"Hahaha!"
Fourth Master Jin left with a hearty laugh. Although Li Chaofeng declared at the end that he didn't know the burly man, ten pork knuckles weren't worth getting to the bottom of things for.
As the ten knuckles were served one after another, Li Chaofeng and the burly man resumed their silent contest.
Bite after bite, drink after drink—the burly man devoured his food like a ravenous wolf, but he was also drinking heavily.
Li Chaofeng, however, never drank. As a modern man, he didn't enjoy alcohol. And as a transmigrator, he hated losing control of his own body.
After polishing off five pork knuckles, Li Chaofeng grinned and reached for the final one. Although the burly man still had food in his mouth, he immediately reached out, refusing to let the last one fall into Li Chaofeng's hands.
Watching the burly man reaching out while trying to swallow the meat in his mouth, Li Chaofeng burst out laughing in anger.
"Stuffing your face while eyeing someone else's bowl? Filthy beggar. Even a shameless man should know his limits."
Gulp.
The burly man didn't reply. He just took another swig of fine wine, let out a breath, and then grinned.
"Can't eat or drink a face, so what's the point of keeping one?"
Li Chaofeng raised an eyebrow. "A loss is a loss. Be a man and admit it."
Since the banquet began, the two had been competing for the best dishes. Now, at its end, having gotten one more knuckle than the other, Li Chaofeng considered it his win.
But the burly man refused to concede. "Kid, you didn't even drink—how's that a win?"
Seeing Li Chaofeng's look of disdain, the burly man continued trying to justify himself.
"Besides, I was the one who asked for the ten pork knuckles. I shared five with you. That's pretty generous, don't you think?"
Li Chaofeng couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time at his shamelessness.
"You asked for them on behalf of the Little Kitchen God. Let me ask you—are you the Little Kitchen God?"
The burly man paused, stunned for a moment. Then he chuckled and shook his head.
"Of course not."
"Then—LET—GO—OF—IT!"
With that, Li Chaofeng increased the pressure in his grip. The burly man, staring at Li Chaofeng's still-youthful face, gave a small smile and slowly released his hand without further struggle.
The core of the burly man's argument had been simple: he felt entitled to at least half the knuckles. Anything less and he'd feel cheated. But Li Chaofeng's logic was sound—those knuckles were meant for the Kitchen God, and thus rightfully his.
Snatching up the final knuckle, Li Chaofeng gave the man one last glare and downed it in a few bites.
Once finished, he wiped his greasy hands on Jiang Biehe's sleeve—again—let out a satisfied burp, and finally ended the meal.
Jiang Biehe, whose sleeve had once again been used as a napkin, seemed completely unaware. He just continued chatting with the other heroes at the table about tales of the martial world.
At the table of eight, Li Chaofeng and the burly man seemed to exist in their own world. The other six had long since ignored their squabble.
After all, Fourth Master Jin's reputation was more than enough to keep petty troublemakers in line.
To someone like Jin Sìye, those at Li Chaofeng's table weren't even worth calling troublemakers.
When the banquet ended and the guests dispersed happily, Jiang Biehe stuck close to Li Chaofeng and politely bid farewell to Fourth Master Jin.
Though Jin Sìye had failed to recruit Li Chaofeng, he didn't seem to mind. With a warm smile, he simply said, "If fate allows, you're welcome to visit Jiangnan someday."
After exchanging pleasantries, Jiang Biehe turned to Li Chaofeng once the gates of the Jin estate were shut.
"Brother Li, since you wish to wander the martial world, do you have a destination in mind?"
Li Chaofeng gave a similarly polite reply.
"Wherever fate leads my horse, that's where I'll go. What about you, Brother Jiang?"
Jiang Biehe sighed. "It's been days since I've returned home. My son Yulang must miss his father. I envy your carefree spirit."
Yulang… Jiang Feng… Jiang Yulang. A flicker of mockery passed through Li Chaofeng's eyes, and Jiang Biehe caught it clearly.
Li Chaofeng had no intention of visiting Jiang Biehe's home. Their relationship was nothing more than polite pretense, so with a clasped fist, he bid farewell.
"In that case, until we meet again."
"Until we meet again," Jiang Biehe replied.
The two mounted their horses and parted ways.
Hu Tiehua had been pursued by Gao Yanan for more than two years. Sneaking into the Jin family's birthday banquet had been difficult enough—he was nearly caught. Fortunately, that young Kitchen God covered for him and even let him enjoy a satisfying meal.
He should've left right after, especially with Gao Yanan still hot on his trail. But just as he reached the city gates, he saw a young man riding out on horseback.
That youth was none other than the one Fourth Master Jin had called the Little Kitchen God. Though amusing, Hu Tiehua was currently on the run and had no intention of striking up a conversation.
But just as he was about to head in a different direction, his ears twitched at a distant sound. He looked toward it instinctively.
A shadow flitted across the rooftops. Hu Tiehua narrowed his eyes and instantly recognized the figure.
It seemed to be one of the men who had sat at the same banquet table… someone surnamed Jiang, if he recalled correctly.
The direction he was heading in?
Straight toward the young Kitchen God.
Recalling the youth's every move at the banquet, Hu Tiehua sighed inwardly. He cursed his meddlesome nature but quickly activated his lightness skill and began tailing the two from afar.
One horse. Two men. Galloping northward.
Night fell swiftly.
From a distance, Hu Tiehua watched as the youth veered off the main road, weaving through a few hidden paths before finally stopping at what seemed to be… a cave?
Wait a minute…
That looks like a tiger's den.
This young man… he really wasn't very old, but his courage was something else—to march straight into a tiger's den without hesitation.
Hu Tiehua considered stepping forward to warn him, but he didn't want to alert that so-called "Hero Jiang," who was lurking nearby. All he could do was wait and see what unfolded inside the cave before deciding what to do.
The youth had a tall and strong build. Even if he encountered an actual tiger, he should at least be able to escape with his life.
Soon, a few sharp, anguished tiger roars echoed from within. Hu Tiehua nodded inwardly. As he suspected, the boy wasn't ordinary—he knew martial arts well enough to face a beast without fear.
He turned his eyes toward the distant figure of Jiang, narrowing his gaze. The young Kitchen God still had much to learn about how cruel the martial world could be.
Because nothing is more vicious than the human heart.
Staring at the tiger's den ahead, Jiang Biehe's mind was busy calculating Li Chaofeng's true strength.
They had traveled on horseback all the way from Annam, and along the way, Jiang Biehe had tested him in various subtle ways. Yet no matter what he tried, he couldn't sense a trace of inner energy from the boy.
The only thing he could confirm was that Li Chaofeng had an exceptional sensitivity to his surroundings.
But Jiang Biehe simply refused to believe that someone with true martial strength could hide their inner energy so completely—not from him.
Now, he intended to find out exactly what Li Chaofeng was. Human or ghost? Demon or monster?
If he was human, he would kill him.If he was a ghost, he would exorcise him.If he was a demon, he would destroy him.If he was a monster, he would cut him down.
Yes—Jiang Biehe wanted to kill Li Chaofeng.
Not only had the boy treated him with nothing but rudeness along the way, but what infuriated Jiang Biehe most was Li Chaofeng's disdainful attitude toward wealth and power—something he coveted but never fully grasped.
What gave a child born with a silver spoon in his mouth the right to sneer at riches and honor?
And to make matters worse, he'd even mocked Jiang Biehe as a filthy beggar.
Did he think he hadn't noticed?
As night fell deeper, Jiang Biehe donned a black face veil. Listening to the steady breathing from within the cave, he activated his lightness skill and silently made his way forward.
The boy's senses were sharp—but no matter how sharp, in the face of absolute strength, they were meaningless.
This tiger's den… would become Li Chaofeng's burial ground.
Hu Tiehua opened his eyes.
Though he had been pretending to nap, he immediately noticed that Jiang had made his move. Still, he didn't shout to warn the boy. Instead, he silently activated his own lightness skill and followed from a distance.
Some lessons had to be learned through experience. Only then would they truly be remembered.
If he were to step in now and stop Jiang Biehe's ambush quietly, it might spare the young Kitchen God from danger—but Hu Tiehua had no desire to babysit some brat.
No, he wanted the kid to understand how dangerous the world truly was. And only after that moment of understanding would he step in and lend a hand—if needed.
Jiang Biehe moved with extreme caution, so Hu Tiehua didn't dare follow too closely. Once Jiang crept carefully into the cave, Hu Tiehua picked up the pace to keep up.
But as soon as Jiang entered, he unexpectedly began to accelerate. Hu Tiehua's heart tightened with anxiety. Fearing the boy might really be harmed, he abandoned stealth altogether and sprinted after him.
He had only wanted the youth to get a taste of how treacherous the martial world could be—not to actually see him injured.
Just before Hu Tiehua reached the cave, the sounds of battle rang out from inside.
Hearing that, Hu Tiehua relaxed slightly.
At least the boy hadn't been caught off guard—he was alert enough not to sleep like a log.
Hu Tiehua was just about to rush in to help when a loud, gut-wrenching scream echoed from the cave. A body crashed to the ground.
Hu Tiehua came to an abrupt halt and, after a pause, gave a helpless shake of the head.
The one who'd fallen… was none other than Hero Jiang.
And that boy?
He'd won—cleanly, decisively.