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On the judges’ panel, Lao Fan and Jin Can chuckled smugly, but Zhuang Kangping grew increasingly curious about that syrup. Others might not realize what it was, but this old man who had spent a lifetime with ingredients could tell.

His eyes sparkled with excitement as he looked at Lin Yuan, as if he had seen a luminous gem, full of affection and appreciation.

Lu Chong, who had been watching Lin Yuan closely, felt his heart race as he sensed the subtle changes in his master’s emotions and caught a glimpse of the light in Zhuang Kangping’s eyes.

Could it be, his master is thinking of...

The sticks Lin Yuan had prepared were quite long, eliminating the need to stop midway to arrange the sugar strands.

Holding the small pot, she flicked the sugar strands from one end of the stick to the other until the entire stick was covered with fine, long strands of sugar, then she ceased her motion.

She set the small pot and the long spoon aside, and after choosing a large plate to place on the cutting board, Lin Yuan began to organize the sugar on the stick.

She first took half of the sugar strands and, while sorting them out, used her fair hands to shape the soft, thin strands into a bird’s nest and placed it onto the plate.

Only after the bird’s nest took shape did everyone finally understand the purpose of the sugar strands.

Unable to resist, Zhuang Kangping nodded in approval, "Building a nest to welcome the phoenix, what a creative idea!"

Hearing the praise for Lin Yuan, Lao Fan’s eyes suddenly lit up as if he was the one being complimented, and his white beard involuntarily perked up with pride.

After the bird’s nest was ready, Lin Yuan took out the plates prepared for the twenty civilian judges, arranged them around the large plate, and then used the remaining half of the sugar on the stick to form smaller bird’s nests.

Though much smaller in size, these twenty little bird’s nests placed together with the larger one appeared extraordinarily delicate and cute.

Seeing that Lin Yuan had already begun preparing to serve the judges, the chefs from Drunken Immortal Tower finally felt an urgent sense of pressure. Weren’t they in the lead just a moment ago? How had Dong Tian gotten ahead so quickly?

Gao Xuan and Sun Qian set aside the sticks and went to help Lin Yuan prepare the other plates. With less than an hour to go until the competition’s end, it was time to get ready to serve the dishes.

Once the bird’s nest was finished, Lin Yuan checked the beef stewing in red wine on a low flame. She probed the meat with a knife, and feeling it was tender enough, asked Sun Qian to remove it from the heat. Now, it needed only to be simmered with the residual warmth.

After checking on the beef, Lin Yuan went to inspect the steaming chicken. It had already been boiled before, and the purpose of steaming it now with various seasonings was to allow the meat to absorb the flavors and become even softer and tastier.

Taking out the chicken, Lin Yuan called Gao Xuan over, "Lift the pot, pour the oil!"

"Got it! Wait, cough cough, pour oil?"

Gao Xuan had barely touched the oil pot when he started to stutter, unable to speak. Pour oil? Pour oil for what?

Seeing the chicken in Lin Yuan’s hands "exercising," Gao Xuan had an ominous premonition.

Sun Qian chuckled slyly from the side, nudging Gao Xuan in the waist with his elbow, and with a cunning, smug expression teased, "Get used to it, the poking stick!"

Gao Xuan’s face darkened to a shade blacker than the bottom of the pot. It had already been steamed and boiled; why fry it again? What kind of method was this?

Recalling the bet he confidently made with Sun Qian, Gao Xuan really felt like banging his head against the stove!

But bet or no bet, there was still work to be done. With sighs and groans, Gao Xuan reluctantly poured oil into the pot, all the while keeping his eyes on Lin Yuan.

"Boss, what are you doing?"

No wonder Gao Xuan was puzzled. Lin Yuan was handling the chicken, jerking its head and swinging its legs—is she really exercising the chicken?

Sun Qian also looked sympathetically at the chicken, now misshapen from the rough handling, thinking that if the chicken had any awareness from beyond, it would surely spring up and peck someone!

As Lin Yuan spread the chicken’s legs apart and pried open the breastbone, she joked with Gao Xuan as if it were nothing, "This chicken ate too much when it was alive; I’m helping it lose weight!"

Lose weight?

Gao Xuan and Sun Qian exchanged silent looks and decided they must keep quiet, resolving never to speak to Lin Yuan again.

However, while they remained silent, Lin Yuan opened a floodgate of words, beginning to chat away with the chicken.