You call this having no appetite?

As noon approached, when Ning Fengzhi came looking for his daughter, Ning Rongrong was moving her little stool toward the kitchen doorway.

Having heard that morning that there would be a new dish, the little girl had been thinking about it ever since. After accompanying Chen An through his training, she had followed him all the way back to the kitchen and refused to leave, no matter what.

"Rongrong, come back with Daddy for lunch."

"I'm not going back."

Her answer could not have been more decisive. She did not even turn her head.

Ning Fengzhi found it rather amusing, but before he could speak, he saw that the little girl had already settled into her seat, propping her chin in both hands as she gazed eagerly at the cutting board.

Following her gaze, he saw several pork tenderloins laid out in front of Chen An, with eggs, starch, and small bowls of sugar and vinegar beside them.

Clearly, he was making something different.

"Uncle Ning, stay for lunch. I'm making Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin today."

Chen An looked up and called out to him. Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi did not stand on ceremony.

"All right, then I'll try your new dish today."

Seeing that her father was staying too, Ning Rongrong immediately brightened and pointed to the stool beside her.

"Daddy, sit over there. Don't block my view."

The smile on Ning Fengzhi's face froze.

Fine, fine, fine. I haven't even sat down, and she's already finding me a nuisance.

Holding back a laugh, Chen An lowered his head and continued preparing the tenderloin in his hands.

He first trimmed away the membrane, cut the meat into thick slices, then cut those into evenly sized strips. If the strips were too thin, they would dry out during frying; too thick, and the outer coating would have browned before the inside was properly cooked.

He had done all this countless times in his previous life, and now he had the system's recipe too, so his hands naturally moved with practiced ease.

The knife struck the cutting board in a continuous series of knocks. Before long, the tenderloins had become a neat pile of strips in the basin.

He added salt and a little scallion-and-ginger water, massaging the strips until they absorbed the liquid, then set them aside to marinate.

Taking advantage of this moment, Chen An glanced at the recipe's description again.

[Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin: nourishes muscles and tendons after consumption, relieving physical strain and soreness.]

It was just the thing to eat after training.

Chen An dismissed the panel and took another basin. He mixed starch with a little flour, cracked in an egg, then gradually added water and stirred.

Only when the batter fell back into the basin in a fine, continuous thread did Chen An mix in the marinated meat in batches, coating every strip evenly.

Chen Chuan was already stationed at the stove. Seeing Chen An transform the Dragon-Transforming Pot into a wok, he quickly stoked the fire a little higher.

Oil went into the wok and slowly heated.

"Xiao An, we're here."

Fang Ming and the other two came through the courtyard gate one after another, smiles on their faces. But when they clearly saw Ning Fengzhi sitting beside the doorway, they stopped in their tracks.

"Sect Master."

The three hurriedly bowed. Ning Fengzhi nodded and casually asked about their morning training.

Fang Ming answered each question, while Zhao Hai stood beside him, his eyes occasionally darting toward the wok.

While Ning Fengzhi was still asking questions, the first batch of meat went into the oil.

Chen An lowered the battered strips into the oil one by one. Fine bubbles immediately surged up, and amid the sizzling, the limp batter quickly set.

Once the coating had firmed slightly, he gently separated the strips with long chopsticks so they would not stick together.

The aroma of meat began to spread as well.

Zhao Hai swallowed. Ning Fengzhi had just begun asking about the afternoon when he chimed in.

"Rest assured, Sect Master. This afternoon, I'll definitely eat properly... train properly!"

The corner of Fang Ming's eye twitched.

Lu Yuan silently edged half a step away.

Hopeless. He could even say something like that in front of the Sect Master.

Ning Fengzhi glanced at Zhao Hai, then finally waved a hand.

"Go help."

"Yes!"

The three answered with remarkable speed and were busy with their own tasks in the blink of an eye. Zhao Hai, in particular, grabbed bowls and ran toward the table, afraid the Sect Master might call him back.

For the first frying, Chen An cooked the meat through until its coating turned pale yellow, then lifted it out with a slotted spoon.

Ning Rongrong immediately stood up.

"Brother Chen An, is it ready?"

"Not yet. It needs to be fried again."

Hearing that, the little girl could only sit back down. But her stool had already crept up to the threshold, and when Chen An noticed, he told her to move back a little.

She could not get that close to a wok full of hot oil.

After frying each batch of meat and scooping all the scraps out of the oil, Chen An waited for the oil to heat up again before returning the strips to the wok in batches.

This time, the bubbles surged even more fiercely.

In just a short while, the strips took on a beautiful golden color. When he scooped them up, they bumped together with a faint rustling sound.

The coating had crisped up.

He drained off the oil and set the meat aside, leaving only a little oil in the wok. Then he poured in the smooth tomato sauce he had cooked in advance and slowly stir-fried it until its red color developed.

Next, he added sugar, rice vinegar, and a little water, stirring and simmering until evenly combined, before finally drizzling in a little starch slurry.

As the spatula pushed through it, the thin liquid gradually became thick and glossy, and a sweet-and-sour aroma burst forth.

Ning Rongrong, who had still been able to sit patiently before, now stopped even swinging her feet. She stared fixedly at the wok, her mouth slightly open.

Even Chen Xin and Gu Rong, who had just entered the courtyard, stopped talking.

"What are you making?"

"Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin, Grandpa Bone. It'll be ready right away."

As he spoke, Chen An had already tipped the fried strips back into the wok.

With a flick of his wrist, the golden strips rose along the side of the wok before falling together into the glossy red Sweet and Sour Sauce. After several more tosses, every strip wore a thin coating of sauce, gleaming so brightly that the smell alone made mouths water.

There could be no dawdling now. Once evenly coated, the meat had to come out, or the coating he had worked so hard to crisp would regrettably turn soggy.

A large plate of Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin landed beside the cutting board. Chen An had barely set down his spatula when a pair of chopsticks appeared beside his hand.

Looking up, he found Ning Rongrong gazing up at him.

"I'll help you taste it."

"You certainly know how to pick your jobs."

Chen An smiled and placed a strip on her little plate, then told Chen Chuan to call Uncle Zhou and help bring out the white rice.

The little girl had no time to answer. Holding her plate, she blew on the meat again and again. Once it had cooled a little, she eagerly took a bite.

The thin, crisp coating broke at the slightest touch. Sweet-and-sour sauce first enveloped the tip of her tongue, followed by the tender pork inside.

Crisp outside but not the least bit dry inside, it grew more fragrant with every chew.

Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up at once.

"Delicious!"

She finished the strip in a few bites, refusing to waste even the little sauce along the edge of her plate. Licking her lips, she raised the plate again.

"I want more."

"Go get a bowl. Lunch is ready."

At those words, the courtyard immediately came alive.

The people who had been milling around the kitchen now raced to fill their bowls, then craned their necks as they waited for Chen An to bring over the food.

Uncle Zhou first set aside Chen An's portion. Only after the remaining meat had been coated in sauce in batches and brought to the table did he and Chen Chuan take their bowls.

Zhao Hai had intended to take more rice, but after looking at the white rice before him, then at the glossy red strips of pork, he thought for a moment and actually served himself only half a bowl.

This surprised Fang Ming somewhat.

"Why are you eating so little today?"

"I don't have much of an appetite."

He sounded quite convincing, but the next instant, Zhao Hai picked up the serving spoon and scooped a heaping spoonful of pork into his bowl.

Then another spoonful.

Fang Ming looked at Zhao Hai's bowl, then at his own. How could he fail to understand what the fellow was thinking?

"You call this having no appetite?"

So you took less rice just to fill all the extra space with meat?

Zhao Hai chuckled without answering and walked away with his bowl.

His plan was good, but once he actually began eating, he discovered that the Sweet and Sour Sauce tasted wonderful with rice too.

White rice coated in sweet-and-sour sauce, followed by a bite of crisp, tender pork-that was satisfying indeed.

Before long, Zhao Hai returned with his bowl.

This time, it was for more rice.

Ning Fengzhi also picked up a piece of pork. After putting it into his mouth, his chopsticks paused slightly.

He had long known that Chen An cooked well, but this Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin still surprised him.

Just as the sweetness emerged, precisely balanced sourness followed. It whetted the appetite without being sour enough to make anyone frown. The fried pork was not greasy either; after finishing one piece, he naturally wanted another.

Where did this child get so many ideas for cooking?

Toward the end of the meal, most of the pork on the platters had been eaten. Zhao Hai was about to take more when he suddenly rolled his shoulder.

"Huh?"

He had trained rather hard that morning, and his right shoulder had still been very sore when he carried the rice out earlier. Now, however, it felt considerably more relaxed.

After hearing him, Fang Ming flexed his hand as well and found that he did indeed feel better than when he arrived.

Chen An was not surprised. Smiling, he explained.

"This dish nourishes muscles and tendons. After you eat it, it relieves some of the soreness left by regular training."

The effect could not yet be called particularly strong, but it was already very suitable for helping them recover.

Hearing this, Zhao Hai looked at the remaining pork with an even more eager gaze.

"Then I need to eat more. I still have training this afternoon."

"I have training too."

Fang Ming immediately lifted his bowl.

As for Lu Yuan, he was already helping himself.

The corner of Chen An's mouth twitched.

As though you'd be willing to put down your bowls if it didn't have that effect.

Still, having people enjoy his food was a good thing. Watching the positive-review notifications appear one after another, Chen An found his own appetite improving too.

Ning Fengzhi, however, used this topic to turn toward him.

"Xiao An, it's time you learned how to coordinate with others."

"Coordinate?"

"Yes. Your popcorn can help restore Soul Power, but in an actual fight, you can't wait until someone attacks right in front of you before lighting a fire and cooking."

Ning Fengzhi spoke gently, and Chen An understood immediately.

His current first Soul Skill was indeed better suited to advance preparation or use during a lull in battle.

As for his knife Martial Soul, he did not intend to use it in front of others yet.

"First learn to move with your companions, and know when to retreat and where to retreat."

Chen Xin took over. After speaking, he glanced at Fang Ming and the other two.

"After you've rested this afternoon, one of you will stay and practice with him."

The moment he finished, Zhao Hai put down his bowl.

"Senior Sword Douluo, I'll do it!"

"I can too."

Fang Ming hurriedly followed. Although Lu Yuan had not managed to speak first, his hand was already raised.

This was personal instruction from Sword Douluo. Even learning a little from the sidelines would be enough to delight them. Besides, once they finished practicing with Xiao An, would it not be dinnertime?

They would not need to run back and forth or keep an eye on the time. They could eat as soon as practice ended.

Who would willingly give up such a good opportunity?

How could Chen Xin fail to see what they were thinking? He said evenly,

"Fang Ming will stay today. You'll take turns from now on, and none of your required training may be skipped."

"Yes."

Fang Ming immediately smiled, while Zhao Hai felt somewhat vexed.

I clearly spoke first just now.

But when he saw that a few pieces of meat remained in the basin, he could no longer spare a thought for that and quickly picked up his bowl again.

He had missed his turn as a practice partner; surely he could not miss the last of the meat too.

Once everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the new dish's progress before Chen An's eyes stopped at nine positive reviews.

[Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin positive review progress: 9/100.]

That was already a very good result for its first meal.

After cleaning up and resting for a while, Chen Xin took Chen An and Fang Ming to a nearby clearing. Ning Rongrong naturally followed too, holding Gu Rong's hand and saying she wanted to watch Brother Chen An train.

The exercise was simple enough. Without using Soul Skills at first, Fang Ming would slowly approach, while Chen An tried to use the trees beside the clearing to put distance between them.

Chen An had initially thought this should not be difficult.

Then Fang Ming raised his left hand and waved it before him. Chen An focused entirely on that hand, and just as he stepped aside, Fang Ming's right hand gently landed on his shoulder.

The entire process took less than two breaths.

Chen An froze for a moment, but Chen Xin beside him was not surprised in the slightest.

"If you only watch his hand and wait until he's right in front of you to think about running, of course you'll be too late."

As he spoke, he motioned for Chen An to move another two steps to the side of the tree, so Fang Ming would have to circle around the trunk to approach him rather than simply reaching out and touching him as before.

"Again."

Fang Ming went through it a few times alongside him, listening intently whenever Chen Xin spoke.

When Chen Xin spoke about foot placement, he even lowered his head to check his own stance and quietly shifted half a step as well.

Meanwhile, Zhao Hai and Lu Yuan had also gone back to continue training, but just as they entered the training grounds, their companion from that morning stopped them.

"Where's Fang Ming? Haven't you three been together all the time lately?"

"He had something to do."

Zhao Hai answered offhandedly.

The man glanced at him, but instead of stepping aside as he had the last few times, he raised a hand and pointed to the corner of his own mouth.

Zhao Hai instinctively wiped his mouth, and a dab of glossy red Sweet and Sour Sauce appeared on his fingertip.

"What something?"

The disciple stared at him and slowly finished his question.

"He hasn't gone off to eat something delicious again, has he?"