"Who is it? Who brought braised pork to challenge us?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

A burly man holding a large cooking ladle strode over, brimming with confidence.

This was clearly the legendary chef from the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. Someone must have snuck off to embellish the story about the braised pork to him, and he just rushed out with his ladle.

At this moment, he wasn’t holding the ladle because he was cooking. Initially, he grabbed a kitchen knife, but then thought about how the cafeteria was full of students, and holding a knife might accidentally hurt someone, so he switched to the big ladle. You know, swinging that long-handled iron ladle felt just right.

Changgui was shoving mouthfuls of braised pork with rice when only one spoonful was left, and he saw the chef running over, halting his eating motion for a moment.

The onlookers around, surprisingly in unison, made way, allowing the imposing chef to approach Changgui directly.

Seeing the last piece of braised pork on Changgui’s spoon, along with the enticing sauce-covered rice, the chef’s pupils contracted as he shouted, "Wait!"

Changgui, whose actions had already paused, completely stopped under the chef’s near ear-shattering yell.

He looked at the chef, who seemed much neater and more fresh compared to the chef from the shabby wine house in the town below. The chef’s well-tied headscarf, an apron old from many washes, and meticulously trimmed nails all declared one thing to everyone: he took being a chef seriously.

This chef left a good first impression on Changgui, who patiently watched the chef as if waiting for his next words.

The chef, looking lost, released his grip on the large iron ladle and reached out with slightly trembling hands, full of disbelief, getting closer. Finally, he grabbed Changgui’s wrist holding the spoon with one hand and took the last spoonful of braised pork rice with the other.

He received the spoon with great reverence and, extremely excited, placed it in front of his eyes to carefully examine it, murmuring, "Could it be... could there truly be such braised pork?!"

When the chef had arrived with such momentum, Changgui had imagined countless confrontational scenarios, but never expected this reaction from the chef. Now, watching him, Changgui felt rather embarrassed.

After looking, the chef inhaled deeply the aroma of the braised pork: "Star anise, bay leaves, ginger slices... Clearly, the same spices are used, so why does it smell so rich?! What exactly brings out this subtle hint of the meat’s aroma itself..."

"Uh... dried chili?" Changgui recalled how the Sect Leader cooked, unsure.

Upon hearing this, the chef’s eyes lit up: "Dried chili! It’s dried chili! Indeed, indeed! I’ve been so narrow-minded, sweet dishes can indeed be enhanced with a bit of dried chili for freshness... But that still doesn’t explain why the sauce is so rich yet not greasy."

Seeing the hopeful look in the chef’s eyes, Changgui scratched his head awkwardly: "I don’t really know. When the Sect Leader cooks, he finds it annoying if we don’t help and just stay in the kitchen. If it were Little Tiger, he might know better."

"The Sect Leader?!" The chef’s eyes gleamed, "Indeed, indeed! Achieving this level, it’s justifiable to establish a culinary Great Success, why can cultivators form their own sects but not chefs?!"

Hearing this, Changgui felt even more embarrassed...