Chapter 447: Three Old Grandfathers!!
This old man was none other than the gatekeeper of the fourth stage! The master of Chinese martial arts invited by Yu Mei-ren—the man whose "no second strike is needed" strike is legendary: the God of Spears, Li Shuwen! Master Li!
Although he was an old man, his voice was full of energy. His short, thin frame contained power that even ghosts and gods feared. Every light punch was filled with explosive force.
"First, congratulations to you all for passing the trials along the way and arriving at the fourth stage. After one gets old, the body is not what it used to be. If you don't mind, let us sit down to talk. I've had tea prepared as well. Please, sit." The old man with short gray-silver hair faced the four approaching contestants, pointed to the four chairs placed there, and said with a smile.
"We wouldn't dare. Please, you sit first." Shirou quickly agreed.
After the four took their seats, a small tea table was placed beside them. A staff member led in a tea artist wearing a qipao. Carrying a large teapot, she performed the tea service, pouring a full cup of green tea into an antique teacup from a great height.
The old man of the Liu family picked up the teacup, tasted a sip, and said with brightened eyes: "Oh, this is spring tea plucked before the Qingming festival (Yuqian). The flavor is delicate and fragrant. This is truly excellent."
Nakiri Senzaemon was very interested; for East Asian countries, the influence of tea culture is long-standing. He spoke with a smile: "Oh, then I must have a good taste. Hmm... the flavor is sweet and fragrant. You truly have great taste, my friend."
As for Shirou, he attracted the attention of most people outside the screen, who thought, 'This time we'll surely be able to see his true face!!'
However, things were still unexpected. Shirou pressed the mechanism on his mask without haste, opening that small, pitch-black hole. Shirou rummaged through the pocket of his chef's uniform, pulled out a wooden straw, inserted it into the cup, and began to drink as if it were bubble tea.
"There's even this method—!!!" The internet exploded in disbelief, with comments stating, "I don't admire walls, but I admire you" (a slang way of expressing extreme admiration for someone's unconventional behavior).
"Hmph, China is the birthplace of tea, so it's indeed good stuff," Pablo said, but in his heart, he thought: "Although the person isn't much, tea is one of the world's three major beverages and is very profitable. After controlling this old man who seems to know so much about tea, I'll use it as one of the links to conquer the world."
"Well, whiling away the time by tasting tea like this—that's something only an old man like me, who can't do any real work anymore, would do," the old man in sunglasses said while sipping his tea.
Hearing this, Shirou stared wide-eyed at the old man in front of him. The old man said that, but in reality, there wasn't a trace of weakness in him. He stood straight, hands tucked into his sleeves.
Shirou had seen quite a few martial arts masters; people like a certain priest, and Tohsaka even had a foundation in Baji Quan. Every movement the old man made was simply a template for a human martial artist practicing such fist techniques—naturally relaxed muscles that, in a split second, possessed explosive power. It seemed he was using his actions to demonstrate to everyone what a Chinese martial artist is: as the saying goes, "stand like a pine, sit like a bell, walk like the wind, lie down like a bow."
'At the end of the day... it's been decades since we parted at Mount Lu. You've aged dozens of years and put on little sunglasses, and you think I won't recognize you!!! What happened to the martial arts fanatic Master Li from back then?! Does one get more shameless the longer they live?!' Shirou complained wildly in his heart.
"Indeed, when one gets old, all sorts of problems are exposed. Recently, my muscle atrophy has become more and more serious, and my hands and feet are getting weaker," Nakiri Senzaemon also sat down, resting his chin on his hand in agreement.
'What is wrong with this old man? He was just showing off his muscles by taking off his clothes in front of a global live broadcast! This old lecher! Erina! You must keep him in check!'
"Yes, this old pile of bones could return to the west at any moment; it wouldn't be strange even if I were buried today," the old man of the Liu family, wrapped in a red headscarf, nodded in strong agreement. While speaking, the old man turned his sturdy, thick neck, raised his hand to tap his shoulder, and relaxed his muscles and bones. One could clearly see the blocky muscles bulging high on his shoulders and back, which couldn't be hidden even under his chef's uniform—he was simply a human polar bear.
'Enough! You too?! Old God of Cooking Liu! With your build, even compared to a Shandong man in his prime, you're worth two of them!'
The three shameless old guys mixed together in great mutual understanding.
At the top of the high building, Red Enma also widened her eyes, watching the three old grandfathers below who were full of presence and high deterrence, exclaiming:
"There are so many strong grandfathers de-chu~! Are all modern human grandfathers this strong? In ancient times, those kind grandfathers didn't exist anymore, did they?"
If Shirou knew the thoughts of the red-haired little girl on the roof at this moment, he would certainly be able to build a friendship of mutual understanding.
"...At the end of the day, why are there so many monster-like grandfathers here? Could it be that I'm the weakest one? No... wait, I'm the second to last," Shirou narrowed his eyes with a deadpan expression and said helplessly. Just then, he caught a glimpse of the gloomy Pablo and changed his phrasing.
"..." Pablo noticed Shirou's gaze and looked away gloomily. He clenched his fists, reminding himself that for the sake of his ambition, the time for revenge hadn't come yet; sooner or later, he would make these people who dared to offend him wish they were dead.
Nakiri Senzaemon finished the tea in his cup, looked at the lean old man wearing sunglasses, and asked: "Then, my friend, could you tell us the topic for this time?"
Li Shuwen smiled, pushed up his small round sunglasses, scanned everyone, and said in a resonant voice:
"As the saying goes, medicine and martial arts come from the same source. My topic is food nourishment! A nutritional meal! Please present a dish that can provide sufficient nutrition and nourish the body and mind, even for martial artists who consume massive amounts of physical strength every day and suffer from severe physical wear and tear!"
"Food nourishment! This falls into the category of diet therapy." Nakiri Senzaemon's eyes flashed with intensity as he spoke. If it was this, he probably had no problem.
"This is indeed a category that this old man excels in," the old man of the Liu family said while stroking his beard.
Shirou remained calm and collected.
Only Pablo broke out in a cold sweat and became nervous; the situation was somewhat unfavorable for him. This time, Pablo didn't dare to be anything less than serious.
Before, when facing the doubts of the big-hearted woman cosplaying as a female captain, he could angrily curse back because he was making his most specialized French cuisine. But if the topic was a part that French cuisine wasn't good at, he had to admit that the gap between him and the other contestants had widened unknowingly.
"However, this time, at the request of the judge who invited me, I will eliminate the last place," Li Shuwen suddenly changed the subject and said in a deep voice. His tone carried unquestionable majesty.
"Eh?" The four contestants were startled by this sudden news.
"Wait! Isn't this supposed to be an exhibition match before meeting the five judges?" Pablo reacted most intensely, shouting aloud.
"No, I don't recall this God of Cooking Cup ever saying such a rule. The person who invited me here told me to eliminate low-level people as much as possible, and... if you don't have the strength to compete for first place, then there's no need to stay here anymore," Li Shuwen said unhurriedly.
"Umu, umu, that old man is truly strict." The blonde, red-clothed Empress girl watching the event from the side of the top floor said with a laugh: "But~ this development is also very interesting~!"
"After all, this is the nature of this competition," Shirou said with a shrug.
"But..." Pablo called out anxiously, but with the words on the tip of his tongue, he didn't dare to say them, only gritting his teeth. 'Doesn't this mean all of his plans are ruined?'
Pablo looked around urgently, finally locking his gaze on the old man Nakiri, and said: "Nakiri! You have an opinion on this, too! Protest and say something!"
"Well, after all, we've reached this stage," Nakiri Senzaemon shook his head. After thinking about it, he was relieved and spoke.
"Then, before the competition, please return to your respective lounges to rest your spirits. Return here in an hour," Li Shuwen said, stood up, and took the lead walking toward the corridor where the elevator was located.
As he walked into the corridor, Pablo called out to Li Shuwen, who had turned and was leaving with his hands behind his back.
"Please wait, old gentleman." Pablo twisted his somewhat obese body and ran toward the man in sunglasses.
Li Shuwen, wearing sunglasses, turned around unhurriedly and looked at the middle-aged man who ran over: "Oh? Mr. Pablo from France, what can I do for you?"
"Please step aside for a moment to talk." Pablo led Li Shuwen into the corridor, where the camera couldn't see.
Li Shuwen followed curiously and asked: "Hmm? Can you say it now?"
"Yes, actually I want to ask you to help introduce me to the backing family behind this tournament," Pablo said in a hushed tone.
"The backing family?" Li Shuwen asked in confusion.
"I have a deal I want to discuss with them," Pablo said.
"Business?" Li Shuwen repeated, his face full of doubt.
"That's right! You must also want to make money by organizing such a large event! I am the best partner. I have some influence in Europe, and even greater power underground. Partner with me, and I guarantee you will be unimpeded in both the underworld and the righteous world in Europa," Pablo patted his chest and highly recommended himself.
Li Shuwen finally understood what was going on. Looking at Pablo, who was just a chef, he wondered how he ended up acting like the Northern warlords and corrupt officials he had
seen in his lifetime. He shook his head with a chuckle: "Hehe, here we only talk about fine food; there's none of that devious stuff."
If it were the politician Caesar or Cleopatra, they might have agreed with his idea. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong target; the target in front of him was a pure martial artist.
Moreover, he was wrong about one thing: this tournament was truly that pure. Even the genius politician Caesar had passed the age of playing political tricks every day; he now just wanted to be a happy, gluttonous shut-in.
Although the King of Conquerors, Iskandar, could be considered a politician, he was an upright man. He only liked to charge in head-on, beat the opponent into submission, and then bring them into the fold. He wouldn't engage in these devious thoughts. It goes without saying for the others.
"Aren't you Chinese? But this Nakiri is Japanese! And that masked freak who is very close to Nakiri is also very likely Japanese! Are you just going to let them pass? Are you going to forget the hatred of the massacre back then?" Pablo said in a low voice, trying to provoke him.
Li Shuwen remained calm. Wearing sunglasses, no one could see the expression in his eyes. Just as Pablo thought he had succeeded and revealed a trace of a smile, Li Shuwen said:
"What nonsense. You think this old man is such a shallow avenger? That is looking down on this old man, and looking down on us Chinese too much. China has been a great multi-ethnic nation since ancient times, and what we value is not the narrow populism you Westerners have.
The Han people were fused together in the Han Empire under the integration of the seven heroes of the Warring States period. The rise of the Tang Empire of the Tang people was also established on the conquests of the Turks, Shatuo, Uyghurs, and many mercenaries. If the Qing Dynasty had relied only on the Manchus, they wouldn't even have been able to take Shanhai Pass.
The Emperor Wu of Han's son-in-law, Jin Ridi, was a crown prince of the Xiongnu, but he and Huo Guang were both chosen by Emperor Wu to assist the crown prince.
Among the great generals who pacified Gaochang and Qiuci in the Tang Dynasty was Li Shimin's son-in-law, Ashina She'er. He was a Khitan, and after Emperor Taizong of Tang died, he even requested to be buried with him.
In the late period of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, the great general Li Guangbi, who was as famous as Guo Ziyi and fought to suppress the An Lushan Rebellion, was also a Khitan.
There was also the great general Gao Xianzhi, who came from Goguryeo. He defeated the Tibetans, led the Anxi Army to hold the trade routes firmly, and competed for territory with the Abbasid Caliphate in Central Asia. Although he had the mistake of the Battle of Talas, he did not lose the key town of the Western Regions and was considered a great general of his generation.
Interestingly, although Goguryeo actually has little to do with Korea, Gao Xianzhi has been presumptuously hailed as a famous national historical general in Korea. Even at the peak of Goguryeo's territory, it only operated in Liaoning in the three northeastern provinces and Korea. By the time it was destroyed by the Tang Dynasty, it had never reached Seoul or Busan. As expected, Korea is still too small. Hopefully, it will return to the embrace of North Korea.
But imagine, even such a small country has the consciousness to falsely claim foreign culture to fill itself and become a 'great country of the universe.' Can my great China not tolerate a single Japanese restaurant?"
Li Shuwen continued: "The ocean accepts all rivers; it is great because it is inclusive. Since ancient times, the enemies we have encountered are numerous, such as the Xiongnu, Donghu, Tibetans, Khitans, Mongols, and Jurchens... By now, their descendants who remain in this land have become members of our country; they are all equal compatriots, no different from us.
As for the people of Japan, we also hold a friendly heart. For the excellent culture of other countries, we can also appreciate it with a calm heart. For revolutionaries like Mr. Kobayashi Takiji, we hold respect in our hearts.
'Heaven in its vigor moves in a manner lasting and unceasing; the gentleman should exert himself unceasingly.' If we want to gain the respect of countries around the world, all we need to do is reproduce the style of the Han and Tang dynasties once again!"
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