Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 65: Using abstraction to fight abstraction. Judges, you've been held hostage, so just nod!
"Judges' Room"

"That's interesting. I thought it was just noodles in the name, but now I see it really is plain water noodles~"

Sui Wubai smelled the noodles in front of him and noticed a sour grapefruit scent, likely from the grapefruit oil floating on the soup.

Nicholas Tse, who was standing to the side, held the noodles and smelled them for a long time, but could only detect a slight sour smell.

The bowl in front of him was about the width of two boys' hands, but besides most of it being a bowl of clear broth, there was only a small mouthful of noodles left in the very center.

Li Shanghu seemed to dislike this somewhat flamboyant setup, and his brows furrowed slightly at that moment.

Luo Yumin, on the other hand, looked thoughtful. After a while, she blew on the soup.

As she moved, the oily film on the surface of the soup dispersed, and she smelled a faint earthy odor.

"Where did this plain noodle soup come from, with that earthy taste? Could there be something hidden in the broth?"

Luo Yumin took another sniff and discovered that the earthy smell was carried over into the clear soup.

When the oil covers the surface, it's not very noticeable, but once the oil disperses, the water underneath isn't completely transparent like regular mineral water; instead, it has a slightly tea-like appearance.

Because Xia Ming's code name contained the words "Sichuan and Chongqing," Luo Yumin's first reaction was that the so-called clear broth in this bowl of noodles was actually the broth used in "boiled cabbage in clear broth."

But this presents a problem: the broth for "boiled cabbage in clear broth" requires simmering complex ingredients over low heat for more than 7 hours, and then the prepared broth is used to absorb impurities with minced meat.

After repeated filtering and countless hardships, only then can you obtain that soul-stirring broth.

But the match only lasts two hours, so where would the broth come from?
It couldn't have been prepared last night, could it?
Moreover, the worst thing for a stock is any off-flavors, and an earthy taste is absolutely impossible.

Luo Yumin pondered for a moment and found that she still had no clue. In the end, she chose to pick up her chopsticks and start with the noodles to taste the dish.

The other judges present shared the same thought, and at that moment they all picked up their chopsticks and reached into the noodle soup to scoop out the noodles that were only a mouthful in size.

"Waiting Room"

Xia Ming leaned casually to one side, watching the judges in front of the screen slowly put noodles into their mouths, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Just like a storyteller, no matter how well the story is told, the audience has to buy it."

"Some emotions are difficult to evoke resonance through description. That's why storytellers don't sell as well as opera singers, because opera involves not only stories but also performances."

"If the production team comes up with such an abstract topic, then don't blame me. From the moment this bowl of noodles was placed on the judges' table, all the judges have been kidnapped by me."

"Now, judges, please face the camera and begin your performances!"

Just as Xia Ming finished speaking, Xie Tingfeng had already put the seemingly ordinary noodles into his mouth.

The first taste was a bit sour, which he understood was due to the aroma of grapefruit oil that the noodles had acquired when the soup was served.

After a few chews, he noticed that this noodle was much less elastic than normal noodles, and the outer layer was a little crispy, but it didn't seem to be fried. The initial taste was like the dough hadn't fermented very well.

Moreover, the noodles have a strange earthy taste, not the usual fragrance of soil, but a unique muddy smell.

Just as he was hesitating and pondering where this taste was coming from, the next second, after the sourness faded, a faint sweetness rose in his mouth. This sweetness was very mild, unlike white sugar. Xie Tingfeng's first judgment was that it must be some kind of honey.

But the sweetness was fleeting; the next second, a hint of sourness emerged, much more pronounced than the sweetness, causing Xie Tingfeng to subconsciously frown. "Fruit sour? Doesn't seem like it."

Just as his brow relaxed and doubts resurfaced, he tasted a barely perceptible astringency on the tip of his tongue.

The astringent taste appeared in his mouth for only a moment before he felt a bitter aftertaste.

The bitterness came on rather strongly, and he subconsciously took a breath. After tasting it carefully, he found that it wasn't as bitter as he had imagined.

Perhaps because the sweetness and sourness from before took center stage, the bitterness at this moment is all the more prominent.

Sour, sweet, sour, bitter.
After taking that bite of noodles, he felt like he was on a roller coaster.

It wouldn't be to say it's incredibly delicious, but the layered flavors on the noodles are quite surprising.

Having grown accustomed to bitterness, Xie Tingfeng's brows relaxed, his eyes flickered for a moment, and he subconsciously swallowed the noodles, trying to figure out where the feeling from earlier came from.

But this noodle dish is like a young man who doesn't know martial arts. He started by saying it was just noodles, but now he's unleashing a combination of sour, sweet, sour, and bitter flavors and still not satisfied. Just as these flavors spread and slid down his throat, he suddenly delivered a heavy blow to Nicholas Tse.

The next second, Xie Tingfeng's eyes reddened, and then, as if recalling something extremely painful, his expression became uncontrollable.

The other judges weren't much better off. Some stared blankly, some covered their mouths and began to sob, and some even seemed to have tasted some heavenly delicacy, constantly drinking the clear soup in their bowls.

The viewers in the live stream were somewhat bewildered by the judges' strong reaction.

[What's going on? Why did Feng Ge cry after eating this?!]

[It wasn't just Feng Ge; the other judges were the same, especially Sui Wubai, who was crying while drinking noodle soup. I'd never seen him like that in any of his videos before.]

[What?! The Sichuan-Chongqing Ice and Fire Chef is putting drugs in his dishes again? Wait, why is Old Li chewing while crying? Could it really be that delicious?]

[I trust Chef Yumin; her sense of taste is far superior to most. Seeing that she's almost finished the soup, it's definitely a rare delicacy!]

Why do I feel like there's something strangely off about the judges right now? I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's just really odd!

"Waiting Room"

Xia Ming laughed as he watched the judges' energetic "performance".

"It's not that there aren't things in this world that can give people the same feeling, it's just that most of the time no one does it."

"They are all mortal beings. Even if they have different perceptions of taste due to age or congenital physical conditions, as long as they are not missing one of the seven souls (congenital painlessness), they will definitely be able to feel pain."

"This bowl of noodles looks like it's wrapped in layers of various flavors, but at its core, it's an extremely straightforward and intense flavor."

"Those viewers in front of the camera are probably commenting on how moved they were to tears right now."

Xia Ming rubbed his nose with the back of his finger.

"How could they know that this was just a charade that the judges were passively playing along with?"

"They're really suffering from the spiciness right now!"

(End of this chapter)