22. Tomato Shrimp and Beef Burger

◎The Dragon God's voice is very pleasant to hear◎

"I wonder what the Dragon God likes to eat. If we were to make offerings, what should we offer?"

After listening to the old woman's advice, Yan Yunzhao also felt that opening a shop in the Dragon God Temple was inappropriate. Perhaps it was because she was used to disrespecting the gods, the only measures she could think of were to fill the offering table more and repair the dilapidated temple.

After several days of work by the five people, the Dragon King Temple finally looked somewhat presentable. Yan Yunzhao also asked craftsmen to renovate the entire temple, both inside and out, giving it a brand-new look.

While diligently sweeping the floor, Jingming suggested to Yan Yunzhao, "Boss, I see that the children in the temple only bring steamed buns and apples. We don't lack either of those, so what are you worried about?"

Yan Yunzhao, who was standing with his hands on his hips directing the craftsmen to hang the "Dragon King Temple" plaque, heard this and said without turning his head, "What's the point of that? I hate steamed buns and apples the most. If I were the Dragon God, and you offered me these every day, I would be so angry that I would flip the table. If we're going to offer anything, we should offer something good so that the Dragon God can broaden his horizons."

"Oh." Jingming nodded as if he understood, and then swept a rat that scurried across the ground and killed it.

"Do you think the Dragon God likes to eat fish?" Yan Yunzhao suddenly turned around and looked at the four people busy in the courtyard.

Lou Su stopped sweeping, lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, then said, "Although the Dragon God controls the waters, the dragon race is most skilled in the power of fire. So I guess... the Dragon God would probably like the food you bake, such as hamburgers, pizzas, barbecue or something."

“I saw it in the ‘Records of Divine Revelation’,” he added.

Yan Yunzhao chuckled upon hearing this: "Lou Su, why are you only mentioning what you like?"

Lou Su is not a picky eater and loves almost everything Yan Yunzhao makes, especially barbecue, pizza, and hamburgers. She wanted to habitually advise Lou Su to eat less "junk food," but when she got to the point, she realized that what she made was food without industrial additives, and couldn't help but smile.

“It’s very fresh. I guess the Dragon God will like it.” Lou Su straightened up, a faint smile in his clear eyes.

"That's true, he must be tired of eating the same old dishes."

Although Lou Su's explanation was rather far-fetched, it gave Yan Yunzhao some ideas.

The shop at the Dragon King Temple was almost ready, and Yan Yunzhao rolled up his sleeves, picked up a cleaver, and got to work.

The stove only occupies a small area in the courtyard, so it doesn't affect the children's lives at the temple; in fact, they are happy to help. However, this time, she didn't set up tables and chairs inside, but instead prepared takeaway meals.

A pizza with mashed potato sauce and beef cubes, a beef burger with shrimp in tomato sauce, juicy and tender lamb skewers sprinkled with cumin, and her special "ice and fire" hot pot... When the table was filled with food, everyone's eyes lit up.

Considering that the children's stomachs are not very good, and that eating so much meat and oily food would upset their stomachs, I made them some extra sweet pastries and snacks, and laid out some fresh shrimp and jade congee. The congee looked so appetizing.

The customary way to worship the Dragon God is to first open an altar to offer sacrifices to Heaven, bowing three times devoutly towards the east, and then pouring wine around the Dragon King Temple three times before inviting the Dragon God. Offerings are then placed on the table for the Dragon God to inspect. Each person takes a piece of food, wraps it in red cloth, and offers it at the feet of the Dragon God statue, kowtowing once. The food can then be shared with the Dragon God.

Today, including the children from the Dragon King Temple and a few people from the Grass Demon Tower, there are many people. If we were to cook, we could probably only make some simple, large pot noodles. So Yan Yunzhao had a brilliant idea and happily brought a large pot of bubbling hot water—"Ice and Fire in Confusion"—to the table.

Everyone frowned suspiciously: "Isn't this soup... a bit too clear?"

Just as they were wondering, Yan Yunzhao quickly laid out the vegetables and fresh meat he had just prepared on the long table in the courtyard, then happily sat down and said, "Please enjoy."

"This is called 'Ice and Fire,' which I named. One side of the pot is a broth made from mushrooms, goji berries, and red dates, while the other side is a broth seasoned with chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and other spices. It's on the spicier side. You just put the vegetables in and cook them until they're done. To put it simply, it's a hot pot, or rather, a yin-yang pot."

"Hot...pot?" Sancao Yao frowned slightly, pondering the two words, and didn't know where to start eating after a long while.

Seeing the children secretly swallowing their saliva, Yan Yunzhao smiled knowingly, put a lot of vegetables and meat into the pot, and instructed, "The spicy pot has a strong flavor and is very suitable for cooking meat. This mushroom soup pot is not greasy and is more suitable for cooking vegetables. You can choose which pot you want to cook and put your vegetables in. You can pick them when they are cooked."

These children had probably never eaten this kind of food before. They all nodded, put their chopsticks into the pot, picked up the food, dipped it in Yan Yunzhao's special hot pot sauce, and began to wolf down their food from their small bowls.

"It looks like a five-cooked axe," Lou Su concluded after taking a bite with his chopsticks.

"Oh?" Seeing that Lou Su seemed to know about hot pot, Yan Yunzhao couldn't help but ask, "What is 'Five Cooking Axes'?"

"Five-cooked axe is a kind of food that can be considered common among the people. The axe body is divided into five sections, which can cook five different kinds of food. It is similar to this dish of ice and fire."

"So you're the originator of hot pot. I thought you hadn't tried it before, so I made it especially for you to try."

"Young Master Lou is very knowledgeable and seems to have been to many places?" Shu Yu seemed to have thought of something, put down her chopsticks and looked at him curiously.

Lou Su just smiled and replied, "Perhaps. I've traveled to quite a few places in the past while searching for medicine."

"Do you know what the demon realm is like?"

"The Demon Realm is vast, even larger than the territory of the Great Qi Dynasty, with snow-capped mountains and grasslands, deep abysses and cliffs, and boundless seas."

Upon hearing this, the three grass demons looked up expectantly at him to continue, but Lou Su stopped talking and brought up the topic.

"Then, are there any groups of people who can transform plants into human form?" Jingming asked impatiently.

Jingming asked casually, but Yan Yunzhao's heart jumped.

The mortal realm, the demon realm, and the immortal realm have never been interconnected, separated by towering mountain ranges that are difficult for mortals to cross. Yan Yunzhao, upon arriving in Daqi, consulted numerous ancient texts, finding very few records of the demon realm. Leaving aside how Lou Su learned of this, Jing Ming's words were too hasty, almost as if he were introducing himself.

Lou Su was always quick-witted. Seeing him deep in thought, Yan Yunzhao was afraid that he would guess something, so he tightly gripped his sleeves under the table and remained silent.

"Yes. I've heard that the demon realm has always been hierarchical. Those who can cultivate human form are often high-grade plants and trees, such as the Wine-Inducing Tree and the Heavenly Spirit Grass, each forming their own clans. However, it is more difficult for plant and tree demons to cultivate human form than for beasts. Only a handful of people from a few major clans can actually achieve this."

"Oh." Jingming looked somewhat downcast, perhaps saddened that he had no clansmen in the demon realm.

The hot pot was bubbling and steaming. Lou Su didn't suspect anything and leisurely picked up a piece of meat and put it in his bowl.

"Sister, are all those demons and immortals you're talking about really real?"

A little girl overheard their conversation and stared at Yan Yunzhao with wide, curious eyes.

"Maybe? I've never seen it, and I don't know." Yan Yunzhao lied without batting an eye.

Children's world should be a bit more materialistic, otherwise, if they're always thinking about ascending to heaven, they're likely to go astray.

"But... Lord Dragon God spoke to me."

Yan Yunzhao's hand holding the teacup was unsteady, and he almost choked on his tea.

The little girl was about seven or eight years old, and her big eyes were always staring at them with a wet look, as if she wasn't lying.

"What did the Dragon God say to you?"

Even though he knew that true immortals would never appear in the mortal world at will, Yan Yunzhao still asked patiently.

He said he heard my wish.

"So what did you wish for?"

The little girl blinked her big, wet eyes and said earnestly, "I wish... that the Dragon God would not always be hungry like I used to be."

There was a moment of silence in the courtyard, then Yan Yunzhao and Jing Ming chuckled and tapped her nose: "Kids are definitely more interesting."

"It's true!" The little girl looked at them expectantly, trying her best to prove that she wasn't lying.

"The Dragon God's voice is so gentle and pleasant! He doesn't sound like an old man!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Yunzhao's smile suddenly faltered. If it were just children's innocent remarks and rich imaginations, the matter could be laughed off. However, this was far too accurate, unlike something a child could conjure up. Yet, to say it was a manifestation of the Dragon God was simply unbelievable.

"Perhaps the Dragon God truly heard your wish," Yan Yunzhao said softly, patting the little girl's head. "Eat quickly, the meat will get overcooked."

The children stopped dwelling on the little girl's words and were soon captivated by the aroma of the hot pot, busily scrambling for the meat in the pot.

Yan Yunzhao secretly pondered the possibility of the Dragon God descending to earth, and barely ate anything at the table.

As night deepened and all was quiet, the children returned to the backyard to rest. Yan Yunzhao and the three grass spirits tidied up the mess of cups and plates and sat idly in the temple, gazing at the moonlight shining on the ground outside.

Unexpectedly, the most popular dish today was still the porridge and rice made by Yan Yunzhao. She had heard that when Guiyuelou took over the children of the Dragon King Temple, they didn't pay much attention to their food. They usually just made some thin porridge with some steamed buns, and if they wanted, they would also add some pickled vegetables.

It's fine for a day or two, but who can stand eating like this every day? It's no wonder that the children are all pale, thin, and small.

She put a lot of thought into her congee, making it much tastier than the casual congee served at Guiyuelou. First, she cooked peeled dried shrimp with chopped mushrooms and simmered them slowly. Then, she picked out white rice, added a little glutinous rice, and rinsed it six or seven times until the white rice was clear and translucent before cooking it into congee. She also added chopped leafy greens and summer lotus seeds for extra flavor.

One bite and it's sweet but not greasy, with the flavors of fresh shrimp and mushrooms blending perfectly. The addition of lotus seeds balances the taste, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

After reflecting on today's menu, Yan Yunzhao leaned against the palace gate, watching Lou Su roll up his sleeves and carefully wash the mountain of bowls and chopsticks.

"Lou Su," Yan Yunzhao suddenly spoke, his voice exceptionally clear in the quiet night, "Do you believe what that little girl said?"

Lou Su continued washing the dishes and said gently, "The world is vast and full of wonders. It's not entirely impossible for a dragon god to grant a wish."

“But I always feel…” Yan Yunzhao frowned, “If there really is a dragon god descending to listen here, why is this little girl the first one?”

Lou Su put the partition back on the pool, and the rushing water stopped abruptly. He dried his hands with a cloth, turned to look at her, and said, his eyes shining like stars in the moonlight, "Perhaps it's because these children live in the temple every day, and the Dragon God wants to help them out."

Yan Yunzhao didn't ask any more questions, but he always felt that Lou Su was an extremely mysterious person, and it seemed difficult to see through him.

"Why do you know so much about the demon realm and the immortal realm?"

Once the words were out of his mouth, Yan Yunzhao realized that his probing was a bit too obvious, so he added, "Which book records such details? I'm very curious about the matters of the demon realm and the immortal realm. Can I borrow it to take a look?"

Lou Su smiled and rummaged through the cloth bag he had brought for a while, and actually pulled out a crumpled book with the title "Record of Divine Spirit and Splendor" written on it.

Yan Yunzhao opened the book, glanced at it, and found that it did indeed record in detail the strange and wonderful things in the demon and immortal realms, and even included cultivation guides for low-level demons and mortals.

Yan Yunzhao's eyes lit up; she was just looking for an opportunity to introduce the cultivation path to the demon realm.

"I came across this book by chance during my travels. I have already read through its contents. You can take it if you need it."