Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Bu Fang covered his mouth. It turned out that… that food was cooked in this way. The ingredient was actually the insects in the river of curses. The simple and brutal cooking method was nothing Bu Fang had seen before.
As a chef who was fond of beautiful things, Bu Fang was somewhat obsessed with cleanliness. He liked to be clean, just as the man did before. However, the contrast shown by the man at the end was just too dramatic.
The sounds the insects made when they wriggled and crawled up his hand, which would make one’s scalp go numb and hair stand on end, had made Bu Fang feel a little depressed inside.
Growls came through the kitchen door. They came from the one thousand exiles chosen from District D.
Bu Fang had seen how fanatical and crazy the exiles were about this dark cuisine. From the very beginning, this cooking competition was unfair. He was on the side of being crushed.
At this moment, Bu Fang, deeply shocked, was somewhat confused. He was still recollecting the unpleasant flavor of the dark cuisine.
He could not think of a cuisine that could defeat this dark cuisine, a dish that could attract the exiles of District D, who were already spiritually attracted by it.
…
“It’s over…”
The stooped old man had tears in his eyes as he stared at the image. He could understand the confused look on Bu Fang’s face. There was a time when he, too, was lost like that, and then, he failed miserably.
Looking at the man, his expression became complicated. That was him, or rather, his old self. That was his past, but it was captured by the Queen of Curses and sealed in this Death Pass forever.
“The Queen of Curses…” He clenched his fists. Suddenly, a wisp of black curse rose inside him, filling him with excruciating pain and making him spasm all over.
…
“Blergh…”
“This food is too… disgusting! Only the filthy bugs in District D will eat it!”
“This is the Queen’s reward for them. It can suppress the curse, so they should be grateful!”
The nobles turned pale when they saw the man’s cooking. Some even covered their mouths and revealed unsightly expressions. Indeed, the impact of this kind of cooking on them was huge.
They had long known how this food was cooked, but whenever they saw it, they still felt a disgusting feeling that tumbled out from the depths of their bodies. This was also the reason why they looked down on the people in District D. In their view, the people who ate this kind of food were bugs.
“It’s disgusting, yes, but without a doubt… This chef cannot defeat this food!”
Some nobles shook their heads, smiling. They had lost the bets, but it did not stop them from winning the bets back in the next game.
The game was also started by Countess Xia Qiu, and the choices were between the winning side and the losing side. It was a question of whether Bu Fang could win or not.
Without a doubt, all these nobles bet that Bu Fang would lose. No one could win against this kind of food. This was a temptation from the soul level, and the bugs of District D loved it crazily as if it was a drug.
Nethery was nonchalant. She looked at Bu Fang, and her expression did not change at all. It was as if nothing could cause her face to change, and she had long since become indifferent to everything.
The noblewoman, on the other hand, wore a smile on her lips and watched with relish. “I’m looking forward to how this little fellow will handle this. If he can’t handle it… He would wish he had never been born.” She chuckled.
What kind of food would Bu Fang cook? No one knew the answer. They were not chefs, but if they were in his shoes, they would have despaired. Those exiles were deeply attracted by the dark cuisine. It was impossible for him to pull them to his side.
Bu Fang felt a tremendous amount of pressure. He did not expect to see the dark cuisine. He had tasted it before, just a tiny mouthful, and he did not dare to try again. It was a kind of food that worked on the soul level, something that could drive those exiles crazy.
To him, it was a dark cuisine, but to the exiles in District D, it was a heavenly cuisine. It would be extremely difficult for him to change this impression that had deeply etched into their souls. Habits were the worst, let alone a crazy, brainless habit.
From the moment he chose cooking, he was destined to fail.
Bu Fang furrowed his brows—he was thinking. He had to come up with a countermeasure. There were all kinds of possibilities in cooking, and it all depended on whether he could think of it or not.
He stroked his chin. Then, with a thought, his consciousness sank into the Heaven and Earth Farmland.
The wind was blowing. The grass swayed, revealing the grazing cows and sheep. The farmland was as beautiful as ever, quiet and relaxed.
Niu Hansan lay fast asleep in a recliner as a gentle breeze blew at him. Bu Fang’s arrival woke him.
Bu Fang thought Niu Hansan, as the Father of Hybridization, might have better ways to defeat the dark cuisine. After all, this guy had stuffed the Great Path into food ingredients. So, he told him about his current situation.
“What? I can’t believe someone dared to cook dark cuisine in front of Owner Bu!” Niu Hansan was shocked. He got up, pacing in front of the wooden hut.
Bu Fang was also trying to figure out what to do.
Suddenly, Niu Hansan slammed his fist on his palm. “Owner Bu! Why do those exiles like that dark cuisine? Because it can suppress their curses!
“Although it is a drug that will slowly kill them… The cultivation base of these exiles should not be too weak, and surely they know about this…
“So, in my opinion, Owner Bu should not think too much. Break it with brute force! You just need to cook a cuisine that can dispel these exiles’ curses!” Niu Hansan said, his eyes flashing.
“Crush the dark cuisine with an absolutely delicious dish!”
After saying that, he turned and walked into the hut, twisting his buttocks. A few moments later, he came back out with a sack and gave it to Bu Fang.
Bu Fang paused. He took the sack, which contained countless beans. They were all perfectly rounded but came in a myriad of colors.
“What are these?” he asked, puzzled.
“Owner Bu… This is my latest masterpiece! Each of these beans has merged with all kinds of powers, including the power of the Great Path, the Laws, Soul Demons, and curses!” Niu Hansan rubbed his palms together.
“I plan to study them together with Owner Bu when you’re free, but I’ll give them to you now. This is a supreme-grade food ingredient!” Niu Hansan said confidently. He did not get his title as the Father of Hybridization for nothing.
Bu Fang had thrown many things into the Heaven and Earth Farmland. As his strength improved, he had thrown all kinds of strange ingredients inside. Apart from those he had eaten, many food ingredients were used and studied by Niu Hansan.
He raised his brows and glanced at Niu Hansan. ‘This fellow is indeed an extraordinary… cow. Merging the different powers from various universes? A grand mash-up?’
Yes and no, for this kind of mash-up was just the mash-up of powers in one food ingredient.
Bu Fang nodded. Suddenly, he was hopeful. As Niu Hansan said, he should just crush his opponent with brute force. No matter what tricks his opponent used, he just needed to crush them with brute force!
He stirred the colorful beans with his finger. He was looking forward to seeing what they could do.
“I’m leaving now,” Bu Fang said. The next moment, he left the farmland.
Niu Hansan crossed his legs and hummed a tune leisurely. The Father of Hybridization was… awesome!
…
Bu Fang’s consciousness returned. He opened his eyes, and a sack of beans suddenly appeared in his hand.
He focused his eyes and looked at the man in the distance. The latter was almost done cooking his dark cuisine. He exhaled deeply and stopped hesitating.
Bu Fang poured all the beans into a blue-and-white porcelain bowl and soaked them with the Spring of Life. A rumbling sound rang out as he took out the heavy Black Turtle Constellation Wok. What he wanted to cook this time was a cuisine made of beans, and he already knew what it was.
The Black Turtle roared, making Bu Fang’s aura rise steadily. He focused his eyes and flicked his finger. The crimson divine flame jumped out and fell under the wok.
Bu Fang put all the beans into the wok and began to cook them. The colorful beans jumped and rolled. The divine flame seeped into them and quickly turned into a wisp of twitching flame in the middle of every bean. Before long, hot steam began to rise.
He poured out the water. The next moment, the Qilin Transmigration Ladle appeared, spun in his hand, then around his wrist. He inserted it into the wok and used it to mash the cooked beans.
When he was done, he took out a square of clean white gauze, wrapped up the mashed beans, and squeezed, pushing the bean paste through the cloth. By this point, the cuisine Bu Fang wanted to cook was basically taking shape.
He put the slightly sticky bean paste into the wok. It was colorful with patterns like flowing water, which looked very beautiful. He increased the temperature of the divine flame, then stir-fried the bean paste to reduce the moisture.
Unlike the man’s pure black food, Bu Fang’s colorful bean paste looked prettier. However, the people outside the kitchen were not interested in it at all. They just kept growling crazily at the man’s food.
Bu Fang kept his composure as he seriously cooked his dish. He would not allow himself to be affected by them.
It was a long process to reduce the moisture of the bean paste, and it required gentle heat and constant stir-frying at a steady pace. It was similar to the man’s cooking. He, too, was using gentle heat, stirring at a steady pace until the food turned sticky.
After a long time, Bu Fang added honey and oil into the dried bean paste. Then, he coated his palms with energy, thrust them into the wok, and retrieved the bean paste.
The bean paste spun in his hand, turning into a colorful spinning ball. It was warm and dazzling. He made it float in midair, then sent out streams of cold air to freeze it.
Meanwhile, Bu Fang started kneading the flour. He was too familiar with the process of making dough. Soon, the dough flew up, turned into a ball as well, and hovered in midair, echoing to the colorful ball of bean paste.
In the distance, the man had completed his cooking. He poured the food in the glass wok into the black pot on the wooden cart. Rolling hot steam wafted from the pot.
After that, he took out a clean square of white cloth and began to wipe his hand. He wiped meticulously and carefully, not missing even a spot. Before long, his hands were perfectly clean.
As soon as the man’s dish was ready, the exiles outside the kitchen went completely insane. They crowded at the door and pushed at it, causing it to screech.
Bu Fang’s face was indifferent. He glanced at the people outside the door, then continued kneading the dough at a steady pace. Yes, what he wanted to cook this time was… steamed buns stuffed with bean paste.
Bu Fang’s fingers were long, fair, and extremely agile. The dough flew up into the air and wrapped the colorful bean paste. After being kneaded, they quickly turned into all kinds of shapes, including cute rabbits and adorable sheep. He even made some that looked like Foxy and Shrimpy.
Such casual cooking baffled the crowd. Many people thought Bu Fang had chosen to give up.
One bamboo basket of buns stuffed with bean paste after another was placed into the steamer by Bu Fang. He wondered what kind of situation would appear when these buns came out of the steamer.
Since his opponent had gone to the extreme by cooking a dark cuisine, he chose to fight it head-on with cute, little steamed buns stuffed with bean paste.
Bu Fang snapped his fingers. A boom echoed out, and fire erupted under the steamer.
