Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 370 - 369: Bizarre Dreams

Chapter 370: Chapter 369: Bizarre Dreams

That night,

Xia Yu settled down in the temple.

Due to the closed doors and windows, the room still felt stifling hot on this summer evening, so Xia Yu simply threw off his mattress and lay directly on the tatami, covering himself with only a thin blanket.

He couldn’t sleep right away, as he was accustomed to staying up late and could only think about other things.

There wasn’t much to ponder about tomorrow’s culinary battle.

In a private duel, there were almost no conditions for victory or defeat, losing would at most cost one’s face, and his undefeated record wouldn’t result in being expelled from the temple even if it were broken. This was a condition arranged through the old man’s negotiation with the Yuchuan Abbot.

The old man clearly intended for him to meditate here, and combining the old man’s explanation on the "killer" issue with the anomalies of the temple at night, Xia Yu vaguely understood.

The key still lay in the culinary battle with Yuchuan Ayaka.

After the special-class assessment, the task for the culinary battle with Yuchuan Ayaka offered the following rewards:

"In the Name of Genius."

"Hint: Pass the special-class assessment, accept Yuchuan Ayaka’s culinary challenge, and defeat an unprecedented formidable opponent."

"Rewards:

1. 10 Free Talent Points.

2. Unlock the Forbidden Ingredient ’Gem Meat’.

3. Randomly receive a ’Taboo Qilin Level’ dish (gold).

..."

Gurgle!

Although he had viewed the rewards information more than once, seeing "Gem Meat" and some ’Taboo Qilin Level’ dish in the rewards still made Xia Yu subconsciously swallow his saliva.

What would a ’Taboo Qilin Level’ dish taste like?

What’s the fundamental difference from top-level dishes?

Is it merely an additional Food’s Profound Meaning?

As he pondered wildly, Xia Yu fell into a deep sleep. Before losing consciousness, he seemed to hear Hua Mao calling out anxiously.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Startled, Xia Yu climbed up from the tatami.

He tried to open the door, but the sliding door wouldn’t budge, resistant to his pounding and kicking.

The windows were the same.

The gloomy room seemed to connect to another world. From initial panic, Xia Yu calmed down, later simply folding his arms and sitting on the tatami without bothering to run around aimlessly.

Hua Mao was gone.

His luggage, which he had brought along, had also mysteriously vanished.

Observing every detail in the room, Xia Yu came to a conclusion:

This was not the room he originally stayed in!

"A dream, perhaps?"

Xia Yu frowned and murmured.

Unexpectedly, a voice in the darkness replied to him:

"Yes, it’s a dream..."

Thump!

His heart skipped a beat, then fell into a deathly silence. Xia Yu looked around, but couldn’t ascertain where the voice was coming from. He gathered his courage and declared sternly, "If it’s a dream, then you are just specters and spirits in my dream. Stop bothering me!"

"This is your dream, as well as my meal."

The voice became dull, like that of a middle-aged uncle, "I am helping you!"

"Helping me? You’re eating my dream..." Xia Yu paused, suddenly recalling a legendary creature, "You are..."

Before he could utter the name of the creature, he was interrupted by a charming laugh.

"Dream Eater, are you planning to confront me?"

The enticing female voice spoke coldly.

"This isn’t Yuchuan Temple’s way of treating guests!" the dull male voice said. "You afflict him with nightmares, and I will devour them! I want to bring good fortune to everyone!"

The woman in the darkness grew frustrated.

"You don’t understand!" she exclaimed, "I am doing this to help Meisha!"

"Haven’t you heard? This kid is the youngest special-class chef in the history of Neon!" the woman scolded. "Meisha has improved quickly in the last six months, but still falls short compared to the top geniuses. She is trained by us and absolutely cannot lose to an outsider! This concerns the reputation of Yuchuan Temple!"

Phantasmal flames flickered outside the window.

At last, the dream world had a glimmer of light, no longer pitch-black.

Xia Yu was stunned to hear that and let down some of his guard.

Meisha?

Why did the monster in his dream sound so affectionate toward Yuchuan Meisha?

"This just has to be a dream, right?" he muttered. "Unbelievable!"

The middle-aged voice that had been protecting Xia Yu fell silent for a long while.

"What now, Dream Eater? Back off!" a seductive female voice said. "I won’t hurt him, hee hee. I’ll just give him some nightmares so he’ll wake up tomorrow weak, panicked, and with his heart pounding. This way, he’ll crumble in the culinary competition without a fight!"

"No!"

The muffled middle-aged voice insisted, "I stick to my principles! I bring good fortune to people..."

"You..."

The seductive female voice faded away, and just when Xia Yu thought the dream was over, a series of secretive whispers came from the window.

"Dream Eater, move away!"

"We all agree with Mizuki! Meisha cannot lose to him!"

"This fight represents the face of all the spirits of Yuchuan Temple!"

Thud thud!

There were sounds of running on the room’s ceiling, as if small children were sprinting overhead.

Doors and windows too were knocked on hurriedly.

Suddenly, various bizarre sounds filled the room, giving Xia Yu goosebumps despite his usually bold nature, especially since teasing, laughter-tinged gasps vaguely emanated from behind him, tensing his nerves.

"You guys!!"

The middle-aged man’s voice showed outrage but was drowned out by the spirits’ mischievous cackling.

"Dream Eater, give it up! It’s not worth it for an outsider!"

"Yeah yeah, you’re one of us too, don’t be too stubborn!"

"You can’t protect him!"

All sorts of voices echoed in the room.

Suddenly, the dark and gloomy dream world brightened with a spreading light.

Huh!

The gasping noise behind him vanished in an instant.

A teal lamp quietly lit upon the table, clearing up the world in Xia Yu’s eyes. The dream became deathly still, as if all the mischievous spirits had their throats squeezed shut.

Then, the teal lamp on the table grew brighter, its light unbearable to look at. All Xia Yu could hear was a series of popping sounds, as lanterns hanging from eaves outside the shelter lit up one by one.

Before his consciousness fully returned, Xia Yu heard the seductive female voice scream in thick terror.

"Ugh..."

He turned over, rubbed his disheveled hair, and sat up.

The room was still the same room.

"It really was just a dream."

He sighed, and Hua Mao, curled up next to him sleeping, slowly opened its amber eyes and affectionately looked at him.

After patting the little thing’s head, Xia Yu lay down again and drifted off into a drowsy sleep.

He slept until the daylight.

The next day.

Xia Yu was awakened by a knock on the door.

"Yu, time to get up." Yuchuan Meisha said from outside.

After folding his blanket and putting it into the closet, and getting dressed, Xia Yu opened the door for Yuchuan Meisha.

She had obviously been up for a while, dressed in short-sleeved shorts and sports attire, probably having gone for a run, with fine sweat beading at her pale forehead and neck.

"How did you sleep last night?" Yuchuan Meisha asked with a shimmering gaze.

"Very well!"

Relieved at his words, the woman entered to help him tidy up. Kneeling on the tatami mat, she picked up a rather heavy Jade Ruyi from behind Xia Yu’s luggage and asked with a puzzled face, "Yu, is this yours?"

Xia Yu, standing on the balcony outside the shelter, turned back and stared in surprise.

"It’s mine."

"How strange, how did it fall out on its own?"

No one solved the mystery for Xia Yu.