Star Luo City Twenty miles away, there is a quiet forest edge, next to a crystal clear stream.
Lin Ciyan chose to rest here for a while and was not in a hurry to enter the city.
He needed to organize his thoughts and make final preparations for the next "shopping" plan.
The afterglow of the setting sun casts mottled light spots through the gaps in the forest.
Lin Ciyan found a dry and flat river bank and skillfully began to arrange a temporary resting spot.
He did not use too much Soul Power, but deliberately tried to use the still immature Five Elements Basic Control Ability.
When making a fire, he did not use the common fire sticks, but stretched out his fingers and concentrated his thoughts.
A small cluster of extremely unstable orange-red flames "popped" ignited at his fingertips, swaying as if it would go out at any time.
"It's hard to cook instant noodles with this little flame..." Lin Ciyan laughed at himself, but still patiently guided the weak power of "fire" and carefully brought it close to the prepared hay and twigs.
After a lot of effort, the bonfire was finally lit.
"It seems that the development of the 'fire' attribute needs to be prioritized. At least it must be ensured that it can be easily lit when surviving in the wild, otherwise it will be too expensive." He silently wrote it down.
The next step was to process the ingredients. His eyes swept across the clear stream, his mind moved slightly, and he tried to activate the power of "water".
In the stream, a plump grass carp seemed to be slightly pushed away from its original trajectory by an invisible force, and became a little dizzy.
Lin Ciyan saw the right moment, pointed like a sword, an extremely subtle, almost invisible white-gold edge (the power of "gold") attached to the fingertips, and made a single stroke in the air - a solid Soul Power accurately stunned the fish and brought it up.
"Well, with the sharp blessing of 'gold' Soul Power, the accuracy and penetration seem to be slightly improved? The guidance of 'water'... is better than nothing, at least it is more convenient than grabbing with bare hands." He concluded while handling the fish scales and internal organs.
As for the power of "wood", when he was cleaning some wild mushrooms and wild vegetables that he picked, he slightly sensed their vitality to ensure that they were non-toxic and fresh.
The power of "earth" was temporarily useless, but he could feel that when his feet stood on the ground, Soul Power recovery seemed to be Sisi faster. It was extremely subtle, but it did exist.
"Five Elements circles, mutual growth and mutual restraint... the road is long and long." He sighed with emotion, and then focused on the food making in front of him.
He took out various bottles and jars from Storage Soul Tool, including several exquisitely packaged seasonings, which were apparently props purchased from [Slacker Shop].
[Baida·Xianwei Vegetarian]: A magical tool for improving freshness, which can enhance the deliciousness of any soup to a higher level.
[Baida·Soul Cumin]: Barbecue companion, rich in aroma and stimulating appetite.
[Baida·Universal Sauce]: It tastes delicious when dipped in anything and has a rich texture.
These condiments are affordable and extremely effective.
The most important thing is that the food they make can be shared with others!
This solves a long-standing minor regret for Lin Ciyan.
He has previously exchanged some "exclusive" foods with stronger effects, such as [Stride Chewing Gum] that can instantly restore Soul Power (you can't stop chewing it, but you can only eat it by yourself).
Or [Wisdom Cookie] that can temporarily improve your understanding (you will become smarter after eating it, but you cannot share it).
Those props were incredibly effective, but they were also very restrictive, which made him lose a lot of the fun of "feeding".
"When Slacking Value gets rich, we have to clear out all the 'shared' food recipes and props in the store! What [Clothes-Bursting Spring Roll], [Glowing Cuisine Basics]... just thinking about it makes me feel excited!" While marinating the fish and the Soul Beast meat he brought, he imagined the future.
Soon, a grill and a small pot were set up on the campfire.
The plump grass carp was grilled until it was charred on the outside and tender on the inside, sizzling with oil, and the golden oil dripped into the fire, stirring up an alluring aroma.
Soul Beast steak was also grilled to perfection, slightly charred on the surface but full of gravy on the inside.
On the other side, the mushroom and wild vegetable soup simmering in the small pot was tumbling "gurglingly", and the rich aroma spread out, intertwined with the smoke of the barbecue, forming a compound aroma that made your index fingers twitch.
Lin Ciyan flipped the skewers leisurely, sprinkling some "Soul Cumin" on it from time to time, or dipping it in "Universal Sauce" to taste, nodding with satisfaction.
"With my skills, if I were to open a barbecue stall in my previous life, I would have to be an Internet celebrity, right? 'Star Luo City serving crappy barbecue outside' shouldn't be a hot topic right away?"
Just as he was immersed in his delicious food creation, a crisp female voice with a bit of curiosity and reserve came from the forest not far away:
"It smells so good... Excuse me, are you making something delicious?"
Lin Ciyan paused and looked up.
I saw a young girl walking out of the tree-lined path.
She looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old. She was wearing a light golden knee-length skirt, well-tailored, which not only showed the agility of a girl, but also exuded an innate nobility.
Her long golden hair hangs down to her waist like a waterfall, and there is a delicate Star Crown hair accessory inlaid with sapphires in her hair.
Her skin is as white as snow, and her facial features are as delicate as works of art carefully carved by craftsmen.
A pair of clear and bright blue eyes, with a bit of curiosity and probing, fell on Lin Ciyan and the food in front of him.
There is a natural elegance and sense of distance in his demeanor, which is the temperament cultivated by being in a high position for a long time.
"Sure enough, someone who can smell the smell in a place like this is definitely not an ordinary person." Several thoughts flashed through Lin Ciyan's mind.
"With this temperament, this age, and the looming and deliberately restrained powerful aura in the dark... it is most likely the little princess from the Star Luo Imperial Family, Xu Jiujiu."
His expression remained unchanged, he continued what he was doing, and responded in a calm tone, "Get some food to kill the time."
The girl - Xu Jiujiu, sniffed gently, and the rich aroma made her swallow her saliva subconsciously.
She had never tasted any delicacies in the palace on weekdays, but the seemingly simple barbecue and stew in front of her gave off an unprecedented aroma that touched her soul.
"The taste... seems to be even more tempting than what the imperial chef cooks." She was surprised, and her eyes couldn't help but stay on Lin Ciyan's handsome face with a calm smile for a few seconds.
There seemed to be a reassuring aura about the other party, which made her unconsciously let go of some of her defenses.
"My name is...Lin Ciyan." Lin Ciyan reported his real name. There was nothing to hide.
"A Soul Master who traveled around." He paused and added, "My ancestor is from the Star Luo Empire."
What he said was half true and half false.
Grandpa Lin Qingmo was indeed born in the Star Luo Empire, and later joined Shrek and became Su Lao.
Using this identity can reduce a lot of unnecessary suspicion.
"Lin Ciyan..." Xu Jiujiu recited the name silently in his mind, confirming that he had never heard of it in Star Luo City's upper-class circles.
She showed a decent smile and said, "My name is Xu Jiujiu. I was passing by here and was attracted by the aroma of your food, so I took the liberty of disturbing you."
While she was speaking, the corner of her eye inadvertently glanced at Lin Ciyan's smooth cooking movements, as well as the spice jars next to it that she had never seen before, and her curiosity became even more intense.
Lin Ciyan could clearly sense that in the shadow not far behind Xu Jiujiu, there was a powerful aura hidden, like a dormant beast, with its mental power firmly locked on this side.
Obviously, this is the princess's guardian, a Titled Douluo level powerhouse.
"It seems that regarding Soul-Devouring Engraving Knife, maybe we can try to find a breakthrough from the princess?" Lin Ciyan thought to himself while flipping the grilled fish.
"The royal treasury, or the auction house... she must have some connections, right?"
He looked at Xu Jiujiu's appearance of wanting to get closer while maintaining aristocratic reserve. He found it a bit interesting, so he picked up a skewer of Soul Beast meat skewers that had just been grilled, sprinkled with cumin, and fragrant. He handed it over and said in a casual and natural tone:
"It's too roasted, please try it?"
Xu Jiujiu looked at the shiny and attractive meat skewers and hesitated for a moment.
Due to royal upbringing, she should not accept food from strangers.
But the alluring fragrance and the pure and peaceful breath of the young man in front of her made her reach out her hand out of nowhere.
"Then... thank you." She took the meat skewer, blew on it carefully, and then took a small bite.
The next moment, her eyes suddenly lit up.