Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

"Last time is last time, this time we'll definitely get a good ranking!!"

Situ Liang couldn't stand it anymore. He was always proud and was usually surrounded by praise. He had never been looked down upon like this before.

He was so angry that his face turned red, and he wanted nothing more than to go up and fight that servant.

Guo Tiancheng quickly tugged at Situ Liang and said in a humble voice to the servant, "My apprentice is young and impetuous, and doesn't know any better. Please don't be angry."

"Are you taking us to get our own kitchens? We're all ready."

He's older and much more rational; now's not the time to act impulsively. The competition is the most important thing.

Although there are many stoves in the competition venue, they all look the same, but there are always good ones and bad ones.

Moreover, if the stove assigned to a contestant is close to the judges' table, the contestant will not only leave an impression on the judges, but their dish will also be tasted and commented on more quickly.

Most foods taste best when they're fresh out of the pot.

Moreover, the judges become less patient as the competition progresses, and the contestants' chances of advancing decrease.

After all, there are only one hundred spots available for advancement, and each advancement means one less spot available, putting the players at the back of the rankings at a significant disadvantage.

The servant chuckled contemptuously, becoming even more smug: "Come with me."

Shen Qing remained silent; there was no need for her to waste words on such a petty person.

He took a step forward and followed her to the stove.

"Wait, you're here to participate in the competition too??" The servant suddenly stopped. "Aren't you their family member?"

Shen Qing replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I'm here to participate in the food competition."

"A woman..." The servant narrowed his eyes, looked Shen Qing up and down, and his contempt grew even stronger.

Turning to Guo Tiancheng, he said, "Is there no one else in Ping'an County? You actually sent a woman to participate in the competition??"

"No, Madam Shen is incredibly talented. What's wrong with Ping'an County sending her to participate in the competition?"

Situ Liang couldn't hold back any longer. Ever since what happened at the inn yesterday, Shen Qing had become a god in the culinary world in his heart.

In modern terms, he had become Shen Qing's most devoted fan, unable to bear anyone saying anything bad about her.

The servant laughed heartily: "Nothing much, nothing much, it seems Ping'an County really has no one left..."

"You—" Situ Liang was about to rush upwards.

Guo Tiancheng quickly stopped him, about to say something kind, when Shen Qing spoke up:

"Does Master Jin have no one else to rely on? He sent you here to assign cooking stations to the contestants."

Her words were spoken in a calm tone, yet they carried a powerful message, implying that the servant was disgracing Master Jin.

Given the enormous scale of the food competition and the fact that Mr. Jin is a respected and dignified person, he certainly wouldn't tolerate anyone embarrassing him in such a setting.

puff-

A laugh came from the side. Shen Qing turned his head and saw a woman in red, who seemed to be a contestant as well.

The woman raised her hand and gave Shen Qing a thumbs up.

Shen Qing smiled and nodded as a greeting.

At this moment, the servant's face was flushed red, and he was too choked to speak.

He snorted coldly and walked straight ahead.

Guo Tiancheng hurriedly pulled Situ Liang to follow, his heart pounding and his mind racing.

He already had a bad feeling.

Shen Qing remained extremely calm, following at the very back at a leisurely pace.

Sure enough, the servant led the three of them to the very back.

"This is your stove, and this is yours."

"As for you, the last one." The servant pointed at Shen Qing and gave him the last stove.

At this moment, the smug look in his eyes returned, and the frustration and discomfort he had felt earlier had completely disappeared.

This was the servant's maximum act of retaliation within his authority.

The last three stoves were poorly positioned, being downwind, making it difficult to control the heat.

These three people are definitely doomed.

Ping'an County, just wait for the first round of visits!

The servant left smugly.

Guo Tiancheng's face was already full of bitterness, disappointment and distress.

"What should we do? These last three stoves are really putting us at a disadvantage. Sigh, are we really going to have to stop here?" Guo Tiancheng said with a mournful face, already beginning to imagine the consequences of failure.

Sigh, the next food competition is ten years from now. Will he still be able to participate in ten years?

"Master, why are you saying such discouraging things at the very beginning? So what if we're in a bad position? We have the strength!" Situ Liang was eager to try. It was his first time participating in such a competition, and being young and ambitious, he wasn't discouraged at all.

Shen Qing also said, "That's right, the location of the stove doesn't determine anything; the taste is what matters most."

With enough effort, even the most difficult conditions can be transformed into something extraordinary.

Guo Tiancheng sighed. Since things had come to this, he had no choice but to use all his strength.

Since he was already there, he might as well make the best of it. As long as he had done his best, he had nothing to regret.

Guo Tiancheng quickly adjusted his mindset and began to think about the dishes he would make for today's competition.

Shen Qing also arrived at his own stove and carefully inspected it. There was nothing wrong with the ingredients, just like on the other stoves. The knives and other utensils were ordinary, but sufficient.

[Ding—Congratulations, host, you have successfully arrived at the Food Competition venue!]

[Current Task: Pass the first stage of the preliminary selection and advance to the top 100]

[System Assistance: The host can obtain the ingredients needed through the system]

[Note: Ingredients obtained from the system must not be discovered by others, otherwise the ancients may treat you as a demoness.]

The familiar system voice sounded.

Shen Qing was overjoyed, not expecting the system to provide assistance at such a time.

In fact, she had already decided on the dishes to make in the first stage, but with the help of the system, the taste of those dishes would definitely be even better.

As for being discovered?

That's impossible. In public, she certainly wouldn't let the system conjure up ingredients that are too big or too conspicuous out of thin air.

A few small ingredients and seasonings are enough.

Just then, the same servant boy from before came swaying back over.

He was holding a cup of tea, as if he were about to take it to the judges' table.

As he passed Shen Qing, he suddenly swayed to the side.

splat—

Pour the tea.

With a splash, a cup of tea was spilled directly onto Shen Qing's firewood.

"You—you did this on purpose!!" Situ Liang was already furious and shouted at the top of his lungs.

How can you cook with wet firewood? You probably won't even be able to start a fire!

How can we compete like this?

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, it was an accident, an accident."

The servant had a smug look on his face, and he just swaggered away with the empty cup in his hand. It was obvious that he was doing it on purpose.