The Journey of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 30 General Shell Moves onto the Table

Chapter 30: Chapter 30 General Shell Moves onto the Table

"Having tasted the meals from the mansion today, I truly realize they are the utmost delicacy under the heavens." This actually praised the fact that Old Huang’s money spent on his cook was not wasted; the elderly man’s face immediately beamed with joy.

"So, I... I..." She slowly and softly uttered these words while assuming the gesture of a lovelorn maiden clutching her heart. Everyone listening was anxious, yet they didn’t dare rush her to speak faster.

Shi Jishan wouldn’t fall for her act, forcing a smile she said: "If Miss Ning feels her culinary skills are inadequate, we can’t force her." Her intention with these words was too obvious. If at that moment she had turned her head to look at Quan Shifang, she would have seen the man she adored looking at her with clear disdain.

Such perfect cooperation! She recited so many "I’s," and if Shi Jishan had not picked up the thread, she would not have been able to continue her performance.

At that moment, she bit her red lips and mustered her courage, pretending to be provoked: "Since Miss Shi has put it that way, then I, I ought to give it a try. However—"

She slowly straightened her posture and looked directly at Shi Jishan, saying: "If the dishes I make are barely to everyone’s taste, what then?" You expect me to cook just because you asked? As if it’s that simple. You want to taste Granny’s skills without offering anything in return?

Seeing her suddenly get tough, Shi Jishan was first taken aback, then incredulously said: "If you do it well, I will give you this jade pendant!" She took the jade piece from her waist and placed it in her palm. The pendant was carved into a circular shape, pure and white all over, with just a tiny vibrant red dot in the center. It was the perfect finishing touch to the exquisite ornament.

Trying to send me off with a jade pendant? Ning Xiaoxian sneered inwardly, just about to refuse, when Changtian suddenly exclaimed, "Agree to it!" His tone was urgent and serious, something she had never heard from him before.

She was slightly startled, then said: "Alright, it’s settled then. Let’s invite Old Huang, the kind man, to judge."

Old Huang nodded continuously, looking very pleased.

She continued: "Excuse me for a moment, I need to go to the kitchen and see what ingredients I can use."

Having taken just a few steps, the voice of Shi Jishan called out from behind: "Old Master Huang only likes meat." She wanted to see what kind of delicacy this country bumpkin girl could concoct.

Ning Xiaoxian also laughed in her heart: "Thank you for letting me know. What a coincidence, Granny’s specialty is meat dishes!"

Upon entering the kitchen, she exchanged a few words with the two head chefs and searched through the cabinets for materials and seasonings. Seeing that she was just a young girl not yet twenty, the chefs, upon hearing of her bet, became curious and wanted to observe from the side.

After inspecting for a while, she had a plan in mind and walked back to the banquet hall.

Seeing her return so quickly, Old Huang couldn’t help but express his surprise: "Miss Ning, have you thought of a recipe?"

"That’s right." She nodded and asked, "May I know how long the... crustacean in the garden pond has been kept?" She had clearly seen a pond full of lobsters passing by, but she didn’t know how they were referred to here.

Crustaceans? Old Huang took a while to realize what she meant. "You mean the pool full of shrimps? Someone brought them to my grandson to play with yesterday. They look mighty and are called shell generals; they can fight each other and are quite entertaining. Hmm, there are also some pits outside where they are used for betting fights."

Ornamental? In her understanding, lobsters were one of the most precious ingredients, which, if cooked properly, could rival the innate deliciousness of sea urchins and fish roe. She had tasted it only a few times in her life. The people here actually used it for viewing and gambling? What a tremendous waste!

Don’t worry, my little darlings, tonight your sister will carefully cook you, to restore the reputation of the lobster clan!

Old Huang frowned and said, "Could it be that you want to use them for...?"

Ning Xiaoxian replied, "Correct, I want to try." After saying this, she turned to Quan Shifang and said, "Moreover, I’ll need to borrow Senior Brother Quan’s help."

Quan Shifang was full of curiosity and laughed upon hearing this, "Lending a hand is no trouble at all."

But this infuriated Shi Jishan, who thought that the wretched girl had snagged another chance to be alone with Senior Brother Quan.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

Old Huang instructed a servant to catch five lobsters from the pond and put them into a wooden barrel. The lobsters were not particularly large, roughly the size of Ning Xiaoxian’s forearm, but they were all lively and strong.

Ning Xiaoxian took Quan Shifang to the kitchen and pointed to a large iron plate leaning against the wall, "Please bother Senior Brother to split it open." This iron plate was originally intended to be fitted onto the mansion’s main gate. Both sides had been polished, and its thickness was just right.

Quan Shifang found it quite interesting, and took out his sword to cut her a three-foot square piece of the iron plate as per her request. The sword in his hand was ranked among the top three in Chaoyun Sect; it could slice through iron like mud even without activating any sword techniques, so cutting this iron plate was incredibly easy for him.

Not wanting to trouble someone with two tasks, she also asked Quan Shifang to split all the lobsters in half. Poor Quan, who was about to enter the Golden Core Stage and was a future Great Sword Immortal, found himself hunched over splitting lobsters in the kitchen. The two chefs, seeing the young master obediently following the girl’s orders, fully understood the situation and felt fortunate that they hadn’t spoken ill of her earlier.

She bowed her head to check and couldn’t help but praise, "Fine knife work." Each lobster was neatly split in half from head to tail with a single stroke, with no side having too much or too little. "Is there a way to keep this iron plate at a high temperature? It needs to be hot but not to the point of melting or deforming."

"Yes." He took out a high-quality Fiery Fire Talisman, "Using it can maintain a constant temperature. I’ll help you with it."

She then collected some ingredients from the kitchen, directed the servants to clean the iron plate, and had them place it on the table in the middle of the dining hall. This table was made of hardwood, resistant to fire.

Old Huang and the people from Chaoyun Sect were waiting in the hall and were surprised to see a large iron plate being carried in. They soon understood that she intended to cook in public. Who doesn’t like watching a bit of action? Their eyes widened in anticipation, and the two chefs followed them into the hall.

She nodded to Quan Shifang, who then took out the Fiery Fire Talisman, gently pasted it on the back of the iron plate, and after sticking it on, he didn’t let go and continued to lightly touch it with his index and middle fingers. This Fiery Fire Talisman was originally meant to be used against enemies; thrown out, it would create a blazing flame. Naturally, Quan Shifang couldn’t let it burst into flames like that, so he had to adjust it gradually with his own spiritual power.

At this point, the deep foundation of the Sect Leader’s favorite disciple from Chaoyun Sect was revealed as the temperature of the iron plate rose steadily, until Ning Xiaoxian called out "That’s enough," and he fixed the temperature, no more, no less.

She was very pleased with this temperature. The temperature of the iron plate had to be around 250 degrees to cook the food perfectly. With this iron plate, her confidence in preparing the dish increased significantly.