A Bite of Douluo Continent

The squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, which won first place at the food festival, was his choice.

"One squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, and one egg... wait a minute." Yun Qing glanced at the main dishes and was a little surprised. "Didn't they say that there's no rice during the Cold Food Festival, only fried rice with eggs?"

“Sir, the rice was only introduced today,” Fuya explained with a smile.

“I see…” Yun Qing nodded, then frowned slightly.

He knew that the fried rice cost five gold soul coins per serving. It was said that the fried rice was made from eggs and rice from a thousand-year-old five-colored golden pheasant using a cooking method called stir-frying.

Considering it's a thousand-year-old soul beast egg, five gold soul coins aren't too expensive.

If it's just plain white rice, what reason is there to sell it for a gold soul coin?

You should know that in many restaurants, white rice is free; you can take as much as you want.

"Besides the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, I'll also have a serving of white rice," Yun Qing quickly decided.

He wasn't afraid of suffering a loss; after all, it was just one gold soul coin, which meant nothing to him.

He just wanted to see what kind of white rice could sell for a gold soul coin.

"Okay, sir, please wait a moment." Fuya nodded, then walked towards the beautiful figure who had just taken a seat on the other side, a smile appearing on her face. "Senior Sister!"

“Hmm.” Yu Lianxin nodded, continued to look at the menu in her hand, her gaze lingering on the description of the special effects of Dinghu Shangsu for a while before turning to Fuya, “I’d like one Dinghu Shangsu and one Golden Dragon Spine, and one Dragon Snake Soup.”

“Okay.” Fuya noted down Yu Lianxin’s order, then reminded her, “Senior Sister, the special effects of Dinghu Shangsu will not work on you.”

“I know,” Yu Lianxin smiled, “but I still want to try the new dish.”

"Okay." After writing it down, Fuya winked at Yu Lianxin, "The boss will bring it to you in a bit."

"You little rascal!" Yu Lianxin glared at Fuya reproachfully, but her face inexplicably flushed.

Fuya continued taking orders for other diners, while Yu Lianxin rested her chin on her hand, gazing absently at the busy figures in the kitchen.

I haven't seen this guy for twenty days, and I have no idea what he's been up to.

Hey! Yu Lianxin, what are you thinking about?

I don't want to know what he did.

Yu Lianxin shook her head, lost in thought.

She led her juniors from Shrek Academy who needed spirit rings on a journey to obtain the spirit rings they required, and they had only just returned.

Strictly speaking, this time leading the team was also closely related to Qi Han's leave of absence.

For the students of Shrek Academy's inner court, acquiring spirit rings is also a top priority. In fact, due to their in-depth exploration of their martial souls and spirit skills, they have even higher requirements for spirit rings.

This makes it quite difficult for them to find suitable spirit rings.

Moreover, the soul rings needed by inner court disciples are basically ten-thousand-year soul rings, and the ten-thousand-year soul beast area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest is extremely dangerous. It is very difficult for a person to enter it alone, obtain a soul ring, and leave safely.

Therefore, the tradition of everyone teaming up to hunt spirit beasts and obtain suitable spirit rings for themselves arose.

With others looking after and protecting each other, the safety of staying in the Soul Beast Forest is greatly improved.

Therefore, in Shrek Academy's inner court, when students reach a level where their soul power is sufficient to acquire a soul ring, they don't rush to do so but instead continue to wait.

When there are more than five students who need spirit rings, they can set off together.

During this waiting period, the students' cultivation will not be neglected. Although they cannot break through without obtaining a spirit ring, the spirit power they accumulate through cultivation can be used to boost their spirit power level after obtaining a spirit ring.

Such team formation not only promotes unity within the inner academy but also makes the process of students acquiring soul rings much safer. The Sea God Pavilion is naturally happy to see this happen and will send an eighth or ninth-ring expert to accompany the team each time to prevent any accidents.

The reason why this team is said to be related to Qi Han is that before the food festival, the inner courtyard had already gathered five students who needed soul rings and were ready to set off.

However, the various new dishes launched by Hanshi at the food festival made them linger, and the plan to obtain the soul ring was delayed for several days as a result. Then, because another student was about to break through, they had to wait a few more days.

They were only able to make their trip during the Cold Food Festival holiday.

Chapter 367 Golden Ear and Silver Ear (Bonus Chapter 4/10 for the Alliance Leader who wants to be lured away by a rich woman)

"Please enjoy the vegetarian dishes and dragon and snake soup from Dinghu." Qi Han tried his best to keep his expression calm. "Gulu will bring over the golden dragon spine later."

Fuya was right again.

Yu Lianxin initially resisted Qi Han's special treatment.

But after so much time has passed, she has now gotten used to the man in front of her personally serving her dishes every time.

After being amazed by the extraordinary phenomenon at Dinghu Lake for a moment, Yu Lianxin spoke softly.

"Thank you."

Qi Han blinked. This was the first time Yu Lianxin had said thank you while he was serving the dishes. However, he quickly realized what she meant and smiled slightly, "You're welcome."

Busy as he was, he naturally couldn't stay here and chat with Yu Lianxin for more than a few minutes. However, when he turned around and walked towards the kitchen, Qi Han's steps were noticeably longer.

Seeing Qi Han leave, Yu Lianxin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

When she ate at other restaurants, she would always say thank you to the waiters or restaurant owners who brought her food, but when she was with Qi Han, she could never bring herself to say those two words.

She was surprised that she blurted it out unconsciously, but fortunately, Qi Han didn't seem to care too much, which made her secretly relieved.

Immediately afterward, a slight displeasure arose.

This is the first time I've ever thanked you!

Why isn't there any reaction? I knew you weren't welcome.

snort!

However, Yu Lianxin was quickly drawn to the two dishes in front of her, and her little thoughts were immediately forgotten.

This vegetarian dish from Dinghu looks delicious!

While waiting for the food to be served, she reviewed the detailed descriptions of the three dishes she had ordered.

She didn't actually know much about rare and precious herbs, but that didn't stop her from being very curious about the Dinghu Shangsu before her.

This is the first time that a dish made entirely from rare and precious ingredients has appeared during the Cold Food Festival. Although the previous dishes, such as Boiled Cabbage in Broth and Wensi Tofu, were also vegetarian, the soup used was chicken broth or similar ingredients, so they cannot be considered to be made purely from rare and precious ingredients.

What would dishes made with rare and precious ingredients taste like?

Yu Lianxin gently used her chopsticks to separate the neatly stacked Dinghu vegetarian dishes.

The various ingredients were easily scattered on the plate, slightly soaked in a layer of vegetarian broth at the bottom of the plate.

Yu Lianxin suddenly rediscovered the joy of scattering her childhood stacks of building blocks, and couldn't help but smile.

Which one should we eat first...?

Yu Lianxin pondered for a moment, then quickly reached for a small piece of golden rare and precious herb on the plate with her chopsticks.

Its slightly wrinkled appearance does resemble that of a pig brain.

Yu Lianxin was not averse to pig brains. After trying them for the first time, she was amazed by their deliciousness. Therefore, she had no aversion to golden ear fungus, which was somewhat similar to pig brains.

Even after cooking, the golden ear fungus remained its original wrinkled shape. When picked up with chopsticks, it was slightly soft and tender, feeling like it was sandwiched between a relatively solid ball of cotton. This peculiar feeling aroused Yu Lianxin's great curiosity.

She slowly brought the small piece of golden fungus on her chopsticks close to her mouth and nose, and a fresh and pleasant aroma mingled with the meaty fragrance of the vegetarian broth, slowly entering Yu Lianxin's nostrils.

The flavor is somewhat similar to osmanthus, and it blends wonderfully with the meaty aroma of the vegetarian broth, adding a touch of elegance to the meaty flavor.

Swallowing hard, Yu Lianxin carefully put the piece of golden ear fungus into her mouth.

"Hmm~"

The texture of golden ear fungus is different from that of silver ear fungus. Silver ear fungus is soft yet slightly crunchy, and when you put a large piece in your mouth, this slightly crunchy feeling becomes more pronounced. But golden ear fungus is completely different.

The moment you put it in your mouth, the golden fungus has a soft and glutinous texture.

The perfectly steamed golden fungus was easily broken into small pieces as Yu Lianxin gently moved her teeth. With a slight bite, it melted completely between her lips and teeth, and the unique flavor hidden in the golden fungus became more and more intense. The fragrance, similar to osmanthus, became clearer and more obvious in her mouth and nose. At the same time, the umami flavor of the golden fungus itself also blended into the vegetarian broth, quickly becoming one with it.

The broth is already incredibly delicious, and the addition of golden fungus is like the finishing touch, giving the deliciousness a clear focus. The savory flavor lingers on the tongue, constantly tantalizing the taste buds and creating an unparalleled and wonderful sensation.

"It's so delicious!" Yu Lianxin murmured softly, a look of surprise and delight on her face.

This is just one of the many rare and precious materials!

Could the others be just as wonderful?

Thinking of this, Yu Lianxin carefully picked up another fluffy, flower-like, silvery-white piece of food and put it in her mouth.

That's exactly the ingredient that corresponds to white fungus.

Normal white fungus is not silvery-white. If the white fungus sold in the market is too white, it is mostly the result of bleaching.

But the white fungus that Qi Han used for cooking was certainly not the normal kind.

This natural treasure used to replace silver ear fungus is called Canxing Yinhua. Its color is much more beautiful than that of Blue Star silver ear fungus. Its silvery-white color is in no way inferior to that of golden ear fungus, and its appearance is extremely beautiful.

As Yu Lianxin put the white fungus into her mouth, a look of surprise immediately appeared on her face.

White fungus is fluffy, and fluffy means it can absorb more broth.

Indeed, when you put the white fungus in your mouth and gently squeeze it with your teeth, a burst of delicious broth will ooze out.

This broth originates from vegetarian stock, but it is no longer vegetarian stock.

As it is slowly heated during steaming, the essence and umami of the white fungus are perfectly soaked in the vegetarian broth. This allows the broth to gradually infuse with the unique flavor of the white fungus. When this rich and flavorful broth enters the mouth, it instantly touches Yu Lianxin's heart.

This umami flavor is more than 80% similar to the umami flavor of the broth after the golden fungus was added, but the remaining 20% ​​difference gives the vegetarian soup a completely different taste. It is as if you are tasting two different dishes, even though they are different ingredients in the same dish.

so amazing!

With a hint of surprise, Yu Lianxin began to gently move her teeth and slowly chew.

The texture, completely different from that of golden ear fungus, tantalized Yu Lianxin's lips and teeth. It was similarly soft to golden ear fungus, but without much of a glutinous feel. Instead, it had a slightly crisp and tender texture. The firm yet chewy texture made chewing the silver ear fungus more satisfying than that of golden ear fungus.

Both of these rare and precious materials were completely new to Yu Lianxin, but at this moment she had firmly memorized their names.

These ingredients look delicious! I'll try cooking them myself next time; I wonder if they'll taste just as good…

Hmm... I guess it's still not as good as Qi Han's cooking.

Yu Lianxin shook her head and continued to savor the other rare and precious herbs.

...

"Your squirrel-shaped mandarin fish and white rice are ready."

With a smile on her face, Fuya walked over carrying a large plate of squirrel-shaped mandarin fish. Behind her, Gulu nimbly balanced a bowl of steamed rice on its head and jumped onto the table, gesturing for Yunqing to take it down.