Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Well? Can you taste the food?”
Sitting in the chair, Mu Hongzi looked at Bu Fang curiously. The others were also staring at him with rapt attention.
Only Bu Fang knew whether he could taste the food or not. If he could taste it, it meant that he was back.
He swallowed the food, then shook his head with a calm face and said faintly, “No.” He did not stop eating, though. Soon, he finished the entire dish.
Everyone felt sorry for him. Mu Hongzi also sighed. There was only so much he could do to help. He really hoped that Bu Fang could continue on the path of becoming the God of Cooking. He wished that Bu Fang could finish the path that he had failed to finish.
He also wanted to go up to the summit and see what was there…
Bu Fang was not sad as these people imagined. Instead, he was feasting. Dish after dish was brought up, and he ate them all, leaving not a single drop of soup. When he had finally eaten his fill, he put down the chopsticks and exhaled.
The snow was falling, and the whole Immortal Cooking Realm was clad in silvery white. It looked very beautiful.
Bu Fang rose to his feet. Foxy and Shrimpy jumped on him at the same time. After saying goodbye to his friends, he strode out into the snow with the two little ones in his arms and was soon out of sight.
Mu Hongzi watched with complicated eyes as Bu Fang left, while Summer and Realm Lord Di Tai froze slightly. Was Bu Fang leaving? They chased him into the falling snow, but found that he had disappeared. He had left as quietly as he had come.
With Bu Fang’s strength, if he wanted to hide, they would not be able to find out where he was.
Bu Fang stayed in the Immortal Cooking Realm for about three days. He went down one layer at a time, and when he came to the first layer and stood in front of Immortal Chef Little Store, his expression became a little complicated. The restaurant was the same, but the people were already different.
He left the realm and came to Nether Prison, where he continued to walk quietly. Wherever there was good food, he went there and tasted it. He was not fast—he had plenty of time.
Although he could not taste the food, Bu Fang did not care. He continued to search and taste the local food.
After tasting countless dishes in Nether Prison, he came to Earth Prison. The moment he arrived, his expression became more complicated because Er Ha, Lord Dog, and Nethery were all from here. However, they were all gone now.
He did not know where Er Ha had gone, and Lord Dog was nowhere to be found. As for Nethery, she was taken back to Void City. He took a deep breath and vowed that when he regained his mental force, he would go find them.
In fact, Bu Fang’s favorite days were when he and his friends were eating good food and watching the sunset together in the restaurant.
He continued to walk on foot, carrying Foxy and Shrimpy across deserts, over mountains, and through swamps and lakes, searching for all kinds of food.
Each world had different cuisines, but they all shared the same essence. Of course, because the environment was different, they had different flavors.
The food in deserts was certainly different from the food in the mountains, and the food in swamps was also different from the food in lakes. However, even under very harsh conditions, there was good food. That was the beauty of food.
Earth Prison, Ruin Prison, and the Abyss… Bu Fang made a trip to all of them. In the end, he returned to Hidden Dragon Continent, a land he knew very well. It was huge, too, but he still walked leisurely. He had plenty of time.
After becoming a God Emperor, his time was almost unlimited. However, even if he had eternal life, he might not be able to reach the end of this road. After all, some roads actually led to dead ends.
…
The capital of the Light Wind Empire was once again bustling with activity, and the streets were full of people.
Bu Fang carried Foxy and Shrimpy as he walked through them. The Vermilion Robe was dusty, and his hair was unkempt, making him look very dirty. He had many cloth strips hanging on him, which recorded the delicacies of different places.
Walking on the street, the people around him were looking at him with disgust. They thought a man so dirty could not be from the capital. Any beggar here was cleaner than him.
Bu Fang walked quietly. He did not go to Fang Fang’s Little Store. Instead, he went to other restaurants in the capital.
Many years had passed, and the Light Wind Empire had changed a lot. Many people had changed. They might have gone on to greater heights, or they might have been turned into ashes and soil.
But Bu Fang did not come back to catch up with them. He did not seek out anyone he knew. He came and left quietly, just to eat what he wanted to eat.
A red-faced Fatty Jin walked down the street with his big belly. He had aged a lot, but his love of food had not changed. He was on his way to Fang Fang’s Little Store.
Suddenly, he paused as soon as he walked past a figure. He gasped, then turned to look at a dirty, unkempt figure, who had a fox and a golden mantis shrimp on his shoulders.
“That guy looks familiar…” he said, rubbing his belly. Unfortunately, he could not recognize Bu Fang.
Bu Fang did not linger. The cloth strips hanging from him were evidence of his journey. He could not even remember how many years he had spent tasting these delicacies. Although he could not taste their flavors, he felt delighted whenever he was eating new dishes.
In fact, the Hidden Dragon Continent had a lot of beautiful scenery and delicious food. In the past, he came and went so fast that he did not notice them. Now that he had time, he intended to make up for all that he had missed.
…
Time passed, and the years went by.
On a bright star in the starry sky…
It was a dead star with lifeless dust everywhere. There might have been traces of life on this planet many years ago, but that was all history now.
Bu Fang sat cross-legged on it, while Foxy and Shrimpy played in the distance. As they followed him through the journey, they had also eaten a lot of delicious food. As a result, Foxy had doubled in size, and Shrimpy was glowing even brighter now.
Sitting on the ground looking out into the wide world, Bu Fang’s eyes were somewhat misty. He was a little emotional as he looked back at the road he had taken. Many years ago, he was in such a hurry that he missed too many things. Fortunately, he had made up for what he missed now.
He looked up at the vault of heaven. There was a meteor flying by at high speed in the dark starry sky. Suddenly, he focused his eyes. With a thought in his mind, the White Tiger Heaven Stove, the Black Turtle Constellation Wok, the Qilin Transmigration Ladle, the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife, and the Vermilion Robe all appeared and burst into a strange light.
The next moment, his dirty skin and unkempt hair were clean and neat again—he looked like a real Heavengod now. Then, he took out the Spring of Life and used it to carefully clean his palms, washing them inside and out, making sure that all dust had been washed away.
When he was satisfied, he held the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife. The whole planet seemed to shake.
Foxy and Shrimpy, who were playing in the distance, had their eyes lit up in an instant. They ran over quickly and looked at Bu Fang as he grabbed the kitchen knife. They could not remember how many years they had not seen him touch the kitchen knife.
With a rumble, the red divine flame appeared once again, emitting a scorching heat. At the same time, the Black Turtle Constellation Wok spiraled up into the sky, and the White Tiger Heaven Stove followed. Bu Fang was ready to cook.
One ingredient after another flew out and hovered around him. None of them were ordinary. They were all precious ingredients from the Heaven and Earth Farmland, and some still had fresh soil on them.
Bu Fang closed his eyes as if adjusting his breath or sensing something. This was an attempt to solve his problem. The cooking this time was crucial for him. If he failed, he might fail forever as Mu Hongzi did. However, he did not want to give up without even trying.
For Bu Fang, the journey of finding and tasting food was actually a process of knowing himself. Now, the journey was finally coming to an end. He knew the System was also waiting for this moment.
With a shake of his hand, the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife began to spin, and a dragon roar rang out of it. Bu Fang’s brows raised slightly. A feeling he was very familiar with seemed to have returned.
He could not cook without the sense of taste, touch, smell, and his mental force? No… All that was just an excuse.
Bu Fang took a deep breath and waved his hand. The ingredients hovering around him all flew out at once. Without hesitation, he raised the kitchen knife and swung it down hard. The slash immediately erupted into thousands of light streams, cutting the ingredients into the right sizes.
He let go of the kitchen knife, seized the black wok, and smashed it on the stove. A thunderous rumble broke out in an instant. The wok was so heavy that each time it smashed the stove, it made the starry sky tremble.
The black wok soon turned red in the blazing heat of the divine flame. Bu Fang poured in the oil. A sizzling sound filled the air at once, and wisps of steam rose into the sky.
Next, he put all the ingredients into the wok. A deafening rumble instantly burst out. It was the sound produced by the energy of different ingredients colliding with each other. Without his mental force, Bu Fang could not control the energy. However, he did not bother about it.
He dipped the Qilin Transmigration Ladle into the wok, stirred the ingredients, and turned them all over. Soon, a delicious smell of food wafted out and filled the air.
Bu Fang could not smell it, but Foxy and Shrimpy could. They were dancing happily. It was a scent they were very familiar with!
Rumble!
The whole starry sky began to tremble at this moment, erupting with astonishing fluctuations.
Suddenly, figure after figure sped through the starry sky at high speed. Before long, Mu Hongzi landed on the planet with his hands behind his back. His beautiful face shone with light and looked very attractive. It was a pity that he was a man.
Summer stood beside him, watching quietly. Supposedly, Realm Lord Di Tai could not leave the Immortal Cooking Realm, but his cultivation base had already reached the level of a God King, so he was able to send his clone here to check out on Bu Fang.
Bu Fang was cooking. Many people were watching him, including many of his old friends.
“Is he going to break the old self and start with a clean slate?” Summer could not help but mutter. Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly as she watched Bu Fang cook.
“Break the old self?” Mu Hongzi narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “No. He’s just finding a way to the light in the darkness…” He chuckled.
Terrible rumbling echoed through the starry sky, and all the stars seemed to become a little dimmer.
On the dead star, Bu Fang held the ladle and gave the wok a toss. The impact of the wok hitting the stove was so strong that it almost shattered the void. A sizzling sound filled the air as hot steam rushed out of the wok and rose into the sky. In the blink of an eye, the whole planet was surrounded by a thin layer of hazy cloud.
Standing in front of the White Tiger Heaven Stove, Bu Fang shook his hand. The ingredients in the wok immediately jumped and burst into a dazzling light, which seemed to shine through the clouds in the sky. Then, he tossed the wok one more time, and the ingredients all flew up and fell into the ladle.
Bu Fang took out a blue-and-white porcelain plate, placed it on the stove, and poured the contents of his ladle over it.
The dish shone with a charming glow and smelled intoxicating. It was a dish that everyone knew was delicious just by looking at it. Waves of energy were constantly spreading from it, causing the void to tremble.
Mu Hongzi and everyone else watched with wide eyes. They knew that the most critical moment had arrived.
Bu Fang took a deep breath as he looked at the blue-and-white porcelain plate and grabbed a pair of chopsticks. It was the first dish he had ever cooked after tasting countless dishes. It could be said that the dish had combined all his comprehension.
The sauce flowed slowly on the plate with a golden glow, and the aroma emanated from the dish was mouth-watering.
Bu Fang reached out his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of Sweet ‘n’ Sour Ribs, and slowly held it up. The thick sauce stretched into fine threads. Then, he put the rib in his mouth and began to chew.
Everything seemed calm. There was no earth-shattering change.
Bu Fang opened his eyes. He was chewing the rib, but the corners of his mouth curled upward slightly. The fragrance of food filled his mouth. At that moment, all kinds of tastes welled up in his mind, including sour, sweet, bitter, and hot.
His long-lost senses of taste, smell, and touch all returned in an instant. Then, with a humming sound, invisible energy erupted from his body and spread out in all directions.
Suddenly, the dead planet came back to life. Pale green seedlings sprouted through the earth, and in the blink of an eye, they completely covered the entire planet!
Bu Fang closed his eyes and swallowed the rib in his mouth. At this moment, monstrous waves rose and swept out in all directions as a mighty mental force exploded out from him and spread like a tsunami!
Terrible celestial phenomena suddenly appeared in the sky, and countless thunder clouds kept coming from all directions!
Mu Hongzi, Summer, and the others gasped at the same time, their pupils constricting.
“Is this the… tribulation of the Heavengod?!”
Bu Fang’s eyes were closed, but the corners of his mouth curled upward slightly. In his head, the long-lost System’s voice rang out once again. This time, however, the voice was a little different from before.
