Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Are you ready to feel despair?”
Bu Fang’s voice rang out, bringing the crowd to a boil. Many people began to breathe faster and felt an inexplicable panic, as if something terrible was about to happen.
It was finally starting. Yesterday, Bu Fang had mentioned that the dark cuisine for today’s challenge was called Eighteen Hell Curry. Just the name alone had already made many people’s hearts race.
It had been years since something so fun happened in District A. In Void City, there were just a few things that could bring people joy. Therefore, many people were very interested in Bu Fang’s challenge.
From District A to District C, nobles and commoners alike were paying close attention to the challenge. Through the projection arrays, everything was clearly presented to the people.
After saying those words and bringing the crowd to a boil, Bu Fang walked straight up to the empty space he had used yesterday. With a thought in his mind, the White Tiger Heaven Stove appeared and fell to the ground with a crash, shaking the nearby buildings.
Opposite him, the participants—including Master Zhen Yong, Viscount Ash, and Viscount Dao Lun—were waiting patiently.
“Little chef, what you said yesterday still counts? Will you give us Chaotic Energy today once we complete the challenge?”
Master Zhen Yong suppressed the excitement in him. He had spent the whole night refining a divine pill yesterday. With it, the stench could no longer affect him. Today, he must complete the challenge and make the little chef feel a sense of hopelessness!
Bu Fang was preparing the venue, adjusting the position of the table and chairs. When he heard Master Zhen Yong’s question, he looked up at the alchemist. “Yes… As long as you pass the challenge, you will have the reward,” he answered.
His voice was calm, but those who heard it exclaimed.
“The reward is really Chaotic Energy! Good heavens! This chef is so generous!”
The excitement in Master Zhen Yong’s eyes grew stronger and stronger. “I’m ready!”
Beside him, Viscount Ash’s curly hair fluttered in the wind, and her eyes gleamed with determination. She would not fall twice in the same place!
Viscount Dao Lun, on the other hand, clenched his fists and thought to himself, ‘You can do it, Dao Lun! You are the best!’
Around them stood the other participants, who looked eager and beaming with energy.
The man who controlled the projection array was a viscount as well and a Saint of the Great Path. Holding the array, he moved closer to Bu Fang, perfectly framed the scene of the challenge, and broadcast it to the other parts of the city.
“Now, please take your seats…” Bu Fang said expressionlessly, his voice calm.
The ten participants looked at each other, then sat at the dining table Bu Fang had set for them. Today’s table was different from yesterday’s. A white cloth was laid out over it, on which a milky white porcelain plate and a silver ladle were placed.
After sitting down, most of the participants felt a sense of dread rising from the bottoms of their hearts. Master Zhen Yong, however, could not wait for the challenge to begin.
In the distance, many alchemists had gathered to watch the challenge. The pill-making workshop was closed today because only a few came to buy pills. The exciting event had attracted many people.
Viscount Ash took the same place she sat yesterday. She wanted to get up from where she had fallen, so she chose the same seat, even though the memory of yesterday still filled her with lingering fear.
Seeing that the ten participants had taken their seats, Bu Fang nodded. “Please wait for a while. The dark cuisine for today’s challenge is Eighteen Hell Curry,” he said. After that, he started cooking.
All eyes were on him. For some people in Void City, this was the first time they had seen a chef cooking a dish. Because of the Queen of Curses’ injunction, there had not been a chef in the city for countless years. Many people were very curious.
Bu Fang placed the Black Turtle Constellation Wok on the stove. Then, with a flick of his finger, a crimson flame jumped into the stove. A scorching heat erupted with a whoosh, and flames darted out of the stove, startling the crowd.
Bu Fang did not stop there. He produced a large steamer, filled it with glinting rice, and began to steam them. His movements made many people frown.
“Is this guy… going to cook a delicious cuisine?”
“Didn’t he say that he will cook dark cuisine? If it’s delicious, the participants would have to give up their faith in the Queen to win the challenge, right?”
“They can’t do that… Let’s keep watching. If the chef is really cooking a delicious dish, then he is breaking the rules.”
The onlookers chattered noisily, but Bu Fang was not affected by them.
The participants at the table wore different expressions. Unlike yesterday, they did not smell anything foul. This made them feel a little odd. Was the chef planning to make them eat gourmet food in the name of a challenge?
If that was the case, this was not a challenge at all! It was hard to turn their back on the Queen’s faith, but if they could get Chaotic Energy…
Bu Fang moved nonstop. The Spring of Life was boiling and churning, sending a plume of steam into the sky. Gradually, the rice in the steamer was cooked.
He chose the spirit rice that grew in the farmland, which was extremely delicious. In fact, just the rice alone was enough to become a tasty meal.
Holding the steamer with both hands, Bu Fang removed it from the wok. Water dripped from the bottom of the steamer as he set it aside for later use. After cleaning the wok, he began to prepare the star of the show.
The Eighteen Hell Curry was different from the Stargazy Pie. They were two different kinds of extreme dark cuisines. The pie’s unique characteristic was its overwhelming stench, while the curry was its super painful spiciness. Perhaps the dish would deeply impress the experts of Void City, just like the pie.
Bu Fang shook his hand. A large basket appeared and turned upside down, pouring all kinds of chilies on the stove. There were many species, including almost all the chilies from different universes.
He spun the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife, held it tightly, and began to process the chilies. His movements were extremely fast, so much so that the knife had become a blur.
The chilies flew up and were diced in the blink of an eye. All kinds of chilies with different levels of spiciness fell into a pile. Among them were Devil Chili, Nightmare Chili, Hell Chili, and Punchy Chili. After that, Bu Fang put them into the wok and cooked them over a slow fire.
As time passed, the chilies turned into scarlet soup and were boiling, sending a puff of spicy smell into the air whenever a bubble burst. It did not spread as far as the stench of the Stargazy Pie, so the crowd was not shocked like yesterday. Many people were not impressed.
“Chilies?”
“Is this chef a fool? The weakest of the ten participants is a top God Emperor. Does he think they would be afraid of spicy food?”
“It’s hard to say. Don’t you forget the chef’s stench had made Master Zhen Yong spit white foam yesterday…”
While the nobles whispered to each other, the ten participants fixed their eyes on Bu Fang’s movements.
Master Zhen Yong’s face froze. He was screaming inside. ‘Damn you! The Eighteen Hell Curry doesn’t stink?! Doesn’t that mean the divine pill I’ve spent all night to refine had been wasted?! I’ve suffered all the stinking smell of the herbs for nothing?!’
Tears were welling up in Master Zhen Yong’s eyes. He was deceived! Instead of a stinky dark cuisine, today’s challenge was a spicy dish!
Viscount Ash focused her eyes, while Viscount Dao Lun clenched his fists. It seemed that today they had a chance to wipe out the shame of yesterday!
The spicy smell that permeated the air was not very intense. However, it irritated the nasal cavity, so many people could not help sneezing. For a moment, sneezes were heard all around the restaurant.
Bu Fang’s face was cool as he kept stirring the chili soup with the Qilin Transmigration Ladle. The liquid was now half of its original volume. As time passed, it was further reduced to one-third of its original volume. The sticky chili sauce emitted a terrifying smell that could burn one’s soul.
When only a quarter of the chili soup was left, Bu Fang began to prepare other ingredients. He took out a lot of spices, which he had Niu Hansan grow in the Heaven and Earth Farmland.
It was not that much trouble to make the spices. At least, it was much easier than hybridization. Curry was, to put it bluntly, a combination of spices.
He added the spices into the wok according to a specific ratio. The flavor of the chili sauce was instantly suppressed, and the color began to change. Soon, it turned brown and took on the color of curry.
He then scooped the curry out of the wok, served it on a plate, and let it cool. The cooled curry lost its rich flavor, but its color shocked many people.
“Crap! What the hell is this?!”
“This is shit, right?”
“Its color and appearance look like shit! Has this chef gone crazy?! Is he going to make Master Zhen Yong and the others eat shit?!”
The crowd was abuzz with discussion, while the expert controlling the projection array gave the cooled curry a close-up shoot. The brownish curry did look revolting when it was cooled.
“That’s dark cuisine! It really is dark cuisine! What a challenge!”
The eyes of the experts in other districts lit up as they watched with great interest.
Bu Fang glanced at the crowd. How could he not understand these people’s thoughts? The curry did look a bit disgusting when it was not heated. But…
He poured the curry into the wok and stirred it slowly. At the same time, he took out ten porcelain bowls and filled them with rice. The glittering rice grains with steam rising from them made those who looked at them feel relaxed. Bu Fang took a deep breath, and his nose was immediately filled with the fragrance of rice.
He took a bowl of rice to the wok. The curry had been heated to crimson color and looked less repulsive now. Without adding any other ingredient, he scooped out the curry and poured it on top of the rice. The red curry covered the rice and seeped down the gaps between the grains. A bowl of Eighteen Hell Curry was ready.
He placed bowl after bowl of rice before the participants.
The participants looked at each other. The faint spicy smell in the air and the rice made the dish seem harmless. Was this really a challenge? While the color of the curry was stomach-turning before, it was now appetizing.
Looking at the bowl of curry rice placed in front of him, Master Zhen Yong could not help but raise a brow. He did not know what Bu Fang got up his sleeve.
Xiao Ai, Nethery, and the noblewoman watched curiously.
Bu Fang clapped his hands and walked to a corner of the table.
“The second dark cuisine, the Eighteen Curry Hell, is served. Anyone who can finish this curry rice and not have a grain of rice left will be deemed as passing the challenge,” Bu Fang said as he glanced at the ten participants.
“Also, there is a glass of ice water by your bowl. Each of you will be given two sips of water. Remember, only two sips. If you drink more than that, you will be eliminated.”
The participants were surprised. They were allowed to drink water? It was known that drinking water could relieve the spicy taste. This was tantamount to lowering the difficulty of the challenge.
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“Don’t think too much… I’m only offering you water to prevent you from losing your sense of taste because of the spiciness,” Bu Fang said with an expressionless face. “Now, the Eighteen Hell Curry Rice challenge begins!”
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