Teacher by day, Farmer by passion
Chapter 258 - 258: Little Aoki [4]

Ace shook his head with a sigh. "Alright. Let's do something fun instead today."

He stood up and clapped his hands. "Liu Mei, stop stirring. Go set up another fire."

"Yes, Master," she said quickly, hopping to her feet and getting to work.

"Tushan," he continued, "get a knife. We're preparing spirit chicken tonight."

Tushan blinked. "But Master—"

"No buts. It's getting dark."

Tushan turned to Little Aoki with a dramatic sigh. "Bear, you take over stirring."

The massive bear glanced uncertainly at Ace.

Ace gave him a nod. "Go on. Stir well and I'll make sure you get meat too."

Perking up immediately, Little Aoki ambled over and grabbed the long ladle with his paw.

Ace then build a small open-air barn and reinforced it with a barrier formation.

The barrier shimmered faintly in the twilight, designed specifically to prevent anything from flying or fleeing out.

Then, with a snap of his fingers, he summoned one spirit pig and a few plump spirit chickens into the enclosure.

Liu Mei frowned. "Master… that's all?"

Ace looked at her, unimpressed. "It's more than enough for a test."

She pouted, dropping her armful of firewood. "You're so stingy, Master. Do you know that?"

He gave her a long, blank stare, then wordlessly summoned four more spirit pigs.

Liu Mei blinked, unimpressed. "Still stingy."

Ace raised a brow.

She smiled sweetly. "Master~ Can you open the system gate for me?"

He found it hard to hold back a laugh. "Fine," he said, waving his hand to open the shimmering gateway.

Liu Mei vanished into the gate and returned moments later, staggering under the weight eight additional spirit pigs, and several baskets overflowing with epic-grade spirit feed.

"Hehe~ This should be enough!" she giggled as she set them down like a triumphant merchant.

Tushan, already gripping the knife and ready to cook, looked at the growing pile of livestock and ingredients with sparkling eyes.

"Ohhh," she breathed, her excitement rising. "Now this is a proper experiment."

"Start with the spirit chickens," Ace said, settling onto a smooth stone near the fire.

"Once we taste the spirit pigs, we won't have the appetite for anything else."

Tushan gave a firm nod. "Yes, Master."

Liu Mei perked up. "Wait for me! I'll run to the kitchen and grab some extra seasonings!"

Ace waved her off with a nod, then turned his attention to the fire pit.

He crouched down, arranging the dry wood with methodical ease.

With a flick of his finger, a controlled flame sparked to life, licking at the base of the logs.

As the fire grew steady, he reached into his storage ring and pulled out his personal cauldron, an artifact he received way too long ago.

He gave it a brief glance and muttered under his breath, "You may be a treasure of untold power… but sometimes, you're just a very expensive cooking pot."

With a smirk, he placed it gently over the rising flame.

The fire crackled steadily beneath the cauldron as Ace pulled off his outer robe, rolled up his sleeves, and took a long, calming breath.

The scent of burning wood filled the air with a faintly sweet aroma.

Tushan stood nearby, eyes wide with curiosity, as Ace retrieved two freshly cleaned spirit chickens from the side.

Their skin was faintly golden, almost glimmering with a soft luster, the hallmark of beasts raised on spirit grains and spring-fed waters.

Just then, Liu Mei returned, arms full of baskets and jars.

"I brought the seasonings, Master!" she huffed breathlessly, cheeks flushed. "Salt dust, fire ginger, cloud fennel, and dreamroot oil! Oh—and I got that sauce my mom used to make!"

Ace's brow lifted slightly. "That last one... good. We'll need it."

She handed the jars one by one. Tushan peeked over with sparkling eyes. Ace inspected them with an unwavering focus, then waved her over.

"Watch carefully," he said, setting the chickens onto a stone slab beside the fire.

"This is how you cook a spirit chicken. Liu Mei's mother taught me about it and I'm sharing it with you."

He reached for a thin obsidian knife, its blade gleaming faintly with a formation seal.

With practiced ease, he began slicing shallow cuts into the chicken skin, scoring the meat just enough to let the flavor seep deep.

The rhythm of the blade was almost hypnotic, calm, methodical.

"First, score the skin lightly," Ace explained, "so the spirit fat underneath can breathe and melt into the meat. Spirit chickens aren't like ordinary ones, they're rich, so you need to let them air and crisp properly."

He then massaged the birds gently with cloud fennel and fire ginger, his hands moving with reverence, almost as if he were painting strokes onto canvas.

Tushan watched, captivated. "Why rub it before cooking?"

"So the spice isn't just flavor, it becomes part of the flesh," Ace replied. "When heat hits the oil in dreamroot and fire ginger, it draws out a depth in the meat. Smells richer. Feels warmer. You'll taste it in the bones."

He then took out a long iron spit and skewered the birds carefully, adjusting their balance before setting them over the fire, turning the handle just slightly to keep them from sitting still.

The juices began to drip, crackling as they met the flame.

Ace reached for the salt dust, a rare mineral seasoning that sparkled faintly like powdered stars, and sprinkled it with a pinch between his fingers, never more than necessary.

"Master," Liu Mei said, crouching beside him, "this feels... kind of nostalgic."

Ace gave her a sidelong glance. "That's because it is."

The flames kissed the chickens slowly, turning the skin crisp and bronze.

A rich scent filled the clearing, earthy, herbal, warm, and mouth-watering.

The juices popped and sizzled, while Tushan's eyes followed every motion like a disciple before a sage.

"Now, the final touch," Ace said, uncorking the clay bottle of Liu Mei's mother's sauce.

A deep plum-colored glaze, thick and fragrant, poured over the sizzling birds.

As it hit the fire, the smoke rose sweet and savory, curling into the dusky sky.

Even Little Aoki stopped gnawing on a mango and lifted his snout, eyes glassy with longing.

Ace turned the spit slowly, letting the glaze sear into the meat. "Five more minutes. Then we eat."

They all waited, breath held.

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