Yogurt Making Technique

Clang!

"Time to open the gates!"

As the first light of dawn appeared, a gong sounded, and the great iron doors of the Corpse Burning Room opened one after another.

Qin He stepped out of the Corpse Burning Room carrying Horse Butcher's ashes.

Xu Changshou had opened the door. He looked delighted to see Qin He alive and said, "You can sit out tonight."

Qin He immediately felt that this was not a reward, but a punishment.

One corpse meant one reward.

But there was no way to say that. What could he say—that burning corpses earned him rewards?

Or that he was addicted to burning corpses?

Absolutely not.

Keep a low profile. He had to keep a low profile.

Otherwise, people would think he was crazy, an idiot. Worse still, that traitorous Vice Minister who had thrown in his lot with the Di Barbarians might be keeping an eye on the Corpse Burning Facility.

Still, Qin He asked why Horse Butcher's corpse had returned to the Corpse Burning Facility. Shouldn't the Flying Fish Guard have handled it?

Xu Changshou now counted Qin He as a friend, so he said, "Things haven't been peaceful lately. The Flying Fish Guard can't handle everything over there. For a while from now on, unless a corpse is especially vicious, we'll have to deal with it ourselves."

Qin He pressed him on what exactly "not peaceful" meant.

Xu Changshou shook his head and said he did not know much either. He had only heard that some inexplicable things had slipped into the Capital City lately, and they were dangerous.

Qin He froze for a moment, unsure whether that was good news or bad.

After the sun rose, Qin He did not go eat breakfast. Yesterday's huge meal of noodles would probably keep hunger at bay for three to five days.

Carrying Horse Butcher's ashes, Qin He went outside the city, dug a pit, and buried them.

Horse Butcher had taken a death in his place. This was the only small thing Qin He could do for him.

Liu Chengji, the Scholar of Longchuan, was buried beside him. The two of them together at least had each other for company.

Though Qin He did not know whether a scholar and a butcher would have anything to talk about.

The following day and night passed rather dully for Qin He.

Before, he had always thought that since he had to work at night, he needed to rest and preserve his strength during the day. If his body grew too weak, his Yang Energy would weaken too, and trouble would come easily.

Now, that urgency was gone.

He was sitting out tonight, and fifteen years of inner strength meant he did not get sleepy easily either.

Curled up in a corner, Qin He could not help wondering whether he should visit Old Alley Entrance.

Crippled Li might not have fifty copper coins, but Qin He did.

Hadn't he saved thirty copper coins by skipping yesterday's and today's meals?

He could bring Crippled Li along to show him the way, while helping him fulfill his glorious dream of striving for the continuation of humanity.

And contribute a little more GDP to the Great Li Dynasty.

Right? What a wonderful thing that would be.

How did that saying go? When prosperous, aid the world; when poor, cultivate oneself alone.

They had carried guns together, they had done that together... the more brothers one had, the more roads opened before him, right?

But on second thought, that did not seem right either. Fifty copper coins—what if she was a dinosaur?

When spending money to buy warmth, you got what you paid for.

For fifty copper coins, she was most likely a dinosaur.

Qin He suddenly felt that Crippled Li's glorious image had grown several sizes taller.

With nothing to do, Qin He waited until nightfall, until the Corpse Burning Facility began work, then tucked a bowl into his clothes and headed out.

What was he doing?

Making yogurt.

Before coming to this world, Qin He had been a foodie. The Eight Great Cuisines, barbecue and skewers, spicy snacks, dark cuisine... there was hardly anything he had not eaten. His palate was extraordinarily picky.

In this world, let alone sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors—even salt itself was used sparingly.

Half a roast goose tasted like it had been boiled in plain water. Qin He was craving flavor terribly. He could not count on anything else, so there was only one option: yogurt.

Yesterday, he had passed a cattle market where they kept quite a few cows with calves. He would get some from there.

Xu Changshou, who was on night duty, saw Qin He walking out and asked, "Heading out?"

"This lowly one is going for a walk." Qin He grinned.

"Fine. It's rare for you to have a night off." Xu Changshou nodded and did not ask further. He only reminded him, "The docks aren't under curfew, but don't go too far. It wouldn't be good if the patrolling constables misunderstood. Go early and come back early."

"This lowly one understands. Thank you, sir." Qin He agreed and left the Corpse Burning Facility.

Turning back for a look, he saw the entire Corpse Burning Facility shrouded in a faint haze. Black smoke rose slowly from the Corpse Burning Room roof, writhing in the night wind like black serpents, eerie beyond measure.

Shaking his head, Qin He headed for the cattle market.

The cattle market was pitch-black inside, without even a single lamp.

He walked around and found no one. Fine, he would save some money. If you did it yourself, you would have food and clothing in abundance.

Feeling his way deeper inside, Qin He reached the cattle shed.

The cows noticed this uninvited visitor and lowed a few times, but soon quieted down.

Qin He looked left and right. It was simply too dark to see anything; he could only make out the vague outlines of the herd.

Having sneaked in, he did not dare strike a tinder stick. He would take whichever cow he happened to find. Squatting down, he reached beneath one and found an udder.

The cow let out an uneasy low and even turned its head to look at Qin He.

"Shh, don't be afraid. I'm just borrowing a little food."

Qin He hurriedly stroked its back to soothe it. Once it calmed down, he immediately began milking.

But after squeezing for ages, not a drop of milk came out.

Qin He was speechless. He had milked cows in his previous life, and milk had come out easily. It seemed the breed was the problem.

This was a yellow ox for plowing fields, not a dairy cow.

Then he would have to speed up. Shadowless Hand activated.

When you focused wholeheartedly, your hand speed became unimaginably fast.

As expected of a skill, milk soon began to flow.

The only problem was that the cow kept grunting and did not cooperate much.

Before long, Qin He had milked a bowl full of cow's milk.

He climbed over the cattle shed wall and called it a job well done, then headed back to the Corpse Burning Facility.

Xu Changshou had gone somewhere, and the other three constables on duty were gone as well. Qin He went straight back to the Corpse Burning Room.

Taking the bowl of milk from his clothes, Qin He found that it was certainly white enough, but a little too thick, and the smell was a little too strong.

The gap between breeds was everywhere.

Still, thickness was not a problem. He could just add some water. As for the strong smell, it might disappear once the yogurt was finished.

Yogurt Making Technique was, in truth, very simple. Boil the milk, stir it around and simmer it for a while, then let it cool and wait one night.

What? Add yeast? Add sugar?

Sorry, this was Qin He's skill. It did not require those things.

As for the principle behind it, he had no idea. Do not ask; if you did, the answer was magic.

Adding water and starting a fire, Qin He got to work.

When two flowers bloomed, each told of a different branch.

Now, back to Xu Changshou. Not long after Qin He returned to the Corpse Burning Facility, Xu Changshou was nowhere to be seen. Where had he gone?

Let us turn back time.

Just after Qin He left the Corpse Burning Facility, Xu Changshou saw a woman in white stumbling toward them from ahead, crying for help. Behind her, several bandits carrying blades seemed to be chasing her.

Xu Changshou's heart tightened, and he immediately called to the three constables.

The four hurriedly grabbed their sabers and formed a defensive stance.

Before long, the woman in white reached them. Her gauze skirt was stained with blood, and her face was full of frantic panic, like pear blossoms soaked in rain. She cried out again and again, "Sir, save me! Save me!"

"What happened?" Xu Changshou asked.

The woman pointed at the people chasing after her and said, "Sir, they are Di Barbarian spies, disguised as Flying Fish Guards... committing murder everywhere. So many people have died outside."

"Di Barbarian spies?!"

Xu Changshou's scalp went tight, and the other three constables' expressions changed drastically as well.

The Great Li Dynasty was now beset by troubles within and without. The external threat came from the Di Barbarians in the north.

When the Di Barbarians numbered fewer than ten thousand, they were manageable; once they reached ten thousand, none could stand against them.

The Great Li Dynasty had suffered defeat after defeat in recent years. Last year, eighty thousand elite Border Army troops had been utterly wiped out by only thirty thousand Di Barbarians.

Among the common folk, the Di Barbarians had become man-eating Demonic Creatures and Ghosts with three heads and six arms.

Moreover, many Di Barbarian spies truly were lurking within the Capital City. Some gathered intelligence, some carried out assassinations, and sometimes they simply committed crimes to spread panic. Every so often, they would strike, even more savage than Demonic Creatures and Ghosts.

The most recent incident had occurred one month ago. More than a hundred people from seven households in Old Well Alley had been slaughtered overnight, and the killers had even set the place ablaze. The constables on Night Patrol had rushed to surround them, only to walk into an ambush instead. Dozens were killed and wounded, while the Di Barbarians left behind only one corpse before vanishing without a trace.

"Close... close the gate! We can't let them in!" one of the constables shouted in panic.

The four hurried to shut the main gate. The Corpse Burning Facility was, after all, an official government office, with high walls and a large courtyard.

They had barely managed to close it when the bandits reached the gate. Cursing, they pounded on it and demanded that those inside open up.

"Flying Fish Guard on official business! Open the gate, now!"