Tu Fenglao hadn't anticipated that a simple competition between two juniors would turn into such a grand affair, completely different from what he had imagined.
First, a little girl wrote "Shuling Mountain's First Culinary Competition" on a red cloth, followed by a couplet, which was then solemnly hung in mid-air by two others. As darkness fell, dozens of lanterns were lit around the area.
The several dozen people gathered there seemed unsure of their purpose, chatting and laughing while busily preparing ingredients and various utensils. As if that wasn't enough, some even set up several large round tables, complete with chairs, bowls, and chopsticks, making Tu Fenglao feel as if he had stumbled upon preparations for a banquet.
Noticing the unusual hair colors of some participants, Tu Fenglao thought to himself that this must be a banquet hosted by mountain spirits.
Xin Xiu was busy directing people to set up the stoves when Senior Aunt Han Fangzi arrived carrying Little Ninth. Not only Han Fangzi, but also Senior Uncle Jing Chengzi, the owner of the venue, had arrived. All the masters of the younger disciples, except for Senior Uncle Tian Gong, were present. Old Fourth had wisely snuck in after receiving the news, finally living up to her recent teachings.
Several senior uncles and aunts who lived nearby or simply enjoyed social gatherings continued to arrive. These elders sat at a separate table, serving as judges for the upcoming event. It was rare for the sect members to gather like this, and the older generation was delighted, reminiscent of watching the Spring Festival Gala arranged by their juniors, sipping tea, enjoying fruits, and chatting leisurely.
Xin Xiu tallied the participants and encouraged everyone to focus on the joy of dining together.
Senior Aunt Bai Fei nudged The Seventh and Old Eighth forward, asking Xin Xiu to add their names to the list. "I taught them how to make dumplings, and they're both quite good at it. Everyone must try them."
Well, it seemed Bai Fei was the type of parent who loved showcasing her children's skills during festive occasions.
Xin Xiu said, "They're young, so let's count them as a team, the two of them together."
Bai Fei asked with a smile, "This is a competition, can we make exceptions?"
Xin Xiu replied, "Come on, we're just having fun. No need for strict rules."
Meanwhile, Tu Fenglao's eye twitched. He had long wanted to call over Xin Xiu, the competition's initiator, and demand an explanation, but looking at the table of his peers, he wisely kept his mouth shut. After all, this was their territory. If it were just one or two people, he might have spoken up, relying on his seniority. But with over a dozen people, some of whom had already attained immortality, he couldn't win even if he summoned the entire Tufeng Clan.
So he could only wait stiffly with his disciple... No, his foolish disciple had been pulled aside by some younger peers to chat, and he didn't know what they were discussing, only hearing excited voices. Since they were all his juniors gathered there, he couldn't very well go and drag his disciple back. Thus, he now stood alone in the night breeze, feeling old and disgruntled.
Xin Xiu looked up and saw Tu Fenglao's unhappy face, reminiscent of an empty-nester. She walked over and quietly questioned, "Wasn't our agreement for you to compete with my disciple? What's all this about?"
Xin Xiu wore a face of genuine innocence and confusion: "Didn't you say we lacked hospitality in Shuling Mountain? To make you feel our warmth, I specially invited so many senior brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts to keep you company. With such a grand reception, surely the elder isn't still displeased?"
Tu Fenglao choked, feeling something was amiss but unable to pinpoint exactly what.
Xin Xiu had long figured out this old man's tactics. Technical experts generally aren't good at verbal sparring in non-professional fields, and their face-to-face confrontation skills were at best on par with modern elementary school students.
She called out, "Let's start cooking, everyone. Elder Tu Fenglao can't wait anymore."
Everyone looked their way, and Jing Chengzi said with a smile, "Friend Tu Fenglao must be hungry. Don't worry, the food will be ready soon. Come, sit at our table."
Everyone let out friendly laughter, and the atmosphere instantly became lively.
Tu Fenglao: "I..." I'm not! I'm not hungry! Don't make things up!
Xin Xiu pushed him to the elders' table, surrounding him with the big shots, then naturally stepped up to one of the stoves.
The atmosphere heated up along with the fires being lit. The elders, who had been discussing topics of longevity and cultivation, gradually turned their eyes towards the row of stoves.
Tu Fenglao watched his disciple, nodding silently. Not bad, his control of the fire was very good. He was the best at roasting meat among his disciples. However, this sense of pride didn't last long.
There were over a dozen people at the stoves, of varying ages. He had thought that the girl called Xin Xiu was the youngest, but there were several even younger than her.
The Seventh and Old Eighth were chopping meat filling and making dumpling wrappers, their expressions serious, faces and hands dusted with flour. The two plump children were so cute, especially with their good looks. Tu Fenglao's family hadn't had a newborn in a long time, and he couldn't help but show the same doting smile as Bai Fei beside him.
Then he suddenly came to his senses, thinking, they're not my disciples, why am I feeling proud? And why are there so many people participating in this competition!
The Sixth was cooking her big pot dish. After Xin Xiu had revised the recipe, it had become quite presentable. Chinese cooking is divided into very elaborate and very casual styles. The casual style is usually found in folk cooking, but it's precisely this flavor that, in autumn and winter, throws seven or eight leftover dishes into a pot to simmer, eating while cooking. The various flavors mix, with different vegetables having different tastes, beyond even the cook's control.
The Fifth had a special fondness for vegetarian dishes. He ate some greens and radishes every day. Xin Xiu felt that at his young age, he shouldn't eat only vegetables, so she asked him to add some meat when cooking. The Fifth obediently made eggplant and pepper pockets stuffed with minced meat. In short, The Sixth stewed everything in a pot, while The Fifth wrapped everything in vegetables.
The Fourth wasn't very skilled at cooking, but Xin Xiu had forced her onto the stage. She could only make the simplest baked sweet potatoes. With her disheveled appearance, having just escaped from work, she truly looked like a professional sweet potato vendor.
The Third was making soup, a three-delicacy soup, which was neither outstanding nor lacking. Below the stage, her two senior brothers were praising how delicious their junior sister's soup was, claiming that when the lid was lifted, it practically glowed. This caught Tu Fenglao's attention, and he couldn't help but glance at The Third a couple of times, thinking, for a dish to glow, what an extraordinary person! Shuling Mountain truly harbored hidden talents.
By this time, Tu Fenglao had forgotten that the main purpose of bringing his disciple here wasn't actually to compete in culinary skills.
Although The Second only had one hand, his movements were no slower than the others. He was making egg roll pancakes, another dish Xin Xiu had taught him before, an improved version of street-style egg pancakes. The beauty of these pancakes was how filling they were. Back in the World in a Basin, this group of children could eat endlessly. Growing boys eat their parents out of house and home, and Xin Xiu spent every day figuring out what to cook to satisfy everyone.
Besides them, Senior Sister Jin Se, Senior Sister Miao Gu, and others also participated in the competition. After all, not all disciples in Shuling Mountain were lazy or incapable of cooking; there were always a few hidden gems shining brightly.
Senior Sister Miao Gu's flower-shaped pastries were particularly impressive, outshining everyone else in terms of appearance. The petal-like colors were so delicate that one almost felt reluctant to eat them.
Senior Sister Jin Se made caramel sculptures. It was Xin Xiu's first time seeing such food. Jin Se prepared sugar syrups in various colors, and with a gentle wave of her slender hand, sugar threads layered upon each other, piling up into different petal shapes. Finally, she used fire to melt the sugar, miraculously transforming it into a transparent, iridescent artwork.
Xin Xiu led the applause, and Tufeng Chong, the only young person seriously competing, nodded in admiration. Down below, Tu Fenglao secretly slapped his thigh, thinking, we've embarrassed ourselves this time, we're going to lose!
He seemed to have forgotten that initially, he wanted his disciple to compete with Xin Xiu, not with so many others.
Several other senior brothers also showcased their unique specialties. As for Xin Xiu, she naturally prepared her signature roasted meat. After all, she wanted to show respect to her opponent by defeating him at his own game.
Age wasn't an advantage here. Roasted meat doesn't become delicious simply because of perfect fire control; the secret to transforming roasted meat lies in the seasoning. And when it came to seasoning, Xin Xiu was confident that few could match her skills.
These seasonings were a combination she had concocted, making full use of the chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise, and other plants abundant in Shuling Mountain, along with chicken essence extracted from chicken broth. Finally, she had obtained cumin from Senior Yan Sha, who was skilled in alchemy.
Grilled meat without cumin is like a body without a soul. Observing that the meat was almost ready, Xin Xiu sprinkled cumin on it.
Infusing the soul!
As the cumin clung to the slightly charred meat and was roasted by the hot oil and fire, the aroma of meat instantly spread for miles. Her effortless and carefree gesture stunned Tufeng Chong beside her, while the fragrance of her grilled meat astonished Tu Fenglao below.
Tu Fenglao lowered his head dejectedly, sighing quietly.
He had lost.
To think that he, the most formidable alchemist of the Tufeng Clan, had lost to the unknown Shentu Yu years ago, and after all this time, he still couldn't redeem himself. Now, his disciple had lost to Shentu Yu's apprentice. Was this destiny?
As he was feeling dejected, a plate of sizzling grilled meat skewers was pushed in front of Tu Fenglao. It was Xin Xiu distributing the grilled meat to them, accompanied by a smile. "Here, uncles and senior uncles, please try this grilled meat. I've added some new seasonings."
"Excellent, excellent indeed. Niece Xiu, your culinary skills are improving more and more."
"In my several hundred years, I can say this is the most flavorful grilled meat I've ever tasted."
Xin Xiu received numerous compliments, but she didn't bother with any judging or scoring. Instead, she directly invited everyone to bring out their dishes and start eating together in a lively atmosphere.
Tufeng Chong, realizing his defeat, showed the same dejection as his master Tu Fenglao. However, being young, he still had the energy to strive for improvement in the future and didn't appear completely disheartened by this one failure. Xin Xiu approached him for a chat and successfully persuaded this great chef to continue grilling meat, even sharing her seasonings with him.
Xin Xiu thought to herself: Great, with this senior brother helping with the grilling, now I can just focus on eating.
Everyone enjoyed a steaming meal under the brilliant starry sky, and soon it was time to part ways.
Standing before the departing Tu Fenglao and his disciple, Xin Xiu said something to the melancholic old man: "One should not compare oneself to others. Only by constantly surpassing oneself can one reach greater heights."
This bit of encouragement straightened the bent back of Senior Tu Fenglao. It was as if he had broken through some mental barrier, and his eyes regained their sparkle. After gazing at Xin Xiu for a long while, he suddenly said, "Shentu Yu, you have a worthy successor."
"If you ever visit the Tufeng Clan, we will certainly welcome you with a grand feast."
Having resolved the issue with potential troublemakers in a sociable manner by arranging a meal and seeing them off, Xin Xiu went to pack some of the caramelized sugar made by Senior Sister Jin Se. She asked her senior sister to keep one portion, intending to bring it back for her master to taste.
"Big sis, you still have chicken wings grilling here. I want to eat them!" came the voice of the second eldest.
Xin Xiu replied, "Don't touch them! Those honey-glazed chicken wings are for my master." They were actually grilled by Tufeng Chong, whose control of the fire was truly impressive. It would be a waste not to use a chef who had offered his services.
While they were having this gathering under the guise of a competition, Shentu Yu was crafting a panda spirit tool in his furnace, completely oblivious to the outside world. His human body had returned to Secluded Bamboo Mountain today, bringing back the missing materials.
The face of his human body differed from his original one and had black hair. Shentu Yu's original body sat in front of the furnace, crafting, while the human body quietly arranged and replenished various materials behind him. There was no communication between the two bodies, yet they worked together seamlessly, displaying a quiet and orderly efficiency.
It was as if Shentu Yu were playing a game, simultaneously operating a main account and an alternate account.
