The Wilderness Zone was wild and desolate, but today it seemed a little different. In a hotel restaurant, more than a dozen Councilor-level warriors—people rarely seen under ordinary circumstances—had gathered, wolfing down bowls of noodles and occasionally voicing their praise.
After finishing up, Xue Xi came out, wiping her hands with a clean cloth. She faced everyone's heated gazes without so much as a change in expression, accepting their praise and scrutiny with composure. The representatives of the various factions, each with their own agendas, finished their meals and gave her a thumbs-up.
Only then did Xue Xi state her position: "I'm glad you've all come to dine at my little shop. I know why you're here, so while everyone's gathered, let me make this clear: I'll be adding all kinds of dishes with unusual abilities to the menu in the future. As for me, I won't be joining any faction. If you want to eat, you're welcome here, but let's not discuss anything else."
When she finished, the people below reacted in different ways. The Two Great Dojos looked disappointed, as if they'd expected this, but said nothing more. The HR Alliance and the representatives from the four countries, on the other hand, immediately changed their expressions and began whispering among themselves.
Two people had come from America: a white man and a short, yellow-skinned man dressed in a samurai uniform. The white man gave the samurai a look, and the short man immediately slammed the table and sprang to his feet. "Baka! How can a little girl like you decide what to do with food this heavenly? If you won't come with us, then hand over the recipe! That way, we won't have to come all the way to this godforsaken dump to eat!"
Xue Xi stared at the dwarf melon of a man, a tiny mustache under his nose, barking like a dog with an owner nearby. She was instantly disgusted. How had she not noticed him earlier? She'd even served him food. Damn it.
Fuming, Xue Xi felt as if all the food she'd worked so hard to make had gone to the dogs. A stream of colorful curses was already forming in her mind, and she was just about to transform into the Great Cursing Emperor of Zu'an when Lu Gang slammed the table and stood up first. "Eat your grandma's ass! Who's so blind they'd bring a dog that's lost its country in here to eat? It's been making everyone sick this whole time. Didn't anyone think to leash it?"
He aimed his barbed insults at the white American, completely ignoring the little Japanese man beside him, whose face had turned black with rage. Xue Xi felt much better. Picking up where Lu Gang had left off, she said, "My mistake. Next time, I'll put up a poster at the door saying no dogs allowed. Your island's gone, yet you're still barking so loudly. Have you mutated from drinking too much nuclear wastewater?"
The little Japanese man looked as if he couldn't bear the humiliation any longer. With a metallic clatter, he drew the samurai sword at his waist, gripped it in both hands, and lunged at Xue Xi.
"Beast, how dare you?!" Wang Yu and the Inspector from the Thunder Martial Arts Hall hurled their chopsticks at the little Japanese man's back.
The little Japanese man was only a mid-level War God, but both his hands were pinned to the floor by the two chopsticks. He wailed without stopping.
Suddenly, a voice came from outside before its owner appeared: "How come I can hear an oriental Japanese dog barking from so far away? Lu, we'll have to tighten up the entry procedures in the future. Not just anything should be allowed into our land of Shenzhou."
An elderly man in a Zhongshan suit strode into the restaurant. With a casual kick, he sent the noisy lump of rotten flesh on the floor flying out of the restaurant. He then used his water-element Planetary Realm talent to wash the floor before finally sitting down beside Lu Gang, satisfied. Looking at Xue Xi, who was standing on the platform, he said, "Shopkeeper, don't worry about this mess. You can keep your shop open for as long as you like on my Huaxia soil. If you need anything, just ask. But for now, get this old man a bowl of noodles. I'd just finished a meeting when Lu called me over, and I'm nearly starving."
Xue Xi knew full well that the idea of a Planetary Realm warrior starving to death was just a joke. But if someone was willing to step in and handle things for her, there was no need to worry. She could just focus on cooking. Let me count—how many more likes do I need to unlock the next page?
She lowered her head to count on her fingers, then went into the kitchen and started preparing her favorite tomato-braised Cat Ear Noodles. By the way, how had she received a dislike? It had even canceled out one of the earlier likes. Could the dog outside have done it? Indeed, she'd better put up a sign soon saying Japanese dogs weren't allowed. Why hadn't they all died out yet? What a shame.
Outside, Jia Yi watched with a smile as Xue Xi went into the kitchen. The smile faded from his face, and the imposing aura of the leader of Mount Hua spread around him. His gaze swept sharply over everyone seated there, lingering especially on the grim-faced American representative.
He looked down on everyone and spoke forcefully: "You're all people of standing, so let me make this clear. Xue Xi can open her shop here, and you can come eat. But if anyone else acts like that dog just did, I don't mind helping Hong clean up the filth in the War God Palace!"
Under the pressure of this true Huaxia War God, the various factions quickly withdrew, though they all said they couldn't decide on their own and would have to go back and discuss it.
The restaurant was suddenly empty, with only Wang Yu, Jia Yi, and Lu Gang left. The atmosphere relaxed, and Wang Yu and Jia Yi began chatting, with Lu Gang occasionally chiming in.
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