Wait a minute, where is my master?

"Hey, don't come any closer. That fish demon will be out soon!"

Liu Ziliang, standing beside the bearded cultivator, saw the little Taoist clad in a dark robe and wearing a dark, faceless mask continue to approach them despite the warnings and couldn't help feeling anxious.

"Shh, Ziliang, keep your voice down."

The bearded cultivator put his index finger to his lips to gesture for silence, then quietly spoke to Jin Xu.

"If the young Taoist doesn't wish to send the message, we won't force you. However, we ask that you don't move any closer to avoid startling the fish demon inside the Taoist temple, after all this thing... blargh~"

The bearded Senior Brother Feng stopped mid-sentence, glanced down at the white porcelain bowl in his hand, and couldn't help but gag.

At this moment, their lives weren't in danger, but the "food" they were handling was truly too awful to eat, and it had a "lingering aftertaste."

They should never have agreed to taste-test the dish last night!

"...cough"

Jin Xu coughed dryly, looking at the three scholars before him, his eyes involuntarily twitching.

For a moment, he didn't know whether to tell them that he was the one raising the fish demon.

He had checked their Qi with his Spiritual Sense, finding it righteous and harmonious, not resembling the wicked.

He just wondered how these three had ended up in such a state.

After stepping forward briskly, the little Taoist reached the front of the Taoist temple and looked down at the white porcelain bowls in the scholars' hands.

Inside the bowl was about half a bowl of soup, and within the soup floated pill-like objects, bobbing up and down.

It was unclear whether this was a meatball soup, or if Yu Yaoer had combined stir-frying and soup-making.

Strangely, the soup in each person's bowl was a different color, specifically purple, yellow, and green.

"Did Little Yu decide to make a Three Fresh Food soup?"

As Jin Xu wondered aimlessly, he debated how to begin a conversation with the three scholars before him.

Then, they spoke first.

"Young Taoist, we kindly warned you, yet you remain silent and insist on approaching. Why put yourself through this?"

After finishing his bout of gagging, Senior Brother Feng looked up at Jin Xu, who had approached them, not comprehending why the Taoist still hadn't said a word after so long.

"...Fellow Daoist, why have you come here, and knowing the food in your hand is unpalatable, why stay? Wouldn't it be better to leave directly?"

Jin Xu gently shook his dark robe, deciding to first understand how the three had arrived and why they didn't flee.

Upon hearing the little Taoist's question, thick regret showed on the scholars' faces.

Liu Ziliang, with the strongest urge to vent, seemed to have found someone to confide in and no longer cared about startling the fish demon inside the temple. He spilled the events of the previous night as if pouring beans from a bucket.

"Young Taoist, you are unaware, we were carrying out an inspection mission from our sect. When we passed by here last night, we noticed a Taoist temple that we hadn't seen before by the river. Although the temple did not emit any evil demonic aura, we still felt it was our duty to investigate for reassurance.

So we came down.

What we never expected was that not a Taoist but a woman in a golden red dress emerged from the temple shortly after we knocked.

She emanated a faint demonic aura. At that moment, we were slightly alarmed, thinking we had stumbled upon a demon's trap, but she wasn't the evil cultivator or member of the Demon Clan that we had imagined. Instead, she communicated with us very politely.

Upon learning we were scholars from Qingmu Academy, she introduced herself as a member of the Shui Clan from the Demon Clan. She planned to go to Qingmu City to challenge Jiang Xiulian, the number one chef of the Nine Provinces..."

Liu Ziliang said this much, and then the bearded Senior Brother Feng picked up the thread.

"We shouldn't have agreed to her request to taste her cooking! Who would have thought that a fish demon claiming to be the Shui Clan's top chef and aiming to challenge Jiang Xiulian could cook so poorly!!!"

The bearded cultivator's face was filled with regret, and after glancing at the white porcelain bowl in his hand again, he seemed on the verge of gagging once more.

"Really, it's also our fault for coveting the delights of those pre-prepared dishes."

Among the three, Liu Dongqing, who had not spoken a word, set down his scroll and, holding a white porcelain bowl in one hand, suddenly spoke up.

"Prepared dishes, what do you mean?"

Jin Xu stepped back and crouched down to avoid smelling the odor coming from the food in the bowl.

At this point, Little White was also carrying the Ox Demon, squatting behind the little Taoist.

A look of curiosity flashed in her eyes at the white porcelain bowls held by the trio.

"Little Taoist, who is this?"

Senior Brother Feng, who was about to continue his expression, pointed towards the short-haired girl with grey hair who was carrying the ox horns, standing behind Jin Xu.

"Oh, don't mind her, just carry on," Jin Xu said, waving his hand for the other to continue his story.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the little Taoist seemed to understand.

When Yu Yaoer realized these people were from Qingmu Academy, she asked if they knew Jiang Xiulian and then opened a package of prepared dishes that Jiang Xiulian had once sent to them, planning to let the three compare the cooking skills of both parties so she could revise the recipe based on their suggestions.

Upon hearing they could taste the prepared dishes invented by the Culinary God, all three scholars felt a tug of interest, after all, such goods were fetching sky-high prices in Qingmu City, so much so that many powerful cultivators could not even taste a single bite despite spending a fortune.

The highest cultivation among these three was merely at the Golden Core Realm, and currently, in this remote wilderness, merely offering suggestions would allow them to taste the prepared dishes of the Culinary God—a stroke of immense luck.

However, Senior Brother Feng, leading the trio, was not one to be easily convinced, not on his first day out and about.

But when Yu Yaoer took out the prepared dish, snipped open the exterior, and placed it in a dish before the trio, all doubts evaporated like mist.

The fragrance, the color, and the rich aura of spiritual power forced the three scholars to acknowledge its authenticity.

Jiang Xiulian was indeed the top culinary god in the Nine Provinces, as even a simple prepared dish was enough to make the three before her reluctant to stop eating.

Liu Ziliang, the most impulsive among them, immediately thumped his chest and promised that they would do this favor, vowing to offer as much advice as required after they had finished eating.

Senior Brother Feng also dismissed his doubts at that moment, realizing that the other party had much higher cultivation than them, and if she had any ulterior motives, there would be no need to waste such precious prepared dishes.

Therefore, he too agreed to her request.

Liu Dongqing was somewhat calmer but seeing his two companions agree, he followed suit somewhat reluctantly.

The three joyfully savored the culinary god's prepared dishes.

Then, the nightmare began.

They had no idea that fate's gift already had a price secretly tagged to it.

Initially, the three scholars thought the dish Yu Yaoer made was similar to the stinky tofu, which smells foul but tastes delicious. Only upon tasting it did they realize it not only smelled unpleasant but was also indescribably terrible to eat.

The three attempted to make excuses and even tried to sneak away.

But the Little Fish Demon would not have it, as Jin Xu never ate her dishes at the Taoist temple.

Little White had also been punished recently and was forbidden from eating.

Now that three willing taste-testers had come their way, they could not let them off so easily.

Besides, they had already eaten the prepared dish sent by Jiang Xiulian.

If they wanted to leave, they could—after they ate what 'mother' had cooked with devotion and gave their suggestions, then they could go.

So, the three of them had no choice but to sit through the night there.

...

"Little Taoist, while the other party hasn't come out yet, you should leave quickly. We didn't anticipate that a fish demon claiming to be the foremost chef of the Shui Clan, and challenging Jiang Xiulian, could make something so... so...ugh!"

Senior Brother Feng with the beard couldn't finish his sentence before he started retching again.