The Taoist masters had no reply to that.
“One can dream! Right, I wonder when can we find another sea dragon?”
Taoist Master Qian Ji rolled his eyes again. “Are you all addicted to sea dragon meat? Sea dragons are rarer than giant pandas. We’re already extremely lucky to encounter one, and you want another?”
“We’re just thinking!” The Taoist masters said awkwardly.
Tang Hao smiled politely when he heard that.
He was the one who contributed the most and therefore received the biggest share of the sea dragon meat. He received a third of the meat and many teeth, scales, and claws. It was a great haul.
Dragon teeth and claws could be reshaped into weapons to replace his current set of silver throwing knives.
Compared to other metals, silver was relatively soft. It was not very useful as a weapon other than being suitable for fighting werewolves.
Dragon teeth and claws were a lot tougher. One could easily imagine how powerful they could be if they were made into weapons.
Everyone was too full to walk after eating. They rested at the beach before heading back to the mainland.
It was already two o’clock in the morning when they returned to the shore.
Tang Hao returned to his hotel room and slept soundly. He did not hurry to return home the next day. Instead, he stayed in South Beach and visited the various tourist spots with the Taoist masters.
South Beach was a popular tourist destination because of its fine weather and beautiful scenery.
At night, they booked the return tickets for the next morning.
The next morning, Tang Hao received a call from Ling Wei.
“Is there anything, President Ling?” Tang Hao said.
“Bad news, Tang Hao!” Ling Wei sounded worried over the phone.
“What’s wrong? Is there an incident at the restaurant?” Tang Hao’s expression changed.
“It’s the jars. The jars used in the restaurant to soak the herbs. They’re stolen!” Ling Wei said worriedly.
Tang Hao immediately furrowed his brows.
He had repeatedly reminded the chefs that the qi gathering jars were very important. The restaurant should have tight security measures to guard them. How would the jars be stolen?
Then, his expression turned grim.
Someone from Spring Brook must be behind this.
“How many were stolen?” Tang Hao asked.
“There’s none left!” Ling Wei said, “There must be a traitor in our restaurant. They must have stolen the code to the hidden room and took all the bronze jars.
“What should we do now, Tang Hao? If we don’t have the bronze jars, we won’t be able to open for business today. It’s only our fourth day of business, and it won’t be good for our reputation if we’re closed!”
Ling Wei sounded more anxious than ever.
“Traitor? Who might that be?” Tang Hao asked coldly.
“It’s not any of the main chefs. It’s Chef Zheng’s apprentice. He’s uncontactable now. He probably ran away.”
Tang Hao furrowed his brows. It was a troublesome matter.
Internal problems were a lot harder to safeguard against.
“Chef Zheng is scheduled to guard the hidden room. He didn’t expect that his apprentice would be a traitor. That was why he gave the apprentice the code to it so that his apprentice could open up the store.
“He didn’t expect the incident to happen. Chef Zheng is feeling very guilty now.
“I’ve made a police report earlier, but I don’t think we’ll be able to retrieve the jars by today.”
“Did Chef Zheng ask his apprentice to open the store, or did his apprentice volunteer to do so?”
“It’s his apprentice. Chef Zheng happened to be occupied this morning, so his apprentice asked if he could help,” Ling Wei answered.
“So it’s premeditated then!” Tang Hao smirked.
“I’m quite sure that he’s bought over by Spring Brook. Thanks to us, they have barely any customers for the past few days. If this goes on, they’ll shutter in a month.
“We don’t have any evidence that they did it though!” Ling Wei said worriedly.
Tang Hao thought for a moment and replied, “Don’t worry, I’ll get someone to send over a few bigger jars. They should make it in time before the restaurant opens. I’m still at South Beach, but I should be back to Provincial City by noon.”
“Alright!” Ling Wei breathed a sigh of relief.
After ending the call, Tang Hao made a call to Liu Dajun.
When he ordered the small jars for the restaurant last time, he also ordered a batch of big ones for the aphrodisiac factory. Liu Dajun was currently keeping them safe.
Liu Dajun immediately agreed to it after listening to Tang Hao’s story.
It was already noon when he arrived at Provincial City.
After saying goodbye to the Taoist masters, Tang Hao immediately went to Magical Kitchen.
When he neared, he saw a long queue forming from the entrance of the restaurant.
“Looks like he made it!” Tang Hao breathed a sigh of relief.
Tang Hao met up with Ling Wei on the third floor of the restaurant.
“What’s the situation now?”
“Looks like there’s no problem. Fortunately, the jars are bigger… As for Chef Zheng’s apprentice, the police have already issued a warrant of arrest. There’s no news in the meantime.”
“You shouldn’t worry too much. Let me handle the rest! I was planning to let Spring Brook shut down on their own, but it looks like I have been too kind.
“President Ling, we’ll open all our restaurants next to all Spring Brook restaurants. I want to make sure that they don’t have any business at all. As for this main restaurant, let me deal with them.”
After saying that, Tang Hao went out of the door.
Chapter 329 - Bringing Down Spring Brook
His expression turned cold after he exited the restaurant.
He ran back to his house, retrieved his car, and drove to the Han family mansion.
He had anticipated the possibility that the jars were stolen. That was why he added a qi signature in each of the jars when they were made.
However, the signatures were very simple, and he could only detect them when he was close to them.
When he passed by Spring Brook earlier, he did not sense anything.
If the jars were indeed stolen by Spring Brook, then the qi gathering jars were either at the Han family mansion or another Spring Brook branch.
He passed by many branches along the way to the Han family mansion but did not sense anything.
About twenty minutes later, he arrived near the Han family mansion in the countryside.
From there, he could sense that the five qi gathering jars for the restaurant were in the mansion.
He parked his car at a distance and cast the Heaven Eye and Earth Ear spell. He could hear many people talking in the mansion. He focused his attention and discerned Han Lei’s voice.
“Dammit, that guy lied to us. Magical Kitchen has more of these jars! They’re open for business as usual and aren’t affected at all.”
He sounded exasperated. “I shouldn’t have spent the two million on that guy!”
Tang Hao understood what happened when he heard that.
It seemed that Han Lei spared no expense in trying to bring down Magical Kitchen. Two million yuan was an astronomical sum for an apprentice chef. No wonder Chef Zheng’s apprentice would take the risk.
Not many people in this modern society were unmoved by the allure of money.
Then, he heard a burst of laughter.
“Eh! Young Master Han, you’re missing the main point here. The two million yuan is worth every cent! Haven’t you seen how amazing the jars are?
“Any mundane medicinal herb transforms into an incredibly potent medicine once soaked in the jar. You can imagine the effects if you use the herbs to create medicinal cuisine.
&nbs
p; “This must be the secret of Magical Kitchen! Looking at the weathering of the bronze, I think they’re all antiques. They’re at least from the Han dynasty, if not from the Warring States period.
“Even if Magical Kitchen has more jars, I don’t think they’ll have as many as five. The tables should be turned to our favor now.”
That voice belonged to none other than Master Chef Du.
“You have a point. We’ll definitely win with these amazing artifacts. When can you devise a new menu, Master Chef Du?”
“That will be easy. We have the medicinal prescriptions, and we’ll just have to combine them with my cooking. That won’t take more than one or two days,” Master Chef Du said.
“Alright, we’ll let Magical Kitchen have their way for the next two days. After that, we’ll make our triumphant return,” Han Lei said viciously.
Then, he laughed brazenly. “We’ll also crack the secret behind these bronze jars and make many more. We’ll conquer the entire Huaxia market before Magical Kitchen does.”
Master Chef Du laughed too.
Tang Hao could only hear the two of them laughing for a long time.
Back in the car, he rolled his eyes.
‘These two idiots are too confident. They’re quite shameless, too. They’re treating the stolen items as their own.’
That Han Lei was just as despicable as his sister Han Lu.
Their father, Han Chenglin, was worse. He was a materialistic, greedy man who abandoned his wife and daughter.
The three people that made up the Han family were conniving, reprehensible people.
Why was Assistant Han so gentle and considerate though? She was so different from the rest of her family.
In any case, they were blood relatives of Assistant Han. He would not want to bring them bodily harm.
He thought about the matter for a moment. He could get the police to search the mansion and get the two idiots arrested for theft.
However, he did not decide on that option. He was more concerned about how to ruin Spring Brook rather than getting Han Lei arrested.
Even if Han Lei was arrested, Spring Brook might not go bankrupt.
However, there was a chance of ruining Spring Brook with Han Lei running free.
Eventually, Tang Hao thought of an idea.
After that, he left.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
In those two days, Magical Kitchen’s popularity did not decrease at all. More and more people flocked to the restaurant because they had heard of its amazing cuisine. They were eager to taste the impossible deliciousness of its dishes.
Meanwhile, Spring Brook’s doors were tightly shut. There was a sign at the door saying that they were temporarily closed.
Many people discussed what might happen to Spring Brook.
That afternoon, Spring Brook suddenly opened. The storefront was brand new, and many banners were hanging with various slogans, such as “A Brand New Spring Brook”, “We’re Better At Magical Cuisine” and others.
Everyone was immediately curious.
In the evening, a red carpet was rolled out from the entrance of Spring Brook while hampers of flowers were placed on both sides of the door, as though they had newly reopened.
Luxury cars frequently stopped at the restaurant and many wealthy people came out of those cars. They were invited by Spring Brook to boost their popularity.
“They’re absolutely shameless!” Ling Wei gritted her teeth when she saw that.
She turned to look at Tang Hao. “Are we just going to let them run rampant? They stole our precious secret!”
“Just let them be. They’ll learn their lesson very soon,” Tang Hao said.
Ling Wei was surprised. She furrowed her brows and wanted to ask more questions but at that time, several people walked out of Spring Brook. Leading the group were Han Lei and Master Chef Du.
Behind them was a team of chefs, each pushing a restaurant cart with pots emanating a thick fragrance.
“Oh! Isn’t this President Ling?”
Han Lei noticed Ling Wei and Tang Hao right after he stepped out of his restaurant.
He yelled loudly and confidently as he quickly walked over.
“Why, President Ling, are you here to congratulate us?” He said with a mocking smile.
Ling Wei glared angrily at him.
Han Lei chuckled. “Why the long face, President Ling? Do you think that your restaurant’s magical cuisine is anything special? We, Spring Brook, have Master Chef Du. After a few days of research, we’ve also cracked the secret of magical cuisine. There’s nothing unique about it!”
“Hmph! Scoundrels!” Ling Wei said coldly.
Han Lei’s expression turned stern. He was not happy when he heard that.
“It doesn’t matter what you think about us, President Ling. Don’t think that you have a monopoly on magical cuisine. Whatever you can do, we can do better.
“Spring Brook shall be the new forefront in magical cuisine!”
Han Lei waved at the chefs, who opened the lids of the pots.
The fragrance wafted in all directions.
Not far away were the people waiting in line to go into Magical Kitchen. They were stunned when they smelled the amazing fragrance.
Earlier, they had doubts when they saw the banners in front of Spring Brook, but their doubts were immediately erased.
“That restaurant looks not bad. Why don’t we go and try? Everything on the menu is half off too!”
Many people crowded around the carts. They tasted the free samples and went into the restaurant.
More and more people left the queue and entered Spring Brook.
After all, Magical Kitchen was too popular and the queue was too long. Now that Spring Brook can create equally amazing magical cuisine, they had another option.
In less than ten minutes, Spring Brook was filled with customers.
Han Lei and Master Chef Du were ecstatic when they saw that.
Meanwhile, Ling Wei was indignant.
Tang Hao remained calm. He looked at his wristwatch. “It’s about time!”
Chapter 330 - : Spring Brook Is Finished
More and more people arrived at Spring Brook. A line soon formed at the doors.
Han Lei and Master Chef Du could not stop grinning when they saw that.
They felt that the two million they spent was worth every cent. If this went on, they would earn tens or even hundreds of times their initial investment.
Tang Hao occasionally looked at his wristwatch. Suddenly, he cracked a wide grin and looked at the entrance to Spring Brook. “Watch closely,” he mumbled.
Ling Wei was taken aback when she heard that. She turned her head toward Spring Brook.
Soon, a commotion was heard in the restaurant. The people inside were screaming loudly.
Han Lei and Master Chef Du were shocked when they heard the commotion. “What’s going on?” They turned around and prepared to go into the restaurant to see.
A group of people rushed out of the restaurant at the same time. They were all clutching their stomachs with agonized and worried looks on their faces. Their gait was also rather unusual.
The two people were dumbfounded when they saw that.
More and more people rushed out of the restaurant with the same expression on their faces.
“Toilet! Where’s the toilet?”
“What scam of a restaurant is this? I’ll be making a complaint to the authorities!”
They ran around anxiously, looking for a place to void their stomachs.
“I’ve come from afar to support you, Boss Han, and this is how you treat me?”
The rich people who arrived first rushed out of the restaurant. They were clutching their stomachs and holding their bottoms. Their expressions were a mixture of agony and anger.
More than half of the customers had rushed out of the restaurant.
The two people standing in front of their restaurant stepped backward so that they did not get
knocked over.
The situation inside Spring Brook became more and more chaotic. The people who were waiting for their food were arguing at the cashier counter, asking for a refund.
“How could this be?” Han Lei was confused when he saw the scene.
Everything was going so well earlier, but suddenly it all came crashing down.
“This is impossible!” Master Chef Du’s face was ashen.
The kitchen only used the freshest ingredients. It was impossible that the food upset the customers’ stomachs. Even if there might be a problem with one or two of the ingredients, only a small portion of the customers would be affected.
However, it seemed as though everyone was having a stomachache.
It was evident that someone must have sabotaged their food.
Master Chef Du came to his senses. He abruptly turned around and glared at Tang Hao angrily. “It’s… it’s you! You must have added something to our food! How could you!”
Han Lei also came to his senses. His eyes were opened round and wide in anger. “President Ling, I didn’t expect that you’re an underhanded person. I want to report this to the police and make sure that your reputation is ruined.”
Ling Wei was shocked. She did not expect that Tang Hao had used such methods.
Normally, she would have disapproved of such underhanded means, but she felt that Spring Brook deserved it for what they did to her restaurant.
Tang Hao chuckled. “Do you have any evidence? If you don’t have any, please don’t slander us!
“How would you know if someone added something into your food anyway? Maybe there is a problem with your ingredients!” Tang Hao’s tone of voice was mocking when he said that.
“You…” Han Lei gritted his teeth in anger.
He was very sure the kid had sabotaged their food, but he did not have any evidence. Their grand reopening should have been a runaway success. After all, everything was kept in utmost secrecy.
The Mightiest Little Peasant c1-799 Page 148
