Chapter 174: The Struggle of the Great Chef

Lin Xing stepped into Shanhaiyuan, his heart filled with trepidation.

The waiter was lying on the ground, unconscious; the innkeeper was slumped over the counter, still clutching a golden abacus in his hand, with saliva dribbling out and not moving at all. There were also several guests who hadn't had time to escape, all of them in a deep slumber. Shanhaiyuan, located at the center of the formation, had suffered the most severe attack.

Lin Xing had actually forgotten about this. He felt a twinge of guilt in his heart.

"Young friend, come over here," the old voice sounded again, and the direction was the kitchen.

Lin Xing couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. Being in the middle of the formation, this old man had actually endured longer than the young and strong waiter.

Using the technique of shrinking the earth into inches, Lin Xing arrived at the kitchen.

An old man was holding an iron pot, cooking over the fire. A refreshing fragrance wafted out, even more fragrant than the dishes cooked by Grandmaster Qingye that he had tasted before.

"You are, Grandmaster Qingye ——"

The old man was just about to nod when Lin Xing's next words made him not know whether to laugh or cry.

"Your master!"

With a look of certainty on his face, Lin Xing looked at the old man's hand, feeling a bit strange.

A strange mark was engraved on the old man's hand, which seemed to be very similar to that Three Talents Absolute Killing Formation. The tracks crisscrossed, and the principle of connection spread. Lin Xing shuddered violently. This was!

This was the core of the Three Talents Absolute Killing Formation!

There was a strange power in the old man's hand, suppressing this formation and wearing down its power.

"So, it was you who resolved this formation," Lin Xing murmured, feeling a bit down.

He had never expected that the people outside were just a decoy all along, and the foundation of the formation was actually in Shanhaiyuan. Without destroying the foundation of the formation, even if the formation outside was broken countless times, it would be revived. Lin Xing had been too careless and had actually forgotten to investigate Shanhaiyuan!

All his efforts had been in vain.

The old man's vitality seemed to be fading away, and he was only holding on with a sliver of willpower. It was indeed too much for an ordinary person's frail body to seal this formation.

However, there was also a certain charm of a cultivator about him.

"Young friend, don't be disheartened. If it weren't for you holding back the formation outside and weakening its power, I'm afraid I would have died before I could seal it," the old man said.

"Oh, and by the way, actually, Grandmaster Qingye is me, hehe!"

Lin Xing smiled but didn't say anything.

The old man smiled and said, "In fact, when all is said and done, I'm not at a loss either! Before I die, I've grasped the secrets of the culinary dao. Half of my lifelong pursuit has been achieved. Now, next ——"

Picking up the spatula, the old man turned around and started cooking.

It was a simple dish of stir-fried shredded potatoes.

There was no salt, no oil, just simple, pure shredded potatoes.

"Young friend, watch carefully ——" The old man's voice was a bit weak, as if he was on the verge of collapse.

"Okay! I will," Lin Xing replied.

Lin Xing placed his hand on the old man's body, sending a pure stream of energy to prolong the old man's life.

It was as if there was a last flicker of life. The old man's face instantly turned ruddy. His withered hand picked up the spatula and started stir-frying the shredded potatoes.

Every movement contained a special charm.

Each strand of shredded potato seemed to come to life, tumbling and jumping in the pot. Lin Xing watched intently, losing himself in the sight.

This was no longer just a dish. It was more like the old man's colorful and eventful life.

At the beginning, it was simple and unadorned; later, it became extremely popular, shining with oiliness, and was sought after by everyone; at the end of his life, it finally returned to simplicity, becoming just plain shredded potatoes again.

Every movement of the spatula, the rhythm of the fire, and the change of each strand of shredded potato were all under Lin Xing's profound observation. The old man was stir-frying while gasping for breath.

The formation on his hand was gradually dimming. When the old man's life completely faded away, the formation would also dissipate.

As he stir-fried the shredded potatoes, the old man recalled, "I started my career as a chef at the age of eight and was called a prodigy by people. At the age of twenty, I received the title of Grandmaster Qingye in the culinary world. I was in the limelight and unrivaled. But I was never satisfied and always wanted to go further."

"Desire is the driving force for progress. It's human nature," Lin Xing comforted.

The old man gave a few bitter laughs and didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Do you know what I was thinking before I sealed this formation?"

Lin Xing shook his head and continued to observe the old man's movements. The mysterious tracks formed a strange melody. This old man had reached the peak in the culinary dao.

"I was thinking that I should just run away first! Great wealth and honor were waiting for me. Why sacrifice myself for others? Is that... very selfish?"

"Actually, if I were you, I might just turn around and run. I wouldn't think so much," Lin Xing said with a smile to comfort him. "Old man, you're just too kind-hearted."

"Actually, I don't know how to put it. When I saw that the entire Shanhai City was about to be destroyed, I suddenly didn't care about anything else. I just wanted to prevent it from disappearing. This is the place where I was born. Although I've been wandering outside for most of my life and rarely came back."

"If I had known that sealing this formation would cost me my life, I really don't know what I would have done at that time."

"Even I was a bit confused when I found out that my culinary dao had broken through inexplicably."

"Am I very hypocritical?" The formation on the old man's hand was so dim that there was only a thin layer left. The traces of the formation were becoming blurred.

Lin Xing remained silent.

The old man had selflessly sacrificed himself for others, and later seemed to regret it. But what was the use of regret in such a situation? And if he felt that he was being hypocritical, what about himself?

Lin Xing thought that if he were the old man, he would definitely not hesitate to step on others' bodies and try his best to escape.

"However, if you could do it all over again, you would still do the same, right?" Lin Xing said.

"If I could do it all over again," the old man said softly, "I don't know."

"Uh."

The atmosphere became a bit heavy for a moment.

Lin Xing's attention finally shifted from the shredded potatoes to the old man. Such an old man who was on the verge of death had made the atmosphere so sad.

Lin Xing felt a bit strange.

Why bother thinking so much? He had achieved great success in the culinary dao and even had an heir like himself. He should be happy! After all, there were people who had pursued something all their lives but ended up with nothing; or even if they had achieved something, the inheritance was interrupted and there was no successor... Compared to these people, the old man was already very lucky!

"I've spent my whole life in a muddle. I've schemed against the imperial chefs in the capital, bribed the judges in various competitions... I've been so concerned about fame and fortune. I'm really a failure."

"A young girl once told me that my dishes were too utilitarian and the flavors were chaotic. At that time, I thought she was talking nonsense and ignored her. Now that I think about it, she was probably a true master of the culinary dao."

"Even now, I'm still muddled and don't know what I'm doing. The culinary dao that I've comprehended is also in a mess!"

The old man raised his head, his withered face with dull eyes.

Lin Xing really didn't know what to say.

The old man had shown him his understanding of the culinary dao in this last dish. But now, when Lin Xing wanted to comfort him, he couldn't find the right words.

He could only watch the old man shed tears and blow his nose.

"Also... also, tell me, what's your understanding of the culinary dao?"

The old man's dim eyes suddenly lit up with a glimmer of hope. With all his remaining strength, he placed his hands on Lin Xing's shoulders. It seemed that this was his last straw.

The culinary dao was his only hope.