in2ebook Chapter 280 An unexpected surprise
Chapter 280 An unexpected surprise
Xuan Feng took the note, read it over and over again, and asked in confusion: "Madam, do you know who this 'old friend' is?"
Nan Li shook her head gently, frowned slightly, and opened her red lips: "I don't know either. I have never seen this handwriting before, but this letter comes at the right time, maybe..." She paused, and a trace of determination flashed in her beautiful eyes, "Perhaps, this is the only chance for our Xingchen Pavilion to survive!"
"Yunmengze..." Xuanfeng muttered the name in a low voice, his face solemn, "It's a place of trouble and danger!"
Nan Li naturally understood the risks involved, but she knew even more clearly that the Xingchen Pavilion had no way to retreat and could only seek victory in danger. "Even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire ahead, we must go through it!" She said in a firm tone, leaving no room for doubt.
Three days later, in the depths of Yunmengze, in a quiet bamboo house.
Gao Xingchen and Nan Li sat opposite each other. Opposite them was a mysterious man wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, whose face could not be seen clearly.
"You are joking, sir." Gao Xingchen smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I am just a cook who can only cook some food. How can I help Xingchen Pavilion?"
"No, you are wrong, Master Xingchen." The mysterious man's deep voice came from under his bamboo hat, "Your cooking skills are a unique skill that can turn decay into magic and bring the dead back to life!"
Gao Xingchen became even more confused and was about to ask, but was interrupted by the mysterious man.
"I have a plan that can help Xingchen Pavilion turn things around and regain its reputation." The mysterious man said slowly in a mysterious tone, "You need to hold a food competition of unprecedented scale to attract the attention of the entire martial arts world!"
"Food competition?" Gao Xingchen and Nan Li asked in unison, and saw surprise in each other's eyes.
"That's right!" The mysterious man said firmly, "You have to let everyone know that Xingchen Pavilion is not only powerful in martial arts, but also has superb cooking skills! You have to use delicious food to conquer everyone's taste buds and make them convinced!"
"But what does this have to do with fighting against the Netherworld Cult?" Gao Xingchen asked puzzledly.
"The Netherworld Cult is now spreading rumors and slandering the Star Pavilion, hoping to convince the court that the Star Pavilion is evil and will destroy it," the mysterious man explained. "What you need to do is to use this food competition to prove the value of the Star Pavilion to the court and let everyone know that the Star Pavilion is a righteous sect that cares about the people of the world and benefits the people!"
Gao Xingchen and Nan Li fell into deep thought after hearing the mysterious man's plan. This plan sounded extremely bold, but it seemed to contain a mystery, which gave them hope.
"Okay!" After a moment, Gao Xingchen nodded firmly, "I promise you, I will hold this food competition!"
The mysterious man smiled with satisfaction, stood up and said, "I believe you will succeed, Star Pavilion Master. This food competition will be the beginning of your legend!"
After saying that, he turned and left, leaving Gao Xingchen and Nan Li alone. They looked at his departing back, their hearts filled with anticipation and anxiety.
Yunmengze and his group, and the proposal of the mysterious ally, brought a turning point for Xingchen Pavilion, but it also came with huge risks. Can Gao Xingchen and Nanli successfully host this food competition and turn the tide? How will they face the relentless pressure from the Netherworld Cult?
After leaving Yunmengze, Gao Xingchen and Nanli rushed back to Xingchen Pavilion without stopping. Along the way, they kept thinking about the mysterious man's plan, and their hearts were full of hope, but also a little uneasy.
After returning to Xingchen Pavilion, Gao Xingchen immediately summoned all the hall masters and told everyone the mysterious man's proposal and his own decision.
"What? Holding a food competition?" After hearing what Gao Xingchen said, Hall Master Zhao's eyes widened in disbelief. "Pavilion Master, are you sure? We are a martial arts sect, not a restaurant. Why are we holding a food competition?"
The other hall masters also expressed their confusion, only Xuanfeng stood aside, stroking his beard thoughtfully, and said nothing.
Gao Xingchen knew that it would be difficult for everyone to accept it for a while, so he recounted his and Nan Li's experience in Yunmengze in detail, and focused on the mysterious man's analysis of the current situation and his expectations for the food competition.
"So that's how it is!" After listening to Gao Xingchen's story, Hall Master Zhao suddenly realized, "Master, I understand! This is indeed a good way to turn the tide!"
"That's right!" Xuan Feng also nodded in agreement. "The Netherworld Cult spread rumors and slandered our Xingchen Pavilion, just to make us the target of public criticism so that they can kill people with borrowed knives. What we have to do is to break their conspiracy and prove the innocence of our Xingchen Pavilion to the world!"
"But can holding a food competition really have such an effect?" A hall master still had some doubts.
"Of course!" Gao Xingchen said firmly, "Food is the primary need of the people, and the power of food cannot be underestimated! We want everyone to know that our Xingchen Pavilion is not only powerful in martial arts, but also has a heart of benevolence and righteousness, a heart that benefits the people!"
"Pavilion Master is right!" Hall Master Zhao was the first to stand up and express his support. "I agree to hold a food contest! Let's use food to conquer everyone's hearts!"
"I agree too!"
With Hall Master Zhao taking the lead, other hall masters also expressed their support.
"Okay!" Gao Xingchen was very pleased to see that everyone had finally reached a consensus. "In that case, let's take action immediately and make full preparations for this food competition!"
As a result, the entire Star Pavilion took action and began to prepare for the upcoming food competition.
Master Zhao was a man of generosity and decisiveness. He took the initiative to undertake the task of preparing ingredients and venues. He personally went to various places to purchase the freshest ingredients, and ordered people to build a huge open-air kitchen in the Xingchen Pavilion Square to prepare to welcome guests from all corners of the world.
Xuanfeng used his connections to send out invitations to all major sects and heroes in the martial arts world to participate in this event.
Nan Li used his assassin network to spread the news of the food contest to every corner of the martial arts world. For a time, the entire martial arts world was talking about this grand event that was about to be held in Xingchen Pavilion.
Everything was going on in an orderly manner, and Gao Xingchen was concentrating on developing dishes. He knew that this food competition was related to the survival of Xingchen Pavilion, and he could not afford to be careless. He locked himself in the kitchen, trying various ingredients and cooking methods without sleep, hoping to create amazing delicacies and conquer everyone's taste buds...
In the kitchen, Gao Xingchen was like a general commanding a huge army, wielding a spatula and dispatching his troops. He skillfully matched and cooked the rare ingredients collected from all over the place, turning them into mouth-watering delicacies. The rich aroma wafted from the kitchen and filled the entire Xingchen Pavilion, making everyone salivate and look forward to it.
"The Pavilion Master's cooking skills are truly amazing! Just smelling the fragrance makes one's appetite grow!" Hall Master Zhao couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Xuanfeng stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Yes, this old man has been wandering around the world for so many years, but this is the first time I have smelled such a strange fragrance. It seems that the Pavilion Master has invested a lot of money this time."
Nan Li stood quietly by the side, watching Gao Xingchen's busy figure, with a barely perceptible smile on her lips. She knew that Gao Xingchen's cooking skills were his biggest trump card and the key to their turning the tide.
The food competition came as scheduled, and the entire Xingchen Pavilion was decorated with lights and was bustling. Guests from all over the world gathered here, including representatives of famous sects in the world, and even the imperial court sent envoys to watch the ceremony.
As soon as Gao Xingchen's dishes were launched, they immediately caused a sensation. Whether it was the color, aroma, taste, shape, or artistic conception and meaning, they were all unique and breathtaking. The guests tasted the food and praised it highly, and asked about this mysterious chef.
"This 'Dragon and Phoenix' is not only beautifully shaped, but also delicious. It is simply a delicacy on earth!" exclaimed a leader from a famous and upright sect.
"This 'Eight Treasures Kirin Fish' has fresh and tender fish meat, rich soup and endless aftertaste. It is really irresistible!" A hero ate it with relish and praised it highly.
Gao Xingchen's cooking skills conquered everyone's taste buds and their hearts. The reputation of Xingchen Pavilion also spread throughout the world with this food competition. After tasting Gao Xingchen's dishes, the imperial envoys had a greatly changed impression of Xingchen Pavilion and believed that the previous rumors were nothing but fabrications. In the end, the imperial court decided to temporarily cancel the siege of Xingchen Pavilion and expressed its willingness to make peace with Xingchen Pavilion.
Just when everyone in the Xingchen Pavilion was immersed in the joy of victory, an unexpected news came, breaking the tranquility.
"Pavilion Master, this is bad! The leader of the mysterious force has appeared at the competition site!"
Gao Xingchen placed the last dish on the judging table, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and breathed a sigh of relief. The result of the food competition was already a foregone conclusion. Xingchen Pavilion conquered everyone's taste buds with its superb cooking skills and exquisite dishes, and undoubtedly won the final victory.
Thunderous applause and cheers broke out in the crowd. The disciples of the Star Pavilion were even more excited and cheered. They finally proved themselves and proved the innocence of the Star Pavilion.
However, Gao Xingchen and Nan Li did not let their guard down. They knew very well that this was just the calm before the storm and the real challenge had just begun.
As they expected, after tasting Gao Xingchen's dishes, the imperial envoys had a greatly changed impression of Xingchen Pavilion, believing that the previous rumors were nothing but fabrications. In the end, the imperial court decided to temporarily cancel the siege of Xingchen Pavilion and expressed its willingness to make peace with Xingchen Pavilion.
When this news came, the entire Xingchen Pavilion was in an uproar. The haze that had been weighing on everyone's hearts for many days was swept away, and instead, there was joy at surviving the disaster and longing for the future.
However, just as everyone in the Star Pavilion was immersed in the joy of victory, an unexpected news came, breaking the tranquility.
A disciple ran into Gao Xingchen's room in a panic, looking flustered and speaking in a hurried tone.
Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other, and a hint of solemnity flashed in their eyes.
"It seems that we still underestimated the other party's determination." Nanli said softly, with a hint of coldness in his tone.
"Let's go and meet this mysterious guest." Gao Xingchen said in a deep voice, with a gleam in his eyes.
The two walked out of the room side by side and came to the competition venue.
I saw a mysterious man wearing a black cloak and a hat, whose face could not be seen, standing in the middle of the crowd. He exuded a powerful aura that suppressed the people around him and made them dare not approach him.
"Who are you? Why did you trespass into the Xingchen Pavilion?" Gao Xingchen stepped forward and asked in a deep voice.
The mysterious man slowly raised his head, revealing an angular face. The corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a playful smile.
"Gao Xingchen, I've long heard of your name." The mysterious man spoke in a calm tone, yet with an unquestionable majesty.
"Do you know me?" Gao Xingchen frowned slightly, feeling a little uneasy.
"Haha, not only do I know you, I also know everything about you." The mysterious man chuckled, his tone full of confidence.
"Who are you? What do you want to do?" Gao Xingchen's heart was filled with alarm and he asked sternly.
"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that I can help you." The mysterious man's tone was calm, but it was like thunder, exploding in Gao Xingchen's ears.
"Help me? What can you do to help me?" Gao Xingchen was full of doubts and vigilance.
"I can help you become the master of this Nine Star Realm!"