Chapter 59: Fifty-Nine Cuts "Don't hold my hand for too long..."
Actually, Luo Mingshu can't cook. According to her original idea, she wanted to have another match, since "labor" is all about practical skills.
However, the Supreme Immortal Lord said he could do it, and since there was a readily available tool, there was no harm in using it, so Luo Mingshu agreed.
In fact, Dongzhi Wonderland also had some reservations about Lu Yaoyao's suggestion, but Lu Yaoyao claimed that she could make scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and Wei Qing also said that his cooking skills were good, so Shui Qingnian agreed to Lu Yaoyao's suggestion.
However, Wei Qing is currently unconscious, and Lu Yaoyao is the only one left in Dongzhi Wonderland who knows how to cook.
Shui Qingnian thought Suo Ai could cook because Suo Ai had once told her on the Spirit Network that he was quite good at cooking. However, Suo Ai scratched his head embarrassedly and told Shui Qingnian that he had been lying to her all along and that he couldn't cook at all.
However, three people were required to participate in the fifth competition, so Shui Qingnian, Lu Yaoyao, and Amo had no choice but to go together.
On the Wuji Hall side, Meng Weifang was a complete novice when it came to cooking, while Xu Qian said shyly that her steamed buns were not bad, since she liked to eat them herself and the sect's canteen didn't make them, so she had to rely on herself.
Xu Qian has her specialty, steamed buns, so the responsibility of cooking the remaining two dishes falls on Luo Mingshu, since she doesn't want the Supreme Immortal Lord to get too involved.
"There will be three of us: you, me, and Miss Loves to Eat. Besides the steamed buns, I'll make the other two dishes. You can just give me instructions," Luo Mingshu instructed.
Xie Changming nodded and said, "Okay."
After Xu Qian left, Luo Mingshu and Xie Changming discussed what dishes to make.
"As for dishes, I can cook many kinds," Xie Changming said confidently.
He was quite confident in his cooking skills because back in the Heavenly Realm, when Luo Mingshu got tired of the delicacies, she would ask him to cook something different. No matter what he made, the little fish would always praise it, which gave him a strange sense of confidence.
"Show me what you've got," Luo Mingshu said to Xie Changming.
Before long, thick smoke billowed from the kitchen of Wuji Hall, and Xie Changming presented his two dishes.
One was a half-cooked cornbread, and the other was a burnt corncob.
"You..." Luo Mingshu looked at the steamed buns and corncobs in front of Xie Changming with disdain. "Supreme Immortal Lord, I knew you were being so kind, letting me kill you willingly and healing my wounds. So this was the trap you were setting!"
"Even pigs wouldn't eat this stuff," Luo Mingshu said with disdain.
Pigs are for eating, Xie Changming thought to himself as he looked at her face.
"Try it," he insisted.
Seeing his confident expression, Luo Mingshu actually began to believe him; perhaps these things just didn't look good.
So she broke off a piece of cornbread and put it in her mouth.
To be fair, Luo Mingshu has rather peculiar tastes. Although the dishes in front of her tasted average, they gave her a strange sense of familiarity, like... a flavor that she really liked.
Did this person put poison in the food? Luo Mingshu wondered.
Xie Changming's dishes won Luo Mingshu's approval, and Luo Mingshu decided to learn how to make steamed buns and roasted corn in a crash course three days before the competition began.
Under Xie Changming's guidance, she began kneading the dough, adding water to the cornmeal in the basin.
Luo Mingshu stood on the kitchen table, pointing her index finger at a half-filled basin of cornmeal. Clear spring water flowed down from beneath her fingertip; water magic was her specialty.
Luo Mingshu, who was used to drowning people with water magic, did not control her strength well, and the spring flooded the entire basin.
Xie Changming had done this before and was quite experienced. He held down Luo Mingshu's hand, which was frantically trying to scoop the water out of the basin, and took the flour bag with his other hand to calmly add flour to the basin.
This made the dough too dry, so Luo Mingshu added water. When it became too soft, Xie Changming added flour. As a result, the dough grew bigger and bigger, and even Luo Mingshu felt a little guilty.
"This...so much. If it's not tasty, you have to eat it all." Luo Mingshu pinched off small pieces of dough from the dough, rolled them into various shapes, and said as she did so.
Xie Changming nodded; he could still eat so much.
Luo Mingshu began creating with a large lump of fermented cornmeal. She first sculpted the shape of a small fish and proudly declared, "This is me."
Xie Changming knew that Luo Mingshu's true form didn't look like this; her figure was much more slender, or more like a loach. So he took the dough from Luo Mingshu's hands and said, "I'll make one for you."
He sculpted a small dragon, much like Luo Mingshu when she was young. She had a slender tail, which, if viewed from halfway, resembled a fish tail, and the dragon horns atop her forehead were exquisite and adorable.
"This is me?" Luo Mingshu couldn't believe it. She was quite narcissistic. "I'm so cute."
She put the little dragon that Xie Changming had sculpted aside and began to sculpt the image of a little wolf. She didn't know what Xie Changming's true form looked like, so she could only sculpt a fake fierce little dog with its tail hanging down behind it.
It must be said that Luo Mingshu's sculpting was quite masterful; she even saw through Xie Changming's human form to his beast form, proving that her intuition was quite accurate at times.
Xie Changming took it over, intending to make some minor modifications, but he remembered that he was still the Supreme Immortal Lord and should not know what the true form of "Xie Changming" was. So he could only watch helplessly as Luo Mingshu disguised the wolf as a dog.
Luo Mingshu, still feeling smug, asked him, "Did I make it cute?"
Xie Changming said, "Not cute." Pianozl
He thought Luo Mingshu would be angry about this, but she nodded in agreement: "That's right, he's not cute. He's never been cute."
Xie Changming: "?" I'm cute, okay... No, I can't really be described as cute.
"What should I make next?" Luo Mingshu had long forgotten that her purpose was to learn to cook, and she started making dough figurines.
She quickly sculpted the image of a woman out of dough. Although the facial features couldn't be clearly defined by the dough, one could still roughly discern that the woman had gentle features and was quite tender.
"This is Yingniang." Luo Mingshu placed the dough next to her little dragon image and tossed Xie Changming's little wolf dough further away.
Xie Changming secretly moved himself back and leaned against Luo Mingshu Xiaolong's left side.
At this moment, Luo Mingshu had finished sculpting Afa. When she saw Xie Xiaolang return, she looked at Xie Changming suspiciously: "Supreme Immortal Lord, you can't assume this dog is yourself just because I didn't sculpt your likeness."
She kicked Xie Xiaolang away and brought Afa to her side. With these "protectors" around, Xie Xiaolang squatted pitifully to one side.
Xie Changming pinched off a piece of dough, intending to make a pair himself, but Luo Mingshu noticed and pressed his hand down: "Supreme Immortal Lord, this is the dough I kneaded."
“I’ve added noodles too,” Xie Changming said.
Luo Mingshu couldn't refute this point, so she could only watch helplessly as Xie Changming sculpted another beautiful goddess and a Supreme Immortal Lord. He sculpted the two little clay figures together, right next to each other.
"You want to eat two in one bite?" Luo Mingshu asked him.
Xie Changming glanced at her and replied, "Yes."
Soon, the large dough was used up. Luo Mingshu sculpted many people, and even sculpted a man.
The final dough, following Xie Changming's style, was undercooked. Luo Mingshu herself couldn't tell the difference, but when she gave the slowly shaped steamed buns to Manman, the Earth Moon Mole disliked them.
"Croak, croak, croak!" It slowly waved its forelimbs, protesting wildly.
"Did he say it was delicious?" Xie Changming asked.
“He said it was undercooked and tasted terrible.” Luo Mingshu glared at him. “Supreme Immortal Lord, you’re so mean.”
Xie Changming: "?" You clearly said it was delicious before.
Slowly, the dragon and the rat began to chatter angrily with Luo Mingshu. Finally, the dragon jumped off the table and, with its short legs, went straight to the stove.
"Coo coo coo!" He slowly extended his claws and cast a simple fire control spell.
"He said none of you are good enough, so he wants me to go," Luo Mingshu translated, observing the slow movements.
Xie Changming: "..." He sensed a slight crisis.
Slowly controlling the last batch of steamed cornbread to come out of the pot, this time, the cornbread was finally a success. It was soft and delicious. Luo Mingshu tore off a small piece and put it in her mouth, very satisfied.
"So the God of Cooking was right beside me all along." Luo Mingshu reverently picked up Manman. "You can actually cook."
He gradually came to admire these two people. He even helped Luo Mingshu roast corn. The roasted corn turned out golden brown and looked delicious.
Luo Mingshu took a couple of bites. Although the dish was quite delicious, she found that the one Xie Changming had made earlier suited her taste better.
She was too embarrassed to say it. Xie Changming sat to the side, silent, seemingly somewhat dejected.
Luo Mingshu praised Manman for a while, then carried him back to his cage and poked a corncob in front of him.
"Eat up," Luo Mingshu said to him. "You also need to finish the cornbread."
Xie Changming noticed that Luo Mingshu had slowly baked the food for him, while she herself ate the food he had baked.
"Yours is burnt." Xie Changming wanted to switch it back.
"I like this flavor, do you have a problem with it?" Luo Mingshu thought that it was not surprising that she had such unique tastes.
Compared to regular food, she really preferred the food made by the Supreme Immortal.
Xie Changming turned his head to watch Luo Mingshu eat corn. Her movements were delicate and elegant, but not slow at all, which was somewhat similar to when she was still Xiaolong.
He sat down beside her, intending to pat her head as he used to, but then he remembered his current identity.
So, he raised his hand above Luo Mingshu's head, lifted it up, and then lowered it again.
Luo Mingshu was munching on corn when she glanced at Xie Changming's shadow out of the corner of her eye. She saw him raise his hand and then pull it back.
She quietly finished eating the corn and then started eating cornbread. She actually had a large appetite, and she made sure to finish all the food she had prepared.
Luo Mingshu lowered her head and took the beautiful goddess and the Supreme Immortal Lord that Xie Changming had made himself. She tore off the clay figurine of the Supreme Immortal Lord and put it in her mouth to eat.
Xie Changming asked her, "Why would you eat me?"
"I just eat it if it looks good to me, no reason needed." Luo Mingshu took a sip of water.
The two of them sat facing each other in the kitchen and ate their food. Even someone as big-eater as Luo Mingshu let out a small burp at the end.
Xie Changming didn't react, but he ate just as much as Luo Mingshu. He swallowed the last bite of cornbread and looked up at Luo Mingshu.
It was already night, and a lamp was lit on the table. Xie Changming's face was indistinct in the dim light, which made his features appear even more profound.
Luo Mingshu thought to herself, "He's really awful. He's using Xie Changming's face to seduce me again."
Xie Changming just stared at her for a long time. If Luo Mingshu didn't leave, he would keep staring at her like that.
"I'm going back to my room to sleep," Luo Mingshu said to him. "We have a competition tomorrow."
Learning two dishes is enough for her; it will be sufficient for tomorrow's competition.
Xie Changming stood up and extended a hand to her.
"What are you doing?" Luo Mingshu asked him.
"I'll hold your hand," Xie Changming said.
Luo Mingshu actually put her hand on his hand. Xie Changming pulled her up with a strong pull. Due to inertia, Luo Mingshu's body lurched forward, and her forehead almost hit his chest.
"Let's go." Xie Changming gripped her hand tightly and walked forward, his tall figure silhouetted against the lamplight.
Luo Mingshu was led forward by him. Looking at his back, she compared the width of his shoulders and felt that his figure was slightly similar to the person in her dream whose face she could not see.
Now that Xie Changming was disguised as the Supreme Immortal Lord, he became much bolder, and he gripped Luo Mingshu's hand even tighter.
Luo Mingshu felt the heat of his palm, but her fingers remained stiff and motionless. She actually disliked being approached or touched by others, but strangely, she didn't dislike either this Supreme Immortal Lord or Xie Changming; in fact, she was used to such closeness.
If it were Xie Changming, it could be explained by his good looks, but the Supreme Immortal Lord was truly unremarkable, and logically speaking, he shouldn't have attracted her attention.
Luo Mingshu tilted her head, feeling somewhat confused, while Xie Changming was thinking about how he should explain to Luo Mingshu why he had been away for so long after shedding this disguise.
He led her by the hand, walking forward and through the corridor and moon gate, the shadows of the flowers at their feet shifting.
It wasn't until Luo Mingshu reminded him, "Supreme Immortal Lord, you've already walked around my courtyard gate five times. How long are you going to keep going?"
Xie Changming was taken aback: "Wasn't it only three laps?"
Luo Mingshu: "?" So you knew all along.
His behavior is no different from that of a taxi driver who takes a longer route to earn more money.
"I'll take you back," he sighed softly.
Luo Mingshu watched his retreating figure and said, "Okay."
As Xie Changming pushed her into the room, Luo Mingshu turned around. Her room was dark, so Xie Changming could only see her blurry face in the darkness, and a beautiful dark purple light deep in her eyes.
"I advise you not to hold my hand for too long, or in a few days, I won't even have the heart to kill you," Luo Mingshu said, looking into his eyes and teasing him.
Xie Changming was taken aback and was about to say something when Luo Mingshu closed her room door. Moonlight streamed in from outside, casting a soft glow on the floor.
Luo Mingshu didn't seem to mean much when she said this. She closed the door and went to wash up.
The next day, the final showdown finally arrived, and today, all the results of the competition will be announced.
Because two of their five matches had coincidentally ended in a draw, this final round was especially important, and everyone was on high alert.
However, the fact that their competition was in cooking added a touch of absurdity to the otherwise serious atmosphere.
The judging method for the "Labor" category is as follows: both sides send three people to cook together. Regardless of who is in charge of the cooking, they need to present three dishes. These three dishes will be submitted to ten professional chef judges for scoring. The scores of the three dishes will be added together to compare the winners and losers.
Meanwhile, Dongzhi Wonderland has already presented its menu.
"Dongzhi Wonderland presents the dishes—Red Orange Era, Golden Splendor, and Two Flavors of Life." The old master of Xuantian Mansion read out the names of these three dishes with great anticipation. Just by listening to these names, one could tell that these were delicacies that only a high-level chef could make.
Upon hearing the name, Luo Mingshu felt that she had already lost in terms of momentum, and she could only grit her teeth and listen to the old mansion master read out the dishes they were presenting.
"The Wuji Palace presents its dishes—steamed buns, cornbread, and roasted corn." Even the old manor lord, for the sake of the Wuji Palace's reputation, had to praise, "Such simple names."
"Alright, go and do it. It needs to be presented to the chefs for tasting within three hours." The old manor lord waved his hand at them.
Luo Mingshu thought to herself that although their names were not good, she would still cook seriously and she was sure she could win the hearts of the ten chefs with her taste.
So she started kneading the dough. With her gentle guidance, she kneaded it several times, and now the water-to-flour ratio is no longer uneven.
After the dough had risen, Luo Mingshu began to sculpt dough figures. Yes, her steamed bun even had a design. She observed the chefs selected by Xuantian Mansion and began to sculpt them in their likeness.
This was Luo Mingshu's little scheme. She couldn't finish making them herself, so she asked Xie Changming to join in. The two of them were making them in front of the chef on the stage. One was the Demon Lord of the Demon Realm, and the other was Yinglong, the last demon god bloodline in the world. These two were actually doing this seriously.
Xu Qian, who was kneading the dough pleats on the side, came over to join in the fun. She glanced at the dough figurine in Luo Mingshu's hand, and then observed the chef on the stage. She was shocked and ashamed of herself: "Super beautiful goddess, Captain 19, the ones you made are even more beautiful than the cold fairy I made."
Luo Mingshu thought that even a normal person couldn't create such a sunny style for you. She glanced at Xu Qian and then created another character, a rich and beautiful girl who loves to eat.
While they were working enthusiastically, Dongzhi Wonderland was no less busy. As soon as the timer started, Lu Yaoyao gave the order, and Shui Qingnian and Amo began preparing the ingredients simultaneously, one cracking eggs and the other cutting tomatoes, with a clear division of labor.
Lu Yaoyao only knows how to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes, while Shui Qingnian and Amo know nothing about cooking. So, out of desperation, they came up with an extremely clever solution: they decided to make a sweet scrambled eggs with tomatoes, a savory scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a last dish that was both sweet and savory, giving each dish a different name to make three dishes.
While they were busy making three different flavors of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, Luo Mingshu's steamed cornbread was already being steamed.
While steaming cornbread, Luo Mingshu and Xie Changming each took five corncobs and started roasting them, while Xu Qian controlled the heat of the cornbread and steamed buns, a clear division of labor.
Within three hours, both sides successfully prepared their dishes. The three servings of scrambled eggs with tomatoes from Dongzhi Wonderland were served first. The sweet and savory scrambled eggs with tomatoes received high scores from different batches of chefs, while the one that was both sweet and savory was considered a complete heresy and received a very low score.
While the scores for Dongzhi Wonderland were still being tallied, the dishes from Wuji Palace were also served. Since Xu Qian controlled the cooking time of the steamed buns, there was no problem with them being undercooked. Although the taste was just average, like a normal steamed bun, Luo Mingshu's ingenious dough figurine design raised the score of the steamed buns to a higher level.
Luo Mingshu and Xie Changming both burned the roasted corn, their cooking skills were equally bad, and they didn't get many points.
From this perspective, Wuji Palace and Dongzhi Wonderland seem to be evenly matched, but—Xu Qian truly lives up to her reputation as a woman whose online name is "Loves Steamed Buns." The steamed buns she makes have reached a state of perfection, even surpassing those made by professional chefs in terms of flavor and emotion.
Her steamed buns received rave reviews and scored almost perfect marks. The only downside was that some of the chefs complained that they were serving mostly staple foods and were feeling a bit full.
In conclusion, the final results show that Wuji Palace has won.
The two results that will determine the final outcome are about to be announced. Apart from the two draws, only one round of results has been determined.
Wuji Hall had already won the battle and remained calm. The old master first announced the results of the "Beauty" competition.
On the first day, the people who came to watch the fun cast their votes. In the remaining days, the people who came to see the exhibition were all serious cultivators. Although Meng Weifang's "Oh" received a lot of votes, the other works were too strange and did not receive many votes. On the contrary, Dongzhi Wonderland was conventional and made no mistakes, and later received a lot of votes.
Of course, the decisive factor in the victory was Amo's "Super," which received the most votes, leaving everyone else far behind and leading Dongzhi Wonderland to a victory of "beauty."
After hearing this, Luo Mingshu covered her face in regret: "It's all because I'm too good-looking."
Both sides have won one game each, and the final result depends on the "virtue" of the first round. Because Luo Mingshu made arrangements in advance, "Heavenly Real-Time News" has gained a large audience and more discourse power due to its low price. Therefore, Luo Mingshu should rightfully become the moral exemplar of Heaven.
In the end, Wuji Palace defeated Dongzhi Wonderland with two wins, one loss, and two draws, and Luo Mingshu successfully gained the respect of the celestial cultivators.
Now, she is only one step away from completing the objective of exploring the Misty Star Sea: killing the original master of the Wuji Palace—the Supreme Immortal Lord.
Once you defeat him, you'll have completed this exploration scenario.
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