Chapter 708: Exquisite Craftsmanship

In just a few moments, Lian Baiping obtained a handful of dried vegetables from the Chen family. He returned to Juyuan Small Pavilion in less than the time it takes for half a cup of tea to steep. After greeting those in the courtyard, he personally delivered the vegetables to the kitchen door.

“Mr. Ji, the dried vegetables are here, just one handful.”

“Hmm, good. Bring them in.”

“Yes!”

Lian Baiping lightly shook his sleeve, letting all the dried vegetables fall out. He caught them in his hands and entered the kitchen.

The kitchen at Juyuan Small Pavilion had only one door and one small window, but it wasn't dim inside. Ji Yuan was chopping ingredients on a cutting board beside the stove, and the fire in the earthen stove constantly flickered.

“Sir, the dried vegetables.”

“Yes, place them evenly on this wooden basin.”

Lian Baiping looked at a medium-sized wooden basin on the small wooden table. It was lined with a layer of thin gauze and seemed perfectly sized to hold an entire fish.

Following Ji Yuan's instructions, Lian Baiping spread the handful of dried vegetables evenly. Then he watched Ji Yuan sprinkle some chopped ingredients onto them, place the remaining fish pieces into the basin, and then embed more dried vegetables into the gaps between the fish.

“Decades ago, when I was traveling on the Chunmu River by boat, an old fisherman once made dried vegetable steamed fish. Even after all these years, I still remember it fondly.”

“Then we are truly fortunate today, to have you, Sir, personally prepare this dish!”

Ji Yuan lifted the wooden basin and placed it on a pot fitted with a steamer basket. He covered it, then looked at Lian Baiping.

“How much does the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion know about my affairs? How much about the matters of heaven and earth? And how much about the future?”

Lian Baiping immediately felt immense pressure. These three questions were increasingly profound, and while he could barely answer the first, the latter two were too vast. He knew Mr. Ji’s questions were not about ordinary matters, yet he still didn't know where to begin.

“Regarding your questions, Sir, we should be able to get some answers when we go to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. I dare not make any grand promises, but I can assure you that the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion will certainly not treat you lightly.”

Lian Baiping spoke sincerely, but without making absolute promises. Ji Yuan also knew his questions were somewhat vague, but he didn't dare to ask too specific questions, as that could be dangerous. So he simply nodded.

“Fellow Daoist Lian, please wait outside. I’ll let you know when the meal is ready.”

“Uh, I can help stoke the fire.”

Lian Baiping clearly wanted to stay in the kitchen longer, but seeing Ji Yuan shake his head, he could only smile, bow, and leave.

Outside, Zaoniang was still reading. When Lian Baiping came out, she put down her book and refilled his teacup.

“Fellow Daoist Lian, what were you discussing with Mr. Ji?”

Pei Zheng asked casually. He was quite familiar with the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, so he had fewer reservations, especially with the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion’s current high regard for Jade Embrace Mountain, seemingly on par with some truly prestigious sects.

“Oh, nothing much. Mr. Ji just has some things he wants to learn from my Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, and he asked a few questions in advance. Naturally, my Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion will be glad to assist.”

As he spoke, Lian Baiping looked up at the jujube tree in the courtyard again. Within its canopy, faint streams of light flickered, and behind them were large green jujubes hidden among the branches and leaves. But there were also some more indistinct areas within the foliage, from which an obscure red glow occasionally emanated.

‘Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root!’

Lian Baiping’s peripheral vision swept towards Zaoniang. This quiet woman, who was reading, should be the spirit of the spiritual root. He wondered if the fruit of the spiritual root was ripe yet.

However, soon, both the tea drinker and the reader could no longer maintain their composure. The aroma from the kitchen grew increasingly rich. As the last basin of fish was cooked, Ji Yuan released the sealed aromas from the other two dishes, letting them waft and fill the courtyard of Juyuan Small Pavilion.

“All right, dinner is served.”

Because the fish were large, the containers for them were also large: one wooden basin and two large soup bowls. They were carried by a gentle breeze to the stone table in the courtyard. Ji Yuan also walked out of the kitchen, holding a large wooden rice bucket.

The tea set on the stone table had already been cleared by Zaoniang as soon as the kitchen aroma spread. Three large basins of dishes were placed on the table, and even immortal cultivators couldn’t help but salivate.

Adding a stool, five people gathered around the table in the courtyard. After a few polite words, they all began to eat. It was rare to see cultivators, especially high-ranking immortals, gathered together eating so heartily. And today, these few ate with particular gusto.

To be honest, although Lian Baiping had imagined Mr. Ji’s cooking would be good, its quality far exceeded his expectations. Eating these dishes was no longer just about tasting; it was a feeling that transcended pure flavor, profound and hard to describe, yet it brought immense joy to body and mind. He couldn’t stop, directly eating three large bowls without even remembering to speak much with Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan was in a similar situation. He had originally thought it would be nice to chat during dinner, but who knew these high-ranking cultivators would eat so ferociously? Their table manners were good, appearing gentle and refined, not at all uncouth. But that elegance and composure did not hinder the frequency of their chopsticks, forcing Ji Yuan to also take eating seriously.

“Grumble...”

A deep and peculiar sound emerged, seemingly from nowhere, striking everyone’s hearts and making them instantly pause their chopsticks. Only Ji Yuan continued as usual, picking up fish and eating his rice.

“Uh, Mr. Ji, did you hear a strange sound just now?”

Qiu Feng asked cautiously. This was Juyuan Small Pavilion, and no sound could escape Mr. Ji’s ears, so he couldn’t have missed it.

Indeed, Ji Yuan nodded.

“I heard it. Just continue eating; no need to mind it.”

Hearing this, Zaoniang immediately continued eating fish, trusting Ji Yuan a hundred percent. Moreover, eating the fish made her feel warm and clearly provided great benefits.

The others, seeing Ji Yuan’s attitude, dared not ask further and also resumed their meal.

The three large basins of fish, prepared in different ways, along with the huge bucket of rice, were all eaten clean, not a single grain of rice left.

After a few polite exchanges, Ji Yuan saw Qiu Feng, Pei Zheng, and Lian Baiping off, telling them to wait at Jade Embrace Mountain. Lian Baiping had initially prepared to shamelessly ask to stay at Juyuan Small Pavilion, but Ji Yuan preemptively stated that Juyuan Small Pavilion was temporarily inconvenient for guests, effectively stopping the long-bearded elder’s request before he could make it.

After the guests had departed, Zaoniang was still cleaning up in the courtyard when a voice from within Ji Yuan’s sleeve could no longer hold back.

“Ji Yuan, why did you seal the scroll just now?”

Zaoniang glanced at Ji Yuan upon hearing the voice but then continued her work. Ji Yuan, meanwhile, smiled and pulled out the Xiezhi scroll.

“Your swallowing sounds like thunder; it scared my guests.”

There was a brief silence from the scroll, then the Xiezhi’s voice came again.

“I never thought, Ji Yuan... you possessed such remarkable skill... This food... is truly excellent... Um, Ji Yuan, we’ve known each other long enough, haven’t we?”

Ji Yuan counted on his fingers.

“Not many years. This amount of time is probably just a nap for you.”

“That’s not true... Don’t you, Mr. Ji, most enjoy wandering through the mundane world, observing the joys and sorrows of mortals, and gaining insight into human nature through their births, old age, sickness, and death? The time we’ve known each other, amidst this rolling red dust, is certainly not short!”

Ji Yuan twitched his lips and said nothing more, getting straight to the point.

“There’s still one whole piece of rice crust left. Some with a little salt, some with a little honey. We can split it. Want some?”

“Yes!”

Okay, it was indeed just about satisfying that craving. Ji Yuan increasingly suspected that what was on the scroll wasn’t a Xiezhi at all, but rather a Taotie.

Ji Yuan went to the kitchen. There was still residual warmth in the stove. After thinking for a moment, Ji Yuan took out a few appropriately sized sweet potatoes from his sleeve and directly threw them into the stove, covering them with charcoal and wood ash using tongs. Then he approached the pot, felt the temperature, took a small pinch of salt and sprinkled it evenly, and with a flick of his hand, scooped a small blob of honey from a nearby jar, forming a thin film that covered the rice crust.

“Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...”

Under the heat of the stove fire and the iron pot, an enticing sizzling sound rang out for a moment. Then Ji Yuan used the spatula to pry, and an entire pan-shaped piece of rice crust was lifted.

“Crunch...”

The rice crust was divided in two, and the Xiezhi scroll was already hovering beside the small kitchen table, its drawn eyes intently fixed on Ji Yuan’s hand.

“The left piece is clearly bigger, Ji Yuan, you have to be fair!”

“Well, I just ate. The left one’s for you.”

Ji Yuan didn’t tease the Xiezhi. He simply flicked the left half of the rice crust towards the Xiezhi scroll. A black-inked Xiezhi claw instantly extended, caught it, and pulled the rice crust back into the painting.

“Crunch... crunch... crunch, crunch, crunch...”

Soon, the crisp sounds of eating and chewing the rice crust filled the kitchen.

“Sometimes, I really wonder if you’re a Xiezhi or a Taotie?”

“Of course, I’m a Xiezhi! If you don’t believe me, you can have the officials of the Da Zhen Imperial Censorate swear an oath before me.”

Ji Yuan’s eyes lit up as he remembered something. In his previous life, he did seem to recall legends of officials in charge of law worshipping Xiezhi.

“Ji Yuan...”

“What now?”

“I’m finished eating...”

“Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch...”

“Alright, I’m finished too.”