The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Chapter 2042 Mengyan, may you have good fortune!
The man in brocade robes' expression changed drastically, and he immediately grabbed Awei's wrist and pulled him back!

Awei, having already drunk a few cups of wine, was now feeling the effects and instantly forgot all the instructions the man in brocade had given him. He shouted, "Uncle, why are you pulling me? I just wanted to give her a gift out of kindness, and she actually acted all high and mighty! Damn it! What's with the pretense? I've seen plenty of women who play hard to get! Look at you, you're obviously a slut who's available to everyone!"

Upon hearing this, the temperature in the entire room instantly plummeted to freezing!
All the noise vanished instantly, leaving an eerie silence!
Suddenly, the merchants at the brocade-clad man's table saw the taller of the two young men who had come in with the alluring woman at the next table reach out and make a grasping motion with their five fingers. Awei then instantly flew up as if riding on clouds!
Capturing dragons and controlling cranes, the peak of the ninth realm? The Du family members all paled!

Before Awei could figure out what was happening, the tall young man had already grabbed his neck with his left hand! If it weren't for the fear of staining Xiong Mengyan's clothes with blood, Duanmu Yan would have punched Awei into a bloody mist long ago!

With a swift grasp of his left hand, Awei's neck was already in his grasp! Duanmu Yan coldly said, "A mere sixth-realm combat power, an ant-like existence, yet you dare to be so arrogant!"

"What did you just say?" Wang Sheng stared at Awei's face, his eyes seemingly spitting fire, his anger twisting his face into a hideous and terrifying expression!
In all these years, I have never met anyone who dared to publicly humiliate Xiong Mengyan! Insulting Xiong Mengyan is tantamount to slapping oneself in the face!
Awei was lifted up by Duanmu Yan, like a dead dog, his limbs weak and unable to move. Only then did he feel some panic!
He sobered up considerably in an instant and said in a panic, "I...I didn't say anything!"

Wang Sheng sneered, "Damn it! You dare to do it but not admit it, is this the Du family's style? Fuck!"

The man in brocade immediately approached Duanmu Yan, his face filled with fear. He bowed and clasped his hands, saying, "Brothers, please be merciful and spare my nephew. He is young and doesn't know any better. This time... this time, please let him go!"

Duanmu Yan remained expressionless, then suddenly raised her hand and slapped Awei across the face. A crisp cracking sound rang out, followed by Awei letting out a miserable howl as half of his face instantly swelled up!
*Slap!* Another slap!

"Fuck you, I'll teach you to curse!"

Snapped!
"I'll let you scold me!"

Snapped!
"I'll let you scold me!"

Duanmu Yan slapped Awei ten times with both hands before stopping!
He controlled his strength perfectly; each slap was loud and painful, yet somehow it didn't kill!

Suddenly, a foul stench filled the air!

This smells like urine!
Someone with sharp eyes noticed that yellow liquid was dripping from the bottom of Awei's trouser leg—Awei was so scared that he peed himself on the spot!

The Du family members instantly felt utterly humiliated, wishing they could disappear into the ground! This was just too damn embarrassing! They'd actually been scared out of their wits in public!
Pang Shiwu frowned and said, "Only a dozen slaps, and you're already scared to death? It seems the Du family of Jinzhong is nothing! At least the Chang family dares to fight with my elder brother!"

Awei's arrogant attitude followed by his obsequious behavior made Pang Shiwu look down on him!

At this moment, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Xiong Mengyan lightly brushed her hair from her forehead with her right hand, causing her sleeve to slip down and revealing her jade-like arm, on which the bright red mark of virginity was particularly eye-catching!

Many people were filled with trepidation!
What the hell is going on? This promiscuous and wanton vixen is still a virgin!
Yuan Zishan couldn't help but admire him!

Xiong Mengyan deliberately revealed her virginity mark to prove her innocence! At least Yuan Zishan thinks Xiong Mengyan succeeded!
Chang Zijin couldn't help but shake her head repeatedly, thinking to herself: This is really unbelievable. This Xiong Mengyan is always fooling around with men, and their relationships are ambiguous. No one would believe that she is still innocent!

But right now, it seems like I am that ghost!

With her sharp eyesight, she could naturally confirm that the virginity mark was absolutely real!

Moreover, a fake virginity mark can be easily spotted, and she, the dignified Miss Xiong, would certainly not make such a low-level mistake! Furthermore, given Miss Xiong's temperament, being misunderstood as promiscuous is nothing to her, because she comes from the Demonic Sect and is born with the aura of a demoness. She is used to being insulted no matter how harsh the words are, but if she is falsely accused of cheating, she will absolutely not stand by and do it!

This is tantamount to touching her sore spot!

You can call me bad, but you can't call me fake!

Awei's mouth was full of blood, and several of his teeth had been knocked out!
Although it was a terrible situation, not a single person at Feng Jiuxiao's table sympathized with him!

This guy's current predicament is a case of reaping what he sowed!
Feng Jiuxiao thought to himself: This kid actually had filthy thoughts when he saw Yuan Zishan take off her veil. He dared to covet Zishan's beauty and even dared to compare her with Xiong Mengyan. He is simply audacious!
Yuan Zishan is Feng Jiuxiao's Achilles' heel!

The dragon's reverse scale—touch it and you will die!
If it weren't for the many people around and the gossip, and his desire to avoid giving others cause for criticism, he almost wanted to personally teach Awei a lesson!

He approached Xiong Mengyan and started speaking to her in a humble manner, but when she ignored him, he immediately turned on her and insulted her, calling her "despicable" and "promiscuous." His character is absolutely despicable! And his mouth is venomous!
With such a vicious tongue and such audacious lust, Feng Jiuxiao would never believe that he had never bullied men and women in his daily life!
Fortunately, it was Xiong Mengyan, who has a strong ability to withstand pressure. If it were an ordinary young girl, she might have hanged herself long ago after being humiliated and insulted like that! It is said that gossip is a fearsome thing. Countless women in this world have ended their lives because of rumors!
It's a pity about this world. I don't know who invented this thing called reputation, but it seems to be the last straw that breaks the back of honest and virtuous girls! It's as if living in this world without a reputation is a sin!

The man in brocade robes looked anxious; if the other party didn't let go, Awei would surely die!
"Brothers, this is all a misunderstanding. Let's talk this out. As long as you release my nephew, everything is fine! We'll pay compensation!"

Wang Sheng said coldly, "What? A misunderstanding? You got angry and embarrassed when your flirting failed, and then you wantonly insulted and abused my young lady. You call this deliberate behavior a misunderstanding?"

Duanmu Yan said coldly, "Mengyan, what do you think we should do with him?" Whether to kill him or torture him, it's all up to you!

Xiong Mengyan felt quite helpless: Shouldn't you guys handle this yourselves at this time? Why did you have to drag me into this? Are you afraid that Feng Jiuxiao doesn't hate me enough? Ugh, what bad luck!

She naturally didn't want to ruin her image in Feng Jiuxiao's mind, and at least hope to improve it a bit. But since Duanmu Yan was standing up for her, she certainly couldn't act disloyally. She replied, "Since he's just an immature child, let's let him go."

"What? You let go?" Duanmu Yan was taken aback, but after thinking for a moment, she finally loosened her grip.

Awei's body suddenly plummeted, and the moment his feet touched the ground, he felt his legs go weak and he couldn't stand up. He collapsed to the ground!

The man in brocade quickly helped Awei up and nodded to Wang Sheng and Duanmu Yan, saying, "Thank you so much!"

Awei finally came to his senses, but his eyes were vacant and his heart was filled with mixed feelings. He didn't say another word!

With just a wave of his hand, he was captured alive. The other party's martial arts had reached an unbelievable level, most likely a master of the legendary ninth realm peak—the Glazed Realm! Even if all the Du family members present attacked together, they would only be throwing their lives away! He sighed, this time he could only blame his bad luck!

Although the grill wasn't large, it could hold ten skewers of roasted potatoes at a time, so Feng Jiuxiao's grilling speed was quite fast, and now almost everyone had a skewer. Of course, besides the eight of them, one skewer was given to Sangjie, and another was given to the man in brocade robes as agreed.

Sangjie was eating roasted potatoes for the first time and raved about them. Although it sounded like just roasted potatoes, which seemed like you could simply roast them until they were cooked, Feng Jiuxiao opened everyone's eyes to the fact that roasting potatoes was actually a skill!

As Feng Jiuxiao rotated the chopsticks to ensure the potatoes heated evenly, he explained to everyone: "There are three most famous techniques for roasting potatoes. The first one is called Western Region Roasted Potatoes. Of course, we don't have all the ingredients here. Some ingredients are only produced in the Western Regions, so you won't be able to enjoy them today."

Chili sighed, "Well then, tell me first. I'll definitely try it once I have the ingredients."

Feng Jiuxiao laughed and said, "The first step in the method of roasting potatoes in the Western Regions is to clean the potatoes with the skin on, and then put them in water to boil for about 15 minutes. Use bamboo chopsticks to gently poke the potatoes. If they can be inserted half an inch, it means they are half cooked and can be taken out. After draining the water, crack the skin."

Next comes marinating. While the potatoes are still hot, rub the marinade into the cracks in the potato skin, ensuring the oil seeps into the flesh. Finally, it's baked. To determine doneness, if the skin puffs up with amber-colored brown spots and a chopstick can pierce it but with slight resistance, it's about 70% cooked; if the skin cracks like lava and the brown spots are a deep golden-red, it's fully cooked.

The dipping sauce used includes garlic yogurt sauce, Xinjiang yogurt, roasted garlic paste, and chopped dill. It's best served chilled in winter to cut through the richness and enhance the flavor!

Chili's mouth was practically watering just listening to it. "Oh, it sounds delicious! I want to eat it!"

Yuan Zishan laughed and said, "But you need the ingredients first! Where are we going to get garlic yogurt sauce, Xinjiang yogurt, roasted garlic paste, and chopped dill?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "We might run into each other when we get to Qinghai."

Chili asked, "What's the second way to roast potatoes?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "The second one is called Japanese-style roasted potato."

Chili said, "Huh? Why is it Japanese style? Have you ever been to Japan?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "I haven't been there, but I know some people from Japan."

"Really?"

"You forgot? The young lord has a friend from Japan. He stayed at his house for a while, and I ate with him quite a few times. You should remember me saying that when the young lord was assassinated, he escaped using the Mist-Hidden Crimson Flame Bullet, a fire-style technique. And that Mist-Hidden Crimson Flame Bullet was a gift from that Iga-faction ninja friend. I'm very fortunate that, besides learning a lot about ninjutsu secrets from him, I also learned a lot about the customs and specialties of Japan!"

Chili said "Oh", "I remember, of course I remember. The assassination attempt on the young marquis back then caused a sensation throughout the martial arts world! At that time, there were all sorts of rumors. Some said that the four young masters of the martial arts world were fighting over who would be the number one young master, while others said that his lover was seeking revenge on him. In short, there were all sorts of rumors. Later, we learned that it was a power struggle in the imperial court that dragged him into."

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Alright, let's get back to the main topic. The secret weapon of this Japanese roasted potato is—sake!"
First, prepare the marinade. For one pound of potatoes, use two tablespoons of white miso, one tablespoon of sake, two teaspoons of maple syrup, two tablespoons of soy sauce, and half a tablespoon of wasabi powder.

Then cut the potatoes into half-moon slices about two-tenths of an inch thick, and steam them for about fifteen minutes, until they become translucent. At this point, they are about 60% cooked.

Then glaze the mixture, brush a thin layer of miso paste on both sides, and marinate it in the marinade. If you have ice, that's best; marinating in the refrigerator for half an hour will give it the best flavor.

Once the potatoes are marinated, they are ready to be baked. Turn them over frequently to prevent them from burning.

As for judging the doneness, if the edges are caramel-colored and the center is elastic when pressed, it means that the outer layer is fully cooked, while the inner core is semi-liquid, which is called a soft center, or half-cooked.
If a dark amber-colored brittle crust forms on the surface and the syrup solidifies like glass, it means the syrup is fully cooked.

The dipping sauce used is called pomelo pepper mayonnaise. It consists of two tablespoons of mayonnaise, one teaspoon of pomelo zest, a few drops of lime juice, and freshly ground pomelo pepper powder.

Chili frowned and said, "I've never even heard of those seasonings before, let alone seen them before. What are they? Oh dear, miss, am I too ignorant?"

Yuan Zishan also feigned tears: "Chili, my knowledge is just as limited as yours, I've never heard of it either!"

Chili hugged Yuan Zishan and pretended to cry bitterly: "Waaah, what a miserable life! There are so many good things in this world, but I have no chance to see them. What a miserable life!" Pang Shiwu said: "Chili, what do you want to eat? I'll find the ingredients for you!"

Chili immediately sat up straight, her mischievous expression returning. "You said it yourself, so you have to keep your word!"

Pang Shiwu saw that she didn't have a single tear on her face, clearly faking it as a prank, but he had taken it seriously. However, since things had come to this point, he could only bite the bullet and say, "Of course, I never make empty promises!"

Yuan Zishan laughed and said, "Fifteen is really great!"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Only a fool like him would believe that Chili Pepper is crying! Who smiles while crying?"

Chili immediately hugged Yuan Zishan and cried, "Miss, look, your husband is bullying me again!"

Yuan Zishan looked at Feng Jiuxiao and said, "Behave yourself and get to work!"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "Alright!" As he spoke, he kept turning the chopsticks over and over.

Xiong Mengyan's heart was filled with turmoil; she was so envious of the state of the people in front of her!
Mutual trust, harmonious relationships, and warmth and care—this was the scene she had always dreamed of but could never have!

Feng Jiuxiao had already roasted the second batch of potatoes and placed them on the table. Xiong Mengyan immediately stuck one in with her chopsticks. She hadn't gotten any before, so she was determined to be the first to eat this time!
Feng Jiuxiao glanced at her, then said to Wang Sheng, "Brother Wang, have a taste! On the fifteenth, go and deliver two!"

Pang Shiwu immediately took two piping hot potatoes and went over to Wang Sheng, handing them to him!

Wang Sheng immediately stood up and took it, saying, "Thank you!" He then gave one to Duanmu Yan and sat down.

Since you've given me a gift, I should reciprocate!
Wang Sheng immediately said, "Young Master Feng, your roasting method is the third method, right?"

Feng Jiuxiao shook his head, "No, the third method I want to talk about is called the Persian baking method! The core secret is the double-spice crispy shell plus cold quenching with yogurt."

First, prepare the marinade. The recipe, based on the proportions for every pound of potatoes, includes two teaspoons of cumin powder, one teaspoon of coriander powder, one teaspoon of turmeric powder, one tablespoon of pomegranate molasses, one teaspoon of garlic powder, and two tablespoons of olive oil.

Chili said, "You don't have any Persian friends, do you?"

Feng Jiuxiao didn't even look up. "I don't have any Persian friends, but the young marquis does!"

Chili pouted and said, "Oh."

"First, soak the potatoes in salt water for half an hour, then drain them and mix them with the marinade. Then bake them."

If the outside is charred black like charcoal and the surface is covered with cracks, but the inside is fluffy like mashed potatoes, then it's ready to eat.

Persian roasted potatoes come with three dipping sauces: first, a yogurt-mint sauce; second, harissa chili oil; and third, a date and fermented bean curd sauce.

Chili swallowed hard. "I'm so hungry for this."

Feng Jiuxiao said, "I'll teach you a golden rule for roasting potatoes: roast small potatoes with the skin on, and roast large potatoes cut into chunks; use enough oil so they don't stick together, and roast them quickly at high temperature to lock in crispiness."

Yuan Zishan laughed and said, "Oh my, you've got a whole set of tricks up your sleeve!"

Feng Jiuxiao smiled and asked, "Which one do you like?"

Yuan Zishan laughed and said, "I don't make a choice, I want them all!"

Chili pouted and said, "Oh dear, aren't you ashamed to show off your love in front of so many people!"

Feng Jiuxiao asked, "Are you talking about me, or about your young lady?"

Chili said, "Of course I'm talking about you! How could I dare to talk about my young lady?" As she spoke, her voice grew softer and softer, it seemed she didn't even believe it herself!

Yuan Zishan pinched Chili's cheek and said, "You little brat, how dare you talk about me like that!"

Chili immediately covered her cheeks, feigning a pitiful look, and pleaded, "Miss, I was wrong."

Yuan Zishan lightly tapped Chili on the forehead, "I'll let you off this time!" Chili immediately smiled brightly again, the change was so quick that it was obvious she had just been pretending to be pitiful!
Xiong Mengyan said, "Young Master Feng, your current roasting method doesn't seem to fall into any of these three categories, does it?"

Feng Jiuxiao said frankly, "Yes, my current baking method is the simplest and most primitive. It doesn't require any pre-treatment or the effort of preparing dipping sauce. It's all about letting nature take its course!"

Xiong Mengyan laughed and said, "The simpler the preparation, the purer the flavor! It really is delicious!"

Suddenly, someone downstairs shouted, "Oh my, it's snowing!"

Among the merchants at the table who spoke with a Jiangnan accent, a young man suddenly got up, walked to the window, and opened it. He saw snow flying everywhere outside, and the whole world was a vast expanse of white.

Fortunately, there was no wind when it snowed, so no one felt cold, mainly because everyone was wearing autumn and winter clothes. The boy wore a mink vest.

He watched the snowflakes fall silently, seemingly absorbed in their beauty.

Feng Jiuxiao noticed them the moment he entered the hall.

Of the seven people, two should be bodyguards and two servants. The remaining three are a sprightly old man with white hair, a short, middle-aged man with a jade ring on his wrist, and a young man in a fur coat vest admiring the falling snow, who should be the owner.

Of the seven, the middle-aged man with the jade ring on his hand possessed the highest martial arts skill, reaching the peak of the ninth realm; while the old man and the young man were at the peak of the seventh realm. The two bodyguards were actually at the sixth realm in terms of combat strength, and the two servants were completely ignorant of martial arts.

The old man whispered, "Was that man in black using the martial arts of Ye Di Zhai just now?"

The man wearing the jade ring possessed an air of elegance and was clearly someone who had long held a high position or wielded power. His demeanor was one of arrogance and self-importance. He lowered his voice and said, "It should be."

The old man whispered, "Then we'd better be careful!"

Feng Jiuxiao thought to himself: Could it be that they have a grudge against Yedi Zhai?
Duanmu Yan glanced at the group of Jiangnan merchants seemingly casually, then picked up the roasted potato that Pang Shiwu had handed him as if nothing had happened. He first smelled it, and the warm aroma, along with a slightly burnt smell, made his mouth water with a unique barbecue fragrance!
He took a bite, and besides being scalding hot, a sweet and glutinous flavor lingered between his lips and teeth. Not bad, the taste is really good!

"Young Master Feng's roasted potatoes are really delicious!" Duanmu Yan praised repeatedly. No one believed that he had never eaten roasted potatoes before! Ye Dizhai was never short of money; he had been living a life of luxury since childhood, eating chicken, duck, fish, and meat every day. Who would go there and force themselves to eat something so unpleasant?
Only beggars like Feng Jiuxiao and Pang Shiwu, who live on the streets, would consider roasted potatoes a delicacy!
Feng Jiuxiao said, "Eat more if you like it! There are plenty of potatoes!" Duanmu Yan smiled and said, "Okay!"

The Du family members then stood up, preparing to leave.

The man in brocade robes mainly wanted to get back to his room quickly to apply medicine to Awei's face, which was so swollen that it was unrecognizable. If it weren't for witnessing that Awei had never left everyone's sight, they would never have recognized the person in front of them!
Besides, Awei was so scared he wet himself and smelled terrible; staying any longer would only make him a laughingstock. It's better to leave as soon as possible.

Seeing that Xiong Mengyan was eating potatoes but her eyes were fixed on Feng Jiuxiao, Yuan Zishan couldn't help but feel a little annoyed!
However, she would never act like an ordinary woman and directly confront Xiong Mengyan into a major conflict!

This would not only damage his own image, but also potentially create an opportunity for Chang Zijin! He was the one who would reap the benefits, while the other women were merely clams and oysters!
She suddenly laughed. "Sanjay, bring some wine."

Sangjie asked, "Is barley wine alright?"

Yuan Zishan smiled and said, "Any kind of wine will do."

Xiong Mengyan's eyelids twitched, and a sudden unease arose in her heart, but she couldn't pinpoint what caused it.

Could it be alcohol?

She looked at Yuan Zishan, only to find that Yuan Zishan was also looking at her with a smile!
"Miss Xiong, we have already traveled a long way and should have a drink to relieve our fatigue. Now that we have met in a foreign land, we should drink more. I would like to invite you all to have a drink together. What do you think, Miss Xiong?"

Xiong Mengyan's mind raced. Could it be that Yuan Zishan wanted to get me drunk and embarrass me?

Should she agree or refuse? She began to weigh the pros and cons! Every choice comes with its own gains and losses!

"Thank you, Miss Yuan. That's exactly what I was thinking!" After careful consideration, Xiong Mengyan felt that directly refusing Yuan Zishan now would definitely not be a wise choice!

If I drink too much, Wang Sheng and Duanmu Yan will keep me in check and definitely won't embarrass myself!

Yuan Zishan smiled and said, "Then let's share a table. The table is too small; Young Master Wang and Young Master Duanmu can't sit down."

Feng Jiuxiao said, "There are two tables over there that are close together, we can put them together." Since Yuan Zishan suggested drinking, she must have her reasons, and he should support her unconditionally.

Wang Sheng and Duanmu Yan exchanged a glance, both sensing the impending "Feast at Hongmen"!

Mengyan, may you have good fortune!
Thank you for your support and encouragement, 202005028005038787!