Heavenly Court's First Manga Fans

Li Tingyu recognized him at once. Though the drawing did not look exactly like him, that appearance, coupled with the three heads and six arms, was unique in the Heavenly Court.

The older generation of immortals all knew the story of Investiture of the Gods. Most had even lived through it, and quite a few families had records of it. But those things were duller than novels. Adults had no interest in them, much less children.

But the comic books Qin Fen had sent out were different. They had both pictures and text, and the stories were gripping. It was like how little kids loved Pleasant Goat and Boonie Bears. These country bumpkin children of the Heavenly Court had never seen anything like this before, and they were instantly stunned.

Though Qin Fen had not witnessed the scene, he could absolutely imagine it. It was like seeing Black Cat Detective and Calabash Brothers as a child. That kind of shock and appeal was deadly. What was more, the book featured elders they were familiar with. The sense of immersion and curiosity simply soared through the sky.

So when they saw the Earth God take out this set of comic books, the little brats of the Heavenly Court were dumbfounded. They immediately snatched them from his hands and stood to the side, flipping through them. Four little kids squeezed onto one bench to read a single book, each wanting to start from the beginning. The moment they opened it, they were hooked by the illustrations and story.

Cao Ning sniffed and pointed at the drawing. "Li Tingyu, look. Your Third Uncle turned into a lotus-root man, but he doesn't have one. So your Third Uncle really doesn't have one."

"I... I'll sneak a look next time! This book might not be accurate, but a lot of what's in it is the same as what my family says." Li Tingyu spoke with an odd expression.

The Earth God was completely dumbstruck at the side. Immortal sir, once your book came out, so many little monsters would go crazy. It was over, completely over. Early education was terrifying. Yet upon hearing this, Qin Fen wanted to reply, "The cultural authorities will never let a single exposed point slip through!"

Unfortunately, he was busy making money right now.

Qin Fen was fairly diligent about work. At least in his previous life, he had never been late. So early in the morning, before nine o'clock, he ambled over to Dayang Department Store and entered the restaurant.

"Brother Qin, you're here so early." The waitress Xiaomei greeted Qin Fen when she saw him.

"Yeah. I never knew before, but starting yesterday, I learned that the food service industry is just like going to war." Qin Fen swallowed his buns in a few bites.

"Yeah, when it gets busy, there's just too much to handle."

"So I came early. I'll treat you to soy milk." As he spoke, Qin Fen handed over the soy milk he had bought but had not had time to drink.

Xiaomei blushed. "Thank you, Brother Qin. Ah, President Sun is here too."

"Qin Fen, why aren't you treating your big sister to soy milk?" Sun Yating appeared behind him with a sweet smile.

Qin Fen turned around and saw that face licking its lips. "I'll treat you to something fresh later." He shot her a fierce glare. Flirting so early in the morning—didn't she know men were full of fire?

"Oh, then I'll wait." With that, she left Qin Fen with the sight of two trembling half-globes. Her skin-tight skirt reached the roots of her thighs, highlighting her long legs, while the little leather skirt added a touch of irresistible charm.

You damn vixen, would it kill you not to tease people? If you've got the guts, do it for real. Qin Fen cursed under his breath and walked into the kitchen. The others had mostly arrived as well.

When Zhang Ye saw Qin Fen enter, he immediately pointed at the vegetables on the table. "Qin Fen, cut these first. I heard your knife skills are pretty good, so do a little more."

Several apprentices' eyes bulged. Holy crap, that was work for all of them. One person? Could he even handle it?

Qin Fen glanced at the table full of ingredients and frowned. This was a little deliberate. But he understood. Sun Yating had brought him in, and he had been hired as a chef, threatening Zhang Ye's position.

Wherever there were people, there was conflict. In truth, he only wanted to be a quiet handsome man.

"What, is there a problem? If there is, I'll get someone to help you." Zhang Ye smiled.

A problem? How could there be one? Qin Fen was a new man with the four virtues, a real man with some backbone. "No need." He walked to the table. Good heavens, yesterday the potatoes had at least been peeled. Today, they were whole and not even washed.

He picked up a potato in one hand and a knife in the other. "My job today is to cut and prepare all of these, right?"

"That's right. You don't need to do anything else." The smile on Zhang Ye's face grew wider.

"Fine." Qin Fen took a deep breath. Go ahead and play your games. Thanks for sending me experience; I was just worried I would not get enough practice.

With the knife in hand, he gave it a spin. A standard Food God Opening Stance: the handle twisted, sending the blade spinning once through the air. Qin Fen gripped it sharply. The potato in his left hand automatically moved forward, and the blade shifted like a dancing butterfly, weaving around one side of the potato. His right hand moved without pause while his left hand gently twisted and rolled the potato. A great shower of peelings fell from the air.

The speed was like performing with a sword.

The apprentices were dumbstruck. Zhang Ye was dumbstruck too. So fast.

With a flick of his hand, a peeled potato dropped into the tray. Qin Fen smoothly scooped up the second one without even pausing to catch his breath.

Those movements, as precise as a high-precision machine, left everyone staring blankly.

One, two, three potatoes. Under their vacant gazes, Qin Fen quickly peeled every potato, then took the basin to the sink to rinse them. After that came the rapid, dense clang-clang-clang of blade striking cutting board.

"What the—he's even faster than yesterday, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he's practically inhuman."

This kid really had some skill. Zhang Ye frowned. Watching Qin Fen's movements, he knew Qin Fen was an expert with the knife.

"What are you looking at? Get back to washing vegetables!" Zhang Ye roared unhappily. The shocked and admiring looks from the surrounding apprentices made him extremely uncomfortable. It was as though his spotlight had been stolen.

Qin Fen ignored his surroundings and immersed himself in the realm of knife work. With constant practice, the skills inherited from the Food God were continuously being developed, becoming more and more proficient.

Before long, a large plate of shredded potatoes was ready.

He picked up a cucumber beside him, peeled it just as quickly, then washed it clean. The blade shifted, and with a sharp smack, a few swift cuts finished preparing the cucumber as well.

Looking at the winter melon on the table, Qin Fen raised his knife and brought it down, splitting it in two. He held a small knife in his left hand and a cleaver in his right. His right hand began chopping the minced meat with rapid clangs.

Yet his gaze remained fixed on his left hand, without even looking to the right. The blade in his left hand moved like a carving knife, swiftly passing over the winter melon's outer skin. Flecks of green peel flew out, and a simple pattern soon emerged.

"Fuck, is he carving flowers?" An apprentice stared in disbelief.

"Yes. Look, he's carving with his left hand while chopping the meat with his right without stopping at all. And he's turning and cutting at the perfect moments, so the mince doesn't scatter. He keeps chopping it over and over, making it finer and finer. Chopping meat, carving flowers, and thinking about the pattern at the same time—holy crap, is he even human?"

Qin Fen was completely immersed in his own world, clearing away every distracting thought around him. His expression was focused.

Sun Yating, passing by the doorway, stopped as well. Her eyes widened as she watched him. Was this for real? Was he performing acrobatics? She was completely shocked by Qin Fen's knife work. She had thought he was skilled, but she had never expected him to be this outrageous.

Hearing the apprentices' chatter, Zhang Ye turned around as well and was instantly dumbfounded. He was an expert himself. He had studied cooking for over ten years, spending six of those years immersed in knife work. He was considered a master of the knife in the industry, but when he looked at Qin Fen, the corner of his mouth twitched violently.

Could this be the legendary ability to use one's mind for two tasks at once, one of the highest realms of knife work—the Synchronized Winter Melon Bowl?