1304 The Earth Prison Branch, Bu Fangs Dish (1/2)
'Make wine?' The Yellow Spring Great Sage's words gave Bu Fang a pause. It took him a few moments to recall that before he left for Nether Prison, he promised the Great Saint he would make a jar of fine wine with the Nine-leaf Yellow Spring Grass. If truth be told, he never thought that he would come back to Earth Prison so soon.
He slowly rose to his feet. The huge consumption of the mental force had brought a heavy load to his physical body. He felt sore all over. He exercised his neck, flexed his arms and legs, then turned his eyes to the Yellow Spring Great Sage.
”I can make the wine, but not here. Not in this valley,” Bu Fang said.
'Hmm? What does he mean?' The Great Saint squinted at Bu Fang, but he didn't find any sign of flinching.
”You don't have any equipment in this valley, so this is not a suitable place to make wine,” Bu Fang said seriously.
Making wine was more than just lip service. It took a variety of techniques and equipment.
The Yellow Spring Great Sage fell silent. In the distance, Nether King Er Ha with his bloody nose and swollen face, as well as the fat Lord Dog who was lying on the ground and getting ready to sleep, looked over at them.
”What do you want to do, then?” the Yellow Spring Great Sage asked.
'He'd better not push his luck! I've even provided him the precious Nine-leaf Yellow Spring Grass. Is he trying to deceive me?' The Great Saint grew suspicious.
Holding a spicy strip between his lips, Nether King Er Ha looked at Bu Fang and thought to himself, 'Is Bu Fang young man going to take this old man to his restaurant in the Immortal Cooking Realm? That's a good idea, but… Would this old man leave the Yellow Spring Valley? He wouldn't leave here just for a jar of wine, would he?'
Bu Fang stroked his chin and became lost in thought. A few moments later, he looked up at the Yellow Spring Great Sage and said, ”Give me a little more time to open a branch in Earth Prison…”
The Yellow Spring Great Sage froze, while Lord Dog and Er Ha widened their eyes.
”Right! Bu Fang young man, if you open a branch in Earth Prison, I'll have no need to sneak out again… Brilliant!” Nether King Er Ha was so excited that he nearly spat the spicy strip out of his mouth.
Lord Dog raised his head in surprise and glanced at Bu Fang.
”I've even decided on the location of the restaurant. It will be at Forbidden Soul City, which is a city closest to here,” Bu Fang said, touching his chin.
”Forbidden Soul City? It won't work. That city is too remote… You should open your restaurant at the busiest place in Earth Prison so that everyone knows it. With your cooking skills, you deserve the honor, and you should be hailed at the top. I'll help you settle this right now,” Nether King Er Ha said with a smile.
Nether King stopped in place. 'Bu Fang young man is really… confident. Well, he has the skills to do so.'
…
Three days later, a modest restaurant opened in Forbidden Soul City without attracting too much attention.
After hanging small wooden plaques on the wall inside the restaurant, Bu Fang clapped his hands. Nethery was looking at him from behind with Foxy in her arms. When he told the System about his plan of opening a branch, the System naturally showed its full support. So, after he found the location, it renovated and decorated the new restaurant for him.
A new place, a new environment, a new group of people... Everything was new. The layout of the restaurant did make Bu Fang feel a little nostalgic, though, for it was exactly the same as the restaurant in the Light Wind Empire. When he saw it for the first time, he had a moment of trance and thought he had returned to the Hidden Dragon Continent.
It was all a delusion, of course. The rich spiritual energy in the air had proved that. If he were at the Light Wing Empire, the spiritual energy wouldn't be so strong. In fact, it was even stronger than that of the Immortal Cooking Realm.
Lord Dog lay beneath a Path-Understanding Tree in the restaurant. The tree was covered with stripes that were too many for one to count. But that was not important. Nethery sat beside Lord Dog with Foxy in her arms. The little fox closed her eyes as she enjoyed the deep voices that came out of the tree. At her level, the tree had no effect on her, but she still enjoyed the sound very much.
Bu Fang gave the restaurant a name that was easy to understand and remember, the Yellow Spring Little Restaurant. He just couldn't think of a better name.
The opening of the restaurant didn't attract any attention. Previously, as the venue of the Netherworld's Tournament of the Great Path, Forbidden Soul City was crowded with people. However, with the Earth Prison team's mediocre performance in the competition, the audience who came to the city to watch the competition quickly left. As a result, the city was quite empty now.
It was not without reason that Nether King Er Ha said this place was remote. The city was located near the source of the Yellow Spring River, which was considered a rather dangerous area, so it was normal to have fewer people.
Bu Fang wasn't too concerned about that, though. After tidying up, he turned and walked into the kitchen. As he lifted the curtain, a bell rang. Whitey, who stood at the door that led to the kitchen, looked at him with its blue eyes flickering and lifted its big palm to touch its head.
Looking at Whitey, Bu Fang couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. Everything was so familiar. He patted the puppet's round belly, then walked into the kitchen.
Once inside, he took out a rack of Papillion ribs. The Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife appeared next with a dragon roar. Using Meteor Cutting Technique, he hacked the ribs into smaller pieces. After that, he produced several spirit beast eggs and cracked them into a bowl. He bathed the ribs with egg and then flour before sprinkling spices on them and putting them aside.
When the ribs were marinated for some time, he took out the Black Turtle Constellation Wok, placed it over the White Tiger Heaven Stove, and breathed out a white fireball. Ever since Bu Fang devoured the Fire Demon's fire, his flame seemed to have gone through some changes. It was subtle, but he felt that his control of the flame was more precise. His eyes lit up at the improvement, and he made a mental note about the uniqueness of the Fire Demon's fire.
He heated the wok. Soon, the oil began to boil with white forms that emerged across its surface. At the same time, its unique aroma permeated the air. He then added the marinated ribs into the oil.
Sizzle…
In the blink of an eye, tiny bubbles rose from the ribs.
The moment the ribs touched the oil, Lord Dog, who was lying under the Path-Understanding Tree, woke up, raised his head, and twitched his nose. His eyes lit up the next instant.
Sizzle…
Bu Fang scooped the briefly fried ribs from the oil and placed them in a blue-and-white porcelain bowl. Then, he poured the oil out of the wok. Whitey opened its belly and sucked away all the oil.