Translator: CatatoPatch Editor: Vermillion
Once the spirit beast egg was placed into the wok, it gave a sizzling sound, the oil splattered and a gust of smoke rushed out, suffused with the thick aroma of the egg which instantly permeated the room.
Bu Fang held the wok with one hand, allowing the fluid egg to flow freely in it, coagulating. In no time, the egg white was shimmering in a lustrous hue like a beautiful jade. Embedded in the center of the white was the yolk, as exquisite as a dazzling topaz.
Bu Fang’s expression was calm. He shook his hand, and in a flash, the sunny-side-up was hoisted into the air, making a stunning somersault in the arch of heaven before dropping back to the wok.
The crowd was bewildered. Their gaze followed the path of the sunny-side-up, flinging up then back down to the wok. It was comical to see every head raised and lowered in unison.
Bu Fang turned off the fire and shook the wok. The piping hot egg was lifted into the air and eventually landed perfectly on the Knife-Shaved Noodles. Just when one thought that Bu Fang was done with the cooking, he dished out another ingredient from the ingredient rack. He picked up shrimp spirit beasts. The shrimps were still bubbling through their mouths.
Bu Fang opened his mouth and in a breath, spurt out a golden ball of blazing flames. The intense heat immediately filled up the entire kitchen.
Chef Ouyang looked at the golden ball of flame in Bu Fang’s hands and exclaimed, “This is a Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame! You are using it to cook?!”
Ouyang was astounded. It was well stated that the Heaven and Earth Obsidian flame was edgy. It was true that its temperature was extremely high but culinary and alchemic skills were different. In the cooking process, having a high temperature did not necessarily mean well.
Bu Fang looked sidelong at Ouyang Chenfeng, moved his lips, and just as his thought emerged, the flame blossomed in his hands into a glamorous golden light, with a seemingly unique roar emanating from it.
Bu Fang moved the shrimps through the golden flame one by one, and they were cooked in a flash. When all the shrimps were fully cooked, Bu Fang extinguished the fire from his hand and with only a gesture, the grilled shrimps landed on the cooked noodles nicely. Lying serenely above the sunny-side-up, the red hot shrimps exuded a fragrance of seafood.
He did not proceed further at this stage, he merely wiped the moisture from his hands and said coolly, “Hmm… the Knife-Shaved Seafood Noodle With Fried Egg.”
Finally completed? When the assembly realized that Bu Fang had indeed completed his cooking of the dish, they heaved a sigh of relief.
Bu Fang was invited by chef Ouyang Chenfeng to cook in this kitchen, and they had to admit that Bu Fang’s culinary skill was much better than theirs. They were no match for him even if it was just the familiarity and ease when he cooked.
“Why don’t you have a taste of this simple fare? The way the dough was kneaded was not complex nor pretentious, but you should be able to taste the difference between this dish and the noodle you cooked.”
Bu Fang liked Ouyang Chenfeng, who was candid. He was unlike the other chefs from the Valley of Gluttony, haughty and full of themselves, always looking at others with contempt.
Ouyang Chenfeng had a solemn look upon hearing Bu Fang’s words. He nodded his head and picked up the pair of clean chopsticks which was presented to him by a third-grade chef. His gaze fixated at the bowl of Knife-Shaved Seafood Noodle with Fried Egg. He had to confess that the noodle was rather simple and plain. However, as he looked on longer, he could sense his appetite surging, spellbound by the magic of the noodle. That was unimaginable.
He stuck his chopstick into the dish, picked up the glistening, jade-like egg and bit on it. There seemed to be a bounciness in the egg white. Once in the mouth, the richness of the egg enveloped his mouth, making him shudder.
It was merely an egg, yet it gave him such an awe-inspiring sensation. That little chef was special!
He looked soberly at Bu Fang and had his second take of the dish. He decided to reach straight for the Knife-Shaved Noodles, bypassing the shrimp. The noodle was smooth, white, and steaming hot, much like a beautiful lustrous jade. An aroma unique to wheat flour diffused out, with the taste of the ox-bone soup combined seamlessly. The great chef Ouyang nearly could not control his gluttonous desire for a moment.
Gulp. All the chefs around stared at the sparkling Knife-Shaved Noodles illuminated under the lights. They swallowed their saliva, and there was a look of desire in every eye.
So fragrant and beautiful… It sufficed to stir up their appetite just by looking at it.
Ouyang Chenfeng admired the noodle for a while before putting the noodle into his mouth. The Knife-Shaved Noodles was sliced to the right thickness, neither too thick nor too thin, with the right consistency. Once it entered the mouth, it almost slipped silkily straight into the stomach like a slimy eel. The boiling sensation was accompanied by a special fragrance, enough to put even the Noodle King from the Valley of Gluttony, Ouyang Chenfeng, to full indulgence and brought him to close his eyes in satisfaction. He smiled.
“This is an authentic noodle fragrance… It has been a long time since I last ate this kind of noodle. I have this sudden influx of memories of the times when I first started making noodles… Noodle was everything to me back then. I could practice day and night the culinary skills of noodle cooking. I was immersed in the aroma of them. The scent was just like this dish, it was a taste that I had long forgotten but brought back to mind by this bowl of noodles.”
Ouyang Chenfeng opened his eyes which were glistening with tears. Those days of struggling were to be remembered and cherished.
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The noodle in his mouth had vanished into his stomach, but Ouyang Chenfeng struck again. He picked up another piece of the Knife-Shaved Noodles, as that intoxicating sensation was too much for him to bear. He then took the sunny-side-up again, biting through the yolk, he felt like he was smashing an exquisite piece of artwork into pieces.
There was still the viscous fluid in the center of the yolk, but the yolk might had been eighty percent cooked, smooth and lubricating, without a trace of raw stench. The lustrous silkiness of the yolk widened Ouyang Chenfeng’s eyes; it was unimaginable that there existed such a technique in a simple sunny-side-up. It must be a great challenge to the chef’s ability to control the intensity of the cooking flame. If it was not managed perfectly, the fluid egg would have coagulated if it was overcooked, or retained the raw taste if undercooked. That raw taste of the egg could be indeed very revolting!
However, Bu Fang’s egg had no problem of such; it was as delicious as fresh cream.
After consuming the egg, Ouyang Chenfeng was truly intoxicated. He lifted the bowl and with a gulp, he swallowed a mouthful of the thick noodle soup. The noodle and the soup were two essential components of a bowl of noodle soup. The soup that Bu Fang stewed was plain ox-bone soup, with no addition of other spirit herbs or ingredient.
Would the soup be too uninteresting, then?
Once in the mouth, the boiling hot soup flowed smoothly into the gullet, and that satisfying feeling made Ouyang Chenfeng shiver. The creamy soup was appealing to the senses, with the aroma of the ox-bone and the rich fragrance of the meat soup. The egg and the shrimp blended into the soup seamlessly yet they retained their unique taste and texture, making one drunk in the indulgence.
There could only be one word to describe the soup: delicious!
Ouyang Chenfeng’s pair of chopsticks finally landed on the shrimp after he had finished the soup. He was full of anticipation for that shrimp which was grilled using the Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame.
He nipped off the shrimp head, pulled through the entire shell and in no time, the shrimp was deshelled. The whitish flesh, interspersing with bands of reds, was brought to sight. There was mist swirling above the prawn, it was a beautiful sight.
He dipped the shrimp into the soup, then put it into his mouth.
Rumble!
Ouyang Chenfeng’s eyes were forced to open wide. He felt as if he was thrown into the ocean, with its torrential waves dashing toward him. It was that feeling that made him shudder.
“It is truly… delicious!”
It was hard to believe but that the shrimp was cooked using the Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame. How on earth could someone control that temperamental fire and use it for culinary cooking? Could the Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame have added some special value and upgraded the dish?
Ouyang Chenfeng sank deep into thought.
“Master Ouyang, could you allow me to have a taste of the dish?’
Just as Ouyang Chenfeng was brooding, the second-grade chef from the noodle shop requested, with his eyes full of expectation. Ouyang Chenfeng was brought back to his senses and sighed as he looked at the second-grade chef. “Go ahead, go ahead. This will make you aware that there is always someone more capable than you out there.”
The second-grade chef’s eyes brightened. He took over a pair of chopsticks and started sampling the Knife-Shaved Noodles. With only one mouthful, he was completely stunned and stood dumbfounded.
Ouyang Chenfeng looked at him and gave another sigh.
He turned to face Bu Fang. At that moment, he no longer found Bu Fang an arrogant lad. He had subconsciously ranked Bu Fang on par with him.
As equals. As first-grade chefs!
It must be stated that first-grade chefs were of exalted status in the Valley of Gluttony. In fact, there were only less than thirty first-grade chefs at the Valley of Gluttony. This young lad was comparable to those demonic chefs from the Valley.
“The youngsters nowadays are indeed awesome,” Ouyang Chenfeng said without regret. “Little friend Bu Fang, please have a seat at my restaurant. I have learned a lot this round from your culinary cooking of the noodle cuisine. Let me treat you to dishes at my shop.”
Bu Fang was startled but he nodded his head. Both of them then turned to leave the kitchen, heading toward the dining area. Just as they reached the shop, they sensed a change in the ambience. There was a pervasive suppression, saturated with the energy of the sword.
What was happening?
Ouyang Chenfeng’s expression turned cloudy. He could tell that someone was stirring up trouble in his shop!