Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 190 Koyama Seizo's Wakizashi, the Battle Dance of a Primitive Tribe (3K Second Update)
New Zealand Blue

An island nation in the South Pacific Ocean, located southeast of Australia, about 1,200 miles away.

This time, the official competition will begin in the primitive tribes around Lake Rotoru. At that time, 15 selected contestants and 35 specially invited contestants will receive the warmest hospitality from the local "Mao Li" tribe.

The Maoli people are the original inhabitants of this area and a representative symbol of the local food culture.

Traditional cuisine features meats such as crayfish, eel, wild boar, and shellfish.

The vegetables include sweet potatoes, bracken, endive, and various tender shoots.
The seasonings tend to be herbal, mainly consisting of local pepper leaves, kava kava (the leaves of a shrub that taste like ginger with mint juice), and New Zealand flax.

Among the recipes, "Chestnut Stew" is the most common dish.

It mainly uses pork, potatoes, and various other ingredients cooked together, but it's different from the "mixed stew" popular in China.

They directly excavate earthen pits and use a "simmering method" for cooking, making the process more natural.

"Mao Li Tribe Primitive Village"

A strange, melodious horn sounded.

The host's announcement rang out in the live broadcast room.

"Next, please welcome our contestant number 24, Xia Ming from China!"

"Viewers in China are certainly familiar with him, as he recently won the 'New Chef Competition'."

"To our viewers in other countries, the 'New Chef Competition' in China represents the highest level of competition among young chefs."

"Xia Ming easily won the championship single-handedly, making him arguably the 'Number One New Chef in China.'"

"Tan Zhifeng praised him highly, believing him to be the most promising player in China after him."

"."

Backstage, Xia Ming listened to the host's announcements and blinked.

Although he had heard of Tan Zhifeng's reputation overseas before, he did not expect that his reputation was really this great.

When the other contestants were chatting, regardless of whether they were of Chinese descent or not, they all showed an expression of approval when they heard Tan Zhifeng's name.

It's hard to imagine that Tan Zhifeng is only a "Level 7" chef in the country.

It can only be said that her agent's handling of her image and commercial development has reached an astonishing level.

Qiao Ruoning, who was secretly checking netizens' comments on her phone, also smiled.

"Xia Ming, do you know what? When the host was introducing you, almost all the comments were from Chinese netizens."

"Once Tan Zhifeng got certified, IPs from other countries started popping up."

Xia Ming glanced at the screen and realized that what Qiao Ruoning said was indeed quite similar.

Just as he was about to speak, a staff member reminded them that it was time to go on stage.

Seeing this, Xia Ming glanced at Qiao Ruoning, and then the two walked outside together.

Just around the corner, the first thing you see is a flat area surrounded by a wooden fence, with 50 double tables set up around it by the production crew.

In the middle stood a dozen or so local residents.

Xia Ming glanced at the middle and saw that the residents were both men and women. The men were shirtless, wearing animal skins on their backs, and had obvious tribal characteristics.

The girls were dressed more formally, with large robes that covered most of their figures.

Just as Xia Ming was searching, he saw four men walk out from the crowd, stand side by side in the middle, and then start dancing in front of Xia Ming, holding something that looked like a slipper.

Seeing them sticking out their tongues and making strange noises, Xia Ming was about to raise an eyebrow when he heard Qiao Ruoning speak up from the side.

"Xia Ming, this is a unique ritual of the 'Chestnut People'."

"When a person who has never set foot in a tribe arrives with an unknown purpose, the locals will offer them gifts before they know their intentions."

"See the fern leaf he's holding in his right hand? He'll put it on the ground in a bit, then you go over and pick it up, and then you'll be under their gaze."

"If you gain their approval under their gaze, the woman next to you will sing a song to welcome you."

Xia Ming raised an eyebrow and then glanced at Qiao Ruoning.

"What if I hadn't picked it up?"

“I advise you not to do this. This place is different from back home. The martial spirit is strong here. If you don’t pick up the leaves, you will be considered provocative. Then you will be surrounded and attacked by four big men.”

Xia Ming glanced at the burly man a few times, then looked at the two-person table next to him and curled his lips into a smile.

"What if I don't gain their approval?"

Qiao Ruoning paused.

"You should have noticed that some of the two wooden tables over there are only one person sitting in them."

"This doesn't mean they weren't accompanied by agents, but rather that they failed the test of gaze, so they had to enter by themselves carrying fern leaves."

"And I'll end up like those guys over there, watching you eat the whole thing, and not even getting a single leftover."

Hearing the hint of panic beneath Qiao Ruoning's calm tone, Xia Ming didn't reply, but simply smiled and walked forward.

Seeing his action, "Kare Monn," who was already seated, looked on with amusement.

"Oh, this Chinese kid has some guts, but I wonder if he can withstand their gazes."

His agent, Fu Na, blinked.

"He looks fair and clean-cut, so he probably doesn't come to places like jungles often. I doubt he can handle the locals' hospitality."

Sitting at the next table, "McDycombe" touched his abs, which had returned to their six-pack, and then smiled and said, "No, don't underestimate that young man named Xia Ming."

"I've watched his cooking competitions; he's a contestant who's reserved yet flamboyant."

"Although he looks clean and fair-skinned, he almost completely crushed his opponents in the competition. It's not a lie that the host said he was favored by Tan Zhifeng."

Upon hearing Maddie Coleman's words, Carlyle first glanced at him and his wife, and then looked at Xia Ming again.

Just as he was about to speak, he heard a strange laugh from behind him.

"If you ask me, you guys are way too out of touch. Tan Zhifeng isn't as strong as you think. In China, he's not even in the top tier."

"Being valued by him is not a big deal."

"Carlyle" turned around and saw that the voice came from "Roy Sam," a Level 6 chef from "Hawaii Island," who was eccentric and arrogant.

Although he hasn't won many cooking competitions, his skillful management has made his food business a great success.

Because he was partly a businessman, he looked down on Tan Zhifeng.

It is believed that Tan Zhifeng simply encountered a better trader.

Just as "Carlyle" was about to retort, "Roy Sam" suddenly felt a kick to the chair behind him.

Staggering, he fell directly onto the surrounding decaying leaves.

"Who, who did it!"

Roy turned around angrily, only to see Koyama Seizo, dressed in samurai attire, staring intently at him with a pair of gloomy eyes.

Roy disliked Koyama Seizo's gaze, so he started cursing.

"Shit, you bastard!"

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a white light appear in front of him, and then a wakizashi was aimed directly at his nose.

"I hope you understand your place and don't think that just because you've made some money you can say whatever you want."

“Tan Zhifeng, you are not a coward who can’t even pass the eye test, so you have no right to comment.”

Upon seeing the short blade used for close combat on the "Sunrise Island" in front of him, a hint of fear flashed in Roy's eyes. He instinctively wanted to ask the production crew for help, but found that the staff around him did not respond.

That's right, this multinationally funded variety show allows for friction between chefs.

As long as Koyama Seizo doesn't insert this "wakizashi" into Roy's body, then their fight isn't considered a private duel, but rather trash talk.

As for the threat you mentioned...
There are so many threats all over the mountains and fields. If you can't even stand seeing a glimpse of a knife, you might as well quit the show as soon as possible.

Otherwise, why would Tan Zhifeng be worried about Xia Ming?

Just then, Xia Ming, who was walking on the road, was attracted by the sound next to him. He looked up and saw Koyama Seizo draw his "Wakizashi".

Compared to the other contestants' shock, he felt this was perfectly normal.
"This is what wilderness competition should be like! We can't just keep getting yelled at; we have to fight back!"

"Although, the person being criticized was Tan Zhifeng."

Xia Ming's English proficiency was not high enough to fully understand the conversation, but he could still understand the three Chinese characters "Tan Zhifeng".

Combined with Koyama Seizo's very distinctive clothing style, he could guess what had happened even with his little finger.

Just as he turned around, the chestnut man opposite him carefully placed the fern leaves on the ground. Xia Ming did not hesitate and walked over, then squatted down to pick them up.

The moment his hand touched the leaves, the chestnut-haired man opposite him suddenly leaned closer and stared intently at Xia Ming with his bloodshot eyes.

Xia Ming looked at the burly man with a ferocious face in front of him, but his heart was not stirred at all. He calmly met the man's gaze.

Seeing this, three burly men nearby also surrounded him, all revealing ferocious expressions, and then suddenly stared at Xia Ming.

The scene startled Qiao Ruoning, who was standing at the back, but Xia Ming in front of her remained silent.

It was as if their so-called bloodthirsty gaze was as ordinary as children playing house, rolling their eyes in a fit of pique after a minor argument.

Realizing their gazes were ineffective, the four burly men exchanged glances, then retrieved slipper-like weapons from their waists and began striking them while jumping.

This scene is just like a scene from a TV drama depicting witchcraft and shamanistic rituals.

Seeing the four burly men's actions, the women beside them suddenly spoke up, but instead of singing, they made a sharp sound like the mooing of a cow.

Its neatness and certain magic made Roy, who had just gotten up, feel a chill run down his spine.

Qiao Ruoning, standing behind him, was stunned.

She never expected that Xia Ming's nonchalant attitude would directly trigger the "battle bloodline" of the chestnut people.

At this moment, the man and woman are putting pressure on Xia Ming in the most ancient way, which should not have been part of the scope that the production team initially told her about.

More importantly, even from this distance, Qiao Ruoning could feel her body trembling slightly.

Although the action may seem harmless, the oppressive aura emanating from four tribal warriors who have truly seen blood is something a pampered city dweller could hardly withstand.

The viewers in the live stream room also became excited at this moment.

["IP Eagle": Wow, this kid triggered the Chestnut Man's Battle Dance. This is bad; his partner can't get in now.]

[IP Hua: What is Battle Dance? Why didn't the previous players use it?]

"IP Australia": The highest form of respect among the Maoli people, generally reserved for the most outstanding warriors, but not something an ordinary person can receive.

[“IP Gentleman”: Yes, I’ve had the misfortune of witnessing it once. People who aren’t mentally strong simply can’t endure it.]

Just as the live stream was discussing "Dance of Battle," the man in front of Xia Ming, seeing that Xia Ming still didn't show any reaction, raised his hand and held up the slipper-shaped blade.

Then, right in front of the camera, a fierce attack came straight at Xia Ming's face.
(End of this chapter)