This bowl of porridge really could clear poison

After a night's rest, Chen Xin left the forest with Chen An.

On the way back, their carriage stopped at a resting place. When grandfather and grandson entered, several people were already sitting at a table by the window. Their clothes suggested they were Soul Masters out training together. One boy had his left arm wrapped in cloth. A bowl of hot food sat before him, but he had barely touched it.

The young man accompanying him was checking his arm.

"Still numb?"

The boy nodded, then tried moving his fingers again. They did move, but having that hand resting there still felt awkward.

The young man checked it again and, only after seeing that no blood had seeped through the dressing, lowered the boy's sleeve for him.

"The wound is fine. The remaining poison hasn't been fully cleared yet. Don't rush to exert yourself. We'll deal with it back in the city."

"Teacher Qin, I wasn't trying to move it around." The boy sounded a little helpless. "I'm just not used to even holding a bowl like this."

A classmate beside him shifted the bowl closer to his right hand and put the spoon inside. He took a bite, but he really had little appetite and set it down again.

Chen An had already sat down with Chen Xin, but hearing the words "remaining poison," he couldn't help glancing over.

Wasn't this just the opportunity?

He had only made the new porridge yesterday and had yet to put its poison-clearing effect to use. Still, before approaching someone who felt unwell and asking them to drink a bowl of porridge he had just learned to make, he needed to understand the situation first.

Chen An leaned closer to Chen Xin and told him what he wanted to ask. Chen Xin looked over the group without stopping him, then simply led him to their table.

The young man looked up and was about to rise when Chen Xin asked about the boy's injury.

"He was bitten by a Mandala Snake in the forest," the young man said. "A Hundred-Year Soul Beast. I've already cleaned his wound and administered treatment for the poison. What little remains can be kept under control for now. We were planning to clear it once we returned to the city."

Only after finishing did his gaze settle on Chen An.

The child was young and carried a small pack. No matter how he looked at him, he didn't seem like a Soul Master who needed him to tend a wound. The old man before him had a deep, unfathomable presence, and he didn't rashly ask who they were.

Only after listening did Chen An speak. "My third Soul Skill can make a porridge that clears poison. It's called Rainbow Porridge. If it's only this little bit of remaining poison, we could give it a try."

Third Soul Skill?

The young man was slightly taken aback.

Already three rings at this age?

Still, he didn't immediately have his student reach for a bowl. First, he asked what kinds of poison the dish worked on. After hearing Chen An explain that it needed to be freshly made, he checked the condition inside Cheng Yu's arm again.

The poison was already under control, and his student could eat normally. He could try a little first and see what actually changed.

"Then I'm sorry for the trouble," he said. "I'm Qin Ming, a teacher at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. His name is Cheng Yu. He's a student who came out Soul Hunting with me."

Hearing that, Chen An couldn't help giving him another look.

Qin Ming. He had some recollection of that name.

But making the porridge was the most important thing right now. Chen An didn't pursue the thought and turned to ask to borrow a stove. The place already served travelers, so adding some firewood and borrowing an ordinary kitchen knife wasn't difficult. After Chen Xin spoke to the person tending the stoves for him, a burner was freed up in the back.

"Stay seated for now. This needs to cook for a while."

Chen An said this to Cheng Yu, then released the Dragon-Transforming Pot.

Two yellow rings and one purple ring appeared beside the pot. Qin Ming had only heard the words "third Soul Skill" earlier. Now, actually seeing that purple ring, his expression immediately grew much more serious.

A Food-type Martial Soul, three rings, and even a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

Yet a child like this was finding water and washing rice at the stove with practiced ease.

Cheng Yu saw it too, but didn't think as much about it as Qin Ming did. His arm had been numb for half the day, and nothing he ate along the way had felt right. Now that a food-type Soul Master who could clear poison was willing to help, he naturally hoped it would work.

Chen An activated his third Soul Skill and took out rice and seven-colored vegetable ingredients. Generating the ingredients consumed a surge of Soul Power. He didn't rush to activate it again, deciding to finish the dish before him first.

The ordinary kitchen knife wasn't as comfortable to use as the Eternal Spirit Knife, but fortunately, he only needed to cut some vegetables, so it didn't hold him up.

The rice went into boiling water. Once the liquid slowly began to thicken, the finely chopped roots and stems went into the pot one after another. Yesterday, on his first attempt, Chen An had needed to watch every change closely. Today, he already had a grasp of it. He reached out to shift the firewood and lower the heat, and a fresh fragrance soon drifted from the stove.

Sitting at the table, Cheng Yu kept smelling it and actually picked up his spoon again.

But after taking a bite of the food in his own bowl and looking over there, he suddenly found it hard to eat.

He'd already lost his appetite, so why did smelling this make him feel he could eat again?

Seeing him keep looking toward the stove, the classmate beside him wanted to help hurry things along, but Qin Ming raised a hand to stop them.

He was still carefully cooking. What was there to hurry?

Chen Xin stood beside the stove without urging Chen An to speed up the cooking either. The grains of rice gradually softened in the pot, and the tender ingredients went in last. Seven colors rolled through the thickened rice liquid. When the lid was lifted again, a faint rainbow glow drifted out with the steam.

Not just Cheng Yu-even the two classmates beside him stared.

Was this really just a bowl of porridge?

Chen An served half a bowl, blew away some of the steam, and brought it to the table. Qin Ming first examined the ingredients in the porridge, then, seeing that Cheng Yu could take it steadily himself, allowed him to taste it.

With the first mouthful, Cheng Yu was still thinking about his arm. By the next, he was already following it up without realizing it.

The soft rice carried the fresh sweetness of the vegetables. The hot porridge slid down his throat into his stomach, leaving his whole body feeling a little more comfortable. Compared with this, he simply didn't want to touch the dry rations he had forced down along the way ever again.

"Slow down. Don't burn yourself."

After reminding him, Qin Ming turned his attention to his left arm.

After Cheng Yu ate a few mouthfuls, his fingers began to feel warm. The sensation that something lay between him and his hand, making it difficult to move as he wished, actually began to fade little by little.

He stopped his spoon and moved his left hand.

Earlier, he had barely been able to bend it. Now, opening it and closing it again felt much smoother.

"Teacher Qin, I think it's not numb anymore."

At that, Qin Ming immediately moved closer and carefully examined his arm. The little bit of remaining poison that had been suppressed inside his body, still affecting his meridians, had indeed diminished.

He had Cheng Yu slowly circulate his Soul Power and checked again himself. Only after confirming that he had no other discomfort did he signal for him to finish the remaining porridge.

By the time the half bowl was finished, Cheng Yu could move his fingers naturally. After another examination, Qin Ming had his answer as well.

That little bit of remaining poison had been cleared.

Standing beside them, Chen An finally smiled when he heard the result.

His third Soul Skill really worked.

But happy as Cheng Yu was, the moment he reached for the cloth around his arm, Qin Ming pressed his hand back down.

"The poison is gone, but the wound is still there. You still need to change the dressing and rest when we get back. Don't get so excited that you reopen it."

Cheng Yu could only settle his hand properly, voicing his agreement, but his gaze landed on the pot in Chen An's hands again.

"Can I have a little more?"

"There's more." Chen An added some for him. "Don't stuff yourself."

"For this flavor, I'd gladly stuff myself."

The one who hadn't even wanted to eat earlier was now thinking about another helping. Qin Ming couldn't help laughing at that and didn't stop him again. Only after seeing him sit properly did he rise to thank Chen Xin and Chen An.

"The remaining poison wasn't severe, but leaving it there kept him uncomfortable. Thank you both for your help this time."

Chen Xin waved a hand, telling him there was no need to be so polite. Only after serving out the porridge left in the pot did Chen An give his name and mention that he lived at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Chen Xin gave his own name as well. Only then did Qin Ming confirm the old man's identity, and his manner grew even more respectful.

A child Sword Douluo had personally taken out Soul Hunting-no wonder he had Soul Rings like those. But while the Soul Rings could help him obtain ingredients, turning them into this pot of porridge had depended entirely on the child's own cooking skills.

While Chen An tidied up the pot and bowls, Cheng Yu had already taken his own bowl to the back and washed it. He kept his injured arm still and used only the uninjured one, but that hadn't kept him from doing the work.

Only when Chen An took the bowl did he earnestly say thank you.

"Sit down and rest," Chen An said. "Your teacher already told you to rest and recover."

Cheng Yu agreed and didn't move around again this time.

After a short rest, the two groups went their separate ways. Qin Ming continued back to the city with his students to have the wound examined, while Chen An returned to the sect with Chen Xin.

As the carriage began moving again, he leaned beside the window. Remembering the result of that bowl of porridge, he was still in a good mood.

When he got back this time, besides the Soul Beasts in the forest, he would have something new to tell Rongrong about.