Chapter 306 - 129: 7 Heroes and 3 Fiends! Fireworks Alley! Bat Demon

If there’s nothing to eat, so be it. But when there is, one should eat well.

One only lives once. How could a person spend their entire life just on Cultivation?

After crossing three long streets and passing more than a dozen taverns, Su Bai made a series of twists and turns, leading the Silver-White Dog Demon into a rather secluded alley.

From the end of the alley, a rich aroma was already wafting over.

The alley was quite secluded, yet it was far from empty. More than twenty feet wide and several hundred feet long, it was practically packed shoulder to shoulder with people.

It looked as if they were all waiting in line.

"Senior, there are far too many people! How about we find another place?"

The Silver-White Dog Demon suggested, swallowing hard a few times.

"We have nothing better to do. Waiting a little while is no great hardship."

Su Bai smiled, not minding at all.

"Friend, how did you come to know of this Fireworks Alley?"

Perhaps bored from waiting, a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar, who was queuing in front, struck up a conversation with Su Bai.

"A fragrance that travels for ten li. I smelled it and came."

Su Bai told the truth.

The scholar, however, rolled his eyes and chuckled, shaking his head.

"’A fragrance that travels for ten li’ is just a metaphor, not to be taken literally."

"However, the food and wine at Fireworks Alley are truly a worldly delight. Never mind just this Zhangyun City—even in the entire Da Yu region, few places can compare."

"And I’m not exaggerating one bit when I say that."

The scholar was quite talkative, rambling on and on.

Fireworks Alley, though inconspicuous, was home to an establishment that had been open for a century. It was quite famous among the citizens of Zhangyun City.

Even the City Lord himself had come here to eat more than once.

It’s just that the owner was rather eccentric. He forbade anyone from taking food to go; it all had to be eaten on the premises.

It was because of this odd rule that its fame wasn’t more widespread.

Some had tried to cause trouble for him in the past, but he dealt with them all quietly.

"This shop owner... the City Lord himself once tried to recruit him, but was refused..."

As the scholar was speaking, the people ahead in line began to sigh, then suddenly dispersed in all directions.

"Well! Another wasted trip."

The scholar also shook his head, looking quite regretful. "I forgot to mention earlier, friend, but the owner of this Fireworks Alley is very strange. How many dishes he makes each day depends entirely on his mood."

"It seems he’s in a bad mood today. The sky isn’t even dark yet, and he’s already stopped cooking."

He shook his head, and the others around him sighed one after another.

However, although they were all quite disappointed, no one dared to cause a scene. They all obediently dispersed.

Clearly, someone had learned their lesson the hard way before.

"Brother Chen, why the rush to leave?"

At that moment, Su Bai stopped the scholar.

From their recent conversation, he had learned that this man was a Scholar from Zhangyun City named Chen Yucai.

He looked young but was actually over fifty years old. It was because he had some Cultivation that he appeared younger.

"Did you need something, sir?"

Chen Yucai glanced at Su Bai with curiosity.

Due to his personal experiences, he had a natural affinity for outsiders who looked like otherworldly experts.

Inexplicably, he felt that the man before him, Su Bai, seemed to possess a powerful Presence that inspired awe in him.

"Since we’re already here, we should naturally go inside, take a seat, and have a few drinks before leaving."

Su Bai smiled faintly.

"Sir, do you know the owner?"

Chen Yucai was a little surprised, his face lighting up with joy.

In his life, besides studying literature and practicing martial arts, his greatest love was the pleasures of the palate.

Once, he had eaten the food and wine of Fireworks Alley and found himself unable to get enough. Whenever he had free time, he would always come here for a meal.

"If I don’t know him, does that mean I can’t go in and eat?"

Su Bai started walking, heading deeper into the alley.

Chen Yucai wanted to stop him, but after a moment’s thought, he didn’t. Instead, he followed along silently.

The owner of Fireworks Alley had a rather foul temper and his methods were ruthless. In the past, people who tried to force him to cook had their arms and legs broken.

’But this gentleman in white doesn’t seem like an ordinary person. At the very least, he shouldn’t be reckless.’

Therefore, he naturally had to follow and see what would happen.

Fireworks Alley. The shop was just as its name suggested.

Walking through the shop door, one found another alley behind it. A thick, smoky aroma of cooking filled the air.

The alley was very small, able to accommodate four or five tables of guests at most. It couldn’t hold any more.

At this time, there were no more customers in the alley. A somewhat weary old man was cleaning up the tables and chairs.

Hearing footsteps, he spoke without raising his head:

"I have guests tonight, so I’m not serving anyone else for now. Please, patron, find another establishment!"

"Shopkeeper, why turn people away? We’ve waited for a long time and were just hoping to taste your cooking."

Chen Yucai smiled faintly and cupped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute.

"It’s not yet dark. We will get up and leave immediately after we’ve eaten. We won’t take up too much of your time."

"I said I’m not serving, and I mean it!"

The old man still didn’t turn around. He arranged the tables and chairs, his tone already growing impatient.

"You dare to provoke a cook?"

"If I’m in a bad mood and I actually cook you a meal..."

"Would you dare to eat it?"

Hearing this, Chen Yucai was suddenly at a loss for words.

He seemed to recall that this shopkeeper was a ruthless character!

Once, when he was pushed too far, he had stubbornly cooked a meal that gave the diners diarrhea for a month. They nearly shat themselves to death!

Su Bai found this interesting and chimed in:

"Why wouldn’t I dare?"

"Hmm?"

The old man abruptly raised his head, a trace of astonishment appearing in his slightly cloudy eyes.

"You..."

Until he heard that voice, he had thought only one person had entered.