CHAPTER 797: CHAPTER 796: LOULIN SHIP (PART 1)

The main hall of the treasure ship is closed and opens only past midnight, which means Xia Yu won’t be able to witness the old man’s splendor until midnight.

Yan Qi led Xia Yu and Zhu Qing to a side hall.

It was not Zhu Qing’s first time on the treasure ship; with his hands behind his back, he hummed an unknown tune, walked lightly, and seemed in a rather good mood, not at all worried about the impending midnight Dragon-grade culinary duel.

"This ship, likely carries about two thousand people," Yan Qi said to Xia Yu, "Dragon Chefs and Lin Chefs from across most of the Chinese Realm are here, including that one. Of course, there are many other renowned figures as well."

"That one? Who?"

Xia Yu casually grabbed a plate full of fruits from the food-packed dining table and kept feeding fruits into his mouth with a toothpick, his cheeks slightly puffed.

He found Yan Qi’s meaningful gaze inexplicable.

Yan Qi found his way of eating amusing and looked at Zhu Qing, standing alongside Xia Yu, also grabbing food from a plate with the same gusto, shaking his head laughingly: "You guys, aren’t you concerned about Xia Qing?"

"Mr. Yan, are you worried sick?" Zhu Qing mumbled indistinctly while chewing on some fruit.

Uh!

Yan Qi was choked for a while.

"Forget it, wander around a bit, I’ll find you before midnight," Yan Qi left quickly after saying so.

Night was still young, with considerable time until the adult theater at midnight.

Yan Qi said there are two thousand people on board, and the bustling scenes in the various side halls verified he was not exaggerating.

First fill one’s stomach in the first side hall with some snacks; Xia Yu had hurried over from the venue at Yan Qi’s summons and hadn’t had a drop to eat for half a day and was terribly hungry.

The same went for Zhu Qing.

The saying goes, warmth and satiation breed certain thoughts.

Having resolved the hunger, entertainment was next— the long night couldn’t simply be passed in silence.

"This is the Pin Xuan Pavilion."

Zhu Qing pushed aside a curtain, pointing to a fog-covered side hall.

This hall had many tables and cushions set up, and many people in black robes gathered here; at first glance, the cloud-swallowing scenes resembled a gathering of addicts, but in reality, it was a group of tea and wine enthusiasts engaged in spirited conversations.

There were women behind veils, with beautiful brows and eyes, sitting at the piano stage, playing the piano, adding some ancient charm to the atmosphere.

"This is the Ge Gu Pavilion."

Continuing the tour to the next side hall.

No need for Zhu Qing’s explanation; Xia Yu saw a group of people around, discussing vases and other antique collections—so it was clear this was a gathering of antique collectors.

They arrived just in time for a private antique auction reaching its climax; an old man with a white beard was even anxious enough to pull off his hood and slap the table, shouting: "One secret-grade killing-quality spice formula, swap or not?!"

"No way! This is the ancient inkstone used by the master Luo Tian!"

The antique seller shook his head unwaveringly.

Hearing this, Xia Yu was surprised, "Master Luo Tian?"

"Master Luo Tian, also known as Seven-star Saber Ren’s mentor, once the master of the kitchen at the Yangquan Restaurant, his cooking skills reached their peak. Yu, don’t you know?" Zhu Qing gave him a glance.

"I know, I know!"

Xia Yu nodded, yet his mouth twitched subtly.

Seeing a group of living people, likely towering figures in the Chinese Realm, vying for artifacts once thought by Xia Yu to be used by fictional individuals, that sensation was simply indescribably subtle.

"Well, according to this, the bath basins or foot basins used by Shell Fairy and Zhao Meili should be worth a fortune?"

Xia Yu’s muttering was overheard by Zhu Qing.

As a result, Zhu Qing’s expression changed instantly, looking at Xia Yu, he said something shockingly: "Do you want my foot basin?"

"No!"

"Original flavor..."

"Go away!"

Xia Yu left the Ge Gu Pavilion without looking back.

The two moved to the next side hall, unexpectedly arriving at a Book Collection Pavilion.

The atmosphere was more serene than a typical library; every chair and table was occupied, and the aisles between the bookshelves were almost too narrow to squeeze through. Xia Yu remarked, "Are chefs actually bookworms?"

"The ancient books on Loulin Ship are not available outside!" Zhu Qing’s words made Xia Yu’s gaze turn to one of intent aggression.

"Don’t rush!"

Zhu Qing placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping Xia Yu’s advancing right foot, and winked: "These people seldom have the chance to visit Loulin Ship when it opens, but you’re different, Yu; Mr. Yan values you greatly, and Loulin Ship is his, you can come aboard anytime!"

Xia Yu found Zhu Qing’s words extremely reasonable and withdrew his right foot.

Next, they continued visiting various halls.

Beyond the Book Collection Pavilion, there were places like the Five Elements Platform, Fire Pavilion, and Heavenly Craft Hall.

Oh!

Before reaching the top level of the building ship, Xia Yu and Zhu Qing were drawn to the bustling Heavenly Craft Hall, a small arena with flashing blades, where the air was thick with the foreboding chill of cold weapons.

Thinking it was a knife and sword fighting arena? Wrong!

"Bang bang bang bang bang..."

The sound was so familiar, none other than the noise of knife and chopping board in intense motion, right?

"Bravo!"

"Such knife skills, at their pinnacle, which old master is this?!"

Cried the full crowd.

Upon hearing this, Xia Yu couldn’t help but tiptoe to see the center of the crowd, witnessing a slightly thin figure in a black robe, who had just put down a cleaver, yet on the chopping board was what seemed a whole block of pork, quite puzzling.

At a distance, there was an open area where a middle-aged man not wearing a black robe, with dark skin who looked rather like a miner, was standing arms crossed, his eyes gleaming.

"Bravo!" The middle-aged man likewise cheered and applauded.

Suddenly, in the next moment, the room fell silent.

The middle-aged man ignored the abrupt quiet, stepping onto the chef’s stage, and blew fiercely at the piece of pork.

Rustle.

A sheet of bloody pork skin stayed on the chopping board.

However, the pork transformed into almost transparent thin slices, floating up and drifting like silk threads.

Seen falling like flowers with pork slices?

Even Xia Yu, who had practiced several Seven Stars Knife complementary culinary techniques to the purple stage, watched wide-eyed, "If such knife skills were used for sashimi, wouldn’t that elevate the dish quality directly to a new level?"

Absolutely.

Knife skills, as the foundation along with heat control and seasoning, have immeasurable importance.

Heat control and seasoning reaching the peak can elevate dish quality, so why can’t knife skills do the same?

With Xia Yu’s current comprehension of knife skills, in a nutshell—

Knife skills enhance the flavor of ingredients.

Thus, improving the dish quality through knife skills must be accomplished by processing ingredients.

If not for the suddenly cold atmosphere in the room, Xia Yu would have clapped and cheered energetically himself.

"Didn’t expect to encounter someone whose knife skills surpass mine just after returning home..."

Xia Yu felt his blood boiling.

At this moment, the person who demonstrated the knife skill mastery in a black robe spoke, voice melodious, like pearls falling onto a plate, the sound indicated she was a young woman.

"Is anyone willing to compete with me?"

She glanced around, overflowing with assertive charm.