Liu Ming and Tohru stood at the doorway, watching Tadokoro Megumi leave.
After all, Tadokoro Megumi came too suddenly and hadn't brought many things. Things like changes of clothes, toiletries, etc. She didn't even have her cooking utensils.
"I'm going out too. Are you going to continue watching the house, or are you coming out with me?" Liu Ming looked at Tohru.
"Can I come too? Really?" Tohru's eyes sparkled.
"Of course, there's nothing much happening at the store today. If you're not bored, just follow me." After closing the store door, Liu Ming took Tohru towards their destination.
It was a medicinal herb store that he had searched for a long time online.
It was a very old medicinal herb store. He was looking for medicinal herbs to refine an ancient medicinal soup, Appetizer Soup.
Legend has it that it was used to open the emperor's taste buds, making the tongue feel reborn, with all taste senses fully activated. He wasn't sure if it could surpass the God Tongue, but it was certainly far beyond ordinary people.
Unfortunately, the ingredients needed for Appetizer Soup were not easy to find.
Upon arriving at the medicinal herb store, he only found seven common ingredients. The remaining two could not be found at all; either they were out of stock, or he had never heard of their names.
"This is troublesome," Liu Ming looked at the bustling walkway, his mood becoming a little low.
He had originally planned to give the Appetizer Soup as a surprise to Tadokoro Megumi, his apprentice, but now it had turned out like this. How could he give it to her?
This was awkward.
He had even told Tadokoro Megumi in advance that he would give her a surprise in the next two days. Now that the surprise was gone, would she be very disappointed in him, her Master?
She probably would be.
Alas, being a Master is really not easy, especially for someone like him who has no experience at all.
"Xiao Ming, do you want me to help you look?" Tohru asked.
"You?" Liu Ming looked at her in confusion, then suddenly his eyes lit up.
Tohru was a dragon! The remaining two medicinal herbs weren't gone; it was just that their quantity was too small, making them hard to find. With Tohru, the dragon, they could go into the deep mountains and old forests to search without any danger.
"Luckily, you're here," Liu Ming said appreciatively, stroking Tohru's small head.
Tohru proudly puffed out her chest.
"Let's go, I'll treat you to a big meal," Liu Ming said, holding Tohru's small hand.
This was Yokohama Chinatown. He remembered there was a famous Chinese restaurant here, Hojo Restaurant, which had a history of fifty years.
Hojo Restaurant was indeed very famous here. He asked a random passerby and was immediately told its exact location.
The two walked for about 10 minutes and arrived at a historical-looking restaurant.
Above the main entrance hung a plaque with the three large characters: Hojo Restaurant.
Even though it was past the peak dining period, there were still many people in the hall, showing that Hojo Restaurant was indeed very popular.
"Let's go in too," Liu Ming said, pulling Tohru inside. They chose an empty table, and soon a beautiful woman in a cheongsam came over.
"Two guests, what would you like to eat?" the waitress asked with a smile.
Liu Ming took and opened the menu. The variety introduced inside was quite rich, all famous dishes from China.
He just didn't know if they were the original flavors or dishes modified to suit the tastes of R-country people.
"One Fish-Fragrant Eggplant, one Sweet and Sour Fish, one Kung Pao Chicken, one Garlic Lettuce. Just these four, and make it quick." Liu Ming quickly chose the dishes.
He didn't let Tohru order, and he had his reasons. Tohru had only lived in this world for a few days and hadn't understood the relevant knowledge. If he let her order, she wouldn't know what to choose.
"After lunch, I'll be relying on you, Tohru," Liu Ming looked at Tohru expectantly.
"Leave it to me! Dragons are the best at finding treasures. Although I don't know what those things you mentioned are, as long as they are treasures, they will definitely emit corresponding auras, and I will definitely find them," Tohru said proudly, raising her small head.
Although Liu Ming was still not entirely at ease, this was the only way for now.
Perhaps other people might have these ingredients, but he didn't have such connections, and he wouldn't know where to start looking.
However, those ingredients were indeed not cheap, costing him a full 200 million Japanese Yen.
For his apprentice, he, as a Master, had truly put in a lot of effort.
"Two guests, your dishes are ready."
20 minutes later, the waitress brought over four plates of dishes and placed them one by one on the table.
Liu Ming sniffed, his expression involuntarily furrowing.
Just by smelling the aroma, he knew that the taste of these dishes was just mediocre.
They barely reached the level of an intermediate chef.
If it were before, these dishes would certainly be delicious to him.
But now he had received the inheritance of an imperial chef.
Having gotten used to eating his own cooking,
he had no appetite for these foods at all.
Didn't Tohru even show any intention of touching them? He had spoiled her taste buds.
Liu Ming picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of chicken.
After chewing it twice in his mouth, he immediately spat it out.
The taste was simply too bad; his body instinctively rejected it.
After trying one dish, Liu Ming had lost interest in trying the other dishes.
"Xiao Ming," Tohru looked at Liu Ming pitifully.
"Don't look at me like that. I didn't know the food here would taste like this. Alright, alright, we'll go to the wilderness now. Then you can catch some wild game, and I'll make something delicious for you to eat," Liu Ming said comfortingly.
When Liu Ming paid the bill, the waitress saw the untouched dishes on the table and immediately noticed that they hadn't been touched at all. Her expression clearly changed.
She used the opportunity of the bill to inform the lobby manager.
"Two guests, is there anything we haven't done well?" the lobby manager asked with a smile, looking at the two.
"No, is something wrong?" Liu Ming asked curiously.
"I just saw that the dishes of our guests haven't been touched much, so I came over to ask if there's anything we didn't do well here."
"No, that's not the case. It's just our personal reasons, so you don't need to worry about it." Liu Ming certainly couldn't tell the truth, otherwise, it would be too embarrassing for them.
However, he seemed to have forgotten that there was another person here, no, a dragon.
"Hmph, the dishes you make here are too unpalatable. How can anyone eat them?" Tohru said with an unhappy expression.
To make a dragon go hungry! If Liu Ming wasn't here, she would have wanted to turn this place into a fiery hell.
"Hehe," Liu Ming laughed awkwardly, then chopped Tohru on the head with a hand chop.
"She's a bit blunt when she speaks, so please don't mind her. Anyway, the reason doesn't matter at all, and I've paid the money, haven't I?" Liu Ming chuckled.
"Who said our Hojo Restaurant's food isn't good?" At this moment, an irritable voice came over.
The person who came was a young girl wearing a fiery red cheongsam. The slit in her skirt almost reached her thigh, which was quite daring.
Liu Ming's eyebrows twitched; he recognized this woman.
Hojo Miyoko, a Tootsuki student from Tadokoro Megumi's class, specialized in Chinese Cuisine.
"You're the one who said the food at our Hojo Restaurant isn't good!" Hojo Miyoko had intended to look down on Liu Ming to create a sense of pressure, but Liu Ming, being 1.85 meters tall, clearly wasn't someone she, at less than 1.7 meters, could look down on.
Instead of looking down, she ended up looking up, and her imposing aura was immediately reversed.
"So what if I said it? Do you want to fight?" Tohru couldn't just watch Liu Ming be bullied; she straightened her back, her expression turning a little dangerous.
"Miss, why did you come out?" The lobby manager wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Someone said our food was bad, how could I not come out?" Hojo Miyoko said angrily.
"The dishes are right here; you can taste them yourselves." Liu Ming didn't intend to continue arguing, as it was completely pointless.
He held Tohru back; he was genuinely afraid she might explode.
"Hmph," Hojo Miyoko snorted heavily. She thought to herself that she needed to teach these two a good lesson. But when she saw the dishes on the table, her expression involuntarily changed.
"Hmph hmph, see? We weren't lying; the dishes you made really aren't good." Tohru noticed Hojo Miyoko's change and couldn't help but show a triumphant expression.
"You…" Hojo Miyoko wanted to retort, but couldn't.
She picked up a pair of clean chopsticks and carefully picked up a piece of diced chicken.
As the chicken entered her mouth, her expression wrinkled even further. The diced chicken was overcooked and yellow, completely lacking in texture—simply unappetizing and unappealing.
"We've already paid; we can leave now, right?" Liu Ming said, and without waiting for a reply, he pulled Tohru towards the door.
"Wait." Hojo Miyoko quickly ran in front of them, blocking their path.
"Please give me a chance; I can definitely make food that will satisfy you," Hojo Miyoko said with a serious expression.
"There's no need; we're in a hurry." Liu Ming flatly refused.
"There is absolutely a need. Letting guests leave on an empty stomach is a disgrace to Hojo Restaurant, and I will never allow such a thing to happen," Hojo Miyoko said sternly.
Liu Ming scratched his head helplessly. Hojo Miyoko's current skill was probably on par with Tadokoro Megumi's when she was serious.
Even so, it wouldn't be enough to satisfy his palate.
But looking at her expression, if he didn't let her re-cook, she definitely wouldn't let them leave easily.
This was troublesome.
"Grrr," Tohru's stomach suddenly rumbled.
"Xiao Ming, I'm hungry." Tohru looked at Liu Ming with a pitiful expression.
"Can we borrow your kitchen? Don't let my appearance fool you; I'm actually a chef too." Liu Ming had originally planned to make food when they reached the primeval forest, but it seemed Tohru couldn't wait.
"This…" Hojo Miyoko hesitated. The kitchen was an important place; how could she just let strangers in?
"Alright, but I need to watch," Hojo Miyoko finally agreed. She wanted to see what made this person so confident.