From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

Back in the capital, he participated in a culinary competition;

They were also drawn into the power struggles within the palace.

He left the palace, returned to the common people, found Little Butterfly, got married and had children, opened a restaurant, and lived happily ever after.

But then the Japanese pirates attacked again...

Half an hour later, Hong Fugui opened his eyes. The cloudiness of an old man was gone, replaced by the vigor of a young man.

He started chopping vegetables, kneading dough, cooking rice, and tending the fire. There were no scenes of pots and pans clattering and flying like in movies or TV shows; all he did were simple, ordinary actions.

However, Jiang Liu and his group were no ordinary people. They discovered that when Hong Fugui was chopping vegetables and kneading dough, he used various kitchen utensils as a base to transmit his own Qi into the ingredients.

From the outside, the ingredients are still the same ingredients, without any change. However, Jiang Liu discovered that after the ingredients were processed by Hong Fugui's special Qi flow, the molecular arrangement at the microscopic level changed, becoming more regular, and also leaving behind some abstract information.

That was Hong Fugui's life experience, a condensation of his memories, emotions, and soul—Jiang Liu also felt anticipation for the food made in this way.

Poems as proof:

Food is the most important thing for people; firewood, rice, soy sauce, vinegar, and salt are essential. What can't we live without? Three meals a day bring peace.

If you want to please everyone, all you need is a fresh approach. But to be a truly honest person, you must live with integrity.

There is further evidence:

Pots and pans hold the universe within, bathed in the bright sunshine. A Manchu Han Imperial Feast is but a small dish, yet it encapsulates the hardships of daily life.

Sweet, sour, bitter, spicy—all these flavors are contained within a mustard seed, and the years flow on and on. Even the most majestic mountains and rivers can be gathered into one pot, a culmination of life's myriad flavors.

If you are fortunate enough to taste it, a surge of pride will naturally rise in your heart.

Travel the world!

Half an hour later, Hong Fugui finished his work and made six bowls of egg fried rice, one for each person, including himself.

Because Lu Jin and Miss Liu had transformed into a boy and a girl, the bowls used to serve their fried rice were smaller.

Lu Jin: "..."

Miss Liu, being quite clever, said to Lu Jin, "Little brother, you can't eat this much, share half with your older sister."

The words fell.

She picked up the bowl in front of Lu Jin, then took the spoon and started shoveling food into her own bowl.

Panicked, Lu Jin quickly snatched the bowl from his "sister's" hand. Like a cat guarding its food, his fur stood on end, and he trembled as he said, "I can eat it, don't bully your little brother! Let's go find Brother Jiang!"

Seeing that the two clowns were really into their roles, Jiang Liu smiled. Then he saw that Miss Liu had big, watery eyes, as if she would cry if he didn't give her some. Helpless, he shared half of the rice in his bowl with her. Miss Hong and Bai Yuekui exchanged a glance and also gave some to Miss Liu, piling the rice in her bowl as high as a small mountain.

"You guys are so kind!"

Ms. Liu was deeply moved. She picked up the egg fried rice ball, which was about five centimeters tall, with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth with a "whoosh".

It's true what they say, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."

This scene terrified Hong Fugui, who suspected that the person was the reincarnation of Taotie, yet he also felt that the "girl's" personality was somewhat familiar.

Jiang Liu did not explain immediately. He picked up the bowl and chopsticks and first examined the fried rice. Each grain was crystal clear, as if cast in gold, and was decorated with carrots, radishes, corn kernels, etc., with bits of flour crumbs that had been crushed after being deep-fried.

He then picked up a piece with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and savored it. The soft and sticky rice, the fresh vegetables, and the crispy fried dough could not compare to the delicacies of land and sea, and could not bring people the ultimate taste experience, but it seemed to contain the myriad flavors of life over the years.

There was joy, and there was sorrow.

There are partings and reunions.

They are loyal and wise.

After tasting this bowl of egg fried rice, Jiang Liu witnessed Hong Fugui's joys and sorrows from birth to his current old age from a third-person perspective.

Even though he experienced setbacks and disappointments, Hong Fugui always managed to rise again, and in the end, he gave up his status as a royal chef, returned to the mortal world, and continued to fight against fate, never compromising.

Hong Fugui's cultivation level may be far inferior to that of Zhang Jingqing from the Celestial Master's Mansion and Shi Chan from Shaolin Temple, but his spiritual cultivation is far superior to that of the Taoist leader and the Zen master. Although he does not know Wuji, his mind and body are already inclined towards Wuji. Moreover, after being enlightened by him, he looked back on the past and completely eliminated the pride in his heart that he once had for defeating other chefs and becoming the imperial chef. His culinary skills have transcended the mortal world!

Jiang Liu was also touched by this bowl of fried rice with eggs:

Looking back on the years.

We see that the ancients practiced slash-and-burn agriculture, struggling against the heavens and recording the changes of the four seasons and six climatic conditions; they struggled against the earth and accumulated experience in turning the soil and nourishing it. Although superstition was mixed in, it was essentially a process of gradually mastering nature through struggle.

When harvest time came, the rice ears were cut and the grains were threshed. Looking at those yellowish-white rice grains, the faces of the ancients, who had suffered most of their lives, finally showed a smile.

This bowl of fried rice is not only food to fill your stomach, but also a condensation of the wisdom of generations of people who have observed the weather and improved the land!

In an instant.

Jiang Liu's essence, energy, and spirit resonated, and the Qi formation of the [essence] seal rapidly evolved into shape, resembling a palm-leaf fan with sun and moon patterns on it.

Unlike the Nine Apertures Talisman, this [Essence] Qi Formation Talisman resides in Jiang Liu's body and mind's Golden Elixir, enabling the harmony of Yin and Yang; within the sacred embryo of the Qi Formation, it can teach all things to be born.

At the same time, this talisman also confirms Jiang Liu's understanding of nature—the alternation of the sun and moon, the rotation of the four seasons, and the circulation of Qi throughout the heavens, all in the shape of a "fan".

Apart from [essence], the remaining [qi] and [spirit] did not directly evolve into physical form.

But Jiang Liu had already grasped the fundamental truth!

Feelings are etched into memory, memory gives birth to thought, thought forms consciousness, consciousness generates ideas, ideas inspire the spirit, the spirit elevates the soul, and the soul guides the primordial spirit.

Within this system of building one's own mind, a force is needed to drive it forward.

What power?

Moving!

In human emotions, being moved often occurs, but it is often overlooked and forgotten. Only by grasping that moment of being moved and keeping it constant can one's essence, energy, and spirit be completely transformed, turning into the form of a talisman and mastering creation!

This touching moment, where the essence is completely shaped into a talisman, is not only Jiang Liu's understanding of nature, but also his appreciation of the spirit of humankind's struggle against heaven and earth for survival and reproduction!

This is true harmony between humanity and nature!

It is not about blindly following the laws of nature, but about finding the patterns in the struggle against nature!

Grasp this pattern and cultivate accordingly!

This adds a touch of civilization to the cruel natural process of survival of the fittest.

gentle!

Chapter 1336 Divine Brilliance Concealed by Hong Fugui

Jiang Liu gained a great benefit from a bowl of fried rice with eggs, and constructed the Yin-Yang Fan of Essence. The others also benefited in their own way.

Hong Guniang, Bai Yuekui, and Jiang Liu share a deep connection; they can also share his insights.

Although their cultivation levels were not as high as Jiang Liu's, and they had not yet attained the Primordial Chaos Qi, thus being unable to directly construct the "Phoenix Immortal Talisman Seal," they still gained something, making the process of refining essence into qi smoother and greatly improving the efficiency of their life cultivation.

Lu Jin and Miss Liu received the least, but they felt completely refreshed and their cultivation improved significantly. It was as if they had witnessed Hong Fugui's life from a third-person perspective, and they were filled with emotion.

For the first time, Hong Fugui truly ate the fried rice he had made himself, savoring the myriad flavors of life. He reminisced about the past, a knowing smile spreading across his face. His eyes were clear and bright, yet not glaring, giving off a gentle, warm feeling.

Her divine brilliance was restrained!

It wasn't that Hong Fugui's cultivation was extraordinary, but rather that his mind had reached that level!

"Congratulations!"

Upon seeing this, Jiang Liu burst into laughter and reverted to his true form.

"congratulations!"

Hong Guniang, Bai Yuekui, Lu Jin, and Liu Guniang also ceased their transformations, revealing their true forms, and offered their congratulations to Hong Fugui.

When Hong Fugui saw the five people's true appearances, he was startled and quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Sage Jiang!"

"I am not a saint; I am merely a practitioner."

After helping Hong Fugui up, Jiang Liu explained his purpose, "Your disciple, Miss Liu, received the letter, and I also planned to come to the Northeast to investigate, so we came together."

"So it was you!"

Hong Fugui looked closely and recognized Miss Liu. He couldn't help but laugh heartily, "Liu Qianqian!"

"Master, how many letters have you sent out?"

After the joy of the reunion between master and disciple, Miss Liu inquired about the matter, "Logically speaking, you shouldn't have been able to send the letter out of Changchun, right?"

"Ninety-eight letters, I suppose."

Hong Fugui said, "It wasn't sent out in one day, and I had someone else help me send it."

Although this place was occupied by Japanese pirates, and the local strange families had no choice but to submit on the surface, some of them were willing to send messages to the outside world in private.

Although my Shenzhou Restaurant doesn't get involved in the affairs of the supernatural world, and in fact, because I often support enlightened people in the common folk, most supernatural beings are estranged from me, I once saved a rogue cultivator who knew the methods of a beast master and was skilled at controlling rats. So I asked him to deliver a letter to the outside world and to the branches of the Confucian Society and the All-Knowing Branch...

At this point, Hong Fugui looked at Jiang Liu with eyes full of admiration. "I originally just hoped that Na Du Tong could help me deliver the letter to the disciples I taught. I never expected that the president would come in person. I am really a little overwhelmed."

“Mr. Hong, why put on such an act? I am neither an official nor an emperor, I am not a big shot. If we have to categorize me, I am just a commoner,” Jiang Liu advised again.

"Ha ha!"

Hong Fugui smiled and said, "As expected, the chairman is as approachable as rumored. I have learned a lot from him."

"Mr. Hong..."

"Don't call me 'sir,' I'm not a schoolteacher. If you don't mind, you can just call me 'Grandpa Hong.'"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Liu was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter and exclaimed, "Old Master Hong is indeed a remarkable person."

In a short time.

The atmosphere inside the private room was cheerful.

Afterwards, Jiang Liu brought up the matter of saving people, saying, "Grandpa Hong, I plan to send you to the Confucian Association. What do you think?"

"Thank you for your kind offer, Chairman, but I would like to participate in the Chef Competition."

Hong Fugui's family and all his associates were captured and imprisoned in the dungeon. Only by winning the Chef God Competition could he rescue them all.

Besides that.

In his early years, a chef from Japan named Junshiro once competed against Hong Fugui. Although he ultimately lost because Junshiro's assistant cheated, Hong Fugui knew that Junshiro had not participated in the cheating and had even voluntarily admitted defeat to him.

Although Junshiro was born in the island nation of Japan, he was a true chef with pride and dignity.

Since that parting, Hong Fugui had never met him again, but he had a premonition that Chunshiro would definitely appear in this cooking competition.

Without him.