Chapter 16
Chapter 16
The Chef stared straight at them, his voice mechanical.
“The meat in the kitchen is gone. Help me get some meat.”
“The meat in the kitchen is gone. Help me get some meat.”
“The meat in the kitchen is gone. Help me-*Smack!*”
A loud crack echoed through the room. The Chef clutched his face, looking at Liu Ye in disbelief. Beside them, Baolong was equally stunned.
“You… what are you doing?!” the Chef demanded. For some reason, a surge of dread toward Liu Ye rose in his heart.
“Big brother, you were possessed just now. This is a folk remedy from my village. For people who’ve lost their minds, a good beating fixes them right up,” Liu Ye said.
“Who’s possessed?! You’re the one who’s possessed! Fine, kid, you’ve got guts hitting me! Good, good, good… I’ll…”
The Chef immediately revealed his Fiendish Form. His entire body turned a bruised purple, and the flesh at his jaw vanished, revealing rows upon rows of needle-like teeth. His deathly appearance was a scene of pure Terror.
He opened his massive maw, baring those jagged teeth, and lunged to bite Liu Ye.
Seeing this, Baolong realized things had gone south. Knowing a Taboo had been triggered, he frantically pulled out a pair of Embroidered Shoes!
Blood began to seep from the Embroidered Shoes, causing the Chef’s movements to instantly become sluggish.
“Run!”
Baolong didn’t forget to shout to Liu Ye. He was certain Liu Ye was a Pro Player; if he showed his worth now, maybe the man would look out for him later.
But instead of running, Liu Ye lunged forward. He delivered another Righteous Slap, sending the Chef sprawling to the floor, then grabbed a nearby rolling pin and shoved it into the Chef’s mouth.
“Mmph! Mmmph!”
The Chef struggled miserably on the ground, yet he couldn’t break free from Liu Ye’s grip.
“Quick, what are you standing there for? Get some rope!”
“Ge-ge-get… rope?”
Baolong stammered, unable to help himself. He had never seen someone so brutal. Looking at the Chef on the floor, the creature looked like a bullied little wife, constantly moaning and struggling.
In all his trips to the Fiendish World, he had never witnessed a scene like this.
When others encountered a Fiend, they did everything possible to avoid it. Who was like Liu Ye, leading with a Righteous Slap?
“Hurry up! Why are you just standing there? Can’t you see his rabies is acting up?”
The Chef: “…”
*Rabies my ass! Who are you calling a dog?!*
Baolong scrambled to bring over some rope.
Liu Ye promptly tied the Chef up.
The Chef let out a cold sneer in his mind. *You think ordinary rope can hold me?* He exerted his strength… and failed to break free.
The Chef froze. This was impossible!
It was then he noticed a layer of white light shimmering on the rope.
It was that white light that made it impossible for him to escape.
He looked at Liu Ye in horror. One had to understand that in this world, there was no such thing as gods or buddhas. Humans could only harm a Fiend by using a Fiendish Item.
But that white light clearly wasn’t from any kind of Fiendish Item, which was terrifying.
Baolong was also amazed to see the Chef unable to break the rope. He was now even more convinced that Liu Ye was a top-tier powerhouse, and his attitude became even more respectful.
“Brother Liu, now that you’ve tied this guy up, who’s going to cook?”
“I will! Didn’t I tell you? Back in my village, I was a master cook! No one who’s eaten my food has ever had a bad word to say about it!” Liu Ye said, thumping his chest.
“Really?”
“Of course. I’m not bragging, but back in the day, the environment in our village wasn’t great. Everyone’s complexion was terrible, and their physical health was poor-they’d be out of breath after just a few steps.”
“And then?” Baolong asked quickly.
“Ever since I started cooking in my village, the health of the people there has improved significantly,” Liu Ye said proudly.
This was arguably the thing he was most proud of since the day he was born.
“Cooking can actually cure illnesses?” Baolong asked in surprise.
“You bet. Take my neighbor, Uncle Liu, for example. He suffered from insomnia. After eating my food, he didn’t get out of bed for three months,” Liu Ye said.
Baolong: “…”
“Wasn’t that just him dying?”
“Hey, watch your mouth! What do you mean ‘dying’? Three months later, the man woke up.”
“It actually worked?”
“Of course it did! It’s just that my dad said after he woke up, he went on a long trip. He didn’t even say goodbye to me before he left,” Liu Ye said with a hint of regret. Mentioning this made him feel a bit melancholy; he truly missed Uncle Liu.
Baolong: “…”
Liu Ye turned around and saw Baolong’s face twisted as if he were constipated.
“Hey, what’s with that look? My wine is the real deal. Uncle Liu is fine; he just went out to find work.”
“Ah, I’m really sorry. I misunderstood,” Baolong said sheepishly.
“Yeah. My dad said Uncle Liu is working up in the heavens now, and that he’ll be watching over us from above. Sigh, he hasn’t come back since then. I really miss him.”
Baolong: “…”
*That literally means he’s dead!!!*
Next, Liu Ye looked around and spoke to the Chef.
“Give me the grocery money.”
“What grocery money?” the Chef asked cautiously.
“The money to buy ingredients! The grocery money!”
The Chef thought to himself, *I’ve been dead for decades, and no one has ever given me grocery money.*
“There… there isn’t any!”
Liu Ye froze for a moment upon hearing this, then flew into a rage.
“Are you pocketing kickbacks?!”
Good grief, it was the day of the big wedding, and the chef was taking kickbacks, leaving the house with no food. It was almost time for the ceremony, yet the dishes weren’t ready. Wasn’t this just asking for trouble?
The Chef quickly said, “I’ve been wronged! I really didn’t take any kickbacks. It’s just that those above… they didn’t give me any funding!”
“They didn’t give you anything at all?”
“Not a cent.”
“Then what are we supposed to do about the food?”
The Chef glanced at Liu Ye and Baolong, then whispered, “We just… rely on our own efforts.”
Liu Ye felt his world spinning.
“No, that’s way too stingy. People are paying over five hundred yuan in wedding gifts, and you guys aren’t providing anything?” Liu Ye felt his very worldview being shaken.
You should at least put together a few decent meat dishes to get by.
Liu Ye felt worried for the host family. The wedding was about to start; where were they supposed to find food?
At that moment, the Chef said cautiously, “Maybe you should go ask Steward Wang.”
Liu Ye thought about it and realized that was his only option. He had to get some money for groceries somehow.
Liu Ye turned and left, with Baolong hurrying to keep up. He didn’t dare stay alone with this Chef.
The two of them asked for the location of Steward Wang’s room and headed over.
When they arrived at Steward Wang’s room, they found it incredibly grand. Just from the exterior alone, it was more than a cut above the other rooms.
Liu Ye was instantly incensed.
“It looks like this Steward Wang is the one pocketing the kickbacks. Let’s find him!”
Baolong wanted to suggest that they should take things slow and perhaps discuss it with Xiaoshuai and the others first.
But before he could speak, Liu Ye pushed the door open and walked right in. In that instant, Baolong seemed to hear the sound of something shattering.