Chapter 199 – Eating Together
Tang Wulin had pretty much hit the nail right on the head in regards to Wu Zhangkong’s line of thought. Practical combat experience at their age was more beneficial to their growth than anything else. The battles in the spirit ascension platform and spars with their teacher were engraved into their very being. Such experiences culminated into growth.
So what if our opponent is strong? Today, the Skysea Alliance’s team clearly had the edge in soul rings, yet they still lost in under a minute!
So what if they’re older and have better soul rings? All that matters is how much strength we’re able to display and if we can grasp victory!
Tang Wulin was convinced that no matter how formidable their opponent was, as long as they brought out their full power, then even Wu Zhangkong couldn’t say anything should they lose.
The city bustled with activity now that the Skysea Alliance Tournament was in full-swing. Tournaments attracted people, so visitors from all over the east coast had traveled to Skysea City.
The city came to life once night fell. People swarmed the restaurants, delighting in delicacies and fine liquor.
“Did you sneak out?” Tang Wulin asked Xu Lizhi. The little fatty was sitting beside him, gorging himself on food.
Xu Lizhi had invited him out to eat in the afternoon. Tang Wulin was happy to agree of course, but when they met, he saw that Xu Lizhi had disguised himself. He had clearly snuck out.
“Mhmm. This tofu fish is really good. It’s delicate and soft, yet so fragrant, so delicious. Tang Wulin, you really know how to eat!” The little fatty Xu Lizhi exclaimed as he stuffed himself.
Although Tang Wulin wasn’t a resident of Skysea City, there wasn’t much of a difference between Skysea City and Eastsea City’s seafood. Furthermore, he had spent his entire life on the coast, so how could he not know what was tasty?
“Hey, why aren’t you eating?” Xu Lizhi asked.
Tang Wulin smiled. “There would be nothing left for you if I eat.” What he didn’t mention was how expensive this food was. Eating would bring him both joy and suffering in this case. Treating Xu Lizhi to a meal was enough.
Xu Lizhi said, “Come on, eat! It’s more fun to eat together. You lead the way and I’ll pay. You’re not a resident of Skysea City anyway so you don’t have to host me, alright?”
Tang Wulin burst into laughter. “You really want me to eat? Are you sure you want to treat me? Let me tell you; I’ve got quite the stomach.”
Xu Lizhi waved a hand dismissively as if swatting a fly. “It’s just a bit of money to eat. Come on, let’s feast. We’ll deal with it after we’re full.”
“Alright! Boss, I want to order one salt-crusted baked bluefin tuna.” Tang Wulin immediately called out.
Hesitating, the boss asked, “Do you have more guests coming?”
Tang Wulin shook his head.
The boss said, “Do you know how big a bluefin tuna is?”
Tang Wulin said, “Of course. It should be at least fifty kilograms, so you should start preparing it now since it will take a long time to bake. Right, I also want fifty rose sea urchins, two baked fish heads and…” Tang Wulin continued listing dishes.
Xu Lizhi didn’t mind and instead applauded him.
Soon, the entire restaurant was swept up by their pace.
Despite lagging behind Tang Wulin, Xu Lizhi could keep eating without pause, showcasing his frightening endurance. They were children after all. When they saw one another going at it, they couldn’t help but compete.
As the dishes piled up on the table, the two increased their tempo, cheeks trembling as they chewed and swallowed.
The legend of the gluttonous Tang Wulin had been confined to Eastsea City, but today it debuted in Skysea City.
A short while later, shells and dishes piled up like a mountain across two tables.
“You really know how to eat! This is the first time I’ve met someone who could compete with me in terms of eating. Stuffing myself has never been so cool.” Xu Lizhi exclaimed in admiration and flashed Tang Wulin a big thumbs up.
Tang Wulin laughed mischievously. “This is also my first time meeting someone who can eat as much as I do. This seafood is really filling and high in protein. Here, try some. This rose sea urchin is delicious. Not only is the meat fragrant, it’s also filled with flavor. If you let it sit for two hours, the flavor completely transforms! That’s why you can’t say you’ve tasted its true deliciousness until you’ve visited a coastal city.”
“Wow! It really is delicious.”
Xu Lizhi gradually found it harder and harder to continue devouring food. His belly swelled until it was a perfect sphere and all he could do was lean back against his chair, gaping at Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin’s pace hadn’t slowed at all even now, and his stomach was still as flat as always It was almost as if he were a starved man seeing food for the first time.
“I-I can’t continue. You’re amazing; I concede. Since you can eat so much, I’ll call you Big Bro from now on.” Xu Lizhi patted his stomach as he panted, his face a picture of contentment and respect.
“Ah hah! So you’re here!” At that moment, a familiar voice cut through their sweet atmosphere like a knife.
Without pausing from feasting, Tang Wulin turned toward the voice to see a furious Ye Xinglan barging her way in. She headed straight for Xu Lizhi.
“D-don’t hit me Big Sister Xinglan! I know I was wrong, but I ate really well! Please don’t hit me! I’ve eaten so much so that if you do, I might puke it all out. Wouldn’t that be a waste? This is really delicious. Do you want to join us?”
Ye Xinglan’s mood lightened at his words. This guy is such a glutton.
But when she shifted her gaze to their table, she nearly jumped up from fright. Did a whole army come to eat?
Plates, bowls and debris from all sorts of food were scattered across two round tables. Seated across from Xu Lizhi, Tang Wulin continued to pull apart a crab’s leg with expert movements. After biting both sides, he broke open the shell, squeezed out the white crab meat and slurped it up without leaving a single scrap.
Seeing him eat so merrily, Ye Xinglan couldn’t help but feel a bit hungry herself.
“Are you the one who seduced him to come out?” Ye Xinglan’s brows shot up as she recalled their meeting earlier today. She had taken note of him due to his good looks and large, warm eyes. The fact that he invited Xu Lizhi out, however, seemed suspicious to reek of taking advantage of their Shrek Academy affiliation to her.
“You want to join us?” Tang Wulin ignored her accusation.
At that moment, the boss called out, “Here’s the salt baked bluefin tuna!”
As Ye Xinglan turned around and saw the fish, her eyes went wide.
That’s… that’s just too big!
Just how massive was a fish that weighed over fifty kilograms? It was one meter in length, thick and solid. The sizeable crust of sea salt on its surface was like a mountain’s peak. Due to its size, the fish was delivered to the table by trolley.
The boss was convinced now—these two gluttons really could devour an entire bluefin tuna. The mountain of plates was a testament to that.
Laughing heartily, the boss said, “Just wait a moment, I’ll get a hammer to smash it open for you. My salt-crusted baked bluefin tuna is definitely one of the best dishes in Skysea City.”
Tang Wulin smiled. “You don’t need to trouble yourself. I can do it.”
He made his way to the bluefin tuna.
To ensure that the inner meat stayed tender and juicy, it was protected by a thick coating of salt. Furthermore, because the bluefin tuna was bulky, it needed at least a centimeter of coating; any thinner and the taste would suffer, no matter how much shorter the cooking time would be. By now, dusk had already swept through the skies.
With such a thick layer of salt, even an adult needed a hammer to crack it open.
But to Tang Wulin, this was nothing.
His heavy silver hammer materialized in his hands in a flash of light and he swung at the salt crust.
A dull thump echoed throughout the room. Following that, a crack snaked its way along the crust. After two successive swings of the hammer, it split open all the way.
Tang Wulin put away his hammer and brushed the salt off with his hands, revealing tender white meat beneath. A heavy fragrance immediately burst out, flooding his nostrils.
This prompted Xu Lizhi to shoot up from his seat, staring at the bluefin tuna with the intent to swallow it whole.
“Y-y-you, why didn’t you tell me about this sooner! What do I do, I’m too full right now! N-no! I can’t let things end like this. I’m going to go exercise for a bit. Don’t you dare finish it without me! I’ll be back in a few minutes.” The little fatty lurched outside.
Tang Wulin casually retrieved a clean plate and used his knife to carve a large chunk of meat for himself.
Just as he was about to sit down and eat, he remembered the girl in front of him. Accustomed to caring for Na’er in his childhood, he took another plate and handed it to her. “Why don’t you have some?”
In truth, Ye Xinglan had already succumbed to shock after taking in the size of the bluefin tuna.
This was her first time seeing such a giant fish. Not to mention, it was served with expert cooking techniques. Although she was stronger and had a steadier temperament than her peers, she was still a ten-year-old child. Ye Xinglan couldn’t help but be enticed by such a delicacy.
“Mn, okay.” She didn’t hesitate to accept the plate. She grabbed a clean fork from the side, sat herself in Xu Lizhi’s seat and began eating.