Chapter 1114: Chapter 1114: Xifeng’s Secret Top-Tier Seasoning

"Xifeng, everyone is gathering downstairs because dinner is about to start! Lanying sent me up to fetch you." Xie Jingguo stated with a friendly grin.

"Oh! I am coming right down. Give me just a minute." Bai Xifeng said. She turned back toward Tao-chan, who was still aggressively eating his way through the mountain of food. "Tao-chan, stay inside the room and finish up your food peacefully."

"Yeah, yeah... got it! You go, go go!" Tao-chan waved his little paw dismissively without even looking up from his meal.

Bai Xifeng stepped out into the hallway, closed the door behind her, and locked it securely. Walking down to the main tavern hall, she found a boisterous, merry atmosphere underway. Zhang Zhenyu had generously rented out a long private table and ordered a lavish, mouthwatering feast for their entire group.

"Ah, Lady Bai! You are here!" Zhang Zhenyu called out, rising politely from his seat as soon as he spotted her.

"Hmm," Bai Xifeng nodded in greeting.

Xie Lanying immediately pulled Bai Xifeng over, making her sit directly beside her at the head of the table.

"Just one more day of travel, and we will finally arrive safely at our home city! We are deeply indebted to Lady Bai and her incredible friends for escorting us." Zhang Zhenyu declared, standing up with his glass raised high. "Without your protection, my family and I might already be dead in some ditch. So, everyone, let us raise our cups in a grand toast to Lady Bai and her companions!"

Zhang Zhenyu, his wife, their little daughter, and all of their family guards raised their brimming cups, making a heartfelt toast to Bai Xifeng and the group. With the formal thanks out of the way, everyone dug into the spread, and the food truly tasted amazing.

Sitting near the middle of the table, Ning Shoukai secretly pulled a small glass bottle out of his inner pocket and poured a generous shake of red powder into his steaming bowl of soup.

"Mmm... yes! Now this is the real flavour." Ning Shoukai nodded, taking a bite with a deeply satisfied look on his face.

"Hey, what did you just sprinkle into your bowl?" Xie Jingguo, who was sitting right beside Ning Shoukai, asked curiously, bumping his shoulder.

"Here, look." Ning Shoukai slyly flashed the unlabeled glass bottle in front of him.

"What on earth is that?" Xie Jingguo leaned closer.

"Xifeng’s secret top-tier seasoning." Ning Shoukai whispered dramatically.

"WHAT?! That’s so unfair! I want some in my bowl too!" Xie Jingguo gasped.

Before Ning Shoukai could react, Xie Jingguo recklessly snatched the glass bottle right out of his hands and aggressively shook a massive heap of the red powder straight into his own bowl! Ning Shoukai’s eyes went wide in shock, but it happened so fast he didn’t even have time to utter a single word of warning.

Xie Jingguo proudly took a massive spoonful of the heavily seasoned food and swallowed it down. A split second later, his entire face turned bright, violent red! His eyes bulged out, and his mouth flew open as tears sprang to his eyes. Frantic, he reached across the table, grabbed a pitcher of water, and chugged the entire cup down in one gulp! However, the cooling liquid did practically nothing to quench the fire burning on his tongue. Gasping for air, he grabbed a second cup, pouring it straight down his throat!

In truth, that bottle contained the extra-potent chili powder Ning Shoukai had specifically begged Bai Xifeng for earlier. Bai Xifeng had sternly warned him that a single drop was intensely spicy and needed to be used in extreme moderation. But because Xie Jingguo had snatched it so greedily, Ning Shoukai had not even had the chance to stop his foolishness!

"WHAT THE HELL, SHOUKAI?! Are you trying to assassinate me with poison?!" Xie Jingguo choked out, clutching his burning throat as tears streamed down his flushed cheeks.

"Hey! What do you mean?! That is totally not my fault!" Ning Shoukai burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. "You are the one who recklessly snatched the bottle from my hand and dumped half of it into your bowl! I did not even have time to open my mouth! Serves you right for being so greedy!"

Xie Jingguo’s face was still glowing a vibrant, furious red, looking like all the world like a bright, inflamed monkey’s butt! Watching his absurdly miserable, tearful reaction, the entire table burst into uncontrollable, roaring laughter.

....

The next morning, Bai Xifeng and the rest of the group packed up their belongings and departed from the city. Because Zhang Zhenyu’s guards now had their own swift mounts to ride alongside the main carriage, their overall travel pace became significantly faster. By the time the sky turned dark, they had finally arrived at their destination’s outer city gates. However, a stern guard standing duty at the entrance immediately stepped out and blocked their path.

"The gates are closed for the night. You will all need to wait outside until sunrise tomorrow to enter the city." The guard stated coldly, holding up a hand.

Zhang Zhenyu frowned deeply when he heard the sudden restriction. He had travelled in and out of this city countless times, yet he had never heard of such an absurd night curfew rule existing here.

"Since when did such a rule take effect?" Zhang Zhenyu asked, stepping forward from the carriage.

"Starting this month." The guard stated, unbothered by his questioning tone.

Zhang Zhenyu’s frown deepened, a tired sigh escaping his lips. He usually preferred not to pull rank or rely on his status to get his way, but given the late hour and his weary family, he had no other choice.

***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko***

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.