Chapter 56: A Competition in Full Swing

In the center of the Rotten Vegetable Market, everything was in complete disarray.

The onlooking stall owners buzzed with discussion, all agreeing they had never seen a spectacle quite like this year's Rotten Vegetable Festival.

Past years had been lively, sure, but they had never offered this much entertainment.

"Sunflower seeds, mineral water, folding stools... all top quality."

A quick-witted stall owner set up shop right on the spot, catering primarily to the ill-prepared spectators.

An Ze wiped the sweat from his forehead. He wanted to stop the brawl between the fat stall owner and the Slicked-Back Hair Man, but the two were fighting so fiercely that intervening with his level of strength would only drag him into the crossfire.

"Wonderful, truly wonderful," the big-bellied man wearing a wide-brimmed hat chuckled from the judging panel.

Beside him, the Iceberg Woman had already stood up, preparing to stop the farce, but the big-bellied man immediately halted her.

"Lu Miao, don't be in such a rush. Let them fight a little longer. They've been competing for so many years; how could there not be resentment between them?"

The Iceberg Woman frowned. She didn't say a word, but she didn't sit down, either.

"I know this doesn't comply with our Order management regulations," the big-bellied man said with a beaming smile, "but your understanding of Order is still too shallow."

"If we don't let them fight today, they'll find an excuse to do it sooner or later. So why not just let them get it over with right now?"

"Since it's happening under our watchful eyes, we don't have to worry about things escalating out of control. Plus, it adds a bit of excitement to our Rotten Vegetable Festival. Why not?"

After he finished speaking, Lu Miao sat back down.

Based on her understanding of him, everything he had just said was merely a superficial excuse.

There was only one real reason he wouldn't let her stop them: the two guests from the Sun-Swallowing Tower beside them were watching with immense interest.

"Interesting, how interesting."

The woman with five or six tongues was clearly in a much better mood. She turned her head toward the big-bellied man. "Bureau Director Liang, why not make an exception and let that latecomer join the Rotten Vegetable Festival selection? I'm quite curious to see what kind of dishes those two can whip up."

The big-bellied man laughed. "Forgive me, but I cannot agree to that, Miss Chen. However, I promise you will get to taste a satisfactory dish shortly."

Miss Chen wasn't annoyed by the rejection. She smiled and said, "Let's hope so. I don't really mind either way, but Tao Qi is already starving."

Tao Qi was the highly mutated Inner World resident sitting beside her.

The big-bellied man smiled and nodded, but inwardly, he held nothing but disdain for this 'Tao Qi'.

It was simply because Tao Qi was a Gluttonous Weird.

This type of Inner World resident was good for nothing but eating, possessing an IQ lower than a three-year-old's.

It was nothing more than a deformed byproduct of the Sun-Swallowing Tower.

Still, he spoke up. "Rest assured, Miss Chen. Do you see the old man closest to our judging panel? He is the gold standard of our Rotten Vegetable Village. He will definitely satisfy you and Mr. Tao Qi."

Seeing the old man in the straw raincoat and carrying a fish basket on his back that the big-bellied man was pointing at, the woman nodded.

In truth, this was her main reason for fighting to recruit in Rotten Vegetable Village.

Rumors had long circulated within the Sun-Swallowing Tower that the fish prepared by this Old Man Yu was an absolute masterpiece, worthy of being the main course at a Tower banquet.

It wasn't something people of her rank usually got to enjoy.

If it weren't for the chance to eat this fish, why would she have ever come to such a dilapidated Domain? Even the Amusement Park next door was probably a lot better.

She heard the ice cream there was the best in Old Sin City.

At the thought of this, she turned her head away, hiding the drool slipping from the corner of her mouth.

She was hungry.

...

The competition was in full swing.

Washing the rice, steaming it, drizzling the oil, letting it cool...

Yan Jing executed every single step exactly as stated on Old Liu's recipe.

With yesterday's experience, he was even more proficient.

Coupled with the First Tier physical fitness of the Cameraman, his every movement appeared incredibly fluid and natural, flowing like water.

Initially, Chen Nian and the others were helping out on the side, but by the end, Chen Nian and Old Master Liu couldn't find an opportunity to intervene at all.

Only Mantou was still occasionally ordered around by Yan Jing.

"Mantou, grab that bowl."

"Mantou, wipe my sweat."

"Mantou, hand me the eggs."

"Mantou, wipe my sweat."

"Mantou, give me Chen Nian's Mutated Canned Meat, the medium spicy one."

"Mantou, wipe my sweat..."

Old Master Liu narrowed his eyes at the sight.

No matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see exactly where Yan Jing was sweating.

"Do you think this kid just wants Nizi to wipe his face?" he asked, picking up a cucumber from the side and taking a bite.

"Without a doubt." In an unprecedented move, Chen Nian also picked up a tomato from the ingredient area, slipping it under his mask to take a huge bite.

Old Liu shot him a glance. "I thought you didn't eat this kind of stuff."

"I normally don't, but I'll have a few bites when the mood strikes."

Chen Nian finished the tomato and wiped his hands. "Let's go check out the other teams."

Old Master Liu nodded.

And so, the two began strolling among the various teams in the competition area.

After making a full lap, the two exchanged a glance, both knowing they had this in the bag.

Aside from the fat stall owner—who had just beaten the Slicked-Back Hair Man to the ground and hadn't even started cooking yet—only Old Man Yu's dish was up to standard.

Moreover, when the two of them got close to take a sniff and a look, they felt... it was just okay?

Perhaps yesterday's fried rice had been just too stunning, but looking at that bowl of fish soup today—the one with a "fearsome reputation" in Rotten Vegetable Village for slaughtering gods and buddhas alike—it felt quite ordinary.

Since they hadn't actually tasted it, they couldn't rule out the possibility that the fish soup tasted much better than it looked. Regardless, placing in the top three was definitely not a problem.

Having silently belittled everyone else's dishes, the two returned to their stall, thoroughly satisfied.

The moment they arrived at the booth, the two 'idle loiterers' received stern criticism from 'Head Chef Yan': "You're fully grown adults, yet you wander around outside all day like children! Don't you know to help out when the stall is this busy? Just look at Mantou!"

Speaking of Mantou...

"Mantou, wipe my sweat..."

...

Soon, the dishes of all six teams were fully prepared.

An Ze transitioned from his role as host to food runner, presenting each team's competition dish one by one.

With every dish presented, he asked the judges for their thoughts.

Dish number one.

Lu Miao: "Average."

The big-bellied man: "Needs improvement."

Miss Chen: "Barely enough to fill the stomach."

The Gluttonous Weird: "Hungry, hungry."

Dish number two.

"Average."

"Needs more effort."

"Barely enough to fill the stomach."

"Hungry, hungry."

...

This continued all the way until the fourth dish.

The evaluations finally changed.

Lu Miao: "Not bad."

The big-bellied man: "Not bad at all. This dish is pretty good."

Miss Chen: "Delicious. Suitable for lunch, though the portion is a bit small."

The Gluttonous Weird: "Good, hungry..."

This dish was the fat stall owner's innovative creation.

This time, instead of making his usual specialty barbecue, he presented brand-new elephant dumplings.

He claimed to have condensed an entire mammoth into the dumplings he made.

As a result, it received unanimous 'praise' from the judges.

"Next up! The Virtue Fish Soup from Old Mr. Yu!"

As An Ze's announcement concluded, bowls of milky-white fish soup radiating a rich aroma were delivered to everyone.

Seeing the long-awaited fish soup, the judges cast aside their previous lethargy and slightly adjusted their sitting postures.

"This fish soup is my masterpiece, the culmination of many years of work. I hope you all evaluate it carefully," Old Man Yu said, adjusting the bamboo hat on his head.

Everyone picked up their soup spoons and took a mouthful.

Immediately after, everyone on the panel involuntarily closed their eyes.

The spectating stall owners began murmuring as they watched the scene unfold:

"It's like this every year."

"Old Man Yu is too strong."

"So many years have passed, and no matter who the judges are, they always end up with that exact expression. They close their eyes first, then unconsciously start smiling, looking completely intoxicated..."

Just as the crowd said, the expressions of the judges on stage did indeed begin to change in exactly that manner.

Aside from Lu Miao, who preemptively covered her mouth with her hand, every single one of them revealed a blissful smile.

Finally, everyone slowly opened their eyes and began their evaluations.

"Incomparable."

"It's been so many years, yet every time I take a bite, it's still so incredibly delicious, Uncle Yu."

"Delicious, absolutely delicious! Do you guys want the rest of your soup? Could you make another bowl?"

"Slurp, slurp, slurp..."

Tao Qi, the last of them, had already started slurping up the soup again.

"It's over. Old Man Yu is definitely taking first place again."

At this moment, everyone in the crowd shared the exact same thought.

In fact, the judges on stage thought the same.

They drank the soup mouthful by mouthful, no longer caring about the final dish still to come, simply doing their best to enjoy the exquisite flavor in their hands.

Only An Ze was still dutifully delivering the dishes.

He placed the fried rice from Yan Jing's group in front of the judges, who were still burying their heads in their soup, and announced: "The final dish, prepared by our Old, Weak, Sick, and Disabled Team... Super Invincible Delicious Fried Rice. Judges, please taste."

Despite his words, everyone continued to leisurely drink their soup, until Tao Qi, seated at the very end, finished his bowl.

Still unsatisfied, he picked up the bowl of fried rice and poured it into his mouth, swallowing it in one gulp.

"Mmph..."

As if he were choking, he froze completely still.

Miss Chen, sitting beside him, noticed the anomaly and reached out to pat Tao Qi's shoulder. "Are you choking, Tao Qi?"

"Bang!"

The next second, a sudden mutation occurred.

Everyone's pupils shrank as they watched the Gluttonous Weird jump straight onto the table and lunge toward the other three's portions of fried rice!