Ding Aiguo continued to act as the commentator. "Throughout his life, the master’s only love aside from painting was fine food.

"And his favorite dish of all was this liver paste.

"To make the liver paste, you take the finest pork liver, completely free of any membrane, and cook it. Then, it’s repeatedly filtered through extremely fine gauze and ground into the most delicate powder.

"It’s then blended with that top-grade chicken broth we just had, mixed in a perfect ratio, and steamed.

"The texture is rich but not greasy, and incredibly tender. It’s even a cut above the finest French foie gras."

Elder Li nodded and shared a little story about the dish.

"When I first started learning to make this dish, I kept running into a problem.

"The presentation of the steamed liver paste was never quite right. No matter what I tried, tiny droplets of water would always condense on the surface, making it look rather unappealing.

"Later, I made a special trip to ask a state banquet head chef for advice.

"The chef taught me the simplest solution: while steaming, cover the bowl with a small, damp cheesecloth.

"And just like that, the problem was solved.

"So, you see, it doesn’t matter what profession you’re in—there’s always more to learn."

After eating the liver paste, which was like a work of art, Ding Aiguo felt his palate had been utterly satisfied.

But despite his satisfaction, he couldn’t help but think about Elder Li’s fish.

"Elder Li," he couldn’t help but ask, "didn’t you say we were having a ’Battle of the Fish Kings’ today? We’ve had the appetizers and the main course, so how come... there’s still no sign of any fish?"

Elder Li laughed heartily at his words. "Look how eager you are! It’s coming right up, right up."

He gave an order to the housekeeper, who soon brought over a steaming clay pot and placed it in the center of the table.

The lid of the clay pot was lifted.

An indescribable aroma, clean yet sweet and savory, instantly billowed from the pot.

"This is..."

Everyone was stunned.

Inside the clay pot, small, finger-length fish floated in a milky white broth.

The little fish were snow-white and almost translucent, but they seemed far too "plain" to be the grand finale.

’This is the so-called grand finale?’

Because he had caught Qin Fish in the past, Li Xu had done some research on unusual fish species.

Looking at the unusually shaped little fish in the pot, a guess suddenly formed in his mind.

He asked tentatively, "Elder Li, could this be... the specialty from Xiantan, the Reverse Fish?"

"Oh? Doctor Li certainly knows his fish."

A hint of approval appeared in Elder Li’s eyes. "That’s right. These are the Reverse Fish, found only in the Xiantan Reservoir. They might look a lot like the common striped fish from our ponds, but there’s more to them than meets the eye. You’ll understand once you have a taste."

He continued with a proud smile, "An old friend had these specially flown in for me a few days ago. I haven’t even brought myself to eat any yet."

The housekeeper served everyone a small bowl of the fish soup.

Li Xu lifted his bowl and took a sip of the soup.

The milky-white broth gave off a clean, sweet fragrance. It had clearly been made by simmering high-quality pork bones for a very long time.

A single sip was savory and mellow, its fragrance lingering on his palate.

He then picked up a snow-white Reverse Fish and placed it in his mouth.

As his teeth gently bit down, the flesh was surprisingly firm and resilient.

Just as he was about to savor the exquisite sweetness of the fish...

Suddenly, something seemed to burst in his mouth.

A wave of flavor, savory to the absolute extreme, washed over his entire mouth like a tidal wave. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

’So much roe.’

Li Xu could almost picture the scene:

In a rushing, crystal-clear mountain stream, little snow-white fish struggled valiantly against the current.

Their tiny bodies leaped again and again in the churning water, using every ounce of their strength to push forward.

Sunlight glinted off their white scales, creating dazzling points of light in the clear water.

Suddenly, one Reverse Fish gave a mighty leap!

It had finally cleared the most turbulent rapids, reaching a calmer stretch of the river.

It seemed utterly exhausted. With the last dregs of its strength, it gave a final, powerful flick of its tail.

Tiny golden eggs, like grains of golden sand, spilled from its belly, scattering into the clear water—sowing the seeds of the next generation.

...

The roe bursting in his mouth felt like a scatter of tiny stars, which then converged into a great flood, instantly overwhelming Li Xu’s senses in a deluge of exquisite flavor.

"Excellent. An excellent fish."

Ding Aiguo also praised it profusely. "The meat is firm and sweet. I can’t believe such a small body could hold so much roe. And the roe itself... it’s even more savory and exquisite than the finest crab roe. Brilliant, simply brilliant!"

Elder Li smiled and explained, "Every year, the Reverse Fish travel from the lower reaches of Tai Lake, swimming upstream to the Xiantan Reservoir to spawn. The more turbulent the water, the more spiritedly they swim."

"Many species of fish swim upstream to spawn. But because the Reverse Fish is so small, it doesn’t have enough strength to expel all of its roe.

"Therefore, they have to use the force of the rushing current to ’wash’ the roe from their bellies.

"And it is for this very reason that, before the roe is washed out, all of its flavor and essence are perfectly locked inside.

"That’s what makes it so incredibly delicious."

Understanding dawned on the three of them.

After they finished the Reverse Fish soup, Elder Li presented another way to prepare it: deep-fried.

The Reverse Fish wasn’t just for soup; it could also be deep-fried, a single fish prepared two ways.

Li Xu picked one up. He could see a distinct ridge running along its belly from fin to tail.

Fried in a pine-scented oil, the fish was crisp but not burnt. Its pure fragrance was incredibly appetizing and made one’s mouth water.

And its belly was almost completely filled with golden roe.

One bite revealed a crispy exterior and a tender inside. It was savory, crunchy, and left a wonderful aftertaste.

Everyone was full of endless praise for the Reverse Fish.

Li Xu even felt that the exquisite flavor of the Reverse Fish was in no way inferior to the Golden Leopard-Striped Loaches he had brought.

To his surprise, however, Elder Li just smiled and waved a hand.

"Don’t be so quick to draw conclusions."

"Tonight’s final course, the true grand finale, is the real ’King of Fish.’"

"And the star of that dish... is the three Golden Leopard-Striped Loaches brought by Doctor Li."

He explained, "The reason I’m serving the loach soup last is because I believe its flavor surpasses even that of the Reverse Fish."