Junior sister Pan Yu was deeply favored by their martial uncle within the sect, who had even given her a highly precious Small Sumeru Bag. Even Pan Shi, her Senior Brother, envied her for it.
But that was his junior sister's good fortune. Though Pan Shi was covetous, he was not jealous.
Yet her Small Sumeru Bag contained none of the good things related to cultivation, only a jumble of bottles and jars. In her words, these were her treasures.
At first, Pan Shi felt that his junior sister was wasting Heaven's gifts and was deeply distressed over it.
But after tasting her cooking by chance once, even Pan Shi, who had entered the False Eater Realm and could fast while cultivating, was utterly astounded.
The key was that his junior sister had put all those treasures of hers to use, creating such exquisite mortal delicacies.
Among them were cumin and chili peppers, two things Pan Shi could never forget.
Unfortunately, his junior sister treated them as priceless treasures. Even Pan Shi, her Senior Brother, had only tasted them a few times.
This time, he could take advantage of Fellow Daoist Yang's presence, so Pan Shi had Pan Yu take out all her good things and let Yang An have a taste as well.
These disciples of hidden great sects might all seem unfathomably profound, but such peerless mortal flavors would surely earn their highest praise.
Hearing Pan Shi's words, Pan Yu hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Although she could not stand her Senior Brother acting like such a bootlicker and teased him about it now and then, she still had to give him face.
Still, when she took out the Small Sumeru Bag at her waist, a pained expression inevitably appeared on her face.
Ever since tasting the delicacies of another world in an illusion, Pan Yu had wanted to gather those seasonings that could turn ordinary food into delicious fare.
After a long period of effort, along with the help of her fellow disciples at Three Pine Mountain, she had finally collected some of the ingredients.
Only she had enough standing to draw upon the sect's resources. Other disciples might not have been able to accomplish this.
But even with the help of many fellow disciples, the seasoning ingredients she had obtained were not plentiful.
To her, every bit of these things used was one bit less. Who knew when she would find more? Thus, Pan Yu treasured them greatly.
She took several bottles and jars out of the Small Sumeru Bag in succession, each one bearing a label.
Fine salt... chili peppers... cumin... pepper... sesame... crushed peanuts...
At the sight, a smile immediately spread uncontrollably across Pan Shi's face. Thinking that he would once again taste these delicacies—especially the chili peppers that had left such a deep impression on him—he nearly began to drool.
Junior sister truly gave him face!
His years of looking after her had not been in vain!
"Fellow Daoist Yang, these are all good things that my junior sister normally would not take out lightly. To help her find them, everyone at Three Pine Mountain worked for a very long time. In all the world, only my junior sister likely possesses such rare treasures. They will surely leave you lingering over the taste. You must have a proper try."
He did not forget to remind Yang An, indirectly praising Pan Yu as well.
But what Pan Shi did not know was that, upon seeing Pan Yu take out those familiar seasonings, Yang An had already frozen completely, while his heart churned like rivers and seas overturned.
This...
How did she have these things?!
That should not be possible!!
In the memories left behind by his predecessor, food in this era came in all shapes and forms, but flavoring seasonings were exceedingly rare.
No matter what kind of food it was, from nobles and high officials to peddlers and laborers, everyone regarded freshness as the finest taste.
Put simply, they favored flavors close to nature's original taste.
The root cause was the lack of seasonings.
As far as Yang An's predecessor knew, the only seasonings ordinary people could use were salt, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and vinegar. Wealthier families could also use sugar, wine, chives, plums, and the like, but that was all.
Thus, the food of this era either tasted somewhat sweet or somewhat sour, or else retained its original flavor.
Put nicely, it was called fresh. Put badly, it was fishy and gamey.
During the time Yang An had spent in this world, he had missed Earth's delicacies beyond measure. He had even awakened hungry in the dead of night, unable to fall back asleep.
But now, seeing Pan Yu take out all kinds of seasonings that were incomparably familiar to him, he nearly failed to hold back his emotions.
As an ordinary person of modern society who had received a good education, even if his knowledge of history was limited, he still possessed the basics.
The things Pan Yu had taken out—let alone in this world—even compared to ancient Earth, many of them had been introduced from abroad. They simply had not existed domestically.
If Pan Yu had merely taken out one of these seasonings, Yang An could still have believed she had encountered it by chance.
But taking out several seasonings that were exceedingly familiar even to modern people could not be explained away with a single phrase like coincidence.
In that instant, the internet slang that had slipped from Pan Yu's mouth the night before, just before he lost consciousness, flashed through Yang An's mind. A thought suddenly arose within him.
Could she be a transmigrator too?!
Hiss!
The moment that thought arose, Yang An could not help drawing a sharp breath in his heart.
Because judging from all the signs Pan Yu had displayed, the possibility of that guess was practically boundless.
Meanwhile, Pan Shi and Pan Yu had not noticed Yang An's abnormal state.
Seeing that his junior sister had generously taken out the things he had longed for, Pan Shi happily reached for the bottles and jars on the ground, intending to pour the seasonings out over the meat that was about to finish roasting.
Pan Yu hurriedly grabbed his sleeve and said through gritted teeth:
"Senior Brother, have mercy!"
"Hehe, don't worry, junior sister."
Pan Shi smiled and nodded. He knew that Pan Yu had always regarded these things as treasures. They were only letting Fellow Daoist Yang have a taste, and even he would feel pained if too much were used. Naturally, he would not waste much. At the same time, he gave Pan Yu a look that said, "Senior Brother understands. Just put your mind at ease."
Only then did Pan Yu release him. It hurt to use them, but who did not want to eat something good?
They had slept in the wind and eaten in the open while traveling these past days, really making herself suffer. Later, she would have to let loose and give them a little foodie shock!
As Pan Shi sprinkled the various seasonings over the golden roasted meat, crisp on the outside and tender within, glistening with charred juices, fragrance immediately filled the air and rushed into their noses.
At that moment, all three of their stomachs growled in unison, as though they could no longer wait.
When Pan Shi finally sprinkled on the chili powder his junior sister had ground, he turned the roasting meat over the fire and inhaled its aroma, nearly unable to stop himself from drooling.
Yet he still maintained his composure as best he could, first tearing off a large piece of tender hind leg meat and handing it to Yang An.
"Fellow Daoist, hurry and taste it. With such a mortal delicacy, once you pass this village, there will be no such shop."
"Good! Many thanks, Fellow Daoist!"
Yang An accepted the roasted meat Pan Shi handed him. He had missed this rich aroma countless times over the past few days, and now he felt as though he were dreaming, as if he were still on Earth.
Although he already could not wait to taste the flavor from his memories, he wanted even more to confirm his suspicion, so he looked toward Pan Yu.
"Fellow Daoist Pan Yu, I have a question I would like you to help answer. Would you be willing to clear up my confusion?"
Before Pan Shi could make a move, Pan Yu had already gotten ready to tear off a piece of roasted meat for herself, paying no attention at all to her image.
Hearing Yang An's words, she turned her head and looked at him in puzzlement.
"Hm? What is it?"
This was the first time Yang An had taken the initiative to speak to her. She nodded, but her hands did not stop moving. With her sleeves rolled up, she easily tore off the other hind leg.
Yang An first drew a deep breath, then asked a question that could confirm his suspicion, one whose answer only a modern person could know.
"Fellow Daoist, have you ever heard of the Pythagorean theorem?"
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