Ace shook his head with a sigh. "Alright. Let's do sothing fun instead today."
He stood up and clapped his hands. "Liu i, stop stirring. Go set up another fire."
"Yes, Master," she said quickly, hopping to her feet and getting to work.
"Tushan," he continued, "get a knife. We're preparing spirit chicken tonight."
Tushan blinked. "But Master—"
"No buts. It's getting dark."
Tushan turned to Little Aoki with a dramatic sigh. "Bear, you take over stirring."
The massive bear glanced uncertainly at Ace.
Ace gave him a nod. "Go on. Stir well and I'll make sure you get at too."
Perking up imdiately, Little Aoki ambled over and grabbed the long ladle with his paw.
Ace then build a small open-air barn and reinforced it with a barrier formation.
The barrier shimred faintly in the twilight, designed specifically to prevent anything from flying or fleeing out.
Then, with a snap of his fingers, he summoned one spirit pig and a few plump spirit chickens into the enclosure.
Liu i frowned. "Master… that's all?"
Ace looked at her, unimpressed. "It's more than enough for a test."
She pouted, dropping her armful of firewood. "You're so stingy, Master. Do you know that?"
He gave her a long, blank stare, then wordlessly summoned four more spirit pigs.
Liu i blinked, unimpressed. "Still stingy."
Ace raised a brow.
She smiled sweetly. "Master~ Can you open the system gate for ?"
He found it hard to hold back a laugh. "Fine," he said, waving his hand to open the shimring gateway.
Liu i vanished into the gate and returned monts later, staggering under the weight eight additional spirit pigs, and several baskets overflowing with epic-grade spirit feed.
"Hehe~ This should be enough!" she giggled as she set them down like a triumphant rchant.
Tushan, already gripping the knife and ready to cook, looked at the growing pile of livestock and ingredients with sparkling eyes.
"Ohhh," she breathed, her excitent rising. "Now this is a proper experint."
"Start with the spirit chickens," Ace said, settling onto a smooth stone near the fire.
"Once we taste the spirit pigs, we won't have the appetite for anything else."
Tushan gave a firm nod. "Yes, Master."
Liu i perked up. "Wait for ! I'll run to the kitchen and grab so extra seasonings!"
Ace waved her off with a nod, then turned his attention to the fire pit.
He crouched down, arranging the dry wood with thodical ease.
With a flick of his finger, a controlled fla sparked to life, licking at the base of the logs.
As the fire grew steady, he reached into his storage ring and pulled out his personal cauldron, an artifact he received way too long ago.
He gave it a brief glance and muttered under his breath, "You may be a treasure of untold power… but sotis, you're just a very expensive cooking pot."
With a smirk, he placed it gently over the rising fla.
The fire crackled steadily beneath the cauldron as Ace pulled off his outer robe, rolled up his sleeves, and took a long, calming breath.
The scent of burning wood filled the air with a faintly sweet aroma.
Tushan stood nearby, eyes wide with curiosity, as Ace retrieved two freshly cleaned spirit chickens from the side.
Their skin was faintly golden, almost glimring with a soft luster, the hallmark of beasts raised on spirit grains and spring-fed waters.
Just then, Liu i returned, arms full of baskets and jars.
"I brought the seasonings, Master!" she huffed breathlessly, cheeks flushed. "Salt dust, fire ginger, cloud fennel, and dreamroot oil! Oh—and I got that sauce my mom used to make!"
Ace's brow lifted slightly. "That last one... good. We'll need it."
She handed the jars one by one. Tushan peeked over with sparkling eyes. Ace inspected them with an unwavering focus, then waved her over.
"Watch carefully," he said, setting the chickens onto a stone slab beside the fire.
"This is how you cook a spirit chicken. Liu i's mother taught about it and I'm sharing it with you."
He reached for a thin obsidian knife, its blade gleaming faintly with a formation seal.
With practiced ease, he began slicing shallow cuts into the chicken skin, scoring the at just enough to let the flavor seep deep.
The rhythm of the blade was almost hypnotic, calm, thodical.
"First, score the skin lightly," Ace explained, "so the spirit fat underneath can breathe and lt into the at. Spirit chickens aren't like ordinary ones, they're rich, so you need to let them air and crisp properly."
He then massaged the birds gently with cloud fennel and fire ginger, his hands moving with reverence, almost as if he were painting strokes onto canvas.
Tushan watched, captivated. "Why rub it before cooking?"
"So the spice isn't just flavor, it becos part of the flesh," Ace replied. "When heat hits the oil in dreamroot and fire ginger, it draws out a depth in the at. Slls richer. Feels warr. You'll taste it in the bones."
He then took out a long iron spit and skewered the birds carefully, adjusting their balance before setting them over the fire, turning the handle just slightly to keep them from sitting still.
The juices began to drip, crackling as they t the fla.
Ace reached for the salt dust, a rare mineral seasoning that sparkled faintly like powdered stars, and sprinkled it with a pinch between his fingers, never more than necessary.
"Master," Liu i said, crouching beside him, "this feels... kind of nostalgic."
Ace gave her a sidelong glance. "That's because it is."
The flas kissed the chickens slowly, turning the skin crisp and bronze.
A rich scent filled the clearing, earthy, herbal, warm, and mouth-watering.
The juices popped and sizzled, while Tushan's eyes followed every motion like a disciple before a sage.
"Now, the final touch," Ace said, uncorking the clay bottle of Liu i's mother's sauce.
A deep plum-colored glaze, thick and fragrant, poured over the sizzling birds.
As it hit the fire, the smoke rose sweet and savory, curling into the dusky sky.
Even Little Aoki stopped gnawing on a mango and lifted his snout, eyes glassy with longing.
Ace turned the spit slowly, letting the glaze sear into the at. "Five more minutes. Then we eat."
They all waited, breath held.
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