Chapter 1264: Zong Ze and Liu Jie’s Competition
Lin Yuan remembered that Gu Lang nurtured the Snake Change Medusa.
It was likely that Gu Lang wanted the Black Marsh Fly Dragonflies because of the Snake Change Medusa’s natural skill. That was the only reason that Lin Yuan could come up with to explain why Gu Lang would want the Black Marsh Fly Dragonflies.
Lin Yuan could enter the marsh world through Klein Hub at any time.
No matter how rare the Black Marsh Fly Dragonfly was, it would be easier for Lin Yuan to search for it than it would be for Gu Lang to wait for Class 5 marsh dimensional rifts to open.
Gu Lang’s exhaustion dropped by half when he heard what Lin Yuan said.
If Lin Yuan could find the Black Marsh Fly Dragonflies, the Snake Change Medusa that Gu Lang had obtained with much difficulty would finally be usable.
Given that this was something Gu Lang truly needed, he did not hold back and said, “Lin Yuan, thank you. The Black Marsh Fly Dragonflies are of great use to me.”
Gu Lang knew that Lin Yuan would not take the shares without giving anything in return.
After all, Lin Yuan had already rejected Zong Ze.
Hence, Gu Lang did not offer to give Lin Yuan shares again. Instead, he used a proper business attitude to discuss the division of shares amongst the three of them.
…
Eventually, Zong Ze and Lin Yuan took 33.3% of the shares, while Gu Lang took 33.4% of the shares because he put effort into managing the faction’s operations.
When they were done discussing, Zong Ze checked the time and headed to the kitchen to fish out the crabs he had taken from the Dragon Within Pond.
Wen Yu looked at Lin Yuan with admiration.
As the faction manager, she knew how difficult it was to accumulate resources.
Yet, Lin Yuan had managed to seal such an immense deal with a few statements.
While Wen Yu’s eyes were shining, Lin Yuan said to her, “Wen Yu, the shares have been settled. You can communicate with Gu Lang directly in the future.”
Wen Yu smiled and replied, “Don’t worry, Young Master. I will pay close attention to this and make sure I do my best.”
While Wen Yu was speaking, Lin Yuan saw that Liu Jie had returned carrying numerous fresh spiritual ingredients.
But the moment Liu Jie stepped into the house, his nose picked up the aroma of crabs.
He looked at the sofa. He immediately knew that Zong Ze was here when he saw the transformed Fiery Sky Hou.
At first, Liu Jie felt an unexplained animosity toward Zong Ze. Even he had no idea where this animosity was coming from.
3
During the gathering, Liu Jie and Zong Ze had cooked together and had shown off their cooking skills. They had become friends ever since.
When they ate at Zong Ze’s residence, Lin Yuan had praised Zong Ze’s cooking skills more than once.
Since Zong Ze had cooked Kitchen Fragrance Palace’s secret 300 dishes, all Liu Jie could do was assist Zong Ze.
But today, Liu Jie finally had the chance to compete against Zong Ze.
Now that Zong Ze had started cooking, Liu Jie would follow suit.
This way, he would be able to serve his dish to Lin Yuan alongside Zong Ze so Lin Yuan could decide whose cooking was better.
Lin Yuan scratched his head when he saw Liu Jie make a dash for the kitchen. He could not figure out why Liu Jie was suddenly bursting with energy.
Nonetheless, Lin Yuan greatly looked forward to the meal cooked by two amazing chefs.
Lin Yuan had not had one good meal during his trip to the Divine Wood Federation. The meal he had had at the Radiant Moon Palace was also traumatic.
Finally, he could fill his stomach with a delectable feast.
No matter how careful the amazing chefs were, they served up dishes quickly.
Moreover, the only people in the mansion were Lin Yuan, Wen Yu, Liu Jie, and Zong Ze. The Mother of Bloodbath, who had the largest stomach capacity, had gone out to meet its fellow glutton friends.
The Mother of Bloodbath was definitely missing out!
Lin Yuan estimated that Zong Ze and Liu Jie would walk out of the kitchen in less than 40 minutes.
He did not know what took place in the kitchen, but in a shocking result, they used almost the exact same ingredients with only slight differences in cooking methods.
Zong Ze excelled at steaming and stewing, whereas Liu Jie’s forte lay in frying and deep-frying.
Zong Ze steamed the crabs before dousing them in vinegar and cooking them over a small flame.
The crabs freshly caught from a lake in spring were filled with potent sweetness and would leave a hint of spiciness on the tongue. Adding vinegar and cooking them over a small flame would enable the vinegar to seep through the shell and penetrate the flesh while cohesively working with the taste of the flesh itself to produce an incredibly fresh taste.
Zong Ze applied the cooking principle that sourness was king.
Meanwhile, Liu Jie first removed the crab legs before digging out the roe. He used the roe as the base ingredient as he fried it together with other seasonings before adding a spicy touch to tie the ingredients together. Finally, he covered the dish with the crab legs to cook them using the heat rising from the food underneath. This would enable the crab meat to absorb and combine with the fragrance of the seasonings and roe.
Each dish was excellent in its own way, and ranking them would only be a matter of personal taste.
Those who liked lighter flavors would prefer Zong Ze’s dish, while those who liked heavier flavors would go for Liu Jie’s one.
Lin Yuan and Wen Yu were baited by the aromas and failed to notice the competitive aura between Zong Ze and Liu Jie. They also did not think to compare whose cooking skills were better.
1
While Lin Yuan and Wen Yu tucked in happily, Zong Ze and Liu Jie scrutinized them carefully to see which dish was being cleared quicker.
Wen Yu had a large appetite and usually put away about four bowls of food.
Lin Yuan’s appetite also expanded after he consumed the Earth Center Fine Milk, and his body transformed. His body could now digest food at a rapid rate.
Thus, Lin Yuan and Wen Yu ate almost all of the food.
As they gobbled down the food, Lin Yuan and Wen Yu were embarrassed when they noticed that Zong Ze and Liu Jie practically had not touched their chopsticks at all.
It was only when Zong Ze and Liu Jie declared that they could not eat any more that Lin Yuan and Wen Yu continued shoveling food down their throats without worry.
1
Zong Ze and Liu Jie could not help but exchange a glance when they saw the clean plates.
They scratched their heads simultaneously.
2
Now that all the food had been eaten, Zong Ze and Liu Jie’s competitive spirit dissipated as they decided to call it a tie.
