Chapter 906: Chapter 905: Prey and Hunter (Part 1)
“… Difficult Taste Seal!”
Backstage, Wei Zhong’s lounge.
The two Jing Chu Lin Chefs, Duan Hong and Wang Qian, looked at the broadcast screen and then at the brand new food duel document on the coffee table, and couldn’t help but whisper.
“Is this intentional?”
“It’s too much of a coincidence!”
“We proposed the ‘Difficult Taste Seal,’ and they did too!”
Isn’t it though?
The coincidence of the food duel conditions gave both Lin Chefs chills down their spines, making them feel as if caught in a conspiracy web. Who is the prey and who is the Hunter? Suddenly, both had a terrifying thought but dared not delve deeper.
Knock, knock.
A staff member knocked on the door, reminding, “The next stage is about to begin. Please, Chef Duan, Chef Wang, come to the front stage!”
Duan Hong and Wang Qian exchanged a glance.
As he pushed the door, Duan Hong glanced at the lit restroom. A tall shadow vaguely stood facing the large mirror, staring intensely at his own reflection.
Seeing this, Duan Hong swallowed his reminder words and thought silently, “Forget it, Old Wei is too proud. My warning might instead provoke him and cause him to lose his calm!”
“In such a life-defining, brutal food duel, maintaining a calm heart might ensure Old Wei’s culinary skills won’t fail.”
Click!
The door closed.
As the two Lin Chefs walked down the hallway, they discussed, “Old Duan, what do you think the idea behind Demon King Xia proposing such a food duel condition with the Difficult Taste Seal was, particularly with a topic like…”
“Shh!” Duan Hong’s face darkened slightly, shaking his head, “Let’s wait two more hours. The outcome will reveal itself. By then, we’ll understand his intentions, won’t we?”
“That’s true…”
Lin Chef Wang Qian hesitated, a helpless smile on his face.
Even celebrated Lin Chefs, on the eve of such a food duel, burn with gossipy curiosity similar to anyone else.
Front stage.
The audience and guests, hearing Lan Fengxian personally announcing the brutal win-loss conditions of this food duel, naturally buzzed with excitement.
In a world where ‘life-and-death food duels’ are banned outright, the historically rooted cruelty of the ‘Difficult Taste Seal’ being used in a food duel document, impacts those inside and outside the industry as much as life and death.
Betting one’s culinary career, risking one’s dignity.
Aside from life itself, putting everything one owns on the betting table.
Who dares to question the severity of such a food duel? Who has the right to arbitrarily judge the outcome?
Just as Xia Yu said when issuing the food duel invitation—
As Lin Chefs, this food duel is inherently fair; talking down or boasting beforehand is just tough talk.
“Clang!”
The red-hot metal seal fell back into the cauldron-shaped charcoal stove.
Lan Fengxian silently headed to the stage corner, where Old Grand Duke Liu had just directed the Liu Clan to quickly arrange the judge’s seats.
A long table, five Taishi Chairs.
This indicates there are five judges. Lan Fengxian took the central seat, with Old Grand Duke Liu following on his right-hand side.
After all, the Liu family is part owner of the Feitian Pavilion. Since the food duel is held there, it’s reasonable for the host to have a seat on the judge’s panel.
The third and fourth judges appeared soon after.
“These two are Chef Duan Hong and Chef Wang Qian, elders from the Jing Chu Chef Alliance!” the female host Qi Qingyan introduced them.
“The Huang Faction sent these two as expected, to cheer from the sidelines!” Zhu Qing snorted.
On the live stream platform, Tang Yuqiong spoke to the audience, “Calm down, according to standard food duel rules, an odd number of judges should be neutral third parties. But think about it, Lin Chefs in the Chinese Realm aren’t few nor many, each has its own heritage and faction. Truly independent with no ties? Impossible!”
“Look—”
The image showed the fifth Lin Chef on stage, none other than the famed Sichuan Chef, Wang Gong!
In the culinary hunting finals, Xia Yu had met this Lin Chef once.
“If you insist on being precise, consider this: Wang Gong, Lan Fengxian, and Old Grand Duke Liu are all Sichuan locals. If any bias exists, it should favor Demon King Xia, right? Rest assured, in the judge’s territory, our Demon King Xia won’t be disadvantaged.”
Tang Yuqiong patiently explained to a surge of Demon King fans entering the live stream.
Finally, she composed herself slightly and added,
“Moreover, the sanctity and fairness of food duels are beyond doubt! Regardless of faction, breaching principles in such a public food duel only invites universal condemnation!”
All five judges were in place.
Lan Fengxian nodded at Qi Qingyan standing nearby, “Reveal the topic!”
The camera focused on the bundle of scrolls in Qi Qingyan’s hands.
Different from Liu Clan’s selection an hour ago, it was evident that the female host’s hands trembled. She had been shuttling between the two lounges backstage and knew all too well the agreed-upon food duel topic.
Precisely because she knew, Qi Qingyan felt that bundle of scrolls weighed a ton, making breathing difficult. Her smooth forehead was drenched with fine sweat, with drops trickling from her temples and cheeks. Fortunately, her natural beauty only required light makeup; otherwise, a messy look would appear on broadcast, which would surely lead to numerous news stories about her the next day.
“Forget it!”
Qi Qingyan bit her lip, closed her eyes, and slightly released her grip.
Whoosh—
The scroll unfurled completely, the hardened jade stone rod at the end clattering onto the floor with a clear ring.
Simultaneously, two upright Chinese characters appeared on the large screen.
“Noodles!”
The auditorium fell into dead silence.
…
Knock, knock.
Another batch of staff knocked on the door, urging. Zhu Qing sent them away, leaving the door open, and spoke to the ajar-lit restroom, “Hurry up, it’s time. Be decisive, like a man, not wishy-washy!”
“Alright, alright!”
Xia Yu opened the door and stepped out.
Zhu Qing and Lei Aoxue saw him wearing brand-new head chef attire, their eyes lit up.
White on top, black on the bottom, a very Chinese-style outfit. Especially, the ink-style black dragon embroidered with black thread on the chest, lending a powerful aura. The dragon’s head on the left chest looked rather fierce.
“As expected, the tailor I commissioned did an excellent job. It looks high-end!” Zhu Qing laughed, approaching the young man. She checked him over, even smoothing a barely existent crease on his shoulder. The more she looked, the more satisfied she grew, clapping and laughing, “Good, a young Great Demon King!”
“Then—”
Patting Xia Yu’s shoulder, Zhu Qing gestured to the open doorway, “Go! Vindicate yourself!”
“I’m off, Aunt Qing. Await my triumphant horn call!”
Xia Yu laughed heartily, bent down to pick up the chef’s toolboxes piled by the door, particularly a dark noodle stick. He deliberately left it outside, grabbing it from the door corner, hoisting it on his shoulder, striding forward with a swaggering air reminiscent of a journeying Great Sage.
Watching him leave, Zhu Qing’s smile suddenly disappeared.
“Are you worried?”
Lei Aoxue asked in the hallway.
“Of course!” Zhu Qing rubbed her face furiously, trying to maintain a smile, “You guys go watch from the front stage, I’ll stay backstage.”
“If I watch from the front, up close, I might get a heart attack.”
She joked.
“Little Ying, want to join?” Lei Aoxue asked Liu Ying.
The young girl clenched her small fists, telling Zhu Qing, “Mr. Xia will definitely win!”
Then, Liu Ying and Lei Aoxue vanished down the hallway.
Zhu Qing paused for a moment, then laughed angrily, “I can’t even trust him like this little one.”
“Tsk, the win-loss condition is the Difficult Taste Seal!”
“The topic is noodles!”
“Without confidence, who would dare play like this?!”