There are many stories.
From adventures in the forest, battles in the Land of Clouds, frolicking in the human world, the return to the Food World, and everything within the Foggy Inn.
Tian Zui asked doubtfully, "I don't understand. When did I offend so many powerful individuals, more than a dozen of them!"
Granny Wen sipped her tea and said, "What is meant to come will come. Your bloodline has indeed drawn them to you."
"My bloodline..."
Thinking of this, a flicker of anger crossed Tian Zui's brow.
Tian Zui was half an orphan, living with his mother since childhood.
His mother had become pregnant before marriage and faced much disdain. However, the beastly father had left behind considerable wealth and a manor, which ensured Tian Zui's childhood was without worry.
Until one day, a band of bandits, coveting the manor's riches, broke in under the cover of night...
From that day on, Tian Zui became an orphan. Although he eventually avenged his mother, he harbored a deep hatred in his heart for that beastly father who abandoned his wife and child!
"Granny Qian, do you know that beast?"
Granny Qian replied, "Your father was no ordinary man. If he were to appear, the entire Rivendell Forest would bow at his feet..."
Tian Zui was greatly astonished!
In his mother's descriptions, that beast was almost omnipotent!
But Tian Zui's mother was merely an ordinary person. Even with a strength of level thirty, she could form such an impression.
According to Tian Zui's estimations, that beast could only possess a strength of level sixty at most, otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up in that backward small town.
But...
"Could it be... he's from the Gourmet World?"
"Indeed, and from a very powerful and complex faction. His philandering and infidelity angered many. To them, you are an illegitimate child who should not exist."
No wonder!
When those people had barged in, they had also used words like 'bastard offspring'.
"Please, Granny, guide me. I must find that scoundrel and give him a good punch!"
"Your current strength is still far from sufficient!"
Granny Qian continued, "However, after you drink this cup of tea, they should no longer be able to find you. Once you have grown stronger, you can face them properly."
So, this tea had such an ability!
Tian Zui was deeply moved!
He knelt on the ground with all his might!
"Alright, calm down. Your friends are here to pick you up."
As she spoke, a thick mist formed beside the mushroom hut.
Zhang Wei and the others emerged from the body of the camp toad. Upon seeing Granny Qian, Zhang Wei immediately switched to a combat stance!
"Everyone, be careful!"
"This person is also a witch, with the same aura as Granny Wen!"
But Mr. Luo and Atlas exclaimed in surprise and ran towards her joyfully.
In front of the old woman, they called out "Granny, Granny" repeatedly.
"Zhang Wei, this is the witch who helped me recover my taste!"
So that was it.
Zhang Wei quickly stepped forward and said respectfully, "I apologize for my earlier impudence."
Granny Qian smiled kindly, "It's alright..."
Then, Granny Qian approached the camp toad and sighed, "How is Granny Wen?"
"She... died at my hands."
Zhang Wei thought for a moment and decided to answer truthfully.
In the presence of such a witch with peculiar abilities, lies were meaningless.
Granny Qian's body swayed, and a single tear finally fell, "My sister... ultimately met someone she couldn't afford to offend."
Sister?
Holy crap!
She had killed her sister right off the bat. How could she ask her for help now?
Granny Qian slowly recounted their story.
They were both fairies of the forest. By chance, they received a blessing and took on human forms.
They left the Food World and encountered many things in the human world. Granny Wen was not inherently evil, but her temper was somewhat difficult, leading her to reap what she sowed and return filled with negative emotions.
Granny Qian, on the other hand, was benevolent, kind, and generous, experiencing the warmth and sunshine of humanity.
Eventually, Granny Qian settled in the mushroom hut, helping lost intelligent creatures of the Food World. Granny Wen opened the Foggy Inn and sealed intelligent creatures into gluttonous pig monsters.
At this point, Zhang Wei pulled Chihiro from behind him, "Granny, this child's parents were turned into pigs, and many others were cursed into monsters by Granny Wen. Can you turn them back?"
Granny Qian shook her head, "It has been too long. Their minds have long been lost. Even if they were turned back, they would be pigs in human skin... it is futile."
Hearing this, Chihiro couldn't stop her tears from flowing.
When Zhang Wei had decided to act, he had directly placed Chihiro in the right side hall, thus preventing her from being harmed.
Granny Qian walked up to Chihiro and smiled kindly, "Would you like to stay with me? I will care for you like my own granddaughter."
Chihiro looked at Zhang Wei, who nodded.
Chihiro immediately hugged Granny Qian and cried uncontrollably.
"Alas..."
"The people of this world are so unfortunate."
Zhang Wei said, "Granny Qian, can you restore my sense of smell..."
"Come, let me take a look."
A warm light flashed.
Granny Qian frowned, "Your sense of smell... has been taken to a very distant place."
"The Endless Purgatory?"
"Precisely... you actually know of that place."
"Is there... any hope?"
Granny Qian replied, "Yes, but... it will require a great deal of energy."
Granny Qian could borrow the power of the Rivendell Forest, but that would damage the forest's vitality and even taint it with the unholy aura of the Endless Purgatory.
It would be extremely harmful to the forest.
"Energy?"
"That's easy!"
Saying this, Zhang Wei directly took out a basket of apples, dozens of them in bronze and silver, all peeled and with their flesh exposed.
Granny Qian's eyes widened, "You... actually have so many Olympus Tree Fruits!"
"Is this enough?"
"More than enough!"
Granny Qian took out a silver apple and said, "Even one of these would be sufficient."
Zhang Wei handed over the basket.
"Take these, I'm sure they will be useful someday."
Granny Qian shook her head, "No, without their skins, I have no way to preserve them."
As she spoke, Granny Qian also gave Zhang Wei a meaningful look.
...
The preparation for the ritual was complicated. Besides the silver apples, Granny Qian also took all of Zhang Wei's hair and body hair to be used as beacons for the connection.
Zhang Wei felt like he had become bald, but also stronger.
A cauldron...
A magical potion...
A strange ritual array...
"Prepare yourself, the moment is fleeting!"
A dense fog opened up!
Communicating with the underworld!
Zhang Wei held a vine, stained with his blood.
As the fog rolled open, an indescribable aura of desolation emanated from its very center!
Zhang Wei saw another world!
Barren!
Sandstorms that blotted out the sun!
Darkness without end...
And at the very center of the sandstorm, an egg-shaped light shield!
"Quick!"
"Find the wisp of soul you lost!"
The vine struck out!
It seemed to have ensnared something!
Instantly, a feeling of intertwined hearts and souls came from the other end of the vine!
"It's my sense of smell and taste!"
"Chef Form!"
Zhang Wei roared, using all his strength to pull the vine back at the last moment!
Two wisps of soul swirled in the air, then immediately burrowed into Zhang Wei's body!
!!!
The taste! It was back!
Zhang Wei sniffed lightly, thousands of scents in the air!
This was Zhang Wei's initial, almost unparalleled, top-tier sensory ability!
Zhang Wei was so moved he could have wept. Only after losing them could he truly appreciate their importance!
"Zhang Wei, long time no see!"
The other end of the vine was held by a hand!
It was Shaka, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Land of Clouds, a divine servant!
"You... are still alive. I am quite surprised."
Shaka floated up, exuding a terrifying pressure exceeding level one hundred!
He looked down at Zhang Wei and said, "The suffering I have endured has made me powerful."
"During this time, I have experienced much in the Endless Purgatory. What still concerns me is the Land of Clouds. Let's settle this karmic debt here and now."
"Zhang Wei, experience my Heavenly Dance Wheel once more!"
"This time, I will completely annihilate your six senses, leaving you to sink into eternal oblivion in the endless void!"
A golden Buddha statue!
As if it were tangible!
Compared to two months ago, Shaka was like a completely different person!
In an instant, Zhang Wei was completely suppressed!
"Stop!"
That familiar voice...
Shaka turned his head and nodded slightly, "Lord Brott, I didn't expect you to be here too. I apologize for my oversight."
Hounddog said, "Shaka, the war is over."
"It's over..."
"Yes, everything is over. There is no longer any reason to continue fighting. Stop."
"Lord Brott, are you a Northerner now..."
Hounddog made his signature gesture: "Father of the Gods above, I swear on my honor that everything I have, including my life, will always belong to the Land of Clouds! Everything I do is for the sake of the Land of Clouds!"
"Brott..."
Shaka closed his eyes, and golden lotuses rose from the ground, lifting him.
"I will be the judge of all this. Zhang Wei, our score is not yet settled."
Saying this, the petals closed, and he plunged back into the path.
Zhang Wei scratched his head. These peculiar methods of movement, never mind if they were effective, but their grandeur was undeniable!
Shaka departed.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly, in just two months, Shaka had leveled up by more than thirty levels. How had he achieved this!
"Hounddog, thank you just now."
"Everything I do is for the Land of Clouds."
The Land of Clouds could no longer withstand any further conflict.
If he had truly become Zhang Wei's mortal enemy...
Furthermore, after understanding the situation over these past few days, Zhang Wei and Tian Zui were clearly not ordinary individuals. With Shaka having just returned, it was uncertain if he could achieve a complete victory!
Zhang Wei savored the exquisite experience brought by his restored taste and smell. The cells within his body stirred, sending signals of extreme hunger!
Zhang Wei bowed deeply, "Thank you, Granny Qian, for your help. If there's ever anything I can do for you in the future, I will spare no effort."
"Additionally, please accept these. Consider them small gifts for Chihiro."
As he spoke, Zhang Wei summoned a large quantity of ingredients from his treasure vault.
This time, Granny Qian did not refuse. With a wave of her hand, a gust of wind blew, tossing all the ingredients into the cauldron...
"Granny, what is this?"
"It's cooking, of course."
Everyone was stunned!
"Granny! You can cook too?"
Granny Qian huffed, "The culinary techniques I possess are beyond the comprehension of ordinary chefs like yourselves!"
What followed was another revelation that shattered Zhang Wei's understanding!
Ingredients of different kinds, seemingly conflicting, were arranged in perfect order in the cauldron. The vegetables became crisper as they cooked, and the meat became more tender.
The broth was clear, yet it did not affect the fusion of flavors in the slightest!
Such a coexistence of techniques was unheard of, even to Zhang Wei!
This was the first time in his long journey after transmigration that Zhang Wei had encountered a culinary method he couldn't understand!
"Granny..."
Granny Qian smiled gently and took Zhang Wei and Mr. Luo by the hand, "This skill originally stemmed from humanity. It has likely been lost by now. I shall return this technique to humankind!"
"You two must watch carefully. This is my improved Magic Potion Stewing!"
Magic Potion Stewing!
A wonderful method of processing using supernatural power, akin to Zhang Wei's Gourmet Technique, but the Gourmet Technique was merely a crude and minor art, whereas Magic Potion Stewing was a complex and high-end true technique!
It could be said that this was a collision between Zhang Wei's self-developed techniques and the culinary arts of the Great Gourmet Era!
In an era that revered food, how could there not be extremely advanced techniques!
"Come, taste my cooking. How does it compare to the Foggy Inn?"
Saying this, Granny Qian ladled out portions from the pot...
Cabbage rolls?
Inside the cabbage leaves was steamed rice with sauce, along with fried eggs and shredded meat.
These cabbage rolls were actually stewed?
This technique was nothing short of divine!
"Please, enjoy, a gift from the forest."
Zhang Wei picked up a cabbage roll and took a bite. Golden oil spurted from the green cabbage leaves. The shredded meat in the center was colored with sauce, and even crab roe sauce flowed out!
Fragrant!
It was like taking a bite of the entire forest, the natural essence perfectly blended with the meat and vegetables.
The saltiness of the crab roe sauce was just right, the shredded meat was tender yet retained its texture, and occasionally, one could chew on large pieces of shrimp within the rice!
Another bite! Fish!
No!
It was rice with a fish flavor! The technique borrowed from "fish-flavored shredded pork," a miraculous method of having the aroma of fish without any fish!
"This rice is made with fish scraps, mixed with a gelatinous substance, and then dried and combined with fiber, which gives it the texture of rice!"
"And this crab roe sauce is a perfect pairing with this fish-flavored rice. The cabbage leaves are slightly bitter, but they perfectly preserve the crisp taste without being overshadowed by the fish-flavored rice..."
"It's been so long since I've had such perfect cuisine!"
"Granny, you are simply a genius!"
Zhang Wei's cells became hyperactive!
A feeling of breaking through barriers made Zhang Wei shout uncontrollably!
"This... is too delicious!"
For the first time in a long while, Zhang Wei managed to achieve a breakthrough not from his own cooking.
Zhang Wei said earnestly, "Granny, I have no way to repay your kindness in teaching and enlightening me!"
Granny Qian blinked in surprise, "But I haven't taught you anything yet?"
"No, Granny, you have taught me more than enough. If I don't understand, it is only because I am a slow-witted disciple!"
Zhang Wei was incredibly dedicated to the art of cooking.
In Zhang Wei's eyes, apart from ingredients, nothing was more important than cooking.
And Granny Qian had operated openly in front of them, her entire process filling Zhang Wei's mind with inspiration!
Granny Qian smiled, "Young men, do not be impatient. You still have much to learn."