Chapter Sixty-Five: Buddhas Across the Sky (Part Two)
Ming Tian had no idea how his Buddha Jumps Over the Wall would turn out.
After all, this dish was extremely difficult to make. Even after spending four days on it, as his first attempt, Ming Tian was far from confident. Moreover, since he had laced it with poison, he couldn’t taste the finished product to make final adjustments and could only rely on instinct to season it.
He could only hope he hadn’t ruined the dish!
If possible, Ming Tian would have preferred the Marquis of Donghun to eat it only after he had already secured victory—much safer that way.
The Love Longing Poison was already in place. The later the emperor tasted it, the better chance Ming Tian would have to escape.
But now, at the brink of life and death, Ming Tian could not afford to care about such things!
“Hmph! You really think one dish can beat thirty-two dishes prepared by three gold medal chefs on my side? Boy, be careful not to boast so loud your own claims burst!”
Dragged by soldiers, Ming Tian was brought right beside Qian Shanduo.
The fat man, watching the handmaid get ready to lift the lid, could barely contain his triumphant glee, and spat venomous words.
“Just wait and see how I crush you,” Qian Shanduo sneered maliciously.
However—
His smile lasted only a second; in the next, that assured grin froze on his face!
With a crisp sound, the clay jar’s lid was lifted.
Boom!
At that instant, the overcast clouds outside parted, and a beam of golden sunlight shone perfectly upon the mouth of the jar!
Golden radiance didn’t simply illuminate; rather, refracted by the sunlight, it seemed to burst forth from within the jar!
“What… what is this…” Xiao Baojuan exclaimed in astonishment.
Whether it was an illusion or not, the golden light surged from the jar like a giant dragon breaking free from years of confinement!
For a moment, the whole world seemed to change color.
Every chef, every guest present, even Xiao Yaoguang and the Marquis of Donghun himself, were utterly stunned!
No, it wasn’t golden light—it was steam.
The steam from the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was golden!
No one had a chance to react before a tidal wave of wondrous aroma swept toward every nose like a flood.
The fragrance was so rich that with just one breath, the fresh umami flavor seemed to surge up the throat!
The aroma alone made everyone’s mouths water uncontrollably.
The main hall faced west to east, but this scent traveled thousands of meters, causing even the sentry at the eastern gate to turn in surprise as it reached him.
The three gold medal chefs and Qian Shanduo—before this almost tangible fragrance, all their previous smugness vanished, replaced by stunned silence!
The aroma from this jar instantly rendered their thirty-two dishes dull and lifeless.
Having just declared he would crush Ming Tian, Qian Shanduo now felt as though a thousand slaps had landed on his face. Never had he imagined that Ming Tian’s grand-finale dish would have such overwhelming power from its aroma alone.
No—it couldn’t be. The emperor’s taste buds were already numbed by my jasmine root; no matter how delicious it is, he won’t be able to taste it!
Qian Shanduo forced himself to calm down, but his body betrayed him, trembling uncontrollably. “What’s the use of aroma alone? The flavor is what matters in a dish.”
His words reminded the gold medal chefs beside him that Xiao Baojuan’s taste had been numbed; their hearts eased a little.
“Is that so?” Ming Tian smiled coolly, glancing over his shoulder at Qian Shanduo. “A truly overwhelming flavor can be tasted even without the tongue!”
Qian Shanduo was stunned, not quite comprehending what Ming Tian meant.
At that moment, Xiao Baojuan, who was closest to the jar, turned ashen in the face.
The experienced serving maid beside him trembled as she ladled a bowl of soup.
Even the serving maids held their breath; the aroma was so potent they feared fainting if they inhaled too much.
Yet even holding their breath was useless; the fragrance forced its way into their nostrils, nearly shattering their composure.
The moment the soup left the jar and met the air, the aroma exploded like a nuclear blast.
In everyone’s eyes, even the air seemed tinged with gold.
What kind of dish was this, to possess such a scent?
With everyone watching, Xiao Baojuan’s hand shook as he sipped a tiny mouthful.
Just a tiny mouthful!
The numbing effect of the jasmine root, like a wall of paper, was obliterated in an instant by this tidal wave of flavor.
Boom!
A world-shaking, mountain-crossing taste erupted in his mouth!
An endless tide of deliciousness almost surged straight into his brain.
One sip, and it felt as if the entire universe was swallowed into his belly!
The emperor’s crown flew from his head with a thud as the soup touched his lips; his long hair rose as if stirred by a wind, and even his eyes seemed to glow gold in that moment!
As he looked up, Xiao Baojuan, overwhelmed by this transcendent flavor, began to hallucinate. He saw the clouds in the sky congealing.
“This… what is…”
Xiao Baojuan could not believe his own eyes.
He saw it. He saw it!
He saw the heavens filled with buddhas!
Buddhas crowded the sky, their kindly faces all gazing at the jar of soup on the table, their eyes glistening with longing!
This dish was not so much a dish as it was a mighty buddha, compelling him to—
“Ahhhhhhhh!”
Unable to contain himself, Xiao Baojuan threw back his head and howled.
With a heavy thud, before the wide-eyed assembly, Xiao Baojuan—the emperor of Southern Qi—fell to his knees!
Yes, the aroma of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall made an emperor kneel!
No one could believe what they were seeing.
Yet faced with that dizzying fragrance, they had to believe.
Was this truly a dish? Could it really be food? Was it not the offering of the gods themselves?
I did it.
Seeing the emperor’s reaction, Ming Tian smiled.
It seemed this Rare Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was a success!
“Ten… ten… ten thousand points!!!”
After a long time, as if his soul had traveled the cosmos, the once-listless Xiao Baojuan let out a thunderous roar, even the breath from his mouth turning gold!
Turning back, his usually lecherous eyes now glinted with golden light; after tasting this dish, even his stutter was cured!
“This dish…”
Xiao Baojuan’s voice trembled, as if he could not believe what he had just tasted, and he hurriedly took another sip.
This time, he drank nearly half a bowl, his eyes rolling back in ecstasy!
Witnessing this, Qian Shanduo’s mind collapsed.
The emperor had given a score of ten thousand points for a single dish!
That could only mean… his own death?!
At this moment, Qian Shanduo’s face was ashen, still unable to grasp what had just happened.
What was this? One dish? This boy had beaten all thirty-two dishes prepared by my gold medal chefs with one dish?
Qian Shanduo could hardly believe it, but reality was undeniable!
As for Xiao Baojuan, after downing half a bowl, it took him a full five minutes to regain his senses, with none of his former temper remaining.
His pudgy, foolish face now combined the expressions of a dimwit and a clown, making him look even more ridiculous.
“What… what kind of dish is this?” he asked, carefully setting the half-full bowl on the table.
This was probably the first time in his life he had ever handled anything so delicately.
The time had come!
Glancing at the memorial tablet for Zhao Ke on the worktable nearby, Ming Tian felt no urge to joke or sneer.
He stepped forward, knelt, and solemnly declared, “This dish was created over four days by myself and a chef from the imperial kitchens who has passed away. It is the pinnacle of earthly cuisine, the king of all dishes: Rare Buddha Jumps Over the Wall!”
“Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?!”
Whether it was an illusion or not, Xiao Baojuan, having had half a bowl, felt his intelligence had increased: “This other chef—who was he?”
Ming Tian glanced down at the red-corded jade buddha in his hand, a relic of Zhao Ke.
Turning to Qian Shanduo, he saw that the fat man had lost all his bluster and was now trembling pitiably, unable to move.
“This chef was named Zhao Ke! He devoted his life in silence to the imperial kitchens, but was murdered by a despicable villain two days ago. This scoundrel ruled the kitchens for years, committing every evil. Because of him, Your Majesty and the late emperor ate nothing but bland food for a whole year! Even in this contest, the villain tried to sabotage Your Majesty’s sense of taste with jasmine root, making everything taste like wax!”
At these words, Xiao Baojuan flew into a rage!
“What did you say? Who would dare such a thing—poisoning my taste buds and killing the chef who could make me such a dish?!”
With the emperor’s outburst, Qian Shanduo broke down instantly.
“Ming… Ming Tian…” Qian Shanduo, knowing Ming Tian was about to denounce him, desperately tugged at Ming Tian’s trouser leg, pleading, “Don’t… please… I was wrong, I’ll never…”
Ming Tian cast a sidelong glance at the fat man, who had been threatening him just ten minutes earlier.
“Hmph.”
Ming Tian was not heartless. If it had been a minor offense, a little mischief toward him, he would have forgiven with sincere remorse.
That was the measure of an adult.
But Qian Shanduo, you are too arrogant, too wicked—you committed the gravest sin of all: you killed Master Zhao Ke. I will not forgive you!
Gripping the jade buddha tightly, Ming Tian shook off Qian Shanduo’s fat hand and pointed straight at him.
“It was him! He harmed the chefs of the imperial kitchens, conspired against the emperor—Qian Shanduo, head of the four imperial kitchen divisions!”
“Your… Your Majesty, have mercy!!”
At these words, Qian Shanduo could no longer endure, tears and snot streaming as he banged his head violently on the floor.
…