Making Cream Cakes

Chen Ning had no idea what Su Ling'er was thinking. He only felt that being around Xiao Mei put him under some pressure. The witch's skill at seduction was profoundly advanced; if his resolve hadn't been firm, she would have bewitched him, turning his soul upside down long ago.

But Xiao Mei at least knew when to advance and when to retreat, and she could read the room. She didn't continue to disturb them and soon left the courtyard.

After Xiao Mei left, Chen Ning wasn't the only one who secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Su Ling'er did too.

That bad woman has finally left.

Su Ling'er looked down at her chest and couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

That bad woman has a great figure and dresses so sexily and seductively. It really seems like I can't compare...

But the little loli soon came up with a plan. She had the advantage of being closest to the water: she and her sect master brother were inseparable every day, and that was something the bad woman couldn't match.

Looks like I'll have to let sect master brother see less of her from now on...

Su Ling'er thought to herself, then instinctively puffed out her chest.

After the meal, the system issued another mission.

"Ding! Would you like to accept the limited-time mission [Make a Dessert]?"

"I accept."

Chen Ning had been waiting for a mission. He could only grow stronger through the system, so why wouldn't he accept?

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for starting the mission [Make a Dessert]."

Mission description: Cang Yue, the sect's grand elder, has a taste for sweets. Please make her a dessert.

Mission time limit: three days

Mission rewards: a basic reward of three cultivation levels and one rare reward. Depending on the degree of mission completion, there is a chance of obtaining a random spirit beast egg.

Penalty for mission failure: previous mission rewards will be revoked.

Chen Ning was a little dumbfounded as he listened to the mission description. Did it have to be so absurd every time?

Last time, it had been the head of the Law Enforcement Hall. This time, it was the grand elder herself. Although the mission didn't seem difficult on the surface—he only had to make a dessert, and it even seemed a little easy.

But who could have imagined the pressure Chen Ning bore behind each of his seemingly easy and leisurely missions?

Either way, he couldn't keep dawdling. Time was limited, so he had to get moving.

Chen Ning told Su Ling'er to watch the house and immediately headed out, determined to reach Verdant Peak, where the grand elder was, as quickly as possible.

He took out the Divine Speed Talisman, eager to test its effect.

After he crushed it, his spiritual sense stirred slightly, and his whole body seemed to become light and nimble, like a feather.

His speed soared.

In just a few steps, he had traveled a hundred li. Wind rushed beneath his feet, and the scenery around him flew backward.

"At this speed, I should reach Verdant Peak soon."

Chen Ning felt a little more at ease and could only marvel that the [Heaven-Reaching Talisman] truly deserved to be called a high-grade heaven-tier cultivation technique.

Even the ordinary talismans inscribed with it could have such an effect. If he could inscribe a top-grade talisman as recorded in the [Heaven-Reaching Talisman], it would surely be even more incredibly powerful.

Unfortunately, his success rate wasn't high. Only three out of ten talismans were usable, and he had to throw away the other seven, but Chen Ning wasn't discouraged.

If he practiced diligently from now on, sooner or later he would succeed in inscribing a top-grade talisman.

Before long, Chen Ning arrived at Verdant Peak.

But instead of going to see Cang Yue first, he went to the kitchen and asked for a room. He was going to prepare the dessert.

Chen Ning didn't know how to make anything too complicated, so he had to settle for the simplest option: cream cake.

Chen Ning had tried several kinds of the sect kitchen's pastries. They tasted mediocre, and most importantly, they weren't sweet enough. If he made pastries too, there was no telling whether they would win Cang Yue over.

To complete the mission perfectly, Chen Ning decided to make the first cream cake in this world.

Not only would it taste good and have a soft, tender texture, but it would also stand out against those ordinary pastries.

The process actually wasn't very complicated.

First, he made the cream.

Chen Ning called over several of the kitchen's cooks and had them start beating a large basin of egg whites mixed with powdered sugar.

He added powdered sugar, flour, milk, and a pinch of salt to the separated egg yolks. Once the egg whites had been whipped to a creamy consistency, they could be poured into the prepared yolks.

Chen Ning also mixed the cake batter himself, doing the work with his own hands.

Before long, he had made several fragrant cakes.

For now, though, the cakes he had made could only be called egg cakes. They still had to cool before he could coat them with cream and finish them off. Only then would they be true cream cakes.

Chen Ning really wanted the spirit beast egg mentioned in the mission rewards, so he put a great deal of effort into making the cakes, striving to do his best.

Just hearing about the spirit beast egg had already made Chen Ning want it badly.

After all, who wouldn't want a spirit beast companion of their own?

It would be best if it were especially mighty and imposing, something like a demonic tiger or a giant wolf.

"Sect Master, is this ready?"

One of the cooks came over carrying a large basin of beaten egg whites and asked him.

"That should do it. Thanks for your hard work."

Chen Ning took a look. It looked good. Whether he could successfully make cream cake in this world and obtain the spirit beast egg reward would all come down to today.

The cooks around him cast curious glances his way. They had thought the sect master was making a surprise inspection of the kitchen, but instead, he had rolled up his sleeves and started making cakes himself.

To be precise, the sect master called the thing a cream cake.

At first, he had frightened them badly, leaving them flustered and unsure what to do. Rumors were spreading throughout the sect that the sect master had scared the eighth elder to the ground with a single sentence, so they could only tread carefully and do as he instructed.

But as a few of the younger cooks watched, their attention shifted from the cakes to the man himself.

"The sect master is so handsome!"

"Yes, he doesn't look nearly as fierce as the rumors say..."

"He's so handsome that I wouldn't mind if he were a little fierce."

Chen Ning noticed the cooks whispering, but paid them no mind. Instead, he smiled faintly and said, "Don't just stand there. Hurry and bring me all the fruit I asked for."

"Yes, Sect Master."

By evening, everything was ready, and all four cakes were finished.

Chen Ning had carefully decorated them with fruit to make them look prettier.

There was also a test cake. After he and several cooks tasted it, they found it perfect too, excellent in both flavor and texture.

The cooks loved it.

There's no way I can't handle one imperial dynasty spy!

"Your Highness, the sect master spent the whole afternoon busy in the kitchen."

"Did he do anything else?"

"No."

Cang Yue put a grape into her mouth, a look of surprise appearing on her exquisite face.

She felt that she understood this sect master less and less.

He was clearly a mortal, yet he had somehow gained cultivation and could trigger the Azure Cloud Rite's jade stone.

He clearly had nothing to rely on, yet even Wine Maniac and the Sword Immortal held him in great reverence.

What she understood even less was why Chen Ning, a high-level talisman master, had come all the way to Verdant Peak's kitchen to experiment with cakes.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

Outside, Chen Ning stood carrying the cakes, knocking calmly on the door.