The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 248 Clues to the Leaping Fish

"See? I told you there wouldn't be a problem."

Upon hearing Zhao Qian's words, Cao Dongdong winked at Qin Lang.

“But…” Zhao Qian changed the subject, “What is Yunxia Garden? I couldn’t find it in the travel guide.”

Facing the questioning looks from Qin Lang and Zhao Qian, Cao Dongdong chuckled, "That's the assessment location for dessert recommenders in Rosemary City."

"I've practiced Snowy Red Bean Paste a lot these past two days, and I feel like I can get my fourth badge along the way."

"You rascal, you actually smuggled in your own agenda." Qin Lang chuckled. "In that case, let's go to those two places."

"Should we invite Mr. Zuo Ge along too?" Zhao Qian asked. "He's been staying in his room these past two days and hasn't come out much."

"Well..." Qin Lang's lips twitched slightly.

Two days ago, he handed the thirteenth painting to Zuo Ge, intending to see if Zuo Ge could find any clues from it.

Who knew that when Zoge saw the painting, he went crazy, holding it and muttering to himself as he went back to his room. He never came out again, and even his meals were delivered to his room daily by the cruise ship's staff.

Just then, a dull knock came from outside the door.

"Coming!" Qin Lang responded, got up and opened the door, and immediately saw Zuo Ge standing outside the door, looking haggard with deep dark circles under his eyes.

“…Mr. Zog?!”

Qin Lang's eyes widened, and she became anxious. "Are you alright?"

"I…"

Zuo Ge shakily raised one finger, "I want..."

"A bowl of egg fried rice."

Immediately afterwards, he fell to the ground with a thud.

Qin Lang: “…”

Zhao Qian: "..."

Cao Dongdong: “…”
-
"Ouch!"

Zuo Ge scooped up a large spoonful of fried rice and put it in his mouth. Chewing on that familiar, rich aroma, his mental state recovered at a visible speed.

After he had eaten every last grain of fried rice on the plate, Zuo Ge took the water Zhao Qian handed him and gulped it down before letting out a long sigh of relief.

"I am full!"

"Didn't the cruise ship staff bring you meals these past two days?" Qin Lang said, half-laughing and half-crying. "It's like you haven't eaten for two days."

"Really?" Zuo Ge scratched his head. "Maybe I forgot to eat it when it was delivered."

"Never mind, that's not important!" Zuo Ge finally remembered his most important purpose for coming here. He stood up, grabbed Qin Lang's shoulder, and said with shining eyes, "Qin Lang, the painting you gave me is too important!"

"Do you know what's in that painting?" Qin Lang's expression immediately turned serious.

“Of course!” Zuo Ge nodded emphatically. “After careful comparison and research, the door in that painting is definitely related to the legendary creature!”

"Moreover, by comparing and analyzing the patterns and carvings on the door, I have identified the legendary creature associated with it!"

"Mr. Zuo Ge, you're amazing!" Qin Lang couldn't help but give Zuo Ge a thumbs up.

The fact that he can compare these things shows he's a legendary scholar!
"Then, which legendary creature is it related to?" Zhao Qian couldn't help but ask.

"No, no, no!" Zoge shook his head. "It's not just one."

"There are two!" "The secret behind that door may be related to two legendary creatures, and one of them is the Leaping Fish I mentioned before!"

"Then the other one is..." Qin Lang's expression changed slightly as he recalled the legend Zuo Ge had told him a few days ago.

“That’s right!” Zog nodded again. “The other one is the other protagonist of the story, the bird that the Leaping Fish fell in love with at first sight…”

Before Zuo Ge could finish speaking, a stream of water suddenly splashed onto his face.

The air suddenly went still, and then Qin Lang and the others all looked at Xiao Cai, who seemed to be lost in thought, in the fish tank not far away.

"That little rascal is at it again," Cao Dongdong grinned.

These past two days, whenever he wanders near the fish tank, he is inevitably attacked by Xiao Cai's water jets, to the point that Cao Dongdong now avoids the fish tank altogether.

"Wipe it clean." Qin Lang said, laughing and crying at the same time, and handed a piece of paper to Zuo Ge. "Xiao Cai was probably trying to attack Dong Dong, but she missed."

Zuo Ge took the paper and wiped it haphazardly. He was so excited that he didn't care about such a small thing. "Anyway, that door is very important."

"If I'm not mistaken, it's probably located at the destination of the 'Leapfish,' the final stop on this journey, Leaplake City."

"If we can actually find it, this discovery could be of great significance to the entire legend of the original Food Spirits!"

"That's great." Qin Lang smiled.

Without Zuo Ge, he would have had to search for this door like looking for a needle in a haystack, but now he has quickly pinpointed its approximate location.

With the burden lifted from his heart, Qin Lang patted Zuo Ge on the shoulder, "You've been working too hard these past few days, you should relax a bit."

"The cruise ship has just arrived in Rosemary City. Would you like to come ashore with us for a stroll? It'll be a good way to relax."

"Okay." Zuo Ge nodded without much hesitation.

"Xiao Cai will have to stay on the boat for now." On the other side, Zhao Qian's attention was drawn to Xiao Cai because of the water flow earlier. After observing it carefully, Zhao Qian couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "It seems to have become more beautiful?"

"Eating premium rice every day will definitely make them grow better and better." Qin Lang smiled as he approached the fish tank and sprinkled a handful of rice into it.

"You stay here quietly, we'll be back tomorrow."

Xiao Cai stared at Qin Lang for a while, and then Kuku started eating rice.
-
"Lomi! Lomi!"

"Hmm?" Lomi woke up with a start, looking at Liu Chuang beside her who was extremely excited. "What's wrong? Is there some noise?"

“That’s right!” Liu Chuang nodded emphatically. “The ‘Leaping Fish’ has stopped! I just saw Qin Lang and the other three come ashore!”

"That's good... Hmm?" Lomi suddenly turned to look at Liu Chuang, "Why are there four?"

"Besides Cao Dongdong and Zhao Qian, who else is there?"

“There’s also a guy with white hair. We saw him once before in the underground palace in Bailushan City.” Liu Chuang stroked his chin. “I remember he was an ordinary person, and he didn’t have any spirit food.”

"That's alright then." Lomi breathed a sigh of relief, waved her hand, and her expression darkened slightly as she smelled the fishy smell on her clothes.

The enormous catfish from two days ago had already been killed and used as their food for the next few days, but the slime on its surface still had a strong fishy smell that hadn't completely dissipated, and the cramped space inside the hold further exacerbated the problem…

Yue!

"Now that Qin Lang and the others have landed, let's land too!" Lomi suddenly stood up and began to maneuver her diving equipment towards the shore.

"I need to find a place to take a good shower, and then..."

Lomi grinned, revealing a confident expression.

"Let's make a spectacular entrance and show Qin Lang and the others our power now that we have a second Food Spirit!"

(End of this chapter)