Here Comes The Lady Chef - Chapter 16
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Chapter 16

The author writes base on her inspiration, and sometimes, it is regular length chapter, sometimes it is a super long chapter.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

"Looks like General Shen had already arrived in Xianyang! Please, excuse me, I will take my leave!" Government Zhao heaved a sigh of relief. He looked at the men around him and nodded his head, and left the restaurant.

Usually, for a man of General Shen's status, the prefectural government office would welcome him as soon as he set foot near the borders of Xianyang and escort him back to Xianyang for a banquet. But General Shen is a strange man and does not like to inform the prefectural government office in advance.

Rather, he prefers to ride hard on his horse, and make his way swiftly to complete the mission that he was a.s.signed.

He prefers the hard life on the road, and the wind as his companion. He loves to drink and eat where and when as he pleased, and shunned specially prepare banquets in his honour.

All the military examination champions have their own quirks and habits, but none of them is as weird as Shen Yaoshan!

Government Zhao had long heard of the Shen Yaoshan's character and knew that the latter was not intending to be rude by not informing the prefectural government office in advance.

But now that the young hero is in Xianyang, he should hurry back and make preparations to receive General Shen.

Although Shen Yaoshen may not welcome a banquet in his honour, this is a custom, and customs should be observed.

"Report! General, we have discovered some clues left behind by the group of bandits as they were fleeing." A scout in the army immediately rushed forward to report.

"Chase after these bandits!" Shen Yaoshan's face turned cold, and he roared out a command. He grabbed the long spear on his back. The sharp edge of the spear gleam with malice, and sent a chill down the back of all who see it.

A cloud of dust raised, the horses neighed and the sound of the horses galloping on the pavement rang out.

When the cloud of dust has settled, the valiant general and his troops were nowhere to be seen.

On the outskirts of Xianyang city, there is a vast plain of wilderness. Everything is covered by the snow. The chill of the winter winds breezes by, freezing all it touches.

Shen Yaoshan brought his troops with him, and followed the tracks of the bandits' horses. They chased all the way until they reached the edge of a forest.

"General, this forest may contain unknown dangers! Please be careful!" An aide to the general rein in his horse, and issued a warning to Shen Yaoshan.

"Do not worry! This group of bandits are just ordinary people. There is nothing to fear! Spread out and search for them!" Shen Yaoshan coldly issued a command.

Then he pulled hard on the reins. The 'red rabbit' horse he was riding on stood up on its hind legs, and kicked at the air a few times. Then it stomped on the ground with its forelegs and carried Shen Yaoshan into the forest. In a very span of time, the general and his horse disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

"Understood!" That man immediately shouted out, and brought a troop of soldiers with him, and they disappeared into the dense forest.

Within the forest, there is a small path. The wide muddy path indicated that this route is frequently used by travellers as they travel through the forest.

If you follow this path into the forest, there is a small and simple tea shop that offers a comfortable place for travellers to rest and dine.

Within this tea shop, a hunchback elderly man was busy serving customers.

There were 3 large burly men resting under the shade, enjoying their meal. Sitting behind them were a group of well-dressed followers.

Shen Yaoshan had circled around the forest, and could not find any more tracks from the group of bandits. He made his way into the forest, and unwittingly arrived at the tea shop.

"Boss, a pot of tea, please!" Shen Yaoshen placed his order.

At this time, the three men had their fill.

"Guests, have you finished your meal?" the elderly man immediately stood up to greet them.

"En" A large, bearded man wiped his mouth with his hands. He stood up and was about to leave.

"Guests, do you want to order anything else?" The elderly man asked, and he stood in a position where they could not get out of the tea shop without bypa.s.sing him.

"No, do not block our way!" One of the other men did not even look at the elderly boss of the tea shop, and immediately stood up. As he stood up, his shoulder knocked against the elderly man.

The impact forced the elderly man back several steps. The elderly man frantically flapped his hands to avoid falling down. With some difficulty, he managed to regain his balance.

The rest of the men also stood up, and made their way outside.

"Hehe." The elderly man forced himself to grin, and immediately walked towards them and asked, "Then may I know who will be paying for this meal?"

"d.a.m.n it!" A man with a scar on his face immediately slammed on the table with his left hand, and his right hand reached out for something on his wrist. It was as if he had a weapon hidden there.

The bearded man immediately caught the wrist of the man with a scar on his face, and shook his head, "Do not create trouble here. We must leave this area quickly."

The scar-face then shouted and scolded the elderly boss of the tea shop, "Old man, we never pay when we eat!"

This group of men wants to eat and run without paying!

At this moment, in Xianyang city, in all the streets, Government Zhao's soldiers were posting a notice.

"Please be informed that recently there are bandits spotted on the outskirts of Xianyang. These bandits are very fierce and have robbed several caravans. We hope that the neighbours could help to spread the word. Be careful when going out of town and stay in large groups. At night, you must close all doors and windows. If you have seen any traces of the bandits, immediately inform the Xianyang prefectural government office. There will be a generous reward for any information leading to the arrest of these bandits."

In the kitchen, Wen Rou mind had turn blank and she could focus on her work. She felt uncomfortable and requested to go home to rest.

"Rou Er, the weather is turning very cold rapidly. I think that it may snow soon. You better bring an umbrella when you go back!" Wen Shouzhen was rubbing his hands to warm them. He picked up an umbrella, and placed it into Wen Rou's hands. After he had finished talking, he immediately returned to work.

Wen Rou looked up into the sky. Although the weather was indeed very chilly, it was not as freezing as yesterday. She was in a daze as she walked through the street alone, without a destination in her mind.

She kept on walking and walking, and she did not even noticed that she had walked out of the city gates, and reached the river outside the city.

At this moment, in the little tea shop, Shen Yaoshan was observing these men. His eyes were cold.

"Guest, our little shop has very little business, and all we make is a few coppers a year. This is all I have to feed myself. If you eat without paying, how am I going to survive?" The elderly man pulled the sleeves of the scar-faced man, and he bowed down and tried to beg them to pay.

"Old man, you do not want to live anymore? How dare you ask me for money!" The scar-faced man was fiery in temper and he could not remain calm. He reached towards his waist, and suddenly a gleam of light flash. Then a sabre appeared on the neck of the elderly shop owner.

"Ah!" The elderly man screamed in panic, and was frightened. He retreated backwards, and fell on his b.u.t.t. He did not dare to say another word.

That group of men laughed at him.

Shen Yaoshan saw the situation, and immediately roared, "You villains! How dared you commit crimes in broad daylight! Do you still have any respect for the law of the land?"

With his roar, he raised his hand, and his spear immediately blocked the sabre.

"Mind your own business!" The scar-faced man looked at the origin of the voice. When he saw that Shen Yaoshan was alone, he immediately relaxed, and even spit on the floor as he threatened, "Young man, if you do not mind your own business, today I will bury you together with this elderly man!"

"I am afraid that I have to send all of you to meet Yama [1]! You bandits, if you know what is good for you, you better surrender immediately!" Shen Yaoshan coldly retorted.

The bearded man immediately shouted, "He is from the imperial court!"

Shen Yaoshan replied, "That's right!"

Frankly, while he was drinking tea, he had guessed that these men are the bandits that he was tasked to eradicate.

These men may have changed their appearance and dressed well, but what gave them away is their character.

To have no regard for the law and do as they please, and also immediately draw their weapon, there is no doubt that these men are the bandits that he was looking for.

He was not intending to make his move right now. He had hoped to follow them and discover their hideout, then eradicate them once and for all.

But things did not proceed as planned. When he saw that these men are intending to kill the elderly shop owner, he could not endure it any longer and stood up to protect him.

A man with triangle shaped eyes sn.i.g.g.e.red, "Young man, just you alone want to capture all of us?"

Shen Yaoshan did not bother to reply and immediately attacked.

Suddenly the sound of weapons being unsheathed rang out. The bearded man, the triangle-shaped eyes men and the scar-faced men immediately revealed their weapons, Shangluo [2], a whip, and a sabre. Then they charged towards Shen Yaoshan.

The teenager dressed in green immediately engage in combat with the three men.

The followers of the three men also surrounded and attacked Shen Yaoshan.

At this time, Wen Rou continued to stand beside the river in a daze. The memories of her past life seemed as clear as it was yesterday.

The sky turned dark, and with the setting sun, the temperature plunged, making all the people s.h.i.+ver with cold.

Large ripples suddenly appeared on the calm, gentle river.

The winter wind had come.

Wen Rou involuntarily s.h.i.+vered in cold.

Shen Yaoshan was engaged in battle with the bandits. Within the encirclement of men, the spear continued to dance a deadly dance of death, and its movements were very smooth, like that of a full moon. No one dared to get too close to the spear.

The more Shen Yaoshan fought, the fiercer he became. His spear killed without mercy, and stab between the gaps in their defence. In a short span of time, all the followers had already been killed by Shen Yaoshan, and their corpses were scattered all over the battlegrounds.

Only three leaders of the bandits remain alive, and all three of them were trying their best to hold Shen Yaoshan back.

"3rd brother, let's spilt in different directions and make a run for it!" The bearded man saw that the situation was unfavourable for them, and immediately shouted. Then he quickly retreated.

The two men all split up and ran away in different directions.

Shen Yaoshan sneered, and his spear immediately stabbed out. There was only a flash of light, then the triangle eyes men immediately dropped onto the floor, dead.

Shen Yaoshan smiled and immediately rode his horse and pursuit the bearded man.

At this time, he suddenly heard a dying cry. He was momentary surprised by this sound, and lost track of the bearded man for a moment. When he recovered his senses, the bearded man was nowhere to be found.

[1] Yama - Yama is the king of h.e.l.l in China. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yama_(Buddhism)

[2] Shuangluo is a weapon used in ancient China. See a photo below: