Chapter 997: Tasting is Believing
“Corriandis, can you-”
“Ingredients are already prepared, young master.”
“Ah. Thank you.”
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Prompted by Nun Hua’s words, Zhen Feng went about preparing yet another portion of kinpira, using the same ingredients as before.
As this was happening, Nun Hua and Matriarch Zhen Xun Tian kept an eye on his entire process. The former because she wanted to understand more of the secrets of [Gourmand Alchemy] while the latter was just amused by the whole thing.
While this was happening, Zhen Xing finally got around to eating his food.
‘Huh…part of me feels jealous of my cousins being recognized for their hidden talents…the other part of me is feeling I might’ve dodge an arrow,’ Zhen Xing mused as he saw the strange alchemist lady friend of the Matriarch watch Zhen Feng with such intense fervor. As he was doing so, the ice aether in the specially prepared meal his cousin made did its thing and settled down the [Ghost Flame] inside him.
This would normally be a big moment of celebration for the group, but that was not possible given the current guests.
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Nun Hua’s initial reaction to seeing how Zhen Feng prepared all of his ingredients was that of pain. The reason being that as a traditional alchemist, she was taught that all work with natural aether treasures should be done with nothing but one’s ability to use aether flames or aether water, while using a specialized cauldron to refine the energies of the ingredients. Physically touching and dismantling such items was tantamount to heresy in her eyes.
However, as she continued to watch Zhen Feng do his thing, she began to notice subtle changes in the energies of the ingredients being prepared.
[Chilling Burdock Root], [Star Peppers] and [Ice Carrots].
These ingredients were nothing special by any means.
The first one was normally used to make basic throat healing elixirs, [Star Peppers] were able to make fire heavy alchemical recipes negligibly better, while [Ice Carrots] were just…really cold carrots.
Due to Zhen Feng’s methods though, the energies in all three ingredients became significantly more refined and potent than they were just moments ago. And as he finally put all the ingredients together into one final dish, she could sense that energies were synergizing with one another in a way she had only seen once or twice before.
Only, those prior events involved high tiered Alchemists using potent forms of aether, not some random young man in the middle of nowhere.
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Now that she had a plate of her own [Arctic Kinpira], she needed to study the whole dish thoroughly without any interruptions or outside interference.
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Sound of an entirely different plate of food being placed on a table.
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Before Zhen Xun Tian could release a justifiable rain of fury at Nun Hua for denying her lunch, a plate of freshly made fried rice was placed before her. From what she could smell, it was going to be spicy and sweet, which were her favorite flavors.
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It was a feeling that she hadn’t felt in a long time, so it was rather pleasant.
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‘This dish is actually radiating the same power as a 3rd tier aether pill…inconceivable!’
Nun Hua had scanned over the dish again and again with her abilities yet the results were always the same.
Some random ass dish, made from low tiered ingredients that totalled at about three gold coins per item, had the same aether nurturing potential as a pill that could go as high as three thousand gold coins in an auction house.
Was this seriously the lost potential of [Gourmand Alchemy]?
Why in the name of heaven, Valresta and beyond did this become a lost art?!
‘Wait…you know why,’ Nun Hua thought to herself. ‘Power scaling.’
As a traditional alchemist, Nun Hua knew that in order to get to where she was in her alchemical ability, she had to maintain her abilities as an aether warrior in tandem. Which was…a lot easier than anticipated.
Natural aether treasures of fire and ice were powerful as all hell anyways, meaning that as long as an alchemist improved their skills as a warrior, their skills as alchemists would improve as well.
The problem with [Gourmand Alchemy] was that…there was little to no synergy between it and aether cultivation.
There were a few strange formulas out there that allowed one to participate in the act of cooking as a form of cultivation, but the upper threshold of those formulas were so low, that only peasants, low tiered clans and sects would bother cultivating them.
Regardless, most aether warriors and alchemists preferred to get stronger martially over anything else and then spend that time doing more leisurely activities. After all, once one becomes the strongest, who is going to bother them if they decide to do things like paint or play music?
As Nun Hua started to come to terms that perhaps traditional methods of cultivation weren’t as great as purported, another thought came to her mind. ‘Wait, is this real? Maybe it’s manufactured…’
As a master alchemist, Nun Hua was painfully familiar with the fact that there was an underground market for aether medicines and elixirs, and that many an illicit organization has begun to circulate bootlegs and fake medicines to make a quick buck. Evidently, these organizations became a bit more rambunctious after the disappearance of a certain well-connected broker back in Emerald Eye City.
Regardless, Nun Hua concluded that there was only one way to know for certain weather this food was legit or a falsehood.
And that was by eating it.
‘Worst case scenario, I slap the offending chef into oblivion for serving me a falsehood,’ Nun Hua thought to herself as she used a pair of chopsticks to pick up some kinpira and brought it to her mouth.
‘Well…it smells good at least.’
And with that thought in mind, Nun Hua took her first bite.
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While she herself was busy chowing down on some fried rice, Nun Hua had finally gotten to the point of her analysis where she actually took a bite out of the kinpira dish.
Once she did though, Nun Hua suddenly went silent.
A feeling of anticipation filled the kitchen as the Zhen Clan members present simply stared at the Imperial Alchemist, who had gone very still as her chopsticks remained clenched in her teeth and hands.
However, this feeling of anticipation with an entirely new feeling of…obsession.
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“Is…is she asking ‘guy or girl’?”
“I think so.”
“Okay, but why?”
“I don’t -”
Before any more of this conversation could continue though, Nun Hua suddenly stood up in her seat and made her intentions incredibly clear. All while grabbing Zhen Feng’s face.
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“What the fuck??”
A wiseman once said the easiest way to get to someone’s heart, was their stomachs.
Nun Hua basically proved that saying in spades.
