Chapter 53: Chapter 53: A Cinch to Roast Skewers with the Fire Manipulation Skill
He’d genuinely never heard of the Longevity Sect.
’It’s so close to my Feique Sect, yet I’ve never heard of it. It must be some unknown small sect.’
Lü Rongyu hesitated.
’He could tell they were indeed disciples in the Early Stage of Qi Refinement. The journey to First Mountain was long, and disciples were typically given advice by their seniors before leaving their sect.’
At this thought, Lü Rongyu nodded. "Alright, you can follow me. But once we reach First Mountain, you must go your own way."
"Great, great! Thank you, Lü!"
Wu Dahu and the other two, who had been standing silent as statues, also chimed in, "Thank you, Lü."
At the same time, they were a little astonished. ’Is this guy a little too gullible?’
He might have looked young, but the sects of the Yunzhou Continent were certainly different from what they had imagined.
’Are people here really this helpful?’
Aware that Lü Rongyu could overhear any conversation, the four of them didn’t dare mutter among themselves.
’This game is so clunky,’ they thought. ’Why isn’t there a party voice chat for a situation like this? It would perfectly satisfy our need to gossip about people in private.’
Lü Rongyu had just slain a Toad Snake and hadn’t rested long when Daoist and his three companions found him. They set off again a short while later.
The four of them followed close behind.
Late that night, the four of them sat deep in the woods around a campfire.
The main reason being, it was time for dinner.
In these early stages, they hadn’t yet reached the point of complete Fasting. Traveling for long periods still drained their stamina, so they needed to replenish their energy with food.
However, cultivators on the Cultivation Continent generally had very little desire for food. As for mortals, they usually just ate to fill their stomachs and didn’t delve deeply into the culinary arts.
In fact, there were many ingredients and seasonings that were not yet available in Wang’an County.
The players, however, hailing from modern society, had extremely high standards for their food. This was especially true after discovering that the all-natural food in the game tasted even better than in real life, which only made their demands for texture and flavor more exacting.
Zhou Xiao had been developing some great recipes recently.
For instance, the honey-glazed chicken wings and charcoal-grilled pig’s feet they had brought with them today.
The four of them had pooled their money to buy a standard-issue Jiezidai. It couldn’t compare to Song Jiulai’s, but it was more than enough to hold some ingredients and Elixir Pills.
It was filled with nothing but Elixir Pills and food.
The only problem was its preservation function wasn’t great. By the time they took the chicken wings out, they were already cold and had to be reheated.
They took the chicken wings and pig’s feet from the Jiezidai to heat them up, adding some of their own seasonings as they grilled.
Of course, before they dug in, Wu Dahu courteously asked Lü Rongyu, "Lü, we’re having dinner. Would you like some? We’ve got chicken wings and pig’s feet."
Lü Rongyu glanced at the food they took out, his brow furrowed slightly. "I am already semi-Fasting," he said. "I have little desire for food."
’Chicken wings are one thing,’ he thought, ’but what on earth are grilled pig’s feet?’
Most cultivators would, at most, eat a little pork. They rarely touched things like offal and other parts of the pig.
They considered such things to be a bit unclean.
It was best to eat some rice congee and drink a bit of natural rainwater—that was all a cultivator needed to satisfy their body’s requirements.
Plus, it gave one the special, refined air befitting a cultivator.
For a boy of only fourteen or fifteen to put on such airs was, frankly, a little comical.
But Wu Dahu and his friends didn’t dare let any hint of amusement show on their faces.
Since he wasn’t eating, they certainly were.
They were worldly folk and had absolutely no resistance to a late-night barbecue.
Especially when it was a recipe developed by their master chef, Zhou Xiao.
They didn’t even need the campfire. They simply skewered the chicken wings on sharpened sticks, cast the Fire Manipulation Skill from their hands to precisely control the heat, and with a slight turn, the wings began to release their rich, savory aroma once more.
The wings were already seasoned, but when they drizzled them with the honey sauce Zhou Xiao had prepared, they instantly became crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, releasing an intensely mouth-watering fragrance.
Daoist’s eyes widened as he watched them grill with the palms of their hands. "Damn, you guys are pretty skilled at this."
Wu Dahu said proudly, "But of course. What do you think we’ve been doing for the ten-odd days we’ve been in the game? We might not be good at much else, but when it comes to grilling skewers, we’ve got it down to a science."
There was definitely a trick to using the fire.
Too much heat and it would burn; too little, and the meat would cook unevenly and not absorb the flavor.
It seemed players who didn’t follow the orthodox path had an innate talent for using the Fire Manipulation Skill to grill food.
Wu Dahu even handed his first finished one to him. "Alright, here, take this one. You can practice yourself."
Meanwhile, the expression in Lü Rongyu’s eyes had been a little strange ever since the aroma of the chicken wings first began to waft over.
Excellent culinary skill is the root of all evil.
The greatness of seasoning was something the people of the Yunzhou Continent, with their pursuit of a plain and healthy diet, could not possibly comprehend.
Cultivators ate plainly, and in order to follow their example, mortals also developed plain tastes.
But in reality, they were perfectly capable of enjoying richly flavored food.
This was precisely why Zhou Xiao had been able to collaborate with the restaurants in Wang’an County to develop new recipes.
It was just that the winds of this culinary revolution hadn’t yet reached the Taohua Sect in the neighboring county.
Fragrant—
So fragrant!
Lü Rongyu had never known that food could emit such an aroma.
He knew what grilling was, of course, but the roasted meat he’d seen mortals prepare had never been as tempting as the chicken wings before him now.
The sight of the fat dripping from the wings, the sudden waft of sweet fragrance, and his own incredibly sensitive cultivator’s sense of smell all combined to make Lü Rongyu swallow unconsciously.
’How could mortal food smell this good?’
’All that talk about purifying one’s heart and curbing desires was a total sham.’
’If one could restrain their basic desires even in the Qi Refinement Realm, what would they be capable of later on?’
Lü Rongyu, clearly, could not.
He was only fourteen, what did he know!
He only thought he disliked it because he’d never actually tried it.
He tried to subtly shift his gaze toward the chicken wings.
’But he had just refused their offer. If he said he wanted to try some now, these four would surely laugh at him, wouldn’t they?’
’What was more important? His pride, or trying this novel food he had never tasted before?’
Ma Xiaoniao and Ma Xiaoben had already grabbed a wing and dug in without ceremony. They slapped their thighs in delight. "Damn, these chicken wings are way better than the ones back home."
Food nourished by Spiritual Energy always possessed a special, savory umami.
Combined with such excellent cooking, in the real world, a single one of these wings could be sold at a Michelin restaurant for tens of thousands!
Absolutely killer!
Ma Xiaoniao sighed with deep emotion. "How can this [BEEP]ing game be so damn good."
But Daoist noticed Lü Rongyu’s eyes darting in their direction.
He was too young and not yet skilled at acting; his desire was impossible to hide.
Daoist chuckled. "Lü," he said, "this is a special recipe from our sect’s chef. Why don’t you try some?"
Lü Rongyu decided to play it cool. "No, thank you. As I said, I have little desire for food."
Daoist pressed, "Lü, we brought plenty of chicken wings. You have to eat something eventually, so why not try one? They’re really delicious."
Lü Rongyu: "Very well."
His tone was very reluctant, as if he were just trying it against his will.
Daoist handed him the wing that he hadn’t eaten yet.
A few minutes later, having devoured every last one of their chicken wings, Lü Rongyu stared at their Jiezidai with grease on the corners of his mouth. "Are there any more?"
The four of them: "..."
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