How Come Xiao Yi Xian Was Here?

Ruyi Zhai's back kitchen.

Though it was afternoon, no one came to buy pastries, so Xiao Cheng simply went to the back kitchen to experiment with new confections. He was taking stock of the tools needed to make Cream Cake, as well as the necessary ingredients and fruit.

After a while, he nodded in satisfaction.

"The ingredients are all ready. Next, it's time to make the Cream Cake. I think I should make the cream base first."

The process of making the cream base was quite complicated, especially the step of whipping the egg whites, which was downright painful.

First, he prepared several eggs, separated the whites from the yolks, and placed them in two separate bowls.

He added sugar, a little water, and a little oil to the bowl containing the yolks, then stirred everything evenly.

Then he sifted some flour into it and mixed it into cake batter.

Next came whipping the egg whites.

He added a few drops of lemon juice, a little salt, and granulated sugar to the egg whites. This would help whip them up. Once the egg whites formed stiff white foam, they were ready.

Without a whipping machine for this step, one's hands would suffer terribly. They would definitely cramp from all that whipping.

Fortunately, Xiao Dian had a dedicated mixer. With the press of a button, the whisk beneath it spun rapidly through the egg whites.

Fifteen minutes passed, and the egg whites were whipped.

Finally, he folded the cake batter into the whipped egg whites. Once it was thoroughly mixed, he placed it in the oven to bake.

Xiao Cheng set the temperature to one hundred and fifty degrees and the timer for one hour.

Sometimes, cakes cracked because the temperature was too high and the baking time too short. He was not someone who rushed for quick results, so it was fine to lower the temperature and bake it a little longer.

Besides, he would not be making this pastry often in the future. Customers would have to place orders in advance.

They could order on the first day and have it made on the second, leaving him time to handle other matters.

He would also have to limit the number of Cream Cakes made, which gave Xiao Cheng a bit of a headache.

"How many people should I set it at? Maybe ten to start with. Once there are ten orders, I'll stop taking reservations."

Just as he was thinking this, a customer entered the shop.

"Is anyone here?"

"Please wait a moment. I'll be right there."

Xiao Cheng checked the oven. The cake had only just begun baking, so there was plenty of time. He walked out of the back kitchen.

He was about to apologize to the customer when he froze.

She wore a pale white dress and had an ordinary face, yet she was undeniably beautiful. A fresh, ethereal air radiated from her, making her all the more charming.

But Xiao Cheng's mind had gone blank. Wasn't this Xiao Yi Xian from Qingshan Town?

How had she learned about Ruyi Zhai in Wutan City? This did not make much sense.

Well, the original plot of Battle Through the Heavens had already been thoroughly disrupted by his little butterfly effect, so it did not prove anything.

"Hello, I'm Xiao Yi Xian, a physician from Myriad Medicine Zhai in Qingshan Town. I heard people in town saying that a small shop in Wutan City sold things that could increase Dou Qi. I was curious, so I came to take a look," Xiao Yi Xian said with a smile.

Her faint smile and fresh, ethereal aura left Xiao Cheng somewhat entranced, but he still gave a few dry coughs before speaking.

"Cough, cough. Um, hello. I'm Xiao Cheng, the owner of Ruyi Zhai. You can call me Shop Owner Xiao or Xiao Cheng. What pastries would you like?"

"Can all the things here called pastries increase Dou Qi?"

Xiao Yi Xian pointed at the pastries beneath the glass covers and asked Xiao Cheng.

"No, no. Some can increase Dou Qi, while others have different effects. To be honest, even I don't know what effects the pastries I make will have."

Xiao Cheng shook his head, looking a little awkward.

It was true that he did not know what effects his own pastries had.

Whenever Xiao Cheng made pastries, no detailed information appeared after they were finished, and Xiao Dian never told him why.

So he could not be bothered to ask. Wasn't it nice enough to just make pastries in peace?

"I see. Then could you introduce these pastries to me?"

Xiao Yi Xian smiled at Xiao Cheng.

Seeing her smile, Xiao Cheng felt all the day's unhappiness vanish in an instant. He began introducing them to her.

He started with Peach Pastry and went all the way to Honeyed Shortbread, explaining everything in great detail.

Perhaps it was because he had met Xiao Yi Xian, who made him happy.

"That's about it for the pastries. Their prices are on the wooden board over there. You can take a look yourself."

Following the direction Xiao Cheng pointed, Xiao Yi Xian looked at the wooden board. She covered her little mouth in surprise, her face full of astonishment.

The prices of these pastries were almost enough to buy several batches of medicine from Myriad Medicine Zhai.

"I'll take three Peach Pastries and three Peanut Candies. I'll buy the Honeyed Shortbread next time I come. I came in a hurry and didn't bring enough gold coins."

She gave Xiao Cheng a faint smile to hide her embarrassment.

"No problem. Please wait a moment."

Xiao Cheng wrapped the pastries and handed them to Xiao Yi Xian.

After taking the gold coins, Xiao Cheng suddenly remembered that Xiao Yan seemed to have gone to train in Tagor Desert after completing the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, carrying the Mysterious Heavy Ruler Old Yao had given him. He had passed through Qingshan Town, fought the young leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group over a fortuitous opportunity, and thus formed a grudge.

Then, after Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Yan destroyed the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, the matter of the Calamity Poison Body came later.

He suddenly wanted to change this pitiful girl's fate. She was such a sweet and kind girl, yet because she possessed the Calamity Poison Body, she had to consume vast amounts of poison every time. It was truly heartbreaking.

"Please wait, Xiao Yi Xian."

He suddenly called out to her.

"Shop Owner, is there something else?"

Xiao Yi Xian had just reached the entrance when she turned back and asked in confusion.

"If anything unusual happens to your body, you can come find me. I might be able to help you."

He thought for a long time before finally saying those words.

He truly wanted to help Xiao Yi Xian escape the suffering of the Calamity Poison Body. He just did not know whether the pastries from Xiao Dian's Quest Rewards included a special pastry that could cure Xiao Yi Xian's Calamity Poison Body.

Xiao Yi Xian froze upon hearing Xiao Cheng's words, and a storm surged through her heart.

She could not understand how this shop owner knew there was something wrong with her body. Yet she could sense that Shop Owner Xiao sincerely wanted to help her.

This stirred faint ripples in Xiao Yi Xian's heart and brought her a touch of warmth.

She gave Xiao Cheng a sweet smile, nodded, and said, "I will. Thank you."

After waving goodbye to Xiao Yi Xian, Xiao Cheng calmed his complicated emotions, let out a deep breath, and asked Xiao Dian, "Xiao Dian, do you have any pastries that can cure the Calamity Poison Body?"

Yes, but the host lacks sufficient authority and cannot access that information.

"Xiao Dian, stop giving me useless answers. Is there any chance of obtaining that kind of pastry through Quest Rewards?"

Xiao Dian seemed to fall silent.

More than ten seconds later, Xiao Dian's mechanical voice replied.

There is only a two percent chance. It will be very difficult.

"Fine. I was thinking too much."

Xiao Cheng smiled. As expected, it would not be easy to obtain a pastry capable of curing the Calamity Poison Body. But it was fine. He had plenty of time. At worst, he could first use pastries that suppressed the Calamity Poison Body to ease Xiao Yi Xian's condition.

To make sure nothing went wrong with the cake base in the oven, Xiao Cheng returned to the back kitchen.

After leaving Ruyi Zhai, Xiao Yi Xian felt conflicted. She turned back to look at Ruyi Zhai's signboard before finally withdrawing her gaze and preparing to return to Qingshan Town.