Medicinal Cuisine Cures Illness

The entire cooking process was smooth as flowing water.

Watching this, Wei Ming and the other three were dumbfounded, completely not expecting Du En's cooking to be so advanced.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Ning Caize's coughing startled them.

Du En, holding the pot of porridge, got up and walked into the house, leaving the four of them staring at each other.

They were itching to see more, to get closer and see what the stewed owl pot looked like now.

However, after looking at each other, they remained standing silently in place.

At least they didn't have to worry about Old Ning; seeing the boss's performance just now, they knew he was stable!

Inside the house.

Ning Caize coughed himself awake. It took him a while to finally calm down. He looked even more frail, his face deathly pale. The Spirit-Expelling Soup he had been force-fed earlier had all been coughed out.

The soup was now muddy and foul-smelling, making him look dejected.

"Sigh~ I celebrated too early, a moment of premature joy. Now look, I brought this upon myself..."

Muttering to himself, he continued as Du En walked in, "I've troubled you again. Don't bother buying any pills. This condition has entered my meridians; even if it's treated, it'll be useless. Instead of wasting Spirit Stones on me and exposing your wealth, it's better to save them for yourself. Just don't bury me in that plot of land. Also, during festivals, give me..."

Du En didn't reply to his rambling. He walked over, pinched Ning Caize's mouth, interrupting him, and, under Ning Caize's stunned gaze, poured the freshly brewed, scalding medicinal porridge into his mouth.

"Wait, hot, cough, oh, warm..." Ning Caize uttered short, clipped sounds.

"You talk too much. Say less, your mouth is like an uncorked bottle."

Du En's tone was indifferent, only ensuring Ning Caize didn't choke, and continued pouring the porridge without stopping.

By the time he finished, Ning Caize's stomach was bulging. He felt like his mouth and esophagus had been cooked.

However, the Cuisine Power from this First-tier Low Grade medicinal porridge was quite substantial for him.

As soon as it entered his belly, a warm, surging sensation spread, beginning a tug-of-war with the residual Watery Yin Cold Evil, quickly overpowering the Rootless Wood opponent.

"Hiss~"

Ning Caize, clutching his burning, swollen stomach, gasped for air. His entire face turned red, and sweat poured down his body, mixed with some impurities.

Du En quietly stepped back a few paces, observed his condition, and nodded, concluding, "With this, you should recover eighty to ninety percent. The remaining minor issues will require your own effort to resolve."

With that, he turned to leave.

You're just leaving?

Ning Caize was stunned. Enduring the various aches and pains, he called out, "Wait, burp~"

"Is there anything else?"

"Cough! Did you... did you really manage to make it? Spirit Cuisine?"

"Mm."

What do you mean, 'Mm'?

Seeing Du En's usual calm demeanor, Ning Caize could only manage a stiff, wry smile, inwardly astonished.

Although he had vaguely sensed it, actually confirming it still shocked him.

That was Spirit Cuisine!

Legend had it that only Stewards had the leisure to dabble in it, and only they could achieve any real results!

It was something far beyond the reach of laborers like them. So why couldn't you show even a hint of smugness or any other emotion?

Seeing his conflicted and shocked expression, Du En paused and said lightly, "Perhaps it's because I have good comprehension."

"...That makes sense."

Ning Caize could only manage those three words.

Since Du En hadn't hidden anything, and had started working on Spirit Cuisine right under their noses, producing results in such a short time could indeed be attributed to good comprehension.

This also explained why he had surpassed them and now possessed a cultivation level that exceeded his own, allowing him to help remove some of the cold evil that had entered his body.

Seeing that Ning Caize had come to terms with it and had no further questions, Du En truly turned and left.

Returning to the courtyard.

He looked up and was met with four pairs of eyes full of curiosity.

The conversation in the house had been open, and they had naturally overheard it.

"Boss, what grade is this Spirit Cuisine?"

"Which one are you referring to?"

"Hiss! It even has grades!?"

"Awesome, boss!"

"Haha, um, Boss Du, could you, cough..."

He hesitated, looking embarrassed.

Because they knew how precious this thing was, even with their thick skin, they didn't dare to say it directly.

Du En didn't mind and nodded, saying, "Today is New Year's Eve. I specifically caught a big one, over thirty catties. Consider it a New Year's Eve dinner."

He had been prepared for a while.

Everyone cheered "Long live!"

But immediately after, Du En said bluntly, "Of course, if you want to eat it in the future, you'll have to do it yourselves. I'll only offer some guidance. Also, you should all go take a bath first."

This was a natural course of action.

However, the obedient group hadn't yet realized the difficulty involved, so they were only filled with excitement and joy.

With free Spirit Cuisine to eat, wouldn't they soar in the future!

Life was really becoming more promising!

After queuing up to wash, the group faced the stewed Strange Owl with no resistance. Du En distributed bowls, and they promptly dug in.

They ate heartily, each person having only one bowl, about half a catty.

Then, with their bellies full and warm, they quickly returned to their rooms.

To cultivate diligently!

Du En saw this and wasn't surprised.

For them, First-tier Mid Grade Spirit Cuisine couldn't be eaten in large quantities; it was easy to get full.

Therefore, the remaining nearly twenty catties of pure meat, along with the soup and medicinal dregs, all ended up in Du En's stomach.

After a satisfying meal, the year also came to an end.

As the new year began, he continued his diligent cultivation as usual.

Night passed, and day arrived.

On the first day of the new year, the low-level cultivators in the shed district still had to continue their hard work.

Ning Caize was left at home to recuperate. Unlike Du En, who could work the day after his injury, he was still very weak, coughing and gasping with every movement.

An old chronic illness combined with a new lingering sickness resulted in this.

However, with plenty of Spirit-Expelling Water and practicing Circulation, he should be fine in a few days.

On the body-burying front, the number of bodies today decreased again, only thirty-odd. Even with one less person, it was quickly taken care of.

Putting down their shovels, the few people's gazes unanimously fixed on the Strange Owls.

The ones who were originally coveting them were now being coveted.

These scavenger birds hadn't yet realized the danger before seeing four people charging at them like hungry wolves.

Catching Great Owls, stewing Great Owls!

A chaotic scene ensued, with feathers flying and dogs and chickens scattering.

After a good deal of commotion, the four people, each carrying a weak old Strange Owl, exchanged knowing smiles at their disheveled states.

"Stop grinning like idiots, we still need to find medicinal ingredients."

Du En had, at some point, discreetly caught a fully-grown Great Owl. He now reminded them.

It was still relatively early, but after the recent commotion, the sun was already setting.

They hurriedly followed suit, and finally, everyone returned laden with their catches.

After that, came the stench.

"Cough, cough, cough... You brats, take it easy! Cough, cough, cough..."

"Ugh~ The smell is so weird!"

"Hiss! Oh no, my almost forgotten memories, they're back!"

"Ugh~"

"Boss, help!"

As expected, their first attempt ended in failure.

Amidst the clamor, Du En calmly stewed his own owl.