Cuisine Cooking

The sun set in the west, and the dark clouds retreated eastward.

As night fell, Du En, who had already bathed, was in the small courtyard, tinkering with his Spirit Cuisine business.

The Strange Owl had been bled, plucked, and gutted, cleaned thoroughly, and was now lying on the chopping board.

Ning Caize looked at the board with a grimace.

It was his.

On the other side, Wei Ming, following Du En's instructions, brought over the coarse rice, smoked meat, dried fish, and other food items they had bought together yesterday, placing them neatly to one side.

Then, he chose to make a hasty retreat, not daring to linger any longer.

Looking at the boiling water in the clay pots on the row of small mud stoves, and then at the pale, pale Strange Owl, unpleasant memories surfaced, only to be replaced by the recollection of the sinister-looking half-corpse he had seen that morning... gag~

As he thought about it, before Du En had even officially started, Wei Ming couldn't help but feel nauseous.

He didn't want to eat anything tonight; he had already eaten plenty of dates on the way here.

The others, seeing Du En's setup, also gritted their teeth, feeling a pang of unease.

But there was nothing they could do; he was the boss after all!

Just as everyone was thinking this helplessly, Du En began his work.

For each basic ingredient, he first took out three portions, corresponding to three different medicinal herbs.

He added them in appropriate amounts and began to cook.

Everything else was fine, but when the Strange Owl was cut into pieces, each slice felt as if it were falling on them, causing the onlookers to close their eyes repeatedly.

What could Boss Du possibly make with this?

Other ingredients like rice and meat might turn out alright, but this Strange Owl...

I think it's doubtful!

Indeed, Spirit Cuisine was not something that could be learned casually. Du En was being a bit too ambitious this time.

I, I, I believe in the boss.

The five exchanged glances, their thoughts revealed, filled with murmurs.

Even Wei Ming, Du En's staunchest supporter, had no confidence at this moment.

Meanwhile, Du En, unconcerned, submerged the divided pieces of the Strange Owl into the boiling water.

A strange smell, like decaying corpses, immediately began to spread, filling the courtyard and its surroundings once more.

The air had only been relatively fresh for a single day.

The others indicated they were used to it.

But then, when Du En, timing it perfectly, began to add the fresh medicinal herbs, even the Corpse Buriers, who lived amidst all sorts of foul odors, suddenly stumbled back!

It wasn't that it smelled worse, but how should they put it?

When this rotten smell was combined with three different notes of freshness, newness, and sweetness, it became truly bizarre!

When cooking something as foul as excrement, even if you added all sorts of spices, it would still be cooked excrement. It might, however, give people a fleeting thought that it smelled somewhat decent.

It would be better to just have the complete stench!

Swallowing hard, shocked by the sudden craving they felt, everyone's minds trembled, filled with terror. They scrambled and fled, slamming the doors and windows shut.

You guys are being too dramatic.

Du En watched their reactions and couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

Then, he stood before the stoves and clay pots, his expression unchanged, his heart steady. He observed the changes, smelled the aromas, and consulted the culinary principles to make his judgments, adding medicinal herbs from time to time.

The meat of the Strange Owl cooked the slowest, and it required the most time for the medicinal and food properties to meld.

The smoked meat and dried fish cooked much faster.

He didn't mind the heat and began to drink the soup and eat the meat.

He shook his head inwardly.

Not good.

In fact, the fact that no new entries had appeared on his status panel was proof of their failure.

Du En's tasting was merely to identify the problems.

The main ingredient was not good.

The ordinary smoked meat and dried fish were simply too ordinary.

Next, came the coarse rice, which cooked relatively quickly.

[Cuisine Cooking (Beginner's Practice 0/10)]

This is it!

Du En's eyes lit up, and he began to eat.

The coarse rice had a sweet taste and a fresh, tender texture. Compared to its previous grittiness, like sand, it was worlds apart. It had clearly absorbed the essence and medicinal properties of the fresh herbs.

However, this didn't mean the main ingredient was completely usable. It was just that this type of coarse rice was special, capable of absorbing the medicinal properties of the herbs, making them easier to digest.

There were no actual changes, so it was still not very good.

"If it's for grinding out repetitions, it's barely passable. But, the stomach is only one, and there's no way to preserve it. It can't be kept for long, and food and medicinal ingredients can't be wasted. Hmm, if I really have to make it again in the future, I'll do three plus one and cook them together."

Let's call it Three Talents Rice, or Three Talents Porridge.

Du En silently circulated his energy, speeding up digestion.

He had eaten a bit too much.

Half an hour passed like this.

Sniffing the scent at the tip of his nose, a subtle change occurred. He opened his eyes and looked at the three pots of Strange Owls.

The changes in scent were light and faint, generally seeming elusive.

Du En took a bite of each.

Hmm, still as unpalatable as ever!

However, compared to the coarse rice that could only absorb medicinal properties without interacting or causing changes, this boiled Strange Owl showed signs of such potential.

So, he re-evaluated the situation and added more medicinal ingredients to the three pots of Strange Owls.

He had originally intended to grind out repetitions, but it didn't work out.

One pot was directly overdone and ruined.

As for the other two pots, because this Spirit Cuisine was not yet formed and incomplete, it couldn't be counted as a repetition.

Thus, Du En could only continue adding ingredients until all three were filled, leaving only one pot.

This time, it was formed.

One pot of boiled Strange Owl, three pots of coarse rice, four times.

He opened the lid again. A fresh, clear aroma mingled with the inherent strange smell of the Strange Owl meat. It no longer smelled foul, but it was still strange, as it was bizarre to begin with.

Du En ate, silently appreciating it.

"Hmm, Strange Owls are scavengers, their meat is damp and yin. Combined with these three yang-warm medicinal ingredients, they mutually benefit, blending together to nourish yin and strengthen yang, replenish the body, and invigorate qi. Crucially, the taste is two points better than the previous simple boiling."

Du En was quite satisfied with this.

He immediately gave it a name: Three Talents Stewed Owl.

In comparison, this dish could be considered a Spirit Cuisine, barely reaching a rank, specifically First-tier Low Grade.

After consuming it, it could slowly replenish the body, promote the growth of strength, and also uplift the spirit, aiding cultivation and shortening the time for circulating energy.

With this, Du En's nightly cultivation repetitions could be completed five times within the same amount of time, one more than before, increasing his speed by a quarter.

Even more importantly, this Spirit Cuisine was free!

"It's just that those Strange Owls don't show up at our doorstep every day."

Unless they were extremely hungry or exceptionally bold, they would usually just surround the area without attacking, eyeing Du En and the others enviously after having been taught a lesson.

Actually going to catch them would be quite troublesome.

Even so, it was necessary...

As Du En was pondering, he suddenly glanced towards the outside of the courtyard.

A significant commotion was brewing in the distance!

He immediately became thoughtful. After finishing his meal and cleaning up, with a belly full, he went out to investigate and digest his food.

About two sticks of incense later, he returned.

Everyone else had already gone to sleep, but Ning Caize was still waiting.

"What's going on outside?"

"The Blood Eagle Gang is gathering. Their target, it seems, is the Iron Hand Gang."

Hearing this, Ning Caize's worry became evident.

"It looks like these two gangs are going to have a few clashes. Luo Heng's death seems to be because of this. I just hope this fire doesn't spread to our side."

When the city gates catch fire, the fish in the moat suffer!

Ning Caize feared this.

Du En, however, remained calm. "It won't. They actually have a sense of proportion. Besides, if things really get out of hand, the overseers and stewards upstairs aren't dead. They'll definitely intervene."

Ultimately, in the shanty town, no matter what kind of gang or group, they were essentially just ants at the bottom under the rule of the immortal sects, cheap labor from outside the border town.

They had no decision-making power at all!

Seeking follow-ups! Seeking collection!