Chapter 1304 The Earth Prison Branch, Bu Fang“s Dish
‘Make wine?’ The Yellow Spring Great Sage’s words gave Bu Fang a pause. It took him a few moments to recall that before he left for Nether Prison, he promised the Great Saint he would make a jar of fine wine with the Nine-leaf Yellow Spring Gra.s.s. If truth be told, he never thought that he would come back to Earth Prison so soon.He slowly rose to his feet. The huge consumption of the mental force had brought a heavy load to his physical body. He felt sore all over. He exercised his neck, flexed his arms and legs, then turned his eyes to the Yellow Spring Great Sage.
“I can make the wine, but not here. Not in this valley,” Bu Fang said.
‘Hmm? What does he mean?’ The Great Saint squinted at Bu Fang, but he didn’t find any sign of flinching.
“You don’t have any equipment in this valley, so this is not a suitable place to make wine,” Bu Fang said seriously.
Making wine was more than just lip service. It took a variety of techniques and equipment.
The Yellow Spring Great Sage fell silent. In the distance, Nether King Er Ha with his b.l.o.o.d.y nose and swollen face, as well as the fat Lord Dog who was lying on the ground and getting ready to sleep, looked over at them.
“What do you want to do, then?” the Yellow Spring Great Sage asked.
‘He’d better not push his luck! I’ve even provided him the precious Nine-leaf Yellow Spring Gra.s.s. Is he trying to deceive me?’ The Great Saint grew suspicious.
Holding a spicy strip between his lips, Nether King Er Ha looked at Bu Fang and thought to himself, ‘Is Bu Fang young man going to take this old man to his restaurant in the Immortal Cooking Realm? That’s a good idea, but… Would this old man leave the Yellow Spring Valley? He wouldn’t leave here just for a jar of wine, would he?’
Bu Fang stroked his chin and became lost in thought. A few moments later, he looked up at the Yellow Spring Great Sage and said, “Give me a little more time to open a branch in Earth Prison…”
The Yellow Spring Great Sage froze, while Lord Dog and Er Ha widened their eyes.
“Right! Bu Fang young man, if you open a branch in Earth Prison, I’ll have no need to sneak out again… Brilliant!” Nether King Er Ha was so excited that he nearly spat the spicy strip out of his mouth.
Lord Dog raised his head in surprise and glanced at Bu Fang.
“I’ve even decided on the location of the restaurant. It will be at Forbidden Soul City, which is a city closest to here,” Bu Fang said, touching his chin.
“Forbidden Soul City? It won’t work. That city is too remote… You should open your restaurant at the busiest place in Earth Prison so that everyone knows it. With your cooking skills, you deserve the honor, and you should be hailed at the top. I’ll help you settle this right now,” Nether King Er Ha said with a smile.
However, Bu Fang shook his head and rejected the help. “Thanks, but that won’t be necessary. If the food is delicious, people will come no matter how remote the place is,” he said.
Nether King stopped in place. ‘Bu Fang young man is really… confident. Well, he has the skills to do so.’
…
Three days later, a modest restaurant opened in Forbidden Soul City without attracting too much attention.
After hanging small wooden plaques on the wall inside the restaurant, Bu Fang clapped his hands. Nethery was looking at him from behind with Foxy in her arms. When he told the System about his plan of opening a branch, the System naturally showed its full support. So, after he found the location, it renovated and decorated the new restaurant for him.
A new place, a new environment, a new group of people… Everything was new. The layout of the restaurant did make Bu Fang feel a little nostalgic, though, for it was exactly the same as the restaurant in the Light Wind Empire. When he saw it for the first time, he had a moment of trance and thought he had returned to the Hidden Dragon Continent.
It was all a delusion, of course. The rich spiritual energy in the air had proved that. If he were at the Light Wing Empire, the spiritual energy wouldn’t be so strong. In fact, it was even stronger than that of the Immortal Cooking Realm.
Lord Dog lay beneath a Path-Understanding Tree in the restaurant. The tree was covered with stripes that were too many for one to count. But that was not important. Nethery sat beside Lord Dog with Foxy in her arms. The little fox closed her eyes as she enjoyed the deep voices that came out of the tree. At her level, the tree had no effect on her, but she still enjoyed the sound very much.
Bu Fang gave the restaurant a name that was easy to understand and remember, the Yellow Spring Little Restaurant. He just couldn’t think of a better name.
The opening of the restaurant didn’t attract any attention. Previously, as the venue of the Netherworld’s Tournament of the Great Path, Forbidden Soul City was crowded with people. However, with the Earth Prison team’s mediocre performance in the compet.i.tion, the audience who came to the city to watch the compet.i.tion quickly left. As a result, the city was quite empty now.
It was not without reason that Nether King Er Ha said this place was remote. The city was located near the source of the Yellow Spring River, which was considered a rather dangerous area, so it was normal to have fewer people.
Bu Fang wasn’t too concerned about that, though. After tidying up, he turned and walked into the kitchen. As he lifted the curtain, a bell rang. Whitey, who stood at the door that led to the kitchen, looked at him with its blue eyes flickering and lifted its big palm to touch its head.
Looking at Whitey, Bu Fang couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth. Everything was so familiar. He patted the puppet’s round belly, then walked into the kitchen.
Once inside, he took out a rack of Papillion ribs. The Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife appeared next with a dragon roar. Using Meteor Cutting Technique, he hacked the ribs into smaller pieces. After that, he produced several spirit beast eggs and cracked them into a bowl. He bathed the ribs with egg and then flour before sprinkling spices on them and putting them aside.
When the ribs were marinated for some time, he took out the Black Turtle Constellation Wok, placed it over the White Tiger Heaven Stove, and breathed out a white fireball. Ever since Bu Fang devoured the Fire Demon’s fire, his flame seemed to have gone through some changes. It was subtle, but he felt that his control of the flame was more precise. His eyes lit up at the improvement, and he made a mental note about the uniqueness of the Fire Demon’s fire.
He heated the wok. Soon, the oil began to boil with white forms that emerged across its surface. At the same time, its unique aroma permeated the air. He then added the marinated ribs into the oil.
Sizzle…
In the blink of an eye, tiny bubbles rose from the ribs.
The moment the ribs touched the oil, Lord Dog, who was lying under the Path-Understanding Tree, woke up, raised his head, and twitched his nose. His eyes lit up the next instant.
Sizzle…
Bu Fang scooped the briefly fried ribs from the oil and placed them in a blue-and-white porcelain bowl. Then, he poured the oil out of the wok. Whitey opened its belly and sucked away all the oil.
Next, he added the chopped Scale Tail Scallion and Purple Garlic into the wok and stir-fried them until they gave off a strong aroma. The smell was so potent that it tingled one’s nose and made one want to sneeze. As the fragrance filled the air, he threw the ribs back into the wok and began to stir-fry them together. The flames danced fiercely beneath the wok. Before very long, a meaty fragrance rose, filled the kitchen, and then spread outside.
Outside the restaurant, Nether King Er Ha and the Yellow Spring Great Sage came together. Their relations.h.i.+p had eased up a lot after they had a fight. Recently, they had been talking and laughing as if they were close friends.
“Listen to me, Big Yellow, do you know the most delicious thing in Bu Fang young man’s restaurant?
“That’s right! The spicy strip, the thing in my lips now. Don’t be conceived by its ordinary look, mind you… Trust me, this spicy strip is the most delicious food in the whole universe!” said Nether King Er Ha triumphantly as he sucked at the spicy strip.
Looking at the spicy strip, the Yellow Spring Great Sage didn’t seem to believe his words. A moment later, he said, “What’s that smell? So fragrant?”
It was the first time that the Yellow Spring Great Sage came to Bu Fang’s restaurant. As soon as he stepped into it, he smelled the strong aroma.
“Bu Fang young man is cooking. Although his face is somewhat paralyzed, his dishes… if truth be told, are pretty amazing,” the Nether King said.
Ting-a-ling!
The curtain hung before the kitchen door was pushed open. The next moment, Bu Fang walked out, holding a plate of steaming Sweet ‘n’ Sour Ribs, then came in front of a dining table.
Lord Dog, lying under the Path-Understanding Tree, brightened up instantly. He bolted over, placed both his front paws on the table, and stuck out his tongue excitedly.
It had been a long time since Lord Dog had a taste of the steaming and delicious Sweet ‘n’ Sour Ribs. Without the dish, he had grown thinner recently…
Foxy also smelled the aroma. She immediately struggled out of Nethery’s arms, came beside Lord Dog, and stared expectantly at him with her cute, big eyes.
Lord Dog was not happy. ‘This is my Sweet ‘n’ Sour Ribs!’ he thought, then reached out his fat paw and pressed it against Foxy’s head.
The little fox’s tails swung back and forth as she kept stretching out her front paws, but she just couldn’t reach the ribs.
“This mangy dog is becoming more and more worthless. I can’t believe he actually bullies a little fox for a plate of food.” The Yellow Spring Great Sage clasped his hands behind his back, shook his head, and sneered.
Nethery wore a black dress that revealed her long fair legs. Her hair was still grayish-green. It seemed that the side effect brought by the outbreak of the curse was very difficult to remove. She sat at the table, and Bu Fang also served her a plate of ribs.
Without a doubt, today’s dish was Sweet ‘n’ Sour Ribs. They quite missed it after not eating it for a long time.
Lord Dog began to attack his food. His tongue rolled and pulled the ribs into his mouth. The way he ate looked somewhat… savage.
As Foxy watched them eat, she almost burst into tears. She also wanted to try the ribs. Knowing that she couldn’t get anything from Lord Dog by showing her cuteness, she dashed to Nethery’s side, stuck out her tongue, and licked her face while blinking her cute, big eyes.
Nethery wasn’t stingy. She picked up a rib covered in orange sauce and brought it in front of Foxy’s mouth. The little fox s.n.a.t.c.hed it, chewed it happily, and gulped it down. Her eyes lit up in an instant. It was delicious!
Nether King Er Ha walked into the restaurant, found a seat, and sat down leisurely with his legs crossed.
The Yellow Spring Great Sage didn’t seem to fit in. He had not left the valley for a very long time. It was because today was the opening of Bu Fang’s restaurant that he came here.
“Sweet ‘n’ Sour Ribs? This mangy dog is hopeless. Look how he forgets himself in front of a plate of food…” The Yellow Spring Great Sage wasn’t impressed by Lord Dog’s table manners. “He is the Earth Prison Dog, and that made him a prestigious… dog. Can’t he be more elegant when eating?”
Ting-a-ling!
Bu Fang walked out of the kitchen and saw the Yellow Spring Great Sage. With an expressionless face, he nodded at the Great Saint and the Nether King. In his hand, he held a small bowl with three pieces of Sweet ‘n’ Sour Ribs. He thought for a while, then placed the bowl in front of both men.
“I’ve cooked extra. It was for Foxy, but since she’s sharing with Nethery, you two can have it. Take it as an opening promotion,” Bu Fang said.
The Yellow Spring Great Sage rolled his eyes. ‘Don’t you think your opening promotion is too cheap? Only three pieces of Sweet ‘n’ Sour Ribs?’
Foxy, eating happily beside Nethery, seemed to hear something. She reflexively raised her head, but she couldn’t figure out what was going on. She then continued leaning against Nethery, begging for food with her cuteness.
Nether King Er Ha was happy, though. He grabbed a pair of chopsticks and said, “Well, spicy strips are my favorite, but since this is an opening promotion, I’ll not stand on ceremony with you!”
With that, he reached out with the chopsticks and picked up a rib. As he lifted it, the sticky sauce was pulled into silk-like threads. Then, he shoved the aromatic rib into his mouth. His lips were stained with the rib’s delicious sweet and sour sauce, and he quickly stuck out his tongue and licked them clean. Finally, he narrowed his eyes with satisfaction and began chewing.
The Yellow Spring Great Sage couldn’t help but smack his lips and swallow as he watched Nether King Er Ha eat with that ecstatic look. ‘Isn’t this just a bowl of ribs? I’m a man who has tasted the Abyss’s top wine! There’s no food in this world that can surprise me!’
Nether King Er Ha looked at the Yellow Spring Great Sage, who maintained a reserved manner, and said, “You don’t want to eat, Big Yellow? If yes, I’ll finish them all…”
The Great Saint squinted at the Nether King and grabbed a pair of chopsticks. “I have to give it a try, of course. After all, it’s free,” While saying that, he picked up a rib. The steam and the meaty aroma made his mouth water.
‘Maybe… it will taste delicious?’
The Yellow Spring Great Sage shoved the sauce-covered rib into his mouth. As soon as it touched his tongue, his eyes went wide. Then, he turned to look at the bowl. However, he saw that the last rib was already picked up by Nether King Er Ha and was now being shoved into his mouth…