The Glowing Cuisine Conquers the Tongue of God
Chapter 8 - The Man Who Speaks with a Forked Tongue

Chapter 8 The Man Who Speaks with a Forked Tongue

“Magical Mapo Tofu?”

Hearing this familiar dish name, Erina Zikichie was struck as though by lightning, and her expression changed to one of utter shock. She couldn’t contain her curiosity and immediately asked, “Where did you hear about Magical Mapo Tofu?”

If it had just been Golden Fried Rice, that might have been explained away as a coincidence. But apart from Liu Long’s family and the Zikichie family, who else could possibly know about the existence of Magical Mapo Tofu?

This dish was developed by Liu Long’s father, the “God Chef Liu,” to reclaim the family inheritance from the hands of villains. Magical Mapo Tofu was the “Six-Flavor Mapo Tofu!”

In addition to the five flavors—spicy, numbing, color, aroma, and heat—the sixth and most crucial flavor, crisp, was the key. Unfortunately, most of the information about God Chef Liu was erased, and records of Magical Mapo Tofu were only found in the diary of Zikichie Shirou, where only fragments remained.

Erina herself had researched the Six-Flavor Mapo Tofu, and even her grandfather, Far Moon Academy’s General Senzoemon Zikichie, had tried multiple times to replicate it. But all attempts had failed!

Even Liu Long had tried cooking Magical Mapo Tofu, but the results were unsatisfactory. The key sixth flavor, crisp, could never be perfectly captured!

And now…

Erina Zikichie looked at Li Yang in shock.

Someone was actually claiming to be able to make Magical Mapo Tofu?

Had he solved the problem of “crisp”?

Erina’s mind raced.

However, her gaze shifted to the Frosted Tofu on the counter, and a look of realization appeared on her face.

“So, you think using Frosted Tofu can perfectly capture the meaning of ‘magical’ in this dish?” She sneered.

“Ha, you don’t even know where the key to Magical Mapo Tofu lies!”

“Although I don’t know where you heard about it, let me give you some advice. Even with tofu of higher quality than this Frosted Tofu, I couldn’t make the perfect Magical Mapo Tofu…”

Li Yang chuckled lightly and turned to look at Erina with a sincere expression.

“Could it be that you can’t make it because you’re just not good enough?”

What?

Erina stared at Li Yang in disbelief.

This was the first time in her life someone had dared to say that to her!

The phrase “not good enough” was something she had always used to evaluate others, not the other way around. It was practically a complete reversal!

Erina was so enraged she started shaking. Her sidekick, Fushiko Shinoto, immediately stepped in to defend her idol.

“Mr. Li, Erina-sama is one of the Far Moon Academy’s top ten! Her culinary skills are the best among her peers. Please take back what you just said!”

Li Yang shrugged and nonchalantly replied, “Did I say something wrong?”

“She couldn’t make Magical Mapo Tofu, but I did. If she’s not the one who’s lacking, then what’s the reason?”

“Oh, I get it!”

Li Yang suddenly understood and raised an eyebrow at Fushiko Shinoto.

“You mean to say, my cooking skills are just too strong! Thanks for the compliment, but please don’t worship me, alright?”

Fushiko Shinoto blushed slightly. Li Yang’s roguish, charming demeanor made her heart flutter.

“P-Please don’t say that. My idol will always be Erina-sama! I would never betray her!”

Li Yang glanced at Erina, who was now seething with anger, and smiled.

“The ‘magical’ part you’re talking about is the sixth flavor, right? Why are you being so evasive about it?”

“Is this some big secret?”

“Well, enough with the small talk. If you want to try my Magical Mapo Tofu, take a seat and wait. If not, feel free to leave.”

Li Yang, with the Frosted Tofu in hand, swiftly entered the kitchen. He couldn’t wait to try out the amazing qualities of the Frosted Tofu. Erina stood there, stunned. Her shock had reached its peak.

“He actually knows the secret behind Magical Mapo Tofu?”

“The mysterious sixth flavor… crisp!”

“This can’t be… His last name is Li, not Liu… Where did he get the recipe for Magical Mapo Tofu?”

And then there was the Golden Fried Rice!

After hearing Li Yang reveal the most crucial secret of Magical Mapo Tofu, Erina’s resentment began to fade unconsciously. Instead, she grew more and more curious about him.

Who exactly was he?

Why was he so confident in making Magical Mapo Tofu?

And as for that Golden Fried Rice, could it really shine like they said?

Was it truly the glowing dish that only “God Chef Liu” could create?

A one-of-a-kind dish in the world!

There was no way she was leaving now. Erina obediently sat at the counter, her eyes fixed on the kitchen, eagerly awaiting what kind of Magical Mapo Tofu Li Yang would serve. In fact, just the thought of possibly tasting Magical Mapo Tofu made Erina’s God’s Tongue start to salivate.

In the kitchen, Li Yang calmly took the Frosted Tofu and cut it in half. He only needed one half to make a portion of Magical Mapo Tofu. Following Shao’an’s recipe, within just a little over ten minutes, a portion of Magical Mapo Tofu was ready.

“System, come on, give me a rating.”

[Congratulations, Master. The Magical Mapo Tofu (Shao’an version) has reached a new high score of 95 points, achieving the Food Mirage level. Keep it up!]

As expected!

Li Yang was overjoyed. He knew that the problem with his previous Shao’an version of Magical Mapo Tofu was the tofu. Now, with Frosted Tofu, the score had jumped to 95 points, and Li Yang was very satisfied.

“Alright, let’s keep the momentum going and make a second version, the Little Master version of Magical Mapo Tofu!”

The Little Master version had previously reached 89 points—just a hair away from the 90-point mark. After making the Shao’an version of Magical Mapo Tofu, Li Yang had a new inspiration and saw the perfect opportunity to bring the Little Master version to new heights!

Another ten minutes later, Li Yang had improved the Little Master version of Magical Mapo Tofu and also brought it to 95 points!

“Still not a perfect 100… Looks like there’s still some issue somewhere. Perfect timing, though! I’ll let Erina taste both versions of the Magical Mapo Tofu and use her God’s Tongue to find out what’s missing.”

Li Yang walked out of the kitchen with two plates of Magical Mapo Tofu, placing them on the counter. Because the plates were covered with lids, no smell leaked out. When Erina saw Li Yang bring out two plates, she was slightly surprised.

Two dishes? Could it be that in addition to the Magical Mapo Tofu, he also made Golden Fried Rice? Didn’t he say there was no rice earlier?

Erina shot Li Yang a glare. Her big, watery eyes unconsciously had a hint of charm in them.

Heh, this man speaks one thing but means another!