The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 358 Bass Badge!

After swallowing a mouthful, Zheng Chuan exhaled a heavy breath.

At this moment, the rich and amazing flavor of the jade dragon tendon still lingered in his mouth, making him reluctant to rinse it away.

But as a professional food critic, this is a necessary step before tasting the next dish.

Or, take another bite before rinsing your mouth?
With these thoughts in mind, Zheng Chuan couldn't help but reach for the jade dragon tendon with his chopsticks again.

After eating three pieces, Zheng Chuan, somewhat embarrassed, put down his chopsticks and picked up his mouthwash under the resentful gazes of the others.

As his mouth felt refreshed again, Zheng Chuan's gaze shifted with difficulty from the jade-like dragon tendons to the second dish that Qin Lang handed him.

Zheng Chuan glanced at the dish and his expression faltered slightly.

"This is…"

He stared intently at the sword-shaped object on the plate, feeling a strange sense of familiarity mixed with a touch of unfamiliarity.

"Please enjoy your meal, made of crystal and jade."

Qin Lang spoke softly, and his words flashed through Zheng Chuan's mind like a bolt of lightning, making Zheng Chuan suddenly remember something.

"Is that piece of cartilage from the sturgeon's head?!"

“Yes, that’s it.” Qin Lang nodded with a smile.

"No wonder he looked familiar." Zheng Chuan said with a look of sudden realization.

As a food critic who focuses on fish dishes, he has a lot of knowledge about even relatively rare fish like sturgeon.

Zheng Chuan knew that there was a large piece of cartilage inside the head of the sturgeon.

However, he never imagined that one day he would see the cartilage in its entirety. Its sharp, sword-like shape gave him a profound sense of awe.

The cartilage was also drizzled with a golden broth, but this broth looked different in color from the broth used on the jade dragon tendon.

Zheng Chuan's eyes lit up with great curiosity. He tentatively reached out with his chopsticks and pinched the cartilage.

Contrary to expectations, the cartilage, having been stewed to its extreme, had become completely soft and mushy, and Zheng Chuan easily snapped it off with his fingers.

He carefully picked up the broken piece and lifted it up; the trembling jade bone had become almost like jelly.

As the glass-like jade bone gradually approached his mouth and nose, a rich aroma of bone broth instantly filled his nostrils.

The flavor was like a pot of bone broth simmered with bones, but it was several times richer than ordinary bone broth.

Zheng Chuan couldn't resist putting it in his mouth.

Soft, chewy, and fresh!

The moment the glassy jade bone entered his mouth, Zheng Chuan's pupils dilated sharply.

He never imagined that he would be so amazed by a simple piece of cartilage. If he hadn't judged its nature from its shape, Zheng Chuan would never have guessed that it was cartilage just by tasting it.

It no longer had the texture that cartilage should have, but this completely new texture brought Zheng Chuan a different kind of surprise and shock.

That was stunning, on par with jade dragon tendons!

Zheng Chuan's breathing became heavier. He abruptly picked up the mouthwash, no longer lingering on the delicious, crystal-clear dish.

Because what he was looking forward to even more than the food in front of him was the remaining eight dishes.

He wanted to know what kind of answer Qin Lang would give.

Seeing the longing in Zheng Chuan's eyes, Qin Lang smiled slightly and served the third dish he had prepared.

"Seven-colored sturgeon skin, please enjoy."
-
"Ding--"

With a crisp sound, Zheng Chuan slowly put down his spoon, completing his tasting of the last dish of the ten ways to eat a fish.

His expression shifted from initial shock to numbness, and now it had become incredibly complex.

One sturgeon, ten dishes. Each dish uses a completely different part of the sturgeon, and each dish uses a completely different cooking method.

Even more amazing is that each dish has a wonderful flavor comparable to the previous Golden Broth Chrysanthemum Fish, which is incredibly amazing and intoxicating.

In Zheng Chuan's eyes, this was not just an ordinary set of ten dishes, but a dazzling display of skill that made his soul tremble.

"Well..." Zuo Ge swallowed hard, his mouth watering uncontrollably, staring longingly at the dishes on the table.

"Now, can we eat?"

Upon hearing Zuo Ge's words, Zheng Chuan suddenly came to his senses.

He nodded slightly, chuckled softly, and stood up from his seat.

Cao Dongdong and his three companions, who had been eyeing the dishes for a long time, swarmed forward, picked up their chopsticks, and began to fight over the dishes they had been eyeing.

Ignoring the people looting, Zheng Chuan got up, turned around, and went into the room. Soon, he came up to Qin Lang with a brand new badge.

"I've been a food recommender for over twenty years now," Zheng Chuan said with some emotion. "In the field of fish cuisine, you are one of the best among all the spirit chefs I've ever assessed."

"I thought I had given you a difficult task, but I didn't expect your answer to far exceed my expectations."

As he spoke, Zheng Chuan solemnly handed the badge in his hand to Qin Lang.

"You deserve my token, the bass badge."

"Thank you, Mr. Zheng Chuan!" Qin Lang carefully accepted the badge and then examined it closely.

The bass badge depicted the silhouette of a golden bass leaping, a sight that Qin Lang recognized vividly, exactly like the Golden Lake bass he had obtained at the Fish Boat Festival.

“The Golden Lake perch is a miracle unique to Leaping Fish Lake.” Noticing Qin Lang’s gaze, Zheng Chuan smiled and spoke.

"Legend has it that before the leaping fish transformed into a legendary creature, it was the first Golden Lake perch in the world."

"And the lake where it was born has thus acquired its unique aura, and occasionally new Golden Lake perch will emerge."

"Therefore, the Golden Lake perch is also regarded as a blessing for fish that leaps into the air."

Is this the blessing of the leaping fish...?

Qin Lang looked enlightened.

No wonder Xiao Cai said it had a way to transform the Golden Lake Bass it had obtained into a rare spirit; it turns out there was such a connection.

"Thank you, Mr. Zheng Chuan. I will cherish this badge." Qin Lang thanked Zheng Chuan again and then carefully put the badge away.

At the dining table, the competition for food among Cao Dongdong and the others had reached a fever pitch, with even their food spirits joining the fray.

A sturgeon weighing several tens of kilograms has almost been completely devoured.

Suddenly, Zhao Qian's voice, filled with murderous intent, rang out.

"Cao! Dong! Dong!"

"Hehehe!" Cao Dongdong quickly stuffed the last two pieces of jade dragon tendon into his mouth and made a face at Zhao Qian.

When he met Zhao Qian's murderous gaze, Cao Dongdong's expression froze slightly. He retreated tactically and bumped into the sideboard behind him.

"Boom-"

"Ouch!"

A small box on top of a cabinet hit Cao Dongdong on the head, then fell to the ground and opened with a thud.

Under the light, a touch of jade color in the box stood out.

Qin Lang and the other four fell silent at the same time.

(End of this chapter)