I stared at the smiling middle-aged chef and touched the Phoenix-Pattern Jade Pendant against my chest through my clothes.
The jade pendant's warmth was intensifying. There was no mistake—this was how it felt after a crystal appeared.
There was a crystal on this middle-aged chef, or somewhere around where he was standing...
I was somewhat surprised. I hadn't expected to encounter a crystal in a place like this.
But for the moment, I said nothing.
My master and I were guests who had come from afar. No matter how close my master was with Gong Bo,
we couldn't just walk in and start asking about crystals, could we?
Still, I kept an eye on our surroundings.
Gong Bo waved his hand.
"Come, come, sit down. Old Song, Xiao Jiang, sit down. This is one of Gui City's most renowned chefs, Zhou Chaosong—Chef Zhou.
When you told me you were coming today,
I invited him over in advance, specifically to prepare this whole table of delicious dishes."
Chef Zhou smiled, gave us a slight bow, then spoke to us in less-than-standard Mandarin.
"I'm very pleased to cook for today's guests. These ten dishes are all rather distinctive specialties of Guizhou Province.
Spicy Chicken, Top Scholar's Trotters, Huajiang Fragrant Pork, Houttuynia Stir-Fried with Cured Pork...
And lastly, this Sour Soup Fish.
There's a folk saying in Gui City: if you go three days without sour food, you'll walk with a spring in your step.
This is also one of my signature dishes. It was even featured on television before..."
Chef Zhou was extremely professional as he began explaining and introducing the ten dishes on the table.
Honestly, every dish looked appetizing.
I just didn't know whether his cooking or Uncle Yu's was better.
Yet my attention was fixed on Chef Zhou.
Because