Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 194 - 193: The ’Nothingness’ Integrated into One Pot

Chapter 194: Chapter 193: The ’Nothingness’ Integrated into One Pot

The students left reluctantly, looking back every few steps.

The classroom only had four people remaining, Xia Yu, Eriina, Yashan Liang, and Shen Liangzi.

After the three had finished their second bowl of soup, Xia Yu finally spoke leisurely, "Share your thoughts."

"..."

A strange silence.

Yashan Liang’s lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing.

Seeing this, Xia Yu found it amusing and could only fix his gaze on the most familiar person among the three, Eriina, "Hey, Eriina, don’t stay mysteriously silent. Tell us what your ’Divine Tongue’ thinks of my Crucian Carp Soup."

The named Eriina was quite annoyed. After all, the class was over, and she didn’t have any reservations, so she glared fiercely at Xia Yu.

"I have nothing to say!" she replied stiffly.

"And you guys?" Xia Yu then looked at Yashan Liang and Shen Liangzi.

"Nothing..."

Finally, it was Yashan Liang, the challenger, who broke the silence, "What I realized in the cooking was only ’nothingness.’"

"Oh?" Xia Yu raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I’m only talking about seasoning," Yashan Liang took a breath and said, "In this fish soup, I couldn’t taste any seasoning... The amount and structure of the seasoning are unclear to me, yet it is perfectly integrated into the fish soup!"

His voice carried a slight tremble.

Recalling it carefully now, it was as if a lingering mist was before his eyes.

Yashan Liang chased after the aftertaste in his mouth and was shocked to find that no flavor remained, as if he had never drunk the warm fish soup a few minutes ago.

"I forgot! I only remember the seasonings! No!" Yashan Liang showed a rare expression of distress, clutching his head, "Damn it, I didn’t taste it carefully before, just cared about drinking the soup..."

Did he really not taste it carefully?

Eriina shook her head.

"You all should try Yashan’s Rainbow Trout Sashimi again, Yashan, you too should try it," Xia Yu didn’t explain further but guided them.

Hearing this, the three picked up chopsticks to try the sashimi.

"Completely different feeling!"

Eriina, who had tasted the sashimi earlier, was no longer enjoying it but was full of struggle. She glanced at Yashan Liang, and couldn’t help but walk to a kitchen counter, bend over to spit out the food, and turn on the faucet to wash it away.

Shen Liangzi might not have had the ’Divine Tongue’s sensitivity, but she looked equally pained as she pinched her nose, and it took quite a while to swallow the food.

"So abrupt!"

The spiciness of the wasabi climbed into her nose, and Shen Liangzi opened her mouth to exhale.

At that moment, two chopsticks fell to the ground.

Yashan Liang said dazedly, "The concept of spices ’subtraction’ and ’emphasis’ was defeated by the ’nothingness’ incorporated into a pot..."

Nothingness!

Eriina returned, nodding gravely, "That is the word! My evaluation of the Crucian Carp Soup’s cooking is only that!"

"In fact, within this pot of soup, I can’t even see the personal mark of the chef." Eriina gazed deeply at Xia Yu and suddenly said, "... This cooking philosophy reminds me of someone!"

As she spoke, she exchanged looks with Shen Liangzi and Yashan Liang.

"The Ten Outstanding Chief, Si Yingshi!"

"He is best at eliciting the original flavor of ingredients and ’disappearing’ himself so that the tasters feel like they are eating nature’s dishes, with no trace of knife work or personal touch."

Xia Yu smiled.

Indeed, he had drawn some inspiration from Si Yingshi and practiced it.

The seasonal-themed cooking, using seasonal ingredients to awaken seasonal flavors, was very well-suited to Si Yingshi’s culinary methods.

However, Xia Yu did not completely replicate it; he incorporated his own understanding.

Then, what came about was the ’nothingness’ integrated into one pot!

Invisible chef techniques, only the food itself, tasted by anyone with any purpose, at the moment the food entered their mouth, their mind was entirely about eating, with nothing else.

At the same time, this purity of ’nothingness’ would generate aversion to other foods.

In short, this pot of ’Shredded Radish and Crucian Carp Soup’ wasn’t like those flashy dishes outside, it returned to the basics, focusing on crucian carp of spring to construct this seasonal theme.

"Yashan, the path you are on is correct. Since you have grasped the concepts of ’subtraction’ and ’emphasis,’ the next step is to strengthen calculations and optimize spice structures." Xia Yu patted Yashan Liang’s shoulder, smiling, "Are you interested in learning some spice formulas from me?"

Yashan Liang was stunned.

"Spice formulas?"

"I’m planning to visit Professor Xijian when I have time; we can have a good chat then!" Xia Yu waved his hand.

"Lost!"

Once everyone had left the classroom, leaving only Yashan Liang, he smiled bitterly, glanced at the intact crucian carp in the pot, then at his own remaining half plate of Rainbow Trout Sashimi, feeling the terrifying prowess of that guy.

The unseen gap was the most despairing.

"What kind of quality cuisine is this ’nothingness’ soup?" Yashan Liang pondered.

...

After a while, Xia Yu, Eriina, and Shen Liangzi sat in a black car, returning to the Far Month Palace.

"You’re becoming more of a monster!" Eriina couldn’t help but speak.

"Monster?" Xia Yu was covered in black lines, "It’s powerful or strong, use words precisely, maiden."

"How did you think of adapting Si Yingshi’s ’disappearing’ concept?" Eriina had the curiosity of a little child.

Shen Liangzi next to her perked up her ears.

"Even though I’ve defeated Si Yingshi, I greatly admire him as well. There’s nothing wrong with learning his strengths, right?" Xia Yu casually replied, leaving Eriina speechless.

Shen Liangzi silently smiled wryly in her heart.

Learning?

If someone else’s signature skill were so easy to master, it wouldn’t be a signature skill at all.

The afternoon classroom topic remained constant.

That evening, the video of Xia Yu and Yashan Liang’s private match spread quickly on the Far Moon School forum, especially the part where the fish soup was uncovered, with mist swirling beautifully like a dream, being replayed by students repeatedly.

At the same time.

A group at the Polar Star Dormitory had just managed to complete the evening’s sudden topic, took a bath, dressed in yukatas, and gathered in Marui Shanji’s room.

Shen Liangzi was recounting the happenings of that morning’s class in detail to everyone.

"That guy named Yashan Liang, is he really that strong?" Xingping Chuangzhen scratched his head.

"Very strong!" Shen Liangzi nodded, "Miss Tiqie herself admitted that her ’Tempura Platter’ presented in class couldn’t compare to Yashan’s ’Rainbow Trout Sashimi.’"

"But what does that ’nothingness’ soup taste like?"

Yoshino Yuuki hugged Shen Liangzi from behind, her arms tightly encircling Liangzi’s waist, teasingly blowing in her ear.

"I, I can’t describe it either!" Shen Liangzi’s face went tense.

Chiyoda Shrine.

It was silent at night, and Xia Yu was contemplating at the kitchen counter.

Hua Mao had already eaten and was lounging beside him.

Not long ago, he asked Liangzi Lina to contact a storehouse in Kanagawa Prefecture to deliver some Shuangjiang Tofu tomorrow, saying it was for practice.

Of course, those Shuangjiang Tofu were just a cover; the Chef God Mall had unlocked new ingredients, and the data appeared before Xia Yu’s eyes:

"[Shuangjiang Tofu] (Purple): Made with genuine native Big Tuna Belly Soybeans, a top-grade ingredient, it’s an unparalleled delicacy for vegetarian gourmets."

"Price: 100 Fame Points / 1 jin (500 grams)."