At the table of Ji Yuan and Yin Zhaoxian, Ji Yuan was quite happy to see that Ying Feng did not take the wine jug away. He weighed the wine in the jug and found that there was almost half a jug left.
"Mr. Ji, Bai Jiangshen is here, where are the big black fish and the old turtle?"
The person who was speaking was Yin Qing. He had been chatting with Hu Yun for such a long time that he naturally learned from him that Bai Qi had brought the big black carp and the old turtle. Hu Yun really wanted to get together with the big black carp, and Yin Qing also wanted to see them when they liked to listen to him reading by the river.
"Well, the rule here in the main hall is that you can't enter without transforming, or at least you have to transform. I guess the old turtle should be in the side hall with the big blue fish."
Yin Qing nodded and looked at Hu Yun.
"I see. Then we can only look for them after the banquet."
At this time, Xiezhi was sitting next to Du Changsheng, tasting the food in the Dragon Palace alone. He couldn't figure out what method Ji Yuan used before, which made Longzi's inner energy so strong in such a short moment. Maybe it was similar to an illusion, but it made people feel nothing.
Du Changsheng had been concentrating on watching everything that happened at the Dragon Transformation Banquet, from the awkwardness and tension of the gifts presented by all parties, to the embarrassment of the dragon girl and the curious gossip of the dragon son. Only at this moment did he have the leisure to focus on the food and wine in front of him.
"Mr. Xie doesn't seem to like Dragon Palace's food very much?"
Du Changsheng noticed that although Xiezhi sometimes took some food, it only tasted a little and sometimes even showed a look of disgust. He had tasted the dishes in the Dragon Palace and felt that they were refreshing and full of spiritual energy, and were rare delicacies in the world.
Xiezhi glanced at Du Changsheng and smiled.
"Hehe, these water creatures just like this. The food tastes as bland as water. What's the taste?"
"But Mr. Du thinks this dish is a rare delicacy in the world. Mr. Xie's taste is really too picky, hehe..."
Xiezhi looked like a chivalrous hero at this moment. When he heard what Du Changsheng said, he stroked his beard and suddenly laughed.
"Du Changsheng, you are the Grand Master of the Imperial Palace. You should often go in and out of the palace to enjoy the royal banquets, right?"
"Well, that's true. What advice do you have for me, Mr. Xie?"
"No, no, it's not really teaching. I feel that the cooking skills of some chefs in the world are far better than the dishes in Dragon Palace today. How can that be called delicious? This dish has a bit of watery spirit. Ordinary people think it's delicious just because they feel the nourishment of spirit spirit? The material of the dish is important, but just cheating the taste buds? To put it more seriously? That's a blasphemy to delicious food!"
Ji Yuan, who had excellent hearing, paused while pouring the wine. He didn't expect that Xiezhi could talk so concisely.
Du Changsheng was even more stunned by what he said.
"Eh? It's not that serious..."
"Why not? If we talk about the best seasonings in the world, I only recognize the two treasures in Ji Yuan's hand."
This person actually called Mr. Ji by his name? All the people in the world that Du Changsheng had come into contact with? Anyone who knew Mr. Ji, whether they respected him or feared him, did not call him by his name.
Du Changsheng was shocked, but he remained expressionless. He slowly showed an interested expression towards the Xiezhi.
"Oh? It seems that Mr. Xie has done a lot of research on this? I would like to hear more about it!"
"Hehe? Just a little research? Let me tell you, Ji Yuan has two treasures, one is the spiritual root nectar, the other is the fire-refined spicy powder. These two things, one is sweet and refreshing, the other is spicy and numbing, they are the combination of spiritual charm and flavor. Adding some to any dish can turn it into something magical, but the quantity is limited, and too few people have the opportunity to taste it."
Du Changsheng opened his eyes slightly and carefully glanced at Ji Yuan's back in front of him.
"Mr. Ji also knows how to cook?"
"Not only does he know how to cook, but he also has excellent cooking skills. It's just that he is stingy and doesn't cook easily. The dishes in the Dragon Palace are definitely incomparable. Even the dishes in some restaurants outside taste better than here."
"This... can't be the case. How can the food in the restaurant outside compare to that in Dragon Palace?"
"Let's not talk about this for now. Since you are the Grand Master of Dazhen, it should be a piece of cake for the emperor's son to prepare a palace banquet for you. How about taking me to taste it when you have the chance?"
Du Changsheng smiled and nodded.
"This is a trivial matter. If Mr. Xie is really interested, he can come to me at any time. Even if I ask the chef from the imperial kitchen to go out and cook at the place designated by Mr. Xie, it will be no problem."
"Oh, you are a very respectable person as the national teacher, and you are also a straightforward person! As for me, I always pay attention to fairness. Since you are so straightforward, I have to show my appreciation."
"Hehe, thank you, Mr. Xie, you are so polite."
Du Changsheng's mind went through several twists and turns in an instant, and in the end he did not say anything like "no need". Instead, he said a polite word, which was reserved and would not cause misunderstanding.
Xiezhi looked at the golden star crown that Du Changsheng was wearing.
"There will be more Heavenly Masters on temporary assignment at your Heavenly Master Office in the future. Some of them may come from famous families in the Immortal Palace. If you feel that you cannot control them, you can ask them to swear an oath before they take up their posts. They can swear to the 'Xiezhi'. Do you have paper and pen with you?"
"Oh, I brought it."
Du Changsheng quickly took out paper and pen, moved some plates onto the table, and handed the ink-soaked pen to Xiezhi with both hands. The latter took the pen, thought for a while, and began to paint on the white paper.
After drawing for a long time, when he finally put down his brush, the corners of Xiezhi's eyes kept twitching, while Du Changsheng on the side frowned and looked at the paper.
"This is… "
"This doesn't count!"
Xiezhi grabbed the paper, crumpled it into a ball and then crushed it into powder in his hands. His painting skills were really not up to standard. He was used to seeing Ji Yuan's fluent calligraphy and painting. Compared with his own, it was as simple as a circle drawn on the outside. He couldn't bear to see it himself.
"Jiyuan, Jiyuan..."
Xiezhi shouted at Ji Yuan twice. The voice was not loud, but before Ji Yuan turned around, all the eyes around him looked at him.
"Who is this person?" "How dare you address Mr. Ji by his name?"
"You are from Dazhen?" "No."
"It seems to be brought by Mr. Ji."
"Is it?"
Ji Yuan then turned and looked at Xiezhi, who raised his pen.
"Come and help me draw it. I know you must have heard everything. You won't refuse, right?"
Of course Ji Yuan would not refuse this matter. Instead, he intended to add fuel to the fire. He said something to Yin Zhaoxian, then stood up and walked to the opposite side of Xiezhi and Du Changsheng.
"The picture and the name, right?"
"Um."
He moved the white paper on the table to his side. Without using the pen in Xiezhi's hand, Ji Yuan simply raised his hand, and a pen from his sleeve spun into his hand, with ink on it.
Then Ji Yuan started painting directly on the white paper. In a short while, a strange and terrifying monster appeared under his pen: it was covered with thick black hair, with bright eyes, a big horn on its forehead, thick limbs and four sharp claws like hooks, a short tail and a thick body, and a big mouth and long teeth.
At first glance, this monster gave Du Changsheng a feeling of both terror and majesty, and goose bumps appeared all over his body.
After Ji Yuan finished drawing the image, he wrote the two big characters "Xiezhi" below the image before stopping, then looked up at Xiezhi.
"Since you have taken this step yourself, why not be more generous? Can the officials in charge of Dazhen Law Enforcement also swear an oath in your name when they take up their posts?"
The Xiezhi, who had been admiring his own heroic appearance, suddenly felt a little frightened and refused repeatedly.
"No, no, no! There are so many officials in Dazhen, and every official can claim to be a law enforcement officer. You, Ji Yuan, are setting a trap for me to fall into. Mortals are easily tempted, and their minds are the weakest. If you continue to do this, won't you keep me busy to death?"
Ji Yuan frowned slightly.
"There's no need to be too strict, as long as the general principles are okay."
"No, no, this is not a question of whether it is strict or not. Besides, if all the officials in the country are in shackles, wouldn't it be too dull?"
"You have a point..."
Ji Yuan nodded thoughtfully, then his expression suddenly changed and he continued.
"How about this? For example, the Censors and the Censorate, who are truly professional judicial officials, can swear an oath to you. Such officials are in high positions and have a lot of power. They are in charge of the imperial prison, the revision of laws and regulations, and the supervision of all officials. Only those who are fair and strict can do this. There are not many of them. Is this okay?"
"this… "
"Didn't you just tell me that I have two spices that are the best in the world? I'll give you some more."
Xiezhi's eyes lit up but he immediately frowned. There was no doubt that Ji Yuan was setting a trap for him, but he knew Ji Yuan. He would not just set a trap for him. There must be something good for Xiezhi as well, such as borrowing Dazhen's luck or something. But those practitioners in the Tianshi's office also said that officials like this felt like they were tied to Dazhen.
"It's just a witness to the oath. It's up to you whether you pay attention to it or not. If you think it's inappropriate, just ignore it."
Since Ji Yuan said so, Xiezhi nodded.
"Well, that's it."
Ji Yuan smiled and looked at Yin Qing who was standing aside.
"Qing'er, remember this. Anyone who is in charge of the imperial prison, the revision of laws, or the supervision of all officials can swear an oath to the Xiezhi. Also, the image of the Xiezhi can be painted on the hats of these officials."
Xiezhi grinned, still feeling cheated, but couldn't put it into words.
At the moment when people were visiting each other and toasting each other at various seats in the hall, some aquatic creatures in the hall had already begun to secretly exchange glances with each other, and some aquatic creatures in various side halls also left their seats and gathered at the entrance of the main hall.