Chapter 1822: Long Time No See
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Cooking God? Ridiculous… In this world, only that man can be called Cooking God!”
Wushuang’s face was cold, and his eyes flashed with sharp sword intent that caused heaven and earth to shake. Behind him, an ancient iron sword was quivering, emitting a faint rumbling sound.
Looking in the direction where the crowd was running toward, he put his hands behind his back and followed. He wanted to see who this so-called Cooking God was. Wushuang walked slowly down the street. In the distance, the crowd grew dense.
“I just haven’t been back for a hundred years, and there’s such a restaurant in this city? It’s the first time I’ve seen such a popular restaurant since His Excellency passed away… Presumably, its dishes must be of a certain high standard, or it wouldn’t attract so many people.”
For a moment, Wushuang was curious. The atmosphere in front of the restaurant was very hot. The bustling crowd and the sight of so many people packed in one place made him gasp.
“How… popular is this restaurant?! Back in the day, His Excellency’s business was not as good as this at the best of times…”
Frowning, he went up to a man who was standing in line and asked, “Excuse me… Is the food cooked by the chef in that restaurant really so good?”
“You’re new here, aren’t you? Just arrived from abroad? Let me tell you, this restaurant has a long history. It’s a century-old restaurant, and it’s always been so popular. My dad used to say that when he was wearing open-backed pants, it was already here and so popular!”
The man seemed bored with waiting in line, so he went on and on talking to Wushuang. Soon, the people lining up around them joined in the chatter. They talked about many unrelated topics and even argued about which brothel had the prettiest girls in the town.
Wushuang left the discussion, his eyes narrowing. “A century-old restaurant…” He walked along the line and came to the front. The line was two blocks long, showing that the restaurant was really doing a good business.
Just as Wushuang came to the front, the man at the head of the line, dressed in expensive clothes, showed an unhappy expression. He grabbed Wushuang’s arm and said, “Hey, buddy, don’t you think it’s not good for you to cut in line like that?”
Wushuang frowned and turned his head.
“What? How dare you glare at me? Listen, no one, not even the immortals, can make trouble in the Cooking God’s restaurant! He has already beaten off several of them! Don’t you dare touch me!”
The man was cocky. He raised his chin and looked at Wushuang out of the corners of his eyes.
Wushuang just watched indifferently. “This guy is a little too arrogant… But I’m too lazy to bother with a mere mortal.” He turned back at the restaurant.
At this moment, the door of the restaurant opened, and a slim figure walked out from it. At the sight of him, the crowd in the queue cheered excitedly, but Wushuang was instantly petrified.
“The Cooking God! The Cooking God is here!”
“I’m so lucky! The Cooking God’s restaurant is really open for business today!”
“I can taste the most delicious dishes in the world again! Excellent!”
The man at the head of the line patted Wushuang’s shoulder and said, “Brother, be a good boy and go to the back of the line. Maybe you still have a chance to eat the Cooking God’s dishes.”
Wushuang ignored him and stared at the figure standing in front of the restaurant. His breathing became faster and faster.
Bu Fang opened the door and rolled up the sleeves of his coarse linen garment, revealing his fair arms. Suddenly, he paused and looked at a familiar figure standing at the front of the line. He raised his brows.
“Brother! Not that I want to lecture you, but do you know it’s a bad habit to cut in line? You— Crap!”
The man was still talking when Wushuang suddenly knelt down, his knees smashing the ground! The loud thud startled the man, and he almost stopped breathing! ‘So fierce?! He gave up his dignity for food?”
“B-Brother, you win! But even if I let you go into the restaurant first, the people in the back of the line wouldn’t allow it,” the man continued.
Wushuang glanced over his shoulder at him. The man felt a shock of chill went through him, and he raised his hand to cover his mouth!
‘Dammit… I’ve met an expert!’ In front of him, Wushuang’s eyes were red with tears. That expression scared the man so much that he was speechless. ‘I can’t believe this guy used the acting skills of a best actor for the sake of… food!’
Bu Fang looked at Wushuang. He did not expect to see him again. “Come in,” he said.
“Yes… Your Excellency!”
Wushuang wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve. ‘His Excellency is not dead… His Excellency is still alive! This is great!’ Hurriedly, he stood up and walked straight into the restaurant.
“Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, this is my old friend, so please pardon me for letting him in first,” Bu Fang said to the crowd standing in line.
“Hehe, you’re being too courteous, Cooking God! We don’t mind at all!”
“It’s alright! This brother doesn’t look like an ordinary man. We don’t mind him cutting the queue!”
“It would be nice if Cooking God can extend the restaurant’s business hours today…”
The customers were very understanding. Of course, they had no other choice. After all, Bu Fang’s strength was terrifying. He was a bigshot who did not even give face to the royal family. When a restaurant had opened for a century and the owner stayed the same, there was a good chance that the owner was an immortal!
Wushuang stepped into the restaurant and glanced around. The familiar layout and decoration style brought tears to his eyes again. Even though he was a sword expert with a tough heart, he could not help crying at this moment. Everything here brought back his memories.
“Your cultivation base is progressing quickly… Not bad. Surely it pays to go out and experience the world,” Bu Fang said to Wushuang with a faint smile.
Wushuang rubbed his head in embarrassment. “I’m nowhere near as good as Your Excellency.”
“Don’t be shy. You are now only half a step away from becoming a Saint of the Great Path. Such strength is already fearsome,” said Bu Fang. “Help me serve the customers. We’ll talk when today’s business is over.”
Wushuang put down his sword, rolled up his sleeves, and grinned. “Leave it to me. But it’s been over a hundred years since I’ve served a customer, so I hope my skills aren’t rusty.” He chuckled, then turned and walked to the door and began to arrange the customers in an orderly manner.
The corners of Bu Fang’s mouth lifted slightly as he watched. After a while, he went into the kitchen.
The operation of the restaurant was simple and no different from before. When the sun went down, the day’s business was over. But Wushuang was still standing at the door excitedly, waving his hand and calling people to come for a meal. It looked like he was addicted to the job.
“That’s enough. Business is closed for the day.” Bu Fang could not help reminding him.
Wushuang rubbed his head in embarrassment. At this moment, it was as if he was not a peerless sword expert but a small child.
After closing the door of the restaurant, Bu Fang brought out a few dishes and a jar of wine from the kitchen. “Come, sit down and eat with me,” he said, then filled a cup with wine for Wushuang.
Wushuang grinned and sat across from Bu Fang as he had done before. Staring at Bu Fang, who looked exactly like the first time they met, his mind was filled with amazement and questions.
“Your Excellency… haven’t you already…”
Bu Fang ate some vegetables and took a sip of wine. A blush came to his face. “You mean to say that I’m already dead, right?” he said indifferently.
Wushuang nodded.
“I did die, but I came back to life.”
Wushuang took a deep breath. In his eyes, Bu Fang was not only resurrected, but his cultivation base had become unfathomable.
“Then why aren’t Your Excellency going to see those old friends?” Wushuang asked, puzzled.
“No. It’s not the right time yet.” Bu Fang shook his head and continued to drink and eat.
Wushuang grabbed a pair of chopsticks, picked up some of the vegetables, and put them in his mouth. As he chewed, he shuddered, and his eyes flickered with shock.
‘This is… This is delicious!’
Even though it was just a simple side dish, it amazed him. Suddenly, the energy in him began to surge as if it was going to break through the barrier. It was the barrier of the Saints that countless geniuses had failed to break.
Wushuang’s face turned red—he wanted to seize this opportunity to break the barrier. However, Bu Fang came behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. Just like that, the surging energy in him was suppressed.
“Don’t be anxious… Your foundation is still a little weak. Eat more vegetables and don’t rush to break through at this time.”
The unfathomable aura emanating from Bu Fang made Wushuang’s heart tremble. ‘Is His Excellency a Saint of the Great Path now or a Chaotic Saint?! I can’t believe it only took him a hundred years to get back to the top!’
Bu Fang continued to drink. “Eat quickly. I have things to do after this. You’ve come back at the right time. I need you to guard me,” he said.
That gave Wushuang pause. ‘His Excellency needs me to guard him? Is he about to break through again?’ He hurriedly brought up the bowl and shoved the rice and the vegetables into his mouth.
As soon as he put everything into his mouth, he narrowed his eyes and groaned indistinctly. ‘This is… f*cking delicious! The familiar taste and feel… I’m so touched!’
After swallowing the food, he took a mouthful of wine. The aroma of wine filled his mouth. Even with his cultivation base, he felt a little tipsy.
‘Your Excellency, your wine is amazing! It’s even better than the fine wine of the Celestial Court! What heavenly ingredients did you use to make it?” Wushuang was very surprised.
“Rice,” Bu Fang said faintly, glancing at him. There was no such thing as heavenly ingredients. All his dishes were cooked with mundane ingredients.
After a hearty meal, Wushuang leaned back in his chair with satisfaction. For the first time in a hundred years, he ate to his heart’s content.
“You’re done eating? Then come with me,” Bu Fang said.
Wushuang nodded and followed.
After going upstairs, Bu Fang went straight to a room and opened the door. Behind him, Wushuang’s pupils narrowed when he saw what was inside, and then he sucked in a cold breath.
“T-This is…” Wushuang stuttered in shock. He did not know what to say.
“Don’t be so shocked. It’s just the essence of some stars,” Bu Fang said indifferently.
“How could I not be shocked? So much essence… Did you shrink the entire universe and move it into this room? What exactly is His Excellency trying to do?’ Wushuang’s head was full of questions.
“I was afraid that the amount would not be enough… After all, I’m going to use them to bring an old friend back to life.” The corners of Bu Fang’s mouth lifted slightly. “I’ll have to give him the best possible configuration…”
Wushuang froze for a moment.
The next moment, Bu Fang raised his hand and flicked his fingers. The air rippled, and a simple force slowly spread. In Wushuang’s shocked gaze, all the essence of the stars in the room lit up as if they were a miniature universe. With his hand clasped behind his back, Bu Fang stepped into this universe.
Wushuang’s muscles tensed up.
“You’ll guard me from outside the room… Well, help me cover up the aura. I’ve got an array in place, but just in case, help me erase the excess aura that will seep out of the room,” Bu Fang said.
Wushuang nodded. He had a rough idea of what Bu Fang was going to do. The iron sword on his back instantly left its scabbard and blossomed with a blinding light.
“As long as I’m alive, no one will be able to step into this restaurant! Your Excellency, leave everything to me!” he said firmly.
Bu Fang smiled faintly. With a bang, the door of the room closed and the starlight disappeared.
Wushuang made the iron sword hover beside him as memories flashed in his eyes. ‘Is that metal puppet coming back? His Excellency will definitely succeed!” He had great confidence in Bu Fang.
With a thought in his mind, he sat cross-legged in midair, grabbed the iron sword, and placed it across his legs.
At this moment, a terrible aura erupted in the restaurant!