"Based on the current situation, if you can identify all the ingredients in this porridge, you can leave alive!"
Lin Baici surveyed the others.
The ninety-some tourists in Xiang Ji Kitchen hadn't suffered physical harm—they were either scared or overfull.
"Nonsense, even a fool can see that!"
The old man retorted, "The real question is, who knows what ingredients were used when the porridge is such a mess, aside from the chef?"
"Only the God of Eating would be able to taste it!"
Sitting opposite Kim Myungjin was a three or four-year-old little girl who added in her childlike voice. She was wearing a dress and looked adorable.
The old man's eyes shifted, and he got a sly idea, lowering his voice as if disclosing a big secret that he didn't want others to know: "You could also guess!"
Hearing this, the little girl began shaking her head at Kim Myungjin.
"Right, the ingredients for eight treasure porridge are just those few types, right?"
Brother Gu's eyes lit up.
"Heh!"
Lin Baici looked at the old man with full of sarcasm.
"Wha... what? Am I wrong?"
The old man felt uneasy.
"Baici, what's wrong?"
Sima Mu, who was somewhat straightforward, didn't understand Lin Baici's attitude.
"If you guess, how many attempts would it take to get it right?"
Lin Baici looked towards the kitchen, "I don't think that chef girl would tolerate a guest guessing repeatedly until they get it right!"
"That's true!"
Brother Gu thought he'd found a way out, but it was unfeasible, and he was disappointed.
"If you guess wrong, they won't kill you, right? At most, you'll just be trapped here?"
Hua Yue Yu looked up around, relieved, as there were no corpses in sight.
"That's a question for this old man!"
Lin Baici sneered.
"Ask... ask me why?"
The old man's gaze wandered.
"You're letting us guess the ingredients and seasonings because you want to use us to eliminate some wrong choices, right!"
Hua Yue Yu was sharp and also considered this possibility.
"What?"
Sima Mu was both shocked and enraged, glaring at the old man across from him.
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
The old man's secret thoughts were hit upon, and he became angrily embarrassed, but he still stubbornly argued: "I was just worried there might be a limit on the number of survivors, that's why I secretly told you, to avoid others overhearing, I didn't expect you to not recognize good intentions, and even wrong me!"
"Who are you trying to fool?"
Hua Yue Yu retorted sharply, "With so many people here, I don't believe no one has tried to guess the recipe!"
"Er..."
The old man's face stiffened.
These two were too quick-witted, there was no way to deceive them!
In fact, someone had tried guessing and failed three times, before the chef girl chopped off his head.
"I originally turned my heart towards the bright moon, but alas, the bright moon illuminates only the ditch!"
The old man was thick-skinned and felt no embarrassment.
"Seems like we need to sneak into the kitchen and take a look at the rice barrel!"
The old lady suggested a plan.
"Who will go?"
Sima Mu scanned the crowd with his gaze.
Obviously, the ingredients used for the porridge would be in the kitchen, but the question was, who would take the risk?
Everyone was silent.
The chef girl was like a murderous maniac, instilling deep fear in everyone.
"I'll go!"
Kim Myungjin took a deep breath.
She couldn't always rely on Lin Oppa—she had to prove her worth and become a woman who could be his teammate.
"Little Gu, Miss Kim is quite bold, aren't you going to accompany her?"
Sima Mu used reverse psychology.
"Why don't you go?"
Brother Gu wiped his Canon camera; he didn't want to take the risk!
"How can I do anything with one hand?"
Sima Mu shook his bandaged left hand, "I'm afraid I'll mess up and make everyone lose the only chance to peek into the kitchen!"
"I can stall the chef girl for you!"
The old man suddenly interjected, "But after you get the information, you have to share it with me!"
"Don't believe him, this old man is rotten to the core!"
Hua Yue Yu's annoyance flared as she noticed the old man kept stealing glances at her.
"Everyone stop, let's do as Baici suggests!"
The old lady thought to herself that this was Lin Baici's call.
The chef girl came out.
The whole hall instantly quieted down. Everyone dared not speak, heads lowered, fearing they might catch the chef girl's attention.
The chef girl looked around and walked up to a youth in a plaid shirt, asking with a smile, "Honored guest, do you know the ingredients in this bowl of porridge?"
"Hurry, go to the kitchen while there's a chance!"
The old man urged, "I will definitely stall the chef girl for you!"
He was in a rush because he'd already consumed two bowls of porridge and could be sought out by the chef girl at any moment.
"I'll go!"
Kim Myungjin was about to slip away from her stool, crouching down, when Lin Baici pressed her down.
"Sister, don't move!"
The little girl who had been leaning against her mother suddenly cried out in a panic, "Earlier, a big brother left his stool and was immediately targeted by that terrifying chef monster!"
"After that, he couldn't answer the chef girl's question and had his head chopped off!"
The little girl had seen with her own eyes the big brother trying to fight the chef girl, but with just one swipe of her knife, his head was chopped off just like a tomato.
The blood sprayed so high, like a fountain.
On hearing this, Kim Myungjin's face turned pale, and she quickly ducked down, grateful as she glanced at Lin Baici.
"Oppa, thank you!"
If it weren't for Lin Baici's quick reaction, she would have already left her stool.
The old man, seeing Kim Myungjin back down, was furious to the point of spitting blood and glared viciously at the little girl, cursing her in his heart.
"You little brat, nobody asked for your opinion!"
"Thank you, little sister!"
Kim Myungjin expressed her gratitude.
"No problem!"
The little girl smiled sweetly.
"Actually, even if she hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have let you go,"
Lin Baici looked at those seated at the same table, "With so many people here, I just can't believe no one else had thought about going into the kitchen. So why haven't they gone?"
"Why?"
The old lady blurted out.
"Because it's dangerous!"
What made Lin Baici unhappy was that the people sharing his table clearly knew this, yet they said nothing, hoping someone else would try it.
If the person who tried it died, it was none of their business, but if they succeeded, everyone's chances of walking out of this dining hall alive would increase.
"Damn, why didn't I think of that?"
Brother Gu smacked his head hard, still blaming and annoyed with himself for his cowardice, not realizing that Lin Baici knew from the start this plan was unfeasible.
"So what do we do?"
The old lady was restless with anxiety, "We can't really rely on guessing, can we?"
"You could also pray for a five-star chef to be among the next wave of guests lured in by the aroma!"
Sima Mu was out of options.
"Even a chef won't do, we need a God of Eating!"
The little girl's eyes sparkled, believing that if it were a God of Eating, just a sip would be enough to taste all the ingredients used in the porridge, even the spring water from a specific location!
That's how they showed it on TV.
As Hua Yue Yu thought of a solution, she glanced over at Lin Baici and noticed how he calmly observed the cook, his expression serene.
His demeanor was like that of a customer leisurely enjoying afternoon tea, not someone who might die the next moment due to contaminated rules.
When Hua Yue Yu turned her head to look around, she saw that everyone was tense, fearful, afraid, their heads bowed low to avoid making eye contact with the cook.
Only Lin Baici,
was very calm.
What a stout heart he had!
Wasn't he too composed?
It was a pity that cell phones couldn't be used; she really wanted to capture this moment of Lin Baici.
After the cook in plaid shirt finished listing the ingredients, the cook shook her head in disappointment.
"No!"
"Let me think again!"
The young man in the plaid shirt wracked his brain, but he had already used up his three chances.
The cook drew her knife.
Swish!
The sharp cleaver left a silver arc as it chopped through the young man's neck.
Thud!
The head fell off, and blood spurted sky-high.
Chaos ensued in Xiang Ji Kitchen.
After killing the man, the cook wiped the cleaver on the corpse's clothes to remove the blood, sheathed it at her waist, then picked up the young man's head in one hand and his body in the other, and headed to the kitchen.
Within ten seconds, the cook was back with a bucket and a rag, cleaning up the blood from the floor.
Having finished, she wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and then walked towards the kitchen.
As she passed a young woman, the latter, too nervous, accidentally knocked over her bowl.
Some porridge spilled out.
The cook's face immediately turned furious.
"What a waste of food!"
"I didn't mean to..."
The young woman never finished her sentence before her head was chopped off by the cleaver.
Thud!
The head landed on the table and rolled a bit.
Hiss!
The room filled with the sound of everyone sharply inhaling, their heads now bowed so low, they nearly stuck them into their crotches.
Fear!
The old lady trembled and instinctively grabbed onto Lin Baici's arm.
Kim Myungjin turned her head and saw that Lin Baici wasn't panicking.
This reassured her a lot.
The cook squatted down and began to wipe the floor, "You've been drinking the porridge for a while now. When I'm done with my chores, I'll start asking questions. Those who can't answer will serve as fuel for my porridge cooking!"
Everyone's hearts clenched.
The old man sitting diagonally across from Lin Baici grew increasingly angry, annoyed that he had just come to burn incense and make a wish for long life and great fortune.
How had he ended up in such a mess?
Had he known, wouldn't it have been better to have a foot massage?
The cook stood up, glanced around, and walked towards Lin Baici's side.
The guests at a few tables went numb, praying to all deities, hoping not to be chosen by the cook.
"It... It looks like she's coming for us!"
The old lady cried out in fear.
The old man kept his head down, pretending to sip porridge, sneaking peeks at the cook, but inevitably his eyes met hers, sending a shiver through him.
"It's over!"
At that moment, the old man was seized by a vile courage and suddenly kicked the leg of the stool where the little girl was sitting.
Oh no!
The little girl tumbled over and landed on her behind.
"What are you doing?"
Hua Yue Yu, full of righteousness, scolded the old man as she saw what happened.
The old man pretended not to hear.
The cook stopped in front of the little girl.
"Little honored guest, tell me, do you know what kinds of beans are in the porridge?"
The cook squatted down and gently stroked the little girl's head.
"I... I..."
The little girl was very flustered and looked towards her mother.
"Please, I beg you, save her!"
The little girl's mother was in total despair, chanting non-stop, pleading with everyone.
Everyone felt powerless.
Lin Baici gripped the Songmu torch firmly in his right hand.
He stared at the cook, picked up the porridge with his left hand, and took a sip.
Sweet, soft, sticky, and fragrant.
It was indeed good porridge.
Jin Ying and Hua Yue Yu both noticed Lin Baici's action, feeling a mix of fear and admiration.
"Oppa, let's chop it together!"
Jin Ying's moral standards wouldn't allow her to stand by and watch a little girl die before her.
"Let's fight it out!"
Hua Yue Yu gripped the edge of the table with both hands, ready to flip it.
"Brother Lin, hold steady!"
Sima Mu urged.
Sister Xiao Li glanced at him with disdain.
The dining hall atmosphere was oppressive.
Just when everyone thought the little girl was doomed, they suddenly saw a big boy sitting at the same table pick up a large bowl and take a sip of porridge.
"Delicious porridge!"
The big boy exclaimed, and with a thud, he placed the large bowl back on the table, then shouted to the murderous cook...
"Another bowl, please!"