Inside the separate kitchen in Qianqing Palace.
Everything had been moved over here, including all the ingredients and kitchen utensils.
Ye Qinglian had followed along, wanting to see for herself how Chu Ning cooked.
How could it be so delicious...
"Chu Ning, you mustn't use firewood, or someone will notice..."
"It's fine. I prepared this wood specially. It won't give off any smoke."
"Mm."
Ye Qinglian nodded slightly.
He'd thought things through pretty well.
He had no choice but to think things through!
Chu Ning was suffering too.
Ordinary firewood couldn't handle these ingredients. Never mind anything else—even the Heavenly Derived Spirit Liquid couldn't be heated without it.
He had to make his own fire.
But after Xiao Bing had noticed something unusual last time, Chu Ning had learned his lesson. He'd prepared this wood to use as a cover.
Boil water, prepare the ingredients, and start the soup first!
Thirteen dishes, all new recipes.
He'd make the dishes his wife liked, and swap out the ones she didn't for something else.
Raising a child took strength! Ye Qinglian had had a good appetite lately, so he'd better make more.
The woman in the Dragon Robe looked over in confusion.
"These ingredients are rather unusual. What are they?"
"This is True Dragon Marrow, this is Boneless Ray Fish, and this is Sky Azure Ox."
"This Soft Bone Rabbit is rather rare. Its meat is tender and wonderfully fragrant. I'll make Spicy Rabbit Head with it..."
"As for this..."
Chu Ning cheerfully introduced the ingredients, while Ye Qinglian shook her head.
True Dragon Marrow and Sky Azure Ox?
Were they Ancient Divine Beasts that only existed in written records?
And the Soft Bone Rabbit was even more unbelievable. Its name might sound ordinary, but it grew extremely slowly. According to the records, an adult Soft Bone Rabbit weighed only about five catties. It took a hundred thousand years to grow a single catty. That was what Strange Beast Records said—and it listed them as Ancient Ferocious Beasts.
There wasn't a single one to be found anywhere on Tianxuan Continent. How could Chu Ning possibly have seen one?
But since her cheap husband claimed to know, she might as well let him talk. As long as it tasted good, that was all that mattered.
Before long, the ingredients were ready.
It had taken less than fifteen minutes.
More than a dozen kinds of ingredients were prepared, not counting the other seasonings.
"You really plan to cook all of them? There probably isn't enough time."
"Why wouldn't there be? As I said, I can finish before mealtime. Do you believe me?"
Ye Qinglian scoffed. "If you rush through it now, I'm afraid it won't taste very good. That golden medicinal soup you made the first time I tried it must have simmered over low heat for several hours. How could you possibly have enough time?"
"So you still don't believe me. But what if I told you I finish cooking half an hour early every day before sending your food over?"
"Chu Ning, there's no need to force yourself. That dish really does taste wonderful. I'd be very happy if you focused on making just one. You don't need to push yourself. If you cook all this, the flavor will probably suffer."
Chu Ning smiled at her.
"Same deal as before. Want to make a bet? If I win, you let me kiss the baby—and it'll taste just like the one you had before."
At that, Ye Qinglian hesitated.
Was he really so confident he could pull it off?
Then she wanted to see how he did it.
"You're so certain. What chance would I have of winning?"
Seeing that Ye Qinglian wasn't interested, Chu Ning sighed.
"Qinglian, you're the emperor. Could you have a little confidence in your own judgment?"
Ye Qinglian said nothing.
It wasn't that she lacked confidence in herself.
She simply didn't know Chu Ning well enough.
After all, the way he'd just chopped and prepared the ingredients had been impressive—genuinely impressive.
It would take decades of experience to do something like that. There was no doubt about it.
Chu Ning had a deep foundation in cooking.
The flame in the stove suddenly surged, turning a bluish purple. Ye Qinglian watched in surprise.
That flame felt incredibly hot. Was that color really from burning the wood?
The Dragon Marrow was already in the pot, softening over the fierce heat, while Chu Ning used his own power to speed up the cooking.
An Emperor Level Chef wasn't just for show. His control over the ingredients and the heat was already at its peak!
In no time at all, the first dish, Dragon Marrow Jade Precious Soup, was ready. He poured it into a clay pot!
"Want to try it?"
Ye Qinglian hesitated, then stepped forward curiously and took a taste with a spoon.
The flavor was smooth and rich, exactly like something that had simmered for several hours. It tasted just like the soup she'd tried before!
But it had been less than fifteen minutes since he'd started cooking.
How had he done it?
Ye Qinglian schooled her expression and kept her face calm.
"It's a little off, but it'll do."
Chu Ning froze, utterly confused.
"That shouldn't be right. I used exactly the same method as before..."
"Then give this to Xiao Bing. Don't drink it. She eats a lot anyway. I'll make another batch..."
Ye Qinglian stopped him at once!
"N-no, there's no need. It's actually fine."
"You're carrying a baby, and you'll be my wife someday. You shouldn't have to settle. At least when it comes to the things I'm good at, you absolutely shouldn't have to settle!"
Besides, if the flavor had changed, it could mean the dish had failed to properly balance the medicinal properties of the Dragon Marrow and the Heavenly Dream Ice Lotus. If something went wrong, it could seriously harm Ye Qinglian's health!
The higher the grade of a dish, the more precisely it had to be prepared. Even the slightest mistake was more than Chu Ning could afford to risk!
As he spoke, he started to make another batch. Seeing that he was serious, Ye Qinglian hurriedly called out to stop him.
Her cheeks flushed, and she hesitated.
"Um... actually, there's nothing wrong with the dish. My tastes have just changed a little. I'm in the mood for something spicy..."
Chu Ning paused, then realized.
He'd really thought the flavor had turned out wrong!
So she was being tsundere. She didn't want to praise him?
Fine, fine. That was how she wanted to play it...
"Then I won't make this dish anymore. I'll switch to something else. It's not good to have the same soup all the time."
Ye Qinglian grew anxious and hurriedly said, "No, don't. This is actually pretty good. Every time I drink it, I feel much better. Even if the others..."
"Since you say your tastes have changed, I should follow your preferences. If this dish isn't perfect for you anymore, then there's no point in making it..."
Ye Qinglian regretted it.
She should never have said that. This was her favorite soup. She'd been drinking it for two days, and still wasn't tired of it. Whenever her mind wandered, she found herself thinking of its flavor!
You're telling me this is the last time? How could that be?
Ye Qinglian cleared her throat, her face growing even redder. "Actually... you can keep making it every day. It's pretty much perfect."
"Pretty much perfect? So it's still not perfect?"
"Perfect, perfect, all right! I love this soup. You're not allowed to change it!"
She couldn't keep up the act any longer!
She needed this soup while carrying the baby. You're the Father of the Child, and if you can make it, then make it for me!
Otherwise, I'll stop eating. Then you can cry over three lives lost at once!
Only after she'd finished speaking did she notice the smile tugging at the corners of Chu Ning's mouth. Her eyes widened.
"You were teasing me!"
Chu Ning immediately wiped the smile from his face and looked at her seriously.
"I wasn't teasing you. Since I'm going to be your husband and the baby's father, I should do my best. And now that you're pregnant, I should naturally cook to your tastes."
"If you say it doesn't taste good, I can make something else. If you say it tastes good, I can make it whenever you want."
"It depends on what you want. I just want you to have the best."
Ye Qinglian froze. After a moment of distraction, she abruptly turned away and clenched her fists.
"Go cook. You're delaying my meal. Your crime is unforgivable!"
What was he saying? She'd already warned him!
Watching his figure busily working at the stove, Ye Qinglian couldn't calm her heart for a long while. Her cheeks stayed flushed.
She shouldn't have come!
That man had definitely done it on purpose...
He was deliberately flirting with her!
Hmph! That scoundrel was only after my empire!
Once he gets it, he'll say it's all yours, won't he? Don't even think about it. It's not happening!
Before you continue