CHAPTER 796: CHAPTER 795: TURMOIL ARISES (PART 2)

Dusk.

A day of intense selection was declared over.

"Move aside!"

Under the evening glow at the headquarters of the "New Year’s Hunt" committee, Tang Jingtiao walked briskly down the corridor with a stern expression.

He tightly clutched the list of qualifiers for the day.

The staff made way for him, surprised as this young talent from the Tang Family stormed through, almost as if breaking through obstacles, straight into Wei Qinglian’s office.

Bam!

The crumpled document was slapped down on the desk.

The sound caused the woman in charge, who was bowing her head reading ancient texts, to frown and look up, fixing her gaze on Tang Jingtiao’s tense face.

"Mr. Tang, is there something wrong?"

Wei Qinglian was as always, her expression calm, her voice calm.

"I need an explanation!"

Tang Jingtiao almost roared, "Not just me, but also the participants of this year’s hunt! Your top-level needs to come forward to explain!"

"Explain what?"

The ancient text gently landed on the table, Wei Qinglian placed a maple leaf into the page she was reading, serving as a bookmark, still speaking calmly.

"This—"

Another slap, causing the table to tremble.

Tang Jingtiao pointed to the first name in the first row of the qualifiers list, struggling to read out: "Xia, Yu!"

Wei Qinglian’s eyelids twitched.

"There are countless chefs with the same name in the Chinese Realm, among the younger generation, there are several promising ones named Xia Yu, what’s so strange about that?" Her mouth hinted at a smile, "Mr. Tang, you’re too sensitive."

"Am I sensitive?" Tang Jingtiao laughed angrily, "You can look at Group A in the opening ceremony of the selection early this morning."

"The name may have duplicates, but his cooking style, even if he’s not here, I could recognize it!"

"Moreover..."

Tang Jingtiao lowered his voice: "I have already verified with the examiners Chen Zhen and Mu Nanzhi..."

Swish.

The latter half of the sentence was abruptly blocked by a cold gaze.

Wei Qinglian’s cold stare: "So what?"

Tang Jingtiao held his breath, his face turning blue with anger: "That person shouldn’t be on the stage of the New Year’s Hunt! Therefore, the official hunt needs to come forward and explain why he was given qualification to participate, I’m also a contestant in the hunt!"

Ultimately, Tang Jingtiao didn’t get an explanation.

Watching this talented individual from the Tang Family leave angrily, Wei Qinglian picked up the crumpled list on the desk.

The first name in the first row caused her pupils to contract slightly.

"I thought there could be a few days of calm, but didn’t expect on his first day, made the examiner subconsciously rank his name first."

Indeed, this list of qualifiers is without rank or order.

But such a dazzling name couldn’t be hidden, now being placed at the forefront, as long as one isn’t blind, seeing the list for the first time, the heart would be stirred with a storm.

At night, a brightly lit classical mansion.

"That person, is back?"

Wu Yingying stared at the phone screen, lost in thought.

She was visiting Tang’s Mansion.

Tang Yuqiong carrying a tray, brought over two cups of steaming tea, just happened to hear her friend’s muttering and couldn’t help but laugh teasingly: "Yingying, who is it, making you so absent-minded!"

"Today’s selection qualifiers list is out."

"It’s just a selection, we make our appearance at least half a month later, why are you paying attention to the selection?" Hearing this, Tang Yuqiong smiled and shook her head, pushed over a cup of hot tea, and took her own cup to sip, just after taking a sip, her eyebrows soon furrowed, sighed and said: "Really, after returning from Japan, tasting the tea at home, no matter how I taste it, the flavor isn’t right! Obviously, this is the Chinese Realm, the origin of tea!"

A crisp laugh.

"Perfect!"

Wu Yingying clapped her hands, pointing at the list of qualifiers published on the hunt official website on her phone screen, "Let’s go find him for a tea session!"

"Tea session? Him?"

Tang Yuqiong’s expression altered, grabbed Wu Yingying’s phone.

Thud.

The next moment, the phone slipped from her hand onto the sofa.

...

At night, in a car driving towards the suburbs.

Zhao Qi sitting in the driver’s seat, holding the steering wheel, his palms didn’t stop sweating the whole way.

He occasionally looked excited, checking the rearview mirror inside the car.

In the back seat, the popular actress Xu Liuyue sat elegantly, with her hands on her knees, her body language showing some tension. Having left the examiner role after the selection, she changed into a set of stylish OL attire that was dignified and accentuated her graceful figure.

Her charming face only had light makeup, but her big eyes couldn’t hide the gleam of hope.

"Up ahead is Zhao’s Vineyard!" Zhao Qi said, and patted his chest, assuring, "Miss Xu, I will ask Aunt Zhao to take out the best vintage rice wine to treat you."

Xu Liuyue’s eyes appeared vacant, as if she hadn’t heard.

"Miss Xu?"

Until parking, Zhao Qi called several times, Xu Liuyue’s shoulders shook as she returned her thoughts from the Sapporo event, her gaze cleared up.

After getting off the car, seeing Zhao Qi’s eager demeanor, Xu Liuyue’s heart was unwilling, but her eagerness to find idol for photos and chat won over a slight pang of guilt, she softly said: "Actually, Zhao Qi, I came today because..."

Zhao Qi was stunned.

Not only Xu Liuyue, tonight many people were heading to Zhao’s Vineyard because of Xia Yu’s registration information.

...

At night by the Huangpu River, neon lights were mesmerizing.

A ferry pier had been cleared out of people two days ago, and today since dusk, people came and went at the pier, gradually more and more, mysterious figures in black robes.

This scene was like a meeting of an organization, if placed in the space-time familiar to Xia Yu, the bustling Huangpu River banks of Shanghai, suddenly having so many people in black showing up, besides making it to the news, an ordinance for illegal assembly would draw enough police to clear the scene.

In the darkness, a prehistoric beast-like treasure ship quietly lay off the shore.

"Prepare to board!"

Among the crowd on the shore, suddenly someone said.

Meanwhile, in the darkness, there was a sudden flash, a ladder extended from the ship’s deck, fell with a thud on the ground.

"Let’s go—"

On the shore, an old man who had been looking down for a long time at the rolling river water, tugged at the black hood on his head, turned back and addressed Zhu Qing and Xia Yu behind him.

This old man was naturally Yan Qi.

Xia Yu and Zhu Qing followed Yan Qi onto the ship, of course, before stepping onto the ladder, Yan Qi revealed his identity token as a leader in the Dark World, causing the competent crew members checking aboard passes to bow collectively.

Aboard the ship, Xia Yu stepped onto the deck, looked up again at the towering structure six stories high before him, his mouth slightly open, "This is the Loulin Ship?"

Loulin Ship.

In "Cooking Master Boy", considered the competitive hall by all in the Dark World, a large treasure ship, with a deck at least half the size of a soccer field.

About a century ago, Rein, Tang Sanjie, Liu Maoxing these rising stars among the younger generation, faced off with the Dark World crew on the Loulin Ship, in an epic showdown.

Many ancient recipes that have been passed down appeared during this battle.

Like "Tofu Trio", "Great Magic Panda Tofu".

Like "Golden Opening Smile", "Four Divine Seafood Eight Treasure Soul Suppressing Dumplings".

So, truly boarding the ship, Xia Yu couldn’t help but feel the adrenaline rush, feeling his whole body ignite, "When can I, also present an heirloom-worthy recipe on the Loulin Ship, to be renowned forever?"

Clack!

Suddenly, the previously pitch-black treasure ship erupted with sky-high lighting, breaking the darkness of the pier.

The opposite shore even erupted in exclamations, with tourists pausing to take photos.

"Booming..."

The heavy anchor slowly lifted, the crew unfurled the sails, so the treasure ship set sail, starting its nighttime journey along the Huangpu River.