Back within Anhao Luzhou, Tienye and Diwu tucked into bowls of rice and a few strips roasted venison while the acting village head Luzhou Gou watched on. Wooden bowl like cups of water were refilled when they finished drinking their contents. One of the young men of the village fed each of them while keeping their bodies otherwise tied up with the bungee cord.

“I understand you may not wish to talk, but you will be held until your overlord can be consulted with your actions, so you may as well.”

“This food is good so we’ll answer your questions.” Diwu said, the diminutive bandit and member of the immortal responded, looking at the grizzled elder of the village they were in with hard black eyes.

“Firstly, introductions. My name is Luzhou Gou, the acting elder of the village of Anhao Luzhou. May I ask your names?”

Diwu frowned, debating the answer and if he should even give his name, but his huge lug of a cousin answered without an apparent thought.

“This one is Liaoshu Tienye, honored elder. My cousin here is Yangniu Diwu. We are of the Army of Immortals but formerly from the village of-”

Diwu elbowed his cousin in the side before the last bit was said.

“I thought you looked familiar. Relatives of Yangniu Songtu for instance?”

Diwu grimaced but did not respond for a moment thinking. He didn’t want to give too much information out, but at the same time, he was hungry and if he was cordial the elder might give him more food.

“Yes, honored elder. Songtu is my father.”

“Excellent. Make sure to give him my best wishes.”

Their conversation continued from that icebreaker, warming as they went.

***

In the room village after they had started to cook fire, Alfonso and Hou Gen gathered water from the village well. After they had, the beans were placed within the cauldron and covered with water. They would have not been suitable for this practice, but Hou Gen had introduced the ability of heating and drying non-living organic objects and water with chi. So now the beans begin the long process of cooking.

“So, if I understand what you were saying, then cultivation works like this- everyone as a vital life force that's like the energy that is below everything else. Above that you have the foundation of your dantian, which if I understood your metaphor is like the cauldron. It's the base. I know you said something about bedrock or an island but that makes sense to me, am I understanding right?” Alfie spoke, continuing their conversation from before.

“Yes, and that is called the shallows stage, for it is the edge of your realm from the darkness."

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The Texan simply blinked at that. He didn't understand the talk of building a realm, so that was how this entire conversation had been broached with him before.

"Right, so this foundation or shallows stage, the cauldron so to speak- then next add the water. I know you called it fire or geyser, but the important part is the transfer of heat and in a cauldron water is the best way to evenly do that.”

The cultivator simply nodded. “Close enough. So I must caution you from using the word water for the second stage. It will confuse you if you call the second stage and the fourth stage the same thing.

"So I won't call the four stage the water stage, or I'll call the second stage soaking stage.”

“Soaking? Why that?"

Alfonso simply pointed at the water covering the beans, before adding another log to the fire they had begun.

“The way I understand it, and correct me if I'm wrong, you need the shallows stage to truly begin to take in chi. Which in my example is beans. To manipulate the chi and make it more suitable for your body, you need to manipulate, temper, and control it. That's what we're using the water for there so it makes sense, be it soaking beans in a cauldron or soaking your dantian with chi it is roughly the same.”

Alfonso’s words were said with conviction, and it along with the logic behind it was enough to make Hou Gen rub his stubble covered chin and reply. “I suppose you do understand the fundamentals. Even if I understand little about every step in cooking, and have never heard of this dish of Chi Li of your’s.”

“Allow the master to teach you about the great culinary arts, my brilliant disciple, Hou Gen.” Alfie grinned, before gathering the table they had found in the rubble and using it to prepare the next ingredients.

“The secret of cutting onions for instance, is to not cut the root until you are ready. It will prevent tears.”

The training began.

***

Elsewhere within Luzhou Eyu, there was a somber tea party being held.

Wan Qi and Gong Tung-Mei had arrived at Eyu Luzhou long ago, and explored the ruined village as well. Both to find the tea shop or its remains and to hopefully find the swamp rat skewer salesman. Instead, Wan Qi found the last ones which would ever be made by the man and cooked them on his own, while making tea for his opponent and compatriot.

“It truly is a shame that this happens so often in the chi desert which the sects allow battles to take place in between our people.” Gong Tung-Mei said, covering her mouth between sips of the tea the patriarch of the Wan clan had prepared for her.

“Indeed, it truly is. I am almost inclined to get my revenge on the man who dared destroy a purveyor of such delicacies.”

“Or woman.”

“Yes, yes, I suppose it could have been a woman - but the environment in this area feels… wrong. And I do not mean like the rest of the chi desert.” The dark haired, blue robbed elder spoke with certainty, looking around as if he could see the wrongness in the air.

“Truly it does… but - what is that smell?”

“Perhaps fortune does smile upon our shared meal plans.”

“Strange to cook in a ruined and abandoned village, though is it not?”

“Let us investigate. I could use an amusement.”

And so time passed, with the likes of Xiang Hou Gen and Alfonso Carter working on their first combined chili con carne – with beans in addition. Over the two, a pair of proverbial giants watched in silence.

“Is he chopping onions and garlic, frying it in the fat from that meat?”

“Yes, and he claimed to be doing it because of the ingredients increasing the power of umami.”

The two tested the word. “He also mentioned sensing the chi aspects of the ingredients and using it to create his concoction.”

“As much as I want to try some, this young man is interesting as well.”

Without noticing their observers, Hou Gen and Alfonso packed up their supplies and created massive meal into the storage ring that Hou Gen had given Alfonso, and Odiseo and Alfonso began the trek back to Anhao Luzhou.