The autumn afternoon grew increasingly crisp, the leaves rustling softly in the cool breeze.
In the clean and bright kitchen, Ying Bing sat with a serene yet focused expression, her eyes narrowed with quiet determination. She looked as if she were on the verge of discovering so divine technique or mystical recipe.
Tian Xun couldn’t help but be drawn in by this aura, her small face serious as she asked,
“What does Young Hero Li love to eat the most?”
“.....”
“Ice Sister?”
“Oh... he has a good appetite, not picky at all, and lately he’s been eating quite a lot.”
Ying Bing spoke while crossing her arms, suppressing the odd feeling that ca with handling baby food.
“And what about you, Ice Sister?”
“I like sour and spicy flavors.”
Tian Xun squinted thoughtfully. “In that case, let’s make him a spicy and sour stew.”
“Li Mo has made that before,” Ying Bing tilted her head, unfamiliar with the dish.
“Li Hero is also skilled in cooking?”
Tian Xun’s eyes lit up, as if a competitive spirit had been ignited.
“Since we’re both chefs, I’ll have to show off so of my signature skills and let Li Hero taste the best of East Lin’s cuisine!”
Besides being a disciple of the Yantian Sect, Tian Xun had another identity—she was the daughter of the owner of Haiyue Pavilion in East Lin, the largest and most renowned restaurant in the region. Many notable figures had left their mark there.
It was quite the popular spot for social dia check-ins.
Anyway, back to the point: Tian Xun had been passionate about cooking since childhood. Although her father insisted she had broader horizons and shouldn’t pursue this path, she had secretly collected many rare ingredients.
“Ice Sister, learn this from , and it’ll be perfect.”
“Okay, okay, what’s our first step?”
Ying Bing nodded slightly, listening attentively.
“Once the dish is decided, we need to prepare the ingredients.”
Tian Xun pulled a jar from her Xumi artifact.
As she opened it, the strong aroma made Ying Bing wrinkle her nose.
“What’s this?”
“An ancient vinegar from the Shang Dynasty. My father treasures it dearly and only brings it out on special occasions.”
“When would that be?”
“Like last ti, when a distinguished guest ca to our restaurant and ordered nine dishes in a row, complaining none suited his taste and criticizing everything. My father personally cooked a dish using this ancient vinegar. The guest’s expression changed drastically and he left without eating—probably completely convinced.”
East Lin was full of restaurants, and competitors often ca to nitpick.
When her father stepped in, his culinary skills always won them over, and the seasonings he used were nothing short of extraordinary.
“Uh... I think I forgot to bring chili peppers,” Tian Xun scratched her head.
“I have so here. We should use less this ti. Last ti, I went overboard.”
“How long did you add it for?”
“Ten seconds.”
“Let’s try eight seconds this ti; it should be fine.”
Tian Xun gently sniffed the Black Death Wood oil, and goosebumps rose on her skin.
Hmm, better just five seconds.
“Ice Sister, could you please cut these potatoes? Be gentle, or they might explode.”
“Potatoes can explode?”
“Haha, this is a very rare ingredient called Potato Landmines. My father gave them to as a prized possession. Today’s finally their ti to shine.”
That day, Tian Xun left in such a hurry that he didn’t catch what his old father said afterward.
“If you run into bad guys, just throw this at them.”
It’s well-known that the Empress Palace Mistress has exceptional insight—so much so that describing her as knowledgeable in everything from astronomy to geography wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
Except when it cos to cooking ingredients.
Next, Tian Xun taught seriously, Ying Bing operated with full concentration, and everything seed to be going unusually smoothly.
“While I wait for Young Hero Li’s surprise, I’ll interview him,” Tian Xun thought happily, eager to exceed his task.
......
“Mom took Grandpa and Grandma out to the market today, so Ying Bing is the one who prepared the surprise for .”
Little Li sat in front of the courtyard, lost in thought, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I hope it’s not one of those surprises that my parents wouldn’t want to see.”
Thinking that way made him a little excited.
“Hey, by the way, where are Clan Leader Shang and Sect Leader Qin?”
Li Mo suddenly paused, noticing that the courtyard, which had been lively monts ago, was now quiet except for old Huang tinkering away.
He still needed to talk to them.
“No idea,” Huang Donglai kept his head down, engrossed in studying the thod of internal realm cultivation. He didn’t know when they had left.
“Even Tian Miao is missing. Strange.”
Li Mo was puzzled. Since Ying Bing had prepared a surprise for him, how could Clan Leader Shang have missed such an occasion?
Soon, he found out why.
After a while.
“Hiss…”
Huang Donglai suddenly stood up, alert and tense as if facing a grave enemy, his whole body taut to the limit.
“Old Huang, have you figured out how to break through to the next realm?”
“No, it’s not that. I just have an unprecedented, intense sense of crisis!”
Huang Donglai’s instincts for danger were always sharp.
“Oh?”
Li Mo also stood, his expression serious. Huang would never fake such a feeling.
But this was their ho beneath Qingyuan, and Qin Yuzhi, a Seventh Realm expert, was right there.
What kind of danger could trigger such an explosive sense of crisis in Old Huang?
Li Mo frowned, unable to guess.
They exchanged a glance, their aning clear without words.
Suddenly, two soft footsteps sounded at the door. Huang Donglai growled low, “Brother Li, combo attack!”
“Got it!”
“?”
Ying Bing and Tian Xun carried a large pot into the courtyard and imdiately saw Li Mo riding on Huang Donglai’s back, the two of them forming a ‘bin’ (a character symbolizing unity).
“What’s this?”
Tian Xun blinked in confusion.
“This is... their combined attack mark, their bond or sothing,” Ying Bing said helplessly.
“.....” Tian Xun opened her mouth but said nothing.
Li Mo and his companions’ bond √
But how was she supposed to write this on the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Wind and Cloud Rankings?
“Ying Bing?”
Li Mo was dumbfounded. Why was she the one who ca in?
Wait...
“Stop ssing around, co eat,” Ying Bing put down the pot and beckoned with a gentle smile.
Li Mo swallowed hard.
His mount brother’s knees suddenly went weak, and he gently put him down.
So... that’s where the sense of crisis ca from.
So... this was the surprise?
“I taught Sister Ying how to make it, co taste it,” Tian Xun said.
Lifting the lid, the stew inside was surprisingly colorful, with a fragrant sour and spicy aroma. at and vegetables all in one dish, it made one’s mouth water just by slling it.
It seed... perfectly normal?
Li Mo glanced at Huang Donglai.
He found his mount brother staring blankly, eyes full of wisdom.
So Old Huang’s sense of crisis was wrong this ti, which explained the dazed look.
And indeed, Tian Xun was the heiress of Donglin Tavern; the dishes she taught... should be flawless, right?
“Go ahead and try it,” Ying Bing said softly, handing him the chopsticks.
“...Alright.”
Li Mo swallowed nervously, but in the end, he nodded and picked up a piece of potato.
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