The Journey of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 96 - 77: Explosive Beef Stone (10 consecutive updates, part 5)_2

Chapter 96: Chapter 77: Explosive Beef Stone (10 consecutive updates, part 5)_2

The mischievous child got the thrashing he thoroughly deserved.

Deng Hao forcibly suppressed his laughter and said, "Stop teasing them and just tell us already."

"Right." There was a hint of mirth in the whistle’s sound, "This Dagger is the very one that wounded the Bear Demon."

People finally understood! The Dagger, having stabbed the Bear Demon in the Ghost Gate Forbidden Land, lost its magic artifact’s spiritual power, turning itself into a tainted object, a Poison to other magic artifacts. Using this Dagger to break through the barrier of a protective magic tool was all too easy.

But how much meticulous preparation had the whistle done for that silent thrust? He spent two quarters of an hour, sweating profusely and dangerously maneuvering his flying sword, and also feinted at Master Huo twice with the Dagger, all just to dull his alertness.

Time and time again. By the third attack, Master Huo finally let down his guard, giving the whistle the slightest chance to erupt in violence.

If it had been too early, too late, too light, or too heavy, had there been even the slightest negligence, it would be a cultivator lying on the ground, not the whistle. Others would not be as merciful to him as he was to them.

Someone asked in a hoarse voice, "Had you planned this from the very beginning?"

The whistle nodded. He was just a mortal, at best nimble in movement, without exploiting the cultivator’s disdain, what else could he use to fight?

The area fell silent for a while, as everyone apparently reflected on the recent duel that, though not flashy, was fraught with danger.

It was a long time before someone slowly commented, "Master Huo poisoned the Bear Demon first, and then brother whistle poisoned Master Huo afterwards. The Dagger incidentally had been tainted by the Bear Demon’s, erm... that thing. Judging by this, it seems Master Huo was defeated by the Bear Demon. Truly, the Heavenly Principle is clear; retribution is indeed inescapable!"

Upon giving it some thought, everyone burst out into raucous laughter, finding truth in the statement.

Ning Xiaoxian was laughing too, but not solely because of the joke that was told. It was because of what Changtian whispered in her ear: "After dinner, go seek out the whistle for guidance. His kung fu is just what you need right now."

The person responsible for picking vegetables returned in gloom. It wasn’t really their fault; it’s a difficult task to find edible plants in the forest in the dead of night, even under the bright moonlight. Hence, apart from some green wild vegetables, what was brought back were mushrooms. These cute-looking little things also tasted good, and she had previously bought mushroom essence in supermarkets as a substitute for chicken essence.

But here’s the problem: within the great mushroom family, many varieties are poisonous. Thankfully, her life experience in Shallow Water Village proved useful, as the mountains there were also full of fungi to be identified. She sorted through the gathered mushrooms, my goodness, there were two kinds that could cause convulsions, and one that could knock someone unconscious. She checked them over four times to ensure no toxic mushrooms slipped through. This was a celebration banquet, and they couldn’t let joy end in sorrow.

What’s that, you ask what to do if she didn’t recognize a certain mushroom? That’s simple, just set it aside and don’t take the risk.

She calculated the time; the beef should have been marinating for about half an hour, which ought to be enough. Next up, it was time for the quick-hand phase.

She set up another pot over the fire, put the washed pebbles in it, and reminded Liu Yimian to carefully watch over it, turning them promptly, "This is roasting stones; they are crucial for cooking the meat later." The temperature of the pebbles needed to reach at least two hundred degrees.

She herself was in charge of preparing the oil. Oil extracted from poultry and beef fat needed to be further heated with star anise, tsao-ko, and cinnamon until it was piping hot. Then, the show began.

Everyone coming up to get food had to first contribute their rice bowl. A junior worker placed raw beef, wild vegetables, and blanched mushrooms into the rice bowl, and then Ning Xiaoxian would add the sizzling hot pebbles into it, followed by a spoonful of boiling oil, and it was ready to be served.

The people picking up their dishes were immediately struck dumb by their bowls: squatting while eating back at the camp, the oil in the bowl was still sizzling. The meat and vegetables were actually cooked through directly by the temperature of the boiling oil and the hot stones. Everyone had no aversion to eating raw meat; after all, sometimes Liu Yimian’s cooking was not even as good as raw meat, but the content in this bowl...

He tried a piece of beef and fell silent.

The entire campsite fell into an eerie stillness. Ning Xiaoxian’s heart skipped a beat: Could it be that she had failed? She had been too busy to taste the food, which was actually a big taboo for a chef.

"Does it not taste good?"

"It’s delicious." The first to respond was He Xiaojiu, his mouth unclearly filled, "It’s so tender, so fragrant, a flavor I’ve never tasted before! Whoever says it’s not good, I’ll fight them. Only today did I realize beef could taste this good." He pointed indignantly at Liu Yimian, "Miss Ning, what if we never want to eat his cooking again in the future? What should we do then?" The others chimed in one after another, creating quite a lively scene.

Liu Yimian coldly said, "Then don’t eat it." Despite his words, the food in his bowl disappeared at a pace even faster than the others.

Ning Xiaoxian also smiled and took a bowl for herself to taste. This beef was much tougher than that of carefully-raised calves, but luckily it was thinly cut, and per her instruction, sliced across the grain. The so-called "cut beef and sheep across the grain, and pork along the grain"; this method of cutting could sever the tough fibers, making the beef tenderer.

The beef cooked directly with the boiling oil and hot stones was exceptionally fresh and tender. If she had to say, its taste was not like any meat but rather had a softness akin to tofu, especially the fragrant yet not greasy boiled oil was a great weapon. The boiling pebbles maintained the heat well; the bottom of the dish was still warm, which inevitably caused one to break into a sweat in such weather, but it was irresistibly delicious. It was a pity that she had so little seasoning on hand; otherwise, she was confident she could make it taste twice as good.

After finishing his portion, the whistle walked up to her and said in a low voice, "Thank you."

Ning Xiaoxian smiled and said, "Is it for the medicine, the poison, or the meal?"

"All of them." After he finished, he turned to leave.

"Whistle, brother." The figure in front paused, and she pondered for a moment before saying, "I have a favor to ask."

Whistle was silent for a while: "Then, let’s meet here again in two hours." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote with your recommendation ticket and Monthly Ticket at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please browse to m.qidian.com to read.)