Grain and Spices, Clay Pot and Boiling, Culinary Path

"The most common one is this Grain Foxtail Weed. Although its seeds taste terrible, they can resolve Sha. There are also the fruits of the Star Anise Tree, as well as Cinnamon Tree bark and leaves, all of which can resolve Sha."

As the man spoke, he took out some Grain Foxtail Weed he had plucked from the roadside on his way back to use as an example.

"This is..."

Jiang Yuan's expression was strange at this moment. It was indeed very common; this so-called Grain Foxtail Weed was, if not identical to the foxtail grass in his memory, at least eighty percent similar.

Clearly, this Grain Foxtail Weed was the ancestor of the foxtail grass.

Speaking of foxtail grass and its ancestors, the memories of his past life, which he had buried deep within his mind, suddenly surged forward, becoming incredibly clear.

He remembered—he forgot where he had seen the report—that foxtail grass was the ancestor of millet. And millet was the "Ji" in the term "Sheji," the earliest crop domesticated by the Human Race.

Millet can resolve Sha?

And that so-called star anise, wasn't that just star anise? Cinnamon bark and leaves, weren't those just cinnamon and bay leaves? These were all common spices used in later generations to stew meat and remove its gamey odor.

Stewing meat! Removing the gamey odor!

Jiang Yuan suddenly realized. So, in the Primordial World, the gamey odor was Sha Qi, and removing the gamey odor was equivalent to resolving Sha.

In the Primordial Era, Innate Vitality was abundant, and all living beings could live well without eating, so they never worried about food shortages.

But while they didn't need to worry about food, they did need to worry about whether their cultivation resources were sufficient.

Replacing eating with cultivation made it easy to understand. Primordial beings didn't need to eat, but they did need to cultivate.

And to rapidly improve one's cultivation, one could not do without cultivation resources. Therefore, cultivation resources were their food.

It wasn't that Primordial beings didn't eat; they just ate something more advanced.

They ate the meat of Fierce Beasts that contained vast amounts of Innate Vitality, but this meat contained Sha Qi. Just like raw meat in later generations was too gamey and unhealthy, it needed to be cooked and have the gamey odor removed before it could be consumed in large quantities.

If later generations used spices to remove the gamey odor, then now, one could similarly use spices to resolve Sha. The harm of Sha Qi was certainly greater than that of a gamey odor, but the spices here were all spiritual herbs, their medicinal power incomparable to those of later generations, so naturally, they could resolve Sha.

Comparing it this way, Jiang Yuan understood everything. Countless Methods to Resolve Sha surged through his mind, making him wish he could write them down right now.

"Since a method to resolve Sha has been found, there is no time to lose. Go and resolve the Sha for those who have been poisoned, lest problems arise from further delay."

"Also, from now on, all Fierce Beast meat must be cooked. During the boiling process, throw in all those spiritual herbs that can resolve Sha to neutralize the Sha Qi in the meat as much as possible, so that no one else suffers from Sha Qi poisoning."

Suppressing the urge to write, Jiang Yuan instructed. It was impossible to resolve the Sha every time someone was poisoned; the matter had to be eradicated at the source.

That is, by boiling the Fierce Beast meat with mixed spices to neutralize the Sha Qi within, so that even if they ate a lot, there would be no more cases of Sha Qi poisoning.

"Boil?"

The man was stunned, not understanding what Jiang Yuan meant. It was no fault of his own; the truth was that in the current Primordial World, there was no concept of boiling. The only way to cook was roasting.

"You don't know what boiling is? That is my fault for not explaining things clearly. Follow me."

Jiang Yuan realized he had been biased again. He signaled for the man to follow him, preparing to fire a Clay Pot for him on the spot.

Boiling was not difficult; the main issue was the lack of a container. Firing a Clay Pot would suffice, and for Jiang Yuan, that was effortless—a mere flick of the wrist.

As for why he hadn't thought of firing a Clay Pot before, the reason was simple: he had no use for it.

First, Jiang Yuan did not need to drink water. Second, when he ate Fierce Beast meat, he didn't need to cook it; he could simply circulate the Creation Profound Art to refine it into wisps of vital energy and absorb them into his body.

Things he didn't use were subconsciously ignored, so he naturally couldn't be bothered to make them. Only when he remembered would he replicate them.

Finally, and most importantly, Jiang Yuan was only in his twenties in his past life, but how long had he been in the Primordial World? Over a hundred years!

And a hundred years in the Primordial World was longer than a thousand years in his past life.

How could twenty years of experience compare to a century in the Primordial World? He had long since adapted to this era and the life of a cultivator, so he naturally forgot many habits from when he was a mortal in his past life.

With magical power, firing a Clay Pot was not difficult, and it didn't take long for Jiang Yuan to finish. He looked up at the sky, but no Merit descended, which meant the Heavenly Dao did not think the Clay Pot was useful?

Although he was puzzled, Jiang Yuan said nothing. Instead, he called the man over and taught him the cooking method of "boiling."

He set up the Clay Pot, added meat, water, and spices, then lit a fire underneath to bring the water to a boil.

The process was simple; one could learn it just by watching. Then it was a matter of waiting for the Fierce Beast meat inside the Clay Pot to be stewed until tender before it could be served.

During the boiling process, the aroma of the Fierce Beast meat was released, and a thick, savory scent permeated the air, making one subconsciously swallow their saliva.

"Is this boiling? It smells so good!"

The man said with a face full of wonder, not expecting the meat to be so fragrant after being boiled in water.

"Did you learn it?"

Jiang Yuan asked in return without explaining.

"I learned it."

The man nodded; there was no difficulty in this at all.

"I am asking about firing the Clay Pot. Did you learn that?"

Jiang Yuan emphasized.

"I learned that too!"

The man replied, "That is not difficult."

"Very well. From today on, 'Tao' shall be both your name and your surname. You have only one task: to teach the tribe how to fire pottery and use it skillfully."

Hearing that he had already learned, Jiang Yuan gave the order directly. As a very busy man, he certainly had no time to teach people how to fire pottery, so such matters had to be left to others.

"Thank you, Master Yuan!"

Tao said excitedly. A single sentence from Jiang Yuan had changed his destiny.

"Alright, the meat is almost cooked. Bring everyone suffering from Sha Qi poisoning over here; I want to see the effects of this broth."

Waving his hand to signal him to rise, Jiang Yuan instructed.

"Yes!"

Tao dared not delay and hurried off to find the others.

Jiang Yuan stepped forward, staring intently at the Fierce Beast meat in the Clay Pot to study it.

He discovered that during the boiling process, the Innate Vitality contained within the Fierce Beast meat was further stimulated, making it easier for the human body to absorb.

At the same time, the Sha Qi within the meat was rapidly diminishing under the dual neutralization of high heat and spices. Although it did not vanish entirely, the residue was less than one-tenth of the original amount, no longer capable of causing harm to the body.

Alchemy?

No, it should be called brewing medicinal cuisine!

This Culinary Path has great potential. By harmonizing Yin and Yang and balancing the Five Elements, if one delves deep enough, one can pioneer the Culinary Path and nourish the body through food.

Jiang Yuan was lost in thought. Even if the Culinary Path were not as great as the Alchemical Path, it was still one of the hundred arts of cultivation. If he could pioneer this path, at the very least, he could achieve the Daluo Realm fruit in the future, or perhaps even catch a glimpse of the mysteries of the Quasi-Saint Realm.

However, that was a matter for the distant future. Right now, Jiang Yuan had more important things to do.

Withdrawing his gaze, Jiang Yuan looked at the Foxtail Grass in his hand—the ancestor of Grain. If he were to cultivate the First of the Five Grains, Grain, ahead of time, would he receive great Merit?