A Bite of Douluo Continent

Watching Tang Zimei happily eat a xiaolongbao, Taifeng blinked, feeling that something was not quite right.

His gaze quickly shifted to the steamed buns in front of him. Following Tang Zi's movements, he somewhat awkwardly picked up his chopsticks, picked up a trembling steamed bun, and carefully began to eat it.

As the delicious broth entered his mouth, Thai Feng's eyes lit up. "These xiaolongbao are really good!"

This delicious taste was something he had never experienced before. Although the steamed buns looked somewhat similar to ordinary buns, they were completely different in terms of both how they were eaten and their flavor.

After closing his eyes and savoring the memory, Tai Feng picked up a xiaolongbao, dipped it in the vinegar dish, and then put the whole thing into his mouth to chew.

The slightly chewy dough wraps around the tender meat filling, with a hint of sour vinegar flavor. The unique and wonderful taste explodes in Thai-style food, bringing an amazing taste experience.

Opening his eyes, Taifeng glanced at the two brothers who were curiously staring at the steamer in front of him, chuckled, and pulled the steamer a little closer to him, saying, "You can order whatever you want."

There were only ten in this basket. Tang Zi and she each ate one, so there are eight left.

This made Tai Feng sigh.

It doesn't feel like... enough.

Tang Zi quickly wolfed down her large portion of fried rice and rubbed her stomach contentedly.

I haven't had the boss's fried rice for days, and I really miss it.

After setting down the empty plate, Tang Zi carefully examined the two new dishes.

He only ordered three dishes: egg fried rice, crab stuffed orange, and ginkgo biloba. Apart from the egg fried rice he had been longing for, all the other dishes were new.

The Ginkgo biloba soup hadn't been served yet, but the crab-stuffed orange soup had already been prepared and served by Qin Yue.

Tang Zi didn't even need Qin Yue to introduce the dishes; just by looking at the unique shape of the food in front of her, she could already guess its identity.

Use a whole orange as a vessel?

This is yet another peculiar way of eating.

Tang Zi glanced briefly at the landscape carving on the orange. Being a rough man, he couldn't quite appreciate its intricacies, only thinking that the carving was exceptionally well done. However, his main focus remained on eating.

After lifting the lid of the orange cup, the rich, sweet aroma of oranges, along with a hint of wine and the fresh scent of crab meat, flooded Tang Zi's mouth and nose, causing his eyes to widen in surprise.

Crab meat and orange flesh, two completely unrelated things, combine to create such a wonderful aroma. The orange fragrance not only completely removes the slight fishy smell from the crab meat, but also adds a touch of sweetness to the fresh and fragrant taste of the crab meat. This unique and magical taste instantly whetted Tang Zi's appetite.

Picking up a small spoon, Tang Zi gently scooped up strands of crab meat and orange pulp stuck together and eagerly put them into her mouth. With just a slight sip, the two seemed to melt in her mouth, carrying a faint, inexplicable aroma of wine that lingered between her lips and teeth for a long time.

This is yet another new dish that amazed Tang Zi.

As expected, Boss Qi never disappoints his customers.

Because of this delicate and small crab-stuffed orange, Tang Zi was unusually refined. The small spoon that came with the crab-stuffed orange was really small, and the lingering fragrance after each spoonful was worth savoring again and again.

Tang Zi, completely absorbed in the dish, took a full incense stick's time to finish the crab-stuffed orange. After putting down the empty orange bowl, her gaze was quickly drawn to the Ginkgo biloba served by Qin Yue.

While the landscape painting on the Crab Stuffed Orange also employed masterful carving skills, it wasn't as visually striking. The Ginkgo with Poetry and Etiquette, however, was entirely different. The almost lifelike carving was truly astonishing. The four Tang Clan disciples, all from the Power Hall and masters of the most sophisticated hidden weapon manufacturing, still felt their eyes were opened in the face of such miraculous carving.

This is actually a dish?

Tang Zi picked up her chopsticks, looked left and right, but hesitated to put them down.

Where should I start eating?

Looking at the nine mischievous children playing under the pine tree, Tang Zi had an idea.

Since we don't know, let's start with these nine children.

After picking one up and glancing at it twice, Tang Zi quickly put it in her mouth. With a slight chew, the sweet taste, which was slightly mellow yet not cloying, along with a unique flavor of ginkgo, slowly spread in Tang Zi's mouth.

The surface of the ginkgo nuts is soft and crumbly, but the inside has a completely different texture, with each layer unfolding and leaving a fragrant aftertaste.

It's truly wonderful!

Tang Zi quickly picked up the second and third ones and savored them carefully. Soon, all nine dolls were gone. His gaze then turned to the lush, ancient pine tree.

Is this a decoration, or is it edible?

Tang Zi tentatively picked up a thinner twig with her chopsticks, and with a slight force, the pine branch snapped off with a crisp "crack" sound. Tang Zi was extremely familiar with this sound, which was exactly the same as the sound of chewing candied hawthorn.

Could they be the same ingredient?

Upon closer inspection, the color of the pine tree is indeed very similar to the sugar coating of candied hawthorn.

As you put the pine branch into your mouth, that familiar sweetness immediately fills your mouth.

Tang Zi's eyes lit up. She picked up pieces of the pine tree from the plate with her chopsticks and put them into her mouth. The sweetness was accompanied by a hint of osmanthus fragrance, which added a refreshing taste. Even if she ate more, Tang Zi did not feel tired of it.

After finishing a plate of Shili Ginkgo nuts, Tang Zi's expression changed slightly.

A unique energy, slightly cool, slowly rose from his stomach and intestines, flowing along his meridians to the area between his eyebrows.

This made his expression show a hint of surprise.

In the past, some of the food from Qi Han's shop could significantly improve one's cultivation level, the most obvious being the Dongpo pork knuckle. However, this situation had never occurred before. Instead of increasing his soul power after eating the Shili Ginkgo, a peculiar energy flowed into his brow.

The space between the eyebrows is where the sea of ​​the spirit resides, and it is no place to be trifled with. The consequences of damage to the sea of ​​the spirit are far more serious than damage to the meridians.

Tang Zi was getting restless, but before he could think of a way to stop it, the energy had already flowed into his brow.

Without experiencing any pain, he only felt his mind clear up, as if he had become smarter, and his mental strength within his spiritual sea had noticeably increased.

this...

This "Poetry and Etiquette Ginkgo" dish is actually a dish that can increase one's spiritual cultivation?

Tang Zi looked at Qi Han, who was busy in the kitchen, with a hint of shock in her eyes.

Dongpo pork knuckle, which can accelerate the circulation of soul power; fish belly stuffed with mutton, which can allow people to enter deep meditation; and now this dish, Ginkgo biloba, which can increase spiritual power cultivation.

Boss Qi is terrifying.

Chapter 134 The Overbearing CEO System Goes Online

Soon, Tang Zi and his three companions finished their meal and left the small shop. Judging from the expressions on the faces of the three Tai brothers, they had been completely won over by the deliciousness of Hanshi in just one meal, and would most likely become repeat customers.

Zhao Fenglai had already lost the courage to offend Hanshi when he saw Xu Changling appear, and had already led his men back to Fenglai Pavilion in a sorry state.

Without his interference, Hanshi's business finally turned around. Among the crowds coming and going, there were always diners who came in out of curiosity after seeing Hanshi's sign. Even though most of these diners were deterred by the high prices of Hanshi's food, there were still some who were willing to give it a try because of the shop's exquisite and elegant decoration.

After tasting the delicious food of Hanshi, the diners were all amazed and understood the high price of Hanshi. It is conceivable that as the popularity of the new Hanshi store gradually increases, the number of diners willing to come to eat will gradually increase, eventually reaching a scale no less than Shrek's Little Store.

Of course, this was destined to be a long process, and Qi Han was already mentally prepared, so he wasn't upset about the current dismal business.

As the evening business hours ended, Qi Han watched the Qin sisters leave, then prepared to return to the second floor to get some rest and recharge for tomorrow's training.

He has now mastered all the two-star recipes he obtained from the mission. The only ones left are Qing Dynasty Imperial Blessing Meat and Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth. He plans to start learning one of them tomorrow morning.

However, before Qi Han could go upstairs, the system's emotionless voice suddenly appeared.

【Ding! 】

[Mission triggered!]

Limited-time mission: Broaden your horizons

Please attend the grand auction held tonight by Starlight Auction House.

Task Description: The host has recently made remarkable progress in cooking skills, but also needs to balance work and rest. Please accept the system's goodwill!

Task Reward: Auction expenses will be covered by the system.

this...

Qi Han was slightly taken aback, and then a look of surprise appeared on his face.

This is the first time the system has issued such a strange task; no... it seems more like some kind of reward.

Upon seeing the unprecedented mission rewards, Qi Han suddenly fell silent.

Suddenly, an image flashed into his mind of a certain genius on Earth emptying his employees' shopping carts—the scene was exactly the same.

"System, I'm not used to you suddenly acting like a domineering CEO." With a sigh, Qi Han accepted the system's offer and went to the Starlight Auction House.

Perfect timing! He's been in Star Luo City for a few days now, but he hasn't been to the Starlight Auction House yet.

As mentioned before, the location chosen by Hanshi was directly opposite the Starlight Auction House, only a few dozen meters away. After cleaning up the kitchen, Qi Han changed into a set of clothes that fit him, closed the door, and strolled towards the location of the Starlight Auction House.

Starlight Auction House has always been the largest auction house in the Star Luo Empire. In addition to its headquarters in Star Luo City, it has branches in various major cities of the Star Luo Empire. In recent years, Starlight Auction House has almost suppressed all other auction houses and has become the leader.

The reason is quite simple: the owner of the largest auction house in the Star Luo Empire has remained unchanged for an extremely long time.

The owner's surname was Xu.

Xu Changling was born into the family behind the Starlight Auction House and should have been the new owner of the Starlight Auction House. However, he entered the Imperial Executive Office with his talent and rose to the position of Prime Minister. Naturally, he no longer needed to take control of the Starlight Auction House, so he handed over the power of the Starlight Auction House to his younger brother.

Even so, Starlight Auction House is no longer an ordinary auction house, but a force backed by the Prime Minister, and its status is naturally elevated.

The large-scale auction taking place tonight at the Starlight Auction House is even more extraordinary.

Auctions in the Starlight Auction House are divided into three types: small auctions, medium auctions, and large auctions. Small auctions are usually held every two or three days. They are not large in scale, and the items auctioned are usually not very valuable. They are considered regular auctions.

Mid-sized auctions are typically held only once a month. Starlight Auction House will auction all the more valuable and high-quality items collected during that month at a mid-sized auction.

Unlike small auctions, medium-sized auctions rarely have items with a starting price below 1,000 gold soul coins. The final items can fetch tens or even hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins, making them a rare and spectacular event for treasures.

However, compared to large-scale auctions, medium-sized auctions are somewhat inferior. Large-scale auctions are only held once a year, and every item auctioned is extremely valuable, sometimes even including top-grade treasures like ten-thousand-year soul bones. It is common for large-scale auctions to fetch hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins, and there have even been precedents of transactions involving tens of millions of gold soul coins.

Each year's major auctions also have their own distinctions. Within the Starlight Auction House, there is a saying of "one season every ten years," meaning that the major auctions held every ten years are the most prestigious.

This claim is related to the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament, a top-level event held every five years, with the hosting rights held by the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire respectively.

In other words, the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament only takes place once every ten years in Star Luo City. At this time, residents from all over the continent will flock to Star Luo City, and the flow of people is far greater than in other years, so the scale of the grand auction will naturally be even larger.

Arriving at the Starlight Auction House, Qi Han couldn't help but exclaim in amazement at the magnificent building before him. It must be said that although the architectural style of Star Luo City is somewhat similar to that of Europe on Blue Star, the scale is incomparable. With the help of earth-attribute soul masters in the construction, the buildings on Douluo Continent are much larger in scale.

The Starlight Auction House in front of us has an ancient and majestic style. It is nearly 100 meters high, but it does not give people the feeling of a modern high-rise building at all.

Because it occupies tens of thousands of square meters, and its length, width and height are almost the same.

At this moment, there was a large flow of people entering the Starlight Auction House through the main entrance, but dozens of waiters at the entrance were specifically responsible for checking the identities of the guests, making the process orderly.

As Qi Han walked toward the main entrance, a waiter politely stepped forward, bowed slightly, and asked, "Sir, this is a pre-auction event before the main auction. If you wish to enter the auction hall to bid, you will need to provide proof of assets of more than 5,000 gold soul coins. We apologize for the inconvenience."

The waiter wore a warm smile and showed no disrespect despite Qi Han's plain appearance, displaying extreme politeness.

Qi Han took out a gold note worth five thousand gold soul coins from his pocket and handed it over. "Is this alright?"

Seeing that Qi Han immediately handed over a five-thousand-yuan gold note, the waiter's face became more respectful and cautious. "Sir, please follow me inside."