Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 369 - 368: Yuchuan Ancient Courtyard

Chapter 369: Chapter 368: Yuchuan Ancient Courtyard

"How long do you plan to stay in retreat here?"

Yuchuan Meisha greeted Xia Yu as they sat on the tatami in a meditation room. Outside the room, there was a courtyard with a small pond, and further afield stood rugged cliffs with several maple trees quietly nestled in a corner.

"Probably until around the 20th, near the end of the month."

Xia Yu was not quite sure.

"Well, you can stay as long as you want," Yuchuan Meisha said, her eyes gleaming as she looked at him.

"Are there other people in the temple?"

"Not at the moment," Yuchuan Meisha shook her head. "Yuchuan Temple rarely has visitors; it’s quite special, and many people do not want to come here."

As she spoke, there was a hint of worry in her eyes.

"Um, Yu, if you encounter anything strange, try to appease them and meet their demands—it will be good for you," Yuchuan Meisha whispered.

Xia Yu’s forehead creased with question marks, amused, he said, "What if I don’t meet their demands?"

Yuchuan Meisha smiled too.

"This place, after all, is Yuchuan Temple, and my grandmother is quite formidable, so don’t worry too much!" she said.

"Right, does the temple have a professional kitchen?"

"Follow me—"

With an air of mystery, Yuchuan Meisha led Xia Yu to a corner of the temple.

There stood a separate Japanese-style building, stretching three stories high, with Yuchuan Meisha entering a room on the first floor by casually sliding open a paper door.

Instantly, a modern kitchen came into view.

"Nice!"

Xia Yu praised, touching this and that in the kitchen. He had feared the lack of a kitchen environment to work freely. Though he was here for retreat, it was for studying the "killer" recipes in seclusion, and a kitchen was indispensable.

"Clean up after you’re done. We at Yuchuan Temple don’t provide ingredients; you’ll have to find a supplier yourself," Yuchuan Meisha said at the door, smiling.

"Um, Sister Meisha, can I ask you something?" Xia Yu turned back, "Are you a member of the ’Yuchuan Family’ from the Four Noble Families?"

The question was quite sudden.

Yuchuan Meisha was taken aback, her expression immediately clouded, and she hesitated and lowered her head for a long time without replying, as if ashamed to speak.

"Yuchuan Temple is just Yuchuan Temple; it has nothing to do with the Yuchuan Family!"

An austere and elderly voice spoke.

"Grandmother!" Yuchuan Meisha quickly turned around.

In the corridor outside stood an old woman dressed in blue robes.

She must have been at least seventy, not bald but with male-like short silver hair, her eyebrows also white, but her eyes were extremely sharp, staring straight at Xia Yu.

"You are Xia Qing’s grandson," she said, her voice tinged with anger.

"Um..."

Xia Yu’s heart skipped, silently cursing his unreliable grandfather; had he pushed his own grandson toward the side of a foe?

"You can call me Yuchuan Abbot!"

The abbess said indignantly, "That old codger, Xia Qing, after defeating me three times, never returned to Kamakura ever again, and I couldn’t possibly go to Tokyo to find him. Decades have passed, and I never expected his grandson to be in high school now!"

Xia Yu understood.

It seemed he was an old rival of his grandfather, no wonder she was holding a grudge.

"You can stay here, but if you want my protection, you must first agree to one condition!" said the Yuchuan Abbot.

"What?"

Xia Yu asked. Though he didn’t understand the meaning of protection, the other was the abbess here, so he had to show some respect.

"Have a fair Food Duel with my granddaughter!"

The Yuchuan Abbot raised her hand pointing towards Yuchuan Meisha hiding in the corner.

"Ah!"

Xia Yu and Yuchuan Meisha exclaimed simultaneously.

"Why me?" Xia Yu muttered to himself, having left Tokyo to avoid hearing about Food Duels; unexpectedly, even in Kamakura, he couldn’t escape them, and his opponent was also a young lady bearing the Yuchuan surname.

Just a Food Duel like that? Xia Yu resisted, not quite willing to accept, when suddenly a system task notification popped up:

"[Conquer the Yuchuan Family: Step One]."

"Task: Defeat Yuchuan Meisha in a private Food Duel."

"Reward: 10 Talent Points."

What?!

Glancing at the reward information, Xia Yu was slightly shocked, then he cast a suspicious glance at Yuchuan Meisha, who possessed an aura of a graceful lady, "The system doesn’t have good intentions! Offering 10 talent points means it’s no easy victory!"

"What do you say!"

Seeing him silent, the Yuchuan Abbot sneered slightly, "You are Xia Qing’s grandson, and Meisha is my granddaughter. Let the competition between me and your grandfather Xia Qing continue with your generation!"

"If Meisha wins, huh! That means I’ve made a comeback and defeated that old man Xia Qing!"

The competitive spirit of the Yuchuan Abbot left Xia Yu dumbfounded.

Hey, old man, you’re a monk!

Put down the butcher’s knife!

He hesitated.

With the system fanning the flames, Xia Yu was planning to accept the challenge, but first, he decided to ask the old man. He took out his phone and made an international call. When the old man on the other end heard his story, he was silent for a moment before bursting into hearty laughter.

"You are Xia Qing’s grandson, representing the Xia Family’s name. You must not only accept the challenge but also cannot lose!"

"I, your grandfather, have never lost!"

Xia Qing boasted spiritedly.

"Snap!"

At that moment, the Yuchuan Abbot snatched Xia Yu’s phone and shouted into it, "Old man, what are you talking about? You beating me doesn’t mean your grandson can beat my granddaughter!"

"That’s not necessarily true!" laughed Xia Qing.

The two old men continued to clash over the phone.

Xia Yu and Yuchuan Meisha quietly retreated to the corridor.

"Sister Meisha, what rank of chef are you now?" Xia Yu probed indirectly.

Yuchuan Meisha looked at him amusedly, "Do you think I don’t follow the news? I know you just passed the Super Chef assessment two days ago, oh, the youngest Super Chef in Neon’s history. And the rumors about you and my sister in the Food Duel, I’ve heard about those too."

"What, sister?" Xia Yu was startled.

"Yes, she’s my sister, but that relationship is just my wishful thinking. The Yuchuan Main House doesn’t recognize my lineage," Yuchuan Meisha said softly.

Illegitimate daughter?

The word popped into Xia Yu’s head.

"If you want to defeat my sister, you’ll have to beat me first!" said Yuchuan Meisha, "My ’Super Hearing’ isn’t as deeply explored as my sister’s Talent."

Of course!

Xia Yu tensed up.

The Yuchuan sisters both possessed "Super Hearing"!

Thinking about Yuchuan Meisha’s stunning performance in the assessment, Xia Yu felt a shadow looming over his upcoming Food Duel with Yuchuan Ayaka.

"I’ll give it my all!"

Yuchuan Meisha spoke softly, "Actually, after the assessment in March, I’ve been wanting to have a private Food Duel with you!"

"Then, let’s both give our best!"

Xia Yu extended his hand, and the female chef high-fived him.

The Food Duel was set for the next day, decided by the Yuchuan Abbot as a compromise made by Mr. Xia to the female monks.

Day turned to night.

Deep into the night.

While practicing ice sculpture recipes in the kitchen, Xia Yu suddenly heard a shrill cat scream.

"Whoosh—"

He opened the sliding door of the kitchen to find dark, pitch-black surroundings outside.

A small black shadow flashed by, causing Xia Yu to tense up before he sighed in relief, looking down at the Hua Mao cat lingering at his feet, he scolded with a laugh, "You little thing, be good!"

The Hua Mao cat, biting his pant leg, had anxious amber eyes.

"What’s wrong?"

As Xia Yu was about to crouch down, he heard a weird, heavy footsteps from deep within the corridor, as if someone were walking there.

"Yu, Yu—"

A faint female voice called from outside the monastery, causing Xia Yu to break out in a cold sweat.

Glancing back, it turned out to be Yuchuan Meisha holding a lantern, waving to him from the deeply shaded courtyard, "It’s late at night, time to go back to your Zen room and rest!"

"Wait a moment!"

Xia Yu tidied up the kitchen briefly, then jogged breathlessly over to Yuchuan Meisha.

Together they headed back to their living quarters.

"That, Sister Meisha, isn’t there something odd about this place?" Xia Yu asked cautiously, looking at the girl sitting across from him at the tea table.

"Not at all!"

Yuchuan Meisha replied with a beaming smile, "Perhaps I’m just used to it?"

"Used to it?"

Casting a glance at the Hua Mao cat, which was bristling at the dark corners of the courtyard from the sliding door, Xia Yu felt that coming here for a retreat was a very bad decision.

Makki, Eriina, listen, never go to an old monastery deep in the mountains!

Xia Yu commented helplessly.