Chapter 1898: You little brat, still thinking about it?

Seeing the old man suddenly appear at the courtyard gate, Ye Zhangqing said, bewildered.

I've never seen this old man before, and as soon as he appeared he spoke nonsense.

However, Ye Zhangqing could also guess that this old man's strength was not weak; otherwise it would be impossible for him to appear here without anyone noticing.

You should know that Ma Qiankun is surely paying close attention to me now, after all I have already become the Fourth Young City Lord of Cooking King Immortal City.

If anything were to happen in his Heaven-Earth Fire Hall, Ma Qiankun would definitely be unable to escape blame.

Moreover, the fact that this old man can appear here without alerting Ma Qiankun at least proves his strength far surpasses that of Elder Ma Qiankun.

However, the old man showed no hostility for the time being; upon hearing Ye Zhangqing's words, he casually came and sat on the stone bench in the courtyard, speaking with a relaxed expression.

"My surname is Huang; you can call me Huang Lao."

"Senior Huang Lao."

Hearing this, Ye Zhangqing bowed with clasped hands; not knowing the old man's identity, seeing Ye Zhangqing initiate the salute, Huang Lao nodded and then spoke.

"That Bai Yuan kid came to see me today, asking me to be your Protector of the Way; with nothing else to do, I came to have a look."

Huh??

Huang Lao proactively revealed his identity; hearing this, Ye Zhangqing also curiously sized up the old man before him.

Bai Yuan and Ma Qiankun discussed the Protector of the Way; Ma Qiankun repeatedly emphasized that the choice of Protector of the Way must not be careless.

Choosing a stronger Protector of the Way would greatly help Ye Zhangqing in the future; at critical moments it could absolutely save his life.

So Ye Zhangqing also carefully sized up the old man before him, after all this person could be his future lifesaver.

Faced with Ye Zhangqing's up-and-down scrutiny, such a gaze is actually extremely disrespectful toward a figure of Huang Lao's stature.

But Huang Lao didn't mind, letting Ye Zhangqing's gaze examine him; even if he guessed what this kid was thinking, Huang Lao didn't care and simply said.

"I'm hungry; since you're the Young City Lord of Cooking King Immortal City, your cooking should be good—make a few dishes for me to try."

Huang Lao already loved food, and besides Ye Zhangqing's cooking skill, there was nothing else about him that interested Huang Lao.

Tonight I came, partly because of Bai Yuan.

This kid had praised Ye Zhangqing to the heavens, and Huang Lao, also curious, came to see in person whether Ye Zhangqing was as excellent as Bai Yuan said.

Secondly, I came to taste Ye Zhangqing's cooking—this is also what Huang Lao values most.

If his cooking meets my approval, then I could consider it.

Hearing Huang Lao's words, Ye Zhangqing nodded and then turned and walked into the kitchen.

As for Huang Chong beside him, who originally wanted to wait on the side, Huang Lao simply waved him off, telling him to go back to his room to rest.

He simply made three dishes and a soup, without preparing anything special.

As the dishes were brought to the table, looking at this modest three dishes and one soup, Huang Lao couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

This kid has character; if it were anyone else faced with such an opportunity, they'd surely bring out their hidden tricks.

But Ye Zhangqing just made the simplest three dishes plus a soup, and even the ingredients were the most ordinary monster beast ingredients.

This kid even refused to use Immortal Beast ingredients.

Huang Lao couldn't believe that Ye Zhangqing had no Immortal Beast ingredients on him.

Even though Immortal Beast ingredients are precious, as the Young City Lord of Cooking King Immortal City, it's impossible for him to have none.

All that can be said is that this kid lacks a bit of regard for him.

He felt somewhat complicated; how long had it been since anyone had looked down on him?

However, on his face Huang Lao showed nothing; he calmly picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and put it in his mouth.

He had thought it would be just an ordinary flavor.

Having lived so many years, Huang Lao had eaten every kind of delicacy in the Immortal Realm.

Moreover, this kid didn't value him at all, so Huang Lao truly didn't hold high hopes.

But as a simple mouthful of fish-flavored shredded pork entered his mouth, a burst of sour-sweet exploded in his mouth.

Huang Lao's eyes instantly flashed with an unusual color.

This taste was indeed somewhat astonishing; moreover, this sour-sweet flavor was unlike anything Huang Lao had eaten before, quite unique.

However, the well-traveled Huang Lao even knew that the Cooking King Immortal City Lord, whenever he returned to the city, would first prepare a meal for Huang Lao.

So, after that first bite, Huang Lao still remained calm-faced.

Watching Huang Lao eat without changing expression, Ye Zhangqing also felt somewhat surprised.

This Huang Lao was, up to now, the calmest person to have ever eaten my cooking.

Even the Guo Family Three Ancestors, when they first ate my cooking, showed a hint of shock.

And Huang Lao, from beginning to end, kept a face as still as an ancient well, his chopsticks moving neither fast nor slow, with no noticeable change.

He even found a moment to say to himself.

"Good food, but no good wine?"

Hearing this, Ye Zhangqing also took out a jug of fine wine from his Space Ring and poured a cup for Huang Lao.

After taking a sip, Huang Lao questioned doubtfully.

"This wine isn't from the Immortal Realm, is it?"

He could tell its authenticity at a sip; hearing this, Ye Zhangqing did not conceal anything.

"Senior, you're impressive; this wine is indeed not from the Immortal Realm, but something I brought from the Lower Realm."

"You kid, are you a cultivator from the Lower Realm?"

"Yes."

Ye Zhangqing answered truthfully; there's nothing to hide about this, and even if he didn't say it, Bai Yuan would probably say so.

But Bai Yuan hadn't had a chance to say it yet; upon learning Ye Zhangqing was a Lower Realm cultivator, Huang Lao gave him a deep look, said nothing, withdrew his gaze, and began to eat heartily.

While savoring Ye Zhangqing's craftsmanship and drinking the fine wine of the Myriad Worlds, it was extremely comfortable.

It's just, don't look at Huang Lao always appearing unusually calm; in his heart he has long been full of praise for Ye Zhangqing's skill.

This simple three dishes and one soup, prepared by Ye Zhangqing, gives people a feeling of being pleasantly surprised.

Not bad, not bad; it fully meets his expectations.

I originally just came with a curious attitude to take a look at this kid, but I didn't expect there would also be an unexpected delight.

In that case, being this kid's Protector of the Way is not impossible; anyway, I'm idle, so protecting this kid is fine.

Moreover, Ye Zhangqing is from the Xia Jie; if he were merely an ordinary Immortal Emperor Realm Protector of the Way, he might not necessarily be able to protect this kid.

The waters of the Immortal Realm are quite deep, you know.

After finishing the meal at a leisurely pace, Huang Lao wiped his mouth satisfiedly, then turned his head to Ye Zhangqing beside him and said.

「You kid, not bad; I, the old man, agree to be this Protector of the Way. 」

However, what Huang Lao didn't expect was that, upon hearing his words, Ye Zhangqing replied with some apology.

「Thank you, senior, for your favor, but the choice of Protector of the Way is quite important for me, junior; therefore............ I, junior, wish to discuss it further with Lord Bai City and ask for his opinion. 」

Huh??? You kid, you don't know good stuff?