Ginseng, RIP

"We really don't know how to cook, but we can learn as we go!"

Yingxing refused to give up. They were already here, and Dan Feng had long since ordered his attendants to prepare a full set of kitchen utensils.

Besides, how hard could cooking a meal be?

He rather wanted to see his friend fall in love and get married.

An idea struck Yingxing, and he turned to Dan Feng. "You're the High Elder, so you're basically a close relative of fish. Surely you know how to cook fish?"

Dan Feng all but produced a question mark.

He was a dragon, yes, but he was also a dragon scion of Permanence. What did that have to do with fish?

Never mind the absurd connection-why did being related mean he had to cook his relatives? Was this some kind of culinary fratricide?

"Oh, please," Baiheng scoffed. "Our esteemed Imbibitor Lunae didn't even know fish had bones before! His attendants picked them all out for him!"

Jing Yuan followed the Foxian's lead. "Dan Feng is the Alchemy Commission's Cauldron Master. He must know how to brew tonics, which basically means he can make nourishing soup!"

Dan Feng's gaze shifted slightly. His face remained impassive, betraying nothing. He was still the all-powerful Imbibitor Lunae.

The High Elder wanted to say that he did not know how to make nourishing soup.

But the more Dan Feng considered Jing Yuan's words, the more sense they made.

That makes perfect sense. I'm the High Elder! I'm Imbibitor Lunae!

Surely a mere nourishing soup can't be beyond me? It must be more or less like a tonic.

Still wearing that cold expression, Dan Feng nodded haughtily, agreeing with Jing Yuan.

Jing Yuan's CPU was practically overheating. "And Yingxing! Since he can hammer iron, he must be able to make hand-pounded shrimp and fish paste!"

Those hands of Yingxing's usually forged divine weapons. Now Jing Yuan had assigned them mundane kitchen chores.

If anyone from the Artisanship Commission heard this, they would have scolded Jing Yuan for using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

The Master Forger himself had no objections, however, and cheerfully agreed.

Come on, I'm Yingxing! I can hammer iron. How could a little shrimp or fish paste be beyond me?

Jing Yuan slowly turned toward his master. His earlier confidence vanished, and he asked softly, "Master, how about trying your hand at preparing the ingredients?"

Chopping vegetables and hacking down abominations ought to be much the same thing.

Jingliu understood what Jing Yuan was thinking. Looking at her enthusiastic friends, she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue and nodded with a soft laugh.

Baiheng approached with her ears flattened sideways. Tugging Jingliu toward the door, she instructed the other three, "Jingliu and I are stepping out for a moment. You start getting things ready-"

Baiheng pulled Jingliu along at a jog until they reached a spacious, deserted courtyard. She offered her fluffy tail to her friend and stammered, "H-here, you can pet my tail. Please don't be sad, okay?"

Foxians treasured their tails more than anything and never let anyone touch them.

No matter how close a friend was, none had ever received the treatment Jingliu was getting now.

Jingliu froze, instinctively stroked Baiheng's soft tail fur, then let go.

The Sword Champion wanted to say she was not sad.

But this was Baiheng, who noticed every little detail. How could she possibly hide it from her?

Unlike the other three, Baiheng had seen through Jingliu's thoughts. She felt so sad for her friend that even her ears would not stand up.

"Don't give up, Jingliu..."

The Foxian continued, "J-just pretend everything I said that day was nonsense. Age, seniority-none of that matters at all-"

Baiheng grew more animated as she spoke, clenching her fists as if to cheer Jingliu on.

"If Xianyu says no, we'll tie him up-"

Jingliu could not hold back a laugh. "Baiheng, you're going a little too far."

Baiheng refused to let it go. "Promise me first!"

Jingliu made no promise. She merely said, "Let's let things take their course."

Baiheng took that as agreement. Her tail perked up happily, and she tugged Jingliu along at a jog back inside.

"Let's hurry back before those three get up to something-"

The moment they returned, they heard Jing Yuan exclaiming.

"Yingxing, aren't you using too much force...? How did you snap the ginseng while washing it?"

Yingxing held the wildly sprawling Thousand-Year Ginseng in one hand and a root thinner than his little finger in the other, lost in thought.

Am I really that strong? Or was the ginseng already broken?

Yingxing quickly ruled out any fault with the ginseng.

After all, it had come from Dan Feng's private treasury. Any single item from there could fetch an astronomical price at auction.

So I really did snap it while washing it!

At that realization, Yingxing's hand holding the ginseng trembled slightly.

After a brief silence, Jingliu questioned them. "Weren't we supposed to be cooking? Why are you washing ginseng?"

Rolling up his sleeves, Jing Yuan replied, "Dan Feng said he couldn't be bothered to open his private treasury again to put it back, so we might as well use it. Why not boil a few extra pots of ginseng water? Tonight, we can add some hot pot soup base and have hot pot."

Though Jing Yuan was a young master from an established Earth-Balance Commission family, his wealth was nothing compared to Imbibitor Lunae's fortune, accumulated over who knew how many generations.

It's Thousand-Year Ginseng! I want to know what it tastes like, too.

Yingxing carefully set the ginseng on an empty plate, then turned to demand:

"Then why are we doing all this work? Keep it simple and just cook with the hot pot soup base!"

Baiheng looked thoroughly disdainful. "How's that any different from ordering takeout? There's no thought put into it at all..."

Jingliu felt somewhat at a loss.

It was only a meal. There was no need for Dan Feng to go to such expense.

She looked around, found no sign of Dan Feng, and asked, "Where's Dan Feng?"

Jing Yuan picked up the ginseng that Yingxing now refused to touch. "He said he was going to get the ingredients. I'm guessing he'll change his clothes afterward, too."

Jingliu: "..."

Dan Feng, you really are something.

The Sword Champion recalled how unusually irritable Dan Feng was on the battlefield, and everything instantly made sense.

Their esteemed High Elder was a severe germaphobe who could not stand having dust all over him.

Even after cleaning himself with magic, he still felt uncomfortable all over.

Seeing the filthy Jing Yuan and Yingxing made Dan Feng even more irritable, and he would use cloudhymn magic to wash them clean on the spot.

Mindful of the boundaries between men and women, whenever Dan Feng saw Jingliu and Baiheng after a battle, he would stand off to the side with a cold expression, wanting to speak but holding back.

The High Elder had gone out of his way to change his clothes just to cook a meal...

Yes, perfectly reasonable. Very Dan Feng.

Baiheng and the other two crowded around the ginseng, the only thing that could actually be called an ingredient. With nothing to do, Jingliu joined them to take a look.

Before long, all four, with their excellent hearing, caught the sound of Dan Feng's footsteps.

Dan Feng was not coming alone. His many attendants were with him.

One attendant quickened his pace to open the door for Dan Feng.

At the sight, the four silently hailed Jing Yuan as a prophet.

Dan Feng had indeed changed his clothes.

Only after the High Elder entered the kitchen did the attendants follow in orderly fashion.

All eight attendants held exquisite gift boxes in their hands. Their every movement seemed measured with a ruler as they took their places on either side of Dan Feng in perfect unison, then bowed slightly to the four.

The four fell into an uncanny silence.

Yingxing's mouth opened and closed. "Ah..."

Baiheng stammered, "...It's overwhelming every time I see it!"

Jing Yuan could hardly bear to look. "Turns out the Dragon King was beside me all along."

Jingliu pressed a hand to her forehead helplessly and urged Dan Feng, "Hurry up."

Dan Feng: "..."

Why do my friends look like that every time? Sixteen attendants is the bare minimum for a High Elder. I've already cut that in half!