Zhao Yunxiao and Gu Qiansi did not spend too much time at the Sect Library, leaving right after Gu Qiansi was satisfied with the amount of information that she had collected.
Having already decided on the recipe, Zhao Yunxiao and Gu Qiansi split up after leaving the Sect Library.
Gu Qiansi returned to her residence to collect the condiments she had on hand, while Zhao Yunxiao made a quick trip to the Sect Market to purchase anything extra that Gu Qiansi needed.
It was a rare opportunity to feast on eggs of a creature at the peak of the Essence Physique realm, so they were not going to spare any effort in making sure that it turned out well!
By the time the duo met back at Lightwind Pavilion, the sky was already dark.
From then on, it was Gu Qiansi’s turn to work her magic.
Zhao Yunxiao might have a rather decent level of culinary skills himself, but he had no choice but to admit defeat in the face of Gu Qiansi.
Because of that, Zhao Yunxiao knew better than to butt in during the preparation of ingredients. Instead, he volunteered to start a fire in the wide clearing beside the pavilion.
As winter was starting to come to an end, the layer of snow covering the ground had thinned as well.
Even so, the scene of a small fire surrounded by a thin layer of snow was still a beautiful sight to behold.
“Senior Martial Brother Zhao! Senior Martial Sister Gu! I’m here!” Lu Zhiying’s voice could be heard even before they saw her. “Wow, I can already smell the food!”
Lu Zhiying’s figure swiftly appeared around the corner as she ran over excitedly.
On the other hand, the moment they saw Lu Zhiying, both Zhao Yunxiao and Gu Qiansi could not help but frown.
“What happened to you? Did Senior Martial Sister Leng abuse you after all?” Zhao Yunxiao asked immediately.
After all, Lu Zhiying’s hair was slightly dishevelled, and her robes were stained with dirt.
It looked almost as though she came straight from a fight with someone else!
“No, Senior Martial Sister Leng is really helpful!” Lu Zhiying shook her head. “It was amazing learning from her, so I asked her to do this with me every night from tomorrow onwards!”
“You asked to meet her every night?” Gu Qiansi widened her eyes in surprise.
“And did she agree?” Zhao Yunxiao quickly added.
“Yes! Luckily, she did!” Lu Zhiying nodded excitedly. “Now I am a little more confident about the upcoming performance!”
Zhao Yunxiao and Gu Qiansi instinctively exchanged glances and realised that they were thinking the same thing.
If given a choice, neither of them would be willing to go through the mental stress of having to face Leng Huiqi every single day, even if it meant being able to deliver a better performance!
But since their junior martial sister seemed more than willing to do so, they naturally would not stop her.
“That’s good,” Zhao Yunxiao smiled awkwardly. “But don’t force yourself to continue if things get difficult. It is just a performance after all.”
“Don’t worry, Senior Martial Brother Zhao. On the contrary, it’s actually really fun!” Lu Zhiying beamed.
“Right...”
“Enough talk, the food is almost ready so get ready to feast!” Gu Qiansi’s words drew their attention right in.
With one hand, Gu Qiansi picked up the wok that was resting over the fire and poured its contents out into a large plate that she held in another.
What appeared was a dish with a multitude of colours, dominated by the golden hue of the giant tree ostrich egg.
Fried eggs – it sounded like a meal that could not be simpler.
But now that it was made both with the right ingredients and by the right hands, it had somehow transformed into a monster in its own right.
The burst of aroma escaped in an instant, directly attacking Zhao Yunxiao’s and Lu Zhiying’s senses without restraint.
“This...!” Lu Zhiying widened her eyes in surprise.
The aroma itself was nothing short of divine, far surpassing anything that she had ever come across.
Back then before joining the sect, she had always salivated when passing by those famous restaurants, enamoured with the smell of dishes that she never had the chance to try.
After joining the sect, Lu Zhiying thought that she would be able to enjoy food of that level, but she had only been disappointed by the food at the canteen since.
Of course, the food at the canteen was already much better than what she used to have on a daily basis, so she was definitely not going to complain.
But at this moment, Lu Zhiying could not help but recall those times in the past when she was being tempted by the god of cooking.
In fact, when compared to those famous restaurants in the past, the aroma from this fried egg dish was more than just a few levels above!
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As expected, cultivators were definitely able to do better in all aspects, and that included improving the taste of food as well!
“Damn, this smells good!” Zhao Yunxiao remarked.
Even though he had been in the sect for much longer than Lu Zhiying, he was still impressed with the quality of the dish laid out before him.
It was not any day that he would have the opportunity to try a dish like this.
In fact, this could even be considered the best dish that he ever had the opportunity to try!
“This is my first attempt, so don’t blame me if it’s not up to expectations,” Gu Qiansi smiled after seeing the entranced look on the duo’s face. “Well then, let me just divide this up.”
Just like Zhao Yunxiao and Lu Zhiying, Gu Qiansi could not wait to taste the food as well. Thankfully, she managed to muster the self-control required to at least hold back her saliva while splitting the dish into three equal plates.
“Time to dig in!” Zhao Yunxiao announced with a grin.
With that, the three of them finally had to hold themselves back no longer.
All three of them scooped up a mouthful without hesitation, and delivered it right into their mouths.
What happened next was akin to an explosion of flavours, one that shook them right to their cores.
Sweet and savoury came together like yin and yang, obviously polar opposites yet blending together so well that it seemed as though they had always been one and the same.
Goosebumps appeared on their skin as they were almost spooked by how good it was!
“This is amazi-!” Lu Zhiying started to praise but was cut short right after.
That was because right after the aroma and taste attacks came a third wave that struck her without mercy.
And it was not just Lu Zhiying who was suffering from the relentless attacks too.
Immediately after relishing in the wondrous taste of the egg dish, Zhao Yunxiao felt a wave of energy rush into his body.
But unlike Lu Zhiying, he was not unfamiliar with this feeling.
After all, the main difference separating the food of cultivators from that of mortals was actually not the taste, but the spiritual energy contained within the former.
Cultivators usually made their food with creatures or herbs that contained spiritual energy.
Consequently, the amount of energy in a dish differed according to the ingredients as well as the preparation of the food, but this energy would eventually be absorbed by the diner.
If the quality of the ingredients and preparations was high, the amount of energy to be absorbed would naturally be higher.
Zhao Yunxiao closed his eyes to feel the flow of energy circulating through his spiritual meridians, slowly spreading to every limb and phalange, every organ and cell.
With each circulation, he could feel his physique slightly improving after absorbing the spiritual energy.
And at the end of each circulation, part of the energy would also be retained within his dantian, refined into essence energy that he claimed as his own.
This was the true benefit that food could bring to cultivators.
Just for the sake of enjoying these benefits, Zhao Yunxiao would force himself to eat it even if the taste was absolutely horrendous!
“Argh-!” Lu Zhiying let out a groan that broke both Zhao Yunxiao and Gu Qiansi out of their daze.
Who knew when it started, but her brows were furrowed, and her forehead was dotted with cold sweat. It was obvious that she was in agony.
Unlike them, Lu Zhiying had yet to even form her spiritual meridian root, much less open her dantian.
This also meant that there were no established paths for the foreign wave of spiritual energy to take after entering her body, resulting in the spiritual energy moving in a chaotic manner.
Such a phenomenon inevitably caused irregularities in her body, which resulted in her to feel pain and discomfort.
This was why mortals were not suited to ingest food meant for cultivators.
If such a situation was left unmanaged, it could result in internal injuries and even death!
Of course, Zhao Yunxiao and Gu Qiansi understood this as well, and were fully prepared for this situation.
“Don’t be afraid,” Gu Qiansi calmly stepped over and placed a palm on her back.
With that, Gu Qiansi directly sent a wisp of essence energy into Lu Zhiying, using that as a guide to control the flow of spiritual energy within her.
As she did so, the frown on Lu Zhiying’s face eased as she immediately felt much better.
In fact, not only did the pain vanish, but she even started to feel waves of comfort washing over her repeatedly.
Fatigue drained from her body in an instant, leaving behind only an inexplicably wondrous tingly sensation that could be felt all over her body.
While Lu Zhiying was unable to refine the spiritual energy into essence energy of her own, she was still able to benefit as the flow of spiritual energy strengthened her physique ever so slightly with each circulation in her body!
“Thank you, Senior Martial Sister Gu,” Lu Zhiying said.
“Don’t worry about that and just enjoy the food,” Gu Qiansi answered with a smile.
Just like that, the trio slowly savoured the dish, enjoying it down to the last bit.
“This is so different from the food that we usually get from the canteen!” Lu Zhiying could not help but comment after they were done.
“But of course! The food at the canteen is only made of the most basic spiritual ingredients. That’s why you are fine even after eating it. This, however, is made from eggs of the giant tree ostrich!” Zhao Yunxiao said smugly. “That’s why it is always worth the effort to go hunting monsters. This feeling of spiritual energy running through your body is too addictive!”
“Why don’t you join the hunting team then? You already have so many jobs. What’s one more?” Gu Qiansi teased.
“Are you kidding? The hunting team doesn’t hunt for themselves but for the sect. Why would I put myself in danger for something like that?” Zhao Yunxiao looked at her in disbelief.
He might be a loyal disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect, but that did not mean he was willing to put himself in danger for no good reason.
After all, it was not as though everyone would starve just because he did not join the team!
“There’s a hunting team too?” Lu Zhiying’s eyes lit up. “Is that a sect job too?”
“That’s right, but I won’t recommend that you join it,” Zhao Yunxiao said. “After all, disciples at your cultivation level will only be in charge of preparing equipment due to the dangers of going out for actual hunting.”
“What...?” Lu Zhiying frowned after hearing that. “That’s so boring!”
“That can’t be helped, it is to ensure the safety of all disciples,” Gu Qiansi laughed.
“All right then, I guess we are done here!” Zhao Yunxiao stretched lazily. “I will be passing you the rest of the eggs, and you can prepare it for us again whenever you are free!”
“Oh? Are you not intending to sell them for sect points, Senior Martial Brother Zhao?” Lu Zhiying asked. “I had the impression that you are always looking to get more sect points!”
“That’s not exactly true,” Gu Qiansi answered on his behalf. “He might be like that most of the time, but whenever it comes to things that can directly benefit his cultivation, Zhao Yunxiao always keeps them for himself if given the choice.”
“So that’s the case...” Lu Zhiying nodded in understanding.
Zhao Yunxiao: “...”
Maybe he should not be sharing these giant tree ostrich eggs with these ingrates after all.
That will show them the true meaning of always keeping things for himself!