Chapter 113: He Who Knows the Times Is a Wise Man

Behind the scenes in the monster tavern’s kitchen.

Miss Ming Shan held a large ladle, humming a little tune as she directed the small sprites in the back kitchen to prepare dishes. Today was the tavern’s recruitment day for waitstaff, but for her...

She had no leisure to watch the live broadcast or just be a bystander.

She could only stay in the kitchen, preparing fruits and tea for the gathered妖 creatures...

Most importantly, the elder monsters of the great clans upstairs were waiting for the food to be served...

However, Ming Shan was indifferent to all the fighting and bloodshed above; her true passion lay in the cooking right here in the kitchen...

She was devoted to her culinary craft, truly the “Great Jang-geum” of this monster tavern.

Just as she happily balanced a wok, she noticed a shadow hiding behind the kitchen’s vegetable rack.

The wooden door to the tavern’s kitchen wasn’t a place any ordinary sprite could sneak into.

“Who’s there? Stop skulking and come out now!” Ming Shan shouted loudly, raising her ladle and pointing it at the figure hiding behind the vegetable rack.

“Mmm, your cooking smells wonderful, miss. Truly exquisite,” came the reply.

The figure no longer hid and slowly stepped out from behind the rack...

“It’s you?”

Ming Shan looked at the familiar face in front of her, surprised.

“Yes, it’s me! Miss Ming Shan, when’s the meal ready?”

A monster clad like a terracotta soldier, with arrows stuck in his back, smiled obsequiously at her.

Before Ming Shan could react, a force suddenly yanked the soldier monster into the air.

“Boss, boss, what are you doing?” the soldier flailed wildly, trying to get down.

“I’ve told you countless times, stop stealing the spotlight. Try to be more refined, will you?”

At that moment, another person slowly emerged from behind the vegetable rack.

Holding a paper fan and dressed in an old, white scholar’s robe, this was the scholar monster of the tavern.

“Beautiful people, beautiful food, truly marvelous,” he praised.

He tried to fold his paper fan deftly, but it snapped under his too-strong grip...

The soldier monster, suspended midair, saw his leader’s failed attempt at looking impressive and couldn’t help but burst out laughing—letting out a loud fart...

Right onto the scholar monster’s face...

Ming Shan had intended to scold the scholar for sneaking into the kitchen, but this embarrassing scene made her feel a bit sorry for him...

She lowered the ladle she had raised.

“Boss, before you ruin the stove, can’t we just sit down and have a peaceful meal together?”

The soldier monster eyed the spread of dishes on the table, drooling...

His drool even dripped onto the scholar monster’s hat...

The scholar monster was speechless.

Just then, Ah Huang, lazily sleeping by the stove, heard the soldier and snarled fiercely at him, barking wildly...

“Shut up, you yellow-haired beast...” The scholar waved his hands, and Ah Huang was suddenly lifted into the air. A bamboo scroll tightly wrapped around Ah Huang’s neck, choking him...

Ah Huang was about to be strangled by the scroll...

Ming Shan raised her ladle and hurled it toward the scholar monster like a bullet...

“Ah, boss...”

“Could you stop using me as a human shield? I’ve been hit by so many arrows already...”

“Even if you insist, can we go somewhere else...?”

The ladle struck the soldier monster squarely in the crotch as he blocked it on behalf of the scholar.

“Both of you, get out!”

Ming Shan was angry now.

“Miss, a wise person knows when to adapt...” The scholar tried to reason with the beauty before him, but suddenly three monsters appeared in front of him...

They were the soldier monster’s subordinates, who had been guarding outside on his orders.

“What are you three doing coming in? Is something going on outside?”

The scholar was surprised to see these monsters appear suddenly and panicked. Had their plan been discovered so quickly? It was so carefully planned...

Impossible.

“Boss, didn’t you just call us?”

A stone monster replied respectfully.

The scholar was baffled.

“My name’s Shi Shiwu...” The stone monster scratched his head shyly.

“Boss, I’m Wei Junjie...”

“Boss, don’t look at me like that. I’m not a follower; I just saw those two come in, so I followed along...”

The three monsters answered their boss one after another.

The scholar grumbled curses under his breath. Damn it, does being too soft-hearted make it easier to do evil?

He growled low and waved his hands again. A powerful gust blasted the three monsters away, scattering the vegetables and ingredients all over the kitchen floor.

Seeing her beloved ingredients ruined, Ming Shan’s fury flared. Muttering incantations, she gestured and summoned several small sprites holding bows and arrows...

The sprites drew their bows, and sharp arrows whistled through the air, all aimed at the scholar monster.

The scholar sneered coldly, blocking the arrows with his paper fan as if they were mere toys. They clattered harmlessly to the floor.

Then, a glowing brush appeared in his hand. With a grand stroke, a dark ink flowed out, erasing the sprites one by one as if correcting mistakes with white-out.

“Don’t, don’t mess around! This stove is vital to the tavern and this world...” Ming Shan watched in despair, even with her vast experience, she was unsettled now. Still, she stood guard before the stove, glaring fiercely at the scholar monster.

“Heh, this tavern should have disappeared long ago. Monsters without their true nature—are they even monsters? This tavern restrains all monsters, like a zookeeper taming beasts, stripping away their wildness...” The scholar shook his fan, his gaze darkening as he stared at the stove behind Ming Shan, his expression growing more sinister.

With that, he grasped the brush and suddenly splattered ink onto the stove behind Ming Shan.

“No!” Ming Shan sensed disaster and leapt forward without hesitation to shield herself from the flying ink...

But the ink was like acid. The moment it touched her, it hissed with black smoke and set her body aflame...

A scent of jasmine mixed with a burnt stench slowly filled the kitchen.