Chapter 417: The Odorless Egg-Fried Rice
Translator: CatatoPatch Editor: Vermillion
"What? Did you just say that Owner Bu left the Imperial Capital and traveled out again?"
Ni Yan looked at Ouyang Xiaoyi whose complexion was quite strange. After some questioning, Xiaoyi nodded her head in affirmation.
Xiaoyi was already accustomed to this life as Bu Fang had been traveling around quite frequently. Bu Fang rarely stayed in the store. Every time he came back, he would invent a new dish. It could be seen that Bu Fang was traveling out in order to look for inspiration to create a new dish.
Ni Yan sighed and a disappointed expression appeared on her face. She wanted to meet Owner Bu and taste one of his handmade dishes. However, this lassie in front of her didn't know where he ran off to.
She decided to let it go. She could only hope that fate would let them meet again.
Ni Yan became more relaxed and at ease after she got over it. A relieved smile blossomed on her beautiful face.
After bidding farewell to Ouyang Xiaoyi and Xiao Xiaolong, Ni Yan turned around and left the store. Her beautiful figure quickly disappeared into the bustling streets of the Imperial Capital.
It was time for her to leave the Southern Region.
...
Staying in a room which cost him fifty pieces of crystals a night, Bu Fang felt extremely comfortable. It seemed as though he truly got what he paid for. No matter if it was the facilities or the environment, all of it made Bu Fang's stay quite comfortable.
On the next day, he got up early and checked out of the inn. However, the one in charge of checking him out wasn't the woman he saw yesterday.
Bu Fang was slightly disappointed as he wanted to ask her about that Cloud Mist Restaurant.
After he checked out, Bu Fang left that magnificent inn and walked around in the streets of Heavenly Mist City. He walked around with directions in mind, the directions were provided by that woman the day before.
Heavenly Mist City was huge. There were rows upon rows of buildings on the side of the street. There were countless streets and paths which crisscrossed. Bu Fang felt as though he was walking through a labyrinth when he walked along the streets of Heavenly Mist City.
On the streets, there were countless carts which were pulled by various spirit beasts. Their speed was extremely swift as they traveled along the road.
The technologies and prosperity inside Heavenly Mist City were several grades higher than that of the Light Wind Imperial Capital.
There were countless elixir stores on the side of the street and all of their owners were Alchemists.
One shouldn't look at alchemy as an occupation to get rich quickly. In fact, those who were able to make money were few in number. Alchemy had a certain rate of failure. The moment they failed, all of their resources and effort would be wasted.
Alchemy was a job with high risks. It was extremely difficult to sell elixirs in Heavenly Mist City as the competition between stores was extremely intense.
When he was passing by the stores on the street, Bu Fang was almost pulled into them by some fervent servants.
When they were about to drag him into the store, Bu Fang had a serious and cold expression on his face as he ruthlessly rejected them.
Bu Fang preferred his dishes over elixirs.
"The Cloud Mist Restaurant… It seems like I have to walk straight up this path in order to reach it." Bu Fang looked at the address and furrowed his brows.
Bu Fang, who had a golden mantis shrimp laying and sleeping on his shoulder, continued walking toward the store.
The moment he walked further on that path, the noise gradually disappeared. The tall buildings on the side of the road were replaced by small houses.
The houses were slightly broken and they seemed to be quite old. They were the complete opposite of the tall buildings Bu Fang saw earlier.
After Bu Fang saw those houses, a trace of excitement appeared on his face. It seemed like he had almost reached his destination. He took several steps forward and finally saw a restaurant in front of him.
The Cloud Mist Restaurant.
A signboard was hung in front of the door of that restaurant. However, the thing which was out of his expectations was that the last restaurant in Heavenly Mist City was deserted. There wasn't even a single customer in the store.
As the sole restaurant in the city, it didn't have any competitors. Why were there no customers?
Bu Fang was slightly puzzled. He eventually entered the restaurant. The hygiene of the restaurant wasn't bad and it didn't have the stale and moldy odor most old houses would have. Although there wasn't a single customer in the store, the tables were clean and neat.
There were several spirit trees growing in the store, The trees were full of leaves and they emitted spiritual energy. The air within the restaurant became even fresher than the outside air.
There was a tall and muscular man in front of the counter of the restaurant.
Although the sound of Bu Fang's footsteps was faint when he entered the store, the body of the man shook and his eyes slightly twitched. He raised his head and looked at Bu Fang.
"I welcome you to the Cloud Mist Restaurant. May I ask what you require of us?"
The mild voice of a woman resounded out and that sturdy man moved his body. He walked out of the counter and stood before Bu Fang.
Bu Fang started sizing up the person before him as he furrowed his brows.
Did he make a mistake? That woman said that her friend opened the store. That friend of hers should be a woman...
Why would a muscular man appear before him?
That muscular man was taken aback when he saw that Bu Fang was standing there in a daze. In order to get his attention, he called out to Bu Fang. The moment he opened his mouth, Bu Fang's hair stood erect.
The voice which came from his mouth was that of a woman.
As it turned out, the person standing in front of him was a woman.
Bu Fang never expected that the person who opened the store was really a woman. It seemed like he didn't come to the wrong place.
After he recovered from his initial shock, Bu Fang calmed himself down. He looked for a seat and sat down in front of a table. He shot a look at that woman and said:
"Serve me your best dish."
Bu Fang would never underestimate and look down on any store. Who knew whether they would give him a surprise and serve him some kind of delicacy. The older the store, the higher the chance for there to be a specialty passed down from one generation to another.
When the woman heard Bu Fang, she immediately got excited. She squinted her eyes as she rushed into the kitchen with her huge body swaying.
When Bu Fang saw how the woman waved her hands up and down when she ran into the kitchen, the corners of his mouth fiercely twitched. If anyone could imagine how a muscular and big person ran like a little girl...
It was truly a horrifying sight.
Bu Fang felt like the reason why the restaurant was empty was due to that woman inside the store.
Sizzle!
The sound of food being stir-fried, as well as the clanking sound of a metallic wok against a ladle, came out from the kitchen.
Bu Fang could feel as though there was a rhythm to that sound.
However, he couldn't help but furrow his brows. He was bored to death as he waited for his food. No matter how he tried, he couldn't smell any fragrance coming from the kitchen.
Usually, every kind of stir-fried dish would produce some kind of aroma. With Bu Fang's sense of smell, he would surely be able to smell it.
All of a sudden, Bu Fang felt as though his heart tightened. He became frightened and anxious.
After a short while, that muscular woman carried out a steaming hot bowl of food as she walked out of the kitchen. She had a smile on her face as she walked toward Bu Fang with the dish.
"Is that Egg-Fried Rice?"
Bu Fang widened his eyes and stared at the dish before him. It looked like a bowl of Egg-Fried Rice. The fact that this woman was able to cook a bowl of Egg-Fried Rice which didn't emit any aroma could also be considered a skill.
He was somewhat speechless when he looked at the bowl of Egg-Fried Rice which didn't emit any aroma. The rice was fried until it turned slightly black. This woman's skill had nearly caught up with the lassie's, Ouyang Xiaoyi.
"Esteemed customer, have a taste of it. It had been a long time since I last cooked. As such, my skills might have gotten worse." That muscular woman was somewhat embarrassed and she bashfully twisted her waist which was the size of a bucket.
Bu Fang took a deep breath, however, he was unable to smell anything. His complexion became grave. Picking up a porcelain spoon which was placed above the bowl, he scooped up a mouthful of the Egg-Fried Rice.
"Oh! Did the sun rise from the west today? There is actually someone here to have a meal in this lousy restaurant?"
When Bu Fang was about to put the mouthful of Egg-Fried Rice into his mouth, a mocking voice could be heard from outside the store. The person seemed to be astonished that there would be a customer in the store.
The moment the woman heard that voice, her expression changed. Her face was full of grief when she looked at the entrance of the store.
Two people could be seen entering the Could Mist Restaurant.
The two who entered were two youngsters clad in pitch-black long gowns. One of them had a face full of contempt as he swept his gaze across the store. A cold snort escaped his lips.
"Nangong Ming, what do you want? I'm taking care of a customer now. If you are here to cause trouble, wait for a while before coming back."
That muscular woman moved and she placed herself between the two youngsters and Bu Fang. She blocked their way and her voice had a hint of coldness in it.
After speaking to the two of them, the woman turned her head and looked at Bu Fang with a warm expression.
"Esteemed customer, you can be at ease and slowly eat your food. I, Yang Meiji, will ensure that no one will disturb you when you are eating."
How could she let someone disturb her customer? Not to mention the fact that it was her first customer after so long?
She inherited the restaurant from her father and her objective wasn't to earn money at all. Instead, it was to reminisce the glorious past of the countless restaurants in Heavenly Mist City.
"Just you? Yang Meiji, do you really believe that you can stop us? I really didn't think that someone would actually choose to come to a restaurant in order to have a meal. Tsk, tsk, tsk… The world is truly vast. It is full of bizarre things."
Nangong Ming walked forward leisurely and Yang Meiji widened her eyes to glare at him. She took a step forward as well in order to block him.
Before she was able to move any further, the man beside Nangong Ming took a step forward and placed his hand on Yang Meiji's shoulder. He prevented her from moving toward Nangong Ming.
"A Supreme-Being expert?" Yang Meiji looked at that man with shock on her face.
Nangong Ming walked past Yang Meiji and he sat in the seat opposite Bu Fang. He looked at Bu Fang with a face full of interest.
"You are not someone from Heavenly Mist City. If you were someone from Heavenly Mist City, you wouldn't be eating in this restaurant," Nangong Ming said with a smile. "I have already said that anyone who eats in this restaurant is going against me."
Bu Fang had a serious look when he stared at that spoonful of Egg-Fried Rice. He took a deep breath before moving the spoon closer to his mouth.
Bu Fang didn't hear a word Nangong Mind said. Even if Bu Fang heard him, he wouldn't reply Nangong Ming. When he was having a meal, Bu Fang would not pay attention to other things. Bu Fang placed the spoonful of steaming hot Egg-Fried Rice into his mouth as he ignored Nangong Ming.
Em?
Bu Fang's mind shuddered and he felt as though a lightning bolt ripped through his mind.
"Kid... Are you deaf? Didn't you hear what I just said?" Nangong Ming looked at Bu Fang who was ignoring him and a trace of displeasure flashed through his eyes.
He smacked the table with his hand and a loud noise echoed in Yang Meiji's ears. She jumped in fright.
Splatter!
Bu Fang eyes widened. The moment Nangong Ming's palm smacked the table, Bu Fang was unable to hold it in any longer. He opened his mouth and everything inside his mouth came out. All of it landed on Nangong Ming's face.
Nangong Ming's body stiffened and his face was filled with grains of rice and pieces of egg. He looked at Bu Fang with a blank expression on his face.
Bu Fang clapped both hands on his face and he let out a long breath. There was a slight grin on his face even though his expression was filled with fear.
"This Egg-Fried Rice is... extremely awful."