Chapter 92: The Demon Chef

Li Xie, Van Diesel, and Zeinander followed the guard to the scene of the incident.

In the garden, over a hundred guards formed a semicircle, protecting the direction of Li Xie's residence. On the stone path ahead, several guards lay sprawled out, groaning in pain. While they appeared to be in no immediate danger, it was clear they wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. Facing the guards was a lone figure slowly walking toward Li Xie.

This person wore simple, coarse cloth clothes, a plain appearance. He was slightly overweight, with a thick waist, strong arms, and a genial face that wore a kind smile, much like a rustic farmer. However, he was clearly not as simple as he appeared. The blue sapphire platinum ring on his finger indicated he was no ordinary person, as only the wealthiest could afford such a top-tier spatial ring.

Moreover, the City Lord's mansion was guarded by five hundred former imperial guards, each a fifth or sixth-tier Sword Saint. For three hundred of them to be incapacitated indicated this person's extraordinary ability.

There was no sign of battle aura from him, which suggested he might be a mage. Yet, it didn't seem likely, as there was no significant damage to the flowers and plants along his path, aside from the fallen guards.

What was his purpose here?

"Whatever you're here for, I've been in a terrible mood lately. You'll make a good outlet for my anger," Li Xie waved his hand. "Van Diesel, Zeinander, beat him up. Just don't kill him... How strong is this fatty, anyway?"

Realizing he wasn't sure of the intruder's strength, Li Xie hesitated. If the opponent was too powerful, he might need to rethink his approach.

Van Diesel focused his senses. "Battle aura is about eighth-tier."

"Eighth-tier? Damn it, has my reputation for being a pushover spread that far? Even an eighth-tier Sword Saint is here to trample me?" Li Xie's eyes widened. "Beat him up. Just don't kill him. I need to question him."

Keeping the man alive, Li Xie had many questions to ask.

Van Diesel and Zeinander acknowledged the order, though Zeinander showed no intention of engaging. Apparently, an eighth-tier expert wasn't enough to pique his interest. Van Diesel, however, unleashed his full battle aura. Golden energy erupted from his body as he leaped like a great eagle, his hands forming claws aimed at the intruder's shoulders.

"Hahaha..." The fat man laughed heartily. "Such a fine eagle. Perfect for a dish of braised eagle meat."

As his words fell, everyone present felt a strange sensation as if time had momentarily stopped or slowed down dramatically. Their movements, even the blinking of eyes, seemed lethargic.

However, the fat man was unaffected. In an instant, he was beside the airborne Van Diesel before the latter could get close. The intruder grabbed Van Diesel's arms and pulled hard, stretching Van Diesel's limbs straight out.

The fat man formed his hands into knife shapes and slashed down repeatedly from Van Diesel's arms to his calves, making it seem like he was slicing a sausage or a piece of cured meat rather than a person.

After finishing this peculiar chopping, the fat man placed his hands on Van Diesel's abdomen, flipped him over, moved to his feet, and gripped his ankles. With a strong shake, he swung Van Diesel around like a fish. Then, he bent Van Diesel's arms, crossed his legs, twisted his waist, and gently laid him on the ground, saying, "Braised old eagle, done."

Van Diesel lay there with his legs crossed, his arms spread like wings, his head slightly raised, and his eyes vacant.

Not only Van Diesel, but everyone's eyes were also vacant. The fat man had treated Van Diesel like a piece of meat and molded him into this shape in just one second. However, in that one second, everyone had the bizarre sensation that they could clearly see every step, every movement of the fat man.

A true expert.

This wasn't just defeating a tenth-tier Sword Saint; it was playing with him.

If this man wasn't a god-level master, he was definitely a saint-level one.

"Ahhh..."

Finally, a second after being posed like a soaring eagle, Van Diesel let out a miserable scream. His entire body was immobile, only his eyes expressing a deep grievance, and a tear of frustration rolled down his cheek, telling of his pitiful ordeal.

Zeinander swallowed hard, feeling suddenly lucky. If he had stepped in earlier, would he have ended up in the same humiliating pose?

Li Xie's mouth twitched, his heart pounding. He couldn't understand how he had ended up with such bad luck, having this kind of master show up to cause trouble.

Seeing how easily Van Diesel, a tenth-tier Sword Saint, was toyed with, Li Xie realized that Zeinander, a ninth-tier dragon, wouldn't fare much better. At most, he'd end up as "braised dragon."

This was a disaster. Not only had his attempt to fight back failed, but he was also now at the mercy of this man.

Li Xie's heart was heavy with frustration, but he put on a polite smile. "Senior, such a distinguished master, what brings you to my City Lord's mansion?"

The fat man grinned innocently. "I'm here to apply for the position of chef."

A chef.

This...

Li Xie was momentarily stunned. "Senior, you must be joking."

Did he need to beat up his guards to apply for a chef's position? Was he here to turn the mansion's people into dishes?

"Joking?" The fat man glared at Li Xie. "Being a chef is a sacred profession. Why would I joke about that? I'm here to be a chef. Are you hiring or not?"

"This..." Li Xie's mouth twitched a hundred thousand times per second. "Senior, did you really need to beat my people to a pulp to apply as a chef? If there's something you want, just tell me, and I'll do my best to help."

"You're really hard to talk to." The fat man scratched his head. "I'm genuinely here to be a chef. These guys wouldn't let me in, so I had to fight my way in. If you don't hire me, I'll beat you until you do."

Whoa.

Even the toughest street vendors didn't have this kind of audacity.

"Alright, if you want to be a chef, that's fine. But could you please release my attendant?" Li Xie didn't want to end up posed like Van Diesel. If the fat man wanted to be a chef, he could have the job.

Although it's unheard of for someone to fight their way into your home just to get hired as a chef, Li Xie had no other choice given the circumstances.

Looking at Van Diesel's pleading eyes, it was clear he wanted to speak but couldn't, likely unable to even form words.

"Let him go, no problem. I just want to be a chef," the fat man said.

He grabbed Van Diesel by the neck, shook him, and then tossed him over to Li Xie. "I dislocated 108 of his bones. Once they're set back in place, he'll be fine. I don't kill; I only cook."

Li Xie quickly helped Van Diesel up from the ground. Tears were still in Van Diesel's eyes. Although he wasn't seriously injured, the pain was enough to make this tenth-tier Sword Saint cry.

Imagining the agony of having 108 bones dislocated, Li Xie could understand Van Diesel's suffering.

Van Diesel's face was pale from the pain. He stood up and said, "Sir, I..."

"It's alright, no need to blame yourself. Look at Zeinander, he didn't even dare to step forward..."

Zeinander shot Li Xie a frustrated look: stepping forward now would be foolish; the fat man was overwhelmingly powerful.

"Sir..." Van Diesel said again, "this person might be the Magic Chef."

"Oh?" The fat man expressed surprise. "You know me?"

Van Diesel was startled and quickly bowed, "So it really is Your Highness. Van Diesel salutes Bushraxi, Your Highness."

"Magic Chef? What's that all about?" Li Xie sensed that this fat man had a significant background.

Van Diesel explained, "Sir, his name is Mo Jie Bushraxi. He's the only known eleventh-tier mage and eleventh-tier Sword Saint on the continent. He loves cooking and travels around working as a chef. Because of his eccentric ways, he's known as the Magic Chef."

An eleventh-tier in both magic and swordsmanship? Li Xie was stunned, staring at Mo Jie Bushraxi. This guy was incredibly powerful.

"What do you mean, eccentric?" Mo Jie yelled. "I just love being a chef. What's so strange about that? The happiest thing in the world is seeing people enjoy the food I cook. Whoever says I'm eccentric, I'll beat them up!"

Li Xie whispered in Van Diesel's ear, "So, he really is here to be a chef, not to cause trouble?"

"Yes, he's here to be a chef. You don't need to worry, sir. The Magic Chef doesn't kill. Even when he cooks, he only makes vegetarian dishes. However..."

"However, what?"

"However, the Magic Chef doesn't randomly decide to work as a chef. Something must have piqued his interest for him to come to our City Lord's mansion."

What could have piqued his interest? Could it be my vampire physique, or something else?

Li Xie couldn't think of anything particularly special on his end, but since this Mo Jie Bushraxi was truly here to be a chef and didn't kill, there wasn't much to worry about.

"Hey!" Mo Jie shouted irritably. "What are you two whispering about? Are you going to let me be the chef or not? If you don't answer, I'll beat you."

"Let you, of course," Li Xie hastily replied, fearing being beaten. "From now on, you are the chief chef of our City Lord's mansion."

"Hahaha... that's more like it." Mo Jie laughed and looked at the sky. "Hmm, it's almost noon, time for lunch. I'll cook for you right away, sir."

"Very well..." Li Xie chuckled, but inwardly he sighed. Who would have thought that even a grand duke and lord would be forced to hire someone as a chef?

Van Diesel tugged at Li Xie's clothes and whispered, "Sir, we need to run."

"Why?"

"The Magic Chef has a habit. When you invite him to be a chef, for the first meal, he'll cook all the dishes he knows. And you must eat them all. Otherwise, you'll have to fight him. There are plenty of legends about people being half-dead from being stuffed full by him."

Oh.

Li Xie was shocked, hastily chuckling, "It seems we won't be having lunch today. Um, Mr. Mo Jie, Your Grace has urgent matters to attend to, so we'll eat when we return."

"No way," Mo Jie shouted. "This is my first day as your chef and the first time I'm cooking for you. How can you not eat? No, no, if you don't eat, I'll beat you up."

Oh, for heaven's sake.

Strange things happen every year, and today, I'm being forced to eat.

Li Xie felt a deep sense of frustration, but thinking of what Van Diesel had said about being stuffed half to death, he hurriedly said, "There really are urgent matters. How about this, you cook the food, and I'll take it to go. I'll eat on the way. By the god of sleep, I promise to finish it all."

"The god of sleep?"

"The deity I worship."

"Oh, alright. Since you've made a promise to your god, I'll trust you."

Mo Jie took out a long table from his space ring, as well as cooking utensils and ingredients. Looking at the ingredients on the table, mostly tofu products or vegetables, not a single piece of fish.

Then, he swiftly produced two crescent-shaped pig-killing knives and began to work on the table.

Mo Jie's movements were incredibly fast, yet each step was clearly visible. He wielded the knives, and the ingredients on the table changed unpredictably. With a casual wave, flames appeared out of nowhere, and with a snap of his fingers, clear water emerged.

He was using magic to cook.

In less than half an hour, the long table was filled with 130 dishes, and the garden was filled with the aroma of food. Although there was no meat, the dishes were incredibly flavorful and fresh. Truly magical.

Li Xie couldn't help but marvel at the sight. Of course, seeing the 130 dishes also caused him to break out in a cold sweat. If he were to eat all of it, even with his vampire constitution, he probably wouldn't be able to eat anything for months, mentally at least.

Putting all the dishes made by Mo Jie into his space ring, Li Xie bowed to him, then quickly left the City Lord's mansion with Zeinander and Meow Meow, heading towards Manchester City.