Braised Dragon with Soy Sauce

"Grandpa...Grandma...Come and see! I've brought you something good!"

The next morning, Xinlan was so excited that she didn't even bother to eat breakfast. She hugged the small jar of refined salt tightly and happily ran towards the nearest blacksmith Zhang's house.

Mo Yuming had no choice but to follow behind. Even from a distance, Xinlan started shouting excitedly.

"What good stuff is it that made my little girl run all the way here so early in the morning?"

Hu San Niang, who had just gotten up and was preparing to make a living, heard Xin Lan's voice and hurriedly put down her work to go out and greet her.

"It's salt, it's refined salt! Made by Brother Yuming!"

Xinlan ran breathlessly, shouting loudly.

"Refined salt?"

Hearing the noise, Zhang the blacksmith also came out of the room, looking at Xinlan with a puzzled expression.

"Look! This is what Brother Yuming made!"

Seeing the two elderly people looking bewildered, Xinlan quickly handed the salt jar she was holding to Hu Sanniang.

"Ah, 'Snow Crystal Salt'! Brother Tie, look! It's 'Snow Crystal Salt'!"

Hu Sanniang took the salt jar and looked at it. She couldn't help but exclaim in surprise and quickly handed the salt jar to Zhang the blacksmith behind her.

Zhang the blacksmith took the salt jar, examined it carefully, smelled it, and finally dipped a few grains of salt into his finger and tasted it. At the end, his eyes gleamed, and his voice trembled with excitement:

"It is indeed 'Snow Crystal Salt,' exactly the same as the 'Snow Crystal Salt' made by the eight-crown dragon chef I saw at the Dragon Chef Conference! It is as white and flawless as snowflakes, and as crystal clear as ice crystals..."

What is the Dragon Chef Competition?

Mo Yuming, who was walking behind, had just arrived when he overheard Zhang the blacksmith holding the salt jar with a look of rapt attention. He was very curious about the term "Dragon Chef Conference" and couldn't help but ask a question.

Seeing Mo Yuming approach, Zhang the blacksmith completely ignored his question, grabbed Mo Yuming's arm, and asked urgently:

"How did you make this 'Snow Crystal Salt'? You're not going to tell me you're actually the reincarnation of an eight-crown dragon chef, are you? As far as I know, apart from someone of the level of an eight-crown dragon chef, no one in this world has been able to refine such pure salt."

"What... 'Snow Crystal Salt'? I... I don't know. I just rinsed the coarse salt we eat with water. It's very simple. Then... who is Master Chef Long? What does he do?"

Mo Yuming was filled with unease, fearing that the old man might have guessed something and caused unnecessary trouble. It was just some salt, why make such a fuss? Mo Yuming quickly feigned nervousness and began to stammer a lie.

"Oh dear, look at your impatient nature, you've scared the child!"

At this moment, Hu Sanniang quickly pushed Zhang the blacksmith aside, then squatted down in front of Mo Yuming, gently took Mo Yuming's hand, and said softly:

"Child, don't be afraid. Grandpa just wants to know how you made this magical salt."

Mo Yuming scratched his head and said:

"I just thought that the soil salt was really dirty, with so many impurities in it. So I washed it with water, and hey, it looked much cleaner. I figured that washing it a few more times would definitely make it even cleaner, so I washed the salt again."

Who knew that all the salt would dissolve in the water? I had no choice but to sprinkle the dissolved salt onto thick cattail leaves and let them dry, and that's how it turned out.

After saying that, Mo Yuming pointed to the salt jar.

"Yes, that's how it is, Ming-ge, just wash it a few times and it'll be fine!"

Xinlan gestured wildly to the side, looking incredibly cute, as if she were performing a wonderful magic show.

"What? It's that simple? You mean it? You can wash salt with water?"

Zhang the blacksmith stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief, as if he had heard a fairy tale.

"Yes! That's exactly right, that's exactly what my brother did!"

Xinlan quickly chimed in, nodding her head like a rattle drum.

"Come on, come with me! I want to see just how amazing this is!"

Zhang the blacksmith was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He grabbed Mo Yuming and wanted to leave, and his impatient appearance was quite amusing.

Grandpa, we haven't had breakfast yet!

Xinlan had just run all the way and was panting heavily. Her stomach was growling loudly, and she didn't want to run again on an empty stomach.

"Oh, look at Grandpa's impatient nature. Honey, hurry up and start the fire, I'm going to kill that brown-necked chicken we caught the day before yesterday, and the four of us will have a good meal of salt-baked chicken!"

Hehe! It's been so long since I've tasted that flavor, I can't wait! It's true, you can lack anything, but not salt! Hehe…”

Zhang the blacksmith exclaimed excitedly.

"Okay! Girl, come here and help Grandma start the fire and boil water..."

Hu San Niang took Xin Lan's hand and led her into the house.

"Grandpa, what is the Dragon Chef Competition? Who is this 'Dragon Chef Master' you just mentioned?"

While accompanying Zhang the blacksmith to catch chickens, Mo Yuming asked curiously.

"The Dragon Chef Conference is a culinary competition initiated and hosted by the Feather Emperor Palace, the strongest Xuan Gong sect on the Yingzhou Continent, and is held every five years."

Those invited to participate were all members of the imperial family, noble families, and contemporary heroes from both continents.

I was fortunate enough to participate once as a representative of Zhangjiabao. Although it was a competition of cooking skills, it was actually a competition of profound skills, because some special ingredients could not be prepared without certain profound techniques.

Therefore, ordinary chefs without profound skills or with low levels of profound skill cultivation simply cannot advance.

"Those chefs who successfully make it into the top eight in the competition will be given generous rewards by the Feather Palace and will be honored as Dragon Chefs!"

And these dragon chefs were given glittering chef hats, adorned with jewels and jade that indicated their rank.

The eighth-place chef's hat was adorned with a dazzling amethyst; the seventh-place chef's hat featured two brilliant blue crystal beads; and the sixth-place chef's hat was adorned with three sapphires...

The first place chef's hat is inlaid with eight pieces of white jade, and he is known as the Eight-Crown Dragon Chef.

This is why the title of "Dragon Chef" is highly respected throughout the world.

Zhang Tieqiao explained vividly.

"Why are there only eight championships, and not nine?"

Mo Yuming asked, full of doubt.

"Hey, when the Feather Palace was setting the rules for classifying dragon chefs, they set the Nine-Crown Dragon Chef as the highest level, calling him the Nine-Crown Divine Chef! That level is so high that it's almost unattainable, like a legendary existence."

According to the rules of the Feather Palace, to obtain the title of Nine-Crown Divine Chef, one must win the Dragon Chef Competition ten times in a row.

Just think about it, each competition is five years apart, so ten consecutive times would be fifty years! To maintain the lead for fifty years, how difficult would that be!

Alternatively, one must create fifty dishes that no one can surpass and that no one has ever made before, and must also be praised by all eight-crown chefs and gourmets. Only such a master can become a nine-crown supreme chef.

Winning ten consecutive championships is no easy feat. And making fifty top-notch dishes that no one has ever made before sounds simpler, but it's actually incredibly difficult! Who can guarantee that the fifty dishes they make are ones that no one has ever made before?

And it has to be done in a way that pleases everyone! That's incredibly difficult! ..."

"This Dragon Chef Competition is only open to those who have received an invitation. Isn't that very unfair to those who haven't been invited?"

Mo Yuming asked, full of doubt.

"Those who receive an invitation usually participate in the competition as VIPs. They can choose to participate in the public jury or apply to run for election."

Those who did not receive an invitation can register for the preliminary selection, and only those who rank in the preliminary selection can participate in the competition.

However, securing a spot through the competition is extremely difficult. First, the competition is fierce, with numerous culinary experts vying for a place in the preliminary rounds – a veritable sea of ​​talent. Furthermore, a hefty registration fee is required, which is a significant burden for many.

Therefore, it is indeed very difficult for someone without an invitation to participate in the Dragon Chef Competition.

Iron Bridge spoke slowly.

……

"I never thought we could make 'snow crystal salt' like this! We deserve to have lived like savages for decades, haha!"

And that self-proclaimed brilliant leader has actually been an idiot for over two hundred years! Haha!

And those self-proclaimed master chefs outside actually used their supernatural powers to exhaust themselves for a tiny bit of 'Snow Crystal Salt'... Haha!

Now our Sister Huang Rongrong is in a bit of an awkward situation…

Looking at Mo Yuming's salt purification tools and facilities, and after listening to Mo Yuming's explanation of the production process, Old Zhang couldn't help but burst into loud laughter, trying to make fun of himself.

"Grandpa, what is this 'snow crystal salt' you mentioned? Why do you say that only an eight-crown dragon chef can make it?"

"Haha, I always thought that the 'Snow Crystal Salt' was a rare and precious product, but it's actually just refined salt that you accidentally made."

It's a wonder that the eight-crown dragon chef put in so much effort to make even a tiny bit, haha... Thinking about it now, that idiot's reaction was actually kind of funny. Haha..."

"How did he do it?"

Zhang the blacksmith's serious expression only piqued Mo Yuming's curiosity more.

In Mo Yuming's view, it was just ordinary table salt, so why make it so mysterious? He really couldn't figure out how they were messing around with this thing.

"How did he do it? It's similar to how we smelt iron. Smelting iron involves heating iron blocks with fire to melt them, and his salt smelting involves taking a jar of 'water salt,' which is coarse salt that's slightly better than 'earth salt,' similar to the coarse salt you have after washing it once."

Using a special elemental stripping technique from a mystical art, he forcibly removed the impurities. I remember it took him a full hour to purify that small jar of salt.

We were quite impressed by his profound martial arts skills back then. If we'd known about your affair… haha! …If you want to learn, go ask Grandma Huang; she's the expert!

"Yuming, tell Grandma, how did you come up with the idea of ​​making this salt this way? Did someone tell you before, or did you see someone else do it this way?"

Hu Sanniang was quite perceptive. Seeing Mo Yuming using buckets and sieves, she sensed that things weren't so simple.

The process, though simple, was definitely not something one could figure out overnight. Mo Yuming thought to himself, "As expected, Grandma Zhang noticed something. But this is my secret, and I can't tell anyone." Therefore, he could only offer a casual excuse.

"Actually, I thought of this after hearing Xinlan say that 'water salt' tastes better than 'earth salt'. I thought that 'earth salt' would become 'water salt' after being washed with water, so I started experimenting with the 'earth salt' at home."

After several trials, constantly adjusting the method and trying different amounts of water and number of washes, I realized that the salt wasn't pure enough sometimes, so I kept figuring out how to improve it. Gradually, I found the right ratio and steps, and finally achieved the result I have today.

"Oh, I see... You're quite clever..."

Hu San Niang was somewhat skeptical.

"Don't pry. Whoever came up with this idea is a genius. Don't make a fuss. Kid, keep up the good work and make something of yourself. As long as it's not something immoral, Grandpa will fully support you. It would be even better if you could figure out a way to leave this godforsaken place. That would be awesome! Hahaha..."

Zhang Tieqiao was in a great mood, and Hu Sanniang stopped asking questions. She walked over and patted Mo Yuming's head in approval.

"My dear, we're moving here tomorrow. I want to restart the stove, smelt all the iron ore we've saved up, forge a set of kitchen utensils, and start a new life!"

When you have some free time, go and call those old women over, and have them gather more herbs and spices. I'll get a few old men to hunt some wild game, and we'll build a royal kitchen here so everyone can enjoy a few good days and indulge in delicious food. It won't be in vain that we've been stuck here for decades, even centuries…

Ever since Zhang the blacksmith obtained the refined salt made by Mo Yuming, he's been like a completely different person. His eyes have brightened, the corners of his mouth are always turned up, and he talks much more than before.

His previously listless demeanor vanished without a trace, and he was no longer seen dozing on the bench by the iron furnace all day long.

He became even more decisive and efficient in his work, moving much faster than before. As soon as he made a decision, he couldn't wait to call for help.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to tell Mo Yuming to design the salt-making technology carefully and write down the necessary equipment so that he could prepare in advance.

Before he could finish speaking, he flew away like a gust of wind. By the time Mo Yuming looked up to look for him, Zhang the blacksmith was already more than ten feet away...

Although Mo Yuming verbally agreed to design it well, he secretly found it amusing:

Salt production is such a simple technology, why bother with a proper design? You're underestimating me. If it weren't for the limitations, I could build a fully automated production line with my eyes closed.

Preparing pots, stoves, buckets, and the like is relatively simple; the key is to teach them how to operate them.

Fortunately, there are only a few dozen people here, and the daily salt requirement is limited, so there's no need for a big show. Anyway, those old men have nothing to do after meals, so just assigning a few to work for a day will produce enough salt for everyone to eat for a while.

The plan went even more smoothly than expected. There was no need for Mo Yuming to persuade him; Zhang the blacksmith came to him on his own initiative and even planned to build an imperial kitchen, complete with all kinds of kitchen utensils, tableware, tables and chairs.

Mo Yuming felt that calling it the Imperial Kitchen was somewhat inappropriate. After all, the Imperial Kitchen was dedicated to serving the emperor, but there was no emperor here, just a group of old men and two little kids, at most a small village.

Since we'll all be eating together from now on, it would be more appropriate to call it a large canteen.