Chapter 111 Stinky Tofu and Spicy Hot Pot

On the evening of the second day, Emperor Liu Sheng once again "waged a great war" in that small courtyard of Cining Palace.

He had people bring over a charcoal grill half a person's height and set up a huge copper pot beside it.

This time, the palace maids and The young eunuchs of Cining Palace were already unperturbed.

They just assumed Chief Steward Liu was researching some new novelty again.

Emperor Liu Sheng first took out the lamb skewers, beef skewers, chicken wings, and even sliced steamed buns and chives that had been prepared and marinated in a secret sauce for an entire day.

He neatly arranged these skewers on the glowing red charcoal fire.

"Sizzle—"

The meat skewers made a pleasing sound the moment they touched the scorching grill.

The fat in the meat was forced out by the high heat, dripping onto the charcoal and stirring up bursts of white smoke carrying sparks.

A strong and overbearing aroma, mixed with cumin, chili, and roasted meat, instantly exploded, aggressively sweeping through the entire courtyard.

Several of The young eunuchs helping nearby smelled this scent, and their mouths were practically watering.

"Chief Steward, th-this... what kind of cooking method is this? It's just too fragrant!"

Emperor Liu Sheng smiled without speaking.

He picked up a small brush and evenly brushed the secret sauce onto every skewer of grilled meat.

The aroma immediately rose to another level.

Just the barbecue wasn't enough.

Emperor Liu Sheng turned again and began to handle the large copper pot.

He poured the spicy hot pot base, which had already been brewed with beef tallow, dozens of spices, and a large amount of dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, into the pot.

Then, he added stock and lit the fire.

Soon, the large pot began to "bubble, bubble" and churn.

On the bright red soup base, a layer of enticing red oil floated, with countless chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns bobbing within it.

A spicy, scalding, nerve-numbing, and addictive spicy aroma shot up into the sky.

This scent was even more aggressive and irresistible than the aroma of the barbecue.

Two distinct yet equally overbearing aromas intertwined and collided in the small courtyard, forming a "gourmet storm" sufficient to drive any hungry person completely insane.

On an inconspicuous roof of Cining Palace.

Granny Magu, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, had her pockmarked face twitch violently.

Her sinister triangular eyes snapped open, and she looked toward the source of the aroma.

Her sense of smell was ten times more sensitive than an ordinary person's.

This smell...

She had lived for over seventy years and had eaten all kinds of exotic beasts in the Southern Border, yet she had never smelled such a complex and soul-hooking aroma.

A primitive instinct called "appetite" frantically sprouted from the bottom of her heart.

She forced herself to collect her mind and continue meditating.

But that smell was like an invisible devil, drilling into her nose through every possible opening, teasing her taste buds, making her restless and causing her mouth to water.

In the courtyard, Emperor Liu Sheng saw that the heat was just right and beckoned to Xiao Cui and the few young eunuchs who had been waiting impatiently.

"Come, come, come, stop watching, let's eat!"

He distributed the grilled meat skewers to everyone.

He also used chopsticks to pick up lamb slices that were sliced as thin as cicada wings and swished them in the boiling spicy pot for a few seconds.

Once the meat changed color, he immediately fished it out and rolled it in a pre-prepared dipping sauce mixed with sesame paste, fermented bean curd, and chive flower sauce.

Then, he put it into his mouth.

"Mmm! Delicious!"

Xiao Cui was the first to taste the shabu-shabu lamb, her big eyes instantly lighting up like stars.

"It's numbing, spicy, and fragrant! Brother Liu, what kind of divine way of eating is this!"

The others also started eating, and for a time, only the rising and falling sounds of satisfied exclamations and slurping saliva remained in the courtyard.

On the roof, Granny Magu's body had already begun to tremble slightly.

She could clearly hear the chewing and exclamations of the people below.

Every sound was like a little hand scratching at her heart.

Her stomach, uncooperatively, let out a "rumble."

Just at this moment.

Emperor Liu Sheng brought out his "trump card."

From a food box, he brought out a plate of black, square-shaped things.

Then, in another wok of oil, he deep-fried them until they were golden and crispy.

An indescribable "stinky" odor instantly overwhelmed the aroma of the barbecue and hot pot, shrouding the entire courtyard with a posture of ruling over the world.

"Ah! It stinks!"

Xiao Cui and several palace maids subconsciously covered their noses.

On the roof, Granny Magu's pupils contracted sharply.

This smell...

It's too unique!

Stinky, earth-shatteringly stinky.

Yet within this stench, there was a hint of a faint, strange bean aroma.

This contradictory and extreme sensory impact completely defeated her final psychological defenses.

She wanted to know.

She had to know!

What does this foul-smelling thing actually taste like!

The next second.

The light in the courtyard dimmed.

A hunched, ghostly figure leaning on a cane appeared silently behind the group.

The laughter and joy in the courtyard ceased abruptly.

Xiao Cui and the few young eunuchs felt the cold, bone-chilling aura behind them and were so scared that the meat skewers in their hands fell to the ground.

They stiffly, bit by bit, turned their heads.

When they saw that pockmarked, sinister-looking old face, everyone was scared pale, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Granny Magu!

Why would this evil spirit suddenly appear here?

The temperature of the entire courtyard seemed to have dropped by several degrees.

Only Emperor Liu Sheng, as if nothing was the matter, turned around and revealed a warm smile on his face.

"Oh my, it's Auntie Magu!"

He greeted her affectionately, as if the person he was seeing was not a female demon capable of stopping children from crying at night, but a kind old grandmother from next door.

"Why have you come? Please, sit, please sit!"

"We happen to be eating; if you don't mind, would you like to have a taste with us?"

His attitude was natural, without the slightest fear or obsequiousness.

Granny Magu ignored his enthusiasm.

Her sinister triangular eyes stared fixedly at the plate of freshly fried, golden and crispy stinky tofu on the table in front of Emperor Liu Sheng.

Her gaze was full of inquiry, curiosity, and a trace of desire that even she hadn't noticed.

She extended a withered, chicken-claw-like finger and pointed at the plate of stinky tofu.

Her nails were long and black, slightly curved, flashing with an ominous dark light.

This was that Nine Yin Skeleton Claw that could easily pierce through a human skull.

"Would you like to try this?"

Emperor Liu Sheng immediately understood and introduced it with a smile.

"This is called stinky tofu; it smells stinky but tastes fragrant, it's a rare delicacy."

He took a pair of clean chopsticks and handed them over.

"Would you like to try it?"

Granny Magu was silent as she took the chopsticks.

Her hands, which had practiced for decades and killed countless people, appeared somewhat clumsy at this moment.

She picked up a piece of stinky tofu.

That strange, stinky odor was up close now, even more intense.

She hesitated.

In her life, she had eaten snakes, insects, rats, and ants, had eaten rotting flesh and raw blood, yet she had never eaten such a "stinky" thing.

In the courtyard, everyone held their breath, watching this bizarre scene.

Finally, Granny Magu seemed to have made up her mind and put the piece of stinky tofu into her mouth.

The moment it entered her mouth.

Time seemed to stand still.

Granny Magu's body stiffened suddenly.

Her sinister eyes widened instantly, filled with unbelievable shock!

The crispy outer skin shattered between her teeth.

The scalding and soft interior, carrying delicious juices, exploded in her mouth.

That intense "stink," on her taste buds, transformed into an unprecedented, extreme "fragrance"!

Salty, savory, fragrant, spicy, and a unique, fermented, mellow texture, layered upon one another like a surging tide, impacting her long-numbed sensory nerves.

Delicious!

So delicious that it made her want to swallow her own tongue!

On her face, which had remained unchanged for ten thousand years like a zombie's, for the first time, an expression called "enjoyment" appeared.

She moved.

The chopsticks in her hand turned into afterimages.

In the blink of an eye, the plate of stinky tofu was wiped clean by her like a wind sweeping away clouds.

Even the last bit of juice in the plate was scraped clean by her chopsticks.

After eating, she licked her lips, still wanting more.

Then, she cast her gaze toward the spicy hot pot that was still "bubbling" and churning.

Emperor Liu Sheng immediately understood.

"Auntie Magu, try this too, the shabu-shabu lamb."

He personally swished a chopstick of lamb for Granny Magu, dipped it in the sauce, and respectfully placed it in her bowl.

Granny Magu did not stand on ceremony, picked it up, and put it in her mouth.

Another silence followed.

Then, she started doing it herself.

For the next hour.

The entire courtyard became Granny Magu's personal buffet scene.

Her hands, the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw that could break metal and split stone, were now nimbly dancing with a pair of small jade chopsticks.

One moment, she fished out a slice of tripe from the hot pot.

The next moment, she stripped a skewer of chicken wings from the grill.

She ate as if no one else was there, eating until her mouth was full of oil, eating to her heart's content.

Her cold Great Grandmaster aura had long since vanished without a trace.

Replacing it was the purest joy and satisfaction of an ordinary diner facing supreme cuisine.

Xiao Cui and the few young eunuchs had gone from initial fear to being dumbfounded.

They simply couldn't believe that the old woman in front of them, holding a plate of grilled chives and eating with gusto, could be that legendary female demon who killed without blinking.

Chief Steward Liu is just too amazing!

Finally, Granny Magu put down her chopsticks.

She let out a long, satisfied burp.

She leaned back in her chair, rubbed her slightly protruding lower abdomen, and an expression of kindness, never seen before, appeared on her face.

She looked at Emperor Liu Sheng, and that gaze was no longer the previous coldness and scrutiny.

Instead, it carried a touch of kindness, like looking at one's own younger generation.

"You young eunuch..."

She spoke slowly in that hoarse voice.

"You're quite interesting."

After saying this, she leaned on her cane, stood up, and slowly wandered into the darkness.

When she came, she was like a ghost, carrying bone-chilling cold.

When she left, she was like a neighbor's old lady who had just eaten her fill and was out for a stroll.

Emperor Liu Sheng watched her disappearing back, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepening.

Two Great Grandmasters are now in my trap.