Chapter 124

: Fire Tree Blossoms, Spirit Energy Dish
Translator: 
OnGoingWhy 
 Editor: 
Vermillion
After Ji Chengxue left, a travel-worn figure entered the store with two other people following behind.
Bu Fang glanced in their direction and saw Ni Yan and her two disciples. Ni Yan was carefully carrying a wooden lunch box which was enveloped by her true energy, preventing the cold air from entering the lunch box and ruining the flavor of the dish.

Owner Bu, my dish is done. Try it out and see whether you’re satisfied!
Ni Yan was very confident. Above the veil that covered her face, her eyes were sparkling like gemstones.
Bu Fang softly exclaimed. He never anticipated that Ni Yan would actually bring a dish over.
Since there were no pending orders and Bu Fang was in the mood as well, he sat down at a table and beckoned Ni Yan to bring the dish out for him to have a look.
King Yu was having his meal nearby and he saw Ni Yan and her disciples as well. He was slightly startled because he recognized Ni Yan. After all, the disturbance created by this woman from the night before was not small.

This hot-tempered female Battle-Saint actually came to Owner Bu’s store? Are the two of them part of the same group?
 
King Yu thought.
Bu Fang was not putting much thought into it and was rather looking forward to Ni Yan’s dish. The other party was reportedly the number one chef within the Celestial Arcanum Sect and her cooking managed to subdue everyone within the sect. Therefore, her culinary skills should not be too bad.
Ni Yan placed the wooden lunch box onto the table and dispersed the true energy before uncovering the lunch. Immediately, the rich fragrance of fresh vegetables wafted out from the wooden lunch box.
Bu Fang took a deep breath. He raised his eyebrows and indiscernibly nodded. Judging from the smell alone, he could tell that the taste of Ni Yan’s dish should be pretty good. This fragrance was even capable of provoking Bu Fang’s appetite.
When Ni Yan brought out the dish, Bu Fang’s eyes slightly narrowed. He raised his head and gave Ni Yan a meaningful glance.
This was a dish that broke new ground. Evidently, Ni Yan spent a lot of effort on this dish.
The dish was a fist-sized fruit with a rind that was the color of fire and there was even a faint amount of flames burning on its surface. This fruit was directly sliced open down the middle by Ni Yan and the pulp was dug out before being replaced with golden rice grains. The rice grains were covered with a layer of sauce with a unique and rich aroma. Steam could be seen rising from the dish.

What’s the name of this dish?
Bu Fang asked after inhaling the fragrance.

This is my signature dish, Fire Tree Blossoms, and it’s also the dish which my control over the spirit energy is the most stable. This dish should still be able to store around thirty percent more spirit energy,
Ni Yan earnestly said.
This was a dish that contained spirit energy. Bu Fang was starting to acknowledge the dish as well because it was very similar to his own dishes. Not only was the aroma of the dish unique, but it also contained spirit energy.
Bu Fang took out a porcelain spoon and gently scooped a spoonful of the golden rice grains. The fragrance emanating from the rice was not any inferior to Bu Fang’s Egg-Fried Rice.
This fragrance contained the scent of various fruits, and there was also a distinct smell of a pleasurably sour sauce.
As Bu Fang shoved the golden rice grains into his mouth, these rice grains were unexpectedly savory and also extremely chewy. They were just like soft candies. After biting down, he felt as if those rice grains were bouncing between his teeth, producing a unique flavor.
The taste was pretty good as well. Mixing the flavor of the pulp and the sauce, it instantly enveloped his taste buds.
Bu Fang’s eyes lit up and he shoved two more spoonfuls into his mouth. After chewing for a while, he said,
Not bad.

This
Fire Tree Blossoms
was indeed not a bad dish. Even though the amount of spirit energy contained within the dish was low and was even lower than the store’s normal Egg-Fried Rice, its flavor was astonishing.

I chose the second grade spirit fruit, Fire Spirit Fruit, for my dish. The pulp of the fruit and its rind have different colors, but the their tastes are very compatible. It’s not only deliciously sweet and sour, but also contains spirit energy. This golden rice was soaked with Fire Head Bee Honey beforehand and then cooked together with the pulp of the Fire Spirit Fruit. After enclosing the rice within the rind of the fruit and steaming it for a while, the Fire Tree Blossoms is completed,
Ni Yan said, while feeling rather proud of her dish.
Bu Fang wanted her to demonstrate her signature dish, so she did in order to subdue Bu Fang.
However, in the next moment, the triumphant expression on her face froze.
Bu Fang rubbed his chin as he gave her a glance and said,
The taste of this dish is not bad and the flavor is very unique as well, but there are still many flaws present… Since you’re using the rind of the Fire Spirit Fruit to envelop the golden rice grains before carrying out the steaming process, you need to be extremely precise about the steaming duration and ensure every single grain of rice was soaked with honey. Evidently, you did not notice this mistake while carrying out this step.

Once Bu Fang started giving his assessment, he did not hold back in the slightest. Even Ni Yan did not realize there were so many flaws present in her dish.

My main problem is that I didn’t properly control the spirit energy. If I can increase the concentration of spirit energy by a little more, this dish would definitely be even tastier!
Ni Yan said, feeling slightly unconvinced by his assessment.
Bu Fang gave her a glance and mildly replied,
The amount of spirit energy cannot completely determine the flavor of a dish. Are you saying that dishes can’t be delicious without spirit energy? This kind of thinking does not tally with the ideology of a chef.

Tang Yin and Lu Xiaoxiao were dumbfounded as they stood behind Ni Yan and their expressions were filled with astonishment.
This was the first time they saw someone pointing out so many flaws in their master’s cooking… As expected of their senior!

Therefore, I suggest you start from the basics. Once you’re able to satisfy the taste of the general masses with ordinary dishes that don’t contain spirit energy, that would show that you’ve improved.
This was Bu Fang’s suggestion to Ni Yan, which made Ni Yan ponder for a long while.
…
As the night descended, the snowstorm that lasted for a whole day finally stopped. Only the sound of the whistling wind was left in the cold winter night, driving away the silence.
In the end, Bu Fang did not choose to teach Ni Yan about the cooking method of spirit energy dishes. Rather, he told her to practice making ordinary dishes everyday and only come back after she was satisfied with her own work.
Under the kitchen’s gentle lighting, Bu Fang had carefully started the elixir cuisine’s practice cooking. Since Xiao Yue had only provided a single portion of ingredients, Bu Fang did not dare to rashly start the actual cooking of the elixir cuisine without having complete confidence. After all, there were times when even he would fail.
As billows of steam filled the entire kitchen, the rich aroma of the abalone and medicinal fragrance were entangled together.
The evening passed while he was cooking this elixir cuisine…
The next day, Bu Fang woke up as usual and started practicing the Big Dipper Carving Technique. Everyday, he would complete the training missions arranged by the system. Bu Fang understood clearly that there was no shortcut to success and he needed to put in more effort than anyone else to become the God of Cooking. Success was not achievable with words alone.
The store opened and closed as usual. During the night, it was time for Bu Fang to practice cooking the elixir cuisine again.
Finally, after practicing like this for the past two days, the actual day had arrived. On this day, Bu Fang was preparing to use the actual ingredients to cook the elixir cuisine that was able to treat mental traumas.
Within the Xiao manor, Xiao Meng suddenly received an invitation from the third prince, who seemingly wanted to discuss an important matter. With the unstable situation in the imperial city, Xiao Meng did not dare to idle about. He left the Xiao Manor and headed for the third prince’s residence.
Shortly after Xiao Meng left, Xiao Yue—who was wearing a bamboo hat with a black veil while holding a longsword in his hand—appeared within the snowstorm, staring straight at the majestic Xiao manor.