Chapter 1885: Immortal Realm Anorexia

This small courtyard looks very plain and simple, covering little area; it is merely an ordinary one‑room courtyard, and even a tiny rear courtyard is missing.

Under the guidance of Bai Yuan and the three deputy city lords, the group slowly entered the room.

Upon entering the room, their gazes were instantly drawn to the bed.

On the bed lay a man whose physique was extraordinarily emaciated.

This man's complexion was sickly yellow, frightening, as if he had lost all vitality; his whole body was reduced to skin and bone, having reached the point of emaciation.

When the crowd entered, he showed not the slightest reaction, lying there like a lifeless corpse.

The deputy city lord who had spoken earlier turned his gaze to the man on the bed and spoke softly.

This person suffers from a grave illness; he was sent to our Cooking King Immortal City seeking treatment. He has unfortunately been poisoned by the rare Immortal Radish Flower toxin, which has severely damaged his meridians throughout his body and even his dantian, leaving him unable to properly absorb the spiritual qi of heaven and earth. Worse still, the Línglì stored within his body is constantly leaking away and dissipating.

Then, the deputy city lord paused briefly and continued his explanation.

Faced with this situation, the most suitable and effective treatment now is to use dietary therapy to gently nourish his damaged meridians and gradually neutralize the potent toxin hidden in his body. However, this person's identity is somewhat special; ordinary foods hold no appeal for him, making it hard for him to swallow. Therefore, the task of this first round of the examination is for you to prepare a delicious meal; if you can successfully arouse his appetite and get him to eat, then you will have passed the test.

Hearing the elder's words, Ye Zhangqing's mind flashed with the term anorexia; he secretly thought, the toxin of the Immortal Radish Flower is something he has never heard of, and he has never even seen what the so‑called Immortal Radish Flower looks like.

One would imagine this flower is a kind of spiritual plant unique to the Immortal Realm, and it contains extremely potent toxicity.

However, the requirement of this examination is not for me to detoxify him, but merely to cook a table of dishes that this gentleman would like.

After the elder's brief description, Ye Zhangqing's first impression was that this person suffers from anorexia.

As his words fell, the gazes of the three deputy city lords all turned toward Ye Zhangqing.

Meeting those three gazes, Ye Zhangqing snapped back to attention, then nodded slightly and replied.

Okay.

Although he knows nothing about how anorexia manifests in the Immortal Realm, having come this far, he might as well give it a try to see the outcome.

Regardless, he will undertake this examination with full effort and seriousness, displaying his true culinary skill without reservation.

As for whether the other party will ultimately be willing to taste these dishes, that lies entirely beyond Ye Zhangqing's control.

Throughout the examination, the three deputy city lords supervised closely; they are all unfathomably powerful and awe‑inspiring experts.

Under the watchful eyes of these three high‑level experts, if Ye Zhangqing tried to cheat during the examination, it would be pure fantasy, with no chance of success.

Therefore, upon hearing the deputy city lord's words, Ye Zhangqing showed not the slightest hesitation and nodded his agreement without delay.

Seeing Ye Zhangqing's cheerful response, the deputy city lord nodded in satisfaction, then raised his hand and gently pointed toward the kitchen, speaking softly.

"The kitchen over there has already been prepared for you in advance; it contains all kinds of cooking utensils you might need—knives, pots, bowls, and the like. You may either use the ones we provide or bring your own. The same goes for the ingredients."

After a pause, he added:

"However, one point to note: certain special seasonings and side dishes are prohibited from use."

"Okay, understood."

Ye Zhangqing hurriedly nodded again, indicating that he now fully understood all the rules.

Immediately afterward, he strode straight toward the kitchen.

Upon entering the kitchen, he found it exactly as the deputy city lord had said: the cooking utensils were thoroughly stocked, and the variety of available ingredients was quite considerable.

Unfortunately, as the deputy city lord had said, using top‑grade ingredients would prevent Ye Zhangqing from truly demonstrating his real culinary skill, because their rank is too high.

Therefore, Ye Zhangqing's selection of ingredients had to be strictly limited to ordinary ones.

After glancing at the ingredients in the kitchen, Ye Zhangqing gave it no further thought and immediately began preparations.

Meanwhile, Bai Yuan and the other two did not follow him in; with their cultivation levels, their divine sense enveloping the area made it clear what Ye Zhangqing was doing.

There was simply no chance to cheat.

In the kitchen, Ye Zhangqing's movements were not slow at all, even though this is the Young City Lord's examination—a matter of great importance with only one chance.

If he failed, the three city lords would naturally not waste any more time keeping him company here.

Yet Ye Zhangqing's motions flowed smoothly, as if he felt no pressure, no different from his usual cooking.

Under the cover of divine sense, another deputy city lord who rarely spoke now smiled and said.

"This youngster's temperament is not bad; being able to stay so calm and composed now is far better than those three brats before."

"Hmm, speaking solely of temperament, that is indeed the case."

Hearing this, another deputy city lord nodded in agreement.

The other three Young City Lord candidates, when undergoing their examination, did not have such a good mindset; although not to the point of being flustered, they still felt nervous inside.

But for Ye Zhangqing, it seemed as if this issue did not exist at all; his movements were fluid, and he appeared completely at ease, advancing and retreating with proper measure.

Moreover, there was no sign of him deliberately slowing down out of fear of failure; such a thing simply did not occur with Ye Zhangqing.

The two deputy city lords approved of Ye Zhangqing's mindset from the start; this was the first point on which they both agreed.

As for Bai Yuan, although he remained silent, his attitude was certainly the same; as Ye Zhangqing's recommender, he naturally hoped Ye Zhangqing would pass the examination and successfully ascend to the position of Young City Lord.