Lin Qingyue handed the bowl of soup to Pan Wenhuo.
The aroma was like an invisible hand, gripping his throat tight.
She did not try to persuade him, nor did she bother to force him.
She simply spoke in a flat, factual tone, saying softly:
"You saw how it was made."
"It is very simple."
"When you are better, you can make it yourself whenever you wish to eat it."
These few nonchalant words, however, became the ten thousand kilograms of rock that crushed the last barrier in Pan Wenhuo's heart.
Right.
With a method so simple, I can do it too!
He mustered all his strength, his hand trembling as he reached out to take the bowl.
This action was so arduous.
It was as if he were lifting not a bowl of soup, but a whole collapsing mountain.
Then, under everyone's tense gaze, he sent a spoonful of the golden, rich soup into his mouth.
The moment the soup slid down his throat, Pan Wenhuo's entire body jolted violently, his pupils abruptly widening.
In his mental world, which consisted of a gray vortex, this bowl of soup transformed into a blazing, unbearable-to-behold sun!
The sun's light was not mere dispelling.
It was burning!
It was purification!
That vast and morbid vortex of [ Sloth ] Desire, before this blazing great sun, was like snow meeting a scorching sun, letting out silent shrieks as it was rapidly evaporated and melted!
[ System Notification: The "Sin of Sloth" curse within the target "Pan Wenhuo" is being forcibly purified by "Gluttony"... Purification progress 10%... 50%... 90%... ]
[ System Notification: Purification complete! The target has escaped the absolute control of "Sloth"! ]
[ Ding! Detected that the Host has used slothful cooking skills to solve a problem caused by sloth, Elation Value +6666. ]
The gray vortex shattered with a crash!
In its place, countless long-suppressed, multicolored specks of Desire, like a cosmic Big Bang, refilled his entire mental world!
The craving for gourmet food!
The obsession with victory!
The infatuation with culinary arts!
Even a faint fondness for the opposite sex...
All emotions, all desires, at this moment, fully revived!
Pan Wenhuo drank the entire bowl of soup in one breath, even licking the bottom of the bowl clean and polished.
He slowly set down the bowl.
The lifeless aura of having nothing left to live for from before had vanished from his body without a trace.
In its place was a gaze nearly frenzied, burning with a raging fire.
"I... I understand now..."
His voice was hoarse yet brimming with explosive power.
"So... so this is the true essence of heat control!"
"Not mastery, not control, but... fusion and rebirth!"
He shot to his feet from the lounge chair.
His movements were so swift and vigorous, it was as if he hadn't been lying there for three months.
He rushed to his row of polished, shining chef's knives, snatched one up at random, and a fervent light erupted in his eyes.
"The Great Dao is simple! The Great Dao is truly simple!"
He threw his head back and roared to the heavens, his voice shaking the surroundings.
"Dad! Sis! And... Master!"
He spun around and, facing Lin Qingyue, dropped to his knees without hesitation, performing a formal kowtow to pay his respects.
"Please accept Pan Wenhuo's bow! From this day forward, I wish to follow Master and learn this Way of 'Messy Stew'!"
This sudden reversal left everyone stunned.
Lin Qingyue was also taken aback by his almost neurotic reaction, hurriedly waving her hands.
"Stop, stop, stop! I don't take disciples. It's too much trouble."
That one sentence, like a bucket of ice water poured over his head, nearly extinguished the raging fire Pan Wenhuo had just kindled.
His fervent expression froze on his face, his knees still kneeling on the ground, the entire man completely stunned.
Trouble?
Just because... it was trouble?
He had just crawled out of the abyss of "thinking everything is too much trouble," yet the "Master" he had chosen, the godlike person who had pulled him out, was actually rejecting him with the exact same reasoning?
Pan Wenhuo's worldview, in just one minute, had gone through construction, destruction, reconstruction, and... was now on the verge of destruction again.
He could even feel that the gray vortex in his mental world, which had just been burned away by the sun, seemed to be showing signs of rekindling.
"Sis!"
Lin Xiyue couldn't bear to watch any longer and gave her a gentle nudge with her elbow. "He's already kneeling down, the least you can do is give him some face."
"Kneeling down only makes it more troublesome."
Lin Qingyue muttered under her breath with absolute righteousness.
"If I take him as a disciple, and he cooks bad food later, do I have to manage him?"
"If he gets bullied, do I have to stand up for him?"
"If he can't find a wife, do I have to help introduce him?"
"How many brain cells would that waste? My hard-earned vacation would be gone just like that?"
This series of soul-piercing questions made Su Wan and Xia Lian, who were standing nearby, twitch at the corners of their mouths.
This train of thought was truly unique.
Pan Big-Ladle and Pan Ironpaw also looked awkward, wanting to persuade her but not knowing where to start.
What she was saying... didn't seem to be wrong?
Just as the atmosphere in the backyard fell into a strange stasis due to Lin Qingyue's "troublesome" theory, a sudden commotion broke out at the gate.
"Move aside! Everyone move aside!"
"Pan Big-Ladle, what kind of expert have you invited? What kind of divine dish could spread its fragrance for half a mile? Quick, let us see it!"
Before the words even finished, a group of burly, imposing Pandaren chefs flooded in like a tide, filling the already small backyard to the brim.
The man at the front, wearing a bright, glossy silk chef's uniform, was twirling two shiny, oiled walnuts in his hand. His chin was tilted slightly up, and his eyes held an indelible trace of scrutiny and arrogance.
"Pan Yue?"
Pan Big-Ladle's expression changed slightly as he recognized the newcomer.
The visitor was none other than his biggest competitor in the Mid-Mountain Market, the owner of the Jade Cauldron Pavilion, Pan Yue.
Pan Yue's gaze swept across the courtyard. When he saw the large copper pot still steaming, and the colorful, hodgepodge-like soup within, his brow immediately furrowed into a knot.
He took a deep sniff of the overwhelmingly intense fragrance in the air, and the expression on his face rapidly shifted from initial astonishment to thick disdain and contempt.
"I wondered what kind of divine being this was, to think it's just a pot of... this stuff?"
Pan Yue's voice was not loud, but it was filled with deliberate mockery.
He walked up to the copper pot, glanced down from his height, shook his head, and let out a sneer.
"Pan Big-Ladle, you are a master chef who has been famous in the Valley of the Four Winds for many years. How can you tolerate such a reckless and foolish act happening in your shop?"
He pointed a finger in the air at the ingredients in the pot, his tone growing even more severe.
"The hind back meat of a Mushan Beast contains such berserk Fire-attribute energy. It needs to be chilled with Cold Pond Ice Crystals for twelve hours to neutralize its fierce nature and draw out its true flavor!"
"Seven-Colored Nebula Abalone, a treasure from the deep sea, must be steamed over gentle heat and accompanied by morning dew to preserve its fresh and pure taste!"
"And as for this Immortal Trace Mushroom, its Spiritual Energy will drain away the moment it is half a breath's time away from the soil. The key is speed: slice quickly and stir-fry fast to lock in the essence of the mountains and wilderness!"
Pan Yue's voice grew louder and louder, like a teacher scolding an apprentice in class, causing all the surrounding chefs to nod subconsciously.
He violently shook his sleeve, glared at Lin Qingyue, who looked like a salted fish, and harshly rebuked her:
"And you! A pink-haired girl who appeared out of nowhere, how dare you crudely mix these top-grade ingredients with conflicting attributes and completely different cooking methods into a single pot of chaotic stew!"
"This is not called cooking!"
"This is a crime!"
"This is murder! It is the greatest desecration of these heaven-sent delicacies!"
"Such a wasteful and extravagant use of precious materials, with no method and no sense of beauty whatsoever! How can this be called a dish? It is simply the most ridiculous joke in the world!"
His words were spoken with righteous indignation and rang out with great force.
The chefs who had been drawn by the fragrance had their curiosity gradually replaced by agreement and regret.
Yes, Master Pan Yue was right.
Although this fragrance was unbelievably dominant, this method was simply too... heretical.
It completely violated the golden rules of the Way of Cooking that they had believed in for decades, or even over a hundred years.
For a moment, everyone's gaze was focused on Lin Qingyue, filled with doubt, scrutiny, and even a hint of hostility.
Pan Big-Ladle's heart tightened, and he was about to speak to explain, but was stopped by Lin Qingyue's single hand gesture.
Facing the doubts and rebukes of the entire courtyard, Lin Qingyue did not even change her expression.
She slowly picked up a sunflower seed and put it in her mouth.
"Crack."
The light sound, in the lingering echo of Pan Yue's impassioned scolding, sounded exceptionally jarring.
She skillfully cracked it open, spat the shell into her palm, and then lazily raised her eyelids to glance at the spittle-flying Pan Yue.
That gaze was like looking at a buzzing fly that just wouldn't be swatted dead.