Just then, Tang Hao suddenly stepped forward. "Xiangling, let me advise you one last time."
"If you admit defeat now and withdraw from the Cuisine Machine Test of your own accord, I won't pursue this matter, and you won't have to eat the noodles."
"Although we have our differences, as your senior, I still have high hopes for your future."
"What this little... Traveler just said wasn't without reason. My beef noodles are so delicious that people lose themselves in them. Pitifully few can eat a whole bowl and keep their wits about them."
"You're too young. You've only just come of age, haven't you? It's good for young people to be spirited, but you should also know your limits! Don't end up making a complete mess of yourself after eating the noodles, unable to make even a decent dish in the kitchen."
"Go back and practice for a few more years. There's no shame in admitting defeat to your senior now."
Tang Hao didn't want to face Xiangling in the Cuisine Machine Test.
There was a risk he would lose.
Though he thought that risk was very, very small, he couldn't afford to ignore it.
After all, his agreement with Tsarevich was to win the Cuisine Machine Test, and Xiangling was a formidable opponent. If he could "persuade" her to withdraw here, his chances of winning the championship would be greater.
Hearing Tang Hao's "kind advice," Xiangling gave a low chuckle.
"What are you laughing at?"
Tang Hao frowned slightly.
Xiangling raised her head and looked at him with determination.
"Senior Tang Hao, you don't need to say any more."
"I respect you as my senior, but in a cooking contest, you have to give it your all and win your opponent's respect with your skill!"
"I won't admit defeat, and I could never admit defeat!"
"I'll prove that your cooking is wrong!"
"Good food doesn't need underhanded methods at all. A pure love of cooking and tireless effort are the keys to making good food!"
Tang Hao's face instantly turned cold.
"Underhanded methods? Is that what you've always thought of my cooking?"
"Ignorance!"
"Combining ingredients properly and making the utmost use of them are the keys to creating the ultimate dish!"
"For decades, I've continued to refine Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles. I've now perfected the recipe, surpassing all those who came before me."
"I admit your talent may be greater than mine. Given time, you might surpass my Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles, but as you are now, your chances of winning are far too slim!"
"You think you can overcome decades of my painstaking effort with nothing but youthful passion? You're taking too much for granted!"
Xiangling responded just as firmly.
"How can relying on forbidden ingredients to win count as a proper combination and the utmost use of ingredients? How is that any different from taking a shortcut?"
"Senior, your techniques should have been abandoned long ago."
"If you won't face reality, then I'll defeat you with my skills!"
Tang Hao was so angry he laughed.
He nodded repeatedly.
"Fine, fine, fine. I shouldn't have said anything."
"In that case, finish this bowl of noodles!"
"I'd like to see how much energy you have left to make a dish better than Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles after you eat them."
"If you can't, you'll have to withdraw from the Cuisine Machine Test!"
"Same goes for you! And you can never make Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles to harm people again!"
"..."
Tang Hao looked at Tsarevich.
Tsarevich frowned deeply.
If they lost here, Tang Hao would never be able to make Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles again.
Without Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles, how could Tang Hao defeat his opponent in the finals and win the Cuisine Machine Test?
If they failed to win the championship, Tsarevich's own plan would also come to nothing.
The price was a little steep.
He asked Tang Hao in a low voice:
"Tang Hao, are you confident?"
"I'll win."
"..."
Tsarevich gritted his teeth.
"All right! We agree!"
Lumine looked at them and said:
"Fine. I'll be the judge and witness the outcome of this contest."
"Win or lose, don't try any tricks."
"Otherwise... hmph!"
She was referring to Tsarevich.
The cunning, stingy Snezhnayan merchant had left a deep impression on her.
Tsarevich knew full well that Lumine was talking about him and gave an awkward smile.
He abandoned any thought of going back on the deal.
Lumine looked at Xiangling.
"Xiangling, you can eat now."
"If anything happens while you're eating, don't push yourself."
"I'm here, so don't worry. I'll step in."
Xiangling nodded.
"Okay."
Then she picked up her chopsticks again and reached for the bowl of beef noodles.
Slurp, slurp-
She ate the springy, fragrant, spicy beef noodles one mouthful at a time.
The savory, tender, silky, tingling texture struck her taste buds again and again, and an indescribable pleasure shot straight to the top of her head.
The mental defenses she had just built were instantly shattered, as though the beast in her heart had been unleashed, giving free rein to its desires.
Xiangling felt as though she had ascended to paradise.
This taste is-absolutely incredible!
It was indeed the ultimate flavor Tang Hao had spent decades perfecting.
I want more, more!
That voice seemed to be all that remained in her mind.
She unconsciously swallowed the broth faster, her moist eyes growing hazier.
Her eagerness startled everyone present.
Tsarevich finally relaxed completely, a smug smile spreading across his face.
"Well, well, well. Is this the talented junior who talked so big and thought she could defeat her senior?"
"How come she's just like the people outside after eating Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles?"
"Don't eat too fast. You might choke, hahaha."
"Judge, it seems you can announce the result early."
Lumine stared coldly at him, revealing part of the Starblade Sword's icy blade.
The threat was unmistakable.
Tsarevich hurriedly shut his mouth, not daring to provoke her further.
But he couldn't hide the smug expression on his face.
Just as I thought, we'll win!
"Xiangling, Xiangling!"
Lumine patted Xiangling's shoulder worriedly.
But Xiangling just kept gulping down the broth.
Just as Lumine hesitated over whether to knock her out, Xiangling stopped.
She put down the bowl and closed her eyes tightly.
She didn't say a word.
All three watched her nervously.
After a long while,
Xiangling slowly let out a breath.
She opened her eyes.
The haze in them was gone, replaced by clarity.
"You actually-"
Tang Hao couldn't help feeling startled when he saw Xiangling.
She had actually broken free of the effects of Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles.
How was that possible!
"Your noodles really are delicious."
"So delicious that they're the best beef noodles I've ever eaten."
Xiangling looked calmly at Tang Hao.
"But just like I said, no matter how good it tastes, if the approach is wrong, it isn't food-it's poison!"
Tang Hao was still unwilling to accept it.
"How did you come to your senses so quickly? That's absolutely impossible! I don't believe you have that kind of willpower! How old are you?"
"Even I can barely break free of its effects."
Xiangling shook her head.
"Senior, your Emotion-Forsaking Beef Noodles really are remarkable. I almost lost myself completely in the pleasure they brought."
"Why did I wake up so quickly? Because that pleasure came too fast and was too hollow. It didn't feel real at all. It was as though I wasn't eating noodles, but slowly becoming a slave to my desires, gradually abandoning the boundaries of my humanity!"
"Just as my desires were becoming insatiable, I came to my senses and realized it was all nothing but an illusion."
(It's Sunday, a day off, so here's an extra chapter.)