After letting Tang Hao see it, the man put it away.
He paid no attention to Tang Hao's murderous glare.
He knew that from this moment on, their positions had been completely reversed. He held the initiative.
"What do you want me to do?"
Tang Hao asked in a low voice.
Since this man had come looking for him and brought that thing out, he definitely wanted him to do something.
The man chuckled and stroked his mustache.
"Don't rush. I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Tsarevich, a perfectly ordinary merchant from Snezhnaya. You can also call me the esteemed Mr. Tsarevich."
An ordinary merchant?
Tang Hao scoffed inwardly.
An ordinary merchant who knew full well what was going on here had actually dared to seek him out and even threaten him.
He was no ordinary merchant.
If this had happened when Tang Hao was young and hot-blooded, he would have hit him hard.
Tang Hao wasn't in the mood to expose Tsarevich's easily punctured lie.
"Cut the crap. What exactly do you want me to do?"
"Straight to the point. In that case, I'll be frank. I need you to enter the Cuisine Machine Test in a few days and win the championship, then join my Sea Overlord Restaurant as the champion."
"The Cuisine Machine Test?"
"That's right!"
"..."
Tang Hao fell silent.
He hadn't expected this to be why Tsarevich had sought him out.
"...I can agree to that, but I can't say for certain that I'll win the championship!"
Tsarevich frowned.
"How can you not be certain? You're the thirty-eighth-generation inheritor of Tang Family Cuisine. You've never met a match under heaven."
Tang Hao shook his head.
"That was in the past. Now the culinary world is flourishing, and talented people keep appearing. It'll be hard for me to outshine them all."
"Take the long-established Wanmin Restaurant, for example. It has a long and rich heritage. Every generation of inheritors pours a lifetime of effort into the next, and that accumulated over the years until it reached the current inheritor, a girl named Xiangling."
"She's incredibly gifted and has absorbed the strengths of nearly every school. Her cooking is astonishing, and she constantly comes up with new ideas. Even an old man like me, who's been retired for years, has heard of her."
"Beating an opponent like that will be very, very difficult."
At the mention of Xiangling, Tsarevich recalled how the two had ganged up on him yesterday, and his expression darkened further.
"Tang Hao, don't belittle yourself and glorify others. Have faith in your cooking."
"And remember, I'm not asking you. I'm ordering you! I'm ordering you to win the championship!"
"If you can't do it, then don't even think about finding out..."
Tang Hao's gaze sharpened.
How dare he threaten him? Did he really think Tang Hao was made of clay?
A terrifying killing intent began to brew.
But when he thought of... the killing intent dissipated.
Tsarevich was shrewd enough to notice the subtle change in Tang Hao's expression, and he couldn't help sneering.
"What? Thinking of making a move against me? You'd better think carefully about the consequences!"
"If anything happens to me, you'll never find out!"
"..."
Tang Hao slowly let out a breath.
He said calmly:
"Even if you force me, all I can say is that I'll do my utmost. I can't guarantee I'll win the championship."
"And whether I win or lose, you have to tell me about them."
Tsarevich gave him a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Mr. Tang Hao, that's a completely unequal deal."
"How do I know you won't throw the match on purpose?"
Tang Hao looked displeased.
"When I promise someone something, I always give it my all! Either trust me or find someone else."
"But I believe there's no one better suited than me, is there?"
Tsarevich wanted to use his strength to defeat Wanmin Restaurant and take the championship, which meant he had no presentable chef of his own and could only come to Tang Hao.
That was why Tang Hao felt confident enough to negotiate terms with Tsarevich.
Tsarevich sank into thought. When he looked at Tang Hao again, his expression still wasn't pleasant, but he nodded nonetheless.
"Fine, I'll take that gamble with you. Don't disappoint me."
"I'll do my best."
"Since you're doing your best, there's no need to keep the Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles hidden away, is there? It's time to bring them back into the light."
"Do you know what you're saying?!" Tang Hao stared at him.
Tsarevich, however, didn't think much of it.
"Do I need to repeat myself? Bring back the Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles."
"That was your reason for coming to me, wasn't it?"
"What else? What else do you have that's worth my interest? Give me an answer. Will you do it or not?"
"...Fine! But let me warn you, the Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles will bring you tremendous risks. They might even attract the Ministry of Civil Affairs' attention!" he said in a low voice.
"Do you still want to do it?"
The painful lesson the Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles had brought back then was still vivid in Tang Hao's mind.
"Of course I know, but as the saying goes, the bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish. As long as no one dies from eating them, that's enough. Besides, I trust you haven't gone all these years without making any improvements," Tsarevich said with a smile.
"...Heh, you really have some nerve."
"People die for wealth, just as birds die for food."
"..."
"There's still some time before the Cuisine Machine Test. During that time, stay at the Sea Overlord and make Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles. I'll make sure you have everything you need."
"That much of a hurry?"
"Time is money. We can't afford to waste a moment. We have to make a name for the Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles as soon as possible."
"Fine. If anything happens, I won't take any responsibility."
"Don't be so quick to distance yourself. Do you think you can get away?"
"...Just give me what I want."
The two sides formally reached an agreement to work together.
Tang Hao made a request.
In order to make perfect Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles,
he wanted control over the choice of ingredients, costs, prices... all of it.
Not only was Tsarevich forbidden from interfering as he pleased, he also had to support him at all times.
It was an excessive demand, to say the least.
It was equivalent to giving him the authority of a restaurant manager, with complete control.
Tsarevich thought it was inappropriate, but he could only rely on Tang Hao.
In the end, he reluctantly agreed.
His condition, however, was that Tang Hao had to accept his constant supervision. If he noticed anything wrong, he would immediately take back all those powers.
Having gotten what he wanted, Tang Hao naturally agreed.
With that, the two sides formally reached an agreement to work together.
In the blink of an eye, three days flew by.
The Ye Residence.
"Ahhhh-"
"I want to go out! Out!"
Shen Luolun lay sprawled across the stone table, whining as though he had nothing left to live for.
His face was full of gloom and irritation.
"Didn't Little Lan tell you to stay in the residence and behave yourself for the time being?" Madam Xiao said with a smile.
"But she didn't say it'd be this long!"
"It's been three days, godmother. Grass is practically growing on my head."
Shen Luolun pouted.
His face was full of grievance.
Heaven knew how he'd gotten through those three days.
All he did was eat and sleep, and every so often a certain woman would send him razor blades to demand more chapters, squeezing labor out of him.
How was that any different from being a beast of burden?
I wrote novels for financial freedom. Now I'm financially free, but my body isn't free. Didn't I write them for nothing?
"Little Lan is thinking of your safety too. Public security around Liyue Harbor really hasn't been good lately. Unsavory things happen from time to time, so it's important to stay alert."
As Madam Xiao spoke, she moved a chess piece.
"Check!"
Shen Luolun glanced at the board and felt like laughing.
"Godmother, elephants can't fly across the river in Chinese chess. That's common knowledge."
He and Madam Xiao were playing Chinese chess. Madam Xiao's elephant had just crossed the river like Superman, captured his lead pawn, and come face-to-face with his general.
Even if elephants really could cross the river, couldn't they only move diagonally by two spaces? Why are you checking me like a chariot?
"Oh, really?"
Madam Xiao asked in surprise.
Shen Luolun: (｡＞∀＜｡) (nodding)
"All right, all right. I thought it could fly."
Her tone was full of regret.
"Godmother, didn't you study the Four Books and Five Classics from childhood? You don't know how to play Chinese chess?"
"I used to, but it's been over ten years. I've forgotten most of it. It's impressive enough that I can still remember what the pieces look like."
Then why are you playing chess with me?
Shen Luolun was interested in crushing noobs.
But crushing an absolute noob was no fun at all.
She'd even made an elephant fly across the river. Winning or losing didn't matter anymore.
But seeing how enthusiastic Madam Xiao still looked after her mistake had been pointed out, Shen Luolun couldn't bring himself to say something cruel like, "Trash, go back and practice for a few hundred years before you come challenge me."
"Godmother, has anyone ever told you you're good at chess?"
"Oh, no."
Why is Little Luo asking that?
Is he going to say I'm good at chess?
Oh my, young people are so sweet-tongued.
I didn't expect to get praised after making such a basic mistake. How embarrassing.
I can't be stingy either. I'll give Little Luo an extra chicken leg next time.
Madam Xiao thought happily, eagerly waiting to be praised.
"Then why the hell are you playing?! If you're bad, practice more!"
For the first time, Madam Xiao became visibly furious.
"Little-Luo!"