Chapter 859: Chapter 858: It’s Here (Part 2)
As the soup entered his mouth, Xia Qing felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.
It wasn’t from getting burned, but from the silky texture on his palate, like a fair hand, stirring the heart.
The clear soup wasn’t “clear”; besides the umami, there was smoothness and tenderness!
“The texture of the soup, has changed!”
Xia Qing murmured.
Zhu Qing was the second to taste it. Unlike the old man, she was afraid of the heat and carefully blew on the spoon to cool the soup before drinking it with a slight hesitation.
Mm!
An indescribable comfort exploded in her mouth and spread throughout her body.
Suddenly she arrived in a softly lit quiet room.
Lying on the bed, Zhu Qing was in a daze, in a semi-awake state, hearing a voice: “How do you feel, guest?”
As it spoke, the hands on her back, like they were wrapped in hot essential oil, kneaded and massaged bare creamy skin.
She exhaled a hot breath.
Zhu Qing murmured with blushing cheeks, “So, so comfortable!”
Her mind completely emptied, devoid of dust and distractions, every part of her body was in a state of extreme relaxation.
An unprecedented feeling of comfort and ease engulfed her mind, so amidst intense drowsiness, Zhu Qing only heard the last sentence: “You can turn over now.”
Obediently changing from lying face down to lying flat, her beautiful eyes half-opened and half-closed, she vaguely saw a familiar gentle face.
Blink.
“How is it, Aunt Qing?”
This time she heard a clear voice, returning to reality to find a face inches from hers, which startled her, making her face feel ablaze; no need to think, Zhu Qing’s delicate cheeks had long been flushed with red.
“…Uh…Eh eh eh!”
She almost used hands and feet to shove Xia Yu away.
Xia Yu could only step back two paces, helplessly watching Zhu Qing slowly calming her emotions, asking again, “I’m asking about your tasting experience.”
Zhu Qing bit her lip, her eyes appearing moist, “It’s just… just delicious!”
“To what degree?”
“Moreover, compared to the chicken soup I had before, what differences are there? Or, what qualities and changes?” Xia Yu couldn’t help but step forward half a step, eyes showing a hint of excitement, looking like a culinary fanatic.
Like being pinned against the wall, Zhu Qing’s face flashed with the kind of shyness only a young girl would have.
“It’s just comfortable!”
She yelled somewhat hysterically, seeming very dissatisfied and resistant to the unfamiliar self and the intense heartbeat.
“Alright.”
Seeing Zhu Qing becoming shy, completely unlike her usual self whom she can talk to without reservation, Xia Yu could only sigh and change targets, looking at Lan Chuhai.
Lan Chuhai was the third to taste.
With a mouthful of soup, she remained silent for several minutes before slowly opening her eyes.
There was a glimmering mist in her eyes.
“How is it?”
Xia Yu quickly asked.
“…”
Lan Chuhai said nothing, acting as if she hadn’t heard, her trembling hand holding the spoon and scooping up another spoonful to send into her mouth, her beautiful eyes wide open and displaying disbelief.
“Why can the soup have such a silky and soft texture?”
“Ah!”
With the soup in her mouth, desperately resisting swallowing, Lan Chuhai began trembling out of excitement, “So, so elastic!”
Her tongue grew mischievous, traversing back and forth in the soup.
Hah.
Her breathing became increasingly coarse and alluring.
Lan Chuhai felt as if there was a hand massaging her tongue, gently caressing and fondling, so her long legs hidden under the table involuntarily tightened, and when they bumped against the table legs with a thud, the noise startled her awake.
“How exactly is it?” Xia Yu’s forehead sprouted black lines.
After staring at the youth fixedly for about ten seconds, Lan Chuhai’s body gently trembled, her moist eyes quickly cleared, she awoke, “Ah, what are you talking about?” Her entire demeanor spoke of panic.
“…”
Xia Yu drew a series of ellipses in his mind, seeing Lan Chuhai like Zhu Qing, having lost her usual disposition, her moist large eyes making people’s hearts itch, where was her previous icy maiden manner?
Alright then, this time, he had to change targets again, looking at the fourth taster.
Scanning his gaze.
Oh!
Xia Yu swallowed.
Lan Fengxian, this old monster of unknown age, had a trace of flush on his face, staring fixedly at him.
“Thump thump…”
This time it was Xia Yu who was scared back two steps.
Then, a mysterious silence ensued.
A moment passed.
The silence was broken by Xia Qing. He put down the empty bowl and turned to gaze intently at the young man, “If you had just presented this chicken soup, it would have been enough to compete with mine.”
No need for extra words.
The old man’s comment plainly stated the score of Xia Yu’s second creation.
Yet Xia Yu was not satisfied, “Just a competition?”
The system suddenly popped up information:
“…After evaluation, the completion of this chicken soup is 90%, the cooking light was not triggered, reason unknown.”
A sneaky follow-up stab.
Xia Yu’s face darkened, “The first one was 85%, and now it’s 90%?”
A 5% improvement!
He frowned, then relaxed.
He knew that this increase in completion seemed small but it elevated the dish from an ordinary dimension to the realm of cooking light. Although the system was vague about the reason it didn’t light up, Xia Yu was confident that with the overall completion in good shape, other requirements for the cooking light wouldn’t be hard to overcome.
“Hmm, old man, then I’ll use this pot of soup as the base for buckwheat ramen. Now you have no reason to oppose, right?”
Saying this, he bent down to take the pot of soup away.
“No!”
Four unanimous voices.
Xia Qing, Zhu Qing, Lan Chuhai, and Lan Fengxian all looked eagerly at the pot in Xia Yu’s hands.
Unfulfilled resentment rushed forward.
Xia Yu twitched his mouth, “Hey, hey, calm down and wait a little longer!”
“Once the ramen is made, wouldn’t it be more satisfying to drink the soup and eat the noodles?”
…
Approaching noon.
Originally planning to visit briefly for the new year and then leave, Lan Fengxian left the Xia Mansion, walking down the alley, shaking his head with obvious good spirits.
Lan Chuhai’s eyes twinkled, unclear about what he was thinking.
“That Demon King Xia, truly worthy of the Demon King’s name!”
Lan Fengxian praised, then with a bit of schadenfreude said, “Most importantly, how did he steal and seamlessly use the bottom-drawer techniques of that old geezer Huang He?”
“Who taught him this culinary skill and guided him?”
“If it was stolen learning then…”
At this point, Lan Chuhai suddenly said, “Perhaps, it’s Ye Feizhou?” Even using a puzzled and confused tone himself.
Before and after the big match, those across the Chinese Realm believed Xia Yu and Ye Feizhou to be mortal enemies. Outside of a limited few, no one knew that their relationship wasn’t as tense as outsiders claimed.
Bam!
Standing at the alley entrance, Lan Fengxian was suddenly bumped into, interrupting what he was about to say.
He raised an eyebrow at the woman in black who had bumped into him, now striding into the alley.
“Oh, isn’t that…”
Lan Fengxian recognized Lei Aoxue.
“Does she know the Xia Mansion is here?” Lan Fengxian’s mouth curled into a slightly intrigued smile. To the puzzled Lan Chuhai, he gestured for silence and turned back, following quietly behind the woman in black.
All the way to the Xia Mansion.
From a distance, Lan Fengxian watched as Lei Aoxue climbed the steps, seeming about to knock on the door. His eyes lit up, “Surely, she’s here to issue a challenge?”
Yet who knew that Lei Aoxue stood before the door, hesitated for a while, then came down, pacing in circles.
After a while, Lei Aoxue simply squatted down, wrapping her arms around her knees.
“Ugh!”
Hoping to watch a spectacle, Lan Fengxian was stymied, seeing Lei Aoxue squatting by the stone lion at the front of the mansion, showing no intention of getting up. He found it truly laughable and frustrating, “She’s come all this way; why not take another step forward?”
“Let’s go,” Lan Chuhai whispered, “She probably knows herself that showing up to challenge like this during the New Year is very abrupt and rude.”
“Indeed!”
“What’s the grudge, anyway? During the new year, shouldn’t things be put aside?”
Lan Fengxian could only sigh regretfully and leave.
Seemingly hearing faint footsteps at the end of the alley, Lei Aoxue looked up briefly, then lowered her head again, using a small stone to draw circles on the ground in boredom, “Will he accept my food battle?”
Unconsciously muttering to herself.
Outside the alley, Lan Chuhai got into the car, and as her bottom met the soft seat cushion, a light moan uncontrollably escaped from her nose.
“Mmm!”
Immediately, she hung her head, covering her mouth and nose tightly.
With her other hand, Lan Chuhai smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt, and her fingertips seemingly inadvertently, gently pressed her thigh.
Buzz.
A faint, face-flushing thrill surged, making her long legs tense again.
“I have indeed become more sensitive…”