Chapter 1354: Extra Chapter for Reaching 30 Pink Tickets

Chapter 1354: Chapter 684: Extra Chapter for Reaching 30 Pink Tickets

This pan-fried autumn-born fish was the same; it tasted good, but there was nothing extraordinary about it, and it didn’t seem to be of the standard of a signature dish.

She had just taken a bite, and Huangfuming’s expression had already changed. With a “snap,” he pressed his chopsticks onto the table and called to the clerk, “Come here!”

When a young master calls, the clerk naturally scurried over, bowing, “What can I do for you?”

“The taste of this dish is off!” Huangfuming pointed at the fish on the plate and said coldly, “It’s completely different from what I tasted three years ago. Has Jinfu Building switched chefs and still dared to present this dish as a signature dish?”

His voice was not small, and upon hearing it, the other guests turned their heads around.

The clerk’s face immediately turned green, and he bowed even lower, “Dear customer, could you lower your voice a bit?”

Before Huangfuming could speak, a neighboring table joined in, “We can still hear even if you lower your voice! No wonder it felt off when ordering this autumn-born fish recently, turns out the chef has changed!” The speaker was a dark, thin man, sharing the table with him were two other guests, dressed quite luxuriously, clearly of at least decent standing.

With Huangfuming and the dark, thin man having spoken, the others couldn’t help but chime in, “Yeah, the taste is indeed not as good as before, what happened?”

“They dare to continue presenting it as a signature dish like this!”

“The taste has fallen, why hasn’t the price? Still charging fifteen taels of silver per plate!”

Seeing the crowd’s overwhelming complaints, the clerk couldn’t withstand it, and after a quick bow, he hurriedly retreated. Soon after, the shopkeeper came forward.

With the signature dish ruined, naturally guests would be lost. The shopkeeper’s forehead bore a light sheen of sweat, and he gave a bitter smile, raising his voice, “Autumn-born fish is a rare delicacy; Jinfu Building originally hired a head chef specifically to make autumn-born fish, and what everyone tasted was his skill. But over a month ago, something happened in Taiwei Village. Sigh, this tragic incident is known to all; the master chef’s entire family of twenty-three, except for himself, perished in Taiwei Village. How could he continue working here with such a heart? He returned that very night upon receiving the news, leaving behind an apprentice to make this dish.”

As soon as “Taiwei Village” was mentioned, the room fell silent, and even the angriest guests stopped speaking.

The shopkeeper then bowed to the four corners, “This apprentice has mastered about eighty percent of the skill for making autumn-born fish. Sigh, Jinfu Building has its difficulties too, our two main signature dishes cannot be lost. Ultimately, switching the chef is indeed our fault. Today’s dish at each table is on the house, and we will also offer a complimentary Steamed Peacock Spreading Its Tail Fish as an apology, we truly apologize!”

He spoke sincerely, and many of those dining here were distinguished individuals, not particularly eager for his free meal or compensation, but when it came to “Taiwei Village,” everyone fell silent. Huangfuming’s gaze flickered a couple of times, but he said nothing more.

After quite a while, the conversation in the restaurant gradually resumed.

A guest at the neighboring table held back for a moment, then quietly asked, “I just passed through Taiwei Village last year, the folks there were simple and honest, yet quite prosperous. Judging by everyone’s faces today, what exactly happened there?”

The dark, thin man sipped his drink and said, “You’re from a neighboring state, so you don’t know about this tragedy. Do you know there’s a very powerful demon sect in the west called Hidden Stream?”

Ning Xiaoxian’s hearing was still sharp, and upon hearing the words “Hidden Stream,” her ears immediately perked up.

The guest said, “The matters of immortals are too far from us ordinary folk. If you speak of nearby demon sects, I might know a little, but I’ve never heard of this Hidden Stream.”

The dark, thin man sneered, “Your business is too small; otherwise, you would certainly know the name of this newly worldly, powerful demon sect! Do you know why the area of this state has shrunk by one-third? It’s because of Hidden Stream’s territorial conflict with the local Immortal Sect, Washing Sword Pavilion! Now, Taiwei Village, along with that one-third of the land, has been swallowed by Hidden Stream and annexed into its sphere of influence.”

The guest was puzzled, “Isn’t territorial conflict among immortals a common occurrence?”

The dark, thin man said, “It is common, but this Hidden Stream operates in a particularly unusual way. It first issued an ultimatum to Washing Sword Pavilion, demanding the land of this state. Given this state’s rich resources, how could Washing Sword Pavilion agree? Hidden Stream then threatened that if they did not comply, it would massacre Washing Sword Pavilion!”

The guest gasped, “This demon sect is quite audacious.”

The dark, thin man chuckled, “For other Immortal Sects, that would indeed be audacious, but for Hidden Stream, destroying sects is as routine as daily meals. Originally, it remained hidden in the Bashe Forest at the westernmost end of the continent, but suddenly, three years ago, it went on a rampage, indiscriminately conquering, with formidable strength. Immortal Sects facing it generally have only two choices: submission or death. Before each battle, it declares that if they don’t surrender, it will exterminates every living being in the conquered city!”