps Over The Wall Soup? Oyster Pancake? There are so many dishes which I’ve not seen before… Interesting.”
Zhou Tong’s face revealed a playful smile as he looked over the menu.
Suddenly, he felt an icy aura approaching him. Turning his head, an incredibly beautiful but icy countenance appeared in his sight. This was a beauty! Her beauty caused even Zhou Tong, who had seen countless gorgeous royal courts holy maidens, to gape in amazement.
So beautiful, so perfect!
When Zhou Tong regained his senses, his eyes immediately lit up. As the casanova chef of the Valley of Gluttony, he loved making acquaintances with beautiful women. However, this gorgeous woman in front of him seemed somewhat cold.
“Restaurant rules, you have to queue up to order. Anybody who cuts the queue shall be deemed as a troublemaker…” Nethery said plainly while staring at him indifferently with her jet black eyes.
Zhou Tong’s eyebrows twitched. Looking at Nethery’s beautiful visage, he licked his lips involuntarily. “Beauty, what if I insist on not queuing?”
What the hell?!
In the distant, the squabbling Nether King and Nangong Wuque were instantly shocked into silence. Where did this retard come from? He actually dared to flirt with Nethery?! Who gave him the courage and guts?
Facing that audacious gaze, Nethery still kept an emotionless appearance. She spoke softly but firmly, “Troublemaker… Strip him and throw him out.”
Whitey poked half its face out of the kitchen. Its purple eyes flickered and radiant light filled the surroundings.
