Chapter 321 - 328: Crazy Hot Spice! (first update)
Everyone was watching Yang Zhen, including Hu Tao and the two Spiritual Meal Masters, because no one had ever seen a Spiritual Meal prepared as Yang Zhen was doing.
But after Yang Zhen finished, he actually plopped down on a chair and started waiting, even closing his eyes.
“Why is he… closing his eyes again, could it be that this kind of Spiritual Meal requires mental control?”
“Damn, I’m seeing a mind-controlled Spiritual Meal for the first time. I intended to sneakily learn a thing or two to prepare for my Senior Sister, now what am I supposed to learn?”
“Idiot, obviously it’s for secrecy!”
“Then how does Hu Tao learn?”
He could teach her privately, while having a meal… while enjoying a hot spicy soup, they could even chat about life, how comfortable would it be?”
Huh? That bastard Yang Dingtian is doing this on purpose!”
Just as the crowd was in heated discussion, suddenly a spicy aroma wafted over, causing everyone’s faces to change.
“What is this smell?”
A spicy and refreshing fragrance, like a mischievous woman or a handsome man, gently floated in front of everyone, winking at them which made their heartstrings stir. But after teasing, it left!
It left!
Everyone who smelled this spicy and refreshing scent froze in surprise, their mouths watering. Some even drooled a little, staring blankly at the pottery jar in front of Yang Zhen with faces of disbelief.
“I… I have never wanted to eat something just by smelling it before, so this is how spicy food can be made?”
Subconsciously, everyone took two steps towards the pottery jar, their eyes wide and swallowing their saliva, amidst were people who coughed violently from being choked.
Hu Tao stared at the crowd with vigilance, afraid of anyone rushing up to fight for it, but her eyes were always on the pottery jar in front of her. She swallowed tightly holding Yang Zhen’s hand and said, “It’s so fragrant, so fragrant, Yang ’ Dingtian, what kind of delicacy have you cooked? Oh my god, I…I feel my bottleneck loosening. Is there such a delicious dish in the world?”
Yang Zhen quietly withdrew his hand, looking at Hu Tao, excited, jumping, and incredulous, “Calm down, calm down, we’ve barely started. This is just the base flavor. I’ll tell you what to do next.”
Hu Tao’s eyes flashed with disbelief. She exclaimed, “This…not done yet? Then…what will it taste like when it’s done?”
Yang Zhen was very calm, he was too familiar with this taste, “It will taste so good that a girl would willingly…”
To give herself up!” Hu Tao’s eyes widened in shock and surprise.
The crowd was in a heated discussion, the scene was no longer quiet. Even the female disciples of the Spiritual Studies Palace couldn’t help but swallow saliva at the scene.
This was too fragrant! If that which could stimulate the appetite in such a way was just the base, what kind of feast would it be when the main recipe comes up?
In the crowd, Wan Ru quietly said to a female disciple next to her “Senior Sister, we should go welcome the other Taoist friends!”
Wan Ru took a deep breath, swallowed her saliva, and serious said to the people behind her, “This recruitment of Spiritual Meal Masters is related to the longevity celebration, we can’t be careless. Let’s wait a moment here to see what Yang Dingtian is going to do. If something happens during the longevity celebration, we can’t afford the responsibility!”
“Yes, Senior Sister Wan Ru is right!”
The rest of them also swallowed their saliva, staring unblinkingly at the pottery jar in front of Yang Zhen.
At this moment, Yang Zhen stood up, took a giant spoon, and went to the pottery jar. After opening the pottery jar, he added some salt and even tasted it.
A pungent, spicy fragrance wafted out. Almost everyone took a deep breath at the same time, then they began to swallow saliva, eagerly looking at Yang Zhen’s reaction.
“Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey…” Yang Zhen quickly spat out the base sauce in his mouth.
Damn, tasting this kind of thing is absolute torment. Just a lick and my whole mouth and tongue are stinging and numb.
He spat it out?
The crowd who saw Yang Zhen’s movement collectively turned pale.
“Did he fail?”
“It shouldn’t be this way. How could something so spicy and delicious possibly
A wave of disappointment washed over the crowd. They shook their heads in regret, staring blankly at Yang Zhen.
Hu Tao had a puzzled look on his face. He extended his fingers into the clay pot and quickly withdrew them, stuffing the entire finger into his mouth.
Everyone’s heart gave a fierce thud!
Boom??? !
Hu Tao’s hair stood on end. His face visibly reddened at an astonishing rate. With a whoosh, he jumped onto the countertop, grabbed a water pot, and gulp down over half of it! He made a odd face as he turned towards Yang Zhen and sighed, “Yang Dingtian, you failed. Although these things contain concentrated energy and could indeed stir up one’s True Essence when ingested, the flavor is simply too spicy and overpowering. No one can handle it!”
Upon hearing Hu Tao’s words, everyone sighed in disappointment. They shook their heads collectively in regret. If even Hu Tao said it was inedible, then certainly, it was. But it was a shame, considering how delicious it all seemed. Even Wan Ru revealed a hint of disappointment. She stood up regrettably, glancing over again at Yang Zhen. Just as she was about to speak, Yang Zhen’s voice suddenly cut in.
Of course it s inedible now. Dammit! How can you be so rash? This thing needed to be diluted before we could eat it. If not, it would have burned right through our guts!”
Upon hearing his words, Wan Ru suddenly shivered, coughing lightly. She slowly turned back around and sat down on the stool again.
“Dilute?” Hu Tao blinked in surprise, then immediately sprung up. “Of course! Dilute it! Why didn’t I think of that? Were we supposed to use this for soup?” “Yes, and no!” Yang Zhen gave Hu Tao a look, then fetched a large pot and placed it over the fire. After filling the pot with water, he scooped out a chunk of the prepared chili paste from the clay pot and then asked Hu Tao, “Do you want it mildly spicy, super spicy, or absurdly spicy?”
“No, no, no. Mild is just fine!” Hu Tao seemed to have been scarred by the intense spice.
Yang Zhen burst into laughter. The world’s first hot pot with spicy hot soup was born!
Seeing the broth in the hot pot bubble and simmer, Yang Zhen hastily pulled Hu Tao to sit. “Quickly chop the meat into thin slices. The thinner, the better. And prepare the rest of the spices. Everything should be neither too big, nor too small. This way, they will cook well and taste good.”
“Is this… to be cooked and eaten like this?”
“Is this even edible?”
“Of course! Not just edible, but delicious too!”
“Wow! Wait! So we just dip this tornado lamb into the soup and it’s ready? Is it cooked?”
“Try it and see… Damn it! It’s only fair if you leave some for me!”
Everyone was stupefied!
Before their eyes, Yang Zhen and Hu Tao had practically started a feeding frenzy, huffing and puffing, and nearly resorting to fighting over the food. Seeing this spectacle, people began to salivate even more.
■’It’S so delicious… even though it’s still spicy after diluting, it’s not unbearable like before… I really want to try some!”
“I can’t hold back any longer, I’m starving!”
The audience, mouths watering, quietly murmured. Suddenly, Wan Ru rose to her feet, giving everyone a start.
Before any impression could be made, Wan Ru had already walked over to Yang Zhen and Hu Tao’s side, her left hand holding up her sleeve and her right hand delicately picking up a piece of delicious tornado lamb. The moment she put it into her mouth, everyone’s eyes widened, their necks craned with anticipation. The room fell silent in an instant, all that was left were the sounds of Yang Zhen and Hu Tao devouring their food.
Hiss!
A sharp intake of breath later, Wan Ru’s eyes suddenly shone brightly. Staring at Yang Zhen, she said, “Um… can I have one with absurdly spicy?”