CHAPTER 707: CHAPTER 706: FOOD TYRANT’S STOMACH 5

Swoosh—

A bright light burst forth, the strange glow of the dish illuminating Zhonghua Building.

In the High Platform Area at the foot of the mountain,

The queueing guests looked up, but they only caught a glimpse of the dazzling flash, like a shooting star.

Exclamations immediately emanated from the platform in the mountains, spreading in every direction.

During the night, many forest birds took flight in the Far Moon Mountain Forest.

"Clack!"

At the Tiqie Mansion,

An ancient teacup landed in a dish as Xian Zuowei Men finished the last cup of tea and stood up. He put on his wooden clogs at the entrance of the tea house, while Dojima Yin waited at the mansion’s gate, holding a square object wrapped in thick cloth.

In the High Platform Area,

Tonight’s business was less lively than usual. The Totsuki Ten, including Si Yingshi and Tiqie Helinai, did not have to attend to guests but instead stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of their respective restaurants, gazing at the brilliantly lit pavilion atop the hill.

Back at the scene,

After a moment of silence in the pavilion above and below, a gasp of cool air could be heard.

The glowing dish!

Even ordinary diners, having experienced a series of spectacular culinary performances at the Sapporo event, had a basic understanding of the glowing dishes.

Some enthusiasts had meticulously edited official highlights from the events to extract moments when the dishes glowed, making GIFs that had long since spread like wildfire in numerous households. Although the buzz about glowing dishes had gradually subsided with the end of the events in recent days, witnessing that magical flash firsthand now reignited the excitement and moved emotions that had quietly settled in their hearts.

"My god, a glowing dish!" exclaimed a group of students in front of the fifth-floor railing.

Aikawa Hikari’s jaw dropped as he murmured, "Today really is a super lucky day, to witness the glow of the dish on-site..."

Aoki Yuriko wrung her hands in front of her chest, her palms coated in sweat.

Thump thump!

Her heart pulsated vigorously in her chest.

"What a curious flash, like magic, I really want to try it!" she whispered dreamily.

Beneath the pavilion, a crowd at the Skywell, witnessing the glow up close, were also petrified for quite some time.

After a while,

"Why, won’t you give it a try?" a nonchalant voice broke the silence.

Lei Zhe, with a rigid face, at the words, merely kept his gaze fixed on the freshly-made tofu dish on the table.

Qian Rixiangzi and Shigong Xiaoci Lang, to his left and right, each lifted the lid off a wooden box—these were actually the essential molds for making the "Great Magic Panda Tofu."

The making and cooking of the tofu were, in fact, completed within the narrow confines of the box, thus lending an air of mystery.

The tofu, freed from the mold and uncut, lay on the large plate.

The flash of the dish was only a surprise to Lei Zhe.

Having experienced the Sapporo event firsthand, he was no stranger to seeing such glows and was far from shocked.

But at this moment, Lei Zhe’s eyes were wide with disbelief as he stared at the black and white dual-colored tofu.

"What, what is that sound?!"

Thump thump!

His blood seemed to flow backward in his body—the dual-colored tofu seemed to be sending a calling signal toward Lei Zhe’s heart. He felt like he was facing an intelligent magical instrument, shaken by its aura.

Rumble rumble, rumble rumble.

The commotion before a storm, yet something seemed to have insulated it.

"Eh... bamboo leaves?"

Andrea, with her pretty face equally filled with astonishment, focused on the layer of verdant leaves beneath the black and white tofu—the scent of the leaves was refreshing and undoubtedly came from bamboo.

At this moment, Catherine, having finished eating the ’ox pork bird blood sausage,’ set down her chopsticks and stared strangely at the plate, murmuring, "I’ve never seen such a special tofu before."

Those around nodded silently.

Everyone had seen plain white tofu or green tofu before—it wasn’t anything extraordinary.

But black and white together, closely connected, and presented like exquisite pastries, was very rare indeed.

"What’s underneath the bamboo leaves?!"

Lei Zhe asked with a heavy voice.

"Why don’t you lift it and see?" Xia Yu shrugged.

"Lift it?"

Lei Zhe’s expression hardened.

"I’m not teasing you, lifting the bamboo leaves reveals the true nature of this dish—"

Upon hearing these words, the unscrupulous Lin Giant reached out, as told, toward the polished ceramic plate.

But as soon as his fingers clutched a bamboo leaf, his forehead broke out into a profuse sweat.

"Open it," Xia Yu urged, amused.

"I refuse to believe that a mere tofu dish, even one made with top-tier Fantasy Ingredients, can satiate my Food Tyrant’s Stomach! I don’t buy it!"

Gnashing his teeth, Lei Zhe let out a low growl and moved his hands swiftly as lightning, whisking away the bamboo leaves in swift strokes.

Green leaves flew in all directions.

"Boom!"

In an instant, the two-tone tofu on the plate collapsed like a toppled sand tower.

Red, black, white!

The red was the sauce.

Once the bamboo leaves were removed, the sauce hidden at the bottom of the plate burst out like volcanic lava, quickly drenching the tofu.

And as the tofu structure fell apart, the two-colored confectionery crumbled into small, distinct black and white tofu pieces.

The scattering of black and white, to the eyes of Lei Zhe and the spectators around, looked as if a magician was performing a spell.

"It’s... out!"

In a flash, Lei Zhe leaped up from his seat.

Roar!

The mingling black and white melody seemed to take the form of a massive panda, but unlike any known panda, this one was not gentle. Its eyes were the red of the sauce, shining bright with inner flames. Just by meeting its gaze, Lei Zhe felt as if he had been ignited, burning to his very core!

"Ah!"

The panda reached out its paw towards him, and Lei Zhe’s hairs stood on end, hastily throwing his head down and raising his arms in a defensive posture.

Whoosh!

A wave of fiery heat passed over him.

It took a while for Lei Zhe to awaken, drenched in sweat.

The moment he came to, he looked around in a panic, "Where’s that demonized panda?"

Hearing this,

those around him were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Lei Zhe, what are you talking about?" Andrea gave him a look of disdain, as if watching a fool’s performance.

"Huh? Uh!"

Lei Zhe realized he had left his seat and was foolishly standing.

Turning back to his dish, he saw his unique tofu meal had indeed crumbled, the small black and white pieces of tofu scattered and lying amidst the red sauce.

Another gust of hot air struck.

His body still felt a burning sensation, a testament to the powerful impact of the spicy sauce!

"So, are you going to eat it?"

A voice asked him.

Lei Zhe turned to meet the teasing eyes of the young man and snorted coldly, "It’s nothing more than culinary heart and food spirit in play, all smoke and mirrors! I’ve seen plenty of such low tricks... And our Food Tyrant Chef’s way of dealing with it is straightforward and brutal... which is to eat! Swallow it, digest it, don’t fool yourself thinking you can defeat me with an illusion!"

He grabbed a large spoon.

Splosh!

With a rough motion, he scooped up the tofu, the piping hot sauce splattering onto the table, and Lei Zhe definitely tasted this tofu dish with a critical mind.

However, when he chewed vigorously on a few pieces of the black and white tofu.

Crash!

The porcelain spoon fell to the ground and shattered.

"It’s burning, too hot to breathe!" Lei Zhe found himself in an awkward state, as if he had stuffed a ball of fire into his mouth, his mouth gaping open like a gasping bear.

Sweat poured down his forehead.

But then, on Lei Zhe’s face there appeared no sign of pain, instead a look of rapture.

The tofu melted in his mouth without even needing to chew.

Undoubtedly, the silky smooth texture of the "Shuangjiang Tofu" was already at an incredibly extreme level of perfection.

But as the black chunks of tofu also melted, a rich, sweet taste exploded, and Lei Zhe suddenly found himself lost in an ocean of sweetness, envisioning a lively amusement park teeming with joyful tourists.

"Ah—"

Unexpectedly, he felt the ground give way beneath him, and Lei Zhe couldn’t help but cry out as he tumbled into a winding, twisting chute, drenched as he landed, staining his entire body with red pulp.

This pulp tasted sweet and carried the spicy, numbing flavor of mapo tofu.

And so, Lei Zhe found himself in an endless chute, like a lost drifter, struggling valiantly.