Chapter Forty-Three: You Will Lose Friends This Way

Yes, there were still three more dishes to go. The first was already so delicious—what about the others? Wen Hui’s eyes brightened, her gaze drifting toward the other side, to the still-unopened Pandora’s box.

“So, for the second dish, which would you like to try? The fish or the tofu? I suggest saving the thick soup for last.” Zhuang Xiaoyuan tapped her finger against the lids of the remaining three dishes, her face calm and composed as she asked. Though it was her first time actually tasting them, her prior knowledge gave her some psychological preparation. She lacked the sense of surprise but was not at all overwhelmed like Wen Hui, who was completely unable to control herself in the face of such delicacies.

If evil gods and demons could replenish themselves with ordinary food, perhaps with Erina Nakiri’s goddess-like culinary skills, she could conquer the entire army of evil gods. Without a doubt, Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s card in the art of cooking had reached a kind of pinnacle. The cards she generated weren’t limited to the abilities the girls possessed during the timeframes depicted in manga or anime; they also contained a certain foresight into the girls’ futures.

For instance, although the Erina Nakiri card Zhuang Xiaoyuan generated appeared as her manga self, her culinary skill was drawn from Erina Nakiri’s future potential. That is to say, if Erina Nakiri had the potential to become the strongest chef goddess in the world one day, then Zhuang Xiaoyuan would manifest that god-tier ability.

The same was true for the wandering immortal girl, Huang Xiaoyan. However, due to the limitations of Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s own abilities, she hadn’t even reached the level Huang Xiaoyan possessed at her debut, so she couldn’t tap into those future possibilities. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have needed to use true essence blood talismans to deal with a tank-class demon.

“Hm, then… let’s try the fish first. I’ll save the best for last… but I really dislike how many bones fish have,” Wen Hui said after much hesitation, finally making up her mind and pointing at the plate of fish.

“Hey, my fish doesn’t have a single bone! Please enjoy—Erina’s Secret Crispy Dragon Carp.” As Zhuang Xiaoyuan whipped the lid off the Crispy Dragon Carp, a dazzling golden light burst forth from the dish. In the glow, it seemed as if a radiant five-clawed golden dragon soared into the sky, circled, and landed back onto the platter.

“Was… was that an illusion just now?” Wen Hui stammered, her eyes wide as she swallowed hard, struggling to process what she’d seen. It was one thing for food to taste delicious, but to see visions—no dish could explain that. It was utterly unscientific.

“Oh yes, just an illusion. How could a golden dragon fly out of a dish? You must have imagined it,” Zhuang Xiaoyuan replied with a smile, setting the lid aside and picking up her chopsticks.

“Exactly, as if a dragon could fly out of food. You saw it too, didn’t you?”

“All right, all right, don’t dwell on the small details. The flavor is what matters most—go ahead and try it,” Zhuang Xiaoyuan said, effortlessly holding back the excited Wen Hui, and pointed at the plate as if nothing unusual had happened.

“But… how is this possible…” Wen Hui, trying to steady herself, looked down at the dish. Instead of the pile of braised fish pieces she’d anticipated, she saw an entire carp with a vivid crimson sheen. Its oval body and fan-shaped tail were perfectly intact, resting on the plate, with a pair of delicate whiskers at its mouth. At a glance, it really did look like a red dragon carp—no wonder it was called Crispy Dragon Carp.

“Go ahead, taste it.” As she spoke, Zhuang Xiaoyuan took the initiative, picking up a piece from the fish’s belly. With the order of the plating disrupted, the aroma of tender fish exploded into the air. Lured by the irresistible scent, Wen Hui could no longer resist and quickly reached out with her own chopsticks.

The moment the fish entered her mouth, a tender, silky texture, rich fragrance, refreshing flavor, and a unique sauce all burst forth like a nuclear explosion. An indescribable deliciousness flooded her senses, each bite and chew releasing wave after wave of flavor, making it nearly impossible to swallow, too good to let go.

As she chewed, each surge of flavor brought with it a fresh, pure mist, blanketing her mind in a white haze. All thoughts drifted away; she became a simple carp, meandering carefree through the river, sometimes swimming upstream, sometimes drifting with the current.

One day, she saw a massive dragon gate constructed from unknown materials on both banks of the river. Her carefree heart was suddenly filled with longing, as if the gate held an irresistible allure. Without a thought, she leapt again and again, striving to clear the gate.

Failure after failure, fall after fall, her desire was never quenched. At some point, as heaven and earth changed color and a storm raged, she leapt once more amid the surging currents. This time, with the waves carrying her, the unremarkable carp finally crossed the long-desired dragon gate.

As she soared over the gate, dragon whiskers sprouted from her face, her body elongated, claws grew, and she transformed into a golden dragon, ascending into the heavens…

“This… truly is…” Wen Hui sighed, coming back to herself from the rapture of taste, and reached again with her chopsticks.

“Clink.” Her chopsticks met resistance. Unnoticed, Zhuang Xiaoyuan had already replaced the lid on the Crispy Dragon Carp and set it aside, pushing a wooden box toward the center of the table instead.

“Oh, Xiaoyuan, if you do this, you’ll lose me as a friend,” Wen Hui pouted, her gaze fixed longingly on the now-covered fish.

“Oh? Then do you still want to eat?” With a nonchalant shrug, Zhuang Xiaoyuan slid the box between them.

“I do, and once I finish eating, I’ll never speak to you again. What is this?” Gritting her teeth with resolve, Wen Hui eyed the wooden box, determined to eat her fill no matter what.

“A magic prop,” Zhuang Xiaoyuan explained, tapping the top of the box.

“So it’s not food? You’re going to perform a magic show… Forget it, let’s just eat!” Normally, Wen Hui would have been quite interested in a magic trick, but after tasting something so delicious, nothing mattered but eating.

“This is a dish too. Don’t you want to see a magic dish?” Unbothered by Wen Hui’s impatience, Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s smile remained. Though these sublime dishes were only possible thanks to her godly transformation, seeing her friend so eager and delighted filled her with genuine joy.