The Glowing Cuisine Conquers the Tongue of God
Chapter 3 - The IGO's Star Chef

Chapter 3 The IGO’s Star Chef

Despite having witnessed the miraculous effects of the Golden Fried Rice glow more than once, Zhao Li was still deeply shocked this time.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Is the effect of the 100% Golden Fried Rice really that powerful?”

It could make a soul trapped in the hungry ghost realm directly reincarnate into the Heavenly Realm? This could only be done by legendary figures, right?

And Li Yang… he just used a simple plate of fried rice. It was just basic eggs and rice!

As a regular at the food shop, Zhao Li was very familiar with the ingredients of the Golden Fried Rice. Besides eggs and rice, the most extravagant thing was a little salt and pepper for seasoning.

Zhao Li felt like his worldview had collapsed in that instant. Completely shattered, leaving no trace behind!

“How did you do it?”

Zhao Li swallowed nervously, his eyes fixed on Li Yang, eager to know the answer. Li Yang smiled faintly, his voice tempting as he spoke to Zhao Li.

“Want to know the answer? Why not try it yourself… There’s some leftover rice in the kitchen. I’ll cook it for you right now…”

Before Li Yang finished speaking, Zhao Li jumped up and rushed toward the door, like a dog chasing a rabbit.

“Don’t think you can trick me into eating that Golden Fried Rice! That thing is way too sinister. I’m not qualified to handle it…”

Zhao Li didn’t even look back as he dashed out, but before leaving, he left a final word.

“Don’t worry, I’ll bring that special guest I promised in a few days…”

Li Yang was stunned for a moment.

“A few days? Wait a minute, the 15th of July is still a long way off…”

“Could it be that I was wrong? Is Zhao Li not trying to introduce me to the King of Hell, Ah Cha?”

Li Yang thought for a moment.

“Wait… is it possible he wants to bring Xia Dongqing instead?”

The more Li Yang thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

Xia Dongqing’s eyes housed the soul of Chi You, and after seeing how powerful the effect of the 100% Golden Fried Rice was, Zhao Li might have had the idea of having Xia Dongqing eat the fried rice to purify Chi You’s soul.

“Well, if Chi You’s soul is quietly purified, could it cause chaos in the Three Realms?”

“Well, that’s none of my business!”

Li Yang shook his head and decided to put the matter aside for now, focusing on learning the recipes for the two magical Mapo Tofus.

……

A week passed quickly, and Li Yang had already perfected the two magical Mapo Tofu recipes, achieving scores of 80 and 85 points. Liu Maoxing’s magical Mapo Tofu reached a maximum of 85 points, while Shao An’s reached 80. Shao An’s magical Mapo Tofu recipe was more difficult to make!

And…

In terms of taste, Shao An’s version was even more delicious!

“As expected, in the anime, Captain Li let Xiao Dangjia slide on purpose.”

The magical Mapo Tofu had six key flavors: numbing, spicy, fragrant, color, hot, and crispy. The key sixth flavor, “crispy,” in Xiao Dangjia’s version, was achieved by replacing beef with soybean in the meat mix, cooking it first and then deep-frying.

Shao An’s “crispy” came from the tofu itself, and he used minced beef, so his Mapo Tofu had a richer flavor.

……

In addition, over the past week, Li Yang’s “Midnight Diner” had also gained some fame. The restaurant operated from 6 PM to midnight, a perfect time when soul ferrymen were most active.

With Zhao Li being a regular, word quickly spread about the Midnight Diner among the soul ferryman community in the entire Jinghai City (a combination of the capital and Magic City). Whenever they caught a hungry ghost, they’d send it to Li Yang.

Occasionally, even ghosts with intense resentment and strong obsessions would show up at the Midnight Diner. In this world, with supernatural forces in existence, the presence of soul ferrymen was a secret to ordinary people but not to many supernatural beings. Many supernatural beings had connections with soul ferrymen.

As a result, the Midnight Diner’s reputation also spread among the supernatural circles in Jinghai City. Moreover, soul ferrymen were happy to share the Midnight Diner’s location with other supernatural beings.

According to Zhao Li, they soul ferrymen didn’t dare to eat the Golden Fried Rice, but other supernatural beings weren’t afraid. Additionally, soul ferrymen wanted to witness what would happen if a normal person ate Golden Fried Rice.

The effects on the living were completely different from those on spiritual bodies. For normal people, eating the glowing Golden Fried Rice could remove evil thoughts and negative energy, boost yang energy, and even remove certain negative effects.

For example, it could rid someone of attachment to yin energy, bad luck, or unwanted romantic entanglements.

Most customers reported, “I feel like I’ve eaten a warm sun.”

Thus, Li Yang’s Midnight Diner became a popular spot among supernatural beings, even though it only served a simple plate of fried rice with no drinks or alcoholic beverages.

And since most supernatural beings were wealthy, as the saying goes, “If you have money, why not make more?”

Li Yang adjusted the pricing of his Golden Fried Rice.

Regular Golden Fried Rice (90 points): 1,000 yuan per serving.

Advanced Golden Fried Rice (95 points): 5,000 yuan per serving.

Premium Golden Fried Rice (100 points): 10,000 yuan per serving.

(Note: Premium Golden Fried Rice is available in limited supply and only for customers who catch the chef’s eye.)

As the reputation of the Midnight Diner grew, it also attracted the attention of certain government agencies. Three days ago, a special customer visited the Midnight Diner.

“I am Zhang Haoran, the head of the IGO International Food Institute’s Jinghai City branch. I’ve heard that Mr. Li can cook a glowing fried rice, and I’ve come to taste it.”

“If I find it satisfactory, Mr. Li will be awarded the prestigious Star Chef certification by the IGO.”

Li Yang looked at the man in front of him and asked curiously, “What’s the use of having this certification?”

Zhang Haoran was stunned for a moment, having never expected that a chef wouldn’t know what IGO’s Star Chef status represented. Seeing that Li Yang was genuinely confused and not mocking him, Zhang Haoran sighed.

“Mr. Li, IGO’s Star Chefs have many privileges. They can freely enter any United Nations member country without needing a visa.”

“Also, no one or organization can attack an IGO Star Chef at will; doing so is considered a crime against humanity!”

“And, if any IGO Star Chef is in danger, any supernatural being from any country is obligated to assist!”

“Additionally, all IGO Star Chefs can receive an unlimited supply of extraordinary ingredients from IGO’s logistics department, priced at half the market rate!”

Hearing this, Li Yang’s heart raced.

IGO’s Star Chefs had such powerful privileges?

Being able to enter any country without a visa was impressive, but being considered a crime against humanity if attacked? That meant his safety would be guaranteed!

In a world where supernatural forces existed, that was incredibly important. Moreover, IGO’s Star Chefs could get unlimited extraordinary ingredients at half price?

For example, the colorful fruit mentioned in the news, which cost 500 million dollars per piece on the market, could be bought for only 250 million dollars?

But then Li Yang paused and calmed himself. Since IGO’s Star Chefs had so many privileges, they must carry a heavy responsibility as well.

“So, if I become an IGO Star Chef, what are my duties?”