The Glowing Cuisine Conquers the Tongue of God
Chapter 26 - The Snow Woman’s Gift

Chapter 26  The Snow Woman’s Gift

“Only 95 points? That’s just average, but there’s still the most crucial step left in this dish!”

Before Li Yang could finish basking in his glory, an unexpected guest arrived. A chilling wave of cold suddenly filled the room, causing the temperature, which had been around twenty degrees, to plummet to zero.

Then, Li Yang saw someone appear across from him. A beautiful woman dressed in white, with long flowing hair. However, her form seemed intangible, as if she were a ghost wandering the world, her presence lacking any solid feel. Li Yang quickly looked up. And there, he met a pair of cold, lifeless eyes!

The Snow Woman!

Li Yang’s heart raced with alarm.

Holy crap, this is the true form of the Snow Woman’s curse!

The Snow Woman, with the “bad luck” constitution, abandoned by a thousand men!

Damn, how did she find her way here?

Li Yang didn’t dare take her lightly. The Snow Woman, who could turn all of Hokkaido into an icy world, was definitely a big shot in the demon world.

With only his “Explosive Flame” skill and the ability to feel full after eating just one Spirit Crystal Coin, he knew he was no match for her.

Li Yang felt a twinge of regret. If only he had stayed in bed, relaxing and doing nothing, instead of wandering around at this hour.

Now, he’d run into a ghost, hadn’t he?

Great!

But this wasn’t the time for self-pity. Li Yang’s enhanced senses kicked in, and he quickly realized that the Snow Woman seemed very interested in the Great Magic Panda Mapo Tofu he had made. Her curiosity was tinged with a hint of eagerness. This gave Li Yang a sense of calm.

“So, you came because of this dish?”

The Snow Woman’s vengeful spirit seemed to retain some intelligence, and her gaze reluctantly moved away from the plate. She tilted her head and looked at Li Yang. Seeing this, Li Yang became even more confident. A smile appeared on his face as he looked at the Snow Woman with sincerity.

“That’s right, I made this dish just for you!”

Meanwhile, upstairs, when they noticed Li Yang’s room was empty, the others finally began to search for him. But at the staircase corner between the second and third floors, Nagi Kiri Senzoemon quickly stopped them.

“Everyone, be silent… The Snow Woman has arrived!”

Immediately, the group, including Zhang Haoran, Erina, and Hisako, froze, staring in shock at the scene on the second floor. Everyone, including Senzoemon, was stunned.

“So, that powerful cooking aura earlier was Li Yang cooking?”

“Is this the right time to talk about that? The Snow Woman’s vengeful spirit has come knocking—could Li Yang be in danger?”

“Look, it seems Li Yang is serving the Snow Woman with his dish!”

“Oh my god, did the Snow Woman’s vengeful spirit come because of Li Yang’s cooking?”

Nagi Kiri Senzoemon trembled with excitement. This was a first!

The first time the Snow Woman appeared because of cooking!

In the past, he had performed rituals to the Snow Woman nine times, but he had never seen her appear. He had only heard her voice faintly amidst blizzards.

Even ten years ago, when Liu Longchu personally cooked Sichuan and Chongqing hot pot to offer to the Snow Woman, her figure only flashed briefly in the blizzard.

At this moment, it was still not yet time for the sacrificial ceremony, but the Snow Woman had appeared on her own initiative.

What kind of dish did Li Yang make to stir such intense interest in the Snow Woman?

Everyone was filled with curiosity about this. In the second-floor restaurant, Li Yang prepared to treat the Snow Woman’s vengeful spirit as an ordinary guest.

“You’ve come at the right time, but there’s one last step before you can enjoy this delicious dish. Please wait a moment.”

Li Yang quickly pulled out the bamboo shoot skins from the plate, and the fiery, sizzling red Mapo sauce began to seep into the plate.

At the same time, the originally unified black-and-white tofu automatically separated, evenly scattering into the hot Mapo sauce. Next, Li Yang covered the plate with a lid and raised the plate with both hands.

Upon seeing this, Eri Na, who was at the corner of the stairs, gasped and whispered, “Oh my god, how did he do that? The whole block of tofu split by itself, just like magic!”

The focus of Xian Zuowei’s attention was on the black-and-white tofu.

“What kind of soybeans were used to make that black tofu? What is the meaning of making it like this?”

“Also, didn’t he put too much water in the Mapo sauce? It feels a bit thin; it should’ve been simmered a little longer.”

Those present who understood cooking were filled with curiosity about Li Yang’s “Grand Magic Panda Mapo Tofu.” However, there was one last crucial step. Li Yang held the plate from the bottom and activated the “Explosive Flame” skill.

His hands quickly generated intense heat. This was the final and most important step, to fully merge the flavor of the Mapo sauce with the black-and-white tofu. This was the key to completing the Grand Magic Panda Mapo Tofu!

Under the high temperature, the Mapo sauce in the plate shrank rapidly, and its flavor began to blend with the black-and-white tofu. Because the plate was tightly sealed with the lid, the flavor of the Mapo tofu didn’t escape at all, not even a hint of steam.

“Almost there.”

“Please enjoy my specially made… Grand Magic Panda Mapo Tofu!”

Li Yang suddenly removed the lid.

A torrent of red light shot into the sky, standing like a pillar between heaven and earth, while two black-and-white mist spiraled up the red pillar like dragons.

The system rating appeared again.

[Congratulations, master! Your Grand Magic Panda Mapo Tofu has reached 100 points!]. [Reward: Extraordinary Culinary Skill — Fierce Bull Blue Dragon Slash!].

As a large amount of mist spread outward, a sweet and spicy fragrance filled everyone’s nostrils in the villa.

“This smell is making my appetite explode!”

“I want to eat it! I really want to eat it!”

“Oh my god, this smell is so irresistible, I almost choked on my own saliva!”

…

However, before the people at the corner of the stairs could react, the Snow Woman, who had remained still until then, suddenly moved. She first dashed toward the red light, then grabbed the black-and-white mist with both hands and quickly stuffed it into her mouth.

As she continuously chewed the culinary light, the Mapo tofu in the plate was rapidly diminishing. Just like when Zhao Li had the hungry ghosts taste Li Yang’s Golden Fried Rice, the Snow Woman, being a spiritual entity, experienced the transformation of the Grand Magic Panda Mapo Tofu into light, which merged into her body.

In an instant, the plate was empty, not a single drop of sauce was left. In the silent restaurant, everyone watched the Snow Woman suspended in mid-air.

Then they heard—

Burp~

The Snow Woman let out a satisfied burp, and her originally cold and delicate face suddenly flushed with a hint of redness. It seemed she was shy. It appeared that her emotions had returned to normal. The Snow Woman’s previously dull eyes also regained their liveliness as she curiously gazed at Li Yang.

“Thank you, handsome human boy. Thank you for letting me experience a deeply memorable, sweet, and fiery love in that light just now~”

“This place no longer belongs to me. I must leave now. But before I go, I want to pay you for your kindness~”

The Snow Woman descended from mid-air and landed in front of Li Yang, her hands wrapping around his neck. Her slightly reddened lips gently pressed against Li Yang’s mouth.

Li Yang only felt a coolness on his lips and had not yet reacted when the Snow Woman before him suddenly turned into a flurry of golden snowflakes and disappeared. The system reminder appeared once again.

[Congratulations, master! You have conquered the Snow Woman’s heart and stomach with your Grand Magic Panda Mapo Tofu!]. [Reward: Snow Woman’s Gift — Demoness’ Affection!].

(Note: Any female demon clan member who meets you for the first time will naturally harbor a certain level of affection for you.)