Translator: E.3.3. Editor: Vermillion

  Boxes after boxes of delicate jade cases were sent into the kitchen, packing the table inside.

  At the end of the day, the Xiao Family was one of the biggest financial oligarchs of the Southern City. Therefore, their accumulation of wealth far exceeded that of the average family. Their force of influence was also beyond the imagination of an ordinary person.

  Bu Fang stood up out of curiosity and inspected these spirit herbs with his eyes. He discovered that most of these elixirs were rare and precious; one was even a sixth grade spirit herb. For a wealthy household whose most powerful warrior was only a sixth grade Battle-Emperor, possession of such spirit herbs was quite impressive.

  Bu Fang selected among these spirit herbs the ones with the strongest properties, and then asked for the rest to be taken away.

  Having had two pieces of Oyster Pancakes, he felt as if his body had recovered a good amount of true energy. His true energy vortex was also circulating functionally once more.

  Bu Fang washed the cutting board, after which a wisp of smoke began twirling around his hand. Then, the dark black, unadorned Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife appeared. Bu Fang twirled and spun the knife in his hand.

  Next, Bu Fang minced the spirit herbs he had specially selected and placed them on a porcelain plate. With the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife, Bu Fang didn’t need to worry about sensing the spirit energy fluctuations of these herbs. Since he was no longer concerned with the loss of spirit energy, this part was essentially some light work.

  After processing these spirit herbs, he took out several more spirit herbs from the system’s dimensional storage to neutralize the properties of the previous batch.

  Bu Fang also took out a piece of snow-white fish the size of a rock and placed it on the cutting board. A faint milky fragrance spread from the flesh of the fish.

  When Xiao Yanyu spotted the piece of fish, her eyes instantly sparkled. This was the flesh of a seventh grade spirit beast. It was highly valuable and definitely superior in quality to ordinary ingredients.

  Xiao Yanyu, being as bright as she was, immediately understood Bu Fang’s plan upon catching sight of this piece of fish. Judging by its appearance, this must be the finest piece of flesh on the demonic fish. Most importantly, this part was not contaminated by the dark energy as did other pieces, which meant it must contain a medium that could resist the evil substance.

  This would be the most suitable ingredient for treating Xiao Keyun’s illness.

  That was exactly Bu Fang’s objective. He washed the fish as well as his palms, and then squeezed the flesh of this huge piece of fish. It was rather soft on the outer surface but somewhat firmer in the inner part.

  Bu Fang quietly measured it in his head, then twirled the knife and carefully cut off a large piece of flesh.

  He packed up the rest of the fish and placed it into the system’s dimensional storage. Only one slab remained on the cutting board, but it was large enough.

  Once carved into thin slices, the snow-white fish began reflecting conspicuous lines of patterns. Each piece flushed faint shades of red, which was extremely eye-catching.

  Having slit down the middle of the fish, he made a few more cuts on both sides. Next, he carved it horizontally once, leaving a slash.

  After processing the fish, Bu Fang looked toward Xiao Yanyu. He instructed calmly: "Now, start the fire."

  Xiao Yanyu nodded and began to light the fire. She cooked frequently herself so this was nothing new to her. For the young lady of such an influential household, it was something rare and commendable.

  Not before long, the fire was ready. Bu Fang poured some of the water he had brought back from the Heaven Alps Spirit Lake into the pot. Then, he placed the processed fish inside as well.

  Next, he dumped the minced spirit herbs into the pot, boiling it with the other ingredients inside.

  Having covered the pot with a lid, Bu Fang began to circulate the true energy within his energy core. He enveloped the lid with such energy as he tried to sense the spirit energy fluctuations of the ingredient and spirit herbs within the pot.

  "Keep the flames burning, don’t stop." Bu Fang glimpsed at Xiao Yanyu, who was working hard on the fire.

  Xiao Yanyu’s delicate face became a little flushed by the heat of the fire. The blushes on her face were like blooming lotus flowers, spreading an intoxicating sense of charm.

  Xiao Yanyu shot a glance at Bu Fang before getting back to the fire. The flames burned even more fiercely as the water inside the pot began simmering. Bu Fang took his time, his palms still pressed on the lid. Waves of true energy circulated above like tiny serpents, corresponding to the spirit energy fluctuations underneath.

  Many of the spirit herbs within the pot began to melt in reaction to Bu Fang’s flow of true energy. They dissolved like frost melting and disappeared into the clear water. All of the essence had effectively seeped into the flesh of the fish.

  The fish had become paler in color, white as snow, as if there was a beam of light swirling inside.

  Once the fire had blazed for around half an hour, the fish was finally thoroughly cooked under Bu Fang’s force of true energy. He removed the lid, which immediately released a surge of hot steam. Akin to a giant mushroom, the searing mist rushed to the sky, crashed into the ceiling, and then fully dissipated.

  Bu Fang grabbed the spatula and picked out the white, juicy fish. Crystal drops of water dripped from the flesh, each bead glittering and translucent.

  He placed the snowy white fish into a giant porcelain bowl. The flesh was glossy, extremely tender and soft. Hot steams pranced on its surface like a swarm of tiny serpents, spreading to all direction.

  Bu Fang grabbed a single chopstick and poked at the fish. A sparkling juice immediately trickled out.

  Dense aroma, much like the scent of roasted milk, spread from the flesh. This fragrance was so delightful it nearly melted Bu Fang’s heart.

  Putting aside the fish, Bu Fang redirected his focus onto the pot of clear fish soup. He skimmed off the floating residues of spirit herbs and foams from the surface, leaving a pot of boiling fish soup as translucent as clear water.

  He then took out from the system’s dimensional storage a giant Blood Crown, which contained an abundance of spirit essence. Bu Fang sliced off a small dice and placed it into the boiling water. The Blood Crown was cloaked with true energy, enabling it to dissolve into the broth like melting snow.

  The soup instantly turned into a ruddy shade, emitting a dense fragrance of spirit essence.

  Xiao Yanyu observed Bu Fang’s movements. His every action was as smooth as the floating of clouds and flowing of water. He brought with him a particular sense of beauty, making her eyes sparkle. Although her face was currently flushed by the nearby heat, her heart was simply on fire.

  After a while, she suddenly become perplexed, finding Bu Fang’s cooking procedures somewhat familiar.

  "Isn’t…… isn’t this the cooking method of Dragon River Vinegar Fish?" Xiao Yanyu became more and more astonished as she detected the similarities. The only difference here was the fish used.

  The Dragon River Vinegar Fish was a famous dish of the Southern City, one not necessarily difficult to make. However, the grasp of heating was extremely important, so was the selection of seasoning. Producing just the right sauce was the most onerous task involved, since the taste of the Dragon River Vinegar Fish depended solely on this dressing.

  Owner Bu had never thoroughly studied this dish. How could he perfectly grasp its temperature and heating procedure? Plus, could he make a sauce good enough to restore the true flavors of the dish?

  Most importantly…… was this an Elixir Cuisine? Could the Dragon River Vinegar Fish be turned into an Elixir Cuisine?

  While Xiao Yanyu was still stuck in a trance, Bu Fang had already started making the sauce. The thick sauce reflected a light shade of dark auburn, emanating an intoxicating aroma that was both sweet and slightly sour. Since the Blood Crown was added to the mix, a sniff of this fragrance sent waves of spirit essence rushing through one’s body, like a majestic dragon.

  He scooped up some sauce and poured it downwards. The dense, viscous nectar formed a blackish brown stream. On the other hand, an energy vortex continued circulating within Bu Fang’s energy core. His supply of true energy, nearly half recuperated, was exhausted once more.

  Bu Fang twirled the spoon, then with curled lips and narrowed eyes, scooped out all of the sauce within the pot.

  Once this nectar was poured onto the snowy white fish, its flesh looked as if it had been revived, taking big gulps to inhale the dense spirit essence of the sauce. Hot steams rushed into the air and scattered into all directions, bringing with it the sweet and sour aroma. The presentation was very appealing.

  Yip Yip Yip.

  A light noise echoed, much like the sound of a spirit beast bawling. Afterwards, a faint silhouette of a spirit beast faded above the dish.

  A stormy gust of air surged out, blowing at strands of Bu Fang’s loosely tied hair.

  Xiao Yanyu also stood up and peered at the dish, which was overflowing with spirit energy and rich aroma, with great excitement.

  The Elixir Cuisine…… was completed?!

  The corners of Bu Fang’s mouth curled up. He took out another dice of Blood Crown, crushed it into powdered form and sprinkled it over the dish.

  "The Elixir Cuisine, Blood Crown Intoxicating Demonic Fish, completed."