Taigong Wang's Braised Chicken

"What's wrong with that? He's bound to lose anyway, there's no suspense."

"But... but..."

Kind-hearted Abby felt a little sorry for Subaru Mimasaka, even though she didn't think he could beat Erina, but she still felt bad about not trying it.

"Alright, alright, since Abby puts it that way, we'll give you face and try it out."

Little Jeanne stepped forward and said sternly, "If you continue to do such a terrible job, don't expect us to touch your work again."

The other children trusted Little Jeanne and agreed with her decision, so each of them took a piece and began to taste it.

Subaru Mimasaka was extremely nervous, watching the children's expressions intently.

This time, he changed his usual approach and felt very unsure of himself, not knowing how well he had done.

"Huh? It seems alright!"

"It's just so-so, definitely not as good as Erina- neechan's cooking."

"It's already pretty good, we can't expect too much from him!"

"That's right, let's just say he's qualified. After all, we're so magnanimous."

Upon hearing the word "qualified, "Subaru Mimasaka was overwhelmed with excitement; despite being a burly man, he almost burst into tears.

He knew all too well how difficult these little ones were, so hearing the word "qualified" from them was a rare treat for him.

This was even more exciting and joyful than when he won 99 kitchen knives.

Yuxian smiled slightly, clapped his hands and said, "The training camp is officially over. Everyone, take a good rest."

"We're going back to Totsuki tomorrow."

"Yay!" Everyone jumped up excitedly. The hellish training they had undergone had left them both exhausted and satisfied.

They were all eager to go back, much to everyone's surprise.

At night, everyone had a rare chance to play and joke around together, and they held a banquet to relax their tense nerves.

Yuxian quickly realized that Attila was not there, so he blinked and went to the yard to look for her.

"Attila, is something on your mind?"

Yuxian saw Attila sitting in the courtyard, looking up at the moonlight, and quietly walked over to her side.

He found a spot and casually sat down next to Attila, then asked softly, "Could you tell me about it?"

Attila shook her head, still gazing up at the starry sky.

The moonlight was beautiful tonight, and she seemed unwilling to take her gaze away from the beautiful starry sky and the bright moon.

Yuxian didn't press the matter further, and simply stayed with him to enjoy the night view and gaze at the starry sky.

Time passed slowly, and no one knew how much time had gone by.

Attila suddenly said, "Master, there is no need to worry. As a warrior, my sword will not hesitate."

"I am a fighting being, a killing machine. I do not think, I do not feel, you do all that. I am only responsible for killing."

Yuxian was taken aback upon hearing this; this was probably what was meant by destroying Attila's heart.

Instead of giving a direct answer, he asked another question.

"How's it like working as a cashier at Enma-tei? Is it tough?"

Attila shook her head. "It's nice here. Teacher Hong takes good care of me."

"That's fine then." Yuxian dusted off his legs and stood up.

"I wouldn't dare compete with Teacher Hong for employees. Let's discuss this again when you've been fired."

Attila finally turned her gaze away from the sky and looked at Yuxian, only to see Yuxian departing figure.

"Firing?" Attila murmured. "So firing does happen in the lives of ordinary people!"

Everyone was on the bus back to Totsuki.

Kurenai Enma deliberately posted a notice to suspend Enma-tei's business, and came along with Attila, who also wanted to see the students' Shokugeki.

"Hey! Yuxian, have we decided who will fight?"

The group turned their attention to Yuxian, awaiting his answer, which was their biggest concern right now.

Yuxian smiled and shook his head, saying, "I'll tell you on the spot, so you won't relax."

He has a specific candidate in mind, but it's not Issei; there are a few options he's still undecided about.

Of course, what he said wasn't entirely false; telling them the list too early would put pressure on the players.

After all, not everyone Soma Yukihira.

"Anyway, you just need to be prepared and ready to go on stage at any time."

"Of course, if you are scared, you can tell me, and I won't force you."

Yuxian said this, the car became noisy.

"Afraid? We can't wait to start the Shokugeki!"

"That's right, that's right! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we win, we'll be among the Elite Ten!"

Yuxian smiled inwardly, knowing that they wouldn't back down, which was good.

The bus slowly drove into the Tōtsuki Academy. After a month's absence, we were finally back here.

Under Azami Nakiri's rule, the atmosphere at the Tōtsuki Academy became somewhat lifeless, unlike its previous bustling atmosphere.

It's time to make a big scene and get Totsuki into a frenzy again.

The grand feast has begun!

Chapter 29, Section 495 Taigongwang Braised Chicken

Yuxian and his group returned to the Tōtsuki Academy, and the scheduled Shokugeki officially began.

Students who heard the news filled the entire stands, and the stadium instantly became incredibly lively.

"The Shokugeki for the top Elite Ten spots has officially begun, and the first match will be held today."

"Now, let's welcome the judges for the first Shokugeki."

As the host called out loudly, the three judges slowly walked into the room and took their seats on the judges' panel.

"This Shokugeki will be judged by three judges, who are..."

"Gin Dōjima, the head chef and board member of the Totsuki Resort, and the first seat of the 69th Totsuki Elite Ten!"

"From the World Association of Culinary Masters, a globally renowned culinary master, and the current president of the association, Nicholas!"

"Master Li, a renowned culinary master from the World Association of Chefs' Societies and the Chinese Culinary Association!"

Boom!

The moment the judging panel was announced, everyone was excited. Just hearing about it made them sound impressive; each of the three was a prominent figure in the culinary world.

"Now, please welcome the champion of this Shokugeki, the ninth seat of the Elite Ten Council, Etsuya Eizan!"

When Etsuya Eizan came on stage, he gently adjusted his glasses, appearing quite composed.

Although he didn't know who his opponent was, he was confident he wouldn't lose; he had absolute confidence in his culinary skills.

If he hadn't devoted so much energy to making money, his seat in the Elite Ten Outstanding Council wouldn't have been limited to ninth place; it would have been much higher.

"Oh!!! It's here!"

The host exclaimed, "The one challenging Eiyama-senpai is Hisako Arato, a first-year student!"

Secretary Ko is quite well-known in Totsuki Academy, and she is familiar to many people because she has been by Erina Nakiri's side for a long time.

Erina was very nervous watching Shokugeki Wars from the VIP seats. Her Secretaryko was her childhood friend, and she silently cheered for Secretaryko.

Yuxian noticed her nervousness and comforted her, "Don't worry, the fact that I'll let Secretaryko go on stage shows that she has the ability."

"Her efforts will eventually pay off; hard work never lies."

Xiao Ai quickly nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, Hisako will definitely win!"

Besides Erina, she and her Secretaryko are the closest people here, since Xiao Ai is always taken care of by her Secretaryko when Erina's slacking off.

The Shokugeki questions are randomly drawn. Countless small pieces of paper with questions written on them float in a transparent glass machine, waiting for the contestants to draw them.

"Hmph!" Etsuya Eizan glanced at his Secretaryko and said, "As your senior, I'll give you the chance to draw a question."

Without any politeness or words, the Secretaryko walked over with a serious expression and reached into the glass case to grab something.

"Chicken!"

Chicken, being the most consumed type of poultry, seems like a fairly ordinary question, not a particularly tricky or strange one.

There are virtually no chefs who can't cook chicken.

Both parties left to begin selecting materials.

For this Shokugeki, Tōtsuki Academy has prepared a large amount of ingredients and seasonings in the venue's warehouse for the contestants to choose from.

The two quickly returned to the competition field, pushing their trolley.

The Secretaryko took out a large iron pot, poured in water, and placed a large steamer on top.

"Is this going to be steamed?"

Everyone in the stands looked puzzled; steamed chicken doesn't taste good.

On the judging panel, Master Li, who was over seventy years old, gently stroked his graying beard and nodded slightly, saying, "Interesting, very interesting."

He had clearly seen through his Secretaryko's plan.

The children were equally curious, and they asked Yuxian, "Master, Master, what is Hisako-neechan doing?"

Yuxian rolled his eyes. He was good at eating, but when it came to cooking, he was only good at six out of seven things, not a single thing.

Fortunately, the Kurenai Enma answered for him.

Braised chicken.

Braised chicken, also known as Taigongwang Braised Chicken, is now lost to history as to whether it is actually related to Taigong Wang.

But this dish has been passed down and further developed.

It is renowned as one of the three "precious delicacies" in the Medicinal Cuisine system.

The Secretaryko is skilled in Medicinal Cuisine, so she naturally has a good understanding of this dish, and the topic of chicken this time is also a perfect match for this dish.

The Secretaryko chopped up the chicken legs, head, two wings, and the middle part, and soaked them in cold water.

Meanwhile, he slowly prepared the broth on the side.

A few minutes later, she took out the chicken pieces, blanched them in boiling water, and then drained them.

Next, she put the chicken pieces into the hot oil pan, added various seasonings, and stir-fried them.

Nutmeg, star anise, atractylodes macrocephala, dried tangerine peel, galangal, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper...

The variety of seasonings was dazzling; one wondered how many she had added.

But the Secretaryko looked very focused and moved very calmly, clearly having her own sense and understanding of the proportions of these ingredients.

Busy but not chaotic.

After stir-frying until the chicken is about 60-70% cooked, the Secretaryko adds a little cooking wine to the pot and cooks it briefly before removing the chicken pieces from the pot and placing them in a serving dish.

The broth that had been prepared beforehand was poured in and placed in a large steamer.

After doing all this, the Secretaryko crossed her arms and began to wait patiently.

Meanwhile, Etsuya Eizan had finished cooking and was presenting his dish to the judges for review.

Hainanese Chicken Rice.