A Bite of Douluo Continent

Be more vigilant, but also more natural.

We must not let the powerful figures lurking here notice anything amiss.

He immediately felt a pang of bitterness; he would have to deliberately provoke conflict later…

This is practically hellish difficulty.

"Hello, your Poetry and Etiquette Ginkgo dish has arrived." Qi Han brought up the dish Ye Changhong had ordered. The other two dishes were still being cooked and wouldn't be ready soon.

Hmm? Why does the dining area suddenly seem a bit quieter?

Qi Han looked around at the other diners with some curiosity, then shook his head.

Hmm... it must be my imagination.

Chapter 484 Let's see what the next one is like?

As Qi Han put down the dishes and left, Ye Changhong's gaze finally fell on the Ginkgo biloba in front of him.

He had not forgotten that his purpose in coming here was to probe the true nature of Hanshi.

The fact that a single mental probe had revealed such a significant problem meant that while continuing the investigation was dangerous, any discovery would undoubtedly be a great achievement.

Thinking of this, Ye Changhong took a deep breath and began to find fault with the dishes in front of him.

But... after just two glances, he found it hard to find fault with it.

As if living beneath the crystal-clear pine tree, the nine children played and frolicked so vividly that Ye Changhong had the illusion that they were all alive. He could even faintly hear their laughter.

With the carving reaching a level of perfection, the nine children in the Ginkgo biloba are now more lifelike than before, truly achieving a spirited carving.

Ye Changhong had never seen or even heard of such carving techniques before.

He was willing to pay a hundred gold soul coins just for this unheard-of and amazing carving!

But Ye Changhong quickly shook his head to calm himself down.

He hasn't forgotten his purpose.

What good is fine carving? The taste of a dish is the most important thing!

He defied his conscience and began to hypnotize himself, then picked up his chopsticks and somewhat awkwardly picked up a doll, bringing it close to his mouth and nose.

Looking at the lifelike child, Ye Changhong even felt as if the child was crying. His heart trembled, and he steeled himself and put the ginkgo fruit carved into the shape of a child into his mouth.

The ginkgo nuts are coated with rich lard and boiled syrup. The sweet but not greasy, and exceptionally delicious flavor fills the mouth almost instantly upon entering the mouth. The wonderful taste makes Ye Changhong, who has never liked sweets, feel no greasiness at all, but rather savor the essence of the flavor.

As you chew the ginkgo nuts, they gradually break open, and along with the soft texture comes the unique, hidden flavor of the ginkgo. After the complicated processing steps, the ginkgo nuts no longer have any raw or astringent taste, leaving only their unique flavor that blends with the original mellow taste, like the finishing touch on a masterpiece.

What a wonderful taste!

As a legion commander, Ye Changhong preferred the feeling of eating meat in large bites. This kind of sweet food shouldn't have made him so fond of it, but Shili Ginkgo seemed to have a magical power that even he couldn't resist.

Is this dish worth 100 gold soul coins?

Ye Changhong, who should have rejected the idea outright, actually hesitated for a moment.

Just for the amazing carving, he was willing to pay 100 gold soul coins for this dish. Even putting aside the carving, just for the taste of the Poetry and Etiquette Ginkgo, he was willing to spend 100 gold soul coins to taste it.

Just as he was struggling with this decision, the Ginkgo biloba he had already swallowed began to release a cool, special energy. As soon as this energy appeared, it rushed straight towards Ye Changhong's head.

"Ok?"

Ye Changhong's expression changed instantly.

This is in a restaurant run by the enemy, eating dishes prepared by the enemy. Could this special energy be some kind of poison?

Could it be that my earlier probing had been discovered, and that's why they want to get rid of me?!

Ye Changhong's expression grew increasingly grave. Just as he was about to shout out, the cool energy had already flowed into his spiritual sea.

Sensing the changes within his spiritual sea, Ye Changhong opened his mouth, then slowly closed it again.

This is…

As the owner of a spirit-type martial soul, how familiar is he with his spiritual sea?

As this energy flowed into his spiritual sea, he not only felt no discomfort, but his total spiritual power actually increased slightly.

Although this slight increase in mental power was nothing compared to the vast mental power of a ninth-ring mental powerhouse like himself, it clearly told Ye Changhong that this dish was not simple.

How could a simple dish have the special effect of enhancing mental strength?

It is well known that enhancing mental strength is extremely difficult. The rare and precious materials and various medicines currently available on the Sun and Moon Continent are simply insufficient to achieve this. I never expected that this dish could have such an effect.

This slight improvement is roughly equivalent to one or two hours of his arduous training. He only ate one ginkgo leaf, while this set of poetry and etiquette ginkgo leaves contains nine. Eating all of them would be more than enough to replace half a day of his arduous training. Keep in mind that this is half a day of arduous training at the ninth level of the Soul Master, which is incomparable to that of a low-level Soul Master.

If I eat one or two servings every day...

Ye Changhong's heart began to pound uncontrollably.

Now, let him find fault with this Ginkgo biloba dish?

He could never say anything bad about this elegant ginkgo tree.

One hundred gold soul coins per unit?

He'd take it even if it were doubled!

After smacking his lips twice, Ye Changhong put another ginkgo-carved child into his mouth and slowly savored it.

There's no fault with this dish; he's even hoping to eat it every day from now on.

How about... we look at the next dish?

After all, he ordered three dishes; it's impossible for all three dishes to be so amazing, right?

This Ginkgo tree, known for its poetry and elegance, must be a special case!

He'll definitely find fault with the next dish!

After enjoying the delicious Ginkgo biloba in front of him and feeling the increase in his spiritual power, Ye Changhong couldn't help but show a hint of joy on his face.

Just as he had predicted, the improvement in his mental strength from the Ginkgo biloba was exactly equivalent to half a day of arduous cultivation.

If you eat one serving at every meal... wouldn't the growth rate of your mental strength double or triple?

Thinking of this, Ye Changhong became even more excited.

"Dongpo Pork Knuckle, please enjoy."

After Ye Changhong finished eating the Ginkgo biloba soup, Qi Han brought out the second dish.

Ye Changhong instantly perked up.

The previous dish of Ginkgo biloba was impossible to find fault with, but this Dongpo pork knuckle must be perfected!

Thinking of this, he began to carefully examine the braised pork knuckle in front of him, which exuded a rich meaty aroma.

Dongpo Pork Knuckle doesn't have the fancy appearance of the Ginkgo Tree, and is much more rustic in comparison.

Hmm... How can a dish that costs 100 gold soul coins be so ordinary?

Ye Changhong muttered to himself, completely forgetting that he had just thought the taste of a dish was the most important thing.

At this moment, he turned into a nitpicker, determined to find some fault with Dongpo pork knuckle. He suppressed his cravings caused by the rich aroma of meat and began to carefully examine the Dongpo pork knuckle.

Soon, he discovered that although Dongpo pork knuckle looked simple, it was completely different from what he had imagined; it was anything but ordinary.

Its alluring color is simply too tempting. Although it doesn't have the lifelike sculpted shape of the Ginkgo biloba, it offers a different kind of visual enjoyment.

Trying to find fault with something based on its appearance... seems a bit of a stretch?

Ye Changhong sighed softly, then picked up a piece with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth without hesitation.

Well!

His eyes widened suddenly. The pure, meaty flavor brought him an overwhelming sense of satisfaction, a completely new experience of eating meat that he had never felt before.

So delicious... it seems impossible to find fault with it?

However, this Dongpo pork knuckle doesn't seem to have any special effects on promoting cultivation... Could we perhaps make a difference in that regard?

However, just as he thought of this, he felt his soul power surge through his meridians like a torrent, drawing in the surrounding天地元气 (heaven and earth energy).

Ye Changhong: "..."

Or... how about we look at the next one?

Chapter 485 Yao Hongchen Arrives in Person (Bonus Chapter 5/12 for Pipa Boss's Donation)

In the end, Ye Changhong still failed to find fault.

The third dish, the Splendid Dragon Totem, was served. The lifelike dragon design was in no way inferior to the Ginkgo Biloba, and the wonderful taste of the various dragon-type soul beast meat essences blended together left him completely without fault.

This two-star recipe, created by Qi Han, also has a slight special effect due to its extremely high rating.

Its special effect is to slightly increase the resilience of the meridians. Since the special effects of all dishes are ineffective for Qi Han, he did not discover this when he tried it himself. It was only later, when Ruyi wrote it on the menu, that he found out.

This is one of the reasons why Qi Han priced this dish at 100 gold soul coins.

At this moment, Ye Changhong also felt the nourishing effect of tasting the Brocade Dragon Totem on his meridians, and he was completely speechless.

He really couldn't find fault with any of the dishes; he felt they were excellent value for money in every aspect, even at a bargain price of 100 gold soul coins.

This was a situation he had never imagined before coming here.

Or... nitpick from other aspects, instead of focusing on the dish itself?

Ye Changhong silently surveyed the interior of the Cold Food Shop. The unprecedented decor was perfectly suited to Mingdu, a steel city. The rugged yet technologically advanced style made every Soul Master feel genuinely comfortable.

The environment doesn't seem to have any problems...

Even the service was excellent. The wait time for the first dish was much shorter than in other restaurants, and the next dish was served almost as soon as you finished eating the previous one, leaving you with no waiting time at all.

Before Ye Changhong arrived, there was a Plan B.

He once considered that if he couldn't find any faults in the other party, he would create faults himself.

For example, right now, in his storage soul tool, there is a fly that he caught and strangled on the way here.