Chapter 43

As Zimei left, this was her first display of power, making the masters of the various courtyards look at her with new respect, realizing that the good-tempered Zimei was not to be trifled with.

In their eyes, Su Xing's awakening was merely a pretext for Zimei to assert her authority; there was no possible connection between the two, for one was like a cloud and the other like mud, worlds apart.

"Welcome to the Main Kitchen."

Li Dazui stood up, his imposing figure like a small mountain, casting a shadow over Su Xing. He looked down at Su Xing with a sneer and said, "Don't think that passing the entrance test means you can rest easy. The competition in the Main Kitchen is very intense. There are countless chefs in the kitchens of all the courtyards, each vying to enter the Main Kitchen."

"If you slack off even a little, you might be pushed out!"

"Thank you for the reminder," Su Xing raised his head and smiled at Li Dazui, as if all these matters were like passing clouds to him.

"Hmph, I hope you can still smile then!" Li Dazui snorted, preparing to turn and leave. Suddenly, he turned back and said, "Oh, right, with your incredible knife skills, you can follow me and be my personal assistant, hahaha..."

Li Dazui laughed maniacally and strode away.

"Being able to assist the head chef is your luck!"

"Study hard, good knife skills are not everything!"

"Take care of yourself!"

The head chefs of the Main Kitchen said coldly, all with the same condescending attitude, educating Su Xing before following Li Dazui away.

"Personal assistant... huh?" Su Xing murmured softly, then suddenly raised his head, a sly smile on his face, "Interesting! Li Dazui!!"

"Brother Su, congratulations! I didn't expect your knife skills to be so amazing, it's... it's... almost divine!"

At this moment, Wen Houqing walked in, patted Su Xing's shoulder, and said excitedly.

"Congratulations!" Yang Qingshui, who was sparing with words, said expressionlessly.

Su Xing looked at the two, his brows slightly furrowed, and swept away Wen Houqing's hand, asking coldly, "Why didn't you leave with Li Dazui? If you have a relationship with me, aren't you afraid Li Dazui will blame you and ruin your bright future?"

"How could that be~" Wen Houqing, with a thick face, smiled foolishly, "You are now the assistant to Chef Li, and your knife skills are so good, you have a bright future ahead!"

Su Xing looked at the fat man in front of him, his lips twitching, doubting if the walls of Fengdu could be as thick as his face.

"Let me tell you, I'm not done with Li Dazui yet. Today, I made him lose face in front of all the ghosts, and he won't tolerate me. The reason Li Dazui kept me by his side is to limit my development, and he will find a chance to get rid of me!" Su Xing said with a sneer.

"Is... is that so?" Wen Houqing was suddenly scared, not having noticed this at all.

Wen Houqing's eyes darted around, and he coughed twice, "I just remembered, I have something important to do! Brother Su, you go ahead, we can meet up another time."

Saying this, Wen Houqing twisted his hips and fled like he was escaping.

"Ha ha." Su Xing looked at Wen Houqing's back, sneering, not taking it to heart. He had seen such people before when he was alive.

"How come you're still here?" Su Xing turned to Yang Qingshui, who had not left, standing beside him expressionlessly, very naturally, without any awkwardness. Su Xing couldn't read her.

"I don't know where to stay," Yang Qingshui answered succinctly.

"Where to stay?" The simple question stumped Su Xing. The vast City God's Mansion, and he didn't know where to stay.

If he wandered around and offended some important figure, he would have nowhere to cry.

The ghost servants dispersed, each busy with their own tasks. The masters of the courtyards left in their sedan chairs, leaving some ghost servants to recruit Su Xing, promising him excellent treatment, not inferior to the head chefs of the branch kitchens.

However, Su Xing politely declined all of them. Wherever he went, it was all about "competition," and he didn't want to add more trouble.

"Brother, we are new here, take us to our quarters." Su Xing pulled a ghost servant and asked.

The ghost servant looked miserable, wanting to refuse, but Su Xing's grip was too strong, his hand like an iron clamp on the ghost servant's arm, not letting go. The ghost servant had no choice but to agree.

"What a monster, how can he be so strong? I'm at least a Seventh Rank Ghost Soldier! But he lifts me like a chick!" The unfortunate ghost servant grumbled in his heart, Su Xing's hand still gripping his arm, making him feel wronged and full of tears.

After Su Xing and Yang Qingshui left, the noisy entrance of the Main Kitchen gradually quieted down.

A gentle breeze blew, the long corridor was quiet, the green leaves of the lavender rustled, and the light and shadow were mottled. From the octagonal stone pavilion, a scholarly young master walked out, followed by a ghost servant dressed as a book boy.

"Master, why don't we leave yet? Why do we have to wait until everyone leaves to come out?" The ghost servant dressed as a book boy asked curiously. His master's name was Li Hanlin, the master of the Hanlin Academy, but Li Hanlin didn't like the ghost servants calling him master. In the Hanlin Academy, they were all to call him young master.

"What a strange master, likes to dress as a scholar and play detective, and even makes me pretend to be a book boy." The book boy ghost servant grumbled in his heart. Li Hanlin, like Zimei, was known for his good temper, otherwise, a mere ghost servant wouldn't dare to complain about his master in his heart.

"The truth is only one..." Li Hanlin, with a handsome scholar's appearance, held a book, looking around as if investigating something.

If you looked closely at the book in Li Hanlin's hand, you would be surprised to find that it was a famous modern detective novel, "Sherlock Holmes"!

This was one of Li Hanlin's strange hobbies. Unlike other masters of the courtyards who pursued strength and power, he loved reading, especially detective stories. He had read famous mystery novels like "Young Bao Qingtian," "Detective Di Renjie," "The Washing Away of Wrongs," "The Ten Great Injustices," and "The Sherlock Holmes Stories."

Now, Li Hanlin's detective bug had bitten him, and he insisted on staying behind with the book boy ghost servant to investigate the scene. "I have found all the pieces of chaos, I have seen the ending!" After walking around, Li Hanlin supported his forehead with four fingers of one hand and made a gesture the book boy ghost servant couldn't understand, speaking in a deep voice.

The book boy's face turned red and hot, quickly looking around, and when he saw no other ghosts, he pulled Li Hanlin into the octagonal stone pavilion, whispering, "Master..."

"Call me young master!" Li Hanlin corrected.

"Alright, young master, don't do this. Last time you did this, the lady master of the neighboring courtyard saw and laughed at us, saying we were crazy!" The book boy complained, his face full of resentment, because of this, he couldn't hold his head high in front of the maids.

"They don't understand anything!" Li Hanlin said righteously, chest out, looking forward with a sense of justice, "This is love, do you understand! This is love! Why! Why in the vast City God's Mansion is there no ghost who understands me!"

"High mountains and flowing water, it's hard to find a true friend!" Finally, Li Hanlin shed tears!

"Little book boy, don't you find it strange?" Li Hanlin wiped away his tears and suddenly asked.

The book boy was taken aback and asked, "Young master, what's strange?"

The book boy admired his master, although Li Hanlin was sometimes silly and sometimes had too fast a mind, he was really very capable, with a keen eye and the ability to notice things other ghosts couldn't.

"Don't you find it strange that the new ghost servant won so easily?" Li Hanlin's eyes flashed, staring intently at the book boy's pupils.

"What could be strange? He won the competition with his skills, everyone saw it, even the Lipstick Horse couldn't resist the temptation and rushed forward to enjoy the food." The book boy's eyes lit up when he mentioned Su Xing, seeing him as a "hero" who had defeated "tyranny."

Li Hanlin shook his head and said, "Book boy, you're thinking too simply. Who do you think Li Dazui would help in that situation!"

"Help who?" The book boy's eyes lit up, seeming to understand something.

The darkness of the City God's Mansion, even the entire Underworld. "Officials protect each other," the two lawns were similar, and in the situation where many ghost servants and masters couldn't tell the difference, Li Dazui should have protected Zhang Yu and declared him the winner.

"But, Chef Li is fair and impartial! Maybe he just loves talent!" The book boy paused, trying to defend.

Li Hanlin shook his head and said to the book boy, "Watch my lips!"

Saying this, Li Hanlin opened his mouth but didn't utter a single word.

"Dirty... Zhang..." The book boy stared at Li Hanlin's lips, carefully distinguishing, and suddenly exclaimed, "Zhang Yu's Zhang!"

"Exactly!" Li Hanlin nodded and said, "When Li Dazui first opened his mouth, he was about to declare Zhang Yu the winner, but the Lipstick Horse suddenly broke free, disrupting everything. The Lipstick Horse ate the lawn carved by the new ghost servant, forcing Li Dazui to declare his victory!"

"Really!" The book boy shouted, jumping up, then looked at Li Hanlin in surprise.

"Are you going to say, 'It can't be that coincidental'?" Li Hanlin smiled, his demeanor completely changed, like a general commanding an army, or more accurately, a great detective who had unraveled all the mysteries!

"But, young master, do you have any evidence? The Lipstick Horse clearly broke free on its own! It was a miracle!" The book boy asked, puzzled.

"Not at all, not at all." Li Hanlin shook his head and swayed, holding the "Sherlock Holmes" in his hand, "Follow me, I will reveal everything!"

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