The Cloud Sovereign's face turned cold.
"Your Excellency is truly astute. With just these few vegetables, I wonder what else you can deduce?"
"Just rambling. After all, the Great Culinary Era is full of wonders; nothing is too illogical."
The atmosphere between them fell into a temporary silence.
Zhang Wei leisurely sipped his tea, unhurried.
After a long pause...
The Cloud Sovereign was the first to break the silence: "The wonders of my Cloud Kingdom are endless. You will never regret it! Your Excellency, are you truly not going to reconsider?"
"Doesn't consideration take time?"
"It's fine if you don't agree. I hope you will not leak today's conversation, as it would trouble both of us."
"Considering you treated me to vegetables, I agree."
"Show him out!"
"Won't you let me stay to admire the cloud scenery? Hey, that's rather uncivilized."
...
Black List - Mo City Outpost
"Master Lou Ming, Miss Qian Xue still hasn't returned."
"The attendant ahead said that after losing the competition, Miss was extremely distraught, and they couldn't keep up..."
"There are no reports from within the city either, so she shouldn't have gone to crowded places."
Lou Ming narrowed his eyes, a slight smile forming at the corner of his lips.
Those who knew him well understood that this expression on Lou Ming was never a good sign.
It indicated that his composure was at its limit, and he was using a fake smile to mask his simmering rage!
"Xiao Quan."
"Your disciple is here."
"Tell me, why do the three of you always worry me? You're like this, and the third one is the same. Is there not a single normal person among you?"
"We are too foolish."
"Your weakness isn't in intelligence, but in utter immaturity. Your every action is like that of a child, and I feel like I'm running a nursery."
According to reports from the attendants:
1. The participating teams were...
2. Miss Qian Xue had multiple conversations with the 'Wine and Beauties' team before and after the competition.
3. Miss Qian Xue's entry was Rainbow Mousse, using glutinous rice, purple rice, mung beans, pinto beans, red beans...
4. 'Wine and Beauties'' entry was Misu Hong Bing, using glutinous rice, purple rice, mung beans, pinto beans...
5. 'Wine and Beauties' was judged first, and the judges praised Misu Hong Bing for having a thousand flavors!
6. Miss Qian Xue's entry was dismissed as trash...
...
"A thousand flavors."
"Heh heh..."
Lou Ming threw the intelligence report violently to the ground and turned to leave the secret room.
...
...
The carriage of Shui Yun Tian was exceptionally luxurious, constructed entirely from white marble and feathers. Its four mount beasts were Level 11 White Feather Celestial Horses, and only by riding such beasts could one ascend to the Shui Yun Tian retreat built on the mountainside.
This high-class vehicle alone outshone countless other eateries.
It was truly magnificent and awe-inspiring.
As Zhang Wei stepped down from the carriage, he couldn't help but smack his lips, "Never mind if it's fast or not, it's certainly comfortable and stable. And incredibly ostentatious!"
"I must get one like this if I have the chance!"
Seeing that dusk was approaching, Zhang Wei decided to walk back to 'Wine and Beauties'.
The temporary base of the Century Treasures Association was also there, so it wasn't much trouble for Zhang Wei.
"I wonder how Mo Du's acquisition plan is progressing."
Zhang Wei walked, recalling past events.
This helped him remember any overlooked details.
As he walked through a deserted alley, a chill crept up his neck.
"This feeling... is it killing intent? Or malice from the shadows?"
Zhang Wei didn't believe in sixth sense until his culinary cells upgraded and awakened this function.
He looked around, feeling a slight sense of anticipation.
Honestly, after living three lifetimes, he had never encountered a bandit.
This was his first time!
It was quite novel!
Especially after learning martial arts techniques, his anticipation grew even stronger. After all, what high school student hadn't fantasized about a heroic act?
As if to fulfill Zhang Wei's expectation, a group of men in black suddenly appeared from the front and back of the alley, their movements coordinated and powerful, clearly professionally trained.
They wore sleek, fitted outfits and iron crow-style masks, with bulging leather belts on their backs. They looked like standard villains.
"This getup... could it be..."
The men in black extended their arms, and thick white gas spewed from their sleeves, quickly filling the entire alley with smoke.
"This smell is... ether?"
"They're here to capture me!"
"Are they Cloud Sovereign's people? Or..."
"Ether is already a potent sleeping agent, but it's only considered ordinary. For my physique, it's not quite enough."
While the medicinal mist wasn't too dense, Zhang Wei took a deep breath, lay on the ground, and feigned death.
The men in black were extremely confident in their anesthetic, and without even checking, they bound Zhang Wei and took him away.
Weaving through the alleys, Zhang Wei was brought to a residence.
By now, Zhang Wei was completely wrapped in finely crafted chains, each step producing a loud clanking sound.
Distant conversations could be heard.
"1125 liters of anesthetic used, 24 operatives deployed... A total of 8800 Berries!"
"Here."
"The boss is generous. Remember to contact us if there are more jobs like this. Loyal customers get discounts."
"Scram."
"Alright, got it!"
The more Zhang Wei listened, the more familiar the voice became.
He felt like he had seen them somewhere before.
A short figure approached.
"You are... Qian Xue, who competed against me?"
At this moment, Qian Xue had lost all her former beauty. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her hair was disheveled.
"Hey, where's your junior brother Xiao Quan? Didn't he come with you?"
"You... you knew the organization's secret after all!"
"There's an organization? You two aren't alone?"
Qian Xue was momentarily speechless.
Then, in a fit of madness, she exclaimed, "Stop the nonsense! The point is, you know, and the Black List will not let you go!"
"What's the Black List?"
Qian Xue: ...
Seeing Qian Xue's increasingly distorted expression, Zhang Wei said sternly, "I'm truly not interested in your affairs. Stop revealing more details to me!"
"Hoo~"
Qian Xue seemed to have thought of something. She first took a deep breath to calm herself, then a cruel smile spread across her face.
"I ate your Misu Hong Bing."
"Mm."
"It was indeed as the judge said, it had a thousand flavors!"
"Mm."
"I racked my brains, recalling all the methods my master taught me, but none could achieve this taste."
"Mm."
"So, how exactly did you do it!"
Qian Xue uttered each word slowly, her crimson eyes glaring fixedly at Zhang Wei, like a beast ready to devour him!
"That, well..."
Just as Qian Xue was concentrating, Zhang Wei softly uttered two words: "Secret!"
"I'll kill you!"
It was obvious that the little girl before him had a very low sanity limit. She was usually willful and couldn't stand such provocation.
"Rainbow Fruit."
"What?"
Zhang Wei said, word by word: "Rain~bow~Fruit!!"