Chapter 00166: The Chef Who Interferes in Others' Affairs
# The Chef Who Interferes in Others' Affairs
Chapter 166
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 166: The Chef Who Interferes in Others' Affairs
People like Steward Qiong would never remember the favor of a mere chef like Ding Huan.
Ding Huan didn’t dare to impose the request for the Ningxing Bamboo onto himself, but he was also unwilling to give it away for free.
"How about this, once we arrive at the sect, I will ask the Mission Hall what the Ningxing Bamboo can be exchanged for, okay?"
Seeing that Ding Huan seemed a bit reluctant, Steward Qiong could only offer a half-hearted promise.
After all, he needed to give face to both Ding Huan and Guan Wu, the chef of the Young Sect Master’s wife, even if it was a temporary position.
"Then thank you, Steward Qiong," Ding Huan replied, knowing he had no other choice due to his lower status.
Even though Ding Huan had not been granted entry into the Yan Yue Sect, his status had noticeably risen.
After all, he had shared a meal with Elder Gu and Steward Qiong.
In the following days, each time they set up camp and Ding Huan went to search for ingredients, the two guarding disciples of Yan Yue Sect would greet him.
Guan Wu was increasingly pleased with Ding Huan.
This chef was indeed a good choice, as fresh ingredients arrived each day with varied cooking methods—steaming, boiling, frying, and stir-frying—it seemed there was nothing this Chef Ding couldn’t do.
Before they left, whether from family or friends, many had said that the journey from the mortal realm to the sect was the most dangerous.
Now, to Guan Wu, it felt no different than enjoying a leisurely trip.
As they entered the Grand Chasm Canyon, Steward Qiong had emphasized the dangers along the way, seemingly trying to instill caution among his companions.
This was already the twelfth day since entering the Grand Chasm Canyon, and it was time to set up camp.
Just then, five or six blood-soaked individuals rushed towards the Yan Yue Sect's group from the front.
“Stop!” Elder Gu immediately commanded the group to halt.
Quickly, those individuals reached them.
Despite seeing Elder Gu and the others, the leader of the group crazily raised his weapon and swung it about.
Elder Gu shouted coldly and reached out to grab the sword that was pointed at him.
With Elder Gu's fierce shout, the newcomers seemed to regain their senses and halted.
“You are Elder Gu Youchang of Yan Yue Sect?” the man who had lunged at Elder Gu finally recognized him, a hint of excitement in his tone.
Elder Gu nodded. “Indeed, I am Gu Youchang. If I am not mistaken, you must be from Tian Qi Sect, right? What happened to you all?”
“Elder Gu, ahead, ahead…” The man was momentarily at a loss for words, unable to express what he wanted to say.
Ding Huan's heart stirred at the mention of Tian Qi Sect.
Isn't that the sect somewhat related to Wei Qi? He had searched the square in Daye City for it but hadn’t seen Tian Qi Sect; he thought they hadn’t come to this disciples’ selection event.
Unexpectedly, they not only came but also arrived ahead of Yan Yue Sect.
“Calm down, take a deep breath and speak clearly,” Steward Qiong urged.
Fortunately, the man finally calmed down, a look of guilt in his eyes. “I am Han Weicheng from Tian Qi Sect, responsible for recruiting disciples from our sect this time. Aside from me, our Elder Zhen Feng has also come, along with two Foundation Establishment disciples. Including the sixteen new disciples we recruited, that makes a total of twenty…”
Elder Gu frowned slightly. “Steward Han, with only four of you plus sixteen newbies, your strength is quite lacking to traverse the Grand Chasm Canyon.”
This wasn’t Elder Gu trying to belittle them, but Tian Qi Sect was not known for their combat prowess; they were primarily a sect focused on crafting.
Thus, with only four from Tian Qi Sect, their fighting ability was still weak.
Judging by Han Weicheng and the others' appearances, they likely encountered a formidable beast, or perhaps a horde of beasts.
Han Weicheng replied sadly, “It’s not that; we knew our strength was insufficient to cross the Grand Chasm Canyon alone, so we joined forces with the Grand Sword Sect.”
Elder Gu’s face darkened at the mention of teaming up with the Grand Sword Sect.
While Tian Qi Sect could easily be overlooked, the Grand Sword Sect was another story altogether.
The Grand Sword Sect was known for its sword techniques, and most of its disciples could fight above their ranks; their strength was likely not weaker than Yan Yue Sect, and in combat, even stronger.
“How many came from Grand Sword Sect?” Elder Gu asked with a grave expression.
Han Weicheng was still flustered. “The third elder, Guan Qiusheng, led the team, along with Steward Ge Zhu and four Foundation Establishment inner disciples.”
Elder Gu’s expression changed entirely.
He knew Guan Qiusheng all too well; his strength would only be greater than Elder Gu's, not lesser.
As for Steward Ge, he could easily eliminate the Yan Yue Sect's steward, Dong Qiong, this time around.
If even the third elder of the Grand Sword Sect couldn’t handle the beasts, one could only wonder how strong those beasts really were.
“Where’s Elder Guan?” Elder Gu asked slowly.
Han Weicheng shook his head. “I don’t know. The black mist seemed to explode out of nowhere, followed by our disciples’ screams. I heard Elder Guan’s loud shout, then felt something grabbing my neck, making it hard to breathe. All I could do was run back in a panic…”
“You didn’t encounter beasts?” Elder Gu was even more astonished.
“I’m not sure if they were beasts. I didn’t see anything at all. A mass of black suddenly fell from above and exploded, then I felt my neck being squeezed, the coldness permeating my body as if it would freeze me solid.”
As Han Weicheng spoke, fear was evident in his eyes.
“What about your companions?” Elder Gu turned to look at the others behind Han Weicheng.
The others looked even more distressed than Han Weicheng, their faces pale and seemingly still in a daze.
“Steward Qiong, what do you think?” Elder Gu felt that this matter had surpassed his control.
Steward Qiong shook his head, equally unsure of what to do.
If they set up camp here, it was too close to where Tian Qi Sect and Grand Sword Sect had encountered trouble, and the outcome would be unpredictable.
“Should we retreat a little and set up camp? We can wait for the other sects to arrive and gather together before proceeding?” a protective disciple of Yan Yue Sect suggested, fear evident in his voice.
They had come here just to complete a task; had they known it would be this dangerous, they would not have come.
Steward Qiong was about to speak, but Ding Huan stepped forward and said, “Steward Qiong, ever since I was young, my sixth sense has always been quite accurate. I have a vague feeling that we should set up camp right here. If we retreat, it’s hard to say whether anything worse will happen.”
Everyone stared at Ding Huan in astonishment.
It wasn’t that they questioned the accuracy of Ding Huan’s intuition; it was just that he had no standing to speak in such matters.
What place was this? Elders and stewards from the sect were discussing important matters.
It was understandable for the protective disciples to interject, but what qualifications did a mere chef have to offer such critical advice?
Perhaps it was because Ding Huan had contributed a stalk of Ningxing Bamboo, or maybe it was due to him being Guan Wu’s chef that they allowed him some leeway.
While Steward Qiong furrowed his brow at Ding Huan’s lack of decorum, he didn’t reprimand him but instead looked at Elder Gu.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Elder Gu said, “Alright, we’ll set up camp here today, but increase the number of guards on the perimeter.”
Elder Gu accepted Ding Huan’s suggestion.
“Steward Han, you and your people can rest inside for now; we’ll take care of the outside matters.”
Elder Gu kindly reminded him.
As a steward responsible for recruiting disciples, Han Weicheng naturally understood the intricacies involved.
Elder Gu’s suggestion for him to rest should not be taken lightly.
Given it was now Yan Yue Sect’s territory, he had to come forth during the night watch; otherwise, if he angered Yan Yue Sect, they could easily kick him and his companions out.
“Elder Gu, since I have gone through this experience, I’ll participate in the watch as well,” Han Weicheng said without hesitation.
Elder Gu considered for a moment and nodded. “Fine, you and Steward Qiong will each take a side, and I will handle the front. Remember, I'll set up a defensive formation and establish a protective line; everyone must not stray beyond it.”
Ding Huan suddenly spoke up. “Elder Gu, as a chef, I haven’t contributed much; I’d like to join the watch tonight as well.”
“You want to join the watch?” Ding Huan's words shocked everyone once again.
What position does a mere chef hold in a watch?
“Daoist Ding, this is no joke; you are not a disciple of the sect but just a chef; this is not your concern…” Steward Qiong looked at Ding Huan in disbelief.
Implied in his words was clear: what could a chef contribute in this situation? Just don’t make things worse.
Ding Huan smiled faintly. “Steward Qiong, I do have some strength; it’s just that my talent and spiritual roots are lacking, which is why I wasn’t selected by the sect.”
Elder Gu, recalling some of Ding Huan’s recent contributions, nodded. “Alright, you can stay with Steward Qiong then.”
Ding Huan quickly added, “Steward Qiong’s team has several guards from Yan Yue Sect. I’d rather follow Steward Han’s side?”
This was Ding Huan's true intention; he wanted to make contact with Han Weicheng.
As for the night watch, that was just incidental.
Earlier, Wei Qi had mentioned he had friends in Tian Qi Sect, and Ding Huan had been pondering how to reach out to them.
Now that he had the chance to meet a steward from Tian Qi Sect, he couldn’t let the opportunity slip by.
As for danger, he had already assessed that he wouldn’t encounter any trouble tonight.
The safety of others was beyond the concern of a mere chef.
Guan Wu could only look at Ding Huan helplessly, thinking, what business does a cooking chef have with watch duties? Isn’t this just meddling?
It was hard for her to voice her objections, as Ding Huan was merely a chef she had invited, not someone from her family.
What he chose to do was beyond her authority to intervene.
Initially, she had only invited Ding Huan to take care of their meals during the month-long journey.
Once they reached Yan Yue Sect, there would be dedicated chefs to cook for her.
After observing him for some time, Guan Wu was considering keeping Ding Huan around for a long time to manage her meals.
Yet, she also felt that Ding Huan seemed to be more than just an ordinary chef.
If it had been anyone else, they would have eagerly accepted such an invitation, but Ding Huan was different.
(Requesting votes of support, today’s update ends here.
Goodnight, friends!)
(End of Chapter)