"Are you sure you're making Dongpo Pork?" Fang Ming asked again, seeking confirmation.
"Yes," the man nodded slightly.
Fang Ming watched from the side, his teeth aching. Where on earth did this guy learn his cooking skills? Who steams Dongpo Pork with shredded meat? And what's with pouring half a bottle of soy sauce?
However, his original intention was to make the man understand why he had flipped the table, so he didn't say much, just observed coldly, waiting to see what tricks this man could come up with.
Zheng Zhu Liu also noticed the problem. In fact, anyone with a normal sense would see how absurd the man's cooking was. It was pure dark cuisine. But he was still curious how Fang Ming and the others had enjoyed such "poisonous dishes" earlier.
Half an hour later, accompanied by thick black smoke, the man confidently presented a dish of "Soy Sauce Braised Shredded Pork, Dongpo Style."
"Please, taste it," the man placed the dish in front of Fang Ming.
Fang Ming shook his head and turned to Nannan, "Nannan, remove the resentment from this dish."
Nannan stepped forward, extended her small hand, and drew wisps of white mist from the man's dish, inhaling them into her body. In a moment, not a trace of resentment remained in the entire dish.
"You try your dish again," Fang Ming gestured upwards. The man hesitated, then skeptically picked up a shred of meat with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
"Ugh~" As soon as it entered his mouth, the man's expression twisted, and he immediately gagged, quickly spitting out the shredded meat. It was bitter and salty, with a strong burnt smell that completely numbed his taste buds.
Fang Ming smiled at him and asked, "Do you know how your cooking is now?"
"What did you do? How did my delicious dish become like this?" the man asked angrily, suspecting Fang Ming had tampered with it.
"Whether I did anything or not, with your abilities, you should be able to see clearly. I just had Nannan draw out the resentment from your dish and restore its original taste."
As Fang Ming spoke, he walked directly to the stove, still explaining, "The reason your dishes tasted delicious to Number One and Nannan was because you added pure resentment to them. This allows ferocious beings with the 'Sha' type to feel the deliciousness of resentment when tasting the food and ignore its actual flavor."
"This is also why I didn't let Zheng Zhu Liu touch those two dishes. If he had touched them, he might have turned into a berserk 'Sha' type within half a day."
Zheng Zhu Liu finally understood. No wonder Fang Ming didn't want him to touch those two dishes. He never expected the reason to be this!
"This..." the man was speechless.
"It's been days since I've eaten, so I'll cook for you all today." Fang Ming picked up a cucumber, erased the resentment infused within it, and said, "Watch carefully, this is how you make a dish!"
"Dada da..." The knife flew expertly in Fang Ming's hand, even creating afterimages due to his enhanced physique.
"First dish: Stir-fried Cucumber and Egg!"
"Sss—" He gauged the oil temperature and put the eggs into the pan, stir-frying them quickly for thirty seconds before setting them aside. Then, he cleaned the pan with water, added more water, and heated it to a boil. He blanched the cucumber quickly for thirty seconds and plunged it into cold water to prepare.
With both ingredients ready, Fang Ming chopped some scallions and stir-fried them in oil until fragrant. He then added both ingredients and stir-fried them rapidly. After a minute, he turned off the heat and let it simmer for five minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.
"Serve!"
A rich aroma filled the room as a plate of crisp, fragrant, homemade stir-fried cucumber and egg was served by Fang Ming onto the counter.
"Nannan, take the dish to the living room."
"Mm-hmm," Nannan flew to the counter and picked up the dish. Number One and the man's eyes were glued to the plate in Nannan's hands, and they trotted out after her.
Zheng Zhu Liu glanced at Fang Ming strangely. He didn't expect this person's culinary skills to be so good!
"You go out first too. I'll make a few more dishes and be right there."
Zheng Zhu Liu nodded. He couldn't help much here and would only get in the way, so it was better to wait in the living room.
Living room.
Nannan placed the dish on a large stool (the coffee table had already been split by Fang Ming). The three "Sha" types stared hungrily at the plate, looking at each other.
"Um... um, Nannan-daren, why don't we try it first?" Number One timidly suggested.
"I think it's fine," the man agreed immediately.
"No, no, we have to wait for Fang Ming to eat together," Nannan shook her head firmly, though her eyes never left the plate. She hadn't tasted Fang Ming's cooking before either and really wanted to try it.
"We'll just try a little bit beforehand. If it's too salty or something, we can let Fang Ming fix it. It won't be a problem," Number One continued to coax. "Don't you agree?"
The resentful spirits around Number One quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes..."
"I think it's fine," the man beside them said with a cool expression, as if he had no interest in the dish.
"This isn't very good..." Nannan seemed conflicted. "Why don't I go ask Fang Ming?"
Number One and the man exchanged a look. How could that be? What if Fang Ming refused to let them eat after asking?
"No, no, he's busy in the kitchen. We'll just taste it, no need to bother him. Don't you think so?" Number One gave the man a wink.
The man understood and said, "Yes."
Nannan, swayed by their unified persuasion, felt tempted. Would just one bite be okay? Just one.
"Alright then~ But we're only allowed one bite each, no more, okay?" Nannan couldn't resist and wanted to try.
"Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm," the two "Sha" types agreed quickly, then exchanged smiles. Nannan was still young, hehehe.
Then, Nannan picked up the chopsticks prepared by the man and took a piece of egg into her mouth. The two "Sha" types followed suit and ate a piece of egg.
"This taste..." The man's eyes lit up. It was fragrant and tender, preserving the flavor of the egg while incorporating the fragrance of the cucumber, and the scallions for seasoning. With just a few simple ingredients, it tasted like an exquisite delicacy.
The man knew then that he had completely lost, both in combat strength and culinary skill. Fang Ming had utterly crushed him!
"Wuwuwu, it's so delicious!" Number One exclaimed. Damn it, could humans eat like this every day? No wonder so many "Sha" types had so much resentment. Now that it had eaten this food, its resentment had grown even larger.
"Mmm, Fang Ming's cooking is really delicious," Nannan's eyes curved into happy crescents.
"How about... we try the cucumber next?" Number One cautiously inquired.
Nannan hesitated for a moment. If the egg was so delicious, the cucumber should be good too, right? Should she try another bite?
"Then let's have another piece of cucumber," Nannan picked up a piece of cucumber, and the two "Sha" types followed closely behind. Indeed, the cucumber did not disappoint them.
"You've already started eating?" Zheng Zhu Liu came out of the kitchen, smiling.
Their mouths quickly stopped, and they put down their chopsticks.
"No, no, no, we were just tasting it. Why don't you try it?" Number One's eyes rolled, deciding to pull Zheng Zhu Liu into their scheme.
Zheng Zhu Liu didn't think so much about it. Since they had already started eating, it should be fine for him to try, right?
"Okay, I'll try it. I've been eating compressed biscuits for days, and finally, I can have a hot meal."
Zheng Zhu Liu walked forward, picked up a piece of egg, and put it into his mouth.
"Mmm~ Not bad, very good. It's fragrant and tender in the mouth, perfectly blending the flavors of the egg and cucumber. It's simply amazing!"
Zheng Zhu Liu did not hold back his praise. He was a well-traveled person who had tasted countless delicacies. Fang Ming's home-style dish, while simple in ingredients, showcased top-tier mastery of heat control and cooking techniques!
"I also think Fang Ming's cooking is especially delicious!" Nannan happily agreed. Seeing someone praise Fang Ming made her happier than hearing praise for herself.
"What are you waiting for? The dish will get cold and won't taste as good. This dish is only good when it's hot," Zheng Zhu Liu said, taking another bite. He was right, though; the dish would become fishy and taste bad when cold.
Nannan wanted to say something but stopped. Number One quickly interrupted her thoughts, "Sixth Master is right. We can't waste Fang Ming's kindness. Let's eat it while it's hot."
The man beside them also chimed in, "Logical."
Their combined efforts thoroughly confused Nannan's thoughts, and she was led into eating the dish.
A few minutes later.
They looked at the empty plate with blushing faces, especially Zheng Zhu Liu. He, a grown man, was fighting for food with others. How had he come to this point? Alas.
"It's delicious, but there wasn't enough," Number One said with lingering desire.
The man beside him nodded. "Yes."
Zheng Zhu Liu coughed twice and said sheepishly, "Well, I'll go help Fang Ming and see if there's anything I can do."
He then walked into the kitchen. Nannan looked at Fang Ming's figure in the kitchen and added, "I'll go help too."
Number One and the man exchanged glances, seeing helplessness in each other's eyes. They didn't know how to do anything. The man, who had initially felt quite capable, now didn't dare to act rashly.
"Why don't we just wait here?" Number One tentatively asked.
"Fine," the man replied coolly.
So, the two of them stared at each other. They both knew each other's origins, but in a true sense, this was their first formal meeting.
"Do you plan to never go out again? Are you going to stay in the eighteenth floor forever?" Number One asked.
The man shook his head. "I used to think it was interesting to cook here every day and feed those 'Sha' types. But today, Fang Ming shattered my perception. I've decided to follow him and learn his culinary skills until I can make dishes that truly satisfy me."
"What? You're going to follow Fang Ming?" Number One was surprised. "Don't you feel that will restrict you too much?"
The man didn't answer Number One's question. He walked to the window and looked at the starry sky outside, saying:
"Where is there true freedom in this world? It's just moving from one cage to another. We think we've achieved freedom when we can't touch the edges of the cage. Look at this world."
The man pointed to the starry sky outside.
"Isn't it also a giant prison?"
Number One's limited brain capacity couldn't comprehend the man's thoughts. It laughed, "That's still better than being bound to others. You are unrestrained, free to roam anywhere. Isn't that good?"
"You don't understand because you have no faith."
The man fell silent after speaking, gazing at the world outside. Number One seemed to understand something, yet also not, and stopped making noise.