The celebration banquet was held on a school ground inside the palace. When we arrived, it was already dark.
The surrounding walls were decorated with lanterns and colorful lanterns, and numerous elevated structures were erected in the school grounds, covered with lanterns, which echoed the stone lanterns on the ground and illuminated the entire school grounds brightly.
The dining tables are arranged in an orderly manner in the school grounds, and there are candlesticks on the dining tables. They are really antique.
The campus is very spacious and can probably accommodate thousands of tables. I did a rough count and found that there are about 500 tables in the venue.
Each table can seat up to three people. Fuyi said that tonight it is a table for two. She has invited all my team members to come to the banquet, which makes me very happy.
Previously, Fu Yi went to "Liu Bo Building" and pulled everyone over, including Fu Ruo and Xi Muchiao. Fu Ruo seemed to be very dissatisfied with Fu Yi, so she reluctantly agreed because of my face.
We still have to find out the root cause of this matter and find a way to reconcile them.
Lou Huan and Zhou Guangquan told me that Fuyi learned that we were ambushed by bandits, so the ceremony asked them and the team members to rest. However, the rewards had already been sent to them, and they and the two hundred brothers could not receive them. The rare treasures of Shaohuan Mountain, and each person has more than one.
Lou Huan also took out a pair of beautifully crafted jade unicorns to show off to me...
This girl Fuyi is quite thoughtful. It seems that the Huanshanyan tribe is indeed a big family. The table made of pure gold in the secret room is just childish.
By the way, if these items obtained by the team members can be taken outside when they return, will they be considered antiques...
However, with my 50,000 taels, those of us will be able to cover our future expenses in the Six Regions, and by the way, we will pay back what we borrowed from the "chef".
Fuyi arranged for everyone who lived in "Liu Bo Building" to sit at the tables closest to her.
I sat at the first table to Fuyi's left, and Mu Xuwei and the fairies who came with her sat opposite me, at the first table to Fuyi's right.
Surrounding me are Lou Huan, Zhou Guangquan, Yaoer, Shuang Bumeng, Furuo and Xi Muchiao.
I originally wanted Yu Xu and Xiao Yan to sit at the same table with me, but they said to me, "Hug me from left to right? What a beautiful idea!" So they sat far away from me.
Sigh~ When did I ever think about this? I just want to be closer to them...
I had no choice but to drag the "chef" over to accompany me.
The elders and others entered one after another, and all my team members were in place.
Fuyi waved her sleeves to her followers: "Serve!"
The maids immediately became busy.
Soon, the wine and food were served, and Fu Yi and several elders presided over it. First, they paid homage to the Emperor, Queen Tu, and then to the ancestors of the Yan Clan. Then all the Yan Clan present drank several glasses of wine with us.
This celebration banquet is a formal occasion, and the drinking is not as casual as last time. When toasting, you can only stand at your table, raise your glass and call someone's name.
This made me a little uncomfortable, so I drank less wine than tea.
Damn it~ If I had known I shouldn't have drank so much tea in the morning, now I'm almost drunk from drinking tea!
Lao Yi, Lao An, and Yan Zikuan were sitting far away, and they took turns toasting to me. There were so many people here that I didn’t even hear what they were saying, so I saw the three of them taking turns raising their glasses, shouting and gesticulating at me. Communication basically relies on hands, and responding basically relies on shouting.
On this occasion, I think it would be easier to give each person a mobile phone and dial the number: "Hey~ Brother, are you full?" "It's already full, come on!~" This would be more troublesome.
The "chef" seemed to have something on his mind. We didn't talk much during the banquet. Yu Xu and Xiao Yan sat too far away and couldn't communicate with them. However, Xi Muxiao, who was sitting at the back table, told me a lot about him. .
However, the venue was so noisy that I didn’t even hear everything...
The most popular ones tonight must be Mu Xunwei and her fairies. Everyone, both men and women, seemed to want to get to know them. At the banquet, their tables attracted much attention.
Overall, the celebration banquet was a success. It was great to see the fatigue wiped away from the faces of the team members and everyone from the Rock Tribe mingling with Fuyi.
As the night progressed, the banquet ended and everyone dispersed.
Fuyi seemed to be too drunk, so she was sent back to bed by the palace maids.
One night, I drank too much tea and didn't eat much.
When I returned to "Liu Bolou", my stomach began to growl and I lost all sleep.
I simply got up and walked to the hall. I wanted to find some snacks or something to satisfy my hunger, but I found nothing.
I was wondering, at such a formal banquet, with so many delicious foods, I was not full...I don’t know what I was thinking at the time.
"Alas..." A sigh came from outside the door.
I pushed the door open gently.
I saw the "chef" sitting on the guardrail not far away, looking at the lake in a daze.
I walked over slowly and coughed lightly next to him.
"You didn't sleep?" He turned around.
"Aren't you asleep too?" I laughed.
"Chef" looked back at the lake and said nothing.
"Are you worried?" I tried to ask.
"Do you want to drink?" He did not answer directly.
"What?" I didn't understand.
"Chef" hurled a large object at me.
I put my palms together, took it in my hand, and looked at it carefully: "Wine! I'll go, it's such a big altar!~"
He reached down and touched it, then raised another jar and started drinking by himself.
I jumped on the guardrail, opened the altar, had a sip with him, and then sat quietly next to him.
After a period of silence, "Chef" spoke first: "You are very good to me."
When I suddenly heard his words, I didn't know how to respond.
After thinking for a while, I said: "Haha, what...you don't treat me the same way."
"You trust me?" "Chef" didn't care, lit a cigarette and took a deep breath.
"Of course." I took a sip.
He turned to look at me: "Aren't you afraid that I am taking advantage of you?"
"Just use it, what's the big deal." I blurted out.
In my mind, "Chef" is my dead brother. I don't believe he would do such a thing.
He obviously didn't expect that I would say that, a strange look flashed across his face, and he hesitated for a few seconds: "You are really just being impulsive and emotional..."
I said nothing.
"Want to hear a story?" "Chef" put out his cigarette butt, lifted the wine jar and took a sip.
"Your story? That's for sure, you must hear it! My favorite..." I immediately became excited, turned my head, and saw the sad eyes of "chef", I quickly suppressed the second half of the sentence.
I don’t really like to gossip, I just like to meddle in other people’s business... Because of this, I suffered a lot when I was a child.
"My father passed away not long after I was born. My mother was in poor health and worked even though she was sick, so life was very difficult. At that time, I just wanted to let my hard-working mother come home and eat hot meals. When I was five years old, I found the best local I knelt in front of his house all night, begging him to teach me how to cook. By the time I was six years old, I was already one of the local chefs."
"Every time the master chef helps people to have a banquet, he takes me with him, and I am responsible for many dishes. After the age of seven, he can operate independently. Many local people who are not very wealthy come to me to serve banquets, even though the income is not high. , but my life has improved, so I annoyed the master chef and broke off contact..." The "chef" picked up the wine jar and took a deep gulp.
I took a sip and sighed in my heart.
I didn’t expect “Chef” to be so talented at such a young age, he is such a serious prodigy!
"When I was nine years old, my mother was seriously ill and passed away with my father not long after. I was disheartened and left my hometown, wandering around aimlessly. Fortunately, I could help in the kitchen and not starve to death. Half a year later, I came to A small town at the foot of Daxiluo Mountain, stay there temporarily."
"One day, a middle-aged man came to me and said that he wanted to compete with me in cooking skills. If he loses, he will become his master. That man will be my real master..."
"In the first round, I was defeated to the point of shame. He took me to Xiluo Mountain and Baiquezhai."
"Master is an upright man with an open mind. He taught me all his skills."
"Master is like father, and brothers are like brothers. In this 'big family', I found my dream and my direction."
"'Bai Que Zhai' is my second home and the place where I feel happiest, but..." "Chef" began to choke.
I didn't interrupt him, I took a slight sip and waited quietly for him to talk.
"Chef" burst into tears, heart-wrenchingly recounting the past...
In Bai Que Zhai, he was quickly recognized by the whole family for his talent.
Time passed, and the head was preparing to choose a successor, but a big problem was posed in front of him. The two most powerful and qualified people in Bai Que Zhai - "Chef" and his senior brother, both in martial arts and cooking skills. They are all equally good, and their moral character is equally excellent.
Both of them were very popular with the old master. Because of this, his hair turned gray with worry...
After much consideration, the old master decided to take out two bags of the sect's treasure, the "Thousand Points of Spices", and divide them between the two of them to determine their cooking skills, and the winner would succeed him as the master.
This thing uses thousands of kinds of plants and is secretly made by a method inherited by Bai Quezhai for hundreds of years. The craftsmanship is extremely complicated. Each production takes a long time and takes more than ten years to complete. The taste is extremely weird. However, as long as you understand Once you understand the secret, all dishes will become heavenly dishes.
Several years later, the two brothers still failed to understand the mystery until the arrival of two women...
One day, the senior brother went down the mountain to purchase ingredients. On his way back, he rescued two women covered in blood in the Daxiluo Primeval Forest. One of the two women was a married woman and the other was a young adult. Head girl.
After the two women woke up, they refused to reveal their origins and did not want to leave. They hoped to stay in Baiquezhai to wash and cook.
The master had Bodhi in mind and took them in without asking any questions. He felt that the young woman had extraordinary talent, so he accepted her as a closed disciple.
The woman was really good at it. She could immediately learn anything her master taught her, whether it was martial arts or cooking.
She can also make new creative uses in a short period of time, and it can be said that she never forgets anything in her life.
She is playful and likes to pester the "chef" and senior brothers to ask questions. Her modesty, liveliness, personality, and unparalleled talent deeply impressed these two senior brothers, who never let women go. The senior brother in his eyes regarded her as a pearl.
The "chef" and the senior brother coincidentally approached the old master, hoping to return the "Thousand Points of Spice" so that the old master could reconsider the candidate for succession, and both of them recommended the junior sister.
The old master was furious and ordered the two of them to use "thousand points of spices" to make enough delicacies for the entire Bai Quezhai banquet within a month, and let all the brothers judge and decide the winner. If there is no one left, If they win, the two of them will be expelled from the division.
Afterwards, the "chef" was very distressed and privately discussed with his senior brother. He wanted to lose the game and let his senior brother win, so that the two of them would not be expelled.
The senior brother firmly disagreed. He believed that this would be discovered by the master and it would be out of control. The most important thing was that the two of them didn't even know how to use "Thousand Points of Spice".
That night, the "chef" was so distraught that he walked to the junior sister's residence. He accidentally discovered that the woman who came with the junior sister was actually a master of cooking, and her skill in cooking was far superior to that of the old master. .
It was obvious that she was deliberately hiding her strength in the meals she usually cooked.
When something went wrong, the "chef" immediately went in to ask for details.
As a last resort, the woman and the junior sister told the truth. They had been hunted by their enemies and had been running east to Tibet for several years. When they arrived here, they found that Baiquezhai was hidden in the mountains and was inaccessible, so they decided to hide from their enemies here.
The woman said that she could help the "chef" figure out how to use "Thousand Points of Spice", but she asked the "chef" to keep their affairs secret.
The "chef" had a fierce inner struggle, but in the end, he was impressed by the cute little junior sister and agreed.
Sure enough, after the woman tried several times, she had figured out the secret of spices. Under her guidance, the "chef" quickly mastered the essence. With the suggestions put forward by the younger sister, the "chef"'s cooking skills skyrocketed. .
Hearing this, I was dumbfounded. Brother, the genius child "chef", could not figure out something after several years of trying? !
It’s true that there are mountains outside the mountains, and there are people outside the mountains!
"Chef" originally wanted to tell his senior brother about this technique, but he was afraid of exposing the matter, so he had to give up.
During this time, the junior sister came to see the "chef" when she had time, and often told him her thoughts. The "chef's" cooking skills were improving rapidly, reaching the sky!
Despite the large age gap, the "chef" found that he was unknowingly attracted to this smart little junior sister.
What's terrible is that one day before the finals, "Chef" heard his senior brother confessing his love to his junior sister...
The friendship between brothers and sisters on the one hand, and the sweetheart on the other, he collapsed instantly, ran down the mountain, and got drunk in a tavern in the town for several days.
I thought to myself, "Chef" brother's choices after his collapse were almost the same as mine. Therefore, boys who have never been in love are the ones who love the most!
During the drunken days, "Chef" was extremely drunk. During this period, a young man invited him to drink. He drank that day and fell unconscious...
On the first day of the competition, "Chef" decided to end it. No matter he won or lost, he would leave Baiquezhai. He just wanted to give an explanation to his master, and then say goodbye to his senior brother and junior sister.
When he returned to the mountain, he learned that a group of unknown people had attacked Baiquezhai these days. The people who came did not answer. They seemed to be looking for something after entering. When they encountered obstacles, they immediately attacked. Fortunately, they were repelled and disappeared. Everyone is fine too.
"Chef" guessed what was going on. He found the woman and the junior sister. Seeing that they were fine, he didn't think much about it. He planned to find a safe place to send them out after the decisive battle.
The next day, when the competition started, "Chef" shocked the audience as soon as he started using it. Even the old chef felt inferior to him.
But, the nightmare began...
What the "chef" didn't know was that during the few days when he was drunk, the "Thousand Points of Spices" he carried with him had been tampered with. Everyone who had eaten the food was poisoned and turned into "soul-killers" and controlled by others. Killing each other, Baiquezhai, which had always been pure, suddenly became a purgatory on earth...
Only the "chef" and senior brother who were contestants, as well as the woman and junior sister who were not present escaped.
The "chef" and his senior brother could no longer stop the "Soul Slayers" from fighting, so they could only try their best to find the junior sister and the woman and escort them away.
Just when they were about to escape, a group of mysterious people appeared and blocked their way. The leader covered his face, but he was still recognized by the "chef". This person was the person who invited him to drink the day before yesterday. .
The "chef" felt remorseful and fought his way out explosively. He asked the senior brother to take the woman and junior sister to go first, while he stayed behind to hold off the mysterious man. In the end, he fought until he lost consciousness.
When he woke up, he was rescued by the arriving militiamen, but Bai Quezhai became the biggest unsolved case of the year.
After fully waking up, "Chef" remembered an item he had torn off from the leader during the fight. He turned it over and saw that it was a waist badge with "Lan Zhao Men" engraved on the front and scratches on the back. Visually, it was three pieces. A word, and I can only vaguely make out the word "风" at the top...
After the injury healed, he began to inquire about the senior brothers, but there was no news.
"Chef" vowed to do only two things for the rest of his life. One, track down the Lanzhao Clan and the murderer; two, find the senior brother, junior sister and wife.
Deep in his heart, he believed that he was the culprit who caused Bai Quezhai to be exterminated, and he never mentioned his name again, until now, or in the future, forever, forever.
He said that the man died, his name had disappeared from the world, and what survived was just a redeemed soul.
Since then, the "chef" has traveled around the country, looking for information.
Several years later, I finally found a clue about my senior brother near country A.
Although he went there immediately, when he arrived, he only found a letter and Xiao Ruan, the orphan of his senior brother and junior sister who had been left in the orphanage.
After listening to "Chef"'s narration, I froze in place.
I felt his grief from the depths of his soul... An almost certain guess came into my mind...
"With your insight, you should have noticed something unusual when we first met...Thank you for not asking." "Chef" smiled bitterly.
"Yes... Lu Nan said... I noticed that Xiao Ruan looked like her sister... Later I saw it in Guiyou's fantasy world... ..It does look a lot like..." I slowly lowered my head.
I took a deep breath and asked slowly: "...that woman..."
"Yes...she is very similar to you..." "Chef" gently closed his eyes.
"Buzz--" My mind went blank.
