A Bite of Douluo Continent

Having never tasted Hunan cuisine before, Qi Han spent a long time figuring out its unique characteristics.

Although I didn't manage to complete the training for making chopped chili fish head in one afternoon, it was almost there.

If all goes well, it should be finished by tomorrow morning.

After a busy evening, the four women left Hanshi together. As they approached the door, Fuya suddenly stopped in her tracks.

She turned to look at Qi Han and couldn't help but ask, "Boss, will you be attending the Sea God's Fate Ceremony tonight?"

"Sea God's Fate?" Qi Han looked bewildered. These past few days, he had been engrossed in practicing the jade dragon tendons, and he was also extremely busy with business during the day, so he had no idea about this matter.

However… he seemed to have some recollection of this name.

This looks like a matchmaking event in Shrek Academy's inner courtyard?

"The Sea God's Fate is a grand annual event for Shrek Academy's inner court. This year marks the 2,000th anniversary of Shrek Academy's inner court, so this year's Sea God's Fate will be open to all, with no restrictions. Everyone is welcome to attend." Seeing the blank look on Qi Han's face, Fuya quickly understood and began to explain.

"This is a matchmaking event held by the inner court. It is said that couples who hold hands at the Sea God's Fate event will receive the Sea God's blessing!" As she spoke, Fuya's face showed a hint of anticipation.

In previous years, the students from the outer academy could only talk about which couples held hands after the Sea God's Fate event ended. This year, however, they could witness this grand scene in person, and Fuya's heart was naturally filled with anticipation.

Not only Fuya, but also Ying Shuangshuang, Ji Yunruo, and Ping Xinyan, who were standing to the side, did the same.

Although Ji Yunruo and Ping Xinyan were not students of Shrek Academy, this year the restrictions were lifted, and non-students could also attend the ceremony. The two of them had already made an appointment with Fuya and the other two to go together.

Ji Yunruo, needless to say, grew up in Shrek City and had longed to experience the legendary Sea God's Fate for a long time, but unfortunately she had never had the chance to witness it. Now that she had the opportunity, she naturally had to go.

Ping Xinyan's sweetheart is an inner court student, so naturally she has to go and see him too.

It is said that the first step for male students participating in the Sea God's Fate event is to compete for lotus leaves on the Sea God Lake. Only those who stand on the lotus leaves are qualified to compete for the female students in the inner academy.

If that idiot A-Zhu dares to join in the fun...

Ping Xinyan should start thinking about how many legs she should break.

Is this really a matchmaking event?

Qi Han nodded, then suddenly seemed to remember something and looked sharply at Fuya, "This activity... all the students in the inner academy have to participate?"

The senior sister of the inner court... she's considered an inner court student, right?

Is she going to participate too?

“This…” Fuya hesitated for a moment. The outer court disciples’ understanding of the Sea God’s Fate came mostly from hearsay, and she was not sure if what she knew was correct. “I’m not sure either, but many inner court students participate every year.”

"What time does the Sea God's Fate event start?" Qi Han asked, his voice quickening as a sense of unease crept into his heart.

"Eight o'clock in the evening..."

Is there still an hour left?

"Okay, I will definitely go." Qi Han's expression was very serious as he stared at Fuya and said earnestly.

Chapter 259 Do you really like her?

After leaving Hanshi Festival, the four girls walked together towards Shrek Academy.

Since it has been agreed that restrictions will be lifted so that outsiders can also attend the ceremony, Shrek Academy will naturally open its doors to welcome them.

However, the open area cannot be the entire area. As the number one academy on the continent with a history of five thousand years, Shrek Academy cannot easily expose many of its secrets.

For these spectators, a large platform was temporarily built for the purpose of watching the ceremony.

This platform is large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people. Although it is relatively small compared to the huge population of Shrek City, it is enough to show Shrek's sincerity.

Non-Shrek attendees should proceed directly to the viewing platform under the guidance of Shrek Academy students. They are not allowed to enter other closed areas without permission, otherwise they will still be considered intruders.

Students from other colleges also have a viewing area, and their location is better than the viewing platform specifically provided for outsiders.

However, in order to accompany Ji Yunruo and Ping Xinyan, Fuya and Ping Xinyan did not make that choice, but instead went to the outsiders' viewing platform together.

The viewing platform faces the direction of Poseidon Lake, and from here, you can easily take in the entire lake.

The legendary Sea God Lake is tranquil and beautiful. Under the night sky, the soft moonlight shines down on this clear, sapphire-like body of water.

Above the lake, a gigantic golden tree stretched as far as the eye could see, its broad canopy almost completely obscuring the lake's surface. Under the moonlight, golden specks of light slowly emerged from the tree itself, floating lightly in mid-air like fireflies, illuminating the night.

The golden tree is rooted on an island in the middle of the lake. Compared to the tree's canopy, the island appears rather small, but no one dares to underestimate it.

Whether it's the Sea God Pavilion, one of the most powerful forces on the continent, or the mysterious Shrek Academy, which is rarely exposed to the world, they are all located on this small island called Sea God Island.

Seagod Lake is not a restricted area within Shrek Academy. Although students from the outer court of Shrek Academy cannot travel to Seagod Island via Seagod Lake, they can still cultivate, play, or rest by the lake.

Therefore, Fuya and Ying Shuangshuang, who were already used to such beautiful scenery, remained relatively calm. Ji Yunruo and Ping Xinyan, who had never seen it before, were different. Upon seeing the famous Sea God Lake for the first time, the two couldn't help but shout excitedly, attracting many glances from those around them.

As employees of the Hanshi restaurant, many customers recognized the four of them, and many people came up to greet them.

Although the Sea God's Fate Tournament has not officially started yet, the viewing platform is already bustling with activity and a lively atmosphere.

"Fuya? I feel like you have something on your mind?" Ying Shuangshuang nudged Fuya's shoulder and asked softly.

“I was thinking…” Fuya paused, the somewhat serious and anxious expression on Qi Han’s face flashing through her mind, “Did the boss misunderstand something?”

"Does he...think that Senior Sister will also participate in the Sea God's Fate event?"

"Huh?" Ying Shuangshuang blinked and then suddenly burst out laughing. "No wonder the boss's expression wasn't good."

...

Watching the four women leave, Qi Han silently closed the door of Hanshi Restaurant. His palms, gripping the doorknob tightly, turned slightly white from the force. He slowly rested his head against the door, his wisps of hair falling down to obscure his face, making his expression unreadable.

"Ruyi, what should I do?"

Qi Han's voice was unusually low and he sounded bewildered.

"What do you mean, what should we do? According to your usual routine, you should be in bed by now."

"Stop fooling around..." Qi Han raised his head slightly, a bitter look on his face. "How can I sleep at a time like this?"

Ruyi then fell silent.

After a long pause, she finally spoke softly, "I'm just a system without emotions. What's the point of asking me about matters of the heart?"

"But when it comes to feelings, isn't it supposed to be mutual? Do you think... you really like her?"

"Of course I..." Qi Han suddenly raised his head, opened his mouth to speak, but then froze slightly in place.

Do I...like her?

After standing still for a while, Qi Han made a move.

"Squeak."

He casually pulled over a chair from the shop, sat down wearily, lowered his head again, and after a long while, gave a bitter laugh.

“You’re right. I don’t even know if I really like her. My current low mood seems more like I’m being dramatic.”

"I remember in my past life, I liked a girl. She was very kind to me, and we had similar interests." A hint of reminiscence appeared in Qi Han's eyes.

"Back then, I felt that we were such a perfect match that we would definitely be able to stay together happily forever."

“But later…” His face darkened, “Later, the girl’s parents didn’t want her to marry me. They thought I was not doing anything productive and forced her to marry another boy that her parents liked.”

“But we can’t blame her parents.” Qi Han shook his head. “The profession of food vlogger is not like a proper job. If I had the system back then, I could have opened my own restaurant and become a good chef. The story would probably be different.”

"The first time I saw Yu Lianxin, I felt that she looked a lot like the girl I liked in my past life." Qi Han paused for a moment. "That girl in my past life couldn't be with me in the end, and I regretted it. I could never let her go, and I never liked anyone else after that."

"So, in this world, I met a girl who looks so much like her..." Qi Han smiled bitterly. "Even though you said that the two of you are completely unrelated and that the resemblance is just a coincidence, I still held onto a sliver of hope."

“Every time I see Yu Lianxin, I can’t help but want to get closer, and even closer…” He shook his head. “But I can’t even figure out what my purpose is?”

"Sometimes I even wonder if I'm using her as a substitute because I can't forget the girl from my past life."

“So, having known Yu Lianxin for so long, aside from occasionally using the excuse of serving dishes to find a chance to see her, I haven’t dared to do anything out of line.” With a sigh, Qi Han continued, “If I still have feelings for the previous one and still want to pursue her, that wouldn’t be fair to her.”

"Um..." Ruyi suddenly couldn't help but speak up, "Have you ever thought... maybe, I mean maybe, maybe even if you pursue her..."

"We can't catch up with them."

Qi Han: "..."

After painstakingly building up my emotions, Ruyi's words completely shattered my defenses.

Qi Han remained silent for a while, then suddenly chuckled, "That's right, then why should I be so sentimental?"

Standing up and putting the chair back in its place, Qi Han's face showed a hint of relief and ease.

Go upstairs and change your clothes before the ceremony!

"Are you still going?"

"Why not go?" Qi Han smiled. "I've never seen Seagod Lake before, of course I have to go and see it. I haven't even seen what the golden trees on that island look like yet."

"If she really gets together with someone else, then I'll finally give up and be able to focus on making money."

"Isn't making money more appealing? What's the point of having a girlfriend?"

"If she hadn't participated in the Sea God's Fate event..."

"We'll see, it's still far from certain."

Chapter 260 Ping Xinyan's Loss of Composure (Bonus Chapter 1/2 for 500 Average Subscriptions on Qidian Main Site)

"Boss! Over here!"

The observant Fuya quickly spotted Qi Han, who had arrived at the viewing platform under the guidance of the students in charge of reception at Shrek Academy. She waved to him, her soul power subtly emanating as her voice carried towards him.

When Qi Han changed out of his chef's robe and into casual clothes and arrived at the viewing platform, it was already packed with spectators.

Upon hearing Fuya's familiar voice, Qi Han glanced in the direction of the four women, then smiled apologetically at the surrounding crowd and slowly squeezed through.

The viewing platform has a tiered structure, ensuring that every spectator can clearly see the scene of the Sea God's Fate. Therefore, there is not much difference between standing in front and behind. When they saw Qi Han's familiar face, the others were happy to make way for him and quickly cleared a path for Qi Han to meet the four women.

At this moment, dozens of students wearing red inner school uniforms can be seen gathered together on the shore of Poseidon Lake, and without exception, all of them are male students.

The fact that these students gathered at such an important moment is clearly related to the upcoming Sea God's Fate Conference.

So... where are the female trainees?

The appearance of the group of male trainees immediately sparked numerous discussions on the viewing platform.