Chapter 356: Why Being an Emperor was this Difficult?
Translator: CatatoPatch Editor: Vermillion
These days, Xiao Xiaolong looked extremely awful, and although he took care of the business and cooked as per Bu Fang"s instruction, he was extremely exhausted in his mind. This was because of Xiao Meng"s worsening condition. The poison had permeated deeper into him, and his aura had grown even more feeble. He seemed to be at death"s door.
Although the emperor sent the imperial physicians to cure Xiao Meng every day, none had been able to, so they could only sigh in resignation.
His father would die, soon, so how could he, the son, be cheerful?
Therefore, he had been slightly absent-minded.
However, he still held on to hope. Before Bu Fang left, he had informed Xiao Xialong that, upon his return, he may have a way to cure Xiao Meng. He had kept those words to heart and eagerly awaited Bu Fang"s early return.
Although Bu Fang had only been gone for half a month, that period of absence felt like an eternity for Xiao Xiaolong.
"Owner Bu! you finally came back." Xiao Xiaolong was so excited that his eyes became slightly flushed.
When Bu Fang, who was lying comfortably in his chair, spotted Xiao Xiaolong approaching him, he wanted to call out to him, but he was unexpectedly welcomed back by Xiao Xiaolong in a manner so exaggerated that it scared him.
Once he heard Xiao Xiaolong"s greeting, he finally realized why the latter was so elated. General Xiao Meng had been poisoned by an acute toxin of the Shura Sect. When Bu Fang suddenly recalled this, he couldn"t help but sigh.
When he noticed the hope and expectation on Xiao Xiaolong"s expression, he calmly said, "Don"t worry. Once today"s opening hours are over, I will go with you to take a look, and see if I can treat him or not."
Since Xiao Meng and Bu Fang could be considered old friends, naturally, Bu Fang wouldn"t let his life be claimed by the poison without even trying to help him.
As soon as Xiao Xialong obtained Bu Fang"s word, he was delighted and became spirited once more, then he went into the kitchen to practice.
Bu Fang remained in his chair, leisurely relaxing. He watched the white clouds drifting in the sky, enjoying the rare moment of peace.
The army besiegement was already a matter of the past, and the customers had slowly begun to frequent the store again. Many customers who came to eat greeted Bu Fang with smiles as soon as they noticed him lying on his chair.
Bu Fang would nod his head at them in acknowledgment.
"Owner Bu, long time no see. What kind of delicacy have you been studying recently?"
Fatty Jin led his army of fatties through the alleyway and greeted Bu Fang with a smile. He was an old customer at this store. As the reputation of his store became more prominent, word of Bu Fang"s fighting prowess and prestige gradually spread across the entire capital.
However, all of that was of no concern to Fatty Jin; he was just a customer who used to come to the store for a meal.
Ouyang Xiaoyi cheerfully walked into the store, and as soon as she saw Bu Fang, she screeched.
Bu Fang shot a lazy glance in her direction and discovered that the la.s.sie had grown taller, and she had become more slender and elegant. He spoke to her for a short while before standing up from his chair. He stretched lazily and went back into the kitchen.
As the business of the day began, Ouyang Xiaoyi began informing him, through the kitchen window, of the customers" orders.
Once he had heard all the orders, he began to cook alongside Xiao Xiaolong. He didn"t use the Black Turtle Constellation Wok or the Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flames; he just cooked normally.
However, although he cooked in his usual manner, Bu Fang"s dishes still emitted rich aromas which permeated the kitchen, and eventually drifted out and wafted through the entire store.
All the customers were excited that Bu Fang was personally cooking. This was because it had become extremely difficult to taste Bu Fang"s cooking nowadays.
As the store"s reputation spread farther, more people visited the store on account of its prestige.
There were also people who had traveled thousands of miles from other countries to taste the store"s dishes, and naturally, they weren"t disappointed. Although most of the dishes were made by Xiao Xiaolong, it did not disappoint because his culinary arts had improved by leaps and bounds, due to Bu Fang"s strict training.
Nevertheless, most people who visited the store did so to eat a dish that had been personally prepared by Bu Fang, whose culinary arts were rumored to be the best in the empire.
If they were able to taste any of his dishes, they would brag about it for years.
The store"s ambiance was quite warm and cordial. When closing time arrived, there were still several customers who were waiting in line right outside the store.
When they were informed that the store was closed for the day, they were disappointed and reluctant; however, they didn"t cause any trouble and left peacefully.
Bu Fang wiped his wet hands dry and walked out of the kitchen with an Oyster Pancake in hand.
Xiao Xiaolong eagerly followed behind him.
Bu Fang pa.s.sed an Oyster Pancake to Xiaoyi, pulled a chair and sat down on it. He proceeded to take a bite of an Oyster Pancake and when the tasty oyster entered his mouth, a dense steam and a rich fragrance filled his oral cavity.
Ouyang Xiaoyi, who already felt impatient, also sat down and quickly began to eat the Oyster Pancake.
Although Xiao Xiaolong was also quite anxious and impatient, albeit for a different reason, when he noticed how calm and unhurried Bu Fang seemed, he could only sit down and eat his own Oyster Pancake.
The Oyster Pancake had been prepared by Bu Fang, and the spirit energy within it was quite rich. Not only did it taste exceptional, as they ate it, both Xiao Xiaolong and Ouyang Xiaoyi felt their fatigue from the day"s work vanish.
Once he had eaten his Oyster Pancake, Bu Fang shot a gaze at the anxious Xiaolong before slowly standing up. He changed his clothes and locked the store, then followed Xiao Xiaolong and the la.s.sie, Ouyand Xiaoyi, to the general"s manor.
When Ouyang Xiaoyi learned that Bu Fang would go to treat Xiao Meng, she tagged along, cheerfully.
The Ouyang and Xiao family were quite close, so when Ouyang Xiaoyin learned that Xiao Meng didn"t have long to live, she grieved. Now that she knew that Owner Bu had a mean to cure him, the la.s.sie was quite excited.
She stared at Bu Fang with a bright glow in her eyes and thought, "The Smelly Boss has become more amazing!"
The three soon entered the Xiao Family manor. It was Bu Fang"s first time there, so he was quite curious. Its complex construction, which made it seem like a labyrinth, left Bu Fang quite dazed and made him lose his way. However, with Xiao Xiaolong as a guide, they quickly reached Xiao Meng"s room.
A large group of people stood at the door of Xiao Meng"s room.
Xiao Yanyu, who Bu Fang hadn"t seen in a long time, was also there, and her complexion was pale, while her beautiful face looked thin.
The very moment Bu Fang spotted Xiao Yanyu, she noticed him too. Her lips parted, and she seemed taken aback by his sudden appearance. Realization seemed to dawn on her, and a trace of excitement became apparent on her beautiful face.
...
In the main halls of the Light Wind Empire"s capital.
In the past half a month, Ji Chengxue had it comfortable and cozy.
When Ji Chengyu"s army retreated, the empire"s army pursued them past till land"s borders and into its outskirts. Only then did they win back the initiative. Then, the factions in the empire began to depart consecutively until the empire regained its previous calmness.
Ji Chengxue lay on his Dragon Throne as a beautiful and gentle woman used her jade-like fingers to ma.s.sage his temple, alleviating his fatigue.
As the emperor of an empire, he naturally had three thousand beauties in his harem, but he didn"t excessively wallow in on them because he was busy with managing the empire"s government. However, from time to time, he would still call over several of his concubines to help alleviate his fatigue, whenever he felt exhausted.
"Reporting! your ma—ma... Your Majesty!"
While Ji Chengxue was enjoying his rare moment of relaxation, a shout resounded from outside the main hall, which made him open his eyes. He watched the general who was in charge of protecting the city frantically crawl inside the main hall, his complexion deathly pale and his body trembling unceasingly.
"What happened? Why are you this frantic?" Ji Chengxue furrowed his brows and asked in displeasure.
"Your Majesty..." The general stuttered, his fright already evident from his pale complexion.
"Ou-ou-outside the Imperial Capital, there is s a-a-a giant spirit beast swiftly rus.h.i.+ng toward us."
Ji Chengxue was taken aback and his eyes widened.
"What kind of spirit beast? Can you guess its grade?"
They had only enjoyed a short period of peace; why had another scary spirit beast appeared? If it was capable of causing the general this much panic, it definitely wouldn"t be an ordinary spirit beast.
Could it be another seventh grade spirit beast... or an eighth grade spirit beast?
The general swallowed, looking as though he was about to burst into tears.
"That spirit beast is... very huge. It is almost as big as... as a mountain, and it is already capable of covering the whole sky and land with its body. I"m unable... I"m unable to estimate its strength, but I think that... it may be... a supreme beast."
A supreme beast?
Ji Chengxue was taken aback, and his complexion immediately became pale. He fell back on his throne as though all his strength had been sapped out of him completely.
Why was the job of an emperor this difficult? Now, even supreme beasts were coming to make trouble for him.
....
At hundreds of miles outside the boundless Imperial Capital, a giant shadow, which completely covered the whole sky, appeared in the air.
With a heart-wrenching crash, every corner of the earth trembled as the huge shadow, which had soared through the sky, landed heavily, and its thick leg caused a huge crater to form. Just with the strength of its legs alone, the damage it caused upon landing was so great that even the official road outside the Imperial Capital split into multiple pieces.
An ear-splitting croak reverberated as the One-Legged Toad raised its head and turned its gaze toward... the Imperial Capital.
Croaak!