tkworld Chapter 702: The truth comes out, the pretense is over.
Chapter 702: The truth comes out, the pretense is over.
Chapter 702: The truth comes out, the pretense is over.
Wang Tianhai no longer needed to frantically try to persuade his companions.
Because those odd things were spreading like bacteria throughout the City of Immortality.
In less than three days, the once bustling streets became more human-centered and cluttered.
Hao Jiejie's gaze toward Lin Xiaohe grew increasingly hostile. After Lin Xiaohe failed to make fried rice for the 1365th time, she completely lost her temper, becoming hysterical and acting like a madwoman.
"Lin Xiaohe! Is your brain made of pig?! Why do you always fail? Where is your heart? Where is your unique flavor? Cooking is an art, not a recipe. Even with the same recipe, the same seasonings, and the same heat, everyone's cooking will taste different."
Wang Tianhai and his companions were terrified by Hao Jiejie's murderous look and huddled in a corner, not daring to breathe.
Lin Xiaohe shrugged and spread her hands: "There's nothing I can do, I really can't find that unique flavor in the dish."
Hao Jiejie was furious: "That's my unique flavor, of course you can't find it! Use your brain, don't just copy what you're told, you need to have your own unique flavor."
"Is the whole street filled with your unique flavor?"
Hao Jiejie did not answer the question directly, but said with a stern face, "We don't have much time left, and I hope you cherish it."
This avoidance of the topic already reveals something in a roundabout way.
And then, considering Hao Jiejie's comings and goings in and out of the city lord's mansion...
Thinking hard.
Wang Tianhai buried his head in his arms, trembling, afraid to listen, afraid to think, afraid to ask.
What's the difference between Hao Jiejie's actions and her coming clean, dropping the pretense?
Lin Xiaohe met Hao Jiejie's eyes.
His dark pupils, almost taking up half of his eye sockets, looked particularly eerie.
The bright and carefree Hao Jiejie seems to be dying.
Lin Xiaohe put down the spatula and said seriously, "Okay, I understand. I'll change the dish."
Lin Xiaohe didn't know what a unique flavor was, but she thought that the only things that were unique to her were divine authority and the origin of life.
We certainly can't just give away the source of life, but divine authority is something we can try.
As for what dish to cook...
Lin Xiaohe decided to make spicy crayfish. There were no crayfish in Yong Sheng City, but there was a kind of hard-shelled shrimp that was similar to crayfish.
These shrimp live in the Bo River outside Yong Sheng City. They are difficult to catch and therefore expensive.
Lin Xiaohe felt that Hao Jiejie wouldn't care about the price.
Sure enough, after Lin Xiaohe made her request, Hao Jiejie sent someone to buy shrimp.
She crossed her arms and said scrutinizingly, “Although hard-shelled shrimp are expensive, many guests have tried them. Especially seafood, everyone’s tongues have been through countless dishes, they’re already numb, and freshness has become dry. The dish you chose is extremely difficult to make.”
Lin Xiaohe tilted her head back and downed a mouthful of wine: "Tell me, if I make a dish that meets the requirements, then what?"
"Jiang Taigong fishes, and those who are willing will take the bait. You will know when the time comes."
If you don't want to say, then don't say.
Lin Xiaohe is very experienced in making spicy crayfish.
First, a huge amount of scallions, ginger, and peppercorns were thrown into the large pot, as if they were free.
While doing this step, Lin Xiaohe felt a little regretful. If Xiao Hong were here, that would be a truly unique and delicious spicy flavor—the kind that could send ghost cultivators to heaven!
Immediately afterwards, Lin Xiaohe generously added half a jar of the chili sauce that Hao Jiejie had kindly contributed.
As she moved, the large iron pot grew bigger and bigger, until it was three zhang wide inside.
Stirring it while standing on the ground is a bit difficult.
With starlight faintly visible beneath her feet, Lin Xiaohe was already cooking while floating in mid-air.
The hot oil turns from golden to red, and after a few stirs, a unique spicy aroma fills the air, constantly stimulating people's noses and making them unable to resist swallowing their saliva.
In a ball of water in the air, live shrimp were being tossed and turned in the pot. Then, the water spilled onto the ground, and the live shrimp fell into the pot.
"Whoosh!"
A strong hand gripped the edge of the pot and pressed down, sending the bright red ingredients, shrimp, and broth flying out of the pot, tracing a path through the air before falling back down. The broth swirls on the pot's surface, releasing another breathtakingly spicy aroma.
Lin Xiaohe casually beckoned a wine jar, broke the mud seal, and hoisted it onto his shoulder, whereupon the strong wine poured into the jar.
This wine is the most popular one from [Zirantang], "Drunkenness Without End". Lin Xiaohe infused divine power into "Drunkenness Without End", and a faint golden light rose on the originally green wine.
Lin Xiaohe cooked 12 pots of spicy crayfish in one go. The bottom of the pot glowed green, and the wine mixed with the spicy broth, soaking the hard-shelled crayfish that were almost cooked.
The wine removed the last trace of fishy smell from the shrimp, making everything in the big black pot even more mellow and intense.
The heat reduced the broth, and Wang Tianhai nervously sniffed.
"This smells...so good!"
It's not just an ordinary fragrance on the surface, but a passionate and domineering scent that can penetrate deep into the soul, like the sound of clashing swords and galloping horses!
Lin Xiaohe kept a close eye on the large pots, and when the heat was just right, she turned off the fire and took the pots out of the pots!
"All right!"
Wang Tianhai and the others, who had been waiting with their eyes gleaming with anticipation, rushed over and, without even taking bowls or spoons, started dividing the shrimp with their hands.
Wang Tianhai snatched out two bowls, eating with tears welling up in his eyes: "This tastes amazing!! It's like seeing the stars and the sea!"
Wang Tianhai was at a loss for words.
All I know is that with each bite of shrimp, the first sensation is a fiery spiciness, like a thrilling and intense battle in the starry sky. Then comes a hint of sweetness, followed by the unique coolness of the Bo River, just like the vast and boundless cold starry sky, where no matter how many lives or battles there are, what remains after the end is an eternal, unchanging cold silence.
After finishing a plate of spicy crayfish, the bald monk fell into a long, long silence.
What he saw was the rise, prosperity, and decline of civilizations. Like many dynasties in history, they were vast and magnificent for hundreds of years, but on the scale of civilization and planet, they were like the chili flakes in a plate of spicy crayfish—merely insignificant supporting characters.
The mute boy ate without looking up; the numbing spiciness on his tongue and the springy texture of the shrimp meat together composed a melody called "Absolutely Delicious" in his mouth.
If he could, he would want to indulge in endless waves of spicy food.
Lin Xiaohe didn't touch her chopsticks, but looked at Hao Jiejie: "How was it? Did it pass?"
Hao Jiejie's attitude was more serious than ever before.
She peeled the shrimp shell, revealing pinkish-white shrimp meat that trembled slightly, coated in a spicy broth.
She looked at it for a while before slowly putting it in her mouth.
After tasting one, she picked up the second one, first bit off the shrimp head, sucked out the shrimp brain mixed with spicy sauce, then bit off the shrimp shell along the third segment, turned around and bit off the shrimp tail, then turned back and sucked the shrimp meat out.
After finishing the entire plate, she looked longingly at the remaining 11 pots, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders, and said with relief, "That's enough."
(End of this chapter)