Lan Jue sighed in admiration. "Copper pot, charcoal fire, black pottery cups.
A perfect match for yellow wine!
Add some ginger when you boil the wine, it's very nourishing. "
As he spoke, he took the initiative to pick up the copper pot and pour a cup for the Gourmet, then for everyone else.
Then he picked up the dark plums and added one to each cup.
"Drink the soup while it's hot," the Gourmet said.
"Alright." Lan Jue nodded and opened the pot.
Immediately, a fragrant scent wafted through the air.
Even with his understanding of food, he actually couldn't identify what ingredients the clear soup in the stew pot were made of.
The light yellow soup was scalding hot, and as soon as the spoonful entered his mouth, it transformed into a wave of energy that spread through his body. It was warm, but indescribably comfortable.
Lan Jue could feel the energy in his body rise with the heat. Steam began to rise from his forehead.
"Gourmet, what is this?" Lan Jue asked, surprised.
The Gourmet's indifferent response. "Wild hundred-year-old dendrobium officinale as the main ingredient, along with a celestial phoenix from Planet Taihua and a dozen other herbs.
It's good for nourishing the organs and blood.
Drink it all. "
"Celestial phoenix?" Lan Jue gasped.
"How did you find that?
Where did you get the wild dendrobium officinale?
It was known as one of the Nine Great Immortal Herbs of ancient China. Isn't it extinct a long time ago? "
"You have food to eat," the Gourmet said. "Let's eat." He took a sip of the wine, then picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.
Lan Jue drank the soup, and his whole body felt indescribably comfortable. He took another sip of the thick yellow wine. The ginger and dark plums mixed with the wine's aroma.
It made the warmth in his body increase a little.
On the table were a few ordinary dishes.
But they were all exquisitely made.
In the beginning, the atmosphere was still a little depressing, but after tasting the deliciousness of the food, Huali and Chu Cheng's chopsticks speed obviously increased.
Lan Jue's favorite dish was the Flower Carving Steamed Crab Chen Cun Noodles. The fragrance of the Flower Carving Wine and the freshness of the crab blended together, turning into a thick yellow juice that entered the Chen Cun Noodles.
The smell was simply indescribable.
The last piece of braised pork with preserved vegetables was fought over by Chu Cheng and Huali, and in the end, it was split in half.
The six plates on the table were empty.
Even the soup was dipped in steamed buns by Lan Jue, Chu Cheng, and Huali.
The Gourmet smiled.
Xiang Lan Jue said, "Be careful in the future.
If you can't do it, don't force yourself. I don't want to lose a good customer and drinking buddy.
If you're full, you can leave.
Next time, try not to bring irrelevant people here. "
"Alright." Lan Jue smiled and said, "Then we'll take our leave first.
What about you, Seamstress? "
"I'll help the Gourmet clean up," the Seamstress said.
"It's what we women are good at."
Chu Cheng gave the Gourmet a long, hard look. Hua Li nudged him, and they left the Gourmet's cabin.
The Seamstress rose to her feet, clearing away the empty plates on the table.
The Gourmet remained seated. He'd pulled out a cigarette from somewhere, and held one between his lips. He didn't light it.
"Go ahead, I don't mind." The Seamstress smiled.
The Gourmet flicked his finger.
A small flame ignited the cigarette, and the faint smell of tobacco wafted through the air.
The Seamstress didn't say anything, nor did she ask.
She quietly cleared the table, then went back to the kitchen.
"It's all done. Everything's where you're used to it.
Rest early tonight, and don't smoke too much. I'll be on my way. "The Seamstress said with a smile.
The Gourmet nodded, and watched her leave.
He took a deep drag on his cigarette, and his eyes narrowed. A complicated emotion flickered through them, and a deep pain stirred within.
Lan Jue, Huali, and Chu Cheng returned to the Zeus Jewelry Shop after they'd left the Gourmet's hut.
"Should we get some wine?" Chu Cheng asked.
"Alright." Lan Jue returned to her bedroom, and brought out a bottle of brandy and three glasses.
Chu Cheng reached out and accepted the bottle. He poured himself a glass and downed it in one gulp. "Brandy is the best!
Millet wine is too bland for me. "
"What's going on?" Huali asked.
"Your uncle?
Blood uncle? "
Chu Cheng nodded. "I didn't think he'd be here.
No wonder we couldn't find him.
He's been missing for twelve years. "
Lan Jue said, "If it involves your family's secrets, then don't bother."
Chu Cheng smirked. "I can't tell outsiders, but what can't I tell you?
Speaking of which, this uncle of mine is a legend.
Ah Jue, do you know how strong he is? "
Lan Jue shook her head. "All I know is that his Discipline is fire. I've never seen him fight, but he's one of the eighteen council members of Skyfire Avenue. He's the most low-key of them all.
Most people only know he's an expert at cooking.
But he's also very strange. He doesn't cook much, only occasionally when he feels like it and treats people he likes.
I think I've been the one who's eaten the most in recent years. "
"That's because he thinks you're like him," Chu Cheng said.
"Huh?" Lan Jue looked at him in surprise.
Chu Cheng went on. "My uncle's story is like a novel.
In his generation, he and my father are the only two brothers.
You know about my family's inheritance, but the strength of the bloodline is different in every generation.
When it came to my father and uncle's generation, the inheritance suddenly changed.
My father only inherited a small amount of Hades's bloodline. Grandfather was disappointed and began to train my father to be a talent in management, in charge of the family business.
But when my uncle was born, grandfather was pleasantly surprised to find that uncle's Hades bloodline was the strongest in the last hundred years. "
"How does it compare to you?" Huali couldn't help but ask.
Chu Cheng said in a low voice. "According to grandfather, uncle's Hades bloodline is purer than mine."
Hearing this, Huali and Lan Jue couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
They were well aware of Chu Cheng's strength.
Today, Lan Jue defeated Huali and Chu Cheng with the help of Zeus's four maids.
But that was only on the surface.
In a fight to the death, with both sides using protogenia, Lan Jue wasn't confident she could defeat Chu Cheng.
When they first met, Lan Jue was far from understanding the mysteries of the Ascension. But Chu Cheng was only in his early twenties, and already he could use it.
Now he said the Gourmet's bloodline was purer than his own. What did that mean?
The Gourmet was still at the peak of his Adept's power!
He'd been cultivating for many years longer than Chu Cheng.
"Your uncle isn't a Paragon, is he?" Hua Li's voice was low.
Chu Cheng shook his head. "I don't know.
All I know is that when he left twelve years ago, he was ninth level, eighth rank.
Much stronger than I am now.
I'm only ninth level seventh rank.
He's fourteen years older than me, and with his talent it's possible he'll become a Paragon. "
"What happened back then?" Lan Jue asked curiously.
Chu Cheng went on. "Uncle made a name for himself at a young age, and the family had high hopes for him.
As you know, our bloodline and the Demon King's are mortal enemies.
Because of the Demon King's bloodline, we had no choice but to go to the Northern Alliance. Otherwise, we'd be the purest heirs of the dark forces in the Western Alliance.
The Dark Citadel should be Hades' Citadel.
Grandpa hopes that in the future uncle will become a Paragon.
Demon King Satan is getting on in years. If we can give birth to a new Hades, then we'll be able to reclaim everything we lost. "
"Uncle never left the family until he was twenty years old.
He received the best resources from the family, but also the harshest training.
His cold, hard personality was fostered.
When he was twenty, grandpa allowed him to go out and train. He wanted to hone his abilities and prepare for his breakthrough to Paragon.
An Adept's strength isn't directly related to age, but generally speaking it's best to reach Paragon before the age of forty.
That's when you'll have enough potential.
Grandpa's plan was the same. "
"In the beginning, everything was normal. Every time he went out for a year, he would come back and shut himself away for a few months.
Almost every time, his strength would improve by leaps and bounds.
The family's hopes grew.
But fourteen years ago, just after Uncle's twenty-seventh birthday, something went wrong when he left. "
"Grandpa overlooked something important.
Uncle was a man, not a machine.
He was under too much pressure.
There was no outlet.
Grandpa didn't even think about finding a partner for him. It wasn't easy for the family to have a genius like him. Grandpa just hoped we'd have another Hades. "
"But Uncle has feelings for you!
At that time, his uncle was already very powerful.
He had a good image.
It was hard to avoid attracting women's attention.
In the first few years, Uncle was very inflexible because of his twenty years of hard work. He had a hard time accepting things from the outside.
But as time went on, Uncle gradually grew up, and his suppressed emotions and desires began to emerge.
When he left at twenty-seven, he fell in love with a woman. "
Huali's eyes burned with gossip. "Don't tell me it was because he fell in love with a woman that your grandpa found out and forbade them from being together?
Isn't that like some holographic TV show? "
Chu Cheng smiled wryly. "It's even more melodramatic than that.
When her uncle came back at the age of 28, he brought that woman back with him.
At first, because Uncle's cultivation wasn't affected, Grandpa agreed to let them be together, although he was a little dissatisfied.
At that time, he also realized that his uncle had grown up and needed a family.
But tragically, Grandpa soon discovered that the woman Uncle fell in love with had the blood of the Demon King running through her veins. "
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The Story of the Gourmet!
Heh heh.
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Hands up if you like the Gourmet!
This is based on a friend of mine in real life, a true Gourmet. I learned a lot from him, such as Mala Tang.
(To be continued, the novel is better, the updates faster!