Yunshang Zhenjun's face turned cold.
"Your excellency is truly shrewd. Based on these few vegetables, I wonder what else you can deduce?"
"Just rambling. After all, the Great Gourmet Era is full of bizarre and unconventional things."
The atmosphere between them became tense.
Zhang Wei leisurely sipped his tea, not in a hurry.
After a while...
Yunshang Zhenjun broke the silence first: "My Yun Kingdom is full of wonders, and you will never regret it! Are you really not reconsidering, your excellency?"
"Don't I need some time to consider?"
"It's alright if you don't agree. I hope you won't leak our conversation today, as it would cause trouble for both of us."
"Given that you treated me to vegetables, I agree."
"Show him out!"
"Won't you let me see the cloud scenery a bit longer? Hey, that's really not nice."
...
...
Black List - Mòchéng Outpost
"Master Lou Ming, Miss Qianxue still hasn't returned."
"The attendants ahead said that after losing the competition, the young lady was extremely distraught, and they couldn't keep up with her..."
"There are no reports from within the city either, so she should not have gone to crowded places."
Lou Ming narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Those who knew him well understood that this expression of Lou Ming was not a good omen.
His composure was at its limit, and he needed a fake smile to conceal his anger!
"Xiao Quan."
"Your disciple is here."
"Tell me, why do the three of you always make me worry? You're like this, and the third one is also like this. Is there not a single normal person among you?"
"We are too foolish."
"Your weakness is not in intelligence, but in your utter immaturity. Your every action is like that of a child, and I feel like I'm running a kindergarten."
According to reports from the attendants ahead:
1. The competing teams were...
2. Miss Qianxue had multiple conversations with representatives of the 'Wine and Beauty' team before and after the competition.
3. Miss Qianxue's dish was Rainbow Mousse, using glutinous rice, purple rice, mung beans, kidney beans, red beans...
4. 'Wine and Beauty's' dish was Mì Sū Hóng Bǐng, with ingredients including glutinous rice, purple rice, mung beans, kidney beans...
5. 'Wine and Beauty' was judged first, and the judges praised the Mì Sū Hóng Bǐng for having a thousand flavors!
6. Miss Qianxue's dish was criticized as garbage...
...
"A thousand flavors."
"Heh heh..."
Lou Ming threw the intelligence report to the ground and turned to leave the secret room.
...
...
The carriage of Shuǐyún Tiān was extremely luxurious, constructed entirely of white marble and feathers. The four beasts pulling it were Level 11 White Feather Sky Horses. Only with such beasts could one ascend to the Shuǐyún Tiān villa built on the mountain.
The sheer grandeur of this vehicle alone outshone countless other restaurants.
It was indeed incredibly imposing.
Zhang Wei alighted from the carriage and couldn't help but smack his lips, "Never mind if it's fast or not, it's definitely comfortable and smooth. And incredibly ostentatious!"
"I'll get one when I have the chance!"
Seeing that the sky was getting dark, Zhang Wei walked back to 'Wine and Beauty' directly.
The temporary headquarters of the Century Collection Association was also there, which was convenient for Zhang Wei.
"I wonder how Mo Du's acquisition plan is progressing."
As Zhang Wei walked, he recalled past events.
This would help him remember any missed details. As he walked through a deserted alley, a chill ran down his neck.
"This feeling... is it a killing intent? Or malice from the shadows?"
Zhang Wei didn't believe in his sixth sense until his Gourmet Cells upgraded and awakened this ability.
He looked around expectantly.
Honestly, having lived for so long across three lifetimes, he had never encountered bandits before.
This was the first time!
It was quite novel!
Especially after learning martial arts techniques, his anticipation grew even stronger. After all, hadn't every athlete dreamed of acting heroically?
Fulfilling Zhang Wei's expectations, a group of people in black suddenly emerged from the front and back of the alley. Their movements were swift and coordinated, clearly having undergone professional training.
They wore sleek combat attire, iron crow-style masks, and had bulging belts on their backs. They looked like standard villains.
"This styling... could it be..."
The group in black extended their arms, and thick white gas spewed out from their sleeves, quickly engulfing the entire alley in smoke.
"This smell is... ether?"
"They've come for me!"
"Are they Yunshang Zhenjun's people? Or..."
"Ether is a potent anesthetic, but it only falls into the ordinary category. For my physique, it's not quite enough."
Taking advantage of the thinness of the gas, Zhang Wei took a deep breath and lay on the ground, feigning death.
The group in black was extremely confident in their drug. Without even checking, they tied Zhang Wei up and took him away.
Weaving through the alleys, Zhang Wei was brought to a residence.
By now, Zhang Wei was bound with finely cast chains, each step producing a loud clatter.
Distant conversations could be heard.
"Used 1125 liters of anesthetic, 24 people deployed... A total of 8800 Bayley!"
"Here you go."
"The boss is generous. Remember to contact us if there are more jobs like this. Old customers get rebates."
"Scram."
"Yes, alright!"
The more Zhang Wei listened, the more familiar the voice became.
He felt like he had heard it somewhere before.
A short figure approached.
"You are... Qianxue, who competed with me?"
Qianxue at this moment had lost all her former beauty. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her hair was disheveled.
"Eh, where's your fellow disciple Xiao Quan? Didn't he come with you?"
"You... you actually know the organization's secret!"
"There's an organization? You're not just two people?"
Qianxue was momentarily speechless.
Then she blurted out in frustration, "Stop the nonsense! The point is, you know, the Black List will not let you go!"
"What is the Black List?"
Qianxue: ...
Watching Qianxue's expression contort, Zhang Wei said sternly, "I'm really not interested in your affairs. Stop revealing more details to me!"
"Hoo~"
Qianxue seemed to have thought of something. She first took a deep breath to calm herself, then revealed a cruel smile.
"I ate your Mì Sū Hóng Bǐng."
"Mmm."
"Indeed, as the judges said, it had a thousand flavors!"
"Mmm."
"I racked my brains to recall all the methods my master taught me, but none could achieve this taste."
"Mmm."
"So, how exactly did you do it!"
Qianxue spoke word by word, her crimson eyes staring intently at Zhang Wei, like a monster about to devour him!
"This is..."
Just as Qianxue was fully focused, Zhang Wei softly uttered two words: "A secret!"
"I'll kill you!"
It was obvious that the little girl before him had a very low "sanity" limit, and was usually willful, unable to accept such teasing.
"Rainbow Fruit."
"What?"
Zhang Wei said, word by word: "Rain~bow~Fruit!!"