No lunch the day after tomorrow?

With seven more people around, Chen An's days were not as busy as he had imagined.

Once the new stove was in use, stewing meat and stir-frying no longer got in each other's way. With Uncle Zhou and Chen Chuan helping wash vegetables and tend the fire, the only time he really had more work was when he was doing the cooking itself.

As for after the meal, he had even less to worry about.

These days, if anyone in the courtyard leaned back in his chair after eating, someone beside him would immediately stuff a cleaning rag into his hand.

You certainly didn't eat any less, but now you want to dodge the work?

Dream on.

Shao Heng returned on the seventh day after leaving the sect. When he released his two yellow Soul Rings, Fang Ming and the others were all happy for him.

Chen An had not forgotten his promise either, and made Squirrel Mandarin Fish that very evening.

Han Cheng was quite obliging. The moment Shao Heng entered the courtyard, he volunteered to give up his old seat, even wiping the stool spotless.

Then he sat down in his newly added spot, picked up a bowl, and began serving himself rice.

Seeing how thoroughly Han Cheng had settled in with everyone, Shao Heng found it rather amusing. He had only gone away for a trip, yet this senior fellow disciple had already arranged all his future meals.

The days passed like this, and a month went by in the blink of an eye.

With several meals a day, positive reviews accumulated considerably faster than before. Chen An had not neglected his own cultivation either. His Soul Power had first broken through to rank fifteen, and now it had reached rank sixteen.

His physique was steadily improving as well. Before, his arms would still ache a little after preparing a meal, but now the whole process felt much easier.

Naturally, Chen An was pleased with this progress, but he did not slack off when it was time to cultivate. Whenever Chen Xin came to instruct him, he asked directly about anything he did not understand, rather than puzzling over it alone for ages and possibly still failing to figure it out.

Personal instruction from a Titled Douluo was something countless people could not obtain no matter how they begged. Of course he had to treasure it.

As for Ning Rongrong, she had not been idle during this time either.

Her Innate Soul Power was one rank below Chen An's. Though the little girl said she did not mind, she had kept it in her heart, and hardly slacked off on the cultivation Ning Fengzhi arranged for her.

A few days earlier, she had reached rank ten, and Gu Rong had taken her out of the sect to search for her first Soul Ring.

Meanwhile, Chen An had learned another new dish.

The positive reviews for Squirrel Mandarin Fish had long since passed a hundred. He had made the newly unlocked Wensi Tofu twice before Rongrong left. Though it did not cause quite the stir that lavish meat and fish dishes did, these fellows showed no restraint when drinking the soup either.

He planned to make it again for dinner today.

That afternoon, the chicken broth on the stove had already developed a rich, savory aroma.

Chen An skimmed off the oil floating on top, strained out the clear broth, and set it aside. He cut the ham, cooked chicken, bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms into fine shreds, chopped the leafy greens as well, and lined up several small dishes.

The tofu took the most care.

Earlier, when he was alone in the kitchen, he had used the Eternal Spirit Knife in its Slicing Knife form to cut the silken tofu into thin slices, gently spread them out, then cut them into fine threads before withdrawing his Martial Soul.

A good knife alone was not enough for cutting something like this.

The tofu was delicate and would crumble under the slightest excess force. It also stuck easily to the blade, so he had to dip the knife in clean water from time to time and keep his wrist steady as he cut downward. Stroke after stroke, the tofu on the chopping board still looked joined together, but in fact it had already been finely separated.

Once transferred into clean water and gently swirled with its flow, that snowy-white mass slowly loosened.

The fine threads unfurled strand by strand in the water, spreading until even the bottom of the basin was difficult to see.

Chen Chuan had just returned from the front. After standing beside him and watching for a while, he could not help shaking his head.

They were both cutting tofu, so how did Xiao An manage to cut it like that?

He had tried copying it last time. In the end, none of it had gone to waste; Uncle Zhou had taken it all to make soup.

Only, what Xiao An made was shredded tofu, while his own bowl barely qualified as tofu crumbs.

As they worked, Ning Rongrong's voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Brother Chen An, I'm back!"

Hearing her, Chen An set down what he was holding. He had barely reached the doorway when he saw the little girl pulling Gu Rong into the courtyard.

Before leaving, she had worried about not finding a suitable Soul Beast. Judging by how happy she was now, the trip had clearly gone smoothly.

Sure enough, before Chen An could speak, Ning Rongrong released her Martial Soul. Amid seven-colored light, a yellow Soul Ring slowly rose.

"I have a Soul Ring too! Grandpa Bone said I'm already a rank-eleven Soul Master now."

"Congratulations, Rongrong."

Chen An smiled as he spoke, looking her over. Only after seeing that the little girl was full of energy did he turn to Gu Rong.

"Grandpa Bone, did the trip go smoothly?"

"We searched for a few days before finding a suitable one, a Soul Beast over three hundred years old. Rongrong absorbed its ring without any trouble."

When this came up, the smile never left Gu Rong's face. Though the little girl was usually rather pampered, when it actually came time to absorb the Soul Ring, she had not voiced a single complaint, much to his gratification as her grandfather.

Listening to them talk, Ning Rongrong noticed that Chen An had yet to try her Soul Skill, and tugged at his sleeve.

"Brother Chen An, let me try boosting you."

"Sure."

Chen An did not refuse and stood to one side to wait. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in Ning Rongrong's hand flashed, followed by her clear, bright voice.

"Seven Treasures Have Names. The first: strength."

The yellow Soul Ring lit up, and a beam of colored light entered his body. Chen An felt warmth flow through his limbs, as though every muscle in his body had gained some strength.

A twenty-percent increase in strength.

This was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's first Soul Skill. Moreover, as the number of Soul Rings increased, the boosts from its existing Soul Skills would continue to improve.

No wonder the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect held its current standing. If two Soul Masters of equal strength fought and one suddenly gained a boost like this, the other would be in for a rough time.

Chen An tested the sensation and smiled as he offered her a couple of compliments. Only then did Ning Rongrong withdraw her Martial Soul in satisfaction and follow him into the kitchen.

She had to show Brother Chen An her Soul Ring, and naturally, she had to eat too.

During those days away, she had thought about the food at home even in her dreams. Now that she was back, how could she bear to leave?

"Brother Chen An, I want Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin tonight."

"Sure. The meat's already prepared. I'll make you a bowl of popcorn tonight too."

At those words, Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up. She nodded repeatedly, then fetched a little stool herself and sat in her usual spot to wait for dinner.

She did not need anyone to attend to her at all.

Gu Rong found it amusing, but he was not much better than the little girl. Smelling the soup on the stove, he simply sat down in the courtyard too.

He had already sent someone to inform Fengzhi anyway. Once he arrived, Gu Rong could tell him about Rongrong's trip.

For now, he might as well wait for dinner.

Chen An asked Chen Chuan to add some firewood, then returned to the stove and began making the soup.

First, he gently blanched the tofu threads to remove their beany smell, lifting them out with a wire skimmer supporting them from below. He could not stir them about with chopsticks as he would when scooping out meat.

He started another pot of clear chicken broth and added the prepared shredded bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, ham, and chicken. Once their savory flavors had melded, he slid the tofu threads in.

The surface of the soup had been clear just moments before. As the fine threads floated up, a soft expanse of white gradually spread across it.

After adding the shredded greens, Chen An gently pushed along the edge of the pot with the back of his ladle. Amid the fine white threads, the red of the ham, brown of the mushrooms, and green of the leaves slowly spread. There was no heavy oil or rich, dark sauce, yet it was a very pleasing sight.

A little salt and pepper enhanced the flavor, followed by a light starch slurry to finish.

It could not be thick. Just enough to suspend those fine threads while keeping the soup fresh, delicate, and silky was sufficient.

Once the soup was ready, Chen An began frying the tenderloin. The courtyard gradually grew lively as Fang Ming and the others arrived one after another. Hearing that Ning Rongrong had successfully obtained her first Soul Ring, they all smiled and congratulated her.

Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin arrived then as well.

Gu Rong recounted the Soul Hunting trip. As Ning Fengzhi listened, he gathered his daughter, who had come over to him, into his arms beside him. Only after confirming that she had felt no discomfort during the absorption did he relax.

"Thank you for your efforts these past few days, Uncle Bone."

"What effort is there in taking Rongrong out for a trip?"

Gu Rong waved a hand. Ning Rongrong, meanwhile, could not sit still even beside her father, glancing toward the kitchen from time to time.

Following her gaze, Ning Fengzhi happened to see Chen An coming out with the tenderloin. He asked no more questions and stood to take the plate from him.

After several days on the road, anything else could wait until after dinner.

Dinner began as usual. There was meat and rice on the tables, but today, everyone reached for a soup spoon first.

Gu Rong took a sip. Piping-hot savoriness slipped down from the tip of his tongue, and the soft tofu threads needed almost no chewing before flowing into his stomach with the broth.

Ah, that hit the spot.

After days of dry rations outside, I finally get to enjoy Xiao An's cooking again.

The old man said little. He set down his bowl and promptly served himself another.

Chen An ladled some for himself too, and the description in the recipe surfaced in his mind once more.

[Wensi Tofu: gently nourishes the internal organs and helps alleviate minor internal injuries.]

It was not something that could heal grave injuries with a single sip, but everyday cultivation inevitably caused small injuries to the body. Slowly nursing them was always a good thing.

That was also why everyone had kept thinking about the new dish after the first two times he made it.

Of course, flavor mattered most.

If it had truly been hard to swallow, how could it have made these fellows switch to soup bowls a whole size larger?

Han Cheng drank two bowls in succession before remembering to reach for some meat with his chopsticks, while Shao Heng beside him was already carrying his bowl back to the soup.

Over the past month, everyone had long since grown familiar with one another's habits. During meals, they spoke one fewer sentence whenever they could.

Why chat? Couldn't that wait until after eating?

Only toward the end of the meal did Ning Fengzhi remember something else and beckon to Chen An.

"Xiao An, Qinghe is coming the day after tomorrow. He heard Rongrong broke through rank ten and wants to see her, and take you both around the city while he's here. He still remembers what he promised you last time."

Chen An's hands paused.

He did still remember that.

The last time he went into the city with Grandpa Sword, they had mainly been busy shopping. There had been no time to actually sit down and sample the cooking at those restaurants.

Now that someone would show him around, it was just right.

After spending so many days shut away cooking in the Kitchen, it was time he went out for a stroll.

Ning Rongrong had already moved close to her father and begun discussing where to go the day after tomorrow. Ning Fengzhi listened with a smile for a while before reminding her.

"You can't skip your morning cultivation. We'll go after you've practiced. Your Grandpa Sword is coming too."

His daughter had been reasonably diligent in her cultivation lately. Now that she had successfully obtained her first Soul Ring, there was nothing wrong with letting her go out and play.

Chen Xin nodded beside them. Clearly, Ning Fengzhi had already spoken to him before coming.

With Grandpa Sword coming along, Chen An felt more at ease too. He still had not figured out whether that Brother Xue was the person from his memories. For now, he would simply continue interacting with him as usual.

"Then I'm sorry for troubling Brother Xue."

Chen An agreed with a smile, then turned to Uncle Zhou and gave him instructions about lunch the day after tomorrow.

"Uncle Zhou, we won't be cooking here at noon the day after tomorrow. Sorry for the trouble, but please prepare some extra food up front."

At these words, the nearby tables suddenly grew considerably quieter.

Fang Ming had just picked up his chopsticks, Zhao Hai was still holding his bowl, and even Han Cheng's soup spoon stopped in midair.

No cooking?

They had all been happy to hear that the young lady had obtained her Soul Ring. How had listening to that somehow cost them lunch the day after tomorrow?

Seeing their reactions, Chen An almost laughed aloud.

"I'm only going out for a trip. Can't you just eat up front?"

That was true enough, but could it possibly be the same?

They had no grounds to object, so they could only lower their heads and clean out the bowls before them a little more thoroughly.

Han Cheng in particular looked at the soup remaining at the bottom of his bowl and suddenly felt that he could drink a little more.

As for Chen An, twenty-three positive reviews came in one after another, and Wensi Tofu's progress rose from forty to sixty-three.

Before they left, he made Rongrong a small bowl of BB Popcorn as well.

The Dragon-Transforming Pot took the shape of a cooking pot. His yellow Soul Ring flashed, and a golden kernel of corn fell into the bottom. As it heated and swelled, Chen An timed it carefully and lifted the pot off the fire. With a soft pop, snowy-white popcorn bloomed one piece after another.

The little girl held her bowl and ate happily.

She still had to familiarize herself with her newly acquired Soul Skill tonight. After eating the popcorn, her Soul Power recovery rate would increase by thirty percent for an hour, saving her some time spent regulating her breathing.

When Ning Fengzhi took her home, the little girl was still holding her bowl. At the courtyard gate, she did not forget to turn back and confirm with Chen An that she would come for breakfast as usual tomorrow.

After seeing them off, Chen An cultivated for two hours as usual, washed up, and drifted blissfully into sleep.

But over at Fang Ming's place, he had only just gotten ready to rest when someone knocked on his door again.

He opened it to find Han Cheng once more.

Before Fang Ming could speak, Han Cheng asked first.

"When they go out the day after tomorrow, they'll be back that evening, right?"