14
The Culinary Master Competition (Part One)
The delivery arrived faster than Jiang Qi had anticipated. Just as he reached the storefront to unlock the door, the courier pulled up.
“Mr. Jiang Qi? Please sign for your local delivery.” The courier handed over a package the size of two encyclopedias stacked together, along with a burlap sack, while curiously glancing at the store’s sign.
Amidst the faded signs of small eateries, Galaxy Theater Club’s signage undoubtedly shone the brightest in this narrow alley.
“So you run a Murder Mystery Game store,” the courier remarked.
“That’s right.”
“Your location is quite hidden, tucked away in this alley. Most Murder Mystery Game stores are on main streets or in office buildings.”
“Rent’s cheaper here,” Jiang Qi replied vaguely, hefting the box containing the Character Books. It felt like three or four pounds—no wonder it was designed for 6-30 players, far outweighing other game sets.
Muttering about eccentric rich people these days, the courier rode off on his delivery scooter. Jiang Qi pushed the door open and eagerly began unpacking.
The box contained the game set as expected, but the contents of the burlap sack left him puzzled: a pot, an induction cooker, and thirty sets of bowls and chopsticks.
The bowls weren’t small ones either—they were wide-rimmed, brown-bottomed noodle bowls like those seen in period dramas.
The game box appeared relatively normal with its colorful cover. Inside were entirely Character Books, each thin with only three or four pages. Jiang Qi counted carefully—thirty Character Books total, plus a Game Master manual thicker than all thirty combined.
The thirty Character Books featured fifteen male and fifteen female roles, all with exquisite illustrations. There were characters who looked as young as eight or nine, and portly middle-aged men—all dressed in ancient attire, clearly indicating a historical setting.
So why would a historically-set game include an induction cooker among its props?
Jiang Qi instructed Old John not to touch the burlap sack contents, then carried the game box upstairs to find a quiet, well-lit room to study the materials.
Randomly selecting a Character Book for a young woman named Wei Ruyue, he opened it.
‘Your name is Wei Ruyue, sole heir to the Wei Family Restaurant in Quzhou.’
The next instant, a flash of white light enveloped him, and his surroundings transformed into a bustling scene.
“Wow, so many participants in this God of Cookery Competition!”
“Of course! Haven’t you heard? Wei Xian Restaurant suddenly organized this because the God of Cookery himself is seeking an heir. Why else would there be so many contestants? Look, even children barely eight or nine are here—can they even lift a wok?”
“Look over there! Feng Tian, apprentice to the head chef of Huaijiang Restaurant in Linjiang Prefecture. I can’t believe even he came.”
Jiang Qi turned to find himself surrounded by crowds.
People of all ages filled the space: finely dressed nobles, laborers in short jackets with bare hands and feet, commoners in coarse linen clothes, young women and matrons wearing thin veils to watch the excitement, even infants in arms waving their tiny fists excitedly at the air.
This was Jiang Qi’s second time entering the world of the Murder Mystery Game, and he already had some experience. Although he had only skimmed the beginning this time and entered without knowing the story background, it didn’t stop him from squeezing into the crowd to gather information while feigning casual interest.
After all, to these people, he was just thin air.
After listening for a long time to a chatty older brother at the front who was eager to share gossip, Jiang Qi roughly understood the situation.
They were in Taiping Town, which had originally been an obscure, ordinary small town. Six years ago, a restaurant named Wei Xian Restaurant opened in the town. It only operated at noon, and its hours were peculiar—it opened just before mealtime. Gradually, it evolved to serving only three customers per day.
Despite this, every guest who had ever visited Wei Xian Restaurant, whether noble or commoner, praised it extravagantly.
As the restaurant’s reputation spread, and since no one had ever seen the owner’s true face, rumors began to circulate that he was the God of Cookery descended to earth. The tales grew more and more mythical, and every year, numerous chefs traveled from afar hoping to become his apprentice. The owner, overwhelmed by the attention, decided to hold the God of Cookery Competition to select a successor.
Anyone who passed the first round of tests could participate in this final selection. News that the God of Cookery was taking a disciple spread across the nine provinces, and every capable chef who heard about it came to compete. In the end, 30 contestants were chosen to vie for the position of the culinary god’s apprentice.
Jiang Qi moved through the entire competition venue. Although the setting was ancient, both the competition’s name and the venue had a modern flair.
The legendary elderly God of Cookery had enclosed an empty space behind Wei Xian Restaurant, hired workers to set up 30 earthen stoves for the contestants to compete outdoors, and surrounded the competition area with a low stone wall. Spectators could only watch from outside the wall. The 30 contestants stood tensely by their respective stoves, waiting for the culinary god to appear and announce the start of the competition.
Taiping Town was small, with a permanent population of only a few tens of thousands, so not many locals had the leisure to come and watch. Most of the onlookers outside the wall were out-of-towners who had journeyed here to catch a glimpse of the legendary God of Cookery and weren’t very familiar with the town’s affairs. After circling around, Jiang Qi finally settled next to a very talkative local older brother, listening to his commentary while watching the competition.
Vendors at the outermost edge had already begun hawking candied hawthorns, sunflower seeds, and herbal tea. Many wealthy youths sent their servants to buy snacks, and soon sunflower seed shells littered the ground. Nearby residents even brought small stools for rent at 10 coins each—true business geniuses.
Just as Jiang Qi was listening to the older brother recount which celebrities had visited Wei Xian Restaurant over the years, the sound of a gong suddenly rang out. The previously bustling, temple-fair-like competition site instantly fell silent, and everyone turned to look toward the source of the sound.
A man who appeared to be in his early forties, portly and middle-aged, dressed in luxurious silk and with a very friendly face, stood smiling beside the gong, still holding the mallet in his hand.
“Master Huang!” many in the crowd recognized him.
The onlooker immediately began explaining with great enthusiasm: “Master Huang is a renowned philanthropist in our Taiping Town. He established the charity hall in town, reduces rents during disasters, and even provides porridge and medicine. Everyone in our town holds him in high esteem. Who would have thought he’d be supervising the competition today? But then again, the God of Cookery is a celestial being—how could we mortals casually lay eyes on him?”
Jiang Qi: …
So you all genuinely believe the legend that the owner of Wei Xian Restaurant is a deity?
“Everyone,” Master Huang announced loudly.
He was robust and had a penetrating voice. Even without a loudspeaker, his shout from the center of the venue clearly reached all present.
“Today marks the final selection of the God of Cookery Competition. The 30 chefs here have traveled from afar and passed the trials set by the God of Cookery to qualify. I, Huang Fugui, am a local gentleman of Taiping Town. With some spare wealth and a modest reputation in town, I enjoy involving myself in such interesting events.”
“As the God of Cookery is unable to appear in person, I will preside over today’s final selection. Since the God of Cookery has placed such trust in me, I must not disappoint him. The final selection will begin in half an incense stick’s time, at which point I will announce the theme. I ask for your patience.”
As soon as Huang Fugui finished speaking, a young contestant in his twenties called out, “If you’re presiding over the competition, Master Huang, who will be judging?”
“Naturally, the God of Cookery himself,” Huang Fugui replied cheerfully. “He is aware of everything happening here.”
His words instantly intensified the atmosphere.
Some contestants remained calm and composed, others polished their cleavers under the sunlight, a few discreetly scanned their surroundings trying to locate the God of Cookery, and some stared blankly at the stoves, lost in thought.
Thirty contestants, thirty different states of mind.
Once half an incense stick had burned, Huang Fugui struck the gong again and declared loudly:
“Everyone, the theme for this final selection is ‘no theme.’ You need only use the provided ingredients to prepare your signature dishes. The time limit is four incense sticks. The ingredients are in the boxes at your feet.”
“I now declare the God of Cookery Competition—begin!”
Huang Fugui struck the gong once more. Amid the resounding clang, the servant behind him quietly lit an incense stick.
The incense smoke quickly dissipated in the sunlight. The 30 contestants simultaneously opened the boxes at their feet, revealing a full array of fresh ingredients:
Three blocks of tofu, two cucumbers, three tomatoes, four sweet potatoes, six small potatoes, one slice each of winter melon and pumpkin, two carrots, one head of Chinese cabbage, a bunch of bok choy, a handful of bean sprouts, an assortment of wild greens, a bag of flour, a small pouch of assorted spices, six eggs, twelve dried small fish, one jar of chicken broth, one jar of milk, one live chicken, duck, and goose each, tied up, and one piece each of fresh pork, beef, and mutton—each contestant’s cut varied, likely from the same animals, like opening a mystery box.
As for seasonings like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, they had already been placed by the stoves beforehand.
Though Jiang Qi couldn’t fathom what kind of parallel ancient era could produce such a variety of vegetables without greenhouse technology, the reactions of the contestants on the field seemed entirely normal, with no one finding it strange.
Most contestants were pondering what dish to prepare, while a few had already started cooking.
Jiang Qi also walked into the competition area, ready to observe how each contestant competed up close.