| It is a quiet day
in Yosen Restaurant. Perhaps too quiet, as the peace was
broken by an arrow, as it was shot into the walls of the restaurant. In
another part of the restaurant, Mao offers Mei Li a bouquet of
flowers. It is the anniversary of her mother's death, and Mei
Li is sure that her mother would love Mao's flowers. As the
couple prepare to leave for the gravesite, Mao muses that Chouyu
should have gone with them. Mei Li assures him that it is all
right, since her father has a responsibility as a chef. The
two are currently interrupted by Shilou, who tells them to see
something truly magnificent.
Chouyu's Ice Dragon |
Memories... |
That something turns out to be a large ice
sculpture in the form of a dragon. Chouyu puts the finishing
touches on the sculpture, and decorates it with carrot slices.
The sculpture is Chouyu's way of remembering his wife, and agrees to
go with the gang to the gravesite.
Shilou finds Chouyu's skills magnificent
but wonders what relation an ice sculpture has with regards to
food. Mao explains that Chinese food is composed of four
elements - Taste, Color, Aroma, and Appearance. Food can only
be exceptional with the presence of the four elements. The
culmination of those skills are shown by the ice sculpture formed by
Chouyu.
The three get up to leave. Before
they could depart for the cemetery, Shilou shoves Mei Li's rear, and
ends up being chased by him. They ran around the compound when
Shilou notices the arrow embedded into the wall. Upon reading
the letter, Mei Li discovers that it is addressed to her and her father.
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"You are
invited tonight at the mansion in front of Sea Bell Park," the
letter reads. "Please attend. We await you for
dinner with the season's best vegetables and meat."
Chouyu and daughter were invited to a dinner, but the location chosen is
quite strange. The mansion specified in the invitation is supposedly
abandoned.
Chouyu turns over the letter and sees a
symbol of the Guangzhou Cooking Guild printed at the back.
Since the symbol is present, he has no choice but to attend, as it
is a symbol for obedience. Mei Li is suspicious about the
entire affair - why invite only her father and herself, and why was
the note attached to an arrow?
Wanting to have a sense of security, she
requested Mao to go with them. Mao hesitates, but Luo prods
him to go with her. Shilou wanted to go with them, but this
time the old master refuses. Shilou complains to no avail.
It is nightfall, and Chouyu, Mei Li, and
Mao travel towards the mansion. The kids found the path
creepy, and Mao wonders if the house is haunted. It is not, as
the front door opens, and an old man directs them to the dining
room. The guests are all top lieutenants in the Guangzhou
Cooking Guild. Apparently, they all received the same
invitations, and this made Mao more and more suspicious. He
wonders who their mysterious host was.
The meal starts in earnest, and the guests
found the cooking remarkable. The meal finally progresses to a
main course - pigeon marinated in oyster sauce. The guests
tried the dish, and all agree that the food is delicious. Mei
Li takes a bite and agrees. But as Chouyu and Mao taste the
dish, their faces fell. Mao immediately tells everybody to
stop eating.
The guests refuse to believe him, looking
down at his taste because of his age. Chouyu stops them and
supports Mao, but it was too late. The poison inside dish has
become effective, and everyone who ate it collapsed - including Mei
Li. What the hapless victims have eaten was actually poisonous
red frog, which has a texture similar to that of pigeon, masked in
spices and sauce.
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| The two wonder who was responsible for
this poisoning. They got their answer when a door opens, and a
man dressed in armor ascends from a basement. The man has a
mask on, and calls Chouyu by his first name.
Chouyu recognizes the man's voice and asks for an
explanation. The man takes a glance at Mei Li and sees
Chouyu's wife. "Revenge," he answered. "We will
settle this, and you cannot refuse!" The old man brings a large
hourglass filled with blood, and lets it drip. The poison served to
the victims are strong, and if the antidote is not administered to
them before the hourglass is empty, they will die. If Chouyu
does not challenge and defeat the masked chef, he will not give him
the antidote canister.
Having no other choice, Chouyu accepts by taking off his
jacket. Their contest is a three round contest, with lobster
as the main ingredient. The masked man readies himself for
battle. Since the first round involves knife skill, the two
chefs will prepare the lobsters with the same conditions as
"before"... blindfolded!
The opponent is strong... |
... but so is Chouyu |
The masked man starts off by showing his dynamic and accurate
knife skills. Not to be outdone, Chouyu starts as well, and
displays the same remarkable cutting skills he has when not
blindfolded. In the middle of preparing his dish, Chouyu
falters, and drops his knife. Chouyu staggers towards Mao and
faints.
Mao examines Chouyu's prone body, and sees a poisonous scorpion
crawl out. Mao stepped on the scorpion, while the masked man
heaps scorn at Chouyu for quitting in the middle of the
battle. By default, he claims victory for the lobster contest,
triumphant that his revenge has finally been achieved.
Mao accuses the masked man of cheating. The man tells him
that Chouyu did the same thing to him years ago, in that same
contest. The masked man then walks away from Chouyu, laughing
at his victory.
Mao tells him to stop, and in turn challenges the masked man for
the remaining two rounds in lieu of Chouyu. He reveals his
Super Chef emblem and tells the man he will win. Meanwhile,
the blood clock continues to drip... |
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