Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

Haruto looked down at the bowl of stir-fried rice vermicelli coated in squid ink, his expression unchanged.

He picked up his chopsticks, lifted a small bundle coated in the glossy black sauce, and placed it into his mouth.

The first thing to hit his palate was the toasted fragrance created by stir-frying. The rice vermicelli was springy and smooth, every strand perfectly separate without the slightest trace of sticking.

Then the deep savoriness of the squid-ink sauce spread across his mouth. The mellow fragrance of Shaoxing wine softened the ink’s natural astringency, while the underlying aroma of rice remained clearly present.

Judged purely on technique and seasoning, it was unquestionably an excellent dish.

There was something else about it as well—an oddly compelling quality that made the diner want to keep eating, bite after bite.

Haruto’s brows drew together almost imperceptibly.

To him, the dish felt like a single drop of poison falling into a crystal-clear spring.

Every Gourmet Cell in his body was instinctively rejecting it.

The flavor itself was not bad. In fact, it was quite impressive.

But his body wanted nothing to do with it.

Obviously, Zhilin had once again added poppy sap to her cooking.

Haruto put down his chopsticks and looked toward the others.

Xiao Han had taken only one bite before completely giving in to the dish, unable to stop himself from eating more.

"There’s something strange about this flavor! It’s like it has some kind of magic that makes you keep eating!"

Mao and Lan Feihong reacted very differently.

After tasting a mouthful, both immediately turned their heads and spat out the vermicelli before swallowing.

"What the hell is this?!"

Lan Feihong slammed one hand against the table and shot to his feet, glaring furiously at Zhilin.

"To serve us something like this!"

Adding poppy sap to food was the sort of despicable trick any chef with even the slightest professional integrity would despise.

Mao was equally furious.

"You... did you really think you could hide something like this from everyone?"

Xiao Han, who had been happily devouring the dish, looked up in confusion when the sudden argument interrupted him.

"Huh? What? What’s wrong with you two?"

He had no idea what was happening.

"Zhilin committed something no chef should ever be forgiven for!"

Mao pointed at her angrily.

"Someone like you doesn’t deserve to call yourself a chef!"

"Hmph. What nonsense are you talking about?"

Zhilin’s expression had turned ugly, but she forced herself to remain composed.

She could already tell something had gone wrong, yet she still clung to the hope that she might somehow bluff her way through it.

"The sauce on this squid-ink vermicelli contains poppy sap."

Haruto raised his eyes toward her, open disdain in his expression.

"It’s true that once you add something like that, even an ordinary dish can become difficult to stop eating. People keep taking bite after bite almost compulsively."

"But making diners dependent on an addictive substance so they lose the ability to judge the cooking itself has nothing to do with culinary skill."

This was what genuinely deserved to be called a drugged dish.

The only difference was that the drug in question was an addictive substance.

"Putting something like that into food is an insult to the profession itself!"

Mao’s eyes burned with anger.

"I might not know as much about cooking as everyone else here, but I do know one thing."

"Food is supposed to make people happy!"

"What you made can only bring people misery!"

"You’re saying... Zhilin put poppy sap into her dish?"

Lei Hua looked toward Zhilin, her expression turning grim.

She stepped up to the table, examined the stir-fried squid-ink vermicelli, then dipped one finger into the sauce and tasted a tiny amount.

She immediately confirmed it.

There was indeed poppy sap in the dish.

"Zhilin."

Lei Hua’s voice turned cold.

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

Zhilin stumbled backward.

Her lips trembled, but she could not produce a coherent defense.

There was nothing she could say.

She had, in fact, put poppy sap into the food.

Lei Hua’s gaze became even colder.

She had seen many talented chefs lose their way over the years, but she had never expected someone to commit an act this disgraceful during the final stage of the Super Chef Examination, here in the sacred Culinary Arena itself.

Now that the truth was established, Lei Hua had no intention of letting it pass.

"Zhilin, you used one of the most despicable methods a chef can resort to."

"What you’ve done insults every chef who remains true to their craft, and it insults this sacred Culinary Arena."

"I hereby strip you of the right to practice as a chef and permanently ban you from entering Guangzhou again."

Given Lei Hua’s standing not only in Guangzhou but throughout the entire Lingnan culinary world, the judgment was devastating.

From this day forward, Zhilin would have no place left in Lingnan’s culinary community.

Officials quickly escorted her out of the Culinary Arena.

Lei Hua suppressed the anger still lingering in her chest, turned back toward the remaining four contestants, and resumed the examination.

"We will continue the tasting."

"Next is Haruto’s dish."

Haruto rose from his seat.

Almost immediately, officials stepped forward and placed bowls before Mao, Lan Feihong, and Xiao Han.

Hot steam carrying the fragrance of soybeans and deep savory richness rose toward their faces.

The broth was a milky white, thick in appearance yet completely free of visible oil.

What surprised them most was that there seemed to be nothing in it except the "noodles."

No toppings.

No vegetables.

Nothing else at all.

The three contestants looked puzzled.

Noodles alone usually lost a great deal without something to accompany them.

Haruto glanced at them and calmly introduced his dish.

"This is my Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork Noodles."

"Give it a try. There’s a surprise inside."

The dish had been rather troublesome to prepare.

It was also Haruto’s first time attempting it, so the entire process had taken quite a bit of effort.

Fortunately, the result had turned out well.

"Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork?"

Mao tilted his head in confusion.

The name sounded like some kind of prepared dish, but he had never heard of it before.

Haruto was not surprised.

Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork was a Sichuan dish, but it would not take shape until much later in history. It was only natural that Mao had never encountered it.

The three contestants did not hesitate for long.

They picked up their bamboo chopsticks, lifted a bundle of "noodles" coated in the rich broth, and tasted them.

The first thing to touch their tongues was the broth.

It looked thick and heavy, but the actual flavor was surprisingly clean.

Haruto had blended freshly ground soy milk into an old-hen broth, creating a smooth body without leaving behind any raw soybean taste or greasy heaviness.

Then came the real impact of the "noodles."

The outer layer, made from the first sheets of yuba skimmed from the simmering soy milk, was astonishingly smooth and supple.

When their teeth broke through that thin yet resilient wrapper, the fish-fragrant flavors hidden inside immediately burst free.

The balance was extraordinarily precise.

Fresh heat carried a refreshing touch of acidity.

The deep fermented aroma of the sauce mingled with the mellow warmth of chili oil.

Sugar and aged vinegar formed a perfectly balanced sweet-and-sour foundation.

The acidity was never harsh.

The sweetness was never cloying.

The spice warmed the mouth without burning.

Together, the three formed the unmistakable character of fish-fragrant seasoning.

There were no visible toppings in the bowl.

Yet with every bite, they could clearly taste both the flavor and texture of a complete serving of Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork.

The marinated pork loin had been cut into fine strips and cooked just enough to remain silky and tender, with all its juices sealed within the fibers. The instant the meat was bitten through, rich savory juices spread across the mouth.

The shredded carrot had been stir-fried only until just cooked, preserving its crispness and gentle sweetness. That clean vegetable flavor perfectly balanced the deeper richness of the sauce.

The green pepper remained fresh and crunchy, carrying a bright pepper fragrance that made the entire dish feel livelier.

Tender pork.

Sweet carrot.

Crisp green pepper.

Three distinct textures collided in every bite, yet the fish-fragrant seasoning bound them together so completely that nothing felt chaotic.

Instead, the flavors rose in perfectly controlled layers.

"How did you do this?"

Xiao Han stared down at his bowl in confusion.

He could clearly distinguish the meat and vegetables in his mouth, both in texture and flavor.

Yet there was nothing in the bowl except the noodles themselves.

"This flavor... it’s a little like pickled-chili shredded pork, but the fish-fragrant seasoning is richer and has so many more layers!"

Mao looked delighted.

"This is amazing!"

He immediately picked up another bundle and took another bite.

Lan Feihong remained silent for a moment.

Then he lifted one complete "noodle" with his chopsticks and tore it open.

The moment he saw the cross-section, understanding appeared in his eyes.

Beneath the outer layer of yuba were three perfectly even strands.

Shredded pork loin.

Shredded carrot.

Shredded green pepper.

Every strip had been cut to exactly the same thickness and completely sealed inside the yuba wrapper.

Haruto naturally noticed what Fei was doing.

Realizing his technique had already been discovered, he smiled and explained.

"For this dish, I first cut the pork loin, carrot, and green pepper into fine strips, seasoned them with fish-fragrant sauce, then stir-fried them rapidly over high heat until they were just cooked through, preserving both their texture and juices."

"After that, I braided the three ingredients together to form the core."

"Then I wrapped that braided Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork filling in freshly skimmed first-layer yuba from the soy milk and rolled it into a noodle."

"So even though you can’t see any toppings, the toppings are actually inside the noodles themselves."

"As for the broth, I blended freshly ground soy milk into chicken stock. That gives it the rich appearance without making it greasy."

Lan Feihong looked at Haruto, his expression gradually becoming more serious.

Haruto had made the process sound simple.

It was anything but.

Cutting every ingredient that finely and evenly, then braiding the strands and wrapping them inside such delicate sheets of yuba, required extraordinary knife work and tremendous patience.

"Haruto-san, that’s incredible!"

Mao looked at him excitedly.

"And there isn’t even any fish in it, but the fish-fragrant flavor is so strong!"

At the same time, Mao could not help thinking that the filling would probably be delicious even if it were simply served as a normal dish.

Xiao Han, however, looked far less pleased.

Haruto’s dish had given him a powerful sense of danger.

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