1134 The High Priestess' Prophecy

Jing Yuan had never thought that such delicious food could exist.

This dish was in a league of its own.

The ice cream in her mouth spread throughout her whole body in an instant. The smooth taste, the rich fragrance of the milk, and the unique flavor made her completely stunned.

"How is it possible for something to taste this good?!"

She held the blue-and-white porcelain bowl and brought another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

After having a taste of Bu Fang's dish, she now understood why Chi Si would say that her dish seemed to have nothing special...

Indeed, it turned out that her dish was lackluster compared to this dish. Her dish had no amazing taste nor an impressive feeling.

Still... she worked hard. She had used up all her energy to cook it, and she did the best she could.

Yet… it still ended like this.

She lost.

At her level, she was less qualified than Bu Fang to cook for the imperial feast.

Holding the porcelain bowl, she scooped up another spoonful of the ice cream.

The melting ice cream made Jing Yuan's eyes water.

Even if Bu Fang had just left the ice cream as is, not having sculpted it in any way, Jing Yuan could still taste the wonders in it.

Moreover, it allowed her to know the gap between her and Bu Fang.

When Chi Si saw Jing Yuan crying, she felt a little nervous.

Lin Damei and Hei Mu also stood up involuntarily with a concerned look on their faces.

On one side was the best chef of Goddess City, and on the other was Bu Fang, who could create that delicious ice cream.

Jing Yuan cried, and they didn't know what to say.

Bu Fang looked at Jing Yuan. "Was it delicious?"

Jing Yuan, with reddened eyes and nose, gave a gentle nod. It would have been against her values to say that it wasn't delicious, but just couldn't say it.

The ice cream was truly beyond her imagination, and it even reminded her of the simplicity and beauty of cooking when she had just started to learn how to cook.

"Then stop crying. Continue eating, and be happy."

Jing Yuan took a deep breath and looked at Bu Fang. "You said that my Heart of Cooking Path is unsteady. Can you tell me how I can find my way?"

Everyone was stunned. Chef Jing Yuan's failure left a bad taste in their mouths.

"The Heart of Cooking Path is your understanding of the way of cooking. There are thousands of paths. You need to find your own path. Your previous cooking has been stagnating because you have not found your own way. Your goal was only to become the imperial feast chef, but once you no longer had this goal, you became confused. You were aimlessly cooking dishes with little essence and dedication," Bu Fang explained.

Chi Si looked at Bu Fang and fell into deep thought.

Lin Damei was confused.

Many of the people around did not understand.

Of course, it didn't matter whether they understood it or not. What truly mattered was if Jing Yuan could understand.

Jing Yuan's eyes were lost for a while. Then, slowly and steadily, she seemed to be enlightened.

Looking at her appearance, Bu Fang couldn't help but reveal a slight smile. "Tell me, what do you think your path is?"

Jing Yuan remained quiet. She looked around and looked down at the ice cream in the blue-and-white porcelain bowl.

After one bite, a warm feeling emerged from the bottom of her heart, which gradually made her eyes firm.

Holding the blue-and-white porcelain bowl tightly, she took a deep breath and looked at Bu Fang. "I want to learn how to make ice cream..."

Jing Yuan's voice sounded sincere, but she seemed afraid that Bu Fang would be offended. Hence, she was rather anxious.

It seems that her answer didn't really surprise Bu Fang. After tasting the deliciousness of that ice cream, any cook would want to learn how to make it.

Jing Yuan also understood that if Bu Fang left Goddess City, this delicacy would accordingly disappear.

The disappearance of ice cream would be a disaster for Goddess City.

Just from a bite of that ice cream, Jing Yuan had fallen deeply in love with it. She felt she had to learn how to make ice cream no matter the cost.

The corners of Bu Fang's mouth slightly curled upward as he looked at Jing Yuan. "If you want to learn, you can... be my apprentice."

Jing Yuan was stunned.

Everyone around was stunned as well.

Bu Fang didn't refuse?

Chi Si's brows furrowed. She looked at Bu Fang, seemingly discontent.

Jing Yuan is the head chef of Spring Wind Pavilion. How could she just go and be some man's apprentice?

Such a thing…

"I accept!" Jing Yuan's voice resolutely resounded.

Chi Si's eyes widened as she turned to look at Jing Yuan incredulously.

How could it be possible that Jing Yuan would agree to such a request?!

"I promise to be your apprentice. I want to learn how to make ice cream!" Jing Yuan said earnestly.

After Jing Yuan finished saying those words, she felt relieved.

A heartbeat seemed to have resounded. It was a sound that seemed to have come from ancient times.

The Heart of Cooking Path... had condensed!

At this moment, Jing Yuan's spirit had changed dramatically. It seemed as though she had become an Immortal Chef.

"Well, in that case, you can follow me and study under me. But for now, the imperial feast takes priority," Bu Fang said.

There was no doubt that Bu Fang had won the competition and won the imperial feast cooking qualification.

Although Jing Yuan lost, she would still be Bu Fang's assistant for the imperial feast.

Everyone looked at Bu Fang with a complicated look in their eyes.

Of course, they were mainly curious about the taste of ice cream. Unfortunately, as spectators, they had no chance to taste the delicacy that moved all three generals.

Bu Fang put away his stove and tidied up all the kitchen utensils. He then looked at Jing Yuan and said, "Now, take me into the kitchen for the imperial feast."

At this moment, Jing Yuan was busy eating ice cream with a flushed face. When she heard Bu Fang's words, she immediately looked around, finally noticing that the crowd had dispersed.

The three generals were also busy and left separately.

Chi Si called for her red dragon and rode on it, then disappeared into the sky.

Lin Damei called for her green dragon, while Hei Mu called for her black dragon.

The departure of the three generals meant the end of this intense imperial feast qualification competition.

After Jing Yuan finished eating her ice cream, she and Bu Fang then left.

"Head Chef Bu, please, this way," Jing Yuan earnestly said to Bu Fang as she gestured towards a location by the Dragon Lake.

...

"Ah?! She lost? Why did that little girl admit defeat so easily?" Empress Bi Luo, who had just watched how the cooking competition ended, suddenly looked confused.

It seems she had lost the bet.

Nethery turned to Empress Bi Luo with a smug look.

Empress Bi Luo laughed awkwardly when she saw Nethery's face. She then immediately became playful, grabbing Nethery's head and rubbing it against her chest.

"A loss is a loss. So what if I have to heed to my little sister's request? What does this big sister fear?" Empress Bi Luo laughed.

Then, with Nethery, she flew towards the palace.

Now, she was looking forward to the imperial feast.

To win against Jing Yuan shows that Bu Fang's cooking was definitely not bad.

If a delicacy like ice cream was present, the imperial feast this time would indeed become exciting.

...

Sacrificial Hall, Goddess City

The High Priestess was sitting on a cushion. Not far from her was an incense burner that had pale blue smoke slowly flowing out of it.

That smoke had a unique scent. When one was exposed to such a fragrance, they would immediately become slightly relaxed.

Wei Jin slowly opened the door to the hall and came in. She had once again worn her loose, long robes, the embarrassment from Nether King Er Ha still fresh in her mind.

"Is the competition over?"

The High Priestess did not wait for Wei Jin to open her mouth and instead raised her head as she asked.

The High Priestess' face was plain without makeup, but she was still undeniably beautiful. At this moment, she was combing her long hair with a wooden comb.

"It is. The man won," Wei Jin said.

She had also seen the emergence of ice cream, which made her very interested and curious as to how it tasted. But when she thought of her task, she endured her longing.

"Oh... so nothing surprising." The High Priestess nodded and no longer said anything.

After a while, she placed the wooden comb into a dressing box by her side, then stared at the incense burner.

"Some time ago... I had divined a prophecy," the High Priestess said with a gentle voice.

Wei Jin was stunned, and her heart suddenly shook.

The High Priestess divined a prophecy?

"The prophecy says that... Goddess City will be separated from the rest of the world in the near future. There will be a big event in the forbidden land we know as God Vanishing Mountain... For Goddess City, it's hard to judge whether this is a blessing or misfortune."

Wei Jin's body trembled more and more violently.

Goddess City will be separated from the rest of the world?

Goddess City, together with the force from God Vanishing Mountain, had made an agreement that one cannot be separated from the other... How could the High Priestess come to make such a prediction?

Moreover, it was unknown if this prophecy was a blessing or a misfortune…

"H-High... High Priestess... Shall we inform the Empress of this prophecy?" Wei Jin felt her teeth chattering as she felt a chill move through her body.

"What are you afraid of... No one can destroy Goddess City. As long as the forbidden land exists for the rest of the world, Goddess City will be safe and sound even if the Netherworld's army were to invade."

The High Priestess laughed lightly, looking like a hundred flowers were blooming around her.

"Regarding the Empress, this High Priest will tell her, but the time is not ripe yet. We shall wait until the imperial feast has passed… so for now, don't disturb the Empress..." the High Priestess added.

After that, she took the lid off the incense burner and poured a bit of light blue crystalline powder into it. A moment later, light blue smoke began to flow out once again.

...

Palace Kitchen, Goddess City

The palace kitchen was very busy. Women would come and go, constantly processing food.

Jing Yuan arrived with Bu Fang. After walking through the chaotic crowd, they finally arrived at a quiet spot.

"The imperial feast is different from ordinary banquets. It is held every year, and it is the most celebrated day in Goddess City," Jing Yuan said.

"While the imperial feast's dishes and recipes are basically already set, some dishes can still be modified to the chef's preference. However, other dishes must be cooked strictly according to the recorded recipes... The cookbook is in this room. Head Chef Bu needs to master all the dishes in the cookbook by tomorrow and also tell us the names of the dishes and the modifications to be made so that we can prepare.

"The imperial feast requires a total of eighteen dishes, three of which are used for sacrifice, while the remaining fifteen are to be eaten. The three dishes for sacrifice are prescribed by the ancestral government and cannot be changed," Jing Yuan whispered.

Bu Fang listened carefully. Since he had acquired the right to cook for the imperial feast, he would naturally take this matter seriously.

He then went to open a door.

On the other side of the door, candlelight lit up the room.

Bu Fang stepped in.

This was a room with only a single table, a single chair, and a pot of tea. On the table were eighteen jade tablets, where the recipes were recorded.

There was nobody else in the room.

After seeing Bu Fang enter, Jing Yuan bowed slightly, then closed the door.

She did nothing else. She just stood quietly in front of the door as if she was guarding it, ready to prevent anyone else from entering.

Before her was the busy palace kitchen. The sound of cooking and other sounds filled her ears.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Nether King Er Ha— who had already told Bu Fang that he had to go somewhere—walked slowly towards the palace while holding a Spicy Strip.

It was time for him, the Lord of the Netherworld, to meet the Empress of Goddess City.