Spirit Cuisine Basics

Under the sun, upon the wasteland.

At this moment, the corpse-buriers were gathered around the corpses Du En and Wei Ming had just moved, exchanging glances.

"Cough, cough, cough... This, this is Luo Heng?"

Staring at the half-crushed head, Ning Caize was a bit unsure, even feeling that his old eyes might have truly gone blurry, causing him to hallucinate.

"It's him! It's definitely him!"

"That ugly mug, it has to be that guy!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk! That beast, he died well!"

The other three came to their senses, confirming the identity, and felt refreshed.

"I wonder which hero did this!"

"Exactly, with Luo Heng dead, the trouble is gone, and we won't have to live in fear!"

"If only we could know who it was, I'd definitely thank them properly!"

"Cough, cough... You all, don't be too optimistic. The Blood Eagle Gang is still around. Luo Heng is just one person; someone will replace him sooner or later. Moreover, his death might even implicate us, as those guys like to make an example of others."

Ning Caize's words were not without reason, immediately calming the excited others and filling them with worry.

Du En clapped his hands and said, "Regardless, since the Blood Eagle Gang didn't make a big fuss and demand an explanation, but merely sent the corpse transporters to deliver the body, they probably aren't targeting us yet."

Hearing their leader speak, everyone's scattered thoughts settled.

Then, their expressions turned peculiar.

He couldn't accomplish much in life, but even in death, couldn't he vent some anger?

Thus, during the subsequent burial process, with a slip of the hand, they discovered the corpse was free of poison or other hidden dangers. Immediately, they took turns with their shovels, mixing it with the soil, and finally burying it in clumps like chopped chives in dumpling filling.

Wow! These seniors are really something, tsk, I can't bear to watch!

Wei Ming, who had just shed his rookie status and hadn't been truly oppressed by Luo Heng, watched the actions of the other four and couldn't help but exclaim inwardly.

He then looked back at Du En, who was calmly and silently working, and immediately felt a stark contrast!

What is true leadership?

What is magnanimity?

This is it!

I must learn well and strive upwards!

Wei Ming, today, as always, was still learning from Du En.

Du En didn't mind either.

Since Luo Heng's death hadn't drawn any immediate fire, they should seize the time to make further breakthroughs before the Blood Eagle Gang turned their attention to them.

"I hope whatever this guy hid in his belly can be something good..."

If they had extra help, they could achieve their goals more easily.

As for now, continue working, continue burying corpses.

Perhaps because they had an outlet for their emotions, the efficiency of the corpse burials was very high today. By early evening, they had finished burying all the day's bodies.

With a sense of relief, they carried their shovels home.

"Du En, before, because of Luo Heng, we couldn't go shopping. We're also running out of firewood. Now that Luo Heng is dead and we got back early today, we can finally get these things done."

Ning Caize sidled up to Du En and said this.

After saying it all at once, he coughed again.

While coughing, he also winked and nudged.

Wei Ming spoke directly, "Senior Ning, is there something else you want to say?"

Du En answered for him, "He's hinting that I should clear out the kitchen waste piled by the door, and also, since everyone's happy today, can we not cook Strange Owl?"

"Cough, cough, this, it's mainly because everyone's happy."

Ning Caize felt a bit embarrassed, not expecting Du En to state it so plainly.

However, seeing him quietly put down his shovel, it was clear he didn't want to hunt a Strange Owl for dinner.

Then again, with the addition of Luo Heng's blood today, none of them seemed to be starving to the point of offering themselves up to solve the hunger problem.

"Two people, come with me to chop firewood. We'll also discard the trash along the way. Lastly, for the shopping, have one of you two take Wei Ming to buy supplies."

Du En made the arrangements.

Taking the newcomer to familiarize himself with the environment was something that should have been done long ago but was delayed. Now, it could be done all at once.

Ning Caize nodded upon hearing this and said, "Then I'll cook, hehe, let you all cough!"

Seeing Old Ning's performance, the other four's expressions became a little subtle.

However, since Du En had no objections, the task was thus divided.

They returned to their living quarters, and the sun had not yet set.

After a quick change and wash, they split up to carry out their tasks.

While chopping wood, Du En chopped up the broken tree he had created, completing the destruction of evidence.

He then separated the chopped wood into dry and wet piles. The dry wood was stored in a corner of the yard, and the wet wood was left to dry on both sides of the yard gate, where the trash had been cleared.

With everything neatly arranged, it would be enough for a while.

By the time he finished, it was already dark.

Ning Caize had finished cooking, and Wei Ming had completed his shopping for various items.

These included mostly coarse rice, salt, cloth, and a few preserved goods like smoked meat and dried fish.

Although they were all ordinary items, they still required Spirit Stones to purchase.

"Earn stones in the border town, spend stones in the border town. Don't even think about taking them home."

That was the simple way of it.

Of course, the pricing for these common goods wasn't outrageously high. One Low-grade Spirit Stone could buy several hundred catties of rice.

However, the minimum transaction was one Low-grade Spirit Stone, with no change given. Therefore, every time Du En and the others went shopping, they consolidated their needs, pooling resources to buy as much as possible with that single Low-grade Spirit Stone.

Since everyone had different needs and they were buying together, Du En decided that the Spirit Stones would be paid in rotation, with each person contributing once. This time, it was Ning Caize's turn.

After dinner, they distributed the goods and chatted for a while. Wei Ming, who had been quite excited from their outing, couldn't help but start yawning.

As if on cue, the small courtyard in the night soon fell silent.

Everyone returned to their rooms.

Du En didn't immediately go to sleep. Instead, he took out the small bag he had gotten from Luo Heng, which he had already cleaned.

He untied the opening and took a look inside.

Seven Low-grade Spirit Stones, and… some papers.

More spells?

He took them out and opened them.

"Huh? They're not spells, they're about Spirit Cuisine…"

Spirit Cuisine, also known as Spirit Food, is made by combining ingredients with appropriate cooking techniques to bring out their inherent properties and medicinal effects. This process creates changes that the human body can easily absorb, thereby promoting the growth of the body and one's cultivation.

It was one of the Hundred Arts of Cultivation!

He had no idea where that scoundrel Luo Heng got it. Although it was only a few pages with hundreds of tiny characters, merely explaining some basic principles and a fundamental framework, the culinary and medicinal knowledge contained within was incredibly precious.

After thoroughly reading and memorizing it, Du En began to ponder.

Although the only food he could currently access, besides coarse rice and grains, common vegetables, and meat that required Spirit Stones, was the Strange Owl that showed up for free.

However, in the primeval forests of the Southern Border, if one put their mind to it, they could probably find some medicinal herbs, right?

He hadn't paid much attention to it before, but now it seemed he should start looking.

After contemplating this, he naturally took a short nap to rest and recharge before practicing his cultivation techniques.