SailorStar9: Well, I've uploaded Chapter 19, and here's Chapter 20. So, read and review. Come on boys and girls, is it so hard for you to leave a review other than putting this on your favorited lists and alerts?

Disclaimers: Me no own, you no sue.

Chapter 20: Western Style Blood Match

"Say it, I don't have time." Mao demanded. "What is the second round about? I'll do whatever it takes to make you fight me." he declared and took Chouyu's place at the stove after grabbing the piece of cloth that flew past him. "And if you don't defeat me, your revenge won't be complete." tying the cloth around his eyes, he completed Chouyu's dish.

It's exactly the same as mine. The masked chef looked at his plate. He's completed the task Chouyu started. He's done a superb job despite it being his first time. It seems like he's not just a regular Super Chef. "You have convinced me. It seems that if you don't defeat you, my revenge on Chouyu won't be complete. Listen well, kid. The second round of this battle is about frying technique. We'll compete with deep-fry dishes."

"I understand." Mao nodded. "And the rules?"

"Speed is of the essence." the masked chef replied. "Once any of us finishes the dish, the round is over. We will then taste each other's food. Let me tell you one thing: before your oil is warmed up, I will have already finished. You can't defeat me on speed."

"Let's start the round." Mao snapped. "We don't have much time. I'm done!" he declared, before the masked chef finished making his sauce.

"That can't be true!" the masked chef looked up. "It's impossible."

"So then, bring out your dish and we'll taste each other's food." Mao instructed.

"Listen well, boy." the masked chef presented his fried lobster. "My dish is called the Phoenix Tail Lobster. It's a deep-fried lobster encrusted with nuts. The lobster is dipped in batter that is contains grounded nuts, and deep-fried until golden. You need to carefully control the heat both inside and outside the lobster. Thus, making this dish requires the mastery of difficult techniques. After frying, the nut-encrusted lobster is allowed to dry, bringing forth a special fragrance. A special sauce, poured on top of the lobster, harmonizes and completes the dish. It is the combination of the sauce and the lobster that makes this dish perfect."

"So, where is this sauce?" Mao asked.

"Well, the sauce..." the masked chef started. "Was supposed to be completed in a minute's time."

"So, you're saying your dish is incomplete?" Mao questioned. "We don't need to taste an incomplete dish."

"Very well, let me see your dish." the masked chef lifted the bowl that covered Mao's plate. "What?" he muttered, seeing the fried lobster body. "Is that all you have?" he burst out laughing. "Hypocrite! You talk as if you had finished, but your dish is also incomplete. How can you call this finished, boy?"

"No, it's complete in this form." Mao insisted.

"I told you, the key to a good lobster fry is the combination of a golden-fried lobster and a tasty sauce." the masked chef reminded. "It's laughable that you claim it to be complete without a sauce. I will not accept this dish. What is this ugly fried lobster, anyway? You just tossed a lobster into hot oil. Time was so short that I could even finish only the lobster. A fool like you would not be able to make a decent lobster fry. I wasted my time playing around with a child. It ruined the feeling of when I finally defeated Chouyu in battle."

"You don't understand, do you?" Mao retorted. "You'll know once you taste this. You'll know then whether your revenge is completed or not."

"Very well." the masked chef removed the lower portion of his mask. "I'll have just a bite. Why does this taste so good?" he was shocked after a bite. No way... he looked at the cross-section of the fried lobster. The sauce is inside the lobster! He saw the sauce flowing down. "This soft melting sauce is made from egg yolk, milk and added sugar." He gave the sauce a taste. "That's..." he spotted a thin piece of skin between Mao's fingers.

"This is bean curd skin." Mao explained.

"So you used bean curd skin..." the masked chef realized the same thing. "You wrapped it around the lobster after pouring the sauce inside, and thus guarding the sauce from seeping out with the lobster is fried."

"I call it: Liu Mao Xing Special, Fried Cloud Dragon Bean Curd!" Mao declared. "So, the round is over. Who's the winner?"

"I didn't tr hard enough." the masked chef admitted, replacing his mask. "It seems that if I don't defeat you, my revenge will not be complete. Listen well." he placed two vials of liquid before the hourglass. "To the right is an antidote you can use to save Chouyu and the others. But to the left, is a poison that kills even elephants in a few seconds. This battle is tied, so the next round determines the winner. If you win, I will give you the antidote to save the rest. But if you lose, you and your servant will drink the poison and join them."

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.