Seized by the System

Bai Shixin digested the contents of the jade scroll and sank deep into thought.

He did not doubt the Elder Ancestor’s intentions. The latter would not resort to this method to harm him.

Harming him was easy. All the Elder Ancestor had to do was show his face publicly and all of Bai Shixin’s prior lies would be exposed.

He might seem popular among the people, but in front of the mighty Elder Ancestor, his subordinates would only leave him one by one. It was good enough that one out of ten subordinates still supported him.

Among the ministers, the idiotic Kong Liang was probably the only one who would insist that he was the rightful ruler…

“The Upper Realm Culinary God’s inherited grotto-heaven? Strange, why do the grotto-heavens of these mighty beings appear on Earth? Also, are the existing Arcane Realms created by the Upper Realm gods as well? What’s their purpose of doing this?”

“Anyway, they won’t benefit the humans…”

Bai Shixin let out a sneer.

There may be some benevolent and sympathetic gods who would display their kindness during their free time in exchange for their followers’ prayers and offerings. However, before the crisis, they had promised to put the people before themselves and give their own Arcane Realms and grotto-heavens to the Earthlings…

When he was three months old, he had stopped believing in fairy tales like this!

Bai Shixin contemplated for a while before he made a phone call.

Not long after, a determined man walked into the southern study room.

“Brother, the banquet has ended. May I know the reason for summoning your brother at such an hour?” Bai Shifu asked as he bowed.

“Mm, read this first.” Bai Shixin handed the jade scroll to his brother.

A look of hesitation flashed across Bai Shifu’s face, but he still accepted the scroll and channeled his magical powers to read the contents.

“Hiss, if that’s the case, our clan’s foundation will be secured for eternity!” He was delighted, but he then asked suspiciously, “I’m not sure where you got this important information, brother. Is it reliable?”

“It should be reliable. After all, this must be one of the geezer’s hidden tactics. He should’ve prepared himself well before descending to the Lower Realm, so surely he must’ve prepared a proper base,” Bai Shixin said wanly.

“I see.” A look of fear appeared on Bai Shifu’s face before he calmed down. Of course, he was aware that the geezer was not dead but suppressed in Vigilante A’s Arcane Realm and could not come out.

However, he was not aware that the Elder Ancestor had blocked the Space Passage and had already been let out for some time.

Bai Shixin did not inform him of this. It would be safer if fewer people knew of this.

“Judging from this information, this Culinary God wants to choose a well-known cook who can make dishes that fit his tastes to inherit his possessions. There are many of them, in which one of them being a pill scripture but these are all material objects. The most important thing is this god’s grotto-heaven Arcane Realm. It might be a bit small, but it’s as big as a huge island in this realm. Unfortunately, it isn’t permanent, so we will need to put in some effort.” Bai Shifu seemed a little regretful.

Bai Shixin shook his head. “If not for this, we will not have the opportunity to seize it. You have seen the fights for the previous Arcane Realms. It doesn’t just involve the Upper Realm gods but the powerhouses of this realm as well, and we don’t stand a chance in those fights. As for the recent Land of Sanguinity, I heard that Vigilante A has killed five body doubles of the Upper Realm Arhats and defeated the Buddhist clan before seizing it…”

“You’re right, brother, but how can we actually go about it?” Bai Shifu pressed on.

The fact that his elder brother had chosen to discuss this important matter with him alone proved how much he trusted him. Therefore, he must give his utmost attention.

No matter if work-related or private matters were discussed, it proved to be a good thing.

If the clan inherited this Arcane Realm, he and his family could savor a lavish life in the future. More so, if he was lucky enough to become a god that accepted incense after he died, he would not be bothered by all sorts of crisis too.

“Mm, we must advance our mission under the guise of something else. We can’t hide the news since the mighty beings will choose an inheritor through public means. On the surface, we will prepare to seize the inheritance, but in reality, we’ll intend to bind the Clan’s Energy to this Arcane Realm and provide it with nutrients for growth. Even if it only leaves its basic properties behind, it will definitely take it,” Bai Shixin quickly revealed his plan.

“I admire your shrewdness, brother. I shall go pick a good cook from among the clan now.” Bai Shifu nodded in agreement.

This was the advantage of this brother. He did not have to crack his own brain…

No wonder the death of Zhuge Liang led to the decline of talented ones in the state of Shu Han because everyone became complacent…

“Right, Fang Family Food Group in Qi City is one unique place. You can pick someone to hone their skills over there, with preferably a master to train him. Don’t skimp on the payment. Once we complete this paramount mission, we will face the gods in the coming days and by then, we don’t have to worry so much,” Bai Shixin said solemnly.

“Mm, I shall dispatch the finest men to fulfill this mission, brother.” Bai Shifu agreed wholeheartedly.

Bai Shixin waved his arm. “Go now, and be careful.”

Bai Shifu turned around and left. Once again, the king was alone in his study.

Bai Shixin sat for a few minutes before he started to pace back and forth in the study.

After a few steps, he removed a copy of “The Art Of War” from the shelf and flipped through the pages.

“Know thyself and know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without being defeated. This never gets old.”

“Now, do I really understand the geezer?”

He sank into deep contemplation.

What if this mission was completed, and the other party…

Suddenly, he was struck by a terrifying possibility!

Earlier, he thought that the Elder Ancestor would not use this tactics like this to harm him but in fact, there was a massive loophole. No doubt, searching for the Arcane Realm was intrinsically harmless, but the circumstances would alter after acquiring the Arcane Realm…

“Hehe, you old man, you have an endless supply of tricks up your sleeves. If not for my profound wisdom, I fear I might end up like that dumb disciple who got twisted around your fingers.” Bai Shixin laughed coldly.

…

Five days later, at Fang Family Food Paradise in Qi City.

Fang Ning’s double, the mechanical puppet cook, answered the general manager’s phone call and passed the phone to the real Fang Ning.

He was surprised to receive a call from Zhao Ying.

“What? People actually want me to be their teacher?” A bewildered Fang Ning gasped.

“Yes, Chairman Fang. The visitors are very sincere and brought along an abundance of expensive gifts. I didn’t want to decline them on your behalf, so why don’t you meet them personally?” A woman’s silvery voice could be heard on the other end.

“Alright, I’ll meet them,” Sir System imitated Fang Ning’s voice and spoke.

“…” Fang Ning, who was holding the handphone, was had his eyes wide in astonishment.

“Why are you gawking like that? Quickly pack up your stuff and get an apprentice to have fun with,” Sir System asserted.

“I really want to give you a big, tight slap…” Fang Ning grumbled.

“You can’t hit me, you can only hit yourself. What a pain in the ass, eh?” Sir System chuckled gleefully.

Half an hour later, Vigilante A regained his true form and Fang Ning got back his body. He went to the top floor of Food Paradise and entered the Chairman’s office.

Soon, General Manager Zhao Ying led three young people into the room. Two of them were men and one of them was a woman.

Both men were average-looking and overweight.

The woman, on the contrary, was rather attractive and wore a green outfit. She was petite and demure.

Fang Ning looked at her and thought of his wife.

“Hey, Mr. Rich Boss, you can’t commit mental adultery! This doesn’t fit with the path of heroism,” Sir System reminded him sternly.

“Stay away from my thoughts, my mind was just wandering. Am I really that kind of person?” Fang Ning communicated with the System in his mind.

“Yes, you are,” Sir System rebutted.

“Shut your trap,” Fang Ning scolded angrily.

After this interruption by the System, Fang Ning steadied himself and spoke once he finished studying the three visitors.

“All of you want to learn the art of cooking from me… From little old me?” Fang Ning nearly said the wrong thing and immediately corrected his words.

“Yes, Chairman Fang. We admire your reputation as a God Chef and we’ve come all the way to Qi City to learn from you,” one of the young men announced.

“Oh, many people wanted to learn from me the last time, but due to my busy schedule, I’ve never accepted any apprentices…” Fang Ning declined.

“Hold on, Chairman Fang. We are not like the others. We are willing to pay the full tuition fee,” the young man explained before he handed over a box on both palms courteously.

Fang Ning accepted the box with one hand and when he opened it, he was stunned.