Chapter 778: Chapter 777: Summary Banquet (Part 1)

At nightfall.

The fence outside Xia’s Shop was dismantled, and luxury cars packed the area front and back.

The restaurant, long quiet, suddenly opened its doors to welcome guests, and these guests held astonishing identities. The media, with their well-informed journalists, camped nearby, their cameras snapping incessantly.

A short distance away, a group of customers seeking food on the shopping street pointed and murmured.

“Chef Shigong!”

“And Chef Qian, Chef Mizuhara!”

The crowd erupted into commotion. Shigong Xiaoci Lang, clad in a crisp white chef’s uniform, led the graduates with confident strides. Alongside him, Qian Rixiangzi, Mizuhara Fuyumi, and others, dressed similarly, had evidently just left the restaurant kitchen to attend the banquet at Xia’s Restaurant.

“Chef Shigong, this way, please!”

“Senior Qian, here, sit here!”

Inside, Yuchuan Meisha and Morioka Makki acted as servers, arranging seats for the newly arrived graduates.

The normally cramped shop, which only accommodated dozens of diners at a time, was nearly full. Bright lights illuminated the interior, and the ventilation system seemed to be working at full capacity, with the air inside being even fresher than outside, devoid of any trace of stuffiness from overcrowding.

“Ah, it’s such a pity, the bar seats are all taken!” Qian Rixiangzi exclaimed with regret as she sat down, glancing repeatedly towards the bar area.

Her fellow graduates seated in a corner of the restaurant shared a look of helplessness.

It wasn’t because they were late.

Just look at the heavy hitters surrounding the bar—Wise Man Karl, Tiqie Xianzuowen, Zhu Qing, the head waitress, and Shinohara Shigetaro. Even if they had arrived early to claim the front-row seats, they still would have to respectfully give up their places.

Everyone knew that the bar, separated from the kitchen by just a window, offered a view of every move the head chef made, allowing for some learning opportunities.

Similar laments also drifted over from the residents of Polar Star Dormitory and the seats of the Elite Ten Council.

“Ah!”

“The front row seats are gone, I’d love to watch Instructor’s cooking demonstration up close!”

Yoshino Yuji covered her head with an expression of great anguish.

When a few heavy hitters in the shop glanced their way, Tanaka Hikari immediately tugged on the girl’s sleeve, her face tense, “We’re lucky to have seats, quiet down, Yuji!”

Ichise Hui was not at this table, instead, he had joined the Elite Ten Council and was having a lively conversation.

Xingping Chuangzhen was about to speak, but unexpectedly, a red-haired handsome middle-aged man at the bar turned and beckoned to his son in the corner, “Chuangzhen, come here.”

Thus, under the envious gaze of his peers and fellow graduates, Xingping Chuangzhen, a bit dazed, was placed on the stool his father, “Shura,” had just vacated, while his father stood behind him, hands still on Xingping’s shoulders.

“Look—”

Saito Chiyokuro uttered just that word, and Xingping made a sound of realization, understanding what his father wanted him to do, and turned his attention to the open kitchen separated by a pane of glass.

Xia Yu was busy preparing the evening’s dishes, assisted by Yuchuan Ayaka, Koga Shoji, and Hozoi Midori.

Koga Shoji had only arrived recently and was quickly put to work by Xia Yu, but this member of the Elite Ten Council complied without a hint of arrogance or haughtiness, obediently following the head chef’s every command.

“Koga, add some charcoal to the stove!”

“Midori, grab the sauce I mixed earlier!”

Watching Xia Yu move back and forth among several charcoal grills, managing the cooking temperature, Xingping Chuangzhen let out a sound, “So, the first course of tonight’s banquet is grilled fish?”

On the stove, plump freshwater fish were grilling.

These fresh fish, after being gutted, cleaned of their scales, and laid out on the charcoal grill, still twitched intermittently.

But, in an instant, a wisp of aromatic smoke began to emanate from the bodies of the fish, and through the eyes of Xingping Chuangzhen, these seemingly alive freshwater fish, amidst their twitching, turned a roasted golden hue in just a minute or two!

“Gulp!”

Swallowing hard, even knowing that the chef had the nickname of the “Flame Magician,” Xingping Chuangzhen was still astonished by the high efficiency of cooking a fish to perfection.

“Dad, can I learn this kind of control over the heat?!” he couldn’t help but turn around and ask Saito Chiyokuro behind him.

In a word—

Coach, I want to learn it too!

“Heh.”

Seeing the sincere eagerness in his son’s eyes, Chiyokuro nodded, smiling, “Anyone can learn it.”

However, Shura silently added in his heart:

To reach the effortless mastery of Instructor Xia, simply studying and working hard isn’t enough.

The guests had all arrived, and the first dish was swiftly served.

One large grilled fish per table, no more than that, and because Neon traditionally had separate servings, Xia Yu had Makki and Meisha, when serving, provide a pair of serving chopsticks for each plate. This way, guests could comfortably use the serving chopsticks to transfer fish onto their own plates, even if they were particular about cleanliness.

Thus, next, fish after fish was served, the flesh falling away from the bones like blossoming flowers.

“It’s the Heavenly Hero Grilled Bluefish!”

A burst of exclamation arose among the familiar faces in the restaurant, recognizing this grilled dish.

“No, it’s not!”

But those who had also been invited to the feast, Dubian Yuuki, Takai Masashi, and Hase Ichiro, who had tasted Xia Yu’s winning Heavenly Hero Grilled Bluefish beside Lake Ashi at Chiyoda Shrine, despite it being half a year ago, at that moment were unanimously certain, this was not the same grilled fish they had before.

“The cooking time!” Tiqie Xianzuowen took a bite of fish and swallowed, his eyes blazing like flames, “The ‘uniformity’ has become even more terrifying. Like a lustrous golden chalice, I can’t find a single flaw!”

“The sauce!”

On the other side, Yashan Liang and Xijian Run, seated with some of the Far Moon professors, saw Instructor Auson and Roland Chapele’s reactions to Yashan Liang chewing on the hot fish, his cheeks spasming. Yashan Liang gripped his chopsticks tightly, his face seemingly lost in a brand new world of spices, exclaiming with amazement and joy, “How delicate!”

“Quality cumin and white sesame, washed and drained, then dry-fried in a clean pan until they release a rich aroma; next, the cumin and sesame are crushed by hand, but this is just the first step… The second step involves using chicken fat and cooked beef tallow to fry the chili powder, then adding chili and bean paste to simmer. Rock sugar is indispensable here, being the essential component for balancing the spice formula!”

“Other spices, such as star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, cinnamon, Shan Nai…”

“And so many more minor details—it’s rich, with ginger juice, garlic water, lemongrass water…”

Yashan Liang stared at the grilled fish on the plate, almost visualizing a pair of golden, spice-wielding hands merging these complex ingredients into a torrent, cascading sauce over the fish, forming a scaly armor of spice on its surface.

Crunch!

As his teeth sank into it, the hidden spice closures within the fish flesh broke apart in his mouth with a cracking sound, which Yashan Liang heard. He then saw the fragmented spices reconverge on his tongue into a new spice formula.

Shattering, recombining, and shattering again, in a continuous cycle.

This unceasing transformation left Yashan Liang incredulous.

“A formula, a living spice formula!”