I've been possessed by a culinary genius, and I've turned Shaxian snacks into a rip-off!

"No way, you're selling a black-skinned egg for 3999? Do you really think I'm a sucker?!"

Yu Shen's face instantly turned red.

He has money, but he's not stupid enough to spend 4000 yuan on a preserved egg, especially since it's a dark, unappealing one.

"Look at this, he dares to sell me this one preserved egg for 3999! Is there no law anymore?!" he angrily complained to his companions.

Everyone gathered around to look at this incredibly expensive preserved egg, which had shocked them as well.

It certainly doesn't look like an ordinary preserved egg from the outside, because this preserved egg is not only black, but also so black that it's unfathomable. However, it is precisely because of this that it truly embodies the word "black".

3999 each, tell me if that's outrageous or not!

Yu Shen, seemingly unwilling to let him be the only one ripped off, added, "Now you see for yourselves, isn't that how he does business? 3999 for a single preserved egg? Why doesn't he just rob a bank?!"

Pang Yi and his men not only showed no sympathy, but instead laughed and mocked him.

"Hahaha... Old Fish, you're so unlucky. You can get ripped off for 4000 yuan just by casually lifting a lid."

Serves you right! Serves you right for being so impulsive!

"Old Fish, this isn't the first time you've been taken advantage of. Why don't you learn your lesson?"

"Old Fish, don't be too sad. At least you set a new Guinness World Record and ate the most expensive preserved egg in the world. That's an honor!"

"Hahaha……"

Yu Shen's face gradually turned from red to black. He turned to look at Li Zhibai: "Boss, can I return this egg? I didn't see it clearly just now, it was an accidental flip, so it doesn't count as a voluntary purchase."

Li Zhibai shook his head decisively: "I can't return it! You've already touched the lid, you're the one destined for me. Besides, if you return it to me, who am I going to sell it to? I had a lot of trouble selling it."

"Also, who told you this is a preserved egg? This is a braised egg."

Everyone: "???"

"Is this braised egg?"

Li Zhibai nodded: "That's right, this is our store's latest braised egg."

"Don't try to fool me because I'm not well-educated!" Yu Shen looked at the eggs on the plate again and said, "Braised eggs aren't this color. Aren't all braised eggs brown? Only preserved eggs are black."

Pang Yi and Cha Xiaocha nodded as well.

"Yeah, this color is way too black! Boss, you didn't add any fancy technology, did you?"

"Won't this stuff cause poisoning?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhibai immediately became displeased.

"What are you saying! What are you saying! You're questioning my expertise!"

"This egg is an exquisite braised egg that I made using more than a dozen kinds of precious Chinese medicinal herbs and spices, plus the low-temperature centrifugal extraction technology of molecular gastronomy. It took eighty-one processes and countless efforts to make it!"

As the saying goes, this egg should only exist in heaven; how often can one taste it on earth! You actually say it was made using advanced technology? You are insulting food, and you are insulting my character, Li Zhibai!

Yu Shen: "Okay, okay, even if you say what medicinal herbs were used, the problem is, why is it this color?"

Li Zhibai had been waiting for him to say that, and immediately asked:

"Everyone, do you know why this egg is so black, so pure, and so nuanced in its blackness?"

Everyone shook their heads in unison.

Could it be because your nickname is Li Heizi (Li Blackie)?

"That's because it wasn't braised in regular dark soy sauce."

"The reason this egg is so black is that its core ingredient comes from the ink of deep-sea squid. This ink isn't ordinary ink; it's extracted using a low-temperature centrifuge at a high speed of 12,000 revolutions per minute, resulting in pure melanin essence that removes all fishy smells and impurities, retaining only the purest and deepest black!"

"Furthermore, I used sous-vide technology, keeping the eggs at a constant temperature of 62 degrees Celsius to gradually solidify and shape them, resulting in such a perfect texture. Finally, I vacuum-marinated them for over twenty hours, allowing the black essence to slowly permeate the egg white, resulting in the black gem-like effect you see now..."

Cha Xiaochai listened, stunned: "Although I don't quite understand, the method seems really amazing."

"You're right, it's amazing!" Li Zhibai continued, "This braised egg not only has a very complicated process, but it also uses very rare free-range chicken eggs... If you want to eat it in the future, you'll have to make a reservation, and you might not even be able to get one."

"Now, do you still think that a single braised egg, made with top-quality ingredients, cutting-edge technology, and superior braising techniques, is expensive at 3999 yuan?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. If it was really as bizarre as Li Heizi said, then the price of 3999 seemed reasonable.

It's definitely still expensive!

"Boss, I'm here to film a video!"

Just then, a familiar voice came from behind them.

Everyone turned around and saw a lean man walk into the store. It was Zhao Yunlong, the food blogger who had worked for more than half a month sorting express packages in order to eat Shaxian snacks and then made a comeback with a signing fee.

"Brother Long?"

"Holy crap! Brother Long, what brings you here?"

"......"

After greeting them, Zhao Yunlong excitedly walked to the black and gold braised egg. His eyes lit up when he saw the egg, which looked like a work of art.

"Materials! This is exactly the materials I needed!"

He turned sharply to look at Li Zhibai, excitedly saying, "Boss, you're practically my inspiration god! I was just thinking about what new content to shoot to attract viewers, and then you came up with a braised egg that costs 3999 each! I absolutely love you!"

"Um... do you still have any braised eggs? Can I buy one?"

Although Li Zhibai really wanted to say yes, he shook his head: "No, there's only this one left, and it's already been sold to Brother Yu."

Zhao Yunlong suddenly looked at Yu Shen: "Brother! Sell me this egg! I'll pay the original price, no, I'll add another 1000, sell it to me!"

Yu Shen: "???"

He hadn't even fully recovered from being ripped off when someone offered to take over the deal? And they were even willing to pay a premium?

"No way, Brother Long, are you crazy? 5000 yuan for a braised egg? Have you lost your mind?!"

"I'm not crazy, it's just that you don't understand, Brother Yu."

Zhao Yunlong excitedly explained, "This egg might just be a meal for you, but for me it's like buying data traffic! This 5000 yuan is an investment."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shen's expression immediately changed.

He then remembered that this bastard was a food blogger!

They went to great lengths to suppress Li Heizi in order to prevent his shop from becoming popular, but he was like an unkillable cockroach. Not only was he not defeated, but he became more and more courageous after each setback. Now he is a well-known internet celebrity with nearly 100,000 fans.

If he were to post the video of this exorbitantly priced braised egg, coupled with his exaggerated commentary style, Li Heizi's shop would surely become even more popular.

Won't the difficulty of them queuing for food go from hard mode to hell mode?

No!

Absolutely not!

The thought that he might not be able to eat this damn Shaxian food again in the future put Yu Shen on high alert.

The password is simply 3999!

Even if I'm really going to be the sucker today, I absolutely cannot let Li Heizi's lousy shop become even more popular!

"Not for sale!"

"I'll eat this egg! I won't sell it to anyone else!"

Zhao Yunlong panicked. He didn't want to watch his dream material disappear like this, so he quickly raised his offer: "Five thousand isn't enough, I'll offer eight thousand! Brother Yu, please reconsider, eight thousand should be acceptable, right?!"

"Don't even mention eight thousand, even if you offer one hundred thousand..." Yu Shen changed the subject: "If you offer one hundred thousand, I'll really sell!"

Zhao Yunlong: "..."

No way, you're even more of a rip-off than the owner of Shaxian snack bar! They sell for 3999, and you're selling for 10?

Birth!

"How about it? Buy it or not? If you don't buy it, I'll eat it!" Yu Shen reached out and picked up the braised egg, then took a bite.

He originally thought that this braised egg would taste similar to the regular braised eggs that are a bit hard to bite, but he was completely wrong.

The braised eggs have a firm texture with a soft, fluffy feel that's somewhere between tofu and jelly. They're incredibly savory, and the layers of flavor from the slow simmering of over a dozen spices are especially fragrant.

And as an incredibly sweet liquid flowed out and covered his tongue, the taste of the egg underwent a wonderful transformation.

The taste... he couldn't describe the taste at all.

If I had to use a metaphor, it would be as if someone had condensed the first golden rays of dawn, the sunlight reflecting off the first dewdrop on the grass, and all the sensory experiences of warmth and hope into this one bite and stuffed it into their taste buds.

Yu Shenren instantly became stunned, standing there motionless, not even noticing a trace of golden egg liquid spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Seeing that Yu Shen looked like he had lost his soul, the others couldn't help but ask:

"Old Fish, Old Fish, what's wrong?"

"Brother Yu, what does it taste like?"

"Old Fish?" Lu Qianshan nudged him.

Yu Shen shivered violently, licked his lips with his tongue, and then looked down at the egg in his hand that he had bitten. The color of the yolk inside was definitely richer than any soft-boiled egg he had ever eaten.

It was a gold he couldn't describe, as if the most brilliant sunrise glow on the horizon had been condensed, solidified, and sealed inside this egg, making it extremely dazzling.

"What... what kind of egg is this?"

"As you can see, it's a braised egg."

Li Zhibai crossed his arms and smiled, "Black as iron, golden as the rising sun—this is our restaurant's brand new signature dish—Black Gold Braised Eggs!"