There are many stories.
From adventures in the forest, battles in the land of clouds, frolicking in the human world, returning to the Gourmet Road, and everything that happened at the Mist Hideaway.
Tian Zui asked in confusion, "I don't understand. When did I provoke such a group of powerhouses, more than a dozen of them!"
Granny Tang took a sip of tea and said, "What's coming will come. Your bloodline still drew them to you."
"My bloodline..."
Thinking of this, a trace of anger flashed across Tian Zui's brow.
Tian Zui was half an orphan, living with his mother since childhood.
His mother got pregnant before marriage and suffered many scornful glances. However, that beast of a father had left behind considerable wealth and a manor, which is why Tian Zui's young life was free from worries.
Until one day, a group 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, Tian Zui still harbored a deep hatred for the beast of a father who abandoned his wife and child!
"Granny Qian, do you know that beast?"
Granny Qian said, "Your father is an extraordinary person. If he were to arrive, the entire Rivendell Forest would bow at his feet..."
Tian Zui was shocked!
In his mother's description, that beast was almost omnipotent!
But Tian Zui's mother was just an ordinary person. Even with a strength of level thirty, she could have such thoughts.
According to Tian Zui's assumption, that beast would have at most level sixty strength, otherwise, he wouldn't have appeared in that backward small town.
But...
"Could it be... he's from the Gourmet World?"
"Yes, and from a very strong and complex force. His philandering and infidelity angered many people. To them, you are an illegitimate child who is not allowed to exist."
No wonder!
When those people broke in, they had also uttered words like "bastard."
"Granny, please guide me. I must find that scoundrel and punch him hard!"
"Your current strength is still far from it!"
Granny Qian said, "However, after you drink this tea, they should not be able to find you. When you grow stronger, you can properly face them."
So, this tea had such an ability!
Tian Zui was extremely moved!
He knelt on the ground deeply!
"Alright, calm down. Your friends are here to pick you up."
Saying that, a thick fog appeared next to the mushroom cottage.
Zhang Wei and the others emerged from the camp toad. The moment Zhang Wei saw Granny Qian, he immediately switched to combat mode!
"Everyone, be careful!"
"This person is also a witch, with the same aura as Granny Tang!"
But Mr. Luo and Atlas let out gasps of surprise and ran towards her happily.
In front of the old woman, they called her "Granny, Granny."
"Zhang Wei, this is the witch who helped me recover my sense of taste!"
So that's how it is.
Zhang Wei quickly stepped forward and said respectfully, "I was rude earlier."
Granny Qian smiled kindly, "It's alright..."
Then, Granny Qian went to the camp toad and sighed, "How is Granny Tang?"
"She... died at my hands."
Zhang Wei thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth.
In front of this witch with strange abilities, lies were meaningless. Granny Qian's body swayed, and finally, a tear fell, "My sister... ultimately met someone she couldn't afford to offend."
Sister?
Holy cow!
He killed her sister right off the bat. How could he ask her for help now?
Granny Qian slowly narrated their story.
They were both forest fairies who, by chance, received a blessing and took on human forms.
They left the Gourmet Road and encountered many things in the human world. Granny Tang was not inherently bad, but her temper was a bit eccentric, and she eventually reaped what she sowed, returning with overwhelming negative emotions.
Granny Qian, on the other hand, was benevolent, kind, generous, and broad-minded, having experienced the warmth and sunshine of humanity.
Eventually, Granny Qian settled in the mushroom cottage, helping the intelligent creatures who had lost their way on the Gourmet Road. Granny Tang opened the Mist Hideaway and sealed intelligent creatures into obese 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 Tang. Can you turn them back?"
Granny Qian shook her head, "It's been too long, their minds are already lost. Even if they are turned back, they would be pigs in human skin... it's futile."
Hearing this, Chihiro's tears flowed uncontrollably.
When Zhang Wei decided to act, he had directly placed Chihiro in the right side chamber, so she was not harmed.
Granny Qian walked up to Chihiro and showed a kind smile, "Do you want to come with me? I will take care of you like my own granddaughter."
Chihiro looked at Zhang Wei, and Zhang Wei nodded.
Chihiro immediately hugged Granny Qian and cried uncontrollably.
"Alas..."
"So much misfortune in the world."
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?"
"That's right... You actually know where that is."
"Then... is there hope?"
Granny Qian said, "Yes, but... it requires a large amount of energy."
Granny Qian could borrow the power of the Rivendell Forest, but that would damage the vitality of the forest and even taint it with the impure aura of the Endless Purgatory.
It would be extremely harmful to the forest.
"Energy?"
"That's easy!"
Saying that, Zhang Wei directly took out a basket of apples, dozens of them in bronze and silver, all peeled and with the 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, "Just one is enough."
Zhang Wei handed over the basket.
"Take these. I'm sure there will be a time when you can use them."
Granny Qian shook her head, "No, without their peels, I have no way to preserve them."
Saying that, Granny Qian gave Zhang Wei a meaningful look.
...
The preparation for the ritual was very complicated. Besides the silver apples, Granny Qian also took all of Zhang Wei's hair and body hair to be used as a beacon for the connection.
Zhang Wei felt like he had gone bald, but also become stronger.
The potion cauldron... magic potion...
Strange ritual formations...
"Be ready, the time is only a moment!"
The thick mist opened wide!
Communing with the Underworld!
Zhang Wei held a vine with his blood all over it.
As the mist rolled open, an indescribable desolation emanated from the center of the mist!
Zhang Wei saw another world!
Barren!
Blinding yellow sand!
Darkness like night...
And in the center of the yellow sand, there was an egg-shaped shield of light!
"Quick!"
"Find the strand of soul you lost!"
The vine struck out!
It seemed to have bound something!
Instantly, a feeling of spiritual fusion came from the other end of the vine!
"It's my sense of smell and taste!"
"Chef King Mode!"
Zhang Wei roared, using all his might to pull the vine back at the last moment!
Two strands of soul circled in the air, then immediately burrowed into Zhang Wei's body!
!!!
The tastes! They're back!
Zhang Wei took a gentle sniff. There were thousands of flavors in the air!
This was Zhang Wei's original, almost unrivaled, top-tier perception ability!
Zhang Wei was so excited he could have wept tears. Only after losing them could he truly appreciate their importance!
"Zhang Wei, long time no see!"
The other end of the vine was grasped by a hand!
Shaka, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Land of Clouds, the Servant of God!
"You're... still alive. I'm very surprised."
Shaka floated up, emitting a terrifying aura of over level one hundred!
He looked down at Zhang Wei and said, "The suffering I've endured has made me stronger."
"During this time, I've experienced a lot in the Endless Purgatory. My heart is still uneasy about the Land of Clouds. Let's settle this karma now."
"Zhang Wei, feel my Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel once again!"
"This time I will completely extinguish your six senses, and let you sink into the endless void forever!"
Golden Buddha statue!
It was as if it had substance!
Compared to two months ago, Shaka was like a completely different person!
In an instant, Zhang Wei was completely suppressed!
"Stop!"
This familiar voice...
Shaka turned around and nodded slightly, "Lord Brott, I didn't expect you to be here too. I apologize for my oversight."
Bloodhound said, "Shaka, the war is over."
"It's over..."
"Yes, everything is over. There's no reason to continue fighting. Stop."
"Lord Brott, are you a Northerner now..."
The Bloodhound made his signature gesture: "Father of the Gods, I swear by my honor that everything I have, including my life, belongs 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 rising from the ground lifted him up.
"I will judge all of this. Zhang Wei, our conflict is not over."
Saying that, the petals closed, and he re-entered the journey.
Zhang Wei scratched his head. These bizarre ways of moving, let alone whether they were effective, they were truly imposing!
Shaka departed.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
They never expected Shaka to have gained over thirty levels in just two months. How did he achieve this!
"Hound, 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 they truly became mortal enemies with Zhang Wei...
Moreover, after understanding things over the past few days, Zhang Wei and Tian Zui and the others were definitely not simple. With the recently returned Shaka, it might not be possible to achieve a complete victory!
Zhang Wei savored the wonderful experience brought by his sense of taste and smell. The cells in his body were restless, signaling extreme hunger!
Zhang Wei bowed deeply, "Thank you for your help, Granny Qian. If there's ever a time I can be of use, I will do my utmost."
"Also, please accept these. Consider them small gifts for Chihiro."
Saying that, Zhang Wei summoned a large quantity of ingredients from his treasury.
This time, Granny Qian did not refuse. She waved her hand and a gust of wind blew all the ingredients into the potion cauldron...
"Granny, what is this?"
"It's cooking, of course."
Everyone was stunned!
"Granny! You can cook too?"
Granny Qian snorted, "The cooking skills I possess are beyond the comprehension of ordinary chefs like you!"
The subsequent events further surpassed Zhang Wei's understanding!
Ingredients of different types and conflicting natures were arranged in an orderly fashion in the potion cauldron. The vegetables became crisper as they cooked, and the meat became more tender.
The broth was clear, but it did not affect the fusion of flavors!
This coexistence of techniques was something Zhang Wei had never heard of!
This was the first time in his long journey that Zhang Wei had witnessed a cooking method he could not comprehend!
"Granny..."
Granny Qian smiled slightly and took Zhang Wei and Mr. Luo by the hand, "This art originated from humans and is now likely lost. I will return this art to humanity!"
"You two must watch carefully. This is my improved Magic Potion Stewing Technique!"
Magic Potion Stewing!
A marvelous method of processing using supernatural power, similar in essence to Zhang Wei's Gourmet Technique, but Gourmet Technique was merely a crude trick, while Magic Potion Stewing was a complex and high-level true art!
It could be said that this was a clash 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 high-level techniques?
"Come, taste my cooking. How does it compare to the Mist Hideaway?"
Saying that.
Granny Qian served portions from the pot...
Cabbage rolls?
Inside the cabbage leaves, there was steamed rice with sauce, fried egg, and shredded braised meat!
These cabbage rolls were actually stewed?
This technique was truly divine!
"Please taste, the gift of 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 middle of the roll was mixed with a dark sauce, and even crab roe sauce flowed out!
Fragrant!
It was like biting into the entire forest, the natural essence perfectly combined with the vegetables and meat.
The crab roe sauce had the perfect level of saltiness, the shredded meat was tender yet retained its texture, and occasionally, one could chew on large shrimp pieces in the rice!
Another bite! Fish!
No!
It was rice with a fish flavor! The technique borrowed from fish-flavored shredded pork, a marvelous technique with fish aroma but no fish!
"This rice is made from fish scraps, mixed with a dripping of gelatinous substance, and then dried with fiber, which gives it the texture of rice!"
"And this crab roe sauce is a perfect match for this fish-flavored rice. The green cabbage leaves have a slight bitterness, which perfectly preserves the crisp flavor without being overshadowed by the fish-flavored rice..."
"It's been so long since I've eaten such perfect cuisine!"
"Granny, you are simply a genius!"
Zhang Wei's cells became extremely active!
A feeling of breaking through a barrier made Zhang Wei shout uncontrollably!
"This... is too delicious!"
For the first time in a long time, Zhang Wei successfully achieved a promotion through cuisine not his own.
Zhang Wei said eagerly, "Granny, I have no way to repay your kindness in teaching and enlightening me!"
Granny Qian was surprised, "But I haven't taught you anything yet?"
"No, Granny, you have already taught me more than enough. If I can't think of it, it would be my student's dullness!"
Zhang Wei was incredibly dedicated to cooking.
In Zhang Wei's eyes, besides ingredients, nothing was more important than cooking.
And Granny Qian operated completely openly in front of them, allowing Zhang Wei to absorb a flood of insights!
Granny Qian smiled, "Youngsters, don't be impatient. You still have much to learn."