772 I'm Counting on You, Golden Skinned Mantis Shrimp

"Let's continue the Chef's Challenge."

Yan Yu was stunned speechless. His heart fluttered when he sensed Bu Fang's hand on his shoulder. That melancholic man had stupefied him so much that his body trembled when he thought of the hits that landed on his head.

Considering that he was the number one chef of the Tablet of Gluttony, it was humiliating to be trashed so tragically. He shivered at the memory of the fight.

When he turned around and saw Bu Fang's indifferent face, he heaved a sigh of relief. At that moment, Yan Yu thought that Bu Fang's aloofness was much more appealing than that melancholic fellow.

He cast a glance at the Nether King, who was pushing his Spicy Strip in and out of his mouth over and over again. Looking at his coarse and uncouth manners, Yan Yu had nothing but contempt for the Nether King.

Chu Changsheng's eyes were on Yan Yu, and they made him shiver. He was reminded of the time when he locked up Chu Changsheng with the Ancient Jade Lock, and he was sure that Chu Changsheng would not let him off easily. Even though he wanted to escape, it seemed as though it was going to be impossible.

"Have a duel with me," said Bu Fang.

Yan Yu attracted the attention of various parties as beads of perspiration were trickling down his forehead. Everyone knew that he was a traitor, one who had betrayed the Valley of Gluttony. Thus, he was scorned at by everyone.

Initially, people were not convinced of Yan Yu's place on top of the Tablet of Gluttony. The chefs on the ranking had their unique strengths, and the difference between a special grade chef and a first-grade chef was that the former had won more battles.

In the Valley of Gluttony, one had to be listed in the top ten of the Tablet of Gluttony, after which, he had to beat every single first-grade chef in order for him to be considered as a special grade chef.

Yan Yu's culinary skills helped him defeat numerous people, and they could be considered pretty good. He had climbed to his position by beating others in normal contests, unlike Bu Fang, who had gone through the Chef's Challenge to climb to his current position.

Some chefs, such as Wenren Shang, would not take the contest seriously. Others, like Mu Chen, would not dish out their signature dishes since they had no desire to be ranked first. Hence, it was perfectly normal to have lost to Yan Yu.

"Why should I compete with you in a Chef's Challenge?" Yan Yu moved his eyes. He swept his gaze around, finally landing on Bu Fang again.

He was in danger of losing his life and was in no mood to have a Chef's Challenge. He was only concerned with the punishment that Chu Changsheng would mete out for him.

Chu Changsheng put his hands behind his back and looked at Yan Yu with cold eyes. That lad dared to use the Ancient Jade Lock to restrain him, and the feeling of paralysis he felt as lightning bolts struck him infuriated him even now.

He was Chu Changsheng, an elder of the Valley of Gluttony! He was an expert at the Almighty Realm! Given his pride as an expert, he could not tolerate the humiliation rendered by someone much weaker than him.

He took a step forward.

Chu Changsheng appeared imposingly beside Yan Yu.

Yan Yu squinted his eyes and turned to leave without a word. He had a look of intense fear on his face. How was he supposed to fight against Chu Changsheng? He wouldn't even survive a single second if he were to fight against him!

Chu Changsheng made a swipe with his hand as tons of energy gathered around Yan Yu, pinning him down on the ground like locks and chains.

Yan Yu tumbled to the ground with a loud crash, creating a dent and cracks on the surface. He was spouting blood from his mouth, and his eyes were filled with terror. He was begging at the top of his lungs for Chu Changsheng to spare his life.

Chu Changsheng's eyes were icy cold as he squinted them slightly. He then glanced at Bu Fang, his lips curling upward.

"Don't you want to save your life? You can, actually… However, that is only if you defeat Owner Bu. If you win the Chef's Challenge, you will return to your Ancient Jade Holy Land. But if you lose, you will die," Chu Changsheng declared.

His words were without warmth, but in Yan Yun's ears, they were his last lifeline.

"I will! I will! I will have a Chef's Challenge with him." Yan Yu was filled with joy. It was unimaginable to him that Chu Changsheng would make such a proposition. Chu Changsheng should know his ability as a genuine special grade chef.

Yan Yu was aware of Bu Fang's culinary skills, and he was not concerned even though Bu Fang had indeed won a few Chef's Challenges. Indeed, he was confident of his own ability as the top one chef of the Tablet of Gluttony.

He got up from the ground as the shattered rocks came falling off him. There was a look of exhilaration in his eyes as he exclaimed excitedly, "I will battle with you!"

Bu Fang looked at Yan Yu calmly as his Vermillion Robe fluttered in the wind.

"Very well. We shall have our Chef's Challenge tomorrow morning at the Noodle King Restaurant," said Bu Fang.

From afar, Ouyang Chenfeng was a little startled, but in the next moment, his eyes showed a look of gratitude. He did not expect Bu Fang to suggest the venue for the battle to be at his restaurant.

Ouyang Chenfeng had anticipated the drastic decline in business at the Noodle King Restaurant due to his loss in the Chef's Challenge. If the Chef's Challenge between Yan Yu and Bu Fang would be held in his restaurant, it will boost the restaurant's popularity.

Although there were some doubts over Yan Yu's culinary skills, there were no qualms regarding his status and popularity. After all, he was the top one chef on the chef's ranking of the Tablet of Gluttony. It was more than enough to attract crowds with that title alone, and the restaurant would be extremely popular with the people then.

"Well, I will hurry back to get ready for tomorrow's Chef's Challenge," said Ouyang Chenfeng anxiously.

"The ingredients for the Chef's Challenge tomorrow shall be prepared by the chef himself! The theme for the battle will be… Dumplings!" Yan Yu declared as he looked at Bu Fang with his half-closed eyes.

Dumplings? Self-preparation of the ingredients?

Bu Fang was flabbergasted by Yan Yu's unexpected request.

Dumplings were not alien to Bu Fang. On the contrary, he had cooked the Rainbow-colored Crescent Moon Dumplings before. However, it would not be a wise idea to cook that dish for the challenge.

Bu Fang's brows furrowed. Did Yan Yu not know that he had the Taotie's meat? If he were to use the Taotie's meat, it would instantly wipe out Yan Yu's chance of winning the duel. Based on the ingredients alone, Bu Fang would have won Yan Yu by a large margin, and victory would undisputedly be his.

"Of course, you are not permitted to use the Taotie's meat!" sniggered Yan Yu as he stared at Bu Fang.

Yan Yu was not a fool. The Taotie's meat could not be found anywhere, even in the food store at the Valley of Gluttony.

As expected, Bu Fang was not too surprised by Yan Yu's suggestion. He nodded his head, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked away.

"Prepare well. Do not disappoint me. It would be meaningless if the challenge is not enough to satisfy me," Yan Yu told Bu Fang as he watched him leave. It appeared as though he had regained his confidence as the top one chef of the Tablet of Gluttony.

Throughout this, Chu Changsheng sneered at Yan Yu, but in the end, he ignored him and left. The crowd that had gathered left the Road of Gluttony as well.

Once they were back at the Valley of Gluttony, the fight had already ended, with most of the experts of the Holy Lands retreating.

The Valley was in shambles, but fortunately, it was safe and had not fallen into the hands of the Hidden Dragon Royal Court. It would be able to regain its glory as long as the foundation was not shaken.

Chu Changsheng gathered the help of the citizens to restore the Valley upon witnessing it in disarray and chaos. All the onlookers took their leave, while Mu Cheng and others looked forward to the challenge the next day.

Yan Yu was nowhere to be found after he left the Road of Gluttony, seemingly ashamed of himself. W

As for Bu Fang, he brought Nethery and the rest back to his lodgings in an unruffled manner.

Up in the sky were two luminous moons, emanating a cool radiance.

Flowery and Xiao Ya were assigned a room by Chu Changsheng. Xiao Ya was now the exalted Valley Master of the Valley of Gluttony, deemed precious and fragile by Chu Changsheng. Thus, she was given an elevated and prestigious status.

Bu Fang remained at the hotel. Lord Dog laid in Bu Fang's room, fast asleep.

Nether King Ha Er was still reminiscing his Spicy Strips, while Saint Daughter Zi Yun leaned against the window sill and raised her head to admire the moon. Her voluptuous body was swaying gently as her eyes flickered.

The night was ablaze with lights, but many had a sleepless night as the Valley of Gluttony was busy reversing the damage and restoring its past glory.

In the kitchen at the hotel, Bu Fang strolled leisurely with his hands placed at his back, thinking of the dishes to prepare for the Chef's Challenge the next day.

The theme was dumplings, which meant he would have to decide on the cooking method. It didn't matter if it was steamed, boiled, deep-fried, or even pan-fried. Of course, he had to decide on the ingredients he would be using.

It would be a tough battle since his opponent was Yan Yu, the top one chef of the Tablet of Gluttony. He would not slight him nor treat the challenge lightly.

As a special grade chef, Yan Yu had the famous knife from the Valley of Gluttony, the Shadow Chopping Knife. It was a divine weapon that could improve the texture of the ingredient it was slicing. As the name implied, it cut with a lightning speed so fast that it could almost chop shadows into crumbles.

However, Bu Fang had no fear even if they were to compare knives.

The green smoke arose from his hand, and his pitch-black Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife emerged. It would only take Bu Fang a little bit of true energy to turn the pitch-black Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife into the golden Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife. The knife spirit, the golden dragon, would also produce a dragon's roar.

Due to the land of inheritance, the knife spirit had devoured many knife spirits from other famous knives. Thus, drawing it closer to Bu Fang. It was still aloof, but at least it would answer Bu Fang's queries.

It was a small step now, but a big leap in the future.

Bu Fang firmly believed that he would conquer all the tool spirits in the God of Cooking's set one day. His culinary skills would have scaled a height unimaginable to him. However, his main goal now was to be well prepared for the next day's Chef's Challenge.

Although the Chef's Challenge was an arduous task, Bu Fang was not worried in the least. He continued to saunter until he averted his head and glanced at Whitey, who was busy scratching its chubby head.

Of course, Bu Fang also saw Shrimpy, who was taking a nice nap on Whitey's head.

Shrimpy…

Bu Fang's eyes twinkled as he smiled.

"I will count on you, Golden Skinned Mantis Shrimp, for tomorrow's Chef's Challenge."