"Class Monitor, the first step in making roast goose is to stuff various spices and sauces into the goose's belly, then marinate the goose until the flavor sinks in."
Su Yuan spread the Dragon Scale Goose, cleaned and plucked, across the cutting board and began preparing the marinade. Chen Nuoyi watched and took notes beside him.
"Class Monitor, look. This is Cold Star Leaf. It can keep a corpse as lively as it was in life and give it a faint, pleasant fragrance."
"Now look at this. It's Blood-Scent Flower. It helps the soul sealed inside the goose's physical body fuse more completely with it, allowing it to move just like it's alive."
"And this is Copperhide Gu. It looks a lot like those twin-tailed little sprites from Guangdong, but it can greatly toughen a corpse's skin. That way, the roast goose will come out with crisp skin and tender meat."
"And don't worry. These creepy auxiliary ingredients will be ground into medicinal powder, so the diners won't see them and have their dining experience ruined."
As he spoke, Su Yuan mixed various spices and seasonings together in the right proportions, some bought online and some already in the kitchen, then spread the mixture evenly inside the Dragon Scale Goose.
Watching him take notes, Chen Nuoyi spotted several ingredients with bizarre effects, which seemed to be the same ones she'd seen in an online movie called The Embalmer. She couldn't help asking:
"Coach, why does the spice mix you're making feel... a little different from the roast goose recipes I found online?"
Su Yuan waved a hand casually.
"Come on, can you really trust those online tutorials? The skills you need to open a proper shop are the most secret of secret arts. How could they possibly make it onto the internet?"
"Don't worry, Class Monitor. This roast goose recipe was passed down in my family. I guarantee that once you try it, you won't have a single word to say."
Chen Nuoyi said cautiously, "I thought you were an orphan?"
Su Yuan: "..."
Damn, he'd gotten carried away with the bragging and forgotten about that.
But before Su Yuan could think of an explanation, Chen Nuoyi hurriedly covered her mouth and apologized.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
In this world, which had embarked on the path of Universal Cultivation after the discovery of inheritances from the Ancient Cultivation World, new ancient inheritances of all sizes still emerged every day.
Many people had made their fortunes after stumbling upon an opportunity in an Ancient Secret Realm or an ancient inheritance.
As long as they didn't use such an opportunity to break the law, the Cultivators' Association never asked about it or pried into the details.
Su Yuan was willing to teach her his treasured roast goose recipe. He'd already done her a great kindness. How could she go digging into his past?
Seeing this, Su Yuan nodded and stopped trying to come up with an excuse. He continued teaching her the method known as roast meats, but which was really Corpse Refining Method.
After stuffing the spices into the goose's belly, Su Yuan used a corpse-sewing needle to neatly stitch the opening shut, restoring it as if it had never been cut.
Next, using the techniques of the Ancient Corpse Refining Method, Su Yuan gradually shaped the goose's body and coated it with skin-setting water.
"Su Yuan, I just saw that goose move. I-is it not quite dead yet?"
"It's nothing, just a normal nerve reflex. They taught us about it in middle school biology."
"Su Yuan, why did that goose suddenly jump up and run around? It even tried to peck me! Was that a nerve reflex too?"
"Yep. Take a deep breath. This is all normal."
"Oh, I see."
Su Yuan hurriedly pinned down the goose as it wandered across the chopping board and wrapped its bloodthirsty beak in gauze.
"Su Yuan, I read online that roast goose needs to air-dry for several hours before it goes into the oven. This one looks wet too. Do we need to wait for it to dry?"
Chen Nuoyi looked up information about roast goose as she asked question after question like a curious little student.
Su Yuan thought to himself, If it really has to air-dry for more than ten hours, how am I supposed to teach you the complete Corpse Refining Method today and make you fall beyond redemption?
But he smiled and said, "Don't worry. My secret method has a special way to dry it. Class Monitor, just watch."
As he spoke, Su Yuan fetched a bag of glutinous rice from the kitchen and carefully spread it over every part of the goose.
Amid a steady sizzling, as if some kind of chemical reaction were taking place, the excess moisture on the roast goose steamed away.
Once most of the moisture had been drawn from the goose, Su Yuan pushed the glutinous rice aside. A goose that looked as if it had been air-drying all night appeared before them.
"This is the rice-drying method from my family's secret art. It's quite different from air-drying."
Su Yuan spoke proudly.
In reality, the earlier steps had already turned the goose into a Walking Corpse. The glutinous rice had a certain degree of control over it, and when it came into contact with the rice, a great deal of moisture was drawn out of its body. The effect was much the same as air-drying.
"S-so impressive!"
Chen Nuoyi knew nothing about the details. Her bright, beautiful eyes filled with admiration.
"Next comes the roasting."
As he spoke, Su Yuan hung up the person-tall goose and put it into the kitchen oven, officially starting the roast.
This step had no place in the Corpse Refining Method, so even Su Yuan couldn't be sure whether the roast goose would turn out well.
Still, he had completely mastered the Ancient Corpse Refining Method. During the process, he'd gained an intimate understanding of the goose from the inside out, so he had some idea of how to control the roasting temperature.
It had taken nearly an hour from killing the goose to putting it in the oven. The cafeteria had just closed, but plenty of food was still left unsold.
That worked out well for Su Yuan and Chen Nuoyi. Chef Li gave them generous portions for free, claiming they counted as staff.
After eating their fill, Su Yuan noticed a full barrel of slop that hadn't been dealt with yet, so he volunteered for the job. While doing it, he naturally activated Demonic Cultivation Technique · Finger Spirit in secret and obtained a Blue Pill.
Only then did he realize he probably wouldn't need to collect the students' leftovers anymore. With his status as a member of the cafeteria staff, he could take over the whole task.
That way, he could reliably get one Blue Pill each morning, noon, and night.
After disposing of the slop, Su Yuan went back to the oven to keep watch over his roast goose.
Time passed second by second. Driven by spiritual energy, the oven glowed red with scorching heat, cooking the goose all the way through.
An hour and a half later, Su Yuan judged that it was probably ready and opened the oven door.
Chen Nuoyi, who had been keeping watch beside him, looked on expectantly.
The moment the oven door opened, a heart-stirring wave of meaty fragrance surged into Su Yuan and Chen Nuoyi's noses. Before them was a roast goose, still dripping with fat, its skin a rich date-red that made their mouths water at a glance.
"It smells amazing! I think it smells even better than the roast goose at the shop we saw last night!"
Though she'd only just finished eating, Chen Nuoyi still felt an urge to pounce on it and feast.
"No, we can't let our guard down yet. What matters most in good food is the taste."
Su Yuan's expression remained solemn.
After all, they'd made this roast goose using the Ancient Corpse Refining Method. Though every step of the process suggested it would have crisp skin and tender meat, Su Yuan was still a little apprehensive until he'd actually tasted it.
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