A single pork knuckle, two men tugging at it—across an Eight Immortals table, fully seated thanks to Jiang Beihe's sociable nature.
The other six people at the table looked at the two with open disdain, though no one was truly surprised. They hadn't come to the Jin family's birthday banquet for the food—they were here to make connections in the martial world.
Only these two… had been seriously focused on eating from the start.
Li Chaofeng wasn't a man who fought for dominance, but against this brute across the table, he simply refused to yield.
At first, he had hated the guy. With his hypersensitive sense of smell, as the wielder of the Five Venom Blade, of course he'd detest someone reeking of grime and sweat.
But now, there was something oddly familiar about the brute. He looked like someone you'd see in a play, vaguely like an actor—but the more Li Chaofeng looked, the more he was sure he'd never seen him before.
Still, some things are best settled with fists.
Narrowing his eyes, Li Chaofeng locked gazes with the brute—sharp as needle tips, clashing like blades of grass in the wind.
Neither man wanted to escalate the matter. Li Chaofeng didn't want to disrupt someone else's birthday celebration, and the brute, it seemed, didn't want to draw attention to himself.
Though silently clashing, their fingers gripped the greasy bone with force—locked in a silent battle of will, bull against bull.
Li Chaofeng refused to let go, and the brute clearly wasn't one to back down. The man leaned forward, eyes narrowing, and gave a low warning:
"Kid, I've been chased by a woman for over a year, sleeping in the wild and eating whatever I could find. Finally got a good meal—and you, sitting here with all the food and drink at Jin's place, can't even spare me one pork knuckle?"
Li Chaofeng leaned back slightly as the brute's body came closer, but his grip on the bone didn't loosen. He replied coldly:
"There's an old saying: a growing boy eats his parents into poverty. Forget one pork knuckle—even ten, I could polish off myself."
Casting a glance at the remains of dishes across the table, Li Chaofeng raised a brow and added pointedly:
"Since earlier, you've eaten half the table's food all by yourself. No matter how rough you had it before—you've eaten more than enough now."
The brute let out a low growl, full of indignation:
"You say I ate half the table? Didn't you eat the other half?"
Not satisfied with that, he flared up even more, voice rising:
"Not just that! Before I even got to the table, all those neatly plated desserts and candied fruits—you ate all of them! I didn't get a single bite! You ate more than I did!"
Li Chaofeng arched an eyebrow at the accusation. Chin lifted, eyes cast downward, his expression was one of smug satisfaction.
"Bad luck you weren't here earlier. What's that got to do with me?"
The brute's eyes flashed with menace. He leaned in, tone dropping to a threatening growl:
"So you're really not letting go?"
Li Chaofeng, unshaken, snapped back:
"I'd rather give it to a dog than to you!"
Just then, the brute suddenly raised a brow and tilted his head, motioning behind Li Chaofeng.
"Someone's behind you."
Li Chaofeng almost laughed—he was about to say "That trick only works on children"—but the moment his senses expanded, he realized with a sigh that the brute wasn't lying.
Sure enough, behind him stood several figures.
The guest of honor, Madam Jin, was there, accompanied by the dignified Jin Fourth Master, along with several attendants.
At that moment, Jin Fourth Master gently supported his grandmother and gestured toward the table.
"Grandmother, this is the little 'Kitchen God' who's been preparing your meals these past few days."
The banquet was large, but not so large that anything escaped notice.
Li Chaofeng's table, while tucked in a corner, hadn't drawn much attention at first. But his scuffle with the brute over the pork knuckle had caught Jin Fourth Master's eye. Noting that the chef he admired was seated in a corner and already involved in a dispute, Jin Fourth Master felt it only proper to come over. Remembering the meals prepared over the past two weeks, he decided to bring his grandmother along to meet this young talent.
Realizing now who his recent dishes had been prepared for, Li Chaofeng quickly wiped his greasy hands on Jiang Beihe's robe beside him. Beaming, he cupped his hands and bowed toward the old lady.
"Your humble servant, Li Chaofeng, greets Madam Jin. I wish you blessings as boundless as the Eastern Sea, and a life as enduring as the Southern Mountains."
"Good, good, good," Madam Jin replied warmly.
Though still able to walk, she was clearly elderly and weary. Yet if her grandson asked her to come, she naturally complied—after all, she was the true host of this birthday banquet. Greeting her guests in person was only proper.
Seeing that his grandmother was indeed growing tired, Jin Fourth Master signaled the servants to help her back to her seat. He then cast a sweeping glance over the crowd, his expression stern but silent.
Finally, his eyes landed on the brute who had been fighting over the pork knuckle. A trace of confusion crossed his face, and he turned to Li Chaofeng, asking in a low voice:
"Is this gentleman a friend of yours?"
Though the tone was soft, the weight in Jin Fourth Master's voice was as heavy as a mountain.
Li Chaofeng turned his gaze toward the brute—who was still busily eating and drinking, pretending as if he hadn't heard a word.
Though the man reeked and was a source of personal irritation, Li Chaofeng had no intention of getting him thrown out. He had a strong sense this guy was going to be important—a character with real weight in the story. With a mental sigh, he forced a smile and answered vaguely:
"I suppose… you could say we know each other."
Jin Fourth Master sensed Li Chaofeng's willingness to let the matter drop. He swept his gaze over the guests again, then gave a small, composed smile and simply moved on—choosing to ignore the brute entirely.
Then, turning to the rest of the guests, he spoke with calm yet commanding authority.
"So that's how it is," Jin Fourth Master said with a chuckle. "From afar, I saw the two of you arguing and thought someone was trying to pick a fight with our little Kitchen God. If that's not the case, then it's the Jin family who's been rude."
After exchanging a few polite words, Jin Fourth Master no longer spared the brutish man a glance. His tone softened as he turned to Li Chaofeng.
"Little Kitchen God, about what I mentioned before—"
Before he could even finish the sentence, Li Chaofeng's expression darkened. The friendly smile vanished from his face, and he sat down decisively, cutting him off coldly.
"Not going. I, your little master, am heading out to roam the martial world."
Jin Fourth Master gave a long sigh, visibly regretful. Just a moment ago, Li Chaofeng had been all courtesy and politeness—now he'd flipped like a coin.
"That's the largest restaurant in all of Hangzhou. Most people don't even get to step through its doors their entire lives. I was prepared to give it to you outright… and even that can't keep you, Little Kitchen God?"
At those words, everyone at the table except the brute—who was still eating like nothing had happened—was visibly shocked. The thought struck them all: Good thing we didn't offend the Kitchen God earlier! Who knew Jin Fourth Master valued him so highly?
Even Jiang Beihe hung his head low, not daring to lift his eyes. His gaze was full of bitter jealousy.
In the past two weeks, Jin Fourth Master had all but ignored him, yet was now lavishing attention on this young cook—someone who, in his eyes, probably didn't even know martial arts.
But this was Jin Fourth Master, the man who held sway over half of Jiangnan.
Li Chaofeng rolled his eyes at Jin Fourth Master's words, then looked up with a grin.
"Giving it to me? Then can I sell it?"
"Ha! Hahaha!"
Jin Fourth Master burst out laughing at the quip. He truly had meant to gift Li Chaofeng the largest restaurant in Hangzhou. But with such a gift came a silent agreement—that Li Chaofeng would remain as head chef, tied to the place.
The deed to Hangzhou's most famous restaurant meant little to someone like Jin Fourth Master, who controlled half of Jiangnan. What he truly valued was Li Chaofeng's culinary skill, and more than that—the fame that skill could bring.
Hangzhou's top restaurant? That was nothing. But the top restaurant in all the land, known throughout Jiangnan—now that was something worth chasing.
Though Li Chaofeng had turned down the offer somewhat bluntly, Jin Fourth Master didn't take offense. Youthful arrogance—he'd had plenty of that himself.
And besides, Li Chaofeng hadn't let the offer cloud his judgment. He understood what it meant… and still chose to walk away.
Such intelligence in a young man—so long as he wasn't an enemy—was something Jin Fourth Master could respect, whether the boy bowed to him or not.
After all, Jin Fourth Master was a man of the jianghu as well.
Noticing that his laughter had drawn a few curious glances, Jin Fourth Master gave a slight nod and said no more. Instead, he turned to the servant beside him and gave a quiet command:
"Whatever this table asks for—give it to them."
He merely wanted to ensure that Li Chaofeng didn't feel snubbed. But just as the words left his mouth, the brute—still eating with his head down—abruptly raised his hand.
"Kitchen God wants ten pork knuckles!"
Courtesies were courtesies, and though Li Chaofeng didn't bow and scrape before Jin Fourth Master, he was still a man of manners. Otherwise, he wouldn't have offered such respectful congratulations to Madam Jin earlier. His tone and posture had been nothing if not sincere.
"This…"
Jin Fourth Master looked puzzled. Meanwhile, Li Chaofeng's eyes were already shooting daggers at the brute. Gritting his teeth, he growled lowly toward Jin Fourth Master:
"I don't know this man at all! Fourth Master, you'd best throw him out now!"