Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

　Since they are all neighbors, even if they are not very familiar with each other, they have little knowledge of each other. So when a stranger suddenly appears, it naturally arouses their curiosity.

　"Teacher Baiyuan..."

　Although she unconditionally trusted Bai Yuan, Tadokoro Megumi couldn't help but feel a sense of tension when things really came to this.

　Regardless of trust, the current atmosphere is too tense. If they lose the game, they will be in a hopeless situation.

　However, compared to their tension, the people at the Hundred Birds Pavilion started a celebration banquet in advance, setting up a lot of food at the entrance of the hotel, obviously to enjoy when the competition started and to add some atmosphere. Even the employees had smiles on their faces, because no one thought Wang Zhi would lose.

　A seasoned, four-star chef facing off against a greenhorn—it seemed like the outcome was a foregone conclusion, so why bother with this?

　"Kid, I'm giving you a chance to challenge me. This might be the only time in your life you'll ever have the chance to face off against a master chef. I hope you'll cherish it."

　Because of Bai Yuan's dismissive attitude towards Tadokoro Megumi when she asked him to develop a dish, Wang Zhi was very unhappy and his attitude towards her worsened. He even mocked her in front of everyone.

　“I’ll return those words to you. This is your only chance to challenge me. Logically speaking, a Special Grade Four Star doesn’t even have the qualifications to challenge me.”

　Despite Wang Zhi's contemptuous words, Bai Yuan remained unperturbed and deftly returned his words. His nonchalant demeanor was truly infuriating!

　"I hope your cooking is as sharp and witty as you are!"

　Wang Zhi sneered. At this point, there was nothing more to say. Everything would be decided by their actions. They would see who was stronger and who would be embarrassed.

　"Since the competition is taking place on our commercial street, then I will shamelessly serve as a referee and guarantee fairness and impartiality, without any bias."

　Just then, a plump old man walked up, looking intently at Wang Zhi and Bai Yuan, and volunteered to be the referee.

　"It's Master Izumino!"

　"I never expected that this match would alarm him."

　"The town's only master chef, who is now eighty years old, was said to have received the title of Master Chef Two Stars last year."

　If even he can't be a judge, then there's probably no one else in town who is qualified.

　As the old man appeared, a buzz of discussion immediately broke out. Many people recognized him as Izumi Masao, a veteran master chef who worked at the town's largest restaurant. Many people in town had eaten his cooking and had a very high opinion of him.

　“Sure, we need to choose a referee from the townspeople. Since the old gentleman is willing to volunteer, we have no reason to refuse.”

　Bai Yuan spoke up at the right moment. He had learned about the old man's identity when Tadokoro Megumi stepped forward earlier, and he greatly admired chefs who had been dedicated to their posts for so many years.

　"Let me be the second referee."

　"The old town mayor."

　"It's actually the old town mayor!?"

　Another slightly aged voice rang out, and an elderly man with a cane stepped forward from the dispersing crowd to serve as the second referee.

　"It's so lively here, so I'll take the third judge's spot. I don't think anyone will compete with a little girl like me. I also want to try the master chef's cooking."

　Pushing through the crowd in a flurry of activity, she drew a chorus of complaints. A sweet and lovely girl with pigtails, light makeup, and wearing pink clothes spoke urgently.

　When he saw that there were only two seats on the judges' panel and the third seat was empty, a surprised smile appeared on his face, and then his big butt went straight to sit down.

　"this..."

　Upon seeing this, the surrounding onlookers exchanged bewildered glances, for it was a completely unfamiliar face; in other words, she was not from the town.

　People who weren't from town dared to come and grab a spot, which left everyone speechless, but out of pride, no one spoke up to compete, and the judges were now all present.

　"It's getting late, and it'll probably be dark by the time we finish cooking. The cooking time is no more than three hours, so let's start cooking."

　As the most authoritative person in the entire room,

　Looking at the gradually darkening sky, the old town mayor took the initiative to act as the host and announced the start of the competition.

　Bai Yuan and Wang Zhi didn't pay attention to these details. They just looked at the ingredients the hotel had prepared for them on both sides of the cooking table, and their faces became more serious.

　Knowing that their opponents might be formidable, they didn't hold back in their skills despite their words of disdain.

　After all, losing this match would be a real disgrace.

　"here we go."

　Megumi Tadokoro and Mieko Tadokoro simultaneously placed their hands on their chests, their eyes revealing a hint of tension. This was a fateful battle that would determine the ownership of the hotel!

　As the competition was announced to begin, Bai Yuan, who was standing in front of the hanging monkfish, suddenly closed his eyes, and everything around him became quiet.

　The huge anglerfish was hoisted high on an iron hook. Because of the wind, its body swayed slightly, as if it was still struggling, and the iron chain made a creaking sound.

　With a gentle wave of his hand, Bai Yuan drew his Breaking Army Blade from behind him like lightning. The blade precisely pierced the head of the anglerfish, and with a twist of the blade, the fish's head separated from its body in an instant, the sound of flesh and bone breaking crisp and clean. He then gently removed the fish head and placed it on an iron plate beside him.

　Then, with another flick of his wrist, the Greedy Wolf Blade glided across the fish's belly like a ghost. With a gentle flick of the blade, the fish's belly split open like silk, and its internal organs slid out like flowing water, without a single drop of blood spilling out. The entire movement was fluid and graceful, as if he were dancing with the fish. Wherever the blade passed, the fish flesh and bones were perfectly separated.

　"Hey!"

　His eyes sharpened in an instant, and he exhaled a breath of stale air.

　Following the Greedy Wolf Blade was the Martial Melody Blade. In Bai Yuan's hands, the Martial Melody Blade was as light as the wind. The blade glided along the fish's body, slicing the fish meat into pieces as thin as cicada wings. Each piece was so uniform that it seemed to have been measured with a ruler.

　Fish slices flew off the anglerfish and drifted through the air like a silver snowflake, landing gently on the iron plate, arranged neatly.

　The Lianzhen knife danced in his hand like a paintbrush, the blade gliding lightly across the fish skin, deftly removing the slippery monkfish skin, which was then placed on an iron plate.

　The next moment, the Giant Gate Blade fell suddenly, its blade like a hammer, chopping the fish bones into tiny pieces without damaging the surrounding flesh. The Lu Cun Blade followed with a final strike, its blade spinning like a whirlwind, cutting the fish meat into uniform cubes, each piece as round as a pearl.

　The process was so smooth and seamless, as if it had been rehearsed countless times. The anglerfish was dissected perfectly, with the head, bones, meat, and skin separated and neatly arranged on a silver plate.

　"What a swift and decisive approach!"

　"It was resolved in an instant! In the blink of an eye!"

　When Bai Yuan finished, the audience was stunned and looked incredulous, because less than a minute had passed in real time after he had done so much.

　Such skillful hanging-cutting technique is unmatched, even by the most skilled hanging-cutting master in town!

　Even Wang Zhi, who was busy preparing bok choy, couldn't help but look up, a serious expression appearing in his eyes for the first time. This kid seemed a little different from what he had expected...

　"No, I can't let my opponent affect me. I need to calm down and focus on cooking my own meal."

　However, he quickly lowered his head, took two deep breaths, and refocused his attention on the bok choy on the counter. He peeled off the outer layer of unsightly bok choy leaves to improve its overall appearance.

　"Pork, ham, cabbage, dried bamboo shoots, shrimp, and even green and yellow bell peppers—such a rich variety of ingredients... what dish is that master chef preparing to cook?"

　If the anglerfish that Bai Yuan is processing is a famous local specialty, then the fish that Wang Zhi is processing is a local specialty that is not only grown and raised locally, but is also commonly found in other places, and is not so well-known.

　"Putting everything else aside, this vegetable looks really good. It's probably just been dug up from the garden. Just looking at the color makes it look delicious!"

　Some people couldn't help but exclaim that the ingredients prepared by the Hundred Birds Pavilion for Wang Zhi were of the highest quality, with the roots of the vegetables still bearing a small amount of fresh soil, clearly indicating that they had just been dug out of the ground.

　"I saw them slaughtering a pig this afternoon. That piece of pork belly must have been freshly taken. They really went to great lengths for this competition!"

　"Who can argue with that! After all, the stakes in a food war are the entire inn."

　During the conversation, Wang Zhi began to simmer chicken soup. After putting various ingredients into the pot, he covered it with a lid, leaving a gap, while waiting for time to prepare the other ingredients.

　First, quickly dice the ham and put it in a bowl for later use. Then, take the lotus seeds from the plate, remove the cores, and put them in the same bowl for later use.

　Cut green bell peppers, yellow bell peppers, and chili peppers into small diamond-shaped pieces. Devein and mince the shrimp, mince the pork belly, and mince any leftover chili peppers.

　Next, using minced pork belly as a base, add shrimp paste, chopped chili, diced ham, and lotus seeds. Then add salt, white pepper, a small spoonful of cornstarch, a little sesame oil, and finally an egg white. Mix well.

　After mixing the filling evenly, the next step is to slap and beat it. Wang Zhi picks up the filling and slaps it down heavily until it becomes elastic.

　Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a small amount of salt, put the washed bok choy into the pot, and prepare a bowl of ice water nearby.

　Cook the bok choy until it's just barely cooked through, then drain it using a strainer and plunge it into ice water to cool it quickly. Squeeze out the excess water to avoid affecting the texture.

　"After removing the core, you can put in even more filling. This dish is all about the filling itself."

　A sense of depth, and an unparalleled feeling of satisfaction.

　Wang Zhi mumbled, "Open the prepared bok choy directly, cut off the core with scissors, put the prepared minced meat inside, and set it aside."

　The well-stiffened minced meat and cabbage can act as a good binder, but to prevent them from falling apart during steaming, they still need to be tied with string.

　However, using rope for a dish would inevitably affect its appearance and taste, so Wang Zhi chose dried plums, a long strip tied with a bow.

　Trim the prepared stuffed cabbage slightly with scissors to prevent the top leaves from becoming too large and affecting the final appearance of the product.

　At this point, the dish is basically complete. Steam it in a steamer for about eight minutes, then arrange green, yellow, and red peppers on top, drizzle with clear chicken broth to enhance the flavor, and it's ready to serve.

　As the clear chicken broth was poured over the stuffed cabbage, golden light rose and shone along the edges of the broth and cabbage, brightening the dim sunset!

　"Glowing cuisine! It's the legendary glowing cuisine! Seeing is believing! It's truly dazzling, like a radiant sun!"

　The chef, who had previously been called Master Izumi, jumped up from his chair, slammed his hands on the table, and looked on in shock.

　Upon hearing that there was a top-tier four-star chef at the competition, he immediately rushed over from home, eager to witness the legendary glowing cuisine. Now that his wish had finally come true, he couldn't help but shed tears of joy.

　"Try it. I've named this dish Golden Broth and Jade-Stuffed Cabbage. The ingredients used are all unremarkable but always available ingredients in this small town."

　Those who quietly dedicate themselves will one day shine in their respective fields, and that's what I want to express.

　After presenting the Golden Broth and Jade-Stuffed Cabbage to the three judges, Wang Zhi explained the artistic conception of the dish.

　He used ordinary ingredients, but he created dishes that shone brightly. Even with just local ingredients, he could make them shine!

　"Excellent! Excellent idea! Even a remote mountain village can produce a golden phoenix. No wonder you are a top-tier four-star chef. Your concept is beyond the reach of ordinary people!"

　After hearing Wang Zhi's impassioned speech, the old town mayor led the applause.

　As an elderly man here, his greatest wish is for the town's residents to excel, even if they were born in the countryside, and to shine in their respective fields.

　This dish truly touched his heart!

　"It's really a very good dish. Stuffing minced meat into cabbage and serving it with clear chicken broth, it blends several flavors into one dish, which is quite remarkable."

　The sweet girl in pink nodded gently, first bending down to sniff the dish, then picking up her chopsticks to examine it, and giving her evaluation before tasting it.

　Good food is so delicious that you can tell it's amazing just by smelling it, and this Golden Broth and Jade-Stuffed Cabbage is a perfect example.

　"The sweetness of the cabbage complements the richness of the meat filling, the umami of the chicken soup runs throughout, and the garnish of dried bamboo shoots and peppers adds a unique flavor and texture to the dish."

　In this way, every bite brings a completely new experience; this unique flavor makes you involuntarily murmur a soft moan! It's absolutely fantastic!

　As the food entered her mouth, the pink-haired girl couldn't help but hum softly, her face turning exceptionally flushed, and her body becoming slightly hot from the food.

　"Ah! The lingering flavor is wonderful!"

　The impact was like a continuous wave, one after another, until it completely broke through the defenses, causing her to collapse onto the table.

　"What's most amazing is the layered texture. The outside is crispy, and the inside is soft and tender. The flavor of the bok choy is particularly unique. Paired with minced meat and chicken soup, it's so delicious it'll make your eyebrows fall off!"

　Master Quanye also gave it a high evaluation, and a little red appeared on his old face. The deep taste lingered in his mouth for a long time, and could be called a top-notch product!

　"As expected of a luminous dish, the aroma alone is enough to mesmerize so many people!"