Translator: OnGoingWhy Editor: Vermillion

  The scene was oddly quiet.

  Ji Chengxue looked at the slightly adorable Whitey in astonishment. This iron puppet’s strength was contrary to his expectations. A fifth grade Battle-King was troublesome to deal with even for him, yet this Whitey was able to strip a Battle-King and throw him out of the store.

  The third prince did not expect Bu Fang to be that calm either. The sword had almost reached Bu Fang, but he managed to remain indifferent. Did he really have that much faith in that puppet?

  The remaining three assassins also recovered from their shock and looked at Whitey as if they were facing their greatest enemy. They did not dare to underestimate Bu Fang any longer. There was no other reason for it aside from the fact that the puppet was able to beat their comrade half to death with two punches.

  "There’s a mistake with the information! There’s something strange with this store!" The three assassins looked at each other and their eyes underneath the bamboo hats were extremely serious.

  Without question, their assassination had failed. As an assassin, if their first strike had failed, they should immediately retreat and look for another opportunity. That was why they gave up on assassinating Ji Chengxue and ran to the entrance of the store.

  However, how could the three of them escape when they were already targeted by Whitey? The three escaping figures were captured by a gigantic force and pulled in front of the iron puppet.

  Whitey’s mechanical eyes were blinking as it threw out three palm strikes in a row. The three of them each spat out a mouthful of blood and fell onto the floor. The bamboo hats on their heads were all torn to pieces as they helplessly lay there.

  The sound of tearing rang out, then the three assassins were thrown out naked like the first one. They fell into the alleyway with only a small cloth to cover their private parts.

  It was still raining heavily outside. Raindrops spilled down from the sky and rapidly formed a curtain that enshrouded the world.

  After completing everything, Whitey mechanically made a fist pump. Then its mechanical eyes flashed and it seemed quite happy as it returned to the kitchen.

  The coldness in Ji Chengxue’s eyes gradually disappeared and they once again returned to their former refined state. The corner of his mouth held a hint of a smile as he meaningfully looked at Bu Fang.

  He suddenly realized that he was unable to see through this cook, who was only a second grade Battle-Master.

  "What do you want to order?" Bu Fang ignored Ji Chengxue’s gaze and expressionlessly asked.

  "I’ll have Lees Fish. Today, I am lucky that Owner Bu was around to lend a hand. I wanted to drink in celebration but since there’s no wine sold here, I can only order Lees Fish." The third prince, Ji Chengxue chuckled and nodded toward Bu Fang.

  If it was not for Whitey’s help, then it would’ve been really dangerous for him. Even he did not expect that they would be so deranged as to openly attack him within the imperial city.

  "There will be good wine for sale in a few days, but there really isn’t any today," Bu Fang simply said as he headed toward the kitchen. Along the way, he gently patted Ouyang Xiaoyi—who was still dumbstruck—on the head.

  "Oh? There’s going to be wine?" Ji Chengxue’s eyes lit up, then his smile became brighter as he meaningfully glanced at the slim figure of Bu Fang entering the kitchen.

  "Xiaoyi, I’ll be going out for a while. Make sure to keep the Lees Fish for me when it’s done," Ji Chengxue said to Ouyang Xiaoyi, who was still in a daze, as he slowly walked toward the entrance.

  "Oh, eh? Why are you going out?" Ouyang Xiaoyi blankly asked.

  However, Ji Chengxue did not answer her and just stepped out of the store.

  Just by taking a single step, the expression on Ji Chengxue’s face suddenly changed. The gentle and refined smile disappeared and was replaced by a bone-chilling killing intent.

  He opened his umbrella to block out the curtain of rain falling from the sky. The rain water splashed onto his shoes and soaked his clothes.

  Within the alleyway, the four assassins stood up with difficulty. They were almost unable to open their eyes with the heavy rain spraying into them. Within the fog, they seemed to see a refined figure holding an oil-paper umbrella.

  Then their line of sight suddenly froze as their eyes widened……

  Ji Chengxue returned to the store and stepped into its warm interior once more. He blew into his hands and rubbed them together to disperse some of the coldness in his body. He shook off the rainwater on his robes as a gentle and refined smile reappeared on his face.

  "Xiaoyi, is the Lees Fish ready?"

  Ouyang Xiaoyi blinked and said, "It’s not, but I can already smell the wine aroma. It should be ready soon."

  Ji Chengxue nodded and returned to his seat. At his feet, rainwater with a reddish tinge slowly dripped off from the bottom of his robes. Ouyang Xiaoyi stared at the reddish puddle of water for a while without saying anything.

  The third prince did not say anything either. He closed his eyes and rested, as if he was thinking about something.

  After a while, a rich wine aroma drifted out of the kitchen and hovered within the store, washing away any residual killing intent.

  Ouyang Xiaoyi wobbled as she carried out the plate of Lees Fish. Along the way, the fragrance continuously drifted out from the plate. She used a handkerchief to block her nostrils and forced herself not to breathe in the smell. She was staring at the Lees Fish as she placed it in front of Ji Chengxue.

  "Your Highness big brother, here’s your fish," Ouyang Xiaoyi said with a nasal voice.

  "Haha, it’s finally done. I was really craving this Lees Fish. In the entire empire, I admire Owner Bu’s culinary skills the most." Ji Chengxue chuckled while patting Ouyang Xiaoyi’s head.

  Bu Fang walked out of the kitchen as well. He carried out a bowl of fragrant Egg-Fried Rice and placed it opposite to Ji Chengxue’s seat. He pointed toward it and said to Ouyang Xiaoyi, "Here’s your breakfast."

  Ouyang Xiaoyi, who was still shocked from the assassination attempt, immediately calmed down. Her eyes lit up as she sat on the chair and started to gobble down the Egg-Fried Rice.

  Ji Chengxue’s way of eating was very elegant; it was obvious that he was very self-disciplined.

  "Owner Bu, do you really have no interest in becoming the imperial chef? With your culinary skills, you can definitely become the head chef of the imperial kitchen," Ji Chengxue tried to persuade him once more.

  "I am not interested in becoming anyone’s chef. If the emperor wishes to eat my dishes, then get him to personally queue up," Bu Fang indifferently replied. He said as if it was obvious and was not being pretentious about it.

  "With owner Bu’s skills, it’s a waste of your talent to stay here. If you would enter the imperial kitchen, you would surely be able to display your talents," Ji Chengxue said with a sigh.

  "Who said that I can’t display my talents within this alleyway? I believe that it won’t be long before this place is teeming with customers," Bu Fang seriously and confidently said.

  Ji Chengxue was slightly startled by Bu Fang’s reply. He subconsciously said, "That’s not possible. With the prices of your dishes, ordinary people wouldn’t be able to afford it."

  "No, it’s not that they can’t afford it. It’s that they can’t eat it. You should understand the reason why my dishes are valuable," Bu Fang simply said.

  Whether it was the ordinary Egg-Fried Rice or the improved version, Lees Fish or the Fish Head Tofu Soup, the ingredients chosen were all from valuable spirit beasts and spirit herbs that were filled with spirit energy. Spirit beasts were originally valuable because they were difficult to capture; using them as ingredients for food was unbelievable. Spirit herbs were difficult to obtain and were usually used to make elixirs.

  Bu Fang’s dishes managed to preserve most of the spirit energy from the ingredients. Eating one of his dishes was like eating an elixir and would help in cultivation. This was the reason why his dishes were valuable and a fact that Ji Chengxue and the rest had neglected.

  Bu Fang felt that he needed to remind this foolish child.

  Ji Chengxue’s was picking up a piece of fish with his chopsticks but suddenly stopped and his pupils constricted. He was extremely shocked, as if his heart was struck by a giant rock.

  That was right! Since he had become a fifth grade Battle-King, he needed an extremely large amount of spirit energy to break through to the next level. Bu Fang’s dishes were unable to help him in that. He only came on a daily basis because of the taste of the dishes.

  However, after Bu Fang’s reminder, he realized that the dishes may only have a miniscule effect on him due to his cultivation level. However, it was different for the other cultivators who were only Battle-Maniacs and Battle-Spirits!

  "Also, I need to remind you. In the future, there will be more and more dishes. The ingredients chosen will also be more and more powerful……" Bu Fang slowly said.

  "There might be a chance…… for the meat of a ninth grade sacred beast to appear!"