Chapter 820: Chapter 819: Songjiang Sea Bass

Standing on Platform 1, Xia Yu’s lips were still moving in the camera, looking like he was talking to himself.

“…From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, fermented black beans are sweet in taste and cold in nature.”

“As a cold medicinal material, it can clear heat, and the ‘sweet’ taste can detoxify. Therefore, the function of fermented black beans, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, is to clear heat and detoxify.”

Why only talk about fermented black beans?

With Xia Yu’s achievements in the field of spices, he was certain that among the eight ingredients: fermented black beans, garlic, scallion whites, perilla, gardenia, mint, burdock, and almonds – “fermented black beans” must be the core surrounded by the others, just like “Merck Star Dust” in the Mystic Whale’s Fake Formula.

The past few days, Xia Yu was deeply engrossed in research and gained something.

At least, he discovered that fermented black beans combined with scallion whites make ‘Onion and Fermented Black Bean Soup’, which can relieve fever caused by cold.

Combining it with gardenia, which is bitter and cold, can dispel heat.

And with almonds, let’s first talk about the effects of almonds; they are bitter, can help lower the Qi, and enter the lung meridian, so many traditional Chinese medicinal soups combine almonds with ephedra, licorice, and other herbs to dispel wind and cold.

Fermented black beans and almonds combined…

Xia Yu’s eyes momentarily became dazed, vaguely seeing a black spiral rising, and a yellow stream constantly depositing downward.

In terms of Qi, the black stream is caused by fermented black beans, while almonds create the yellow stream.

Combination of the two, one rises and one descends.

“Strange, strange!” Xia Yu shook his head and sighed, “Fermented black beans and the other 7 ingredients, when paired separately, can all form medicinal soups, but when combined together like this, it appears chaotic, always feeling like something is missing.”

A sudden call echoed through the venue, interrupting the teenager muttering on stage.

Xia Yu raised his head in surprise and found half of the camera lenses shifted focus toward the judging table.

Listen to the call echoing through Dragon Gate Hall – which deity has arrived?

Involuntarily raising his head, he glanced curiously at the judging seat not far from Platform 1. Just in time, Wei Qinglian, who had just taken the stage, looked over at Platform 1, and Xia Yu’s gaze met hers in front of the camera, crossing in mid-air.

Click!

Both seemed to hear a flash of lightning.

Wei Qinglian’s eyes carried a hint of amusement, as if she was sending a message through her gaze—this is the Chinese Realm, not Japan!

Xia Yu observed this amusement clearly, making him feel a blend of laughter and vexation internally, “Is this woman still competing with me?”

Originally, he didn’t have any grudge against Wei Qinglian.

What, Dragon Head’s Decree?

He had already treated it as a joke a while back.

And since returning to his country until now, Wei Qinglian had kept to the rules and hadn’t troubled him, which Xia Yu found satisfying. However, upon encountering Wei Qinglian again, he became the competitor on stage, and Wei Qinglian became a judge, with a subtle change in status. Could she maintain the rules?

If she doesn’t follow the rules, they could at least form a grudge. After all, with the old man contending with the higher-ups of the White Jade Tower, how could I escape unscathed?

Huh!

A middle-aged man on stage winked at him, catching Xia Yu’s attention.

It was Li Quan, Li Han’s clan uncle, a renowned chef specializing in Fire Control Expertise who had honed [Bursting Flame] to an advanced level. He was also the leader of the White Jade Building Team in the Sapporo event, demonstrating his status.

The third unknown middle-aged male judge likewise focused intently on Xia Yu at Platform 1, filled with curiosity.

“…Is he the ‘Returning Demon King’?”

Wang Gong, a renowned chef from the Shuchuan Chef Alliance, thought complexly to himself.

Wang Gong, a master of Sichuan cuisine, is also the youngest member of the Elder Council in the Shuchuan Chef Alliance, carrying a graceful demeanor, with high potential, and was rumored by the Dragon Chef to potentially reach a culinary level no lower than the Dragon Chef rank.

“Xia Family!”

Considering this young generation ‘Demon King’, Wang Gong turned to mutter about Xia Yu’s background.

Xia Family, Liu Family.

These two surnames have been frequently mentioned in Shuchuan’s social talk over the past decade.

The Liu Family, of course, referred to the clan brought by Liu Maoxing, but after Liu Maoxing, the Liu Family had faded like a comet, sustained only because his sister Liu Jinling and Flying Saint Zhu Qi united and adopted a child into the Liu Family, barely keeping their lineage alive; otherwise, the Liu Family would have vanished from the Chinese Realm’s history long ago.

Why do Shuchuan citizens frequently mention these two surnames?

The Liu Family is easy to understand, having produced a legendary Chef God like Liu Maoxing. Naturally, Shuchuan citizens and Sichuan chefs hold intimate pride in it.

Whereas the Xia Family had the opportunity to rise from Shuchuan post Liu Family, it became a prestigious clan in the southwestern region of the Chinese Realm. Ten years ago, Wang Gong was in his youthful days, witnessing the rise and fall of the Xia Family with mixed emotions.

However, who could have imagined that the Xia Family would resurrect ten years later…

Leaving Wang Gong’s complex emotions aside, we return to the preliminary selection.

Three judges settled down, the host took the stage, singing amid drum and gong sounds, “You all know these three judges well, so I won’t introduce them further. Now, before the cooking segment officially begins, let’s first invite Mrs. Tang of the Tang Family to the stage to present the designated ingredients for this round of preliminary selection—”

Rumble.

The sound of wheels rolling across the floor echoed, and on the venue’s broadcast screen appeared a middle-aged man striding with the grace of a dragon, supporting an elderly lady with silver hair but still nimble hands and feet, holding a Dragon Head Staff as they slowly walked onto the main stage.

Whoosh——

Instantly, the entire hall, whether ordinary audience seats or private boxes, everyone stood up.

Seeing this scene, the three judges also stood and sat, then stood up again.

Xia Yu was puzzled, “Who is this?”

Tap.

The elderly lady walked to Platform 1, and the end of the staff lightly hit the floor, making a crisp sound, stopping in front of the platform, prompting Xia Yu to widen his eyes slightly to look over, simultaneously meeting the gaze of the middle-aged man and elderly lady.

“Ahem!”

The host coughed heavily to ease the atmosphere, “Please, Granny Tang, ‘catch a fish’ for the young talents!”

Catching a fish?

Just as Xia Yu was puzzled, snap!

A shadow of a stick flashed by.

The vibrant elderly lady swung the Dragon Head Staff at the seafood car that followed closely behind, breaking the water so a plump freshwater fish made a parabolic fall into the water basin in front of Xia Yu, splashing several droplets.

“Click, click, click…”

Intense flashes of cameras.

Simultaneously, the camera locked onto the agilely swimming fish in the basin, causing an uproar among the audience, “It’s sea bass!”

Xia Yu’s pupils shrank.

It was indeed sea bass, but this type of sea bass had a round head, large mouth, colorful scales, and was definitely not associated with “large”, as an adult fish was merely palm-sized.

Although Xia Yu had mastered his skills abroad, he could still recognize the four top freshwater fish in the Chinese Realm.

“Songjiang Sea Bass!”