Chen Mu had a dream.
He dreamed that he had turned into a fish, first gutted and scaled, the pain leaving him half-dead.
Then, while still fresh, he was thrown into a huge pot. The boiling water inside burbled with steam, and countless unrecognizable seasonings floated on the surface. The smell... was actually quite fragrant!
Judging by his culinary experience, the seasoning proportions were decent, but the cook's skills were somewhat lacking. He could not control the heat and only knew how to stew it fiercely over high heat.
The stewing left him parched and drenched in sweat, and then he woke from the heat.
His whole body was sore, aching, and weak. It took tremendous effort before he finally managed to pry his heavy eyelids open a crack.
Then he discovered that he was soaking in a large wooden bucket. The first thing he saw was a blanket of white steam. Lowering his gaze, he saw densely packed medicinal herbs being pushed up by bubbling water.
When he looked up again, Chen Mu saw Shen Yan wearing a strange expression. His still-sluggish mind could not help asking, "Old Ghost Shen, are you planning to stew me into soup?"
Shen Yan looked at Chen Mu's face, so swollen that his eyes had been squeezed into slits, amusement written all over his face. "No, no, no. I merely wanted to braise some pork head meat."
Chen Mu dazedly looked at Shen Yan, then at the boiling water in the wooden bucket, and let out a deep sigh.
"Old Ghost, take my advice and find another cook. The heat's too high..." With that, Chen Mu's head drooped, and he fell asleep again.
Shen Yan: "..."
He looked regretfully at Shi Dechun and the others beside him.
"What a pity I don't have