Reborn in Japan as a Chef God

Chen Yang sat at the bar, a blonde next to him, with not many seats left in the venue.

"Hmm?"

Not far from the bar, another person heard the commotion and looked up; Chen Yang caught the other's gaze and subconsciously looked back, then froze.

Thick black hair cascaded over shoulders, clad in a black robe.

The key was, a face was covered with an iron mask, only revealing a pair of intimidating eyes.

Wasn't this one of the Lin Giant of the cuisine association, "Dragon Tamer" Sta?

His heart skipped a beat, and Chen Yang's thoughts were in turmoil as he said, "Wasn't Sta at the North American headquarters just a few days ago? At that time, the leader gathered all eight giants for a meeting, and no one was absent!"

There was only one possibility, Sta had just arrived one or two days ago, and Chen Yang happened to meet him at the Christmas Culinary Festival.

They nodded at each other without speaking.

Chen Yang knew Sta, and Sta naturally knew Lin Qingfeng's only son; moreover, Chen Yang himself was a dazzling newcomer within the culinary association, leading the "Tiger Head Association" with outstanding results.

His gaze returned to the mulled wine and roasted chestnuts.

A cup of red wine, steaming hot.

Mulled wine wasn't hard to make; adding ingredients was one part, the heat control was another, just slowly heat it making sure the temperature doesn't exceed the boiling point of alcohol, then a pot of red wine was most likely successful.

Now sitting down and smelling it more carefully, Chen Yang was even more certain, "This mulled wine is extraordinary!"

Why?

Due to the top-tier chef's sense of smell and judgment, just lightly sniffing it, Chen Yang's gaze seemed to pierce through the white Christmas and saw a colorful fantasy world.

"Give it a try!"

Suddenly, Sta's voice came, "Perhaps through this cup of wine, you'll see where you differ from him."

Chen Yang's expression shook, really?

He held the cup with both hands, no longer hesitating and took a small sip.

The wine was hot but not burning.

But in an instant, Chen Yang's mouth vibrated violently, as if struck by meteoric rain.

His dark brown pupils were dotted by a colorful torrent, and in the torrent were apples, oranges, lemons, and more, including star anise, cinnamon sticks, and cinnamon bark.

Colors seemingly became the supporting role; at this moment in the torrent, the ordinarily ubiquitous fruits and spices were the main characters, making Chen Yang feel as if these common ingredients transformed, each bearing a divine radiance, as if deified.

Deified ingredients, that was truly terrifying.

The shock in what he saw and heard was all written on his face. Chen Yang sipped again and again, unknowingly the wine in his palm was already finished.

"Ha—"

Only after the last sip did he exhale, releasing the strange power accumulated in his mouth.

Bang, bang, bang!

A faint sound of great magic resonated, an army of fruits and spices playfully surged out of the mist, and Chen Yang, caught off guard, was surrounded by this fantastical brigade. He looked around the bar, his eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief.

"They, came out?" he muttered.

"How about it, did you find the colors?" Sta spoke again, obviously paying attention to Chen Yang.

"Colors?"

Chen Yang took a deep breath, knowing a Lin Giant wouldn't ask without reason, so he thought carefully before organizing his words, "Apples, oranges, and lemons, along with various spices, are inherently colorful…"

"Haha."

Sta lightly said, "In everyday life, would you notice these colors and be influenced by them?"

Chen Yang bowed his head in silence.

At the same time, a layer of surprise and doubt appeared in his eyes.

Indeed!

Ordinary ingredients, even if vibrant in color, could hardly stir the appetite of a Food Tyrant Chef through appearance alone, let alone create a visual representation of a culinary landscape—it was nothing short of a tall tale.

But why was this Christmas mulled wine able to achieve this?

Someone patted him on the back.

Chen Yang suddenly turned around, only to see another Lin Giant, "Burning Purple Rose," Andrea, smiling at him, "Chen Yang, have you tasted Chef Xia's 'Seven-Colored Snow Woman'?"

"Uh?" Chen Yang was stunned, and after two or three seconds, he suddenly realized why the name sounded familiar—he had heard and seen it in the overwhelming news coverage in recent days. But Chen Yang was even more puzzled, "I know 'Seven-Colored Snow Woman' is the hottest product on Chef Xia's farm, but what does it have to do with tonight's Christmas gourmet festival mulled wine?"

"Oh, so you haven't tried 'Seven-Colored Snow Woman,' then you probably can't taste it because the critical 'rainbow key' has disappeared in the flood of colors, and you have to find it yourself, chasing the mystery."

Andrea suddenly lost interest, waved her hand, and went back to her seat.

Uh!

Chen Yang was choked up.

What was the connection between the two!

He felt like exploding internally, looked at the empty wine glass on the table, and his throat involuntarily moved, a voice asking: could he have another cup?

Not far away.

Zhu Qing glanced sidelong at Chen Yang sitting dumbfounded, clicked her tongue, "Another one dazzled by the show!"

Dojima Yin and Saito Chiyokuro were exchanging tasting experiences.

"Chiyokuro, you can taste it, can't you? It's exactly like the culinary essence contained in that egg custard we had the other day, making ordinary ingredients shine!"

Saito Chiyokuro nodded, his eyes deep, and as he spoke, he kept watching the young chef who continued to cook the mulled wine outside in the pub, slowly saying, "But this time, the presence of ordinary ingredients exudes a full dreamlike quality, bestowed by 'Fantasy Ingredients.' You can taste it too, can't you, Yin?"

Dojima Yin's smile slightly faded, and after a while, he nodded.

"There's a certain familiarity."

This phrase, spoken by Dojima Yin, was also quietly muttered by Alice, who sat next to her parents and Tiqie Xianzuowen.

Hearing this, Tiqie Xianzuowen's eyes sparkled, staring intently at his granddaughter, "Alice, can you talk about the familiarity you feel?"

Alice, being straightforward with whatever was on her mind, immediately answered, "Grandfather, didn't you taste it? I feel like it's a true integration of ordinary ingredients and Fantasy Ingredients, just like your 'Demon King Ramen' recipe. That night, when the instructor cooked with your recipe, I tasted the same sense of harmony, without any discordance!"

The speaker was quick, but the listener was deliberate.

Tiqie Zongwei discreetly inhaled a sharp breath of cold air, Could it be...

Tiqie Xianzuowen chuckled, "Then, Alice, what Fantasy Ingredients do you think are in this spiced wine?"

Alice, somewhat embarrassed, stuck out her tongue and said in a coy voice, "Grandpa, I can't taste it!"

Ah!

Tiqie Xianzuowen's face remained unconvinced, and though he chuckled, he sighed inwardly.

He had overheard almost all the conversations in the room, but even experienced Lin Chefs like Sta and Andrea had only vaguely grasped the hidden key, yet knew nothing of the force that had concealed that key.

He suddenly recalled a half-line from the Poetry Saint: "Nourishing things subtly and silently."

Of course, one must not forget the former part of the line.

When almost all the guests couldn't discern the so-called spice structure or combination and believed everything they saw and heard seemed so natural, that was the embodiment of the way of the culinary arts.

Moved inexplicably, Tiqie Xianzuowen thought of a line from the Tao Te Ching and couldn't help but softly recite:

"The greatest sound is scarcely heard; the greatest form has no shape..."