"Where are they? Have you found them yet? Why is Kael the only one who left?"
After Shan and the others vanished, the Dark Cooking Society members were completely baffled.
Shan and several others had clearly been waiting here for Kael, yet now Kael had left—and Shan's group had disappeared without a trace.
They had been watching this alley the whole time. No one should have been able to slip away right under their noses unless there was some kind of underground passage.
But how could a place like this possibly have a hidden tunnel?
So after Kael departed, they immediately went to look for Shan and the others. They needed to know why the plan had failed.
After searching the area thoroughly, the group realized, to their shock, that Shan and the rest were truly gone.
"That guy is definitely not human. He's a monster. Those four people disappeared in the inn before, and now even Lady Shan and the others are gone!"
Given what had happened, it was hard not to think that way. More than ten people—four yesterday, several more today—had vanished silently, without leaving behind even the slightest clue.
"Shut up," the leader snapped. "There's no such thing as monsters. Keep searching. Even if you have to dig ten feet into the ground, find them. I'll report this."
After barking the order, the leader turned and left. Truth be told, even he felt uneasy. The same thing had happened at the inn before, and now again in this alley—nothing could be found.
But as the one in charge, he couldn't show fear in front of his subordinates. If he wavered, the others would too.
As for the rest of them, aside from the fanatics willing to die, everyone else was deeply anxious, worried they might have crossed paths with something truly ominous and end up dragged down with it.
A few days later, the news finally reached the Dark Cooking Society. In this era, delivering information within a few days was already impressively fast.
When Kaiyu saw the report, he exploded with rage.
Shan had been his right-hand woman. Her cooking skill was only at the Lin Chef level, and not even among the strongest at that rank, but Kaiyu had always indulged her.
She used underhanded tactics in duels, yes—but in his view, achieving one's goal by any means necessary wasn't shameful.
Failing was.
Shan was loyal to him, utterly so. The poison dishes he made weren't something just anyone dared to eat. No one knew when Kaiyu might decide to turn someone into an experiment.
Only Shan never doubted him. Whatever Kaiyu told her to eat, she ate without hesitation.
Capable, loyal, and beautiful—Kaiyu valued her deeply.
That was why this report left him stunned. Shan was gone, along with several Dark Cooking Society members. And no matter how he looked at it, the details were absurd. People didn't just vanish into thin air.
Yet he also didn't believe his subordinates would betray him—especially not Shan's own trusted followers.
Caught between disbelief and suspicion, Kaiyu found himself at a loss.
In the end, he gave the order to send more death squads after Kael, determined to see what was really going on. At the same time, he dispatched several of his most trusted aides as well.
No matter what, the Legendary Kitchenware had to be secured.
Kaiyu was also wary of retaliation from the Taiji Cuisine Realm. When he betrayed them, he'd shown no mercy. The one who hated him most was probably Jielan, the Mother Tigress.
He didn't know why the Taiji Cuisine Realm still hadn't acted, but he knew one thing—once the Legendary Kitchenware was in his hands, he'd have leverage.
Otherwise, facing them head-on would be nearly impossible. Back then, he'd only won because he caught them off guard. In a direct confrontation now, victory would be far from assured.
Just Ramon's lightning alone would overwhelm them, not to mention the other members of the Phoenix Eight Immortals.
After receiving their orders, the Dark Cooking Society moved quickly against Kael. He was about to enter Guangzhou, and once he did, they wouldn't be able to act so recklessly.
The result was obvious.
Not a single attacker survived.
Kael accepted them all without hesitation. Since they were so eager to die, he was more than happy to send them on their way.
As for the Dark Cooking Society itself, Kael had no intention of wiping them out just yet. With his strength, he could storm their headquarters and eliminate them outright—but he wanted them to work for him instead.
Letting them gather the Legendary Kitchenware would save him a lot of trouble. He was only one person, after all. Scouring the entire continent alone would be tedious, even if his physical ability and speed made it possible.
Once they gathered what they could, he would simply take it from them.
Of course, that all depended on him first obtaining the Ever-Soul Knife and the map to the Legendary Kitchenware. Without those maps, the Dark Cooking Society wouldn't be able to find anything anyway.
By now, counting Shan's group, the Dark Cooking Society had already lost six separate teams.
—
Yangquan Restaurant was bustling as always, packed with a constant stream of customers. But when important guests arrived, Zhou Yu personally took charge—just like today.
Dish after dish was served.
As Kael sampled Zhou Yu's cooking, he quickly noticed that these dishes placed extraordinary emphasis on heat control. Zhou Yu's mastery of fire was clearly a step above his other fundamentals.
That undoubtedly came from Yangquan Restaurant's inherited secret technique—the Essence of Firecraft. While it couldn't compare to Kael's Explosive Flame, it was still a powerful secret art.
As long as Zhou Yu didn't face chefs like the Phoenix Eight Immortals or Kael himself, he was practically unbeatable when it came to fire techniques.
"Chef Zhou Yu is incredible," Kael said. "He should be close to becoming a Dragon Chef, right?"
"Mr. Kael, you flatter him," Master Luo replied with a smile. "That boy is indeed on the verge of reaching Dragon Chef. If I may be so bold—what level has Mr. Kael's cooking reached?"
Master Luo seized the opportunity to ask. It wasn't really a sensitive question. Kael was a chef; once he cooked, his level would inevitably be revealed anyway.
Still, Master Luo kept his posture low—not only because he couldn't gauge Kael's true depth, but also because he had something to ask of him.
"Dragon Chef," Kael answered plainly. "I'm currently at the Dragon Chef level."
He didn't bother hiding it.
According to Master Yuxian, even many Supreme Dragon Chefs wouldn't be able to defeat him now.