He left the room.
Zhang Wei and the coal boss exchanged smiles.
"Ah, Boss Zhang Wei, this ingredient deal is set then."
"You can't say that, Boss Coal. I'll still need you to sell my ingredients in the future, we just need to support each other."
...
Soon, a day of sightseeing ended.
With a stiff smile plastered on his face, he walked back into the warm house.
Xi Feng said from the side, "Staff dormitories are under construction, and your exclusive residential area is also being built. We won't have to live in this makeshift warm house for much longer."
"No, the main focus should be on the Welcome Pavilion. My place isn't that important."
Seeing Zhang Wei's smile gradually fade, Xi Feng asked, "Boss, are you tired?"
"A little. By the way, what's the situation with the Tai Sui God?"
"That guy is locked up. He hasn't eaten anything since yesterday and is already incredibly weak. He keeps yelling about wanting to eat human flesh; what a dream."
"What about Sen Sen and Yu Miao? Have you gotten anything useful from them?"
Xi Feng replied, "According to them, the Tai Sui God contacted Ajin first, offering him information about an impending sneak attack by the Northern Lands and the Black List, in exchange for several thousand people as food. Ajin was suspicious, but the strength displayed by the Tai Sui God made them a little fearful."
He arrived at the dungeon.
The Tai Sui God was nailed to a cross, covered in fine thorny wires, and his joints were pierced, rendering him completely immobile despite his strength.
The Tai Sui God was now extremely weak, his face wrinkled like an old man's.
A jailer handed over a tray.
"This is the spatial equipment the Tai Sui God carried. We found a large number of human bones and blood wine inside, as well as a scripture."
Zhang Wei picked up the scripture.
The words "《食死徒典章》" (Codex of the Man-Eaters) were written on it.
Turning to the title page, the content was repulsive, detailing techniques on how humans could be made delicious and how to cook them.
The material of the book was primitive, of an unknown type, but clearly very old.
The crimson script on it was also something Zhang Wei had never seen before.
Beneath the crimson script, there were numerous annotations written in Universal Language, seemingly translations and inspirations.
"This book is probably thousands of years old."
"This script is likely some ancient hieroglyphics, or perhaps from a certain era."
"Is the doctrine of the Tai Sui cult derived from this book?"
The Tai Sui God remained silent, merely smiling with a hint of mockery.
The atmosphere became heavy, neither side speaking first.
Zhang Wei broke the silence, stating directly, "The Four Great Salt Merchants have already communicated with me. They said that if I kill you, they will set aside our past grievances and we will usher in a future of glory together."
The Tai Sui God looked up sharply!
Then, he pretended to be unfazed and lowered his head.
Zhang Wei shrugged, "Your reaction just now proved everything. Is there any need for further pretense?"
"Ultimately, I won't survive. Is there any point in me saying anything?"
"Yes."
"Hehehe, go on."
"You can become a glutton who dies of gluttony."
The Tai Sui God grinned, "You think I'll believe that? My doctrine... I never thought it would be understood by you mortals! You are merely food!"
Zhang Wei walked up to the Tai Sui God and said earnestly, "I am a chef. I know what it feels like to be hungry, and this person here is soft-hearted and cannot bear to see others suffer..."
"Oh, you're going to capture people for me to eat?"
"I still have two Level 90 powerhouses in my prison. I believe they can fill your slightly empty stomach."
The Tai Sui God was taken aback.
It seemed...
Possible!
If Zhang Wei had promised to capture people, the Tai Sui God would never believe him, but if it were those two traitors...
With that thought, the Tai Sui God's emaciated body stirred again, saliva and stomach acid uncontrollably churning.
Zhang Wei continued, "The hunger you feel every day is an unimaginable torment. In the end, you'll die anyway. I can listen to your secrets anytime. Perhaps you need to starve for a few days to maintain the dignity of a powerful expert?"
The Tai Sui God scoffed, "I have long transcended mortal concerns. How can those worldly moral standards measure me!"
"Then what are you waiting for?"
"What do you want to know?"
"The Four Great Salt Merchants first."
"There's nothing much to say. Back then, I ate too much and was tracked down by my food, sustaining rather serious injuries. The Northern Lands' agent for the Four Great Salt Merchants at the time saved me and provided me with many humans as food."
"Although I don't have any intention of repaying their kindness, I thought I might need them in the future, and the Food Bank wasn't too difficult to manage, so I agreed."
As expected!
The information from Boss Coal was correct.
It was indeed the Four Great Salt Merchants who were behind this, or more precisely, their current Northern Lands agent, Yan Yan!
The Tai Sui God suddenly said, "I have one more request regarding this book."
"Speak."
"Do not destroy it. Store it in some remote, inaccessible secret realm, so that those with fate in the future can find it. If they have no fate... let it remain hidden forever."
Zhang Wei asked, "Do you know the secret behind this book? Its origin."
The Tai Sui God fell silent, offering no reply.
Zhang Wei then asked, "Could it be a Nit-C?"
Nit-C.
A terrifying creature possessing immense power.
It was an aggregation of the appetite from Gourmet Cells, a pure monster.
In the original work, Acacia discovered and named it six hundred years before the main story. Its species could not be determined, it had no reproductive organs, and its method of reproduction was unknown.
Although rare, their lifespans were incredibly long, and it was highly likely they had existed in the world for a very long time. There were even rumored fossils of Nit-C dating back hundreds of millions of years.
The protagonist group had encountered these Nit-C in places like Vegetable Sky and the Gourmet Pyramid.
Nit-C also had a level classification. The legendary Gourmet Nobles were Blue Nit-C. Below them were the servant-like Red Nit-C.
Nit-C possessed incredibly vigorous vitality, but if they lacked food or their habitat deteriorated, they would enter a state of metabolic dormancy called "Dry Sleep" for a thousand years. It was through this ability that Nit-C had survived multiple great cataclysms.
Furthermore, Nit-C were not only extremely ferocious but also possessed a considerable degree of intelligence. It was said that the Gourmet Pyramid was a famous ruin left by them.
In the original work, they had a characteristic of feeding on humans and possessed the ability to cook food.
There was even a rumored "Horrifying Menu" – cooking humans!
Looking at the Tai Sui God's unwavering gaze, Zhang Wei said, "The strength of humans is self-evident. Only those who can traverse epochs can suppress and feed on them. This foreign script also supports this."
The Tai Sui God said in a deep voice, "You... even know about Nit-C."
This creature might be a mystery to the natives, but Zhang Wei had read the manga and was naturally familiar with such cool villainous characters.
Confirming his guess, Zhang Wei turned and said, "Enjoy your last meal. I still have a use for you."
With a wave of his hand, Zhang Wei untangled the thorny vines from the Tai Sui God.
"Tai Sui God, I, Zhang Wei, am a man of my word. I will do as I promised. I hope you have a pleasant last day."
Leaving the prison, Xi Feng asked in confusion, "The crimes of the Tai Sui God are unforgivable. Are we being too good to him?"
"Sen Sen and Yu Miao, among others, committed heinous crimes. It is fitting that they be devoured by the Tai Sui God. As for the Tai Sui God himself... he was going to die sooner or later. I might as well use him before he does."
...
The next morning, Zhang Wei was preparing to lead everyone to explore the second area of the Gourmet City.
Just then, a series of fighting sounds erupted from the distant Ice Prison. The noise was deafening, indicating a battle of extremely high level.
A jailer rushed in, reporting frantically, "Terrible news, the Tai Sui God has escaped!"
Zhang Wei's face paled in shock, "How could this happen? As expected of the Tai Sui God. Although I defeated him, he still had some strength left!"
"Everyone, the sightseeing plan is canceled. I need to go capture the Tai Sui God and resolve the safety issue!"
Saying this, Zhang Wei's figure vanished before everyone.
The Tai Sui God's infamy instilled fear in the remaining individuals.
One person suggested that they should not split up to reduce the threat.
Zhan Lu, the representative of the Sword Forging Manor, snorted, "My good mood has been ruined. I'm leaving!"
The representative of the Scholar's Tower also cupped his hands and bid farewell to the crowd.
Yan Yan, gloating, led his group back. Little did they expect an accident to occur halfway!
A tall, gaunt figure blocked their path. Yan Yan narrowed his eyes, "You... hehe, who are you?"
"Stop pretending, I've escaped!"
The tall, gaunt figure emerged from the shadows. It was the escaped Tai Sui God!
The Tai Sui God was now covered in bloody wounds, all caused by Zhang Wei's specially made thorny vines. However, after consuming Sen Sen and Yu Miao, his strength had recovered considerably.
Yan Yan said coldly, "I don't understand what you're saying. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
"Hehehe... You still want to leave? You'll be buried here with me today!"
The Tai Sui God grinned and lunged at Yan Yan, his claws, capable of easily shredding human flesh, smashing down!
Yan Yan's expression remained unchanged. He dodged the fatal claw strike with a slight sidestep, then immediately stepped forward with an elbow strike to the Tai Sui God's chest.
But that wasn't all. He followed up the elbow strike with a twisting right hook to the ribs. As the Tai Sui God recoiled in pain, Yan Yan used an Iron Mountain Lean, followed by an elbow strike, then a backhand to the face!
In an instant!
Yan Yan unleashed a fluid combination of punches, knocking the Tai Sui God to the ground.
Yan Yan wiped the blood from his nose and tossed a handkerchief at the Tai Sui God's face, "I just dislike fighting. Don't underestimate a mere merchant."
The Tai Sui God couldn't believe it!
Did this supposedly shrewd merchant possess such advanced combat skills?
In that brief moment, Yan Yan had employed techniques from at least three martial arts styles: Karate, Hung Gar, and Muay Thai. Each blow inflicted significant damage on the Tai Sui God.
The Tai Sui God roared, revealing his sharp teeth again!
"You're asking for death!"
...
...
Innumerable Northern Guards swarmed out from all directions, with Zhang Wei leading the formation.
"My apologies to our esteemed guests for being startled. The fiend Tai Sui God, after killing his cellmates, recovered his strength and escaped. Fortunately, he did not harm our guests, otherwise, the Food Bank would be held accountable."
At this moment, Yan Yan was wiping blood from his hands, casually discarding a blood-stained bone, and said indifferently, "It's fine. Just a mad dog. I can treat everything he said and did as the actions of a mentally ill person and not take it to heart."
"That's good. Come, bring some fine wine to the guests' rooms as an apology from the Food Bank."
After Yan Yan left.
Wu Yong squatted beside the Tai Sui God and said to Zhang Wei, "Boss, the Tai Sui God is dead."
"Mm."
"His death was quite gruesome. His bones were dislocated, his muscles and fascia severely damaged. Thirteen ribs were pulled out from his chest, three vertebrae in his spine were dislocated... there were even signs of severe impact within his skull."
Zhang Wei nodded, "Understood. Freeze his body. Let's see if we can claim a bounty."
With that said.
Zhang Wei's gaze shifted towards the direction Yan Yan had disappeared.
Under Zhang Wei's magnetic field perception, Yan Yan's every move was clearly visible.
Every move...
Every technique...
Mixed martial arts!
Wrestling!
Boxing!
And the most terrifying of all, the joint locks!
Utilizing the Tai Sui God's powerful momentum, Yan Yan inflicted severe dislocations by striking against the natural direction of the joints. He concentrated all his strength on one point for brutal grappling, systematically dismantling his limbs and joints.
At the most horrific moment, he directly dislodged the ribs and forced them out through the skin!
"The fatal injury was a dislocated cervical vertebra in his neck. Yan Yan could have performed this move from the very beginning. He was toying with him... It seems he was filled with resentment over the Tai Sui God's failure."
He casually summoned Xi Feng and asked, "Is this Yan Yan very famous?"
"Yan Yan is the Northern Lands agent for the Four Great Salt Merchants, so naturally, he is quite famous. In the business world, he is known as the Cunning Fox. However, there have never been any records of him fighting, so I always thought he was just a clever ordinary person."
"He's been hiding it well."
"Boss, what do we do now?"
Zhang Wei said, "The Food Bank is not a place to be trifled with. Since he doesn't want to die easily, let him face retribution from another angle. Gather all the assets and business chains of the Four Great Salt Merchants in the Northern Lands and bring them to my room."
According to the records.
The Four Great Salt Merchants' business scope was vast. Besides their main business of seasonings, they had also invested in numerous restaurants and ingredient distributors, making them a veritable financial group, a colossal entity.
Their subordinate businesses included thirteen tea mountains, seven salt wells, five sea salt drying fields, and twenty-three wineries.
Numerous production sites for sugarcane, sugar beets, and mineral sugar.
Multiple tobacco tree propagation bases.
Processing of soy sauce, vinegar, and oyster sauce...
Oil extraction included soybeans, sesame, poppies, olives, peanuts, and more.
Additionally, white pepper, black pepper, dried chili peppers, tree peppers, MSG, chicken essence, mixed orange juice, cooking wine, braised meat spices, powdered spices...
Sauces included hot pot base, soup bases, dipping sauces, barbecue sauces, and marinades...
Fermented products included chive flower sauce, soybean paste, and minced garlic sauce...
In total, they controlled almost seventy percent of the seasoning market.
Those not included were low-profit basic industries that the Four Great Salt Merchants disdained and deemed insignificant.
It could be said that the current high-end seasoning market was completely monopolized by the Four Great Salt Merchants. Ordinary civilians could only afford affordable seasonings thanks to the remaining three percent of competitors struggling to survive.
"Indeed, an unimaginable behemoth... By the way, how are the competitors of the Four Great Salt Merchants doing?"
Xi Feng explained, "Currently, the Four Great Salt Merchants have various market-dominating strategies, divided into five categories: Prevention, Conciliation, Acquisition, Replication, and Destruction."
"Tell me about them."
"First is preventing competitors from emerging. The Four Great Salt Merchants actively explore all aspects of seasonings with a strong research spirit, including a series of marketing strategies, which have allowed them to maintain considerable competitiveness."
"The second is conciliation. For existing and emerging peers, the Four Great Salt Merchants will inevitably choose to invest and acquire stakes, establishing a series of support plans, and deepening their control during the support process, allowing them to view industry development trends from a global perspective."
Zhang Wei asked, "In that case, the Four Great Salt Merchants also contribute to the industry? This way, many people would remember their kindness, and the Four Great Salt Merchants would have a good reputation?"
"Very bad!"
"Why?"
Xi Feng continued, "The conciliation of the Four Great Salt Merchants is purposeful. If your business develops poorly, it will fade away. But once it stands up with the support of the conciliation policy, you will be asked to sell!"
"And when a merchant association receives an acquisition application letter, it signifies that this association has entered the sight of the Four Great Salt Merchants. Either surrender, or be destroyed. Replication and destruction are countermeasures against those who refuse to be acquired!"
"The Four Great Salt Merchants are massive and have ample capital. Emerging small merchant associations cannot compare. Anything that can be done, anything that can be owned, the Four Great Salt Merchants can do and own, and do it better. The only thing small merchant associations can surpass is their structure and ideas!"
"But creativity is worthless and cannot be protected. The Four Great Salt Merchants can simply replicate it, create a brand new merchant association that is exactly the same but ten times larger, compete with it, and crush it with price advantages!"
Zhang Wei asked somberly, "As long as they can defeat their opponents, they don't mind losing money to gain customers?"
"That's right. After defeating their opponents, they monopolize the market, and they can earn ten times back what they lost."
"I see. What about destruction?"
Xi Feng said, "If an opponent refuses to be acquired and defeats the clone, they will face the true confrontation of the Four Great Salt Merchants. They will target you by any means necessary, business... people... assassination... smearing... rumors... poisoning... no matter how unscrupulous."