It wasn't right to keep Xiao Tianyong kneeling all the time. Xiaoming put the cleaver into his bag and helped Xiao Tianyong up.
"Mr. Xiao, please don't kneel. What exactly is going on?" Xiaoming asked.
Xiao Tianyong said, "There are too many people here. Let's go to my room, and I'll explain the situation to you."
Xiao Tianyong led Xiaoming to the elevator. The two police officers exchanged glances but dared not stop them.
Xiao Tianyong was the president of the China Culinary Association, and the two police officers had seen him on television often. They dared not offend someone like him.
Seeing Xiaoming follow Xiao Tianyong, the others also hurried to follow, entering the elevator together.
Upon reaching the fifth floor, as the others attempted to follow Xiaoming into the room, they were stopped by two young men.
"You can't come in," one of the young men said.
Meiling was blocked and was about to make a move, displeased. Xiaoming said, "You all stay outside for a while. If you come in, Mr. Xiao might not be able to speak comfortably."
Old Master Xiao hurriedly said, "Alright, we won't go in. We'll wait for you at the door."
Xiaoming followed Xiao Tianyong into the room. The two young men stood by the door, warily eyeing Luo Tianshui and the others, as if worried they might rush into the room.
Xiaoming followed Xiao Tianyong into the room. After Xiaoming sat down, Xiao Tianyong cautiously sat down opposite him.
"Mr. Xiao, tell me about the Human Chef," Xiaoming said.
Xiao Tianyong looked at Xiaoming strangely and asked, "Young Master, are you completely unaware of your ancestor's situation?"
Xiaoming nodded and began to weave a story. He told Xiao Tianyong that he had been raised by an old beggar with special abilities.
He said the old beggar told him when he left that he had been picked up from a mountain by the old beggar. When he was found, he only had a few hundred yuan and this cleaver in his swaddling clothes, which was why he knew nothing of his origins.
After hearing the fabricated background story Xiaoming told him, Xiao Tianyong sighed and said, "Truly, the noble ones face many hardships."
To give Xiaoming a preliminary understanding of his ancestor, Xiao Tianyong began by telling him about the Human Chef.
Over eight hundred years ago, China was in chaos. Various factions attacked each other, leading to widespread suffering and displacement.
The Human Chef was born in an ordinary small mountain village. He was born with immense strength, capable of lifting a cow by the age of twelve or thirteen. Strong people were a burden; with food scarce everywhere, his family couldn't afford to feed him and told him to leave the village to make his own way.
Not long after leaving the village, the Human Chef met his master, the Heavenly Chef. The Heavenly Chef taught the Human Chef all his culinary skills and also passed down his unique cultivation manuals to him.
When the Human Chef left his master's tutelage, his master specially forged a cleaver for him using the precious Cold Ice Profound Iron he had saved for many years.
The Human Chef, carrying the cleaver, entered the martial world. With his valiant combat skills and culinary expertise, he carved out a niche for himself. It was around this time that people began calling him the Human Chef.
In his later years, the Human Chef founded the Mad Saber Sect. He integrated his cultivation techniques into his culinary arts, creating a unique set of saber techniques for using a cleaver.
The Human Chef had eight disciples in total. These eight disciples were all renowned figures at the time; they were both great chefs and cultivators. They entered the secular world to cultivate and each established their own careers.
All eight were extraordinarily powerful. Although they were fellow disciples and their saber techniques originated from the Human Chef, in their later years, their understanding of the saber techniques differed, and they each developed the Human Chef's saber techniques further.
From then on, the Mad Saber Sect came to be known for the Eight Styles of Mad Saber, eight different saber techniques.
For eight hundred years, the Mad Saber Sect gradually grew stronger, but the saber techniques remained these eight.
After the Human Chef founded the Mad Saber Sect, his own descendants did not join. However, every sect leader of the Mad Saber Sect treated the Human Chef's descendants as young masters.
Xiaoming listened to the Human Chef's story and thought that although he was utterly unrelated to the Human Chef, he had no connection whatsoever. However, if he admitted to being a descendant of the Human Chef, he could use the Mad Saber Sect to help Brother Long.
Directly admitting it felt a bit embarrassing. After listening to Xiao Tianyong's account, he said, "Mr. Xiao, your story is very interesting, but I truly don't know my origins, nor do I know if I am a descendant of the Human Chef."
Xiao Tianyong said, "Young Master, you must be a descendant of the Human Chef, otherwise, you wouldn't have the Human Chef's Profound Iron cleaver."
"Perhaps someone left it with me unintentionally," Xiaoming said.
Xiao Tianyong shook his head and said, "Impossible. No one would leave such a precious cleaver with someone else carelessly. A descendant of the Human Chef would not give the cleaver to others."
Xiaoming, half-reluctantly, accepted being a descendant of the Human Chef. He pointed at the door and said, "Everyone outside are my friends. Let them in."
Xiao Tianyong nodded and said, "As you command, Young Master."
Old Master Xiao and the others had been waiting impatiently for over an hour. The two young men guarding the door wouldn't let them in, and they couldn't resort to force, so they had to endure it.
The room door opened, and Xiao Tianyong let everyone in. As soon as they entered, Meiling said unhappily, "Xiaoming, what's your meaning, leaving us outside for over an hour?"
Xiaoming quickly smiled and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. The content of our conversation involved sect secrets, and since you are not members of the sect, you couldn't hear it."
Ye Mei and Luo Tianshui knew about Xiaoming's past. Xiaoming feared they might let something slip, so he didn't want them to know what was discussed.
As it involved sect secrets, it was inappropriate for outsiders to inquire freely, so no one asked Xiaoming what he had discussed.
"Xiaoming, we should get going. We still have a long way to travel," Luo Tianshui said.
Xiaoming told Xiao Tianyong that he was going to Sichuan. He left the address of Xinglin Caotang and his phone number for Xiao Tianyong, asking him to contact him in Donghai if he came there, and Xiaoming would treat him.
Speaking of treating him, Xiao Tianyong took out a jade pendant and handed it to Xiaoming, saying, "Young Master, please take this jade pendant. This is the token of the Mad Saber Sect leader. Seeing the jade pendant is like seeing the sect leader."
Xiaoming wanted to take it but hesitated and said, "If I take your jade pendant, what will you use?"
Xiao Tianyong chuckled and said, "I am the leader of the Mad Saber Sect, and everyone in the sect knows me. I don't need any token."
Xiaoming took the jade pendant and said, "Then I'll take it. Perhaps I'll need it if I require help in the future."
As Xiaoming and his group were about to leave, Xiao Tianyong saw them off outside the hotel. As Xiaoming got into the car, Xiao Tianyong took out a bank card and said, "This card has five hundred million on it. Young Master, please take it. It will be convenient for you when you need money."
Xiaoming, having already taken the jade pendant and impersonated the Young Master of the Mad Saber Sect, felt too embarrassed to take the bank card now.
Xiaoming waved his hand and said, "No need. I, Xiaoming, am not short of money. It's too easy for me to make money. I can't even spend all my own money, so having more is useless."
Old Master Xiao, Meiling, and Luo Tianshui all looked at Xiaoming, surprised. Why wasn't this money-grubbing fellow interested in money today?
Ye Mei glanced at Xiaoming, then turned away and smiled without saying anything.
She knew Xiaoming was probably scamming again. This bank card had too much money, and he was afraid to take it, fearing future trouble.