The morning after the encounter with the stranger, the kitchen of Xi Garden felt like a fortress. Lin Xi stared at the iron dragon key. It was heavier than it looked, the cold metal pulsing with a history she was only beginning to uncover. To win at the Trade Fair, she didn't just need her modern recipes; she needed to unlock the "Fermented Gold" her father had hidden. But to do that, she needed ingredients that didn't exist in the standard state-run markets spices grown in high-altitude volcanic soil and salt from the deep earth.
"You won't find what you need at the Dongdan market," Gu Shaozheng said, leaning against the doorframe. He looked tired, his military uniform slightly creased, but his eyes were as sharp as ever. "The Southern King has already stationed his 'collectors' at every major spice stall in the city. If you buy so much as a single peppercorn, they'll know your flavor profile."
Lin Xi wiped her hands on her apron. "Then where do we go? I can't cook a miracle out of thin air."
"There's a 'Ghost Market' inside the old military warehouses near the western suburbs," Shaozheng replied, his voice dropping to a whisper. "It's where officers exchange rare goods from their home provinces medicinal herbs from the mountains, wild honey from the border, and spices that never make it to the civilian market. It's off the books, and it's the only place Chen Hu's men can't reach."
Before they could leave, a woman appeared at the back door of the shop. She looked to be in her mid-forties, with calloused hands and a face that had seen years of hard labor in the sun. She carried a small bundle and a letter of recommendation from the Textile Factory.
"I'm A-Mei," the woman said, her voice humble but steady. "Director Zhao sent me. He said you needed someone who could handle the heavy woks and wouldn't talk to the neighbors."
Lin Xi studied her. A-Mei's eyes were downcast, but she noticed the way the woman's nostrils flared when she smelled the bubbling sauce. It was the reaction of someone who knew the difference between a good dish and a masterpiece. In the original book, Lin Jiaojiao had planted a spy in the kitchen a woman named A-Lan. Was A-Mei a change in the timeline, or just a more clever trap?
"You can start by prepping the ginger," Lin Xi said, deciding to keep her close where she could be watched. "Three millimeters, consistent thickness. If I find a single uneven slice, you leave."
[A-Mei]( didn't complain. She moved to the prep station and began to work with a speed and precision that rivaled Lin Xi's own. The sound of her knife hitting the wooden board was a steady, rhythmic heartbeat.
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Under the cover of a moonless night, Gu Shaozheng drove his Jeep into the heart of the western suburbs. The warehouses were towering shadows of gray concrete, guarded by soldiers who didn't ask for papers but simply nodded at Shaozheng's command.
Inside, the atmosphere was a stark contrast to the drab streets of the Capital. Dim yellow bulbs hung from the rafters, illuminating stalls made of repurposed ammunition crates. Here, the "Old Guard" of the military traded treasures from the furthest corners of China.
"Look at this," Lin Xi whispered, stopping at a stall run by an old veteran with a missing arm.
In a glass jar sat 'Star-Anise of the Clouds' wild-harvested from the borders of Yunnan. It wasn't the dusty, brown spice found in the village; it was a deep, oily purple, smelling of licorice and woodfire. Beside it was 'Earth-Heart Salt', dark and mineral-rich, exactly what she needed to test the Dragon Key's secret.
"How much?" Lin Xi asked.
"For the Commander's lady? Two yuan," the veteran grunted. "But you have to tell me... is it true you're the one who made Director Chen cry over a bowl of cornmeal?"
Lin Xi smiled, a sharp, confident glint in her eyes. "I didn't make him cry, Uncle. I just reminded him he had a soul."
As she gathered her supplies, she noticed a man in a civilian trench coat hovering near the entrance. He wasn't a soldier. His movements were too fluid, his eyes too restless. He was a scout from the South.
"We're being followed," Shaozheng whispered, his hand instinctively moving to the holster at his hip.
"Let him follow," Lin Xi said, clutching her bag of rare spices. "He thinks he's tracking a chef. He doesn't know he's tracking a ghost who's already seen the end of his master's empire."
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Back at Xi Garden, the kitchen was locked. Lin Xi sat alone with the Earth-Heart Salt and the iron dragon key. She noticed a small, recessed slot in the dragon's mouth. It wasn't just a handle; it was a measuring tool.
She poured the dark salt into the dragon's mouth. The weight of the salt triggered a mechanical click inside the key, and a small compartment in the handle popped open. Inside was a tiny, dried piece of grey fungus the 'Mother Yeast' her father had mentioned.
"The Fermented Gold," Lin Xi breathed.
She added a sliver of the fungus to her simmering sauce. The reaction was immediate. The sauce didn't just change color; it began to glow with a deep, translucent sheen, and the fragrance tripled in intensity. It was no longer just a condiment; it was a catalyst that could enhance the flavor of anything it touched by ten times.
But then, she heard a sound from the prep area.
A-Mei was standing by the door, her eyes fixed on the glowing pot. She wasn't holding a knife. She was holding a small, hand-drawn map the exact duplicate of the one Lin Xi had found in the tobacco tin.
"So," A-Mei said, her voice no longer humble but sharp and authoritative. "The legend was true. Your father really did find the heart of the mine."
Lin Xi gripped her ladle, her eyes narrowing. "Who are you?"
"I'm the woman who was supposed to be the 'Southern Queen' before the Southern King killed my husband to take the throne," A-Mei said, stepping into the light. "I didn't come here to steal your recipe, Lin Xi. I came here to find the only person who could help me burn the Southern Kingdom to the ground."
The Trade Fair was three days away. Lin Xi now had the "Fermented Gold," a powerful new ally with a grudge, and a Commander who was risking his life to keep her secret. But the Southern King was already at the city gates, and he wasn't alone. He had brought the most famous critic in the country to judge the Fair—a man who had been Lin Xi's father's greatest rival.