"So you're the Chief National Chef, a pleasure to meet you."
After hearing Zhou Tai's self-introduction, Dylan's expression changed several times in succession. Finally, he proactively placed the tea in front of him, adopting an amicable posture.
Towards seniors in the culinary world, he had always been very respectful, especially the other party's identity as an Eight-Star Special Grade Chef, which made him incredibly intrigued.
If he could compete against such a master, regardless of the outcome, it would be an incredibly invigorating and exhilarating experience, and the moment before the victor was revealed would be even more so for him, sparking inspiration!
Of course, such a master would undoubtedly be extremely cautious about a Food War. To get him to agree, it would likely be difficult without paying some price.
As for what that price might be, it could be money, fame, or perhaps support for his juniors.
For a moment, Dylan considered many possibilities.
"Please."
Placing the exquisitely shaped pastries before Zhou Tai, his grandson, and granddaughter, Dylan gestured for them to take some, then picked up a piece of mung bean cake and began to eat.
Delicate and soft.
As Dylan took a gentle bite, the dense cake seemed to slowly melt on his tongue, bringing an unparalleled silky sensation of pleasure.
Its sweetness was moderate, neither overly cloying nor lacking, perfectly bringing out the mung bean's inherent freshness and aroma, truly a masterpiece.
The Silent King's Grand Confectionery was the best pastry shop in their area. Its master baker was a Five-Star Special Grade Chef, capable of creating Flowing Light cuisine.
Of course, he rarely personally cooked.
Generally, his apprentices did the cooking, but even pastries made by One- or Two-Star Special Grade Chefs under him were already top-tier in taste.
Yet, the mung bean cakes produced there, no matter how heavenly delicious they were – the most delicious in her experience – couldn't compare to this very moment!
The sweet aroma of the pastry was like the warmest sunlight, gently enveloping her heart, filling it and making her feel incredibly warm and satisfied.
"What an indescribably wonderful experience. For a mung bean cake to reach this level, it's considerably more difficult than making a regular dish reach Seven-Star Special Grade."
Zhou Tai was equally surprised. The unique flavor of the mung bean cake on his tongue, delicate and soft, undoubtedly indicated that this mung bean cake was incredibly well-made, perfectly.
"Five-Star Special Grade? No, it feels like it has the standard of a Seven-Star Special Grade. Could it be that this guy in front of me is a pastry chef, specializing in dim sum dishes?"
"Indeed."
Dylan didn't offer much explanation, smiling as he spoke to Zhou Tai, taking another bite of the mung bean cake in his hand and sipping his tea.
This leisurely and unperturbed demeanor gave him the air of an otherworldly master.
Witnessing this scene, Zhou Quan, who had originally held some contempt for Dylan, now lowered his head, silently drinking tea. Zhou Yuyu, however, stared at him with an adoring expression, as if she had never seen a handsome man before.
Afterward, Dylan and Zhou Tai exchanged culinary experiences.
One was a genius from ancient times, the other a Chief National Chef of modern society. Their discussion began very amicably, but soon, over a simple home-style dish, they argued until their faces were red and their mouths almost smoking, neither willing to concede.
Yet, after their heated debate, they both burst into laughter, freely praising each other's ideas and commending each other as truly ingenious chefs.
Hisako Arato opened her mouth but said nothing. She couldn't quite understand what these two men in front of her were doing.
"I can't tell if these two are trying to argue, or genuinely complimenting each other. But judging by their expressions, the latter seems more likely. Indeed, it's like this."
"Are all amazing chefs so eccentric? These two, I thought only my grandfather was a pervert, but it turns out they're all perverts!"
Zhou Quan looked at the two laughing heartily, and began to complain without reservation. He had originally thought his own grandfather was strange enough, but now there was another one, Dylan.
Could it be that powerful individuals eventually go insane?
"It's truly enjoyable chatting with you. I actually brought my grandson here with a purpose: I wanted him to have a match with the outstanding talents under your tutelage."
"A match?"
Hearing Zhou Tai's words, Dylan's voice rose two pitches, but he quickly realized the other party wasn't talking about him, but wanted the juniors under him to compete in a match.
"That's right. An uncut jade cannot become a vessel. If these young fellows don't train diligently, they won't achieve much in this lifetime. Therefore, I often take him to visit various masters, letting them compete with the disciples of those masters. Although he loses more than he wins, it has been quite effective."
Zhou Tai took a sip of tea, then cheerfully confessed to Dylan.
He didn't just come here to exchange pleasantries and build connections; more importantly, he wanted Zhou Quan to have opportunities to practice and establish good relationships.
Moreover, matches between juniors are very beneficial for their growth, so he didn't think Dylan would refuse.
"What you said is correct. Let the juniors compete against each other, showcasing their strength through cooking. This is indeed a good method for improvement, and I have no reason to object. However, a simple match is too monotonous. I'm quite interested in your cooking, Old Brother Zhou. Why don't we two have a match, letting these young ones assist us? It would also increase their experience in this regard."
As he spoke, Dylan suddenly took out a booklet from his pocket: a Shokugeki Codex.
As a gentle breeze blew, the Shokugeki Codex rapidly flipped through its pages, revealing name after name, until it finally stopped on a blank page.
Looking at the booklet flipping on the table, a rare touch of emotion appeared on Zhou Tai's calm face. He seemed not to have expected Dylan to be striving for this goal.
"The last one… Dragon Chef?"
Dylan's voice revealed confusion, but he quickly became enlightened.
No wonder he rarely heard news of Dragon Chefs; it turned out there were no Dragon Chefs in this world. For the younger generation of chefs, this had even become a legend.
"That's right, currently there are no Dragon Chefs in this world. A few decades ago, someone set up an open challenge, but they didn't even last a month before they were defeated."
Having lived many years, Zhou Tai remembered these matters very clearly.
At that time, the one who challenged the world was an Eight-Star Special Grade Chef. His stir-fry dishes were absolutely superb, but in the end, he was defeated by someone using soup.
One can only say that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. With strengths come weaknesses, and that person was defeated because their weakness was found.
This also made subsequent generations of chefs no longer wish to challenge a Dragon Chef, because even if they issued an open challenge, they might be defeated in just a few rounds, which would be an act of self-humiliation.
If you truly let your opponent choose the theme, sooner or later you would be defeated by a master of that field in an area you're not skilled in.
A person's energy is limited; one can be excellent in one thing, but it's hard to be excellent in everything.
And a Dragon Chef, when setting up an open challenge, must accept challenges from chefs of all culinary fields. The challenge content is determined by the challenger, and the one setting the challenge cannot refuse.
And this is also an opportunity for lower-starred chefs. They don't have to directly face the challenger's area of expertise; they can use their own strengths to attack the other's weaknesses.
Only by defeating masters from every field with absolute strength can one become above Nine-Star Special Grade, the legendary Dragon Chef.
And such a chef has not appeared for a hundred years.
Now, Dylan took out this Shokugeki Codex. Each page recorded a name; by rough count, there were already over a dozen. Looking at the characters on it, Zhou Tai instantly understood what he intended to do.
"If you truly want to become a Dragon Chef, I suggest you start addressing your weaknesses now. Otherwise, even if you step onto the challenge stage, you won't last long before being defeated. The one who defeats you might not even be a master, but some obscure individual."
Recalling a scene he witnessed decades ago, Zhou Tai shook his head. To set up an open challenge to the world, to battle all under heaven – what grandeur!
At least he had never entertained such an idea. He was already content with reaching his current level, respected by his peers and holding power.
"Even if I can't become a Dragon Chef, competing with masters is a great thing for me. I even hope someone can defeat me. I dislike being unchallenged."
Dylan shook his head. Although his tone was arrogant, Zhou Tai heard the sincerity in his words. In other words, the other party truly hadn't encountered a worthy opponent.
That's true. A Seven-Star Special Grade Chef is a rarity even in China, and Japan doesn't even have one. Of course, he can be unrivaled in the world.
It's the fault of us older generation for not letting the young ones realize their own limits, which is why they develop ambitions beyond their strength.
"Alright, as you just said, let's have a match, friendship first, competition second. We can let the juniors beside us However, before that, I have one condition: we will only be responsible for the cooking process itself, not for conceptualizing the dishes. All ingredients for the dishes will be prepared by the juniors. This will also be an opportunity to train their abilities. In other words, whatever ingredients they prepare, we will cook according to them. No communication will be allowed throughout the process."
Zhou Tai's voice was faint as he stated his condition: "no communication cooking."
In other words, until the cooking is finished, no one will know what dish the other party intends to make with the prepared ingredients.
"I have no objections. What's the theme?"
Dylan nodded, agreeing to Zhou Tai's suggestion.
He naturally trusted the disciples he personally trained unconditionally. More importantly, he had absolute confidence in himself.
"As the saying goes, 'soup is eternal, opera is vocal.' I haven't competed in cooking for a long time. Since it's a rare chance to 'open my throat' today, let's make soup."
Zhou Tai's voice was faint. Although soup wasn't his absolute strongest suit, it was among his top three.
But the main reason he chose soup as the theme was Zhou Quan; his grandson had passed his assessment and become a Special Grade Chef by making soup.
Since the condition for this match was for the juniors to prepare the ingredients, he naturally had to choose a dish that his junior was skilled in.
Otherwise, with no communication allowed, if the other party brought some strange ingredients that would be difficult to bring out their full flavor, that wouldn't be good.
"Soup, then? Indeed, to make good dishes, one must first make good soup. Soup holds profound significance for a chef. In that case, let soup be the theme."
Dylan nodded, not giving it much thought, merely looking at Hisako Arato and Miyoko Hojo standing beside him, and asked, "Which of you two would like to assist me in cooking?"
Hisako Arato hesitated slightly. After their conversation, she knew that the old man before them seemed to be an Eight-Star Special Grade Chief National Chef, and thus she was very afraid of holding Dylan back; she would never forgive herself if she did.
However, it was precisely her hesitation that made Miyoko Hojo, who had been lowering her head beside them, look up: "I want to try. I already have the answer in my heart."
"Good, then you shall assist."
Dylan took in Hisako Arato's and Miyoko Hojo's reactions. Hearing Miyoko Hojo's decisive words, Dylan nodded.
Compared to the hesitant Hisako Arato, Miyoko Hojo was undoubtedly more suitable for this match, for no other reason than her extremely clear resolve.
When facing a master, any hesitation means direct defeat. One must have a clear objective and unwavering conviction as the foundation for victory.
Dylan knew this.
Zhou Tai naturally knew this too. So he looked at the two somewhat stunned individuals beside him and, disappointed, kicked Zhou Quan.
"The match time will be set for tonight. This afternoon, let these two juniors go out and purchase the ingredients."
"I was just thinking the same."
If any rare ingredients cannot be purchased, you can entrust it to her. She will use Totsuki's unique channels to deliver the ingredients as quickly as possible.
"Many thanks."
Hearing Dylan's words, Zhou Tai nodded seriously. The fact that he was willing to say this proved he wanted to bring everything onto a fair footing.
In other words, he was taking this match very seriously.
Since that was the case, he had no intention of holding back. As a Chief National Chef, although he rarely cooked due to his age, that didn't mean he lacked the ability to wield a knife and contend with others.
The vast chasm between an Eight-Star Special Grade Chef and a Seven-Star Special Grade Chef — he needed to let this junior see it!
"Alright, it's getting late. You two go to the market. Old Brother Zhou and I will just stay here, drink tea, and chat."
Looking at Miyoko Hojo and Zhou Quan, who had been standing behind them, hesitant to move, Dylan's brow furrowed slightly, then he urged them to get going.
Miyoko Hojo and Zhou Quan were startled by Dylan's words, then seemed to realize and nodded, leaving the area and heading towards the market at the foot of Totsuki Mountain.
"Yuyu, aren't you going with Xiao Quan? Don't you usually love to go shopping?"
Seeing Zhou Yuyu sitting obediently in her original spot, a hint of surprise flashed across Zhou Tai's face, then he asked curiously.
"I go shopping to see handsome guys. Now that Brother Dylan is right in front of me, why would I give up this to look over there? Besides, there aren't many handsome guys in Japan anyway."
Zhou Yuyu rested her chin in her hands, her gaze somewhat infatuated. This included being captivated by Dylan's male charm, but more so, she was drawn by his abundant talent and knowledge.
Her conversation with Dylan and Zhou Tai earlier had made her deeply realize his identity as a Seven-Star Special Grade Chef. From any perspective, he was an exceptionally outstanding man. What a pity he already had someone he liked…
But as the saying goes, 'as long as the pickaxe is wielded well, no wall corner cannot be dug down.' She was so sweet and cute, it was hard to imagine anyone rejecting her.
At that point, she just needed to be a little proactive, make raw rice into cooked rice – and the other party wouldn't be able to deny it. As for their feelings afterward, they could slowly cultivate them.
Just then, there was a commotion outside the house; Alice Nakiri and the others had arrived.
Seeing Zhou Tai and Zhou Yuyu as guests in the living room, Alice Nakiri quickly came and sat beside Dylan, naturally adopting the demeanor of a hostess.
Although she had only exchanged a few quick glances, she noticed Zhou Yuyu, and the way the other girl looked at Dylan was something she would never forget.
Because, as a child, she had also looked at Dylan with such eyes.
Thus, upon just arriving home, she immediately grew wary. She sat beside Dylan, preparing to firmly guard her own territory, lest any little 'faries' from outside cause trouble.
"We're from China. Brother Dylan just said he has someone he likes. Seeing how close you two are, he must have been talking about you, right? I was wondering what kind of beauty had captured Brother Dylan's heart, but now that I see you, I understand! You two sitting together are truly a perfect match!"
"That must be me!"
Although she still didn't quite grasp what Zhou Yuyu was saying, since it was related to Dylan and concerned a 'person he liked,' it was undoubtedly referring to her.
"White hair, red eyes. It seems every Chinese person likes this. I have a cousin who loves anime; he sleeps hugging a body pillow every day and doesn't look for a girlfriend. The characters on it always have white hair and red eyes."
Alice Nakiri was observing Zhou Yuyu, and Zhou Yuyu was also observing her. A flicker of amazement passed through the depths of her eyes, and she then complimented her without hesitation.
"Your outfit is also very fashionable."
Hearing Alice Nakiri's words, which she wasn't sure were a compliment or something else, Zhou Yuyu smiled and accepted, then got up and sat beside her.
Outside the living room, Erina Nakiri merely glanced, muttered a quiet thought, and then returned to the kitchen.
After finishing her routine midday cooking, she still had to continue her martial arts training. This period's focus was on balance; she needed to stand on one leg on a wooden pole for an hour.
This was fundamentally an impossible task. She had trained diligently for so long, but at most, she could only last less than ten minutes before her legs ached intolerably.
When Dylan had free time, she definitely had to consult him thoroughly. She always felt there was something wrong with her, otherwise, why was it like this?
Although the others were somewhat curious about this situation, they weren't ones to meddle. After watching from a distance for a moment, they returned to their respective stoves and began cooking with the freshly purchased ingredients.
"Your place is quite lively. Are all these young girls your disciples?"
Looking at the girls busy at their stoves, Zhou Tai asked with some curiosity. However, he quickly realized he had asked a foolish question.
If they weren't his disciples, why would they be cooking here in the middle of the day instead of going home?
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