Translator: CatatoPatch Editor: Vermillion
Was bear paw delicious? Most people would think that bear paw was a kind of delicacy and it tasted extremely delicious. However, that wasn’t the case at all.
Maybe it was because there was a famous saying which went: I want to eat fish and I also want to eat bear paw. If I can only choose one of the two, I will give up fish for the paw.
That was the reason everyone thought that bear paw was a delicacy which was hard to come by. However, in actuality, the meat of a bear paw wasn’t as tasty as one would imagine.
Nevertheless, Bu Fang didn’t care about it too much. He didn’t care if bear paw was tasty or not since he would be doing his best to make it into a dish.
Even though the taste of the bear paw was extremely bad, it was still an ingredient which came from a divine beast. How bad could it be?
Placing the bear paw into the pot, he poured the Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine all over it. He completely covered the bear paw and the aroma from the wine quickly soaked into the bear paw. In an instant, the unpleasant smell emitted by the bear paw dissipated.
Originally, Bu Fang was supposed to brush on a coating of honey on the meat. However, he didn’t prepare any honey and instead, he used the Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine to get rid of the unpleasant smell.
The effects were not too bad. The Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine contained dense spirit energy and when they mixed together, the spirit energy in the bear paw started to circulate.
The soup stock in the Black Turtle Constellation Wok started to boil and the spirit herbs which had been prepared by Bu Fang started to roll around inside it. A pleasant fragrance was emitted and filled the area.
Bu Fang took out the bear paw which had been soaking for some time, then placed it into the boiling soup in the Black Turtle Constellation Wok.
…
Xiong Shi finally managed to suppress the sadness in his heart and realized that it would be useless even if he wallowed in his sadness. He knew he had to do his best in order to refine this elixir. As long as he managed to refine this elixir, he would be able to defeat the main culprit who killed his giant bear.
However, every time he thought about how this chef was cooking the paw which came from his giant bear, he felt as though something was stabbing at his heart. He didn’t know whether his discomfort was due to the aftereffects of the Sorrowful Orchid… He felt like crying.
In the end, his tears didn’t flow out and he forcefully kept them back. He focused all of his attention into the furnace.
A ball of pink fire emerged from his hands as it jumped into his alchemy furnace. Xiong Shi finally managed to concentrate all of his attention into the refinement of his elixir.
This round of the competition which seemed to be a farce was finally getting back on track. Xiong Shi’s alchemy skills were extremely strong. There were many people who were worried for Bu Fang, however, there were also many audience members who felt as though Xiong Shi should be afraid of him.
After all, the sight of a furnace explosion from Bu Fang’s opponent wasn’t uncommon.
Bu Fang clasped his hand behind his back and it seemed as though he was counting the time in his heart. After some time, he opened his eyes and quickly fished out the bear paw which was piping hot.
The bear paw which was letting out steam started to emit a meaty fragrance. There was a peculiar smell which came along with the smell of the meat.
After retrieving the bear paw, Bu Fang cleaned the Black Turtle Constellation Wok once again before pouring Spirit Spring Water into it. Before adding the bear paw into the wok, he added many different kinds of spirit herbs and boiled the water for the third time.
This time, the speed at which the water boiled was extremely quick. As the hot water surged, Bu Fang took out the bear paw once again.
At this moment, Bu Fang finally started to seriously prepare the bear paw.
Retrieving all his ingredients, Bu Fang added in some oil into the Black Turtle Constellation Wok. Frying the spirit herbs which were filled with spirit energy, he placed the bear paw which had been boiled thrice into the wok.
Adding the supreme beast meat as well as some spirit herbs into the wok, Bu Fang finished it off by adding some soup before he simmered the contents in the Black Turtle Constellation Wok.
As the dish simmered, Bu Fang added in some seasoning
As Bu Fang didn’t cover the wok, hot steam rose into the air and the fragrance of the bear meat started to diffuse around the arena.
The fragrance had a hint of a gamey smell but it wasn’t smelly at all. Anyway, it was a smell which was extremely unique.
The audience had clear eyes as they looked at Bu Fang’s Black Turtle Constellation Wok. They couldn’t control themselves as they whispered among each other.
Many people were suddenly curious. How would the bear paw taste like?
On the judicators’ seat, the five Grand Masters were looking at Bu Fang with serious gazes. They had tasted Bu Fang’s dishes before and, this time, they discovered that he was cooking bear paw. They had no idea how the bear paw would taste like and they didn’t know the effects of Bu Fang’s dish…
“Actually, it shouldn’t be too bad this time. Look at how many spirit herbs he added and how they complement each other. It seems as though it’s more complicated than alchemy!”
“Isn’t that true… Alchemy seems much easier compared to this. However, because it’s easier, it seems like we can’t bring out the full effects of the spirit herbs we use.”
“Alchemists are different from chefs. There is no point in our discussion.”
The grand master alchemists discussed with each other and they felt as though this little chef’s cooking skills were extraordinary. It seemed as though they were able to obtain some inspiration from Bu Fang.
However… for something as elusive as inspiration, it was difficult to grasp.
Xiong Shi had thoroughly entered a state where he solely focused on alchemy and it seemed as though he was almost going crazy. His eyes were bloodshot and he emitted a strong surging momentum. The pink fire in his alchemy furnace was rolling about unceasingly.
A faint fragrant was emitted from his furnace.
After simmering the bear paw for half a day, the meat became extremely soft and tender. The meat seemed as though it was about to turn transparent and the muscular bear paw seemed extremely tempting.
It looked extremely delicate and beautiful.
Retrieving a huge and round porcelain plate, Bu Fang placed the tender bear paw into the center of the plate. He placed the spirit herbs around it as decoration.
The supreme beast meat which was simmered till it was soft and tender was placed around the bear paw as well. It as though they were like leaves surrounding a flower. A blast of hot air emerged and the steam around the bear paw became much denser.
However, after Bu Fang did all this, his dish still wasn’t complete.
“Ahhh!”
Instead, just as Bu Fang was about to add the finishing touches on his dish, Xiong Shi’s enraged roar sounded in the distance.
With a loud thud, the alchemy furnace which was slightly floating in the air crashed into the bronze platform. The entire stage started to shake.
Xiong Shi’s body was wet with perspiration and the tuft of hair on his head was already messy. His eyes were bloodshot and his entire body seemed as though it was emitting a tyrannical aura.
His eyes were fixed on Bu Fang, however, it was more accurate to say that it was fixed on the bear paw. Gritting his teeth, he swung his hand and the lid of the alchemy furnace opened in an instant. A ripple started to spread out with Xiong Shi’s furnace as the center.
The fluctuations were invisible and they rippled in every direction.
A pink pill started to float out from the alchemy furnace and the air around it fluctuated. There were two pill lines on the pill and it emitted a bright glow.
He actually managed to complete his refinement… Moreover, he did it extremely quickly!
All of the audience members finally noticed Xiong Shi and stared at him. How could he be done with his refinement?
It was extremely quick!
This time, it seemed as though there was no furnace which exploded… It was really a miracle!
There were many audience members who had never seen a furnace explode before and a disappointed expression actually appeared on their faces.
Xiong Shi glared at Bu Fang and tightly gripped his pill.
Bu Fang shot a glance at Xiong Shi before turning away. He started to prepare the finishing touches of his dish.
As the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife rotated, Bu Fang sliced the ingredients and poured some oil into the Black Turtle Constellation Wok. He added the ingredients and started to fry them up.
After frying them for some time, the soup started to thicken up.
Rumble…
As bubbles appeared on the surface of the soup, rumbling sounds could be heard when they popped. There would be spirit energy which lingered around when that happened.
The thick soup had a ruddy color and seemed as though it was the same as the gravy which Bu Fang used when he cooked the Sweet ‘n’ Sour Ribs. However, compared to the gravy, this soup seemed even thicker.
Extinguishing the fire, Bu Fang prepared the wok as he scooped up some of the thick soup. He drizzled it on top of the bear paw.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle!
In an instant, hot steam rose into the air. The fragrance seemed to fill the area immediately as it emerged from the dish.
The fragrance was faintly discernible as it quickly covered the entire arena. The audience members were able to smell the aroma almost instantly and intoxicated expressions appeared on their faces.
“It smells so good! Indeed… The dish produced by this chef is never ordinary!”
“Even though the fragrance isn’t as dense as the barbeque, it feels as though it is restrained. There is something different about it.”
“The aroma coming from this dish isn’t the strongest, however, the flavor contained in it is the best!”
….
The audience seemed as though they were all food connoisseurs as they nodded their heads while they commented on the dish.
Retrieving a plump white radish, Bu Fang shot a glance at Xiong Shi and his Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife started to fly around. The audience was only able to see a blur before the product appeared in Bu Fang’s hand. He carved the radish into a shape of a bear which had its mouth open as it roared.
The majesty of the bear seemed unparalleled.
Placing this bear onto the plate, Bu Fang completed his dish.
“Red Braised Bear Paw… complete.”
The Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife twirled around in his hand and Bu Fang played with it for some time before grabbing it firmly. His face was expressionless when he declared that his dish was complete.
Rumble!
Everyone was unable to control themselves as they swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Staring at the tender and fragrant bear paw, it seemed as though their appetite was stimulated.
Although the fragrance wasn’t something extraordinary, it brought with it a kind of special charm. The audience members became unable to control themselves.
Looking at the piece of glistening bear paw on the porcelain plate, Xiong Shi couldn’t help himself as he grieved in his heart.
“My bear…”
When the judge saw that both of them were done, he walked in between them. He had a curious gaze on his face as he looked at the bear paw. Looking at the exquisite and beautiful Red Braised Bear Paw, the judge swallowed a mouthful of saliva involuntarily.
He had eaten many elixirs before. However, this was the first time he had seen anything like this dish which was both beautiful and fragrant.
A majestic voice came from the vault of heaven. No one knew when, but the five grand masters had already appeared on the stage. The judge was shocked as he paid his respects to the five of them.
“There is something special about this round. Let us be the judges of this round.” Clasping his hand behind his back, Grand Master Xuan Ming said. A gust of wind was swept up when Grand Master Xuan Ming spoke.
The rest of the grand masters had solemn expressions on their faces as they nodded their heads. After nodding, all of them looked at the bear paw.
“What is this dish called?” Grand Master Xuan Ming looked at Bu Fang and asked.
All of them surrounded the bear paw and started to examine it. They discovered that there was spirit energy circulating inside the glittering and exquisite bear paw. Compared to the barbeque in the previous round, it seemed as though the bear paw was much more appealing.
Xiong Shi held onto his two-mark spirit pill and was extremely confused. Why did the five grand masters run down there?
Even if you planned on coming down, why didn’t you notice me?
I’m the victim here! The bear paw which that little fellow cooked came from my giant bear!
Xiong Shi suddenly felt as though he was abandoned by the entire world. A feeling of sadness which was hard to describe appeared in his heart.
“This dish? I call it the Red Braised Bear Paw… It tastes really good,” Bu Fang glanced at Grand Master Xuan Ming and lightly said.
After he said it, he grabbed his advertisement board and started to seriously advertise his Cloud Mist Restaurant…
Everyone was already familiar with Bu Fang’s stiff advertisement. All of their attention was placed on the Red Braised Bear Paw instead.
The grand masters looked at each other before picking up their chopsticks. Standing on the bronze platform, they lightly touched the bear paw with their chopsticks before picking up a piece.
In the instant their chopsticks pierced into the bear paw, the several grand masters were shocked.
That was because the meat was extremely tender. Even though they lightly touched it, the meat fell apart. A brilliant light burst out from the bear paw and illuminated the area.
