Chapter 642: So calm?

Both sides agreed on the wager and immediately began preparations.

The duel between spirit chefs had no complicated rules; it was simply about the taste of the dishes.

This time Elder Li served as the impartial judge, naturally tasked with tasting the dishes prepared by both sides.

Accompanied by Bai Hua Xianzi and Jue Ying, Ye Zhangqing stepped forward.

Seeing the Tang clan actually send out a greenhorn, Nie Yuan said with a look of disdain.

"What, does the Tang clan have no one left?"

"That's none of your concern."

I had thought Tang Yao would personally take action, but I never expected it to be Ye Zhangqing.

As for that, Tang Yao also couldn't be bothered to explain; after his words fell, he respectfully approached Ye Zhangqing and asked what ingredients were needed.

Seeing Tang Yao's deferential attitude, Nie Yuan furrowed his brow slightly.

How could this old geezer show such respect to a mere greenhorn?

Judging by his age and cultivation, he is utterly unworthy of such treatment from Tang Yao.

He couldn't figure it out, but in Nie Yuan's view, no matter who the Tang clan sent today, the outcome couldn't be changed.

This time he was certain to win; as a ninth‑rank spirit chef, he didn't believe anyone from the Tang clan could beat him.

Both sides prepared their own ingredients.

Nie Yuan's side produced many precious ingredients; at a glance it was clear they had been meticulously prepared.

As for Ye Zhangqing's side, it was much simpler.

A piece of fire‑spirit pork, then some simple seasonings like scallion, ginger, and star anise.

Compared to Nie Yuan's, it looked rather shabby.

"Heh, kid, you think you can beat me with just a piece of fire‑spirit pork?"

Nie Yuan said dismissively; hearing this, Ye Zhangqing turned his head and glanced at him.

The ingredients are indeed good, but having ingredients alone isn't enough.

"Young Master Ye, you're fine with just using such simple ingredients?"

Even Tang Yao felt a bit unsure; when Ye Zhangqing earlier stated the ingredients he needed, Tang Yao was taken aback.

Just this simple—would it be enough?

This time he had put the entire Tang clan on the line; if he lost, the consequences...............

Facing Tang Yao's worry, Xu Jie and the others were brimming with confidence.

"Rest assured, Junior Brother Ye Zhangqing could never lose."

"We aren't worried about winning or losing at all."

As the crowd chatted, Ye Zhangqing and Nie Yuan likewise began to work.

First, he minced the fire‑spirit pork into a meat paste.

The fire‑spirit pork, minced entirely by hand, was all the more full of bite.

Then Ye Zhangqing took out a large bowl, placed the pork paste inside, and added minced scallion and ginger, salt, MSG, and a series of seasonings.

Finally, there was cornstarch and two eggs.

"This kid..............."

Completely unable to fathom Ye Zhangqing's actions, Nie Yuan glanced over, suspicious, wondering what dish he was making.

Ignoring Nie Yuan, after adding the various seasonings, Ye Zhangqing began to pound.

Pounding was to make the meat paste more compact.

Then he pinched it into meatballs.

"Junior Brother Ye Zhangqing, are you planning to make a new dish?"

Seeing this, Xu Jie and the others had already guessed that Ye Zhangqing was preparing a new dish, one they had never seen before.

In fact, the dish Ye Zhangqing was making was simply red‑braised lion's head.

It wasn't particularly complex; at the very least, it was on a completely different level from Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and boiling water cabbage.

However, making a good red‑braised lion's head still requires attention to detail.

Once the preliminary preparations were done, Ye Zhangqing began frying.

Unlike others, before frying Ye Zhangqing coated the meatballs with a layer of egg wash.

This was done mainly to ensure the meat stayed tender.

The frying time need not be long; just enough to set the shape of the meatballs.

The only thing to watch is that the oil temperature must be sufficient; if too low, the meatballs easily split.

Once frying was finished, he prepared the broth.

He added star anise, Sichuan pepper, lotus leaves, etc., plus some dark soy sauce.

He placed the fried red‑braised lion's heads into the broth, brought it to a boil over high heat, then covered them with a layer of cabbage leaves.

The main purpose of the cabbage leaves is to absorb oil, making the red‑braised lion's heads less greasy to eat.

After doing all that, Ye Zhangqing covered the pot and began to wait.

In fact, by this point Ye Zhangqing's work was done; all that remained was to wait for the time to elapse.

He idly sat by the stove.

"Junior Brother, you're done already?"

"Yeah, just wait for the time."

Xu Jie and the others stepped forward curiously; Ye Zhangqing nodded with a smile.

"It's ready this fast?" Xu Jie and the others eyed the large pot dubiously.

Over at Nie Yuan's side, he's still busy having a great time, and it looks like he's showing off.

And Ye Zhangqing's relaxed ease here makes the two extremes complete.

"Hah, a good-for-nothing."

Seeing Ye Zhangqing already plopped down, Nie Yuan let out a cold snort, still thinking he could win like that.

Looks like he's given up on himself.

Not caring about others' opinions, Ye Zhangqing, Xu Jie, and the others chatted while waiting for the lion's head meatball in the pot to finish.

Actually, cooking isn't something you can do well just because it looks flashy.

Often, being flashy is useless, after all, in the end it's the taste that matters.

Like Nie Yuan, with so many ingredients, both mountain delicacies and sea flavors.

It looks extremely luxurious, but can one really blend the flavors of all these ingredients together?

You should know, different ingredients have worlds-apart flavors.

The more ingredients used, the harder it is to blend them and bring out their true flavor, testing one's skill.

So using more ingredients isn't necessarily best.

Keeping it simple often brings unexpected gains.

"Young Master Ye, no problem?"

If there's anyone who's nervous, it's Tang Yao; he has no choice, as the future of the Tang family rests entirely on Ye Zhangqing.

Seeing him so relaxed, Tang Yao feels even less confident.

How long has it been? He's already sitting down to rest, while Nie Yuan hasn't stopped from start to finish.

"Don't worry, Old Master Tang."

Ye Zhangqing calmly nodded, glancing at Nie Yuan while speaking—overdoing it.

By now Nie Yuan has finally finished preparing all the ingredients; next is the cooking.

As Nie Yuan worked, Tang Yao's face grew uglier and uglier.

"This this this... this guy broke through to ninth-level Spirit Chef?"

Only then did Tang Yao realize that this old thing Nie Yuan had actually broken through, and now he's reached the level of a ninth-level Spirit Chef.

That old thing screwed me over—damn it.

Originally he was nervous, but now Tang Yao is even more uncertain.

Ninth-level Spirit Chefs—there are only three in all of Zhongzhou.

Even Elder Li, who had been silent, looked at Nie Yuan with greater shock.

Nie Yuan broke through; as a result, the Nie family is likely to soar.

But this time, the Tang family is likely to suffer badly—with such a huge stake, they may truly decline thereafter.

He glanced sympathetically at Ye Zhangqing, then at Tang Yao's direction, secretly thinking.