Chapter 282: The Opening of the Food Festival
In the end, Ren Chen numbly wrote down eight dish names he had never heard before and then saw Qi Han off.
As soon as Qi Han left the food association, several heads suddenly popped out behind Ren Chen.
"Hey, hey, Ren Chen, tell us quickly, what are Boss Qi's eight dishes?"
"Yeah, yeah, who guessed right? Tell us now!"
"…"
The crowd surrounding Ren Chen, all eagerly asking questions, were none other than the food association members who had gathered upon hearing the news.
"You guys…" A strange, twisted smile suddenly appeared on Ren Chen's face.
That's right, I'm not the only gambler here!
This round…
This round, everyone's doomed!
"Ahem." With a light cough, Ren Chen's smile turned warm and friendly. "Boss Qi's first dish…"
Seeing the crowd instantly quiet down, each of them staring at him nervously, Ren Chen's smile grew even more amiable. He waited until he had them all hanging on his every word before slowly speaking.
"It's called Wensi Tofu."
The crowd: "…"
In the faint silence, Ren Chen seemed to hear the sound of gamblers' hearts breaking.
Amid the crowd, Qin Fang adjusted his glasses, trying hard to remain calm. "A new dish?"
The crowd immediately perked up.
That's right! A new dish!
In that instant, they completely forgot about the bets. Small Shop had actually introduced new dishes!
Seeing the group of people grinning foolishly, Ren Chen showed a trace of disdain.
Seriously?
You're celebrating too soon. You've got no idea what's coming!
At that moment, a sense of superiority rose in Ren Chen's heart, making him forget how thrilled he had been when he first learned about the eight new dishes.
"The second dish…" Ren Chen deliberately paused for dramatic effect, only continuing when the crowd began to glare at him impatiently.
"It's called Jade Dragon Tendons."
…
Many years ago, the Shrek Food Festival had evolved into a grand event celebrated across the entire continent. Long before each festival began, crowds from all over the continent would pour into Shrek City, and by the time the festival officially started, the city would be packed to capacity.
Under the eager anticipation of countless people, the triennial Shrek Food Festival finally began with great fanfare.
It seemed as if overnight, the entire city of Shrek became livelier. Streets were decorated with banners promoting the food festival, and even businesses unrelated to food rejoiced at the opportunity.
The massive influx of visitors from all over the continent boosted all sectors, as the demand for food, clothing, lodging, and transportation created a booming market.
During the three-day food festival, even non-food-related businesses would enjoy a significant increase in sales.
Outside Shrek City, Qin Yue lifted the curtain of the carriage and gazed at the magnificent city gates in the distance. Excited, she patted her sister Qin Yao's arm. "Sister, Shrek City looks even bigger than Star Luo City!"
Seeing her younger sister so excited that she couldn't sit still, Qin Yao smiled softly. "This is the continent's number one city after all. Of course, it's bigger than Star Luo City."
"Sis, do you think Boss's restaurant in Shrek City will be really big?"
After thinking for a moment, Qin Yao shook her head. "I remember the boss mentioned once that his shop in Shrek City isn't very large, but it's in a great location—apparently very close to Shrek Academy!"
"Shrek Academy…" Qin Yue's eyes sparkled with excitement. "I've never seen Shrek Academy before. It would be great if we could go inside and have a look."
"I'd love that even more than you, but it probably won't be easy." Qin Yao shook her head again. "I heard that a week ago, Shrek Academy's inner courtyard opened its Sea God Fated Blind Date Festival to outside spectators for the first time. Unfortunately, we weren't in Shrek City at the time. Otherwise, we might have gotten a chance to see the legendary Sea God Lake."
"Hmm…" Leaning gently on her sister's shoulder, Qin Yue's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Sis, do you think the boss will get mad if he finds out we temporarily closed our Star Luo City shop just to come to the festival and have fun?"
Qin Yao rolled her eyes. "Who said we're here to fool around at the festival?"
"Huh? We're not?"
"Of course not." Qin Yao gave her sister a look of amused exasperation. "We're here to help the boss! The food festival is such an important event—I'm worried he won't be able to handle everything on his own."
"Oh? Is that really why?" Qin Yue blinked in surprise.
It had been Qin Yao's idea to come to Shrek City, and Qin Yue had found it appealing and agreed without even asking why they were going.
That was just typical of Qin Yue.
"Qin Yue, Qin Yao, we're almost there," came Keke's voice from outside the carriage.
"Ah! Got it!" Qin Yue quickly responded, then turned to see her sister's teasing expression, causing her to blush slightly.
Outside the carriage, Keke sat in the driver's seat, guiding the blood-red unicorn that was pulling the carriage to gradually slow down. She gazed longingly toward Shrek City.
It had been half a month since she last saw the boss!
With how much she had changed in these two weeks, perhaps she could give the boss a pleasant surprise!
<+>
A figure cloaked in a red robe and hood followed the bustling crowd into Shrek City. After blending into the crowd, the figure slipped away and swiftly reached the gates of Shrek Academy.
The gate guards glanced at the figure but, upon recognition, silently withdrew the hands they had been about to use to block the way.
The figure hurried toward the shores of Sea God Lake. Upon seeing the jewel-like clarity of the lake, the figure slowly removed the hood, revealing flowing silver hair and a stunningly beautiful face.
It was none other than Yue Lengxin, who had been absent from Small Shop's restaurant for quite some time.
"Phew! Finally back," she said with a hint of relief, a light smile appearing on her face. "Good thing I didn't miss the food festival."
Without making any noticeable movement, her lotus-like feet gently touched the water's surface, creating only faint ripples as she glided across the lake, heading swiftly toward Sea God Island as if walking on solid ground.
Since the end of the Sea God Fated Blind Date Festival, Yue Lengxin had been extremely busy.
First, she had to oversee the induction of a new batch of inner-courtyard students as the senior disciple of the inner courtyard.
The day after the new students were admitted, all of Shrek Academy's inner-courtyard students were summoned and organized into teams to form patrol squads tasked with investigating evil spirit masters across the continent. As the senior disciple, Yue Lengxin bore significant responsibilities and spent a week tirelessly patrolling various regions.
Despite joint patrols by Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect, they found no clues related to a group called the "Holy Spirit Cult." The few evil spirit masters they captured during the patrols claimed to have never heard of such an organization.
Rather than easing the minds of Tang Qianqiu and Qi Poxiao, this only heightened their concern.
Could this Holy Spirit Cult really be hiding so well?
Even after deploying numerous elite forces, they still couldn't find a single lead?
They realized that continuing in this manner was futile. The more overt their actions, the more likely they were to alert their enemies.
Left with no choice, the two sides recalled their patrol teams.
This wasn't giving up; instead, they shifted from overt operations to covert investigations, hoping to uncover any trace of the Holy Spirit Cult.
As a result, Yue Lengxin returned to Shrek City.
Gazing at the nearby Sea God Island, Yue Lengxin's face lit up with anticipation.
First, she needed to report the patrol team's findings to the Sea God Pavilion.
Then, she planned to visit her teacher, whom she hadn't seen in a week.
Finally, she would head to Small Shop to see if there were any new dishes!
<+>
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