The Onion-Cutting Ninja's Secret Crush

5 Ninjas Cutting Onions

Xiao Ming, Qian Huang, and Li Shui ate the dishes while joking around. Qian Huang had turned the laptop around and was reading the viewers' comments at the side, making sure to have Xiao Ming answer a few more questions. Soon enough, their bowls were picked clean and it was time to end the live stream.

"Alright, everyone, that's it for today's Bright Yellow Water. We hope you had fun even if I didn't explain the process in detail this time and we didn't cover any new dishes. We also hope that some of you will register for the 'Golden Spoon'. Until then, we'll see each other again in two days' time for our live stream on cutting techniques. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!" The other two joined him and waved at the camera before Li Shui hurried to turn it off.

The three men heaved a collective sigh of relief that everything had gone well. Qian Huang patted Xiao Ming's shoulder and then got up, putting the dishes away, and cleaning up together with Li Shui. Xiao Ming finally had a chance to lean back and rest up even though the three of them still discussed how the day had gone and what else they had to prepare for the next live stream.

In another city, Si Jin started the program to download the video of the stream and then titled it with the date and time, filing it away with all the other videos of Xiao Ming's streams. Then, he closed the laptop and got up, turning to go.

Before he reached the door, Si Yi had already opened it for him. The two of them left the room, making their way over to the training room on the ground level.

Entering the room, the other nineteen men were already waiting there, a big box in front of each of them that issued a slightly pungent smell and gave off a slight sense of coldness. Two tables had been set up at the front, both with a cutting board and an assortment of different knives on top, as well as a waste disposal that had been neatly placed below.

Si Jin walked over and stepped behind one of the tables, folding his hands behind his back and looking at the men waiting behind the boxes.

Si Yi waited next to his table and then called out. "Si Shi Wu, begin."

The fifteenth man stepped forward and inclined his head toward Si Jin before taking his spot behind the other table. Without further ado, he started on the lesson. "To advance one level, one will need to practice for ten thousand hours. Since there are approximately forty-five hours left until the next live stream, this is impossible. Instead, I ask master to slice ten-thousand onions as a way to practice your cutting skills."

Si Jin nodded, alright with this manner of practicing. One could not do the impossible but it was not impossible for him to learn cutting this vegetable in almost two days' time. He was certain that especially with the added motivation of winning over Xiao Ming, he would not fail in this quest.

Su Shi Wu turned to the first man. "Si Er, the onions." Meanwhile, he turned back to Si Jin. "With the little time left, we can't waste any. You have approximately sixteen seconds to slice each onion. I'll explain at the side.

"The first step will be to cut off the top, trim the root, and peel the outer layers. Master can already see an assortment of different knives suitable for this task. The most common ones that will be used for cutting are the chefs' knife, utility knives, cleavers, and Santoku knives."

Si Jin nodded. He had already grabbed the first onions from the box that Si Er had brought over and followed the steps that Si Shi Wu had listed. As soon as he finished with one box, one of the other men of his clan would step forward, handing a new one to him and taking the empty one back. There wasn't a single moment that Si Jin's hands stayed still while working on his grand task.

Si Shi Wu continued to explain in the meantime. "We do not know if you will be allowed to bring your own knives or what knives will be available at the competition if not. Thus, master will need to be able to use all of them equally well."