A Bite of Douluo Continent

"Since I often eat here, I'll give you some personal advice: don't underestimate us."

Leaving behind a single sentence, the Secret Service agents quickly disappeared into the secret passage.

The secret passage was restored to its original state, and the private room looked no different from the other private rooms.

Zhao Yangfan frowned and stared at the direction of the secret passage, slightly lost in thought.

Don't underestimate your opponent?

This is the Ming Dynasty Imperial Palace.

The head chefs here are all royal chefs who came from the imperial palace.

Moreover, that person is a long-time customer of Ming Ting Que, so he should be aware of Ming Ting Que's strength.

But the other party still gave this advice...

Could the dishes served during the Cold Food Festival be compared to those served at the Ming Dynasty Imperial Palace?

Just like Tianxingzhai a hundred years ago?

Thinking of this, Zhao Yangfan suddenly felt restless.

He discovered a fatal problem.

He doesn't understand his opponent at all!

That won't do.

Zhao Yangfan pushed open the door and walked out of the private room. He walked quickly to the entrance of Mingtingque and was about to step out to see the Cold Food Festival when his foot suddenly stopped in mid-air.

No, according to the rules of the Catering Association, the competition between himself and Hanshi's food has probably already spread throughout the catering industry. And as the person in charge of Mingtingque, who in the catering industry doesn't know him, Zhao Yangfan?

If they see that I appeared at Hanshi right after the duel, they might think I'm afraid of them.

It's not that you have to fight for face, but it's an unspoken rule in restaurant competition: it's best not to go to the other restaurant to gather information before the competition starts, otherwise it will affect the restaurant's reputation.

Therefore, I cannot go in person; I can only ask someone to inquire for me.

Choosing a candidate is easy; just send the head chef from Mingtingque. As fellow chefs, they can better assess each other's abilities after tasting the dishes served at the Cold Food Festival.

Hmm... just to be on the safe side, even if we send a chef, it shouldn't be now.

It's almost lunchtime. How about we send another chef to taste their dishes at dinner time?

That's the decision.

Having made up his mind, Zhao Yangfan slowly withdrew his leg and walked into the kitchen as if nothing had happened, preparing to give some instructions to the head chefs.

...

"Father, was it really because of the reason you said you refused that cold food earlier?" Wu Yue suddenly asked, looking at her father who was busy researching new dishes in the kitchen.

"Oh? Why would you ask that?" Wu Henian's eyes lit up with a smile as he asked instead of answering.

“I always felt that there was another reason, but you didn’t say it before.” After a moment of thought, Wu Yue spoke, her tone more certain than before.

"Hehe, you little rascal." Wu Henian shook his head and chuckled. "That's right, what I said was a reason, but only a secondary one. As for the more important reason..."

“I didn’t see any ambition in that young man’s eyes, but rather a youthful spirit.” Wu Henian paused slightly, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes. “I’ve lived a whole life, and I consider myself to have a good eye.”

“If he came with ulterior motives, I would naturally teach him a lesson, but I can’t bear to directly strike at that young man’s youthful spirit.” As he spoke, Wu Henian couldn’t help but laugh. “Who didn’t have a bit of fearless youthful spirit when they were young? That young man probably really thought his dishes were more delicious than Tianxingzhai’s, so he was eager to prove himself.”

"It would be such a shame if the other person were to be discouraged and never recover because of a single meal competition loss."

"Father seems to think highly of him? Could it be that the owner of the Cold Food Festival will rise through the ranks like Xuanzu, relying on food competitions?" Wu Yue couldn't help but ask after hearing Wu Henian's words.

“It’s very difficult.” Wu Henian shook his head without hesitation. “To win the food competition, youthful ambition alone is not enough. You also need to have the ability to match it. Your ancestor traveled all over the Sun and Moon Continent to learn about food, combining the strengths of various schools and integrating them into one. He spent a full twenty years researching and developing this foundation, which gave him the confidence to fight his way up in the food competition.”

“That young man looks to be only in his early twenties. Unless he started practicing from the womb, how could he possibly reach that level?” Shaking his head slightly, Wu Henian lowered his head and continued processing the ingredients. “Alright, I’m handing Tianxingzhai over to you, not so you can watch me slack off while cooking.”

"Hmph." Wu Yue pouted. Although she was already married, she still acted like a young girl in front of her father. "But nothing's wrong right now."

“Something’s coming up soon.” Wu Henian shook his head. “I declined the cold food invitation. That young man will probably continue to compete with other restaurants for the food. As the owner of Tianxingzhai, I will definitely be invited by the Catering Association to be a member of the judging panel. Judging by the time, the Catering Association’s representative should be here soon.”

At this point, Wu Henian's eyes showed a hint of curiosity.

"I wonder who that young man's opponent will be?"

Chapter 508 Ming Tingque's Revenge?

"Father, you were absolutely right!" Not long after Wu Yue left, she suddenly rushed back into the kitchen. "The Catering Association really did send someone to invite you to be a judge."

"As expected." Wu Henian's face showed a hint of pride, clearly pleased by his daughter's admiration. "Who is Hanshi's opponent?"

"It is the Mingting Palace."

"Who?!" Wu Henian casually tossed aside the ingredients in his hand and suddenly turned to look at Wu Yue.

“I didn’t believe it either,” Wu Yue said with a strange smile. “But I asked several times, and it really is Ming Tingque.”

"Isn't this young man a bit too ambitious?" Wu Henian shook his head. "Well, since he insists on challenging such a strong opponent, we can only let him stumble and fall... Wait, something's not right?"

Wu Henian frowned slightly. "Why would Ming Tingque agree?"

Wu Henian knew Zhao Yangfan, the person in charge of Mingtingque. Despite his smiling and amiable appearance, Zhao Yangfan was a very proud person. He would not normally even give a second glance to a newly opened restaurant like Hanshi. But at this moment, he actually agreed to Hanshi's food competition.

What is this concept?

It's like a newly signed author challenging a platinum-level author, and that platinum-level veteran agrees without hesitation...

“Um… Father, the actual situation might be a little different from what you think.” Wu Yue coughed lightly. “It was Ming Tingque who initiated the food competition.”

Ok?

Wu Henian's eyes widened.

A platinum-level author challenging a newly signed author? Isn't that even more surreal?

No, something's fishy about this.

His brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

“Okay, go tell the people at the catering association that I agree… never mind, I’ll go myself.” Wu Henian shook his head; he wanted to find out the situation himself.

Soon, Wu Henian learned the whole story and the three themes drawn by both parties from the people from the catering association. However, his doubts were not relieved at all.

He glanced at the sky and stepped out of Tianxingzhai.

"Hey, hey, hey? Father, where are you going?" Wu Yue was taken aback for a moment, then quickly said, "It's almost lunchtime."

“Yes, it’s almost lunchtime.” Wu Henian nodded, but didn’t stop walking. “You watch the shop, I’ll go check on the situation at Hanshi.”

"what?"

"I'll go and find out if that young man has the ability to match his ambition."

...

Walking briskly to Mingke Street, Wu Henian made a few inquiries and soon arrived at the entrance of Hanshi Temple.

The Cold Food Festival restaurant hasn't opened for business yet, but there are already hundreds of people waiting in front of it, a rare sight indeed.

Not to mention on Mingke Street, even on Sun Moon Avenue, there are very few shops with such a long queue in front of them.

Even at Tianxingzhai, such a situation is rare. Of course, this is because Tianxingzhai is open from morning to night and has a larger store area, so diners who come to eat all go inside to wait.

If we really want to calculate it, Tianxingzhai's business is definitely better than the current Hanshi.

This still surprised Wu Henian greatly, considering that Hanshi was a newly opened store.

"Mr. Wu, you're here too?" A voice came from the side. Wu Henian turned his head and nodded. "Mr. Li, it's been a long time."

This is also the owner of a restaurant on Riyue Avenue. Although his strength is not as great as Tianxingzhai and Mingtingque, he is still among the top-ranked restaurants. He was probably invited by the Catering Association to be a judge this time, so he came in advance to see what this Cold Food Festival is all about, just like me.

"This Cold Food Festival is a bit unusual, Mr. Wu." Mr. Li winked at Wu Henian, then leaned closer and whispered, "I arrived a little earlier than you, and guess what I found?"

This Mr. Li just loves to keep things mysterious.

Wu Henian shook his head helplessly, "What did you discover?"

"Hehe." Boss Li pointed subtly to the diners in front of the line, "Take a closer look at who's queuing up there?"

Following Mr. Li's instructions, Wu Henian sized up the diners in front of him and was immediately taken aback.

Among the diners in line were several people he recognized.

Without exception, all of these people were important officials in the court of the Sun Moon Empire.

This…

Judging from the way these high-ranking officials chatted and laughed with others, it was clear that the others in the queue were also extraordinary, most likely imperial ministers as well.

Why are all the imperial ministers gathered here?!

Wu Henian felt as if he were dreaming.

Tianxingzhai and Mingtingque are equally famous, but their business philosophies are completely different. From the very beginning, Tianxingzhai has adhered to the simple concept of making food affordable for ordinary people. Although its dishes are more expensive than those in ordinary restaurants, they are still affordable for most people in Mingdu.

In contrast, Ming Ting Que, whose head chefs were all former imperial chefs, emphasizes style and prestige. Not only are the dishes expensive, but the diners are mainly high-ranking officials and nobles. Because it is backed by the imperial palace, ministers would choose to eat here to show their closeness to the royal family.

In other words, these imperial ministers who are queuing here waiting for the Cold Food Festival to open the gates should have been honored guests at the Mingting Palace.

The doubt that had been lingering in Wu Henian's mind finally dissipated at this moment.

Why did Ming Tingque take the initiative to approach Hanshi Festival?

The Cold Food Festival attracted so many court officials, which was a direct attack on Ming Tingque. Of course, Ming Tingque would come after the Cold Food Festival!

This is not a simple competition for food; it is retaliation from the Ming court!

The owner of Hanshi Restaurant had a youthful spirit, so how could he not accept Ming Tingque's provocation?

Wu Henian let out a soft breath, his expression becoming slightly serious.

That young man named Qi Han... is probably in big trouble this time.

Ming Tingque directly launched a food competition against a newly opened restaurant. This is shameless; he's going to kill Hanshi Restaurant!

Because he admired Qi Han, Wu Henian wanted to help Han Shi.

But after thinking for a long time, he could only sigh in despair.

Despite their similar reputations, Tianxingzhai and Mingtingque are not on the same level in terms of power and connections.