303

With Wen Qiong helping to keep an eye on Tai Shuhong, Du Heng felt a lot more relaxed.

In the past few days, more and more sects have come to Shenxu Palace, and monks wearing Taoist robes of various colors can often be seen competing near the training ground.

Du Heng's dining hall is becoming more and more famous, and more and more monks come here to eat. However, he only provides so much food every day, and if you come too late, there will be no more. If you want Du Heng to learn the business model of Zuixianlou, of course he can earn a lot of spirit stones, but he will be more tired than now.

On a sunny afternoon, Wen Qiong was lying on a recliner with Xiaoxiao in her arms, eating snacks and basking in the sun. Du Heng was picking vegetables for the evening in the vegetable garden in front of the dining hall. There were several boxes of fresh vegetables at his feet, which looked particularly beautiful in red and green.

His vegetables were all grown with spiritual energy. Ever since Jiang Shangzhou placed a large spiritual gathering array in the square in front of the dining hall, Du Heng rarely went out to buy vegetables. Every day after picking the right vegetables, Du Heng would grow vegetables, fruits, and melons. After just one night or half a day, he could harvest enough vegetables.

Seeing that Du Heng's vegetables were good, the sect promoted this method of growing vegetables. Now there is a vegetable field near the main dining hall. Of course, they don't take care of the vegetables as carefully as Du Heng, so the vegetables they grow are not as good as those grown by Du Heng.

Seeing that the buried sweet potato seedlings had grown several feet long, the buried potato seedlings had grown two feet high, and the purple beans had fallen off and grown into one-foot-long beans, Du Heng stopped circulating his spiritual energy.

Wen Qiong praised, "My disciple, you are using your mental skills well now. You will become a great man in the future. I have told you long ago that you have a top-grade wood spirit root. As long as you don't slack off, you will definitely achieve something. Although you are only at the early stage of the Golden Core, the skill you just showed is something that many cultivators at the middle stage of the Golden Core cannot do."

If Wen Qiong had not said this while chewing chicken wings, it might have been more convincing. Wen Qiong and Xiao Xiao were eating fried chicken wings, and the smell was so good that the cultivators in the training ground next door frequently cast their spiritual senses over them.

Du Heng felt a little embarrassed after being praised by Wen Qiong: "I only have some talent in growing vegetables and cooking, but I'm not so good at other things."

Wen Qiong spat out the chicken bone, picked up a hot chicken wing from the plate and stuffed it into Xiaoxiao's mouth: "Anything else?"

Du Heng scratched his cheek. "Well... isn't the purpose of practicing cultivation to achieve immortality or invincibility? I found that I'm really not good at fighting and killing."

Wen Qiong laughed: "Oh, do you think that cultivators have nothing to do and just fight all day? They practice sword techniques or magic formulas just to protect themselves and fight back when they are hurt. In reality, few cultivators practice for the purpose of fighting. The spiritual energy you cultivate is yours. As long as you use it conveniently, why bother about whether you are watering flowers and plants or cooking delicious food? Just be happy."

Wen Qiong's words made sense, and Du Heng felt comforted. He took out two tomatoes from the basket: "Master, eat tomatoes. This one is sour and sweet and very good."

Wen Qiong shook her head: "No, I want to eat duck neck more. Is there any more?" Wen Qiong would only go against her usual practice and eat vegetarian food when eating spicy hot pot. At other times, she is an out-and-out carnivore.

Just as Du Heng was about to go to the kitchen to get the duck neck, he saw Jiang Shangzhou coming down the mountain path next to the dining hall. Seeing Du Heng from afar, Jiang Shangzhou smiled non-stop: "Du Heng! I'm here to see you!"

When Du Heng heard Jiang Shangzhou's voice, he was so embarrassed that he wished there was a crack in the ground for him to crawl into. It was his fault that he accidentally overheard the conversation between Jiang Shangzhou and Su Zhan. Now he couldn't face Jiang Shangzhou's peach blossom eyes.

Du Heng smiled awkwardly: "Elder Jiang..."

When Jiang Shangzhou heard Du Heng calling him like that, his eyebrows furrowed. "You used to call me by my name, but now you feel so awkward? I just haven't come to see you for a few days, and you're so distant with me!"

Wen Qiong turned to look at Du Heng and asked quietly, "Did this guy take the wrong medicine?"

Du Heng covered his face and said, "Master, let me explain this to you."

Wen Qiong stuffed a chicken wing into her mouth, and when she took it out, only a bone was left. She shook her head and said, "Hey, I knew it a long time ago. I heard that Elder Jiang was pursuing you, and he persisted even though he knew you already had a Taoist partner."

Du Heng could hardly lift his head: "Master, please stop talking."

Wen Qiong chuckled: "It proves that my disciple is charming. I, your master, have lived for so long, but I have never even held a man's hand. You have helped me fulfill my wish."

Jiang Shangzhou took out a wooden box from his sleeve and handed it to Du Heng: "I've been a little busy these days and didn't have time to come to see you. Are you angry?"

Du Heng firmly refused, "Elder Jiang, I already have a Taoist partner, this is not appropriate." Jiang Shangzhou said, "This is not a formation, this is a little gadget I made, you can use it in your kitchen."

Jiang Shangzhou opened the wooden box and two wooden figures jumped out. The wooden figures looked naive and their hands were as flexible as real people.

Jiang Shangzhou introduced: "Look, this is a puppet that collects dishes! With this, you don't need Fellow Daoist Yuxuan to clean up!"

It seems that Jiang Shangzhou is trying to divert Xuan Yu away from Du Heng, but he is doomed to fail. As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Xiao jumped into the air and kicked a wooden man on the head. The head flew out and made a gurgling sound after falling to the ground.

After Xiaoxiao kicked, the other puppet also failed to escape the bite of wonton. With a click, the wooden man's leg was torn off by the wonton. The wooden man could not stand steadily and fell to the ground, becoming a pile of waste.

Jiang Shangzhou: ...He had clearly been trying for a long time in the weapon refining room, but in the end he couldn't withstand the attack of Du Heng's pet?

Du Heng looked at the two puppets that were scrapped before they could play any role. He said apologetically, "It seems that Xiaoxiao and Wonton don't like them."

Jiang Shangzhou lifted his bangs and said, "It's okay, it's okay. I'll make one that they all like next time~ Right, Xiaoxiao..." Jiang Shangzhou just stretched out his hand to touch Xiaoxiao's head, but Xiaoxiao pecked him to show her diswelcome.

Jiang Shangzhou laughed: "As expected of Du Heng's pet, it's so cute, ahahaha." Du Heng felt that Jiang Shangzhou's expression clearly showed that he wanted to beat up both Wonton and Xiaoxiao to vent his anger.

Jiang Shangzhou bent down skillfully and moved the basket on the ground into the kitchen: "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Du Heng couldn't refuse, Jiang Shangzhou stopped in front of Wen Qiong holding the basket and said, "This... is Du Heng's master, right? Hello, master, I am Jiang Shangzhou, it's an honor to meet you."

Jiang Shangzhou held Wen Qiong's hands with both hands and shook them up and down a few times. Wen Qiong smiled and said, "Oh, no problem, no problem. Elder Jiang is so polite."

Du Heng looked at the two people holding hands. If he remembered correctly, Wen Qiong had just said that she had never held a man's hand in her life? Didn't she already hold hands with him?

Jiang Shangzhou praised Wen Qiong: "Master, your skin is as white as cream and your complexion is great. You are naturally beautiful." Wen Qiong smiled and said, "No, this is the result of using the new rouge and powder from Langhuan Pavilion!"

Jiang Shangzhou said seriously: "Master, you are wrong. You are as beautiful as a flower. The rouge and powder from Langhuan Pavilion are not wasted if they are used on you."

Du Heng's mouth twitched. It seemed like these two were in cahoots with each other. He didn't want to say anything anymore.

In the past, whenever Jiang Shangzhou showed up, Xuan Yu would stare at him like a wolf. Today, Jiang Shangzhou had been here for a while, but why didn't he see Xuan Yu? Perhaps Jiang Shangzhou felt lonely without his opponent, so he looked around as if he was looking for someone: "Is Daoist Yuxuan not here today?"

Du Heng said: "Xiaoyu and Xixi went to Zhengyang City to buy vegetables."

Gu Lingfeng has been too busy lately, so the task of buying groceries has fallen on Xuan Yu and the others. Buying groceries is a small matter, the main thing is to buy meat and grain. I heard from Xuan Yu that the prices in Zhengyang City have risen rapidly recently. It is probably because the Ten Thousand Sects Conference is about to be held, and many things in the city have increased in price.

It's a great time to be on a boat on the river. If there's anything you need me to do, just let me know."

Du Heng refused, "No, no, there's nothing I need help with." He was kidding. If he really asked Jiang Shangzhou for help, he was afraid that Xuan Yu would get jealous when he came back and he wouldn't be able to bear it.

Jiang Shangzhou was about to say something when he saw a puff of green smoke burning beside him. An old voice came from the green smoke: "Fourth Junior Brother, come to the Spiritual Medicine Hall as soon as possible." Jiang Shangzhou's face froze: "Big Brother, are you back?"

The old voice said, "Yes, come quickly."

Jiang Shangzhou looked at Du Heng apologetically: "Du Heng, I..."

Du Heng said considerately: "Elder Jiang, go quickly, something big must have happened!"

Jiang Shangzhou's figure flashed, and he was already dozens of feet away: "I'll come find you when I'm done!"

In an instant, Jiang Shangzhou disappeared. Du Heng breathed a sigh of relief: "It's too difficult."

Not long after Jiang Shangzhou left, Du Heng discovered that the color of the barrier above his head seemed to have changed. He looked up suspiciously and said, "Master, do you think the color of the barrier seems to be darker?"

Wen Qiong frowned: "The defense formation of Shenxu Palace has been opened, something must have happened."

Wen Qiong was right, something had indeed happened. The Spiritual Medicine Hall was in chaos at this time. A majestic old man with white hair stood in the hall. When Jiang Shangzhou passed by, the old man had just applied medicine to the wounded next to him. This old man was Wu Buping, the great elder of Shenxu Palace.

Jiang Shangzhou was about to say something when Wu Buping waved his hand and said, "Sect Master Yang was injured in Zhengyang City."

After hearing this, Jiang Shangzhou turned his attention to the face of the person next to Wu Buping. He was shocked when he looked closely. He saw that the leader of Zhenhuang Mountain, Yang Yuanqing, had a pale face and blue lips. He had taken off his armor and a blood-stained bandage was wrapped around his naked waist.

Standing next to Yang Yuanqing was the anxious Tianyi Sect leader Wang Muye. Wang Muye saluted Wu Buping and said, "Elder Wu, may I ask how is Sect Leader Yang's injury?"

Yang Yuanqing said gloomily: "It's just a minor injury, it's nothing serious."

As soon as Yang Yuanqing finished speaking, he coughed up a mouthful of black blood. The blood splattered on the stone slab in front of the hall, and the stone slab was actually emitting white smoke.

Wang Muye was shocked: "Sect Master Yang!" As Wang Muye shouted, Yang Yuanqing's body slid down and he lost consciousness.

Wu Buping quickly took out the pill and stuffed it into Yang Yuanqing's mouth: "Help Sect Master Yang lie down quickly! Everyone else, please disperse!"

There was another commotion in the Spiritual Medicine Hall. In the chaos, Wu Buping said to Jiang Shangzhou, "There are monsters lurking near the Shenxu Palace, and they are high-level monsters."

Jiang Shangzhou's expression became serious: "Okay, I will immediately raise a defensive formation."

304

The elders and the head of the Shenxu Palace gathered in the Lingyao Hall. In addition, the heads of the other three major sects were also present.

Ye Wenqiu was called out by his fellow apprentices during his retreat. At this moment, he still looked like a child, but the pressure he had built up over the years was still there. Even though his voice was tender, no one in the Spiritual Medicine Hall dared to look down on him.

Ye Wenqiu looked at Yang Yuanqing, whose face was as pale as gold paper, lying on the bed. He turned to Wang Muye and said, "Master Wang, you know the situation best. Please think about it carefully."

Wang Muye said in annoyance, "I heard that there was an auction in Zhengyang City today, so I invited a few sect leaders to attend it together. However, the sect leaders of the other two sects had something to do and didn't want to go, so I went with Sect Leader Yang."

Wen Qiong said, "Yes, it happened, but my disciples have been busy these days, and I couldn't get away, so I stayed in the sect."

Yu Jing lowered her eyebrows and said, "There's nothing wrong between Su Xian and me. I just don't want to go with someone named Yang." She had clearly expressed her disdain for Yang Yuanqing.

Wang Muye said: "It was fine when we went out. When we came back from the auction, we entered the sect from the North Mountain and encountered a giant monster outside the barrier. The monster attacked suddenly. If Sect Master Yang hadn't discovered it in time, I would have become a dead soul under its claws."

Wu Buping said: "The wound on Sect Master Yang's side is torn and has monster toxins on it. Although he has taken the Qingyuan Pill, the toxins have already penetrated into his lungs. He needs to rest for a while before he can recover."

Ji Qingyan saluted to Wang Muye and said, "Master Wang, did you see the appearance of the monster clearly?"

Wang Muye shook his head and wondered, "When the monster appeared, the area within a radius of dozens of miles was covered with leaden clouds. I didn't see the monster's specific appearance, I only saw its eyes. According to my observation, the monster's cultivation level is not below the out-of-body state."

As soon as Wang Muye finished speaking, the sect leaders looked at each other in bewilderment. Yu Jing said, "Did Sect Master Wang see it wrong? A demon beast above the Out-of-Body Stage hasn't appeared in the cultivation world for thousands of years."

Wang Muye smiled bitterly and said, “I am ashamed to say that although I have reached the initial stage of out-of-body cultivation, when facing the monster beast, I felt like an ant and was completely powerless to resist. The monster beast attacked me first. If it weren’t for Sect Master Yang blocking the attack for me, I would have been dead.”

Ye Wenqiu asked: "What happened next?"

Once a demon beast in the Out-of-Body Stage appears, it will be a fierce battle. As we all know, demon beasts rarely act alone. If you find a demon beast in the Out-of-Body Stage, there must be countless demon beasts in the Nascent Soul Stage around it. Wang Muye can come back alive, so things must have taken a turn for the better.

Wang Muye smiled bitterly and said, "I didn't see it."

Ye Wenqiu asked calmly: "How come you didn't see it?"

Wang Muye said: "The miasma of the monster blocked my consciousness. I only heard the monster roar a few times, and at the same time I felt a heat wave. When the miasma dissipated, the three hills had turned into scorched earth. I was anxious to send Sect Master Yang back, so I didn't take a closer look."

At this time, several people led by Su Zhan appeared outside the Spiritual Medicine Hall, and behind Su Zhan stood Liu Yuanyuan from Dingkun Sect and Su Xian from Langhuan Pavilion. These were all the best from each sect, and after hearing that there was a monster outside the sect, they went out together to investigate the scene.

After entering the room, the few people bowed. Su Zhan said in a loud voice: "Reporting to the headmaster, three hills outside the barrier of the northern mountain of Shenxu Palace were burned. The footprints and a scale of a monster were found at the scene, but the monster itself was not seen."

Su Xian said softly, "I used the spirit-asking technique to find out that there is indeed a monster in the North Mountain. According to the description of the elves, the monster looks like an eight-clawed fire dragon. The elves in the mountain don't know where the monster went after the battle."

Everyone was shocked when they heard Su Xian's words. Eight-clawed Fire Chi? This is a well-known fierce beast. If it attacked Wang Muye and Yang Yuanqing, it's no wonder that the two had no power to resist. The last demon beast in the chaos that the human cultivators attacked eight thousand years ago was the Eight-clawed Fire Chi. The ancient battlefield near Shenxu Palace was at that time.

Liu Yuanyuan said slowly: "The scale is here." As she spoke, warm flowing water appeared in her hand, and the blue water flowed slowly, making a gurgling sound.

The water flow became denser and denser, and in front of Liu Yuanyuan, it formed a water mass with a diameter of ten feet. In the center of the water mass was a red scale, which was eight feet in diameter, and there were circles of regular stripes in the middle of the scale.

Seeing this pattern, Ye Wenqiu said with certainty: "That's right, it's an octagonal fire dragon. Judging from the size of its scales, this fire dragon is even bigger than the one my master killed that year. But where did such a big monster go?"

The fire dragon is ferocious by nature, and will kill its prey when it finds it. It also looks down on cultivators with low cultivation. During the melee, many cultivators on the human side were devoured by the fire dragon. No wonder it only found Wang Muye and Yang Yuanqing when it appeared. These two people have high cultivation levels, and in the eyes of the fire dragon, there is no better food than them.

Huo Chi's cultivation level is much higher than these two people, why would he give up the food in his mouth?

At this time, Liu Yuanyuan said, "Disciple discovered a wound on this scale. Masters, please look, is there a sword mark in the middle of this scale?"

The sword practitioners were very familiar with sword marks. When they looked at the wound in the middle of the scales, they found a two-inch long and only five millimeters wide at its widest point...a hole.

Because of its long and narrow nature, the sword is not suitable for direct stabbing, and the sword marks are often long and narrow. Because of the different sword holding habits and the amount of force used by each sword cultivator, the sword marks left on the same object are different.

If the holes in the scales were formed by a sword, then there is only one explanation: the sword penetrated the scales and stabbed into the body of the fire dragon.

Then the question arises, even Ye Wenqiu can't poke a hole in such a hard scale with a sword. If this is a sword mark, how strong must the person holding the sword be?

If he saved Wang Muye and Yang Yuanqing, why did he hide his identity? A sword cultivator with this level of cultivation, whether he is a human cultivator or a demon cultivator, must have a high status.

Ji Qingyan said, "Give the order. Shenxu Palace will be under martial law starting today. Outer disciples are not allowed to leave the mountain gate unless necessary. Inner disciples above the Nascent Soul stage will patrol outside the barrier of Shenxu Palace in groups of ten. Inner disciples above the Golden Core stage will also patrol inside Shenxu Palace in groups of ten."

Ye Wenqiu sighed: "Is the war going to start again?"

After the defensive barrier was set up, Feng Gui was carrying Jing Nan up the mountain again, and Xuan Yu was walking beside them with a backpack on his back. Jing Nan lay comfortably on Feng Gui's back and comforted him insincerely, "Don't be sad, just go back and ask the people at Wan Workshop to help you sharpen your sword."

Feng Gui looked unhappy. He said to Xuan Yu coldly, "This matter is not over yet."

Xuan Yu said in a good-tempered manner: "Can I compensate you with ten of them after I go back?"

It would have been fine if she hadn't said anything, but as soon as she did, Feng Gui exploded: "This is my natal spirit sword! Do you know this is my natal spirit sword?! What are you going to use to compensate?! Your dragon horn?!"

Jing Nan quickly smoothed things over: "Hey Xixi, don't be angry, keep your voice down. If you speak any louder, Ji Qingyan and the others will invite the three of us over for tea today."

Feng Gui lowered his voice, he was so angry that he almost lost his mind: "He just stabbed my sword in like this without even consulting me. It's so dirty!"

Xuan Yu apologized again: "I'll go back and grind it for you. You know, the skin of the fire dragon is full of fire poison. Only your Phoenix True Fire can break it."

Feng Gui bared his teeth: "You can't just draw your sword and stab without saying anything. What's the difference between your behavior and stabbing my sword into a cesspool? How can I face my spiritual sword in the future? I will be traumatized in the future!"

Feng Gui climbed all the way, cursing and swearing. When he arrived at the entrance of the dining hall, Du Heng and Xiao Xiao were eating tomatoes. Seeing the three of them, Du Heng smiled and said, "You're back? What did you gain today?"

Jing Nan smiled and picked up a tomato from the box and took a bite. The sweet and sour juice burst out from the inside, and the heat in his heart was suppressed after taking a bite. Jing Nan slurped the juice and said, "Hey, it's a big harvest. We can have more food in the dining hall."

Xuan Yu smiled and said, "I got a big snake back. I'll take care of it later. See what dishes you can make tonight."

Du Heng opened his eyes wide: "A snake? Let me take a look." Xuan Yu pinched the storage bag and shook his head: "It looks a bit scary. Wait until I deal with it before you take a look."

Du Heng nodded. He looked at Feng Gui's face in surprise: "Xixi, what's wrong with you? You don't look well."

Feng Gui was so angry that he almost smoked. He squeezed out his voice from between his teeth: "Xiao Yu used my sword to kill the snake. How dirty!"

Du Heng laughed so hard that his belly hurt: "That's it? I'll let Xiaoyu grind it for you later."

Feng Gui said with disdain: "I just hope he can stay away from my spiritual sword, the farther the better!" After saying this, Feng Gui walked towards the kitchen angrily, leaving Du Heng confused.

Du Heng quietly asked Jing Nan: "Xixi seems very angry, is he okay?"

Jing Nan smiled and said, "It's okay, I'm just being sentimental. By the way, Xiaoyu, go and clean up the snake. We'll have snake steak tonight, shall we? It's the same one Du Heng made last time, fried with eggs and breadcrumbs. It's the kind that makes a crunchy bite. It's delicious."

Du Heng replied: "Okay."

Xuan Yu quickly prepared a table full of snakes, and Du Heng was dumbfounded. He thought Xuan Yu must have gotten a huge snake, because he only saw lumps of snake meat, which was thicker than beef and lay on the table in a bright red mass.

Du Heng swallowed his saliva: "Xiaoyu, is this snake...big?"

Xuan Yu nodded: "Yes! It's very big." Du Heng gestured: "How big is it? Tell me about it."

Xuan Yu thought for a moment and said, "Do you remember the snake dragon we encountered in the Dongji Mountains and Rivers last time?"

Du Heng nodded hurriedly: "I remember, I remember." That thing was very long. Du Heng had never seen such a terrifying snake in his life. If Du Heng remembered correctly, the snake was a hundred feet long.

Du Heng swallowed his saliva and lowered his voice: "Is it as big as the snake last time?"

Xuan Yu showed a pure and harmless smile: "It's a little bigger than the last one."

Du Heng poked Xuan Yu's side: "How much bigger is it? Let me take a look." Xuan Yu shook his head: "It looks a bit ugly, I won't show it to you. It's probably ten times bigger than the last one."

Du Heng gasped! Ten times! Doesn't that mean this snake is... a thousand feet long?!

Du Heng was dumbfounded: "It's so big! Can we finish it?!"

Xuan Yu cut the snake meat into even-sized strips. He smiled and said, "You can order a grill this time."

305

The meat of the fire dragon is different from the snake dragon meat we had last time. The meat of the snake dragon is white and as flexible as fish, while the meat of the fire dragon is bright red, like beef. Its meat fibers are very long, not in pieces like beef.

Du Heng touched the fire dragon meat and pondered: "What delicious food should I make?" In addition to the snake steak that Nan Nan specifically requested, what else can be made?

Xiaoxiao chirped beside him and gave Du Heng some inspiration. Xuan Yu translated: "Xiaoxiao said that you can make the sweet and sour pot-fried pork like last time, and you can also make boiled pork slices, pickled cabbage pork slices, stir-fried pork slices..."

Du Heng rubbed Xiaoxiao's head and said, "This is an ingredient I'm not familiar with. I don't dare to touch it carelessly."

This thing feels like beef. Can it really be made into the ideal dish? Du Heng lowered his head and smelled the meat of the fire dragon. Fortunately, the meat did not taste strange.

Xuan Yu said at this time: "Today when I went to Zhengyang City, I saw a lot of people selling lotus roots. I remembered that you had eaten lotus stems when you were in the village, so I bought some and brought them back. I wonder if they can be used."

Xuan Yu opened the storage bag and showed it to Du Heng. Du Heng saw that the bag was filled with lotus roots as thick as his arm and covered in mud. His eyes lit up: "I got it! I know what I can do! Let's make lotus root sandwiches!"

The dishes for tonight have been decided. The meat dishes are fried snake steak, lotus root dumplings, and twice-cooked snake slices. The vegetarian dishes are scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a small green vegetable meatball soup. Perfect!

Xuan Yu soaked the muddy lotus roots in a large wooden basin, and he moved a small stool to sit beside the basin to wash them. After several rinses, the lotus roots that were connected together became white and plump lotus roots with the lotus root nodes and skin removed.

While Xuan Yu was peeling the lotus root slices, Du Heng chopped the snake meat into puree and put it in a bowl to season it.

It was a rare occasion that Du Heng worked faster than Xuan Yu. After he had marinated a large pot of snake meat, he saw Xuan Yu still working hard to wash it.

Xuan Yu rolled up his sleeves and looked very serious while working. It is said that men who work seriously are the most handsome, and Xuan Yu is handsome. Du Heng leaned against the door of the dining hall and looked at Xuan Yu's back with burning eyes. There was no blind spot in every angle of his Xiaoyu. When he turned his head slightly, the warm sunlight fell on his fair face. Under his black hair, the muscles on his neck were clearly defined, and the curve of his jaw was just right...

Du Heng swallowed his saliva in a useless way. Why was his Xiaoyu so pretty?

The chubby Xiaoxiao lay beside the lotus root basin that Xuanyu had prepared. He couldn't help but pick up a lotus root and put it in his mouth and started slurping. The crispy lotus root was a little sweet and tasted quite juicy, but Xiaoxiao didn't like the long strings that formed when he pulled it.

Xiaoxiao pulled at the long lotus root threads, but she couldn't break them. At the critical moment, Du Heng helped Xiaoxiao: "Silly, eat the tenderest ones."

As he said this, he picked up a smaller lotus root from the basin and handed it to Xiaoxiao: "Try this, is it less stringy?"

The lotus roots Du Heng picked were white and tender after peeling, and they tasted much better than the ones Xiao Xiao picked. Xiao Xiao was very satisfied, and he squinted his eyes and laughed.

Du Heng picked another piece of lotus root and handed it to Xuan Yu: "Would you like to try it?"

Xuan Yu opened his mouth and bit off a piece of lotus root, and the elongated silk was pulled apart from the broken surface of the lotus root. Du Heng also took a bite at the place where Xuan Yu had bitten, and the lotus root silk was pulled and dragged between the two of them.

Xuan Yu squinted his eyes and bit the lotus root between them bit by bit. Du Heng lowered his head and did the same thing. Du Heng lowered his body lower and lower, and gradually, he squatted down to the same level as Xuan Yu. When Du Heng came back to his senses, Xuan Yu's face had enlarged in front of Du Heng. Du Heng clearly saw two small selves in Xuan Yu's eyes.

There was only a fist's distance between him and Xuan Yu, and a few lotus root threads were connected between his lips and teeth.

Du Heng's heart beat suddenly, and just as he was about to stand up, Xuan Yu suddenly grabbed his head. Xuan Yu's hands were wet, and the moisture mixed with his body temperature passed from the back of Du Heng's head to his scalp. His scalp immediately began to numb, and his mind began to become chaotic.

It was unclear who took the initiative, but the two kissed each other. The fragrance of lotus lingered around them, their breathing blended, and their heartbeats were synchronized.

When the two separated, their breathing was a little unstable. Du Heng blushed and asked, "Is it delicious?"

Xuan Yu looked into Du Heng's eyes seriously: "It's delicious..."

Jing Nan's voice interrupted: "Yes, it's delicious. I've been eating it for so long. If it wasn't delicious, I would have let it go long ago."

Du Heng turned around and saw Jing Nan squatting between the two of them. Jing Nan's face was almost between them, and he was holding Xiao Xiao in his arms, and he was even covering Xiao Xiao's eyes!

Du Heng saw Xiaoxiao's inquiring eyes through Jingnan's fingers, and suddenly his eyes went dark. Damn it, what on earth did he do in front of the child? !

Jing Nan looked at the two of them teasingly: "Don't stop, if it's delicious, just eat a little longer, don't worry about me."

Du Heng's face flushed red, and he said incoherently: "I asked if the lotus root tastes good." Xuan Yu replied seriously: "Both the lotus root and the human body are delicious."

This little frivolous guy! Du Heng's face was so hot that it was almost smoking. He hurried to the kitchen, leaving behind Jing Nan's arrogant laughter: "Hahahaha!!"

Xuan Yu quickly came to the kitchen with the cleaned lotus root. Du Heng blushed and didn't dare to look at him. Xuan Yu was very calm: "You and I are Taoist companions. It is normal for us to be close. Don't worry about Jing Nan. What are we going to do next?"

Du Heng was called back to consciousness by Xuan Yu. He picked up a piece of lotus root and demonstrated, "Help me to change the lotus root a little bit. It's like this. Don't cut all the way through with one knife, but cut it off with another knife. This way, a layer will be formed, and I can put some meat in it."

As Du Heng moved, a ten-millimeter-thick lotus root slice appeared on the chopping board, and the slice was broken in the middle.

Looking at the lotus root slices, Xuan Yu was a little skeptical. He said, "There are holes all over the lotus root slices. Can they hold meat?" Du Heng smiled and said, "Yes, don't worry. You'll know when I finish it."

While Xuan Yu was cutting lotus root slices, Du Heng was mixing the batter. Originally, when frying lotus root clips, you need to add glutinous rice flour and a small amount of baking powder to the batter, and the fried lotus root clips will be golden and crispy. But... he didn't have baking powder, so he could only find another recipe.

He mixed flour and starch in a 1:1 ratio, then beat eight egg whites into the bowl, stirred them a little, and added an appropriate amount of water to make the batter into a paste. Before the paste was almost ready, he suddenly remembered to add five-spice powder and fine salt to the batter. Smartly, he also added a little mushroom essence!

He just didn't believe that with such seasoning, the lotus root dumplings would not taste good!

The batter was a bit thick, so Du Heng left it aside to rest for a while. During this time, he could stuff the chopped lotus root into the meat.

The prepared meat filling is bright red in color. Pick up a chopstick and stuff it between two slices of lotus root. Then press it slightly and the meat slices will pop out from the holes in the lotus root.

Du Heng muttered again: "I've never used snake meat to make lotus root dumplings. What if it doesn't taste good?" What if I make a mistake?

Thinking of this, Du Heng decisively made only three lotus root dumplings. He added half a pot of oil to the pot, and while heating the oil, he put the three lotus root dumplings into the batter bowl to coat them with batter.

While frying the batter, Du Heng muttered to himself: "Am I stupid? Why should I use this recipe? Wouldn't it be better to use the batter for fried crispy pork to fry lotus root cakes?" You know, the batter for fried crispy pork is easy to get sticky, and it is not easy to burst when frying!

Du Heng thought that he must have been so dizzy from Xuan Yu's kiss that how could he have forgotten such a thing? Forget it, in order not to waste it, he should just use it.

Xuan Yu listened to Du Heng's muttering, and a smile appeared on his lips: "Everything you cook will be delicious."

The oil in the pot hadn't heated up yet, and Du Heng didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Don't flatter me. If it doesn't taste good, I'll be so sorry to you."

Xuan Yuhe Xiaoxiao said confidently: "No, it must be delicious." "Chirp!"

The oil in the pot heated up, and Du Heng picked up the lotus root and put it along the edge of the pot. There was a crackling sound in the pot, and three oil flowers appeared in the pot. Du Heng saw some white batter floating on the surface of the oil, and he quickly picked up the strainer and scooped out the batter.

After a cup of tea, the lotus root stalks have floated on the surface of the oil, and the tender white lotus root stalks have turned golden yellow. When the strainer touches them, it makes a sound. At this time, the lotus root stalks are already big!

Du Heng took out the lotus root clips and put them on the plate beside him to drain the oil. Xiaoxiao couldn't help but jump to the stove and drool at the lotus root clips in the plate. Du Heng touched Xiaoxiao's head and said, "Let them cool down a bit before eating. They will be more crispy then."

Xiaoxiao's head even had a residual image, but he was not greedy, not at all, he could bear it!

After a while, Du Heng picked up a piece of lotus root and put it into Xiaoxiao's mouth. A crunching sound came from Xiaoxiao's mouth. Du Heng asked Xiaoxiao expectantly: "Is it cooked? How salty? Do you want to fry it again? Is it delicious?"

Every time Du Heng asked a question, Xiao Xiao nodded: "Chirp!"

Xuan Yu smiled and said, "Xiao Xiao said it was delicious."

Du Heng then picked up a lotus root and fed it to Xuan Yu with confidence: "Xiaoxiao always says whatever I cook is delicious. Sometimes I can't tell whether it's a compliment or a sincere one."

Xuan Yu took a bite of the lotus root and said, "Have you forgotten how Xiaoxiao behaved in Yunyan Tower? If it wasn't delicious, he wouldn't be polite to you. Mm, it's delicious!"

The lotus root dumplings are wrapped in a layer of crispy batter, and in the batter are crispy lotus root slices. In the middle of the lotus root slices is the tender and delicious meat filling. It is not salty or bland, crispy and crunchy, with both meat and vegetables. This kind of lotus root dumplings tastes richer than simple fried meatballs.

Xuan Yu nodded affirmatively: "It's delicious, you try it!"

Du Heng put half of the lotus root into his mouth. He chewed it carefully before he felt relieved. "It's not bad. I was always worried that the snake meat would have a strange taste. Now it seems to taste good. People who don't know the difference can't tell whether it's pork or snake meat. But in my opinion, snake meat is more fishy and old than pork, but this snake doesn't taste like that. It's quite delicious! Quite tender!"

Xuan Yu smiled and looked at Du Heng's eyes: "Do you like it? If you do, I'll catch it for you in a few days."

Du Heng laughed and said, "Where can you catch something like this if you want to?" Xuan Yu said, "Yes, don't worry."

Xiaoxiao chirped twice as she stood beside the plate, and Du Heng knew that he was going to bring some delicious food to his uncle and his family again. He waved his hand and said, "Go!"

Xiaoxiao ran to the backyard holding the lotus root in his mouth. Looking at his smug figure, Du Heng said with a smile: "When Xiaoxiao transforms, I don't know what he will become.