Afterward.
In the kitchen, the girl put on her uniform, buttoned up her shirt with her back to the dining table, and stood up to smooth out her plaid skirt. She carefully checked to make sure nothing about her appearance was in disarray before turning around to cast an annoyed and embarrassed glance at the young chef who stood there with arms crossed.
"How was it? Give your assessnt,"
Xia Yu had been standing and waiting for a few minutes, growing a bit impatient.
"Delicious!"
She bit her lip, unwilling to admit defeat. Her gaze swept over the empty basket on the table and a hint of panic flashed across her face as she touched her noticeably bloated belly and couldn’t help complaining: "Ah, I accidentally ate too much. I’m on a diet!"
At this mont, Xia Yu, completely absorbed in the study of cooking, couldn’t care less about dieting. Even if the girl hinted that she was complinting her figure, Xia Yu would pretend he hadn’t heard. He waved his hand and without a hint of romance, he urged:
"Delicious? That’s too vague. Tell more with your ’Divine Tongue’!"
"Let’s start with the way you treated the eight seafood ingredients—"
Eriina took a deep breath, and her tone turned stiff.
"First, let’s talk about the sea cucumber. This seafood delicacy isn’t always better when it’s fresh. Fresh sea cucumbers lt quickly once they leave seawater. Even though the IGO ingredient supply and transport departnt has high-tech storage and transport thods, a live sea cucumber will inevitably lose so texture and nutrients on its way from the ocean to the dinner table. I would suggest you use dried sea cucumber instead; that’s a basic principle for ingredient selection..."
Xia Yu slapped his forehead, "I absolutely overlooked that!"
"The shark fin is fine; you used dried goods."
"Were the dried scallops, squid, and halibut purchased from individual rchants at IGO? The salt content during the drying process was too high. Um, how should I put this—my tongue can easily taste that lingering saltiness that can’t be washed away..."
The girl listed her observations, and Xia Yu didn’t interrupt, listening intently for at least ten minutes.
"Next, the wrappers!"
"The green ones, those are the Azure Dragon Buns, right? I tasted spinach, which is rich in iron. The iron taste is slightly sweet to , not the ’sour’ quality that corresponds with the Azure Dragon..."
"The Vermilion Bird Bun, with a wrapper made of carrot, lacks the so-called ’bitter’ quality it’s supposed to represent."
"The Xuanwu bun, with black sesa, is more aromatic than ’sweet’."
"For the white White Tiger Bun wrapper, did you mix in so pepper spice during the dough-making process? It’s a bit spicy, too pungent, and overly adhering to the ’spicy’ attribute..."
Hearing this, Xia Yu even took out a notebook to record everything line by line.
She finished in one breath, mouth dry and tongue parched.
Looking up at the young man absorbed in the culinary world, with his face displaying an expression that sotis knotted in struggle and sotis eased with enlightennt, Eriina couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusent and frustration within—was there any need to be upset with such a blockhead?
Beep!
Stepping out of the kitchen, the cold wind blew through the corridor, making her shiver with the chill. She reached up to touch the sweat on her forehead hidden under her hair; it was still there. When the wind blew, the evaporating sweat made her skin crawl with goosebumps.
"Three hours!"
A sudden voice coming from around the corner startled Eriina.
In the darkness, she saw a pair of eyes that seed to be laughing but not laughing. On a closer look, she recognized Zhu Qing. Glancing at her wristwatch, Zhu Qing’s expression was mocking, "I heard from the villa maid that you arrived in Sapporo in the afternoon, and now it’s 9 o’clock at night. You’ve been ssing around in the kitchen with him for three hours, even skipped dinner... Any progress?"
Eriina didn’t bother to respond; she quickly walked past the corner, heading to the bedroom for a bath to wash away the sweat.
"Dinner can still be eaten; you can ask the maid to reheat it!"
Zhu Qing called after her retreating back, then, humming a little tune, headed to the kitchen.
The door wasn’t locked, so Zhu Qing easily entered, glancing around before smiling and saying while slling the rich aroma, "Practicing new dishes again? The seafood aroma is strong here—scallops, shrimp, crab, sea cucumber... It’s rich!"
By this ti, Xia Yu had already erged from the culinary world in his mind.
"I’ve co up with the recipe for the competition finals—"
As he spoke, he pulled out a chair to sit down, took up the pen, and ticulously, started copying the recipe for the "Four Divine Seafood Eight Treasure Soul Suppressing Dumplings" for Zhu Qing.
There was no choice.
The final competition would still involve the cooperation between special chefs and Lin Chefs; Xia Yu needed Zhu Qing’s help to defeat the other formidable pairs and win the championship trophy—the legendary cooking utensil, the "Jade Dragon Pot."
"Huh?!"
Zhu Qing thought she had heard wrong, but seeing him sit down so decisively and pick up the pen in such a straightforward manner, her expression imdiately collapsed, "Is, is this kid joking with ? The topic had just been confird in the afternoon, and in just a few hours, by evening, the recipe is decided?"
She was almost jumping up and down, standing at Xia Yu’s side, looking down at the increasingly filled paper, and her face and eyes quickly filled with shock.
"Another recipe of this caliber?"
Her heart pounded.
Lately, Zhu Qing had been secretly delighted that she had a chance to read the "Rainbow Wine" recipe during the first round and worked with Xia Yu to recreate a dish that was not short of perfect.
Now, to be involved with another recipe of the sa level, Zhu Qing could only imagine the shock and excitent she felt.
Even Lin Chef seed to be stunned by such fortune!
But after Xia Yu finished writing, and Zhu Qing carefully read through it, she couldn’t help but ask awkwardly: "...This recipe, why does it feel familiar?"
Xia Yu simply handed the copied recipe to her, very straightforwardly.
"Take it!"
"First, study it properly. We’ll talk again in three days!"
Bang!
He pushed the door open and left.
Zhu Qing listened to the sound of the door automatically closing, then looked at the additional recipe in her hand and felt depressed.
"I am the real leader of the competing team!"
The first round used the "Rainbow Wine" recipe.
The second round used Saito Chiyokuro’s ideal recipe.
The decisive duel round...
Zhu Qing’s heart sour.
But upon further thought, Zhu Qing smiled again,
"Winning without effort isn’t too bad!" Stretching her body, she sat down and seriously read the recipe several tis over. The words morized in her head finally began to align with the legends she had heard nurous tis since childhood.
"It is that recipe, definitely!"
Considering the example of her nephew suddenly producing the "Golden Laughs" recipe, Zhu Qing’s face tensed, utterly certain.
At the sa ti, she felt a thrilling delight inside.
This trip to Japan really was the right choice.
...
The next day.
The estate where the Eight-faced Tower Team was staying.
Located in the suburbs, on a mountainside, the house afforded a view of the endless fields outside its gates. Since the autumn harvest season had passed, the wheat fields were left bare.
A car arrived in the morning.
"Welco—"
Little Fairy Wu Yingying opened the car door, and Xia Yu and Eriina erged from the back seat.
In the living room were Boss Yan, the red-clothed Lin Giant, and the other four elite chefs. In fact, Xia Yu had sent a query the night before to Boss Yan, who was leading the team, asking for a visit, and had received approval.
He certainly had a purpose for going out.
Completing the task with an 80% completion rate for the "Four Divine Seafood Eight Treasure Soul Suppressing Dumplings" recipe was not easy to achieve.
Setting aside the factor of ingredients, the deeper principles of the Yin Yang Five Elents and the mysteries of Yin Yang harmony still eluded Xia Yu. It felt as if his mind was covered by a layer of tissue paper that needed external guidance to puncture through.
And when it cos to discussing the Yin Yang Five Elents and harmony, Xia Yu, well-versed in "Cooking Master Boy," knew that those from the Dark World were more skilled in this area.
After all, Kaiyou, who had once been the boss of the Dark World a hundred years ago, had a special move, "Demon-breaking Eight Formation," involving the laws of the Yin Yang Five Elents. While Kaiyou was unluckily dead, he likely left behind many research notes and even personal writings.
So, Xia Yu was here to try his luck. What if he made so discoveries?
"The Yin Yang Five Elents in food?"
Sitting in a tea room, Elder Yan and the red-clothed Lin Giant personally received Xia Yu, showing his importance in the eyes of the Lin Giants.
Hearing this, the red-clothed Lin Giant was caught with a strange expression on his face, staring at him hesitantly.
After a surprised pause, Boss Yan burst into laughter.
"Indeed, there are profound anings in the generating and overcoming interactions between the Five Elents in food. Take the ingredients themselves, for example. So foods, if consud in excess, can cause internal heat because of their hot nature, corresponding to the elent Fire. Others, when eaten excessively, can cool the body."
He paused, noticing Xia Yu’s earnest expression, he developed a thought, his gaze flickering as he continued, "Let’s not talk about the ingredients. In terms of flavor, ’spiciness’ is associated with the air of the West, corresponding to tal. ’Sourness’ aligns with the air of the East, corresponding to Wood."
"In the most basic knowledge of the Five Elents, tal overcos Wood... but how do sourness and spiciness generate or overco each other exactly?"
Boss Yan gave an example.
There was once a chef from the Dark World who taught his disciples the secret to stewing at. He said:
To marinate a steak, one should rub it with spices the night before, letting it sit and cure overnight. By doing so, firstly, it absorbs the flavors; but importantly, it eliminates ’sourness’. The next day, when cooked, the aroma is irresistible.
Spiciness corresponds to tal; sourness to Wood. Thus, tal overcos Wood, dispelling the ’sourness’ in the steak.
Boss Yan continued, "It is well known that beans co in five colors, and people are aware that green mung beans can detoxify. But why? Analyzing from the perspective of the Five Elents, green governs the color blue, which corresponds to Wood. This aligns with the liver ridian in the human body, and the liver functions as the detoxifying organ..."
Hearing this, Xia Yu said, "These are basic theoretical knowledge. How should chefs imbue food with the attributes of the Five Elents? For instance, if I want the dough to have attributes corresponding to the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Xuanwu, the guardian deities of the four directions, how should I do it?"
Both Elder Yan and the red-clothed Lin Chef looked at him.
"To endow food with the properties of the Five Elents, to change and harmonize the laws of the Five Elents, that’s hardly a simple feat!" Elder Yan exclaid, "Flour is wheat flour. Wheat survives winter, has a cold nature, belongs to the elent Water, nourishes the kidneys, corresponding to Xuanwu who guards the north..."
Ultimately, Xia Yu left without any achievents, returning by car.
"To imbue dough with the properties and colors of the four flavors?"
Elder Yan and the red-clothed Lin Chef both sensed sothing different, sharing a surprised look.
"Could it be that he has already contemplated a recipe to address the the ’guidance and crossing over’?" Wu Yingying, who had been tidying up the tea set on the table, couldn’t help but whisper softly; she had listened in on the whole conversation, almost struck dumb by it.
The rest of the elite chefs from the team entered through the door.
"Boss Yan, the man went out of his way to visit, and all you did was boast without giving any substantial guidance. What am I to make of you!" Wu Yingying stuck out her tongue.
"It’s all just scratch-the-surface theories, utterly useless!"
The flower monk with curly whiskers grumbled under his breath.
"To change the Five Elents of food, to reverse their law and make them harmonize... I’m afraid only the ’Demon-breaking Eight Formation’ could do that," soone suddenly said, and the tea room fell silent.
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