Chapter 74

"Alright, now there's only one last ingredient left. If any of you can guess it, the forty taels will be yours." The middle-aged man smiled at Li Qi and Zhao Yun, while completely ignoring the young man standing to the side.

Zhao Yun took a small sip and said, "Yellow wine?" His voice carried a hint of uncertainty.

The middle-aged man shook his head with a smile.

Zhao Yun took three more sips in quick succession, his expression turning serious as he shook his head without a word, seemingly stumped by the last ingredient.

Li Qi wasn't faring much better. He drank four or five mouthfuls in one go, finishing the bowl, but still couldn't guess the ingredient. He squinted his eyes, his face clouded with worry.

"Sir, would you like me to serve you another bowl?" The middle-aged man, seeing that Li Qi had finished his bowl, kindly offered, seemingly hoping that Li Qi and Zhao Yun would guess the last ingredient.

Li Qi was slightly taken aback and quickly shook his head, "Thank you, no—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Li Qi suddenly opened his eyes wide, staring intently at the empty bowl in front of him. He picked it up and examined it closely, noticing a thin, thread-like object stuck to the inner wall of the bowl, which would be hard to spot without careful inspection.

What is this?

Li Qi picked up the thread-like object with his fingers and examined it. His eyes lit up with joy, and he exclaimed, "I know, I know."

Zhao Yun was taken aback and said, "Brother Li, could it be that you've tasted the last ingredient?"

The young man also looked at Li Qi with anticipation.

Li Qi smiled and nodded.

The middle-aged man, delighted, said, "Sir, please, tell us."

Li Qi glanced at him and slowly said, "It's dried and then soaked in high-quality yellow wine—silkworm pupae."

There was a moment of stunned silence.

Zhao Yun, surprised, said, "You mean—silkworm pupae?"

Li Qi nodded and then turned to the middle-aged man, "I haven't guessed wrong, have I?"

"Absolutely correct," the middle-aged man said, and then lifted the last red cloth on the wooden board.

Sure enough, it read 'silkworm pupae.'

Immediately, a round of applause broke out.

Zhao Yun laughed and said, "I never thought Brother Li, not only is your cooking excellent, but your taste is also remarkable. I admire you, I admire you."

Li Qi shook his head and smiled, "Actually, I only won by a stroke of luck. When it comes to tasting food, you and I are probably evenly matched."

"Brother Li, are you afraid I can't handle losing?" Zhao Yun said, somewhat discontent.

"Of course not."

Li Qi shook his head and smiled, "You see, the reason I could guess the last ingredient wasn't because of my taste, but because of my eyes."

Zhao Yun was puzzled, "Oh? Why is that?"

"Yes, yes, can your eyes drink soup?" The young man asked with great interest.

Li Qi rolled his eyes and raised his right index finger, "The key is right here."

Zhao Yun examined it closely and saw a fine thread. Recalling Li Qi's answer, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Is this silkworm silk?"

"Exactly."

Li Qi nodded and said, "I'm sure Brother Zhao also tasted the wine flavor in the soup, right?"

Zhao Yun nodded, "Yes, but the wine flavor was very mild, not like it was poured in directly."

Li Qi's eyes sparkled with admiration, and he nodded, "I couldn't figure it out at first either, because the smell of the last ingredient was masked by the wine. But later, I noticed a strand of silkworm silk in the bowl. From the color of the silk, it didn't seem to have just fallen in, so I deduced that the last ingredient was silkworm pupae."

"Brilliant, brilliant."

The middle-aged man clapped his hands and said, "This young man has keen observation and quick thinking. Indeed, you surpass the blue, I admire you. Of course, Brother Zhao is also no less impressive. It's a pleasure to meet both of you today."

Li Qi laughed and said, "I'm not as amazing as you say. Without the forty taels, I might not have guessed any of the ingredients."

"Ha ha!"

Everyone burst into laughter at this.

The middle-aged man laughed a few times and then handed the forty taels to Li Qi.

Li Qi took the silver without hesitation, took out twenty taels, and handed them to Zhao Yun, smiling, "We are evenly matched, so the silver should be split equally."

Zhao Yun shook his head and politely refused, "No matter what, Brother Li is more skilled. The silver should go to you. Besides, if I had come for the silver, I might have won."

Li Qi laughed and said, "That makes sense, that makes sense."

At this moment, Zhao Yun's attendant whispered, "Young Master, it's getting late, we should go back."

Zhao Yun nodded slightly and, with a look of regret, bowed to Li Qi, "Brother Li, I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave. On the day Zui Xian Ju opens, I will definitely come to support you."

Li Qi bowed and smiled, "Alright, see you in three days at Zui Xian Ju."

After Zhao Yun left, Li Qi let out a long breath and glanced at the locust tree, noticing that the middle-aged man had already gone. He shook his head and turned around, only to find that Chen Xiaozhu had arrived at some point. He smiled and said, "Xiaozhu, when did you get here?"

Chen Xiaozhu said, "I just got here a little while ago. Oh, Madam sent me to call you for dinner."

"I see." Li Qi nodded and handed the silver to Wu Xiaoliu.

Wu Xiaoliu, holding the silver, beamed and flattered, "Brother Li, you're really amazing. When will you teach me this skill?"

Li Qi smiled, "This isn't a special skill. If you cook for a dozen years, you'll naturally get it. No need for me to teach you."

A dozen years?

Wu Xiaoliu and Chen Xiaozhu looked at each other, realizing how hard it was to learn this skill.

Chen Xiaozhu led Li Qi to a grand house, a three-story building with intricate carvings and paintings. He pointed to the house and said, "Brother Li, Madam and the others are waiting for you inside."

Li Qi was taken aback and, hearing his tone, asked, "Where are you going?"

Chen Xiaozhu smiled honestly and pointed to a small house nearby, "We'll eat in that house."

Li Qi looked in the direction Chen Xiaozhu pointed and saw a very simple, narrow door. In the distance, he could faintly see a few young servants. He sighed and nodded, "You go ahead."

After Chen Xiaozhu and Wu Xiaoliu left, Li Qi shook his head and walked toward the dining hall. Just as he reached the door, a white paper fan was suddenly held across his chest.

Then, a contemptuous voice came from the side, "Boy, you've come to the wrong place."

Li Qi turned his head and saw a man in his twenties, slightly overweight, with an average appearance but dressed in very luxurious attire. He wore a four-cornered soft silk headband and a red embroidered robe, his eyes filled with amusement.

Li Qi looked around and said, puzzled, "I haven't come to the wrong place."

The man, seeing Li Qi in a green robe, which looked extremely shabby, sneered, "This place isn't for someone of your status."

Li Qi frowned inwardly but still wore a smile, asking curiously, "Why can't I enter?"

The man found Li Qi's question very amusing and laughed, "If you went to the palace and the guards stopped you from entering, would you ask them the same question?"

Li Qi shrugged, "But this isn't the palace, and you aren't a guard."

"For someone of your status, there's no difference."

The man sneered and pointed to the small house where Wu Xiaoliu and the others had gone, "See that? That's where you should go."

"You're wrong."

Li Qi shook his head and said, "I'm not sure about other places, but here, it's the Buddha's domain. The Buddha often teaches us that 'all beings are equal.' If all beings are equal, it means that even animals and humans are equal in this place. If animals can enter, why can't I?"

"Good! Well said."

At this moment, a voice came from behind, "Well said, if animals can enter, why can't I? That's damn well said."

Li Qi turned his head and saw that it was the young man who had tasted the soup with him earlier.

The man glanced at the young man, and his already green face turned even more livid.