626 The Familiar Flavor

Nethery battled her long eyelashes, and with an expression of skepticism on her face, she glanced at Bu Fang first before turning to Yang Meiji. Her cheeks remained stuffed, though, and she continued to chew.

Gulp! She swallowed down the mouthful of Dragon Blood Rice. Her red lips, which were now smeared with oil, still looked very luscious!

As soon as Bu Fang sat in front of Nethery, Yang Meiji screamed. This startled Bu Fang, and he turned to look at her in surprise.

With raised brows, Yang Meiji glared at Bu Fang as though he were a pervert.

Bu Fang was puzzled. What kind of look was that?

Why would he, Bu Fang—the one who aimed to become the God of Cooking, thereby reaching the top of the food chain in this fantasy world—become a pervert?

Bu Fang chose not to bother with Yang meiji, so he turned his attention back to Nethery, who was chewing another mouthful of Dragon Blood Rice.

"Hey, Nethery, how's your Dragon Blood Rice tonight?" The corners of his lips curled upwards into a smile, which made Yang Meiji shudder.

Upon hearing his question, Nethery nodded.

"Delicious, right? Here, if it's delicious, you should eat more." Bu Fang turned around and seized Eighty's bowl, then he poured the rice into Nethery's bowl before pushing it back to her.

Eighty jerked its head up and stared in shock, despite the grain of rice stuck on its beak. What had just happened?

Nethery swallowed that mouthful of rice and grinned. Filled with joy, she nodded and scooped out an oily handful of Dragon Blood Rice, which she proceeded to unceremoniously stuff into her mouth. 

At another table, Lord Dog was eating its Sweet 'n' Sour Rib. The mouthwatering aroma of the dish had already permeated every nook and cranny of the restaurant's interior. 

Chomp! Chomp!

The kid Bu Fang looked to be having some issues on that day. Lord Dog placed its paw on the table and watched Bu Fang between mouthfuls.

Not only had Bu Fang cocked his head to the side, but he also had a boorish smile on his face. These made Lord Dog more suspicious.

Bu Fang's smile could cause the hair on the nape someone's neck to stand on end.

"Nethery, ah, if it's this delicious, would you want to cook it yourself?" Bu Fang's smile disappeared, and he asked with a serious expression.

As soon as Nethery heard that, she stared at Bu Fang momentarily before shaking her head sideways.

"Nope, I only want to eat."

"You only want to eat…" Bu Fang repeated, feeling as though an invisible little arrow had pierced through his heart.

"Serves you right. Gluttonous Nethery, you can eat since you were so bold…" Lord Dog smirked when it saw Bu Fang get turned down.

Bu Fang rubbed his nose and turned to Lord Dog. "How about you? Do you want to cook the delicious Sweet 'n' Sour Rib yourself?"

"Nope, Lord Dog only wants to eat."

Lord Dog arrogantly shook its head sideways before picking up a piece of Sweet 'n' Sour Rib. The thick aroma of its wine sauce began to permeate the surrounding.

When Bu Fang heard the reply, his lips twitched. What a lazy dog!

Yang Meiji gave a sigh of relief and sat back down.

Owner Bu had only wanted to ask Nethery to… By the way, Nethery was so pretty, and she just wanted to eat. It's all good, Yang Meiji thought.

Having been turned down twice in quick succession, Bu Fang begrudgingly stood up. Finding apprentices was a really tough business. His ability to deceive was apparently insufficient. However, he could not be blamed because he was just a chef; a nice little chef who did not keep up any pretense. 

Bu Fang stood up; although he didn't want to, he had no choice. These two were just gluttons. 

He took his chair to the gate of the restaurant and sat down, watching the last rays of sunlight take their leave.

The sun setting in the west emitted magnificently bright and lustrous rays of light, closely followed by drifting clouds. The scenery was too beautiful to behold. In the horizon, some black birds could be seen flying around. Furthermore, the faint bird singing lingered around.

In Heavenly Mist City, the great battle had just ended, and many people were taking part in the city's renovation.

Even though the city had a formation array to automatically fix the damaged environment, the repair was still faster with human involvement.

After watching for a while, Bu Fang got bored. After deciding to return to the kitchen to practice his knife skills, he stood up.

However, when he turned around, he saw Yang Meiji's colossal body.

"Why are you here?" Bu Fang asked.

Yang Meiji clutched her belly and smacked her lips. "I'm a little hungry. Owner Bu, can I order a dish?"

Yang Meiji asked Bu Fang with wide, puppy eyes. Her nostrils had already been permeated by the fragrant aromas emanating from the Sweet 'n' Sour Rib and Dragon Blood Rice. They made her heart itch.

As soon as she asked, her belly growled noisily, causing her to feel embarrassed.

Bu Fang was a momentarily stunned, but he soon nodded.

"What do you want to eat? Pick a dish, and tell me," Bu Fang said before walking to the kitchen.

At that, Yang Meiji's eyes lit up. She returned to the restaurant and checked the menu on the wall. She quickly chose Red Braised Meat.

She always considered meat the best! Moreover, in the past, her father used meat to cook delicious dishes for her.

Hence, Bu Fang's Red Braised Meat also made her miss her father's cooking.

As Bu Fang walked to the kitchen, something came to his mind, and he stopped just by the door. Then, he turned to Whitey. 

Seeing this, Whitey rubbed its round head, perplexed.

Bu Fang blinked a few times before turning around to glance at the huge Yang Meiji, who was just taking a seat. She still seemed lost in thought.

Bu Fang rubbed his chin, and the corners of his lips curled upward. Then, he nodded.

At that moment, Yang Meiji's recollection was interrupted by a chill that had just crawled down her spine, and she hurriedly looked around. As Yang Meiji had chosen Red Braised Meat, Bu Fang stepped into the kitchen.

Bu Fang rolled the sleeves of his Vermillion Robe and took a deep breath.

It was time to show his real technique!

This time around, Bu Fang wanted to cook the best Red Braised Meat he could.

He walked to the kitchen cabinet and began to search it carefully. Eventually, he found the meat of a spirit beast, whose grade was not high. The meat belonged to a popular second-grade spirit beast. He placed the slab of meat atop his cutting board.

Bu Fang gently patted the meat with the spine of the Dragon Bone Kitchen knife, and after twirling the glinting knife moments later, he began to cook. He skillfully diced the meat into cubes and placed them onto a porcelain tray. Each cube of meat had the same size.

After that, Bu Fang took out the Black Turtle Constellation Wok and cleaned it. He opened his mouth and spouted out a ball of golden Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame which flew to the bottom of the wok. As soon as it got there, the temperature in the wok rose.

Shortly, steam began to rise from the wok.

Bu Fang poured some oil into it, closely followed by some spirit herbs, which he began to stir-fry. After that, he poured the diced meat into the wok. This time, he didn't cook the Red Braised Meat on the menu. Bu Fang had decided to make the dish possess a taste that would make one recall a memory; he had to do that if he wanted to convince Yang Meiji.

Thus, Bu Fang had cooked a simple dish of Red Braised Meat. Using simple dishes like this was the easiest method to touch the heart of others.

Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!

The flame rose even higher into the sky. After sautéing, Bu Fang poured in some Spirit Spring Water and let the wok's contents stew.

The food inside the wok bubbled slightly, and a mouthwatering aroma, which made Bu Fang squint, began to permeate the air.

This flavor was… simple and genuine.

...

Inside the Cloud Mist Restaurant's dining area, Yang Meiji, who was already seated at a table, was waiting hopefully.

Eighty had spread open its wings and begun to run around; this was because its Dragon Blood Rice had disappeared before it could dig in properly. 

However, what could it do? As a chicken with ambition, all it could do was run around to vent its frustration.

That evil woman! She robbed me of my food!

Nethery's eyes narrowed in satisfaction. She was hopping around the restaurant.

Lord Dog lay beneath the Path-Understanding Tree, fast asleep. A leaf fell from the Path-Understanding Tree and landed on its nose. Without batting an eyelid, it exhaled a forceful breath, and the leaf was blown away.

Soon, a delicious aroma began to waft out from the kitchen.

With a porcelain bowl which was emitting clouds of steam, in hand, Bu Fang slowly walked out of the kitchen. His slender figure walked through the steam that filled the place.

When Yang Meiji spotted him, her eyes lit up.

He finally arrived!

As Bu Fang walked over to Yang Meiji, the corners of his mouth curled upwards into a boorish smile, which made Yang Meiji shudder.

"Old Yang ah, check my dish," Bu Fang said as he placed the bowl of Red Braised Meat right in front of her.

Yang Meiji furrowed her brows in surprise, but she was also feeling skeptical. What happened to Owner Bu?

However, that thought did not linger in her mind for long, as she swallowed and turned her gaze to the Red Braised Meat in front of her.

The thick aroma emanating from the meat stormed into her nostrils, and she suddenly felt all the pores on her body open up, making her feel even hungrier. 

Not only that, but she could also perceive the aroma of a particularly familiar flavor from the Red Braised Meat. This left her feeling stunned, and she just stared at the dish, forgetting to pick up her chopsticks.

"This familiar flavor…" whispered Yang Meiji.