Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
‘Can’t he be a little bit more normal?’
Summer looked at Mu Hongzi as he stepped out of the thatched hut, speechless.
It would be nothing if it was just him coming out of the hut, but when a naked Realm Lord Di Tai followed, the atmosphere became a little awkward.
Realm Lord Di Tai had not expected Bu Fang’s return. Looking at that familiar face, his eyes became watery. “Oh! Little Bubu!” He began to run toward Bu Fang as if he were running into the setting sun, with emotional teardrops in the corners of his eyes.
Bam!
Just as he approached Bu Fang, however, he was slapped away by Summer, whose face had turned dark. “I don’t know why I get mad every time I see this guy,” she said, rubbing her fist.
1
Mu Hongzi, on the other hand, looked at Bu Fang with a smile on his face. He walked up to him, patted him on the shoulder, and sighed emotionally.
Summer left, and she took Realm Lord Di Tai with her. The Realm Lord had thought of catching up with Bu Fang, but she grabbed his head and dragged him away.
Soon, only Mu Hongzi and Bu Fang were left at the top of the Immortal Tree. Clad in a glowing white robe, Mu Hongzi stood with his hands behind his back. He seemed to have become one with the Immortal Cooking Ream, but in fact, it was Realm Lord Di Tai who had become one with the realm.
Bu Fang took out a chair from the Heaven and Earth Farmland and sat down in front of the thatched hut, quietly watching Mu Hongzi’s performance.
After a long silence, Mu Hongzi finally spoke.
“You are worthy of the man of my choice. In just a short time, your cultivation base has reached the level of a God Emperor…” he said with a very warm smile on his face.
Bu Fang did not smile but just nodded at him. He sensed that Mu Hongzi’s cultivation base had become even more unfathomable, and probably not just at the God Emperor’s level.
“I was left with nothing but my soul, but after recuperation, my cultivation base has returned to its peak. I used to love cooking, but I haven’t held a kitchen knife in ages,” said Mu Hongzi.
This made Bu Fang narrow his eyes and perk up. “Do you know what happened to me?” he asked.
Unsurprisingly, Mu Hongzi nodded.
“Since you chose this path without a second thought, you are bound to encounter this situation… You’ve lost your sense of taste and smell and even your mental force… You are no longer a top chef now.”
“Why is that?” Bu Fang’s pupils constricted. That was what he wanted to know. Sure enough, Mu Hongzi knew about such a condition.
Mu Hongzi fell silent. He looked at Bu Fang, his eyes gradually becoming a little confused. “I used to be like you…” he sighed deeply.
“It’s a choice. You can think of it as a test, but it’s a cruel test. To make someone who loves to cook lose his sense of taste, touch, smell, and even his mental force is simply cruel torture.
“You have a great mindset. You’re optimistic. When this happened to me, I was frantic to find a solution to get my senses back. I wanted to cook. I wanted to continue on the path of becoming the God of Cooking. Unfortunately, reality gave me a cruel blow. In the end, I failed…”
Mu Hongzi glanced at Bu Fang with a wry smile. He envied him for his calm attitude. He could not do that. Of course, Bu Fang’s calmness might only be superficial.
“What do I have to do to get back my senses and mental force?” Bu Fang asked. That was the most crucial question.
Mu Hongzi, however, shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s up to you. This is actually considered a test given to you by ‘it’. If you can’t complete it, you’ll probably be eliminated or even wiped out,” he said. The ‘it’ he referred to was probably the System.
‘Even Mu Hongzi doesn’t know the solution?’
“I thought a lot about it after my resurrection, though. Everyone has a different answer to a test like this. It may be asking you to find the essence of the Culinary Path that belongs to you. Everything has an essence. You can’t get to the top if you don’t figure it out,” Mu Hongzi said seriously.
He saw his once confused self in Bu Fang at this moment. Unfortunately, no one was there to give him advice. Compared to Bu Fang, he was less fortunate. He thought Bu Fang could go farther on the path of becoming the God of Cooking.
“To find the essence of the Culinary Path that belongs to me…” Bu Fang was baffled. Mu Hongzi’s words made him ponder.
He had always talked about becoming the God of Cooking who stood at the top of the food chain in the fantasy world, but what was the true path of becoming the God of Cooking? He found that he did not seem to have really thought about it.
Perhaps he had thought about it when he was forming his Heart of Cooking Path, but that thinking was only superficial. The reason that the System had sealed off his mental force and deprived him of his sense of touch, smell, and taste might be to make him find that essence…
If he could find it, he would be able to walk unwaveringly on that path even without all his senses and mental force. Bu Fang’s eyes lit up.
Mu Hongzi noticed that Bu Fang seemed to take some inspiration from what he had said. This made him envious for a moment.
“Come to me, little ones.” Looking at Bu Fang, who was deep in thought, Mu Hongzi smiled and did not disturb him. Instead, he went on to tease Foxy and Shrimpy on Bu Fang’s shoulders.
Foxy had the blood of a Heavengod flowing in her, so she was no longer an ordinary nine-tailed fox. As for Shrimpy, it made Mu Hongzi narrow his eyes slightly. The next moment, the smile on his face became even brighter.
He left the thatched hut with the two little ones in his arms, leaving the whole place for Bu Fang. Then, he gave an order that no one should come near the place.
Bu Fang sat in the chair, staring into the distance. His eyes were blank as he became lost in thought.
It was not easy to walk to the end of a path because the path would always be covered with thorns and sharp stones, making it very difficult to walk. Mu Hongzi’s words got him thinking. He was contemplating, or rather, making a choice.
…
In today’s Immortal Cooking Realm, the fourth layer was the most prosperous.
After Mu Hongzi took control of the Netherworld, he had improved the Immortal Cooking Realm significantly. It was his world, after all. He had an indescribable affection for everything here.
The Immortal Tree was his treasure, and he had used it to guard and divide the realm into four layers. It was the same as before. Now, all the layers had the same intensity of spiritual energy, but the fourth layer was still the most prosperous because the Realm King’s residence was here.
Summer found Mu Hongzi a long time ago. When she found him, she rolled up her sleeves and dragged him into a fierce fight.
Realm Lord Di Tai had become the Heavenly Path of the Immortal Cooking Realm. This was both good and bad for him. His cultivation base could no longer improve, which was bad. However, he was basically immortal now, unless the realm was destroyed. If nothing happened, he would be the one who lived the longest among all, even longer than God Emperors.
Upon hearing of Bu Fang’s return, many of his acquaintances on the first layer came to the fourth layer to catch up with him, but they all failed to see him. They thought they would only have to wait a few days to see him. No one knew that they would have to wait for so long…
…
There were four seasons in the Immortal Cooking Realm. It was set by Mu Hongzi. With his cultivation base, it was easy to set climate change.
Bu Fang sat in front of the thatched hut and looked into the distance quietly. He seemed a bit lost and was pondering.
It started to rain. The rainwater that fell from the sky drenched him. But he sat still. Countless raindrops formed into what looked like a bead curtain and reflected in his eyes, seemingly etching deep into his heart as well.
Spring passed, and summer came. Under the scorching sun, Bu Fang’s hair became dry, and his lips cracked.
After summer, autumn came. The cold autumn wind blew yellow leaves onto the thatched hut behind him, giving it a bleak look. He remained motionless in his chair. The fallen leaves had piled up several layers on him.
Autumn was gone, and winter had come. Bu Fang still sat still. Snowflakes fell from the sky and slowly piled up higher and higher until he was completely covered.
Time passed slowly as the seasons changed. No one disturbed him, and no one woke him. Mu Hongzi occasionally came, walked around him with Foxy and Shrimpy in his arms for a few rounds, and then left.
What Bu Fang was pondering, Mu Hongzi did not know.
Time passed, and seasons changed. At last, as the snow fell again, Bu Fang moved. His fingers twitched, causing the snow to fall off him. The next moment, he opened his eyes and stood up. As he did so, all the fallen leaves and snow that had piled up on him fell to the ground.
Bu Fang felt his face with a hand. His beard had grown very long. This told him that he had been sitting here for very long.
“Summer, summer, it went by… What the f*ck!”
1
Mu Hongzi, in his mink coat, hummed his way up to the top of the Immortal Tree. He was startled when he found Bu Fang standing up.
“You’ve awakened? I thought you had turned into a rock!” He put one hand on his hip, patted his chest with the other, and then rolled his eyes at Bu Fang. His movements, combined with his beautiful face, made him look very charming.
Bu Fang raised his hand and made his divine power flow through his body. In the blink of an eye, the beard on his face and the dirt on his body all disappeared. He looked refreshed now.
However, a closer inspection would reveal that he was not the same as before. It was a subtle and indescribable change, a change in his temperament.
His eyes had also become deeper. Looking at Mu Hongzi, he smiled and said, “Is there anything to eat? I’m hungry,” he said.
Mu Hongzi rolled his eyes. “Come with me. I’ll have the Immortal Chefs I’ve trained make you a good meal. You will surely be satisfied.”
The news of Bu Fang’s awakening spread quickly and surprised many people. Many of his acquaintances came to see him, including Realm Lord Di Tai, Summer, Tian Cang the Nether King, Black Dragon King, and his friends in the Netherworld.
Mu Hongzi arranged a feast for Bu Fang. The chefs in the Immortal Cooking Realm were in high spirits and ready to show off their cooking skills. It was an event hosted by the Realm King. If they could win the Realm King’s favor, then they would be showered in good fortune!
In the Immortal City on the fourth layer of the Immortal Cooking Realm, countless Immortal Chefs were ready in a huge square. At Mu Hongzi’s command, they started cooking. For a moment, the whole square was filled with the dazzling glow of fire, heat, and the smell of food.
Each chef was showing off their best cooking skills, while Bu Fang sat on the judging table, looking at the lively scene of the competition with emotion.
Soon, a chef finished the first dish and brought it up to the judging table. Mu Hongzi pushed it to Bu Fang. “Come, try it,” he said. He looked at Bu Fang expectantly, wondering if he had recovered his sense of taste, smell, touch, and mental force.
Bu Fang looked at the steaming and shimmering dish. Then, he grabbed a spoon and gently scooped up some of it. The creamy sauce flowed down the edge of the spoon and gave off wisps of hot steam.
He took a deep breath and put the spoon in his mouth. The next moment, his brows raised slightly…
