Chapter 779 - 727: I’ll Take Your Life Next Time! (3)
Was it possible for Qi Shijie to not know Qin Fan’s background? No. As a member of the dandies of Four-nine City, no one lacked intelligence. When it came to conspiracy, political sensibility, and composure, Qi Shijie was a master of them all. Otherwise, with his outrageous and unfiltered remarks, he would have been ruined many times over.
And now, he dared to speak to Qin Fan like this—had he gone mad and was seeking death? No! He wasn’t mad, but he was consumed by envy, jealousy, and hatred for Qin Fan.
He envied and resented the awe Qin Fan’s illustrious reputation inspired in countless people. These feelings hadn’t formed overnight; they had been accumulating deep in his heart for a long time, ever since Qin Fan became famous throughout Huaxia as a young Grandmaster.
But envy and jealousy were one thing; he always remained clear-headed and rational. After all, with his years of growth and mental conditioning, he had long outgrown the phase of being hot-headed.
Did he know how terrifying Qin Fan was? He did. He knew a Martial Arts Grandmaster could kill him as easily as crushing an ant. Yet, he still chose to provoke Qin Fan.
He did so because he knew Qin Fan couldn’t kill him here. After all, countless top-tier experts were hidden within the Imperial Kitchen. Without such absolute assurances, why would the powerful figures of the Forbidden City use this place for hosting guests, especially without bringing their own guards?
Furthermore, he had heard his grandfather mention several times the inevitable sanctions the Forbidden City planned to impose. An individual trying to fight an entire institution? Impossible. In the end, Qin Fan’s days were numbered. It was just a matter of when the Forbidden City would act.
Now, driven by his deep-seated envy and having encountered Qin Fan by chance, he couldn’t resist adding fuel to the fire. As long as Qin Fan dared to touch him, the hidden forces of the Imperial Kitchen would not only protect him, but it would also prompt the Forbidden City to accelerate their sanctions.
It was just as he had said: Beijing isn’t Jinling, and Four-nine City is certainly not the Jinling Mansion. Any attack Qin Fan launched against him would undoubtedly be perceived as an immediate, heightened threat by the Forbidden City, compelling them to speed up their punitive actions!
Although his choice to test the waters with his own body was a dangerously reckless act, for someone who prided himself on his high intelligence and particularly savored the thrill of tactical manipulation, this was exhilarating. A mental thrill, a spiritual thrill! This was precisely the effect Qi Shijie sought.
But he had miscalculated. He didn’t understand Qin Fan. In Qin Fan’s eyes, whether one was a prominent young master from Jinling or a stubborn character from Four-nine City, they were no different from ordinary people. The only distinction was whether they deserved to die.
Furthermore, while he didn’t understand Qin Fan, he also wasn’t aware of the Forbidden City’s current attitude. His knowledge of their stance was stuck in the period before Qin Fan’s trip to Europe. Otherwise, even if he were a hundred times more courageous, he wouldn’t have dared to provoke Qin Fan like this. Not only would he not dare, but he would also have kept his distance.
But this world has no "what ifs." He should also consider himself lucky that his words didn’t constitute a capital offense, and that Qin Fan wasn’t a murderous madman who killed at the slightest disagreement.
But while the death penalty was avoidable, suffering was not. Were there few who had tried to act tough in front of Qin Fan? No, there were many. And had any of them strutted away proudly afterward? None. Not even Li Tiandao could manage that, so how could a mere dandy from Four-nine City possibly succeed?
And so, just as Qi Shijie was complacently turning to walk away, a force that seemed capable of devouring him whole suddenly slammed into him. The next moment, his entire body lifted off the ground. Like a bullet from a gun, like an arrow from a bow, he shot straight out of the Imperial Kitchen.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK—
During his backward flight, he smashed directly through the Imperial Kitchen’s main doors, which were made from priceless Huanghuali wood. Like a falling kite, he crashed heavily onto the steps outside before finally coming to a stop.
SPURT—
As he landed, unable to even cry out, a coppery sweetness surged up Qi Shijie’s throat. A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out, splattering across the ground. Under the scorching sun, it was a shockingly vivid sight.
"Dare to provoke me again, and next time, I’ll take your life!"
Before Qi Shijie could recover from the devastating blow that had grievously wounded his Primordial Energy, a voice that seemed to carry a magical assault boomed in his ears, echoing relentlessly in his mind.
At that moment, under the blazing sun, all he felt was an endless, biting cold washing over him.
Inside the Imperial Kitchen, Ma Yunhai was not at all surprised by Qi Shijie’s fate. Luo Kaixuan, who had previously witnessed Qin Fan beat Wei Shihao into the intensive care unit, was even less surprised. However, Luo Kaixuan’s companions were utterly dumbstruck, frozen in shock as if struck by lightning.
"Let’s go."
As if he had just done something utterly insignificant, Qin Fan spoke calmly, his expression unchanged, and started walking. He didn’t know which private room Ma Yunhai had booked, but he knew Ma Yunhai would lead the way.
***
"Master, there’s trouble outside!"
At the end of the Imperial Kitchen was a garden, and at the end of that garden stood a pavilion. Inside the pavilion, a middle-aged man sat swaying in a Taishi Chair. Even in the bitter cold, he held a folding fan, fanning himself. Fine strands of hair on his face fluttered in the breeze he created. His chiseled face was ruggedly handsome. He looked middle-aged, yet there wasn’t a single wrinkle on his face.
He had lived for hundreds of years. He had changed his identity countless times, witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties, seen Huaxia through its greatest disasters, and watched its resurgence. For hundreds of years, he had been ageless and undying. Yet, he felt he was merely clinging to a wretched existence; he felt that living was worse than death.
Hearing the voice by his ear, he stopped fanning. Without opening his eyes, he murmured as if talking in his sleep, "Hmm, speak."
"Master, Qin Fan, the one who was once famous throughout Huaxia, has arrived. He was brought by the Ma family’s boy. Just now, he sent the Qi family’s boy flying with a kick, destroying the main gate of our Imperial Kitchen. The Qi boy is severely injured and vomiting blood! For this to happen in the Imperial Kitchen undoubtedly crosses our bottom line. Should we punish him?" a white-haired old man said, remaining bowed respectfully from start to finish.
"Punish him? Can you even defeat him?" the middle-aged man asked, slowly shaking his head with a smile.
"This—!" The old man was at a loss for words.
The middle-aged man slowly opened his eyes, indifferent to the old man’s speechlessness. "You may leave," he said. "Also, I will personally cook the dishes Qin Fan ordered."
"Master, you... you... you!"
At the middle-aged man’s calm and unhurried words, the old man looked as if he had heard something utterly unbelievable. A look of wild shock flooded his face, and his voice trembled violently.
The Master is going to cook personally? This... The last time was over sixty years ago.
That night, at ten o’clock, he had traveled to the sacred place revered by billions. He had prepared three dishes and a soup for the man credited with creating a new epoch, and they had talked late into the night.
He had said, "This is your reward! You have let me witness the birth of a legend!"
Now, nearly seventy years later, he had not cooked for anyone else since. Yet today, he was going to personally cook for a young man not even twenty years of age? A sense of madness washed over the old man. At this moment, he was overcome with a level of shock he had never before experienced.