Shameless Immortal: Emperor of Ten Thousand Beauties

Chapter 273: Chapter 273: Chop-Chop-Chop-Chop!

"It was only possible because of the techniques and structural theories you taught me last time, Senior Brother," she whispered softly, her eyes casting downward for a brief moment before snapping back to his with a sudden, needy intensity.

"If you hadn’t shown me how to balance the dual-elemental friction within the chamber... I would have never seen the shortcut. But... now that the batch is done, the grand elders want me to oversee a mass-production cycle immediately. They are completely blinded by the sudden prestige."

She let out a small, frustrated sigh, her fingers unconsciously tightening against the fabric of his robes.

"They don’t understand that a ninety-eight percent purity pill cannot be mass-produced by ordinary alchemists without causing severe spiritual backlash to the cauldrons. They only see the gold."

A cold, thoroughly amused smirk flashed across Shen Yu’s lips beneath the shadow of his hood, though his touch on her face remained incredibly tender.

’As expected, the fools at the top are exactly like Cao Yan,’ he thought, his mind already weaving the next phase of his trap.

’They are driving their only true prodigy straight into my waiting arms.’

"Let the greedy old men play their shortsighted games, little alchemist," Shen Yu purred darkly, his thumb moving to lightly brush across her lower lip, holding her gaze with an unyielding authority that made her breath hitch completely.

"You have proved your genius to the world. Now, it’s time you rested. Tell me... have you eaten anything at all today?"

Ruolan shook her head slightly against his palm, a sheepish but dismissive smile touching her lips.

"No... I haven’t. But it’s fine, Senior Brother. I’m really not hungry anyway. I can easily sustain my physical vessel for weeks just by circulating my Qi and drawing from the ambient spiritual energy. Besides, I’d rather spend every available minute analyzing the chemical degradation of the secondary herbs than wasting time on a mundane meal I don’t even need."

Smack.

Shen Yu brought his hand down, rapping his knuckles against the crown of her head in a swift, light slap.

"Ow!" Ruolan gasped, her hands instantly flying up to clasp the top of her head.

She looked up at him with wide, startled blue eyes, her bottom lip pouting out instinctively.

"You may be a genius cultivator, but you are still human," Shen Yu scolded gently, his deep voice carrying an unyielding, grounded weight.

"If you abandon the simple habits of mortality just to hoard minutes for your cauldrons, you will lose your grounding. You’ll cease to be a living, breathing soul and turn into nothing more than a hollow, knowledge-seeking beast. Understand?"

Seeing the genuine, fierce protectiveness hidden beneath his stern tone, Ruolan’s pout slowly softened. A warm, fluttering sensation bloomed inside her chest, her defensive barriers melting entirely. "I... I understand, Senior Brother," she murmured submissively, lowering her head with a shy, obedient nod.

"Good," Shen Yu replied, his posture relaxing. "Now, where is your kitchen?"

Ruolan blinked blankly, looking around her pristine, paper-strewn workshop. "A kitchen? In my room? Senior Brother, I am the Faction Leader of the Alchemy Division. If I ever want to eat, I simply order the service disciples to bring a spiritual broth from the grand dining hall. I don’t have a kitchen here."

Shen Yu let out a long, dramatic sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose beneath his hood.

"Unbelievable. Come with me."

Grabbing her by the wrist, he led her out of the main study and into her adjacent, heavily fortified alchemy room.

The massive room was dominated by her primary spiritual cauldron, but Shen Yu completely ignored the high-grade alchemical equipment.

With a casual flick of his wrist, a brilliant flash of light erupted from his spatial storage ring.

Suddenly, a clean, portable iron stove, a heavy black wok, a smooth cutting board, and an array of specialized culinary knives materialized on a nearby stone countertop.

Shen Yu always carried premium, high-grade rations and raw ingredients in his storage ring, luxuries rich in pure, refined Qi meant to sustain his vitality during extreme wilderness cultivation or long isolated breakthroughs.

Ruolan stood completely rooted to the spot, her jaw slanting open in absolute awe.

She watched, completely mesmerized, as the terrifyingly dominant, brilliant alchemist she revered so deeply smoothly rolled up his dark sleeves, revealing the lean, corded muscle of his forearms.

With breathtaking, fluid speed, Shen Yu picked up a heavy cleaver. His hand moved in a flawless, silver blur.

Chop-Chop-Chop-Chop!

He effortlessly sliced through premium spiritual jade-carrots and crisp, snow-lotus shoots into perfectly identical, thread-thin julienne strips. His blade control was so immaculate, so terrifyingly precise, that it rivaled the absolute highest tier of martial sword-masters.

Next, he drew a marbled slab of Tier-2 Snow-Boar loin from his ring.

With a series of delicate, rhythmic strokes, he diced the meat into uniform cubes, instantly marinating them in a splash of spiritual rice wine and crushed ginger-root to seal in the volatile elemental Qi.

Ruolan’s blue eyes followed every single sway of his shoulders, her heart hammering with a strange, intoxicating fascination.

To see a man of his immense power and lofty talent executing a mundane domestic task with the exact same flawless discipline he used to refine pills was a devastating strike to her senses.

It was profoundly beautiful, and it made her feel incredibly small, taken care of, and helplessly dependent on him.

Shen Yu ignited the stove, utilizing a tiny, perfectly controlled spark of his own inner fire to instantly heat the wok until it began to smoke.

He tossed in the marinated pork, followed by a handful of wild spirit-peppercorns and the sliced vegetables.

Sizzle!

The violent, crackling hiss of the wok filled the stone room, and within seconds, a massive, intoxicating wave of aroma exploded into the air.

It wasn’t the sharp, sterile scent of medicinal herbs she was used to, but a rich, savory, and aggressively mouthwatering fragrance.

The caramelized, sweet notes of the glazed snow-boar melded perfectly with the crisp, earthy freshness of the lotus shoots, all bound together by a subtle, spicy kick of peppercorn that immediately triggered a sharp, involuntary pang of hunger deep in Ruolan’s stomach.

Her mouth filled with saliva, a soft, helpless whimper escaping her lips as her stomach gave a loud, treacherous growl.

Shen Yu didn’t stop there.

In a smaller, simmering clay pot next to the wok, he prepared a light, pearl-rice congee infused with shredded spiritual ginseng and a drizzle of wild honey, providing a soothing, sweet balance to the savory stir-fry.

Within fifteen short minutes, a perfect plate of Glistening Snow-Boar Stir-Fry and two steaming bowls of Ginseng Honey Congee were laid out neatly on the cleared wooden table, the dense spiritual vapor rising beautifully into the air.

"Sit," Shen Yu murmured smoothly, pulling out a stool for her before taking his own seat right opposite her.

Ruolan sat down on the very edge of the stool, shifting her posture slightly closer to Shen Yu’s side.

Her eyes scanned the table, but she quickly noticed a distinct lack of utensils, there was only a single pair of polished chopsticks, which Shen Yu casually picked up.

She looked up at him, her blue eyes blinking in confusion. "Senior Brother... my chopsticks?"