Chapter 361: Default to Leaving

Coming in front of everyone, Qiao Tianhao waved his right arm, causing the Flower of the Moon in his hand to roll and fall to the ground.
“Boss, you’re not going to scare him away like this, are you?”
Looking at the motionless Flower of the Moon on the ground, Qiao Tianhao regretted having been too forceful. If that scared him away, it would be a huge loss. Of course, if he failed to defeat him thoroughly and still scared him away, that would be even worse.
“We’ll find out by asking.”
Lin Dong smiled and waved at Jiang Kui, “Bring a basin of water.”
Jiang Kui nodded, rushed to the stove, filled a basin with well water from the water tank, and walked back steadily.
Lin Dong gestured toward the Flower of the Moon on the ground, “Give him a basin.”
Jiang Kui hesitated for a moment before pouring the water over the Flower of the Moon.
With a splash, much of the blood and dirt was washed away, and the upper body of the Flower of the Moon became instantly soaked as if drenched in heavy rain.
Cough, cough…
After coughing several times, the Flower of the Moon slowly opened his eyes, filled with utter confusion.
Enduring the pain, he stood up, holding his throbbing head. He glanced around, his gaze toward Lin Dong and the others showing a hint of surprise, but mostly still confusion.
“Boss Lin…”
“Still not awake?” Lin Dong asked with a smile.
“Where am I?” The Flower of the Moon scanned the surroundings again—strange doors and windows, a strange stove, an unfamiliar environment.
“Did this guy get knocked out?” Qiao Tianhao’s expression darkened as he glanced at Lin Dong. Seeing no significant change in Lin Dong’s expression, he felt slightly relieved.
A few punches to the head shouldn’t be enough to knock someone out. If he really had been knocked out, things would get much worse.
“It’s you!”
The Flower of the Moon’s gaze fixed on Qiao Tianhao’s face, and memories surged back like a spring.
“Remembered?” Seeing anger gathering in the Flower of the Moon’s eyes, Qiao Tianhao felt relieved and regained his arrogant attitude. “Kid, a master chef has his rules. A newcomer dares to challenge an old man like me? Kneel down and kowtow three times properly, or I’ll show you what real strength looks like.”
A flash of light appeared as the spiritual sword reappeared in the Flower of the Moon’s hand, which he then thrust at Qiao Tianhao’s throat.
Qiao Tianhao sneered and drew his black iron kitchen knife, casually swinging it at the incoming spiritual sword.
Clang, clang, clang…
A series of crisp sounds like bells echoed in the kitchen, followed by tiny sparks.

Hua Wuyue stepped back rapidly, taking three or four steps before barely managing to steady herself. Across from her, Qiao Tianhao stood as steady as a mountain, gently tracing the patterns on the back of his black iron kitchen knife, as if talking to himself or the knife: “Such trash dares to show up in front of Master Qiao. Should I chop that sword in half or just slice that kid right away?”
Hua Wuyue took a deep breath, kicked hard on the ground with her right foot, and lunged forward again.
She swiftly spun her wrist, turning her spirit sword into clusters of crystal-clear peach blossoms that swarmed toward Qiao Tianhao.
Qiao Tianhao sneered, swung his arm, and began slashing at lightning speed—so fast that even Lin Dong couldn’t follow the movements. Swords clashed, sparks flew, and the outcome was as expected: Hua Wuyue retreated quickly, panting heavily as she glared at Qiao Tianhao.
Qiao Tianhao snorted, shaking the black iron kitchen knife in his hand mockingly. “Not bad tricks, but they’re all show and no substance—just like you, weak and effeminate.”
Jiang Kui and Yu Linglong were greatly surprised. Initially, seeing Qiao Tianhao defeat Hua Wuyue in less than fifteen minutes, they thought Hua Wuyue wasn’t very strong. But now they realized it wasn’t that Hua Wuyue was weak—it was that Qiao Tianhao had found a way to counter her.
Jiang Kui and Yu Linglong believed that with Hua Wuyue’s ever-changing and unpredictable sword techniques, if they fought her, their advantage in cultivation level, combined with their own extraordinary spiritual skills, would make it easy to defeat her. But compared to Qiao Tianhao, it would still take just as much time.
Those whose reactions to Hua Wuyue’s sword techniques were rather unimpressed were Lin Dong and Cheng Bao. Lin Dong had already faced Hua Wuyue before and knew her strength, so he wasn’t surprised. As for Cheng Bao, with the Immortal Art at his disposal, only someone whose combat power was a hundred or a thousand times greater than that of peers could surprise him. Other than such people, he didn’t need to care about any opponent.
Furious, Hua Wuyue raised her sword, ready to attack again. Suddenly, Lin Dong clapped his hands. “Enough! The dining hall is waiting for the food. Go back to your tasks.”
Cheng Bao turned and left. Jiang Kui and Yu Linglong nodded and followed. Qiao Tianhao grinned at Lin Dong, trying to please him. “Rest assured, boss. With me here, Lin’s Inn will always have the fastest service among all the restaurants.”
“Alright, get lost!” Lin Dong waved his hand impatiently.
Qiao Tianhao quickly nodded, glanced at Hua Wuyue, snorted twice, and headed straight to the kitchen.
“Boss Lin…” Lin Dong’s attitude made it hard for Hua Wuyue to contain her anger.

The proud young master of the Hua family voluntarily came to a tavern to work as a temporary head chef—it’s obvious he’s here to help. Although the tavern owner is strong, he’s not weak either, not to mention he has his entire family backing him. And since he’s here to help, at the very least he deserves to be treated politely, if not as a guest of honor.

Now, he’s been beaten up by the head chef. Even if it wasn’t intentional, this matter certainly can’t be brushed off lightly.

“Is Young Master Hua very angry?” Lin Dong asked with a smile.

Hua Wuyue replied coldly, “He provoked me first. Manager Lin, your bias in favor of your own people is way too obvious.”

Lin Dong smiled and suddenly called out, “Cheng Bao!”

At the stove, Cheng Bao paused briefly with his iron spoon in hand, then swung his right arm.

The iron spoon flew toward Qiao Tianhao, who was standing in front of the left stove.

Qiao Tianhao was having fun when suddenly he heard a whistling sound. He turned around and, upon seeing the iron spoon, his expression turned grim.

With a bang, the spoon pierced through Qiao Tianhao’s energy shield, slicing across his cheek and leaving a trail of bright red blood droplets.

Having just shown off his strength in front of the newcomers, now the manager and that damned bandit leader were working together to humiliate him. Qiao Tianhao was furious, gritting his teeth, but he didn’t dare show it. Without even bothering to treat the cut on his cheek, he rushed forward, picked up the spoon, wiped it on his clothes, and quickly handed it to Cheng Bao. “Brother Bao, your spoon fell.”

Cheng Bao took the spoon and continued to stir the spirit beast meat in the pot, which sizzled and emitted a pleasant aroma.

Hua Wuyue was stunned.

Lin Dong patted Hua Wuyue’s shoulder and said calmly, “Here, cooking skills and strength are what matter most. If you can’t beat them, you can only blame your own lack of strength.”

Hua Wuyue fell silent, his anger gradually subsiding.

“Actually, as time goes by, you’ll find that the chefs in the third kitchen of Lin’s Inn are all good friends. Of course, it’s a bit harder to make friends with them than with ordinary people. You know, those who seem odd in personality or behavior give people an impression that makes them want to keep their distance. Take Qiao Tianhao for example—the nicer and more polite you are, the more he thinks you’re not easy to bully. On the other hand, if you’re stronger than him and treat him harshly, you’ll gradually realize that it’s a good idea to take out your anger on him when you’re in a bad mood. And when you’re bored, you can watch him fumble around to pass the time. More importantly, he’s not as troublemaking as he seems on the surface, nor does he kowtow to those stronger than him. He’s smart and loyal—definitely worth making friends with.”

Lin Dong smiled and said, “Speaking of which, you’re also one of the odd ones. Look at your clothes and hear about your behavior in Lingnan City. I’m sure you’ll feel right at home here.”

Hua Wuyue subconsciously touched her slightly painful chest, unable to speak. Right at home…

“Let’s go!” Lin Dong led Hua Wuyue to the fifth stove and explained, “From today on, you’ll be in charge here. I know you don’t like cooking fumes. Jiang Kui… that is, our inn’s head chef.” He nodded toward Jiang Kui, who was taller and more robust than Cheng Bao, and continued, “That’s Jiang Kui. Among all the chefs, he has the highest status. In fact, everything related to the kitchen is decided by him. Of course, I have no idea what really goes on, but he doesn’t care about it anyway.”

Hua Wuyue couldn’t help but take another look at Jiang Kui. She had already had the feeling that this burly man with a fierce face wasn’t as dangerous as Cheng Bao, who looked slightly less imposing. Lin Dong’s words basically confirmed her guess. Otherwise, even if he didn’t care about status, his strength and temper would still make it impossible for anyone to challenge his authority.

“I’ve already asked Jiang Kui to dismantle this stove tonight. I’ll arrange for someone to build a new one later that can solve your problem with cooking fumes.” Lin Dong pointed to the sixth stove across from them and said, “So, until the new stove is ready, you’ll have to endure using this one for a few days.”

“It can solve the problem with cooking fumes?” Hua Wuyue looked puzzled.

“Yes, you’ll know when the time comes.” Lin Dong nodded, glanced at her injuries, and asked, “It seems your injuries aren’t too serious. How about you start cooking today?”

Hua Wu Yue smiled bitterly. He already disliked cooking fumes, and with his injuries, he naturally wanted to refuse. But no matter how he phrased it, it sounded like refusing would only make his injuries worse.
“It seems you agree then.”
Lin Dong took a branch of the Lingyun Tree from the mobile counter and handed it to him. “This is called a Lingyun Tree branch, a Grade 7 spiritual material used to assist in cultivation. Just place it within three meters of you while cultivating. Once the green color on its surface fades completely, it loses its medicinal effect. You can try it during your rest at night. Just like the Wanhong Fruit, don’t let anyone else know about it.”
Hua Wu Yue was overjoyed. The pain in his body and his resentment toward Lin Dong forcing him to cook despite his injuries vanished instantly.
Gratfully taking the Lingyun Tree branch, Hua Wu Yue couldn’t help but glare resentfully at Qiao Tianhao.
Lin Dong patted the stove and said, “Alright, get to work! For the ingredients and what dishes to prepare, or even an apprentice to help, go see Jiang Kui. He can also take care of your injuries. With the healing medicine from our Lin’s Inn, your injuries will surely be healed by the time you return tomorrow. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving then.”
Hua Wu Yue nodded silently.