Cultivating Immortality by Raising a Cat (GL) Chapter 67

The menu was indeed as Xiong Lanlan and Gui Changshou had said. As time passed, new dish labels kept appearing, and after a while, some old dish labels would disappear.
However, sometimes when the same dish was ordered several times, one would discover that the texture and flavor were a little different too. It was probably because, as they had mentioned earlier, some dishes were made by disciples handing in sect cooking tasks. The same dish could also come from different disciples’ hands.
Even with the same ingredients and the same recipe, different people would cook things with different flavors. That was the interesting part of cooking. But when this point was placed on Clear Heart Hall’s dishes, it was not so interesting anymore.
After the spiritual rice label appeared, many new dish labels appeared one after another. Lin Mianmian tried them one by one and could count as having summed up a few of Clear Heart Hall’s dish traits.
Each dish contained only one ingredient. If it could be eaten raw, it was never processed. Whether plant or animal, there were only two methods: boiled in water, or steamed until cooked. If Lin Mianmian had not tasted wrong, even the seasoning from beginning to end was only one kind… Glow-Shell Salt.
It could be said that they had absolutely no pursuit of food’s flavor. They were even simple and rough to the point of only asking that the food be edible.
Food boiled or steamed in salt water basically only stayed at the level of being edible. Vegetables made from plants were somewhat better. The meat dishes mostly had the problem of not removing enough fishy or gamey smells. Once they entered the mouth, the result was hard to describe.
Dishes came and went on the menu, and Lin Mianmian did not let any kind pass. She tried several dishes. From the limited information, aside from the cooking methods, she also formed one or two thoughts about other things.
Of the dishes that had already appeared on the menu, about sixty to seventy percent were ingredients or supplementary ingredients recorded in the Food Classic. The rest were things Lin Mianmian had seen for the first time.
Among the ingredients Lin Mianmian could identify, dishes with wood-attribute components replenished about the same amount of internal-core ability power as Bitter Jiji Grass Soup when the serving size was similar. Dishes of other attributes, when compared with Bitter Jiji Grass Soup in similar amounts, had only about one tenth of the grass soup’s effect.
From this, it could be seen that the saying “eat what you need to nourish what you need” was effective in this cultivation world too.
Only, for some unknown reason, with the same things, the overall effect was much weaker than during the apocalypse.
Lin Mianmian still knew too little about the situation in this cultivation world. Judging from what she could understand right now, she had two guesses about this problem.
Either the issue lay at the root: different worlds meant that even the same thing would naturally produce different effects. Or the issue lay in the cooking method.
Lin Mianmian remembered that during the apocalypse, she had eaten Stone-Foot White-Skin Pig meat twice. Each time, the portion had been very small, probably not even half the size of the Stone-Foot White-Skin Pig front rib she had eaten this time. In other words, it had been only about half a palm-sized piece of meat.
At the time, when she ate it, her ability power had not reacted too strongly. But back then, Lin Mianmian had only thought it was because Stone-Foot White-Skin Pig nourished earth, and because the portion was small, so she did not feel much.
But the bowl of wood-attribute Rotten-Wood Flower Vegetable Steamed Double-Eared Yunying Beans she had been lucky enough to eat during the apocalypse had been different. At the time, she had been at the peak of level-three ability power. That dish had clearly made her feel new energy pour into her body, pushing her straight into level four.
Of course, the main reason for the upgrade was that she had already been at the peak of level three for a long time. But it had to be said that the bowl of Rotten-Wood Flower Vegetable Steamed Double-Eared Yunying Beans had indeed played a great part in pushing her forward.
Thinking of it now, could the difference in ability power absorbed also be because Stone-Foot White-Skin Pig had been available during the apocalypse, while Wind-Dust Grass, the matching ingredient for cooking Stone-Foot White-Skin Pig in the Food Classic, had been hard to find, so that pork had not been cooked according to the Food Classic’s method? Meanwhile, Rotten-Wood Flower Vegetable Steamed Double-Eared Yunying Beans had been an actual dish from the Food Classic.
Everything right now was only Lin Mianmian’s guess. If she wanted to judge any of it more clearly, she would need further experiments.
While chatting with Xiong Lanlan and Gui Changshou, Lin Mianmian learned a little. These ingredients did not count as very precious, and obtaining them was not very difficult. If she accepted a sect food-cooking task, she could even directly receive some of them.
No matter whether the experiments succeeded, recovering her ability power was at least no longer something with no clues. Even if the experiments failed, given enough time, she could use Bitter Jiji Grass Soup to refill all her ability power.
If, after recovering her ability power, it was still her level-five ability from the apocalypse, how would it compare with the Qi Refining stage and Foundation Establishment stage here…
At that time, would she also have the strength to accept more difficult tasks? For example… tasks that required leaving the sect.
On the first day after separating from the little calico, Lin Mianmian could not help imagining their reunion.
At that time, will you still remember me?
Since one meal ticket allowed them to eat until full, they naturally could not waste it by leaving hungry. According to Feng Liang and Meng Tianhe, the one-ticket all-you-can-eat side had far more dish variety than the fixed dish-ordering side next door.
The main reason was that the time when disciples came to hand in cooking tasks, and the dishes they handed in, were both too random. So those dishes were usually assigned to this side, where food was consumed constantly and in large amounts.
Although the meat dishes were not handled very well, they could still be forced down. Along with the plant dishes that tasted passable, Feng Liang and Meng Tianhe both ate with great satisfaction.
As for the turtle and the bear, they were not as picky as human cultivators. Their eating amounts and speed were both very impressive.
Lin Mianmian, however, tasted flavors while calculating ability recovery, often lost focus, and had the appearance of a human cultivator but the stomach of a demon cultivator. In the end, among the group, she was the slowest eater.
The little friends who had reunited after a long time ate this meal for almost two double-hours. But compared with those demon cultivators who carried bedding and bundles and looked prepared to eat here for at least several days, they absolutely counted as swift and spirit-stone-saving for the sect.
When they entered, the red glow of sunset had filled the sky. When they came out, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.
At the entrance of Clear Heart Hall, the earlier flow of people coming and going, beasts running back and forth, and lively spells being cast everywhere was gone. As for the sky…
Oh, there were still some flying points of light in the sky. Who knew where those hurried figures had come from, or where they were going.
A gust of wind blew over. Lin Mianmian could not help tightening her robes. It was not that she felt cold. She only was not quite used to the sudden quiet after the noise and bustle.
After one meal ended, her little friends should also part.
Lin Mianmian knew in her heart that for them to come welcome someone like her, someone whose aptitude was poor enough that she had taken more than half a year to draw spiritual energy into her body, truly showed feeling and loyalty.
Although she did not know whether, on the long road of cultivation ahead, everyone would still have the time and chance to gather happily like this, what happened today was already enough to be deeply remembered.
Perhaps because her mood had been affected too strongly by being forced to part from the little calico, Lin Mianmian’s thoughts were somewhat pessimistic. She kept feeling that the livelier things were now, the lonelier they would be when the quiet came…
“Senior Sister Zihui?” Feng Liang had sharp eyes and saw at once the person slowly descending from the air on a flying sword.
Lin Mianmian’s inexplicably sinking thoughts were interrupted by Feng Liang’s voice.
Senior Sister Zihui?
Looking at Zihui, who had already landed and was walking toward their group with a smile, Lin Mianmian felt a little surprised. Earlier, Senior Sister Yuan had said that after the meal, she would come take Lin Mianmian to settle her residence. Did something come up, so she could not come?
Without realizing it, Lin Mianmian lightly clenched the small cloth bag of spirit stones in her hand. Sure enough, the world was unpredictable. Parting was easy, and meeting again was hard. Lin Mianmian, caught in a strange pessimistic mood, accidentally let her thoughts slide toward even more negative places.
“What a coincidence. You came to eat too?” Zihui greeted everyone with a smile.
Huh? Coincidence?
Lin Mianmian blinked and froze for a moment.
So it was only a chance meeting?
Sure enough, before everyone had exchanged many words, a streak of light much faster than Zihui’s earlier one descended toward them.
“Senior Sister Yuan…” Everyone gave the newcomer a simple salute.
Because she had hurried over, when Yuan Zhaoyang landed, her face still held a faint flush from staying before the earth fire too long. Her gaze, however, stopped steadily on Lin Mianmian.
“Finished eating? Then let us go. We still need to register your disciple plate.”
At this moment, Lin Mianmian’s excellent hearing seemed to accidentally work to its limit. In Yuan Zhaoyang’s seemingly calm voice, she seemed to hear the slightest bit of unsteady haste.
Was it because Yuan Zhaoyang had rushed over?
Lin Mianmian did not dare be sure whether she had heard wrong or imagined too much. But… she clenched the small cloth bag in her hand. It was undeniable that when she saw Yuan Zhaoyang come as promised, her heart really did feel a little happy.
It was not that she disliked Senior Sister Zihui. She only felt that… being able to meet again according to a promise after parting was truly a very good thing. It was like encouragement, or comfort for the heart. She and the little calico would also be able to meet again, right? Even if that promise was one she hid alone in her heart.
A person too deeply affected by negative emotions would always, without realizing it, look for some positive rescue for a sinking heart. For example, a kind person willing to listen to her worries. For example, little friends reunited after a long separation. Or for example, words forced to carry the effect of a promise.
Walking among blades, even a spider thread hanging overhead was a thread of comfort.
Yuan Zhaoyang had shortened the refining process as much as possible, but by the time the finished product came out, nearly two double-hours had passed. Partway through, she had already somewhat regretted her own willfulness. The moment inspiration struck, she had impatiently gone to start the furnace, unwilling to wait even one more night.
Once the furnace was opened, there was no road back. If she stopped halfway through refining, all the previous materials would be wasted. That would truly be too willful.
Fortunately, she had rushed and hurried. When she arrived, it looked as if Lin Mianmian and the others had only just finished eating and come out. She had not made that little girl wait too long.
Yuan Zhaoyang put away the urgency in her eyes and steadied her voice before calling Lin Mianmian over. But for some reason, that little girl actually raised her head and smiled at her.
Lin Mianmian was already delicate-looking, with pale skin. Her hair, which passed her waist, was smooth, and the wind gently lifted only the ends. Her eyes, which had been red from crying earlier, had now returned to normal. When her small nose and small mouth smiled… she looked like a person kneaded from white sugar cake, somehow making sweetness rise in one’s heart.
Yuan Zhaoyang felt that the heart she had finally calmed after rushing over began beating a little faster again.
The little white sugar cake’s smile vanished in a blink. The person had already come to her side, but Yuan Zhaoyang was still a little distracted. She casually brought out a small jade flake flying magic artifact, only to discover there was no place for Lin Mianmian to stand…
“Let us go.” Yuan Zhaoyang turned her hand and withdrew the jade flake. With a calm face, she pretended she had done nothing just now and instead pointed at the teleportation array not far away.
Lin Mianmian held the little cloth bag and followed closely.
Teleportation arrays were truly convenient. In the blink of an eye, they went from Clear Heart Hall to another place.
The teleportation array they came out of was also in a place like a small square. Only, this side was far livelier than Clear Heart Hall had been. There were many people and beasts coming and going. Even though night was growing deeper, it was more lively than Clear Heart Hall at dinnertime.
“This is All Affairs Hall.” Yuan Zhaoyang raised her hand and pointed toward a row of buildings not far away, which together were more than ten times the size of Clear Heart Hall. She gave Lin Mianmian a simple introduction. “Aside from updating disciple plates, this is also where you usually receive resources issued by the sect, accept sect tasks, and hand them in. There are some other small matters that can be handled here too. After you come more often in the future, you will slowly learn them.”
Lin Mianmian nodded. In the time it took to speak a few sentences, the two had already reached the entrance of one room in All Affairs Hall.
“Your jade plate.” Yuan Zhaoyang stood beside the door, turned, and held out her hand to Lin Mianmian.
“Yes.” Lin Mianmian quickly took out the jade plate she had received when she first entered the sect from the inner pocket of her lapel.
When she handed the jade plate to Yuan Zhaoyang, she did not forget to push forward the small cloth bag she had been holding in her other hand. “I… did not use it.”
It was clearly returning money. But under Yuan Zhaoyang’s eyes, which seemed to see through everything, Lin Mianmian’s voice could not help growing lower and lower.
Yuan Zhaoyang accepted the jade plate from Lin Mianmian’s hand. As if she had not seen the little cloth bag at all, she turned and entered the room.
Lin Mianmian silently drew back the cloth bag…
If she had not heard wrong, Senior Sister Yuan had seemed to… hmph just now?
After entering the room, Lin Mianmian discovered that it looked like a study. There were shelves everywhere, and the shelves held all kinds of books, jade slips, and miscellaneous objects. Facing the door was a huge carved wooden desk large enough to seat more than ten people. Behind the desk sat an old man who looked around fifty or sixty years old.
He looked… very powerful…
Lin Mianmian, who carried many secrets, felt her heart beat nervously when facing the old man with graying hair and beard.
But in the next moment, Lin Mianmian saw the old man stand respectfully and bow to Yuan Zhaoyang.
“Senior Sister Yuan has come.”
“I brought a new disciple who entered the Qi Refining stage to update her disciple plate.” Yuan Zhaoyang beckoned to Lin Mianmian behind her. “Come. Call him Senior Brother Du.”
“Senior Brother Du…” Lin Mianmian copied the old man’s manner and saluted him.
The old man nodded, accepted the jade plate from Yuan Zhaoyang, then took an item from the shelf behind him and placed it on the desk.
“Updating the disciple plate requires recording the disciple’s information. Little Junior Sister, come hold this.”
Lin Mianmian looked at the unremarkable stone the old man had just placed on the table, then looked at the wooden desk beneath the stone. She kept feeling that this scene was a little familiar…
“Spirit-testing stone.” Seeing that Lin Mianmian seemed a little confused and afraid, Yuan Zhaoyang kindly reminded her, “Do not be afraid. It is just like in Yingxian City before. It will only record your information.”
Afraid…
How could she not be afraid…
Before, she had not known the internal core had followed her over, so of course she had not been afraid.
Now… she had confirmed the internal core was still there. Just now, she had even eaten so many spiritual plant and spirit beast dishes and worked hard to replenish a little ability power…
Lin Mianmian felt that her hand was about to tremble.