C50 (1/2)
When the little monkey heard this, he smiled and said, ”Such a miraculous medicine, I'm not afraid that he won't fall for it.” Anyone who discovered that their lifespan was gradually decreasing would be greatly shocked. However, he could investigate it clearly, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. That would be even more terrifying. ”
Xiao Li shook his head slightly and wrote on the table, ”That's right. We should not have done such a thing. However, this matter concerns my niece. We might as well go against our wishes. I hope that by doing more good deeds in the future, we can make up for today's mistakes. ”
However, the little monkey didn't seem to care. He thought to himself, I'm not interested in other people's lives. Which one of us isn't living a life of bloodshed? If you don't die today, then tomorrow, he will die. Who cares if you are virtuous or not. If we don't use some ruthless methods this time, we might end up in an even worse situation if someone discovers us. Just a few days ago, if you didn't save me, I would have died at the hands of Old Zhao. However, the little monkey didn't say it out loud. Instead, he asked Xiao Li, ”Is this medicine hard to concoct?”
Xiao Li wrote, ”I've already thought about it. There's no need to buy the herbs needed to concoct this medicine. We can find them all on this mountain, so I might have to go out for a while.”
Little Monkey said, ”If you go out, will it arouse suspicion from others?”
Xiao Li shook his head and wrote, ”I have my ways.”
Chapter 8 The Past
The next day, when Xiao Li came to the kitchen, Old Zhao also came. After recuperating for the past few days, his spirit had greatly improved. He was afraid that it would only take a day or two for him to recover. Xiao Li came to his side and nodded his head to show his respect before gesturing with his hands and feet to speak to him.
Even though Old Zhao had been with him for a while, he still didn't really understand, so he immediately called for the little monkey and asked, ”What did the little girl say?”
”He said that he had been cooking according to your recipe for the past few days. Although the taste is very close to your requirements, it can't surpass you, so today he hopes to use his own method to make the special dishes and invite you to have a proper meal.”
Old Zhao couldn't help but be startled when he heard this. He didn't expect that Xiao Li would actually be unconvinced of his strength. He actually felt that his culinary skills were better than his, so he wanted to compete with Xiao Li.
Little Monkey thought to himself: Haha, the good show is finally here. Old Zhao, this old thing, opposes me everyday. Last time he even almost took my life. This time, he definitely had to take care of him, so he might as well watch the competition between their culinary skills. However, he never thought about who would be the one to go against who, since when did he have to mess around with Old Zhao?
Old Zhao was stunned for a while before sighing, ”Since you want to show off your skills, I can't stop you. However, if your dishes don't cook well, I'm afraid I can't take them out. But with so many pairs of eyes and mouths, I believe there won't be any unfair judgement. ”
Lil 'Monkey hurriedly gestured to Xiao Li, telling him that Old Zhao had already agreed. Xiao Li bowed slightly to Old Zhao and then walked over to the cutting board. He picked the ingredients from the washed vegetables and began to cut them into pieces like flowing water. After a while, he prepared three dishes and carried them to the stove.
Xiao Li wasn't busy cooking. Instead, he took out a bag of food from his chest and carefully opened it. Then, he took out a bowl and poured the food into it before giving a few pointers to Old Zhao.
The little monkey quickly explained, ”He said that this is the seasoning material passed down in his family and it is never passed down to outsiders. That day, he happened to see a few spices used to concoct this seasoning deep in the mountains, so he made some. That day, when he was roasting wild game, he put some on display and was discovered by the guards outside the altar.
Old Zhao obviously knew he was talking about Ermou and San Guo, so he nodded. Little Monkey said, ”Right now, he wants to use this ingredient to cook his dishes.”
After Xiao Li was done preparing, he started to pour hot oil into the wok and swiftly began to cook. When he started cooking, he immediately scooped up some special ingredients. At that time, everyone smelled the fragrance of the dishes and their mouths started to salivate. He never expected that Xiao Li's cooking skills would be so amazing. Originally, everyone had already eaten breakfast, so their stomachs weren't hungry, so even though they smelled the alluring scent of the dishes, they definitely wouldn't have the urge to eat. However, the smell of the dishes seemed to have some sort of magic.
Once Xiao Li's three dishes were served, everyone swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva. Even the little monkey was no exception. Even though the little monkey was prepared and knew that there was something strange about the dish, its tongue refused to obey it. It kept emitting a strange feeling, as if it was trembling with excitement, causing people to have no choice but to use their tongue to grind their teeth and mouth to alleviate this strange situation.
A person's sense of taste was also a kind of senses, and it also had its own emotions. This was what Xiao Li had seen in the medical book of the old doctor. One may be able to control one's emotions, because one's thoughts can distinguish between good and bad, and can preside over the suppression of one's emotions. However, one's five senses are not controlled by one's thoughts, which is equivalent to being able to control the actions of another when one's abilities are high enough, but not being able to control that person's likes and dislikes. Like the other five people in a person, one knows and is unfamiliar with them, being able to manipulate and not being able to control them. Therefore, when Xiao Li saw this, he suddenly had an inspiration: How could he prove the emotions of his five senses? Since there was a senior in the Way of Medicine who had determined that his facial features were emotional, there must be a way to prove it.
Later on, Xiao Li searched through quite a few of the doctor's books and finally found some records about taste in the notes that the doctor had given him. After many years of research, the old doctor finally discovered that the emotions of taste could be stimulated through the sense of smell. One of them was that when one's sense of smell discovered an alluring and exotic fragrance, it could cause one's taste to become excited, just like how a child craving for a new toy would always be unable to endure, unconsciously giving birth to feelings of longing. Even if one knew that it was poison, one would still have to be unable to suppress the emotions of one's tongue. After realizing this, Xiao Li asked the old doctor if he had a way to test it. The old doctor was unable to keep up with him, so he had to pass him a prescription, which was the ingredient used now. The old doctor said that although the fragrance of the recipe wasn't that special, it was able to arouse a person's appetite. The old doctor said that the fragrance of the recipe might not be that special, but it could arouse a person's appetite.
At the same time, the old doctor warned him not to use this item carelessly, or else the consequences would be dire. If an ordinary person did not know about it, it was very likely that they would die from the swelling of their appetite due to the temptation of the pill. If an ordinary unscrupulous businessman were to get their hands on this, the world would probably be thrown into chaos. At that time, Xiao Li thought that this was indeed the case. Thus, he swore an oath in front of the old doctor that he wouldn't use it rashly and that it wouldn't spread out. From this, it could be seen how powerful Xiao Li was. However, Xiao Li couldn't care so much now. In such a dangerous situation, he had to use all of his skills.
Xiao Li brought the three dishes to Old Zhao and gestured at his hands and feet. Little Monkey immediately explained, ”He's treating us all to a taste!” At the same time, his appetite began to stir. He couldn't help but make the first move, using his hand to twist the delicate dishes on the plate.
Old Zhao immediately slapped the back of his hand, scaring Little Monkey away, afraid that he would secretly use some tricks. At the same time, he said, ”Damned old man, what are you trying to do?”
Old Zhao viciously glared at him, saying, ”How could you just grab such an exquisite dish with your bare hands? If I were to be tainted by you, how would others be able to taste it?”
The little monkey did not expect him to say this. For a moment, he was speechless and could only groan to express his dissatisfaction. Old Zhao ignored him and continued to carefully observe the three dishes, as if he was enjoying the scenery.
Although Xiao Li cooked these three dishes very quickly, each of them was cooked by him with great effort. Furthermore, he had been thinking about them for a long time. Seeing how much Old Zhao valued these three dishes, Xiao Li couldn't help but rejoice in his heart. Although the other party was hostile to him, to be able to obtain their admiration and respect was also a rare honor.
After watching for a while, Old Zhao sighed and said, ”What a masterpiece! I've cooked for so many years, and it can be said that I've seen quite a few master chefs, but I'm afraid there isn't a single one that can produce a dish like the master chefs. Although these three dishes were simple to cook, there couldn't be the slightest mistake. Otherwise, the taste would greatly change. This was one of the dishes. Furthermore, none of these three dishes were indispensable. As long as one of them was slightly inferior, the dishes would be greatly reduced and that was the second. Finally, there was the final ingredient. It was simply applied to the point where it was almost perfect. Any increment in the fragrance of the ingredients would greatly reduce the fragrance of the dishes, and any decrease in the smell of the ingredients would only result in a slight decrease in the fragrance of the dishes. Good! Good! ”Alright!” When he said the word 'good' three times in a row, it clearly showed the excitement in his heart. At the same time, he gave Xiao Li a thumbs up.
Little Monkey quickly gestured to Xiao Li, trying to convey Old Zhao's intention. Xiao Li respectfully bowed to Old Zhao and gestured for him to move his hands and feet. Little Monkey explained, ”He said to take your advice for granted!” Xiao Li really did respect Old Zhao, because these few days, Old Zhao had taught him how to cook, how to respect the culinary dao, and many things that he had never even mentioned before. Actually, these three dishes were a combination of all the essences he had learned from Old Zhao in the past few days. Otherwise, how could he produce three dishes that even Old Zhao, a chef who had been proficient in cooking for decades, would have thumbed up?
Old Zhao nodded his head, showing his approval, and said to him, ”I have something to ask you. Let's find a place to talk.”
When the little monkey heard this, it was stunned for a moment, but it quickly regained its senses and gestured to Xiao Li. Xiao Li was also stunned when he heard what the little monkey said. He looked at Old Zhao and said to his subordinates, ”You should properly taste the other party's dishes and see what you can see the real dishes.” With that, he ignored them and left alone.
Xiao Li thought, ”Fortunately I didn't see any flaws in him. I wonder what he wants to ask me? Did he discover that I was the one who hurt him that night? Impossible, it's impossible for him to know of my existence. ”But even if he knows, he won't be able to do anything to me. Let's see what he wants to do now.”
Xiao Li made up his mind and followed behind Old Zhao. Little Monkey also followed beside him because he was the only one who could 'communicate' with him.
Old Zhao arrived at a quiet corner of the kitchen and found a chair to sit on. He waved at Xiao Li, signaling him to sit down as well. When Xiao Li saw this, he became calmer. He knew that Xiao Li was definitely not here to make things difficult for him. Otherwise, Xiao Li wouldn't let him sit down and he himself wouldn't sit down either.
After Old Zhao sat down, he stared at Xiao Li for a good while before retracting his gaze, revealing a contemplative look. He sighed at the same time and said, ”Little Mute! I'm looking for you to ask you about some private matters. I wonder if you can answer me? ”
When the little monkey heard this, although it was a little bewildered in its heart, it still gestured for Xiao Li to move his hands and feet. Of course, Xiao Li was also confused, but he still gestured at the little monkey to tell him, ”You don't have to say it directly!”
The three of them had answered each other like this more than once, so they were quite familiar with each other. Old Zhao said, ”I want to ask you, was there a doctor who taught you that ingredient recipe? Who is he to you?”