Xiangling effortlessly hoisted the large clay jar.
She really lived up to her title as a disciple of the Adepti.
She looked like a dainty girl, but her strength was something else.
Xia Zhi was suddenly reminded of the time Yaoyao was practicing spearwork at the Yun-Han Opera Troupe.
She had mentioned that the spears at home were way heavier than the ones used on stage.
Another deceptively strong little girl.
Xia Zhi followed Xiangling out of the kitchen. Under everyone's watchful gaze, he removed the lid of the jar.
A dense, otherworldly fragrance wafted out.
And then came the collective sound of synchronized gulping.
Mountain Shaper couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Xia, is that Adeptus' Temptation?"
"No. This is a modified version—I call it Gods' Temptation."
"God… Gods' Temptation?"
"As in, a dish so divine that even gods would leap over walls to sneak a taste."
"..."
"Well, names aside, let's focus on how it actually tastes."
Everyone received a bowl of freshly scooped [Gods' Temptation].
The thick, clear broth, the abundance of mysterious ingredients, and the unbelievable aroma… it all tugged wildly at their appetites.
"Mmff!"
Guoba couldn't wait. The moment the bowl was placed in his paws, he scooped up a spoonful and shoved it into his mouth.
Then—just like Xiangling earlier—he fell into a trance.
Everyone else followed suit, including the three gods present.
The room fell silent.
Xia Zhi scanned the table, a gentle smile curving his lips as he watched everyone slip into that dreamy expression.
This… was exactly the moment he'd been waiting for.
Well—everyone except Ganyu.
She was vegetarian. There was no way she could eat this meat-heavy dish. All she could do was inhale the aroma and look at him with pitifully resentful eyes.
Then suddenly, Xia Zhi's smile froze.
Through his omniscient perspective, he saw three silver progress bars appear over Zhu Zi, Ying'er, and Baishi.
[Progress: 0%]
It meant their Tiers had once again leveled up.
Definitely a good thing.
It meant all his investments over the past few days had borne fruit.
Those two Black Iron Treasure Chests he handed out this morning? That was a tenfold return already.
Even Chef Mao had a new Black Iron progress bar.
[Progress: 0%]
Now that was a pleasant surprise.
As for Baixiao and Baiwen—they hadn't joined as often for meals or massages as Baishi had, so they were still a bit behind in XP. No upgrade yet.
Xia Zhi glanced around and shifted his view to Guoba.
He saw that Guoba was growing.
Just like when his cousin drank [Essence of Sun and Moon] and went from little girl to young lady, Guoba's body was gradually increasing in size. The change was subtle, not as dramatic, but definitely noticeable.
It meant Guoba was slowly regaining his strength from eating [Gods' Temptation].
Xia Zhi remembered what Ganyu had told him about Guoba's true identity.
The former Stove God—Marchosius.
He recalled that time when Guoba's progress bar maxed out after sneaking one of his mooncakes.
Back then, it baffled him.
But thinking back now, maybe it made sense—Guoba's divine domain was food, after all. Culinary interactions must carry some sort of bonus effect for him.
After a while, everyone gradually returned to their senses.
The first to recover were the mortals.
Diona stared at the remaining [Gods' Temptation] in her bowl and muttered, "Boss was right… if I had eaten this first, I wouldn't have had room for anything else…"
Baizhu adjusted his glasses, eyes full of awe. Just that one spoonful had already filled his body with overflowing vitality. He turned to the snake around his neck, Changsheng, and whispered, "Quick, use the symbiotic contract to absorb as much of this vitality as you can. Don't waste it."
Changsheng sighed quietly. "I'm already trying my best, but the vitality in your body is too much. I can't absorb it fast enough… Just stop eating for now, will you…"
Charlotte leaned over and whispered, "Lady Ningguang."
"Yes?"
"With so many incredible dishes in Liyue, don't you think our paper could launch a [Gourmet Column]?"
"That's a good idea."
Next to recover were the Adepti.
Madame Ping's gaze turned wistful. Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver looked utterly satisfied. Xiao silently reached for a second spoonful.
Last to recover were the three gods and Guoba.
Because of their divine powers, the flavors hit them even harder.
Xia Zhen stared blankly into her bowl of [Gods' Temptation].
Xia Ci nudged her with an elbow and whispered with a smile, "You were hesitating yesterday about calling him cousin. Still think it's a tough call after tasting that?"
Xia Zhen turned and frowned. "What do you mean? He is my cousin. And as expected, his cooking is just as good as it was back home…"
"?"
Xia Ci blinked at her in confusion.
Then muttered quietly, "I thought only Shenhe could be my rival… but apparently there's another master in the running…"
Once everyone had finally returned to their senses, Xia Zhi asked aloud, "So, how was today's main course?"
"Fantastic!"
"It absolutely deserves to be called [Gods' Temptation]!"
"Mr. Xia, your culinary skills are truly beyond belief."
"You're too kind. If you enjoyed it, please have more. There's still plenty left—and if it runs out, I've got more in the back."
"!"
"Just remember to pace yourselves and don't overeat."
"Got it!"
Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper exchanged a look, eyes full of relief.
Thank the gods they'd asked Baizhu for those digestive pills in advance. Otherwise, they'd be sitting here today, watching everyone else enjoy the feast with envy.
All that mountain trekking had been so worth it.
Xiao had already finished his entire bowl of [Gods' Temptation]. He could feel himself starting to get full.
As a Yaksha, I should learn from the Archon… If he's taking medicine, he must have his reasons…
Without a word, Xiao popped a pill into his mouth.
A sweet and sour taste bloomed on his tongue.
The bloated feeling quickly faded.
Now he felt hungry again.
…What a miraculous pill.
No wonder the Archon vouched for it.
Holding his empty bowl, Xiao quietly stood and walked toward Xia Zhi.
Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper were stunned.
Xiao ate that fast!?
Now that's a master.
In the end, the entire massive jar of [Gods' Temptation] was devoured.
Guoba even tried to jump in to lick the last bit of broth clinging to the sides, only to be pulled back by Xiangling just in time.
After tidying up, a few pots of tea were brewed, and everyone settled into post-meal conversation.
Charlotte came over.
"Mr. Xia."
"Yes?"
"Our paper recently launched a new astrology column."
"I know. Zhu Zi read it to me. That Miss Mona's astrology is impressive—this whole past week really has been sunny every day."
"You're too modest. I heard from Lady Ningguang that you also dabble in divination. If you're interested in astrology, I could invite Miss Mona over sometime so you two can exchange ideas."
"That'd be great. Thanks in advance."
"My pleasure. Actually, I also have a favor to ask you."
"Oh?"
"After coming to Liyue, I've discovered the food scene here is unimaginably rich. Our newspaper recently launched the astrology column, but since Miss Mona only writes one piece a week, we've got six more days to fill. So I was thinking of launching a gourmet column."
"Sounds like a solid idea."
"Would you be interested in writing for the Liyue Newspaper?"
"Writing, huh… I'll pass. But you can ask Xiangling. She's a master chef too—former champion of the Cooking King Contest. She's more famous than I am, honestly."
"Miss Xiangling, would you be interested?"
"I would." Xiangling nodded, then hesitated. "But I'm not great at writing…"
Xia Zhi chuckled. "That's okay. I can help."
"Yay! If Master helps, we'll be fine!"
Charlotte turned to her, discussing logistics. "We'd need one piece a week."
"Mm-hmm!"
"As for compensation, our standard rate is 10,000 Mora per piece. But given your title as Cooking King Champion and your background with Wanmin Restaurant, you're a celebrity. We can raise that to 20,000 Mora per article. How does that sound?"
"That's perfect."
"Then here's to a fruitful collaboration!"
"Looking forward to it!"
Off to the side, Chef Mao watched his daughter discuss business with Charlotte, his expression both proud and wistful.
One article—20,000 Mora. One per week. Four per month. That's 80,000 Mora.
Wanmin Restaurant had always followed a fair-pricing model. Even with great foot traffic, its profit margins weren't as high as Xinyue Kiosk or Liuli Pavilion. They only netted around 100,000 Mora per month.
Sigh. His daughter was all grown up now.
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