He changed Tiwat

Seeing this, Han Fulai gently nudged Jiang Xue with his elbow. Jiang Xue nodded and patted Yan Xiao's back heavily.

Xiangling came here to find Yanxiao, a good rival, to hone her cooking skills, so his comfort was the most effective.

Unfortunately, Yanxiao was a rough man and didn't understand their hints at all. He scratched his head blankly, at a loss for what to do.

Jiang Xue coughed and gestured with her eyes to the stove behind Yan Xiao. Yan Xiao then understood, clapped her hands, and said loudly, "By the way, Miss Xiangling, since you're here today, I have an idea for a new dish that I'd like you to help me think about!"

Upon hearing this, Xiangling immediately perked up and nodded repeatedly: "Great! What kind of new dish is it?"

"This new dish needs to look appealing, taste great, be impressive, showcase skill, and have style..." Yan Xiao counted on her fingers one by one.

"Not only must it be visually appealing, fragrant, and delicious, but it must also showcase the chef's skill and the dish's essence... So, Yanxiao, you're also researching new dishes for the 'Chef King Competition'?" Xiangling's eyes blazed with renewed fighting spirit.

Since last year's "Chef King Competition", Xiangling and Yanxiao have become evenly matched and admire each other. They even made a promise that "they must bring out an even better dish in the next competition".

So when Xiangling heard Yanxiao mention developing new dishes, she immediately thought of this agreement—just as Yanxiao was willing to help her test dishes, she would not hesitate to provide Yanxiao with assistance.

However, to Xiangling's surprise, Yanxiao's development of new dishes was not for the competition.

"No...sigh, it's our manager." Yan Xiao sighed as she spoke. "A few days ago, the manager came to me and asked me to come up with some new dishes to attract customers. You heard the requirements for these new dishes, they're not something you can just come up with on a whim. I've been thinking about them in the kitchen for seven or eight days, and the manager isn't satisfied with any of the dishes I've made."

"Hey, what dishes did you make?" Xiangling asked curiously.

Yan Xiao turned around and lifted the large round lid covering the dishes on the kitchen table. "Look... I used all my skills, all the skills I had as a chef back in the mountains."

As soon as the lid was lifted, a wonderful aroma wafted out. The dishes underneath were clearly of exceptional quality; they would probably shine in a cooking animation.

"What about candied chrysanthemum flowers, stewed old duck with lotus seeds, and braised lion's head meatballs with crab roe..." Yan Xiao recited the names of the dishes one by one. "But the shopkeeper was not satisfied with any of them and kept telling me to think about it again... Here, you can try them too."

Han Fulai and the others picked up their chopsticks as instructed and tasted Yan Xiao's cooking.

Yanxiao's culinary skills were already extraordinary, especially after Xiangling's "culinary disaster" experience. Eating such proper food was truly touching.

"The lotus seeds and lotus root are bitter, but they taste just right in the old duck soup, and they also have a nourishing effect... Hmm, I should write this down. Maybe I can try making it for Ah He in the future." Han Fulai gave the old duck soup a very high rating.

"I never thought that the Rainbow Flower could be so delicious as an ingredient. Hmm... If I pair the Rainbow Flower with the Glass Lily, I can make a Rainbow Lily dish..." Xiangling decisively took out her cooking notebook and recorded the inspiration that had just popped into her head.

"This lion's head meatball is indeed delicious. The meat melts in your mouth, and the broth is rich and flavorful... Hmm? They even added crab roe to the meat. No wonder it tastes so exceptionally fresh." Jiang Xue clearly liked the lion's head meatball and even started recommending it to the people around her. "Come on, Brother Fulai, Miss Xiangling, you should try one too. First, use your chopsticks to separate the meatball, then dip it in the broth and chew it with your rice..."

"You freeloader, you seem to have quite a knack for it..." Yan Xiao glared at Jiang Xue, annoyed.

Jiang Xue smiled a little shyly and quickly flattered Yan Xiao, "Haha, if I eat something this delicious often, even someone as dense as me can figure it out. Come on, Yan Xiao, you've worked hard, sit down and have a bite... Oh, this stewed fish looks good..."

"I can't eat anymore. I've already been scolded by the shopkeeper." Yan Xiao crossed her arms, looking sullen. "You can eat and drink as you please. Anyway, if I don't meet the shopkeeper's requirements, I'll be kicked out and won't be working here anymore..."

"It has to look good, taste good, be impressive, show off your skills, and have style... Hahaha, the shopkeeper wants you to make a dish that shouldn't exist in the world!" Jiang Xue laughed.

"Keep laughing, keep laughing. Let's see who you'll freeload off after I leave!" Yan Xiao glared at him.

When Xiangling heard Yanxiao complain, she immediately started flipping through her cooking notebook and offered Yanxiao advice without reservation.

"Soak fresh glass bags in honey overnight, then take them out the next day, drain them, grind them into powder, and add them to dishes to enhance their aroma."

"It's good, but it feels like... something's missing."

"A special cold poultry salad, served with mint leaves and citronella flowers, is refreshing and delicious, but may cause diarrhea..."

"...If I am kicked out by the shopkeeper, I will definitely make this dish for him before I leave."

"And this... Stir-fried matsutake mushrooms with Jueyun peppers, using lots and lots of chili peppers, and adding fruits and herbs to enhance the aroma, creating a unique complex flavor!"

"Hmm...that sounds good, but it's a bit too homey. The shopkeeper has high standards..."

The two chefs were discussing amongst themselves, and although Han Fulai believed his culinary skills had improved considerably in the six months he had been in Liyue, he was still far inferior to these two masters and could only listen in. Jiang Xue, however, suddenly uttered something astonishing.

"Hmm, although I can't cook, I do know a recipe for a unique dish that can meet the shopkeeper's requirements."

Upon hearing this, not only did Yan Xiao laugh, but Xiang Ling also gathered around and asked in unison, "What strange dish?"

"This is a strange dish I ate by chance at a wealthy family's house when I was traveling... years ago. It's called 'Chicken Tofu Pudding.' This dish 'eats meat but doesn't show meat.' It's as tender as tofu pudding, yet it has a rich and savory meaty flavor, extremely delicious. It's truly a unique dish that 'uses meat to represent vegetables.'" Jiang Xue readily explained the principle behind this strange dish. "After eating it, I was very curious, so I asked for the recipe. However, I'm not good at cooking, so the recipe has been sitting at the bottom of a box for a long time..."

"It sounds...difficult..." Yan Xiao frowned.

The purpose of this "chicken tofu" dish is to give the chicken the tender texture of tofu.

The principle sounds simple, similar to the so-called "fish-flavored shredded pork," which has a fish-like aroma even though it doesn't contain any fish. But in reality, the difficulty is no less than Yanxiao's secret weapon, "Immortal Jumps Over the Wall."

For example, Yu Xiang Rou Si (Fish-fragrant Shredded Pork) is made by stir-frying shredded pork tenderloin with pickled chili peppers, shredded wood ear mushrooms, young ginger, garlic, sugar, and vinegar. It has a combination of spicy, salty, fresh, sour, and sweet flavors, with a rich aroma of scallions, ginger, and garlic. The "fish flavor" is made by seasoning the above-mentioned ingredients that do not contain fish. The proportions are crucial, and the cooking time and thickening process must be done meticulously.

The difficulty of achieving the "meat-like" texture that Jiang Xue described in his "chicken tofu" dish is unimaginable.

Jiang Xue nodded and said, "This dish is indeed very difficult to make. According to what I heard from the chef, the chef who makes this dish must not only be proficient in cooking, but also be knowledgeable in swordsmanship."

"Tsk, what kind of dish requires swordsmanship?" Yan Xiao asked with a suspicious look. "If it's about chopping meat, my knife skills are enough."

"If you were to use your knife skills to pound the meat, you'd probably break the cutting board in two before you even got the meat to pound properly," Jiang Xue laughed. "According to the chef, the brilliance of this dish lies entirely in the meat pounding. It requires exquisite swordsmanship to wield the knife, first using the blade to remove the tendons and shred the meat into a paste, then pounding it into a paste with the back of the knife, and then..."

"Stop, stop for a second... So what's the point of telling me this recipe? I'm someone who's used to using a knife, and you've never cooked before, so who else here can..." Yan Xiao said, looking at Xiang Ling.

Xiangling waved her hand, "My master only taught me spear techniques..."

Yan Xiao sighed again, "Sigh, so where can we find someone who can cook and is also skilled with a sword?"

Jiang Xue, on the other hand, seemed quite confident. "Yan Xiao, have you ever heard of Xing Qiu, the young master of the Fei Yun Chamber of Commerce?"

"Of course," Yan Xiao nodded.

"Then do you know where he learned his martial arts?" Jiang Xue continued to ask.

"Gu Hua Pai!" Xiang Ling answered quickly. She, Xing Qiu, and Chong Yun were childhood playmates and quite familiar with each other.

"Then you should know that the Guhua School is skilled in both spear and sword..."

Upon hearing this, Han Fulai already had a bad feeling.

Jiang Xue looked at Han Fulai, "The acting leader of the Guhua Sect... is both far away and right before our eyes."

Chapter 303 The Knife for Chopping Vegetables and the Sword for Slicing Through the Wind [4k]

As soon as Jiang Xue said this, Xiang Ling, Yan Xiao, and even Guo Ba all fixed their gazes on Han Fulai.

Xiangling had heard Tian Tiezui's stories in the marketplace, about how this Mr. Han was a successor of the Guhua School, but she had never heard that he was the acting head of the Guhua School. At this moment, she was thinking to herself, "So Mr. Han is so unassuming. He is actually the 'senior brother who headed the school' that Xingqiu mentioned."

Yan Xiao eagerly awaited Han Fulai's display of his unparalleled swordsmanship so that he could make this "chicken tofu" dish to satisfy the shopkeeper.

As for Guoba, well, it was probably just imitating the two people's actions; its tilted head was rather cute.

"My brother Fulai is not only an exceptional swordsman, but also a very skilled cook. Even the disciples of the immortals praise his dishes. Chef, you've really met a benefactor today." Jiang Xue patted Han Fulai's shoulder affectionately, looking very proud of him.

Yan Xiao rubbed his two large, fan-like hands together, his face full of a fawning smile: "Deputy Minister Han, I'm counting on you for everything."

"But...but the shopkeeper asked Chef Yanxiao to make it, right? I...this isn't appropriate, is it?" Han Fulai quickly refused.

In reality, he knew nothing about peerless sword techniques.

If Xingqiu were here, wielding the sword with the mental technique of "Rain-Cutting Method," it could indeed be called an unparalleled sword technique. Although the ancient Hua School's sword techniques are flashy but impractical and not real combat swordsmanship, just in terms of speed, it at least looks impressive enough.

However, Han Fulai had only learned spear techniques from Shen He, and knew nothing about swordsmanship. He would be exposed as soon as he tried to use it.

Yan Xiao just said that she is skilled with a knife, and according to Jiang Xue's previous words, she probably has some hidden secrets. In short, her skills are definitely not weak. As for Xiang Ling, she is a direct disciple of Granny Ping, and she can definitely see through how good she is.

Not only would I be embarrassed, but the Guhua faction, which had just begun to show promise for revival, would also lose face!

Han Fulai gave Jiang Xue a polite look of refusal.

Jiang Xue's response was—

"Hey, the shopkeeper asked the cook to come up with new dishes, not that he can only cook them. Once the new dishes are figured out, anyone can cook them."

He turned to Yan Xiao and asked, "Chef, don't you think that makes sense?"

Yan Xiao clapped his hands and said, "Ah, right! That makes sense, that makes sense! Vice Minister Han, please, I'll be your assistant..."

As he spoke, he asked Jiang Xue with great interest, "What ingredients are needed for this chicken tofu?"

Jiang Xue, with an air of superiority, deliberately scanned every corner of the kitchen before saying, "This dish is difficult to make, but the ingredients are all common. All you need is poultry, ham, bird eggs, and snapdragons, preferably with matsutake mushrooms. However, it seems like we're missing quite a few ingredients in this kitchen..."

Yan Xiao said with a troubled expression, "The kitchen still has some poultry and ham in stock. If you need more, I can go to the warehouse to get some. As for snapdragons, there are plenty growing around here, so I can just pick them fresh. But the bird eggs and matsutake mushrooms... sigh, I should have known better than to try making matsutake mushroom scrambled eggs before..."

Just then, Guoba, who had been wandering around nearby, suddenly hopped over to Han Fulai and rubbed against his trouser leg. Han Fulai looked down and saw Guoba raise a round little hand and stretch it out to him, probably meaning "shake hands"?

Of course, no one can resist such an adorable creature, so Han Fulai kindly bent down and held Guoba's little round hand.

Guoba's paw pads were soft and thick, and felt very comfortable to touch. Just as Han Fulai was immersed in this feeling of happiness, similar to squeezing a cat's paw pads, a thought suddenly surged into his mind.

It wasn't sound, nor was it communication within the realm of consciousness; it was purely something akin to a "thought"—

"I want to eat chicken tofu pudding."

Although he didn't say it aloud, Han Fulai felt as if he understood what Guoba was thinking.

Guoba stared at Han Fulai with his big, round eyes.

Han Fulai twitched the corner of his mouth, unsure whether to agree or not.

At this moment, Xiangling raised her hand and volunteered, "Me! Me! Me! I know where to find bird eggs and matsutake mushrooms around here. Hehe, I have the food map of Liyue memorized!"

Xiangling's words were not an exaggeration at all. Not only Liyue, but probably every place she had ever set foot in, such as Mondstadt, had become a food map memorized in her mind. People usually remember maps by landmarks or place names, but for Xiangling, the map in her mind was a distribution map of ingredients. Every time she went to a place, what she had to figure out was whether there were any special ingredients that she could develop.

For example, if you ask Xiangling what scenic spots are in Longji Snow Mountain, she may not be able to answer. But if you ask her where the most ice flowers are in the snow mountain, where there is a special lake fish called "Snow King" that is found in the snow mountain, and where there is frozen "fresh meat", she can answer them all clearly.

She creates dishes like "cold slime mushroom salad" in order to develop new ingredients.

Since taking over as the head chef at Wanmintang, Xiangling has lost count of how many pots and pans she's destroyed. Some have had their bottoms scorched by the high temperature of the Fire Slime, others have cracked from the rapid cooling of the Ice Mist Flower, and still others have been reduced to unrecognizable pieces after a small explosion. Faced with such destructive power, Xiangling's father carefully considered his options before deciding not to issue her a "kitchen ban."

Of course, Wanmintang's monthly expenditure on new iron pots is rewarded, and that reward is Xiangling's seemingly endless stream of innovative recipes.

"There are many secrets to cooking. But the most important secret is to have an absolute love for cooking." — After Xiangling decided to learn to cook, her father, Master Mao, handed her his masterpiece, "Recipe Notes," and this was the sentence written on the title page.

If it were anyone else, they might have already started complaining about how outdated this teaching was, but Xiangling treasured it. In Xiangling's eyes, it was precisely by adhering to this belief that her father was able to persevere to this day amidst the power struggles between the "Rina" and "Yukina" factions.

At that time, the rivalry between the two major cuisines had become fierce. Liuliting and Xinyuexuan were large and powerful, monopolizing the supply of many ingredients, and many small restaurants were suppressed, including Wanmintang.

"Food should have no distinction between high and low quality!" Xiangling was indignant as she watched precious ingredients like matsutake mushrooms and crabs being forcibly monopolized. And her way of expressing her indignation was to take the large ladle from Wanmintang.

As the head chef of Wanmintang, Xiangling did not stick to the old ways, but made changes based on the foundation laid by Master Mao.

Simply relying on recipes passed down from predecessors won't create truly innovative dishes. One must break with conventional wisdom and discover their own secret formula.

Xiangling's belief is, "No matter what ingredients I use, I will make super delicious dishes!"

Driven by this belief, Xiangling embarked on a culinary journey to sample the myriad flavors of Liyue, her footsteps traversing almost every inch of Liyue's land where unique ingredients might exist. It was during that "culinary journey" across Liyue that Xiangling's love for cooking caught the attention of the gods, who granted her the Divine Eye.

Xiangling's activity could be a disaster for the Hilichurls of Jueyun Karst—for example, they might wake up one day to find that their fighting sticks have vanished.

Of course, the fate of the flowers and plants on Dihua Isle was definitely not much better.

This effort gave birth to several brand-new recipes, such as "Qiuqiu Wood Grilled Fish" and "Horse Tail Glutinous Rice Pork"... Although the names sound a bit strange, the taste is absolutely guaranteed. As for where to find hidden matsutake mushrooms on Dihua Island, or which forest has a large number of bird nests, Xiangling naturally knew everything.

Now that she has heard about this rare and extraordinary dish, Xiangling is naturally determined to do everything in her power to help complete it.

So she hurriedly ran out with Guoba (a type of rice cracker).

As soon as Xiangling and the others left, Jiang Xue turned to Yanxiao and said, "Chef, this dish requires the best ingredients. Go downstairs to the warehouse and pick out some of the finest poultry and ham, the most fragrant and tender kind."

"This freeloader, how come he suddenly thinks he's the head chef? When did it become his turn to order me around..." Yan Xiao muttered, but still went downstairs to find ingredients as Jiang Xue instructed, since Jiang Xue was doing him a favor.

So for the time being, only Jiang Xue and Han Fulai remained in the kitchen.

Han Fulai said with a wry smile, "Brother Jiang Xue, what do you mean by this? You know perfectly well that my swordsmanship is terrible, yet you're still making fun of me..."

Jiang Xue shook her head. "Brother Fulai, you are mistaken. You can learn swordsmanship if you are not good at it."

"It's too late to learn now..." Han Fulai muttered under his breath.

"How can it be too late?" Jiang Xue smiled. "I'll teach you now, and you can learn now."

"Uh... um?" Han Fulai was taken aback, then immediately understood, "Brother Jiang Xue, do you want to teach me...?"

“‘The Sword That Cuts Through the Wind’.” Jiang Xue nodded. “You helped me so much, and you even gave me that letter of introduction from the Sumeru Cult, giving Jiang’er hope for a cure. I should thank you for everything.”

“But…” Han Fulai hesitated for a moment.

If you ask him if he wants to learn, he'd love to. He was incredibly envious of Jiang Xue's sword-wielding elegance back then.

But as much as he admired him, he was actually quite hesitant about actually learning it.

On the one hand, the "Wind-Slaying Sword" is Kanria's ultimate skill, and he doesn't know if learning it will have any strange effects; on the other hand, even if Jiang Xue is willing to teach him, starting to learn it now is like trying to quench a thirst with water from afar.

Learning swordsmanship only when you need it is like cramming for an exam at the last minute; it's not entirely useless, but its usefulness is quite limited.

Martial arts, like solving problems, require a solid foundation; it's a matter of ten years of practice for every minute on stage. The "Wind-Slaying Sword," in particular, is exceptionally wondrous, ranking among the top martial arts even in Teyvat. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been regarded as a secret technique by the Kanria royal family.

Jiang Xue smiled and said, "Of course, it's impossible for you to grasp the essence of it all at once, but learning a sword manual is just a matter of your intelligence, which I'm sure you can do easily."

"A sword manual?" Han Fulai asked, puzzled.

Jiang Xue walked to the stove, picked up the kitchen knife from the cutting board, and said, "Learning martial arts is actually a gradual process that emphasizes both internal and external cultivation, which is called 'internal strength' and 'external strength.' It is also called 'training methods' and 'fighting methods.' The so-called 'fighting methods' are the techniques you see used in actual combat, which are the skills of fighting; while the so-called training methods are the lessons we practice on a daily basis, whether it is to strengthen the body or to cultivate one's character, it is to enhance oneself and solidify one's foundation."