She carefully ladled the contents of the pot into a small porcelain bowl. The bright red broth was topped with various spices and ingredients, looking spicy and tempting.

"I did it! I really am a genius."

"Although it's missing some things, this knock-off version of boiled fish should be flavorful enough!"

She cheered softly.

Helian Jue frowned.

What is boiled fish?

And what exactly are the materials she mentioned?

He had never heard these words before, but he could sense from her tone that they were something she was extremely familiar with.

Is this knowledge from another world?

Surprisingly, this knowledge is about food again.

"That's potent! We'll have the chefs try this ratio tomorrow!"

Zi Xi couldn't wait to take a bite, and then she was so spicy that she stuck out her tongue. She quickly gulped down a mouthful of water, but her eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled.

She tidied up the kitchen, blew out the light, and left humming a little tune.

The backyard returned to darkness, leaving Helian Jue, perched in the tree, mired in an even deeper conflict.

Will such a person really bring destruction?

She seemed to be behaving so normally.

She's as ordinary as a cook who truly loves cooking, or a businesswoman who runs a restaurant with dedication.

She lacked Xia Momo's deliberate affectation, as well as her deeply hidden scheming and ambition.

If she really comes from outer space, then what is her purpose?

Just... opening a restaurant and selling food?

Helian Jue fell lightly from the tree, like a weightless feather.

He stood outside the kitchen window where Zixi had just been busy, and through the crack in the window he could still smell the spicy and tempting aroma.

An unprecedented impulse suddenly seized him.

He wanted to try that boiled fish to see just how delicious it was.

Once this idea took hold, it spread like wildfire.

Helian Jue's usually calm and composed mind was now slightly disturbed.

"Then... let me try the boiled fish made by Master Liu. I'll taste it and see just how delicious it is."

The moment this decision took shape in his mind, he had already climbed into the kitchen and opened the cover on top of the boiled fish.

Only after tasting it could he truly see the essence of this extraterrestrial soul and judge whether it was a disaster or a turning point.

"Hmm... Sigh... This taste... Sigh... It's really fragrant... but also a bit pungent on the tongue..."

With his lips swollen, Helian Jue took one last look at the empty bowl and the Eight Treasures Pavilion, which had already fallen into darkness, before turning and disappearing into the night.

Although his mouth was swollen, his steps were lighter than when he arrived.

He went back and applied some medicine; tomorrow he would have to see Liu Dongjia with a completely new look.

The next morning, Helian Jue, almost following the scent and the sense of novelty from the previous night, strolled back to the vicinity of Bazhenlou.

However, their expectations were quickly dashed.

The building is now open to the public.

Familiar figures of shop assistants bustled about, while the newly hired manager worked behind the counter, turning the beads on an abacus.

The sounds of pots and pans clattering and the enticing aroma of food wafted from the kitchen.

But that beautiful figure was nowhere to be seen.

"Master Liu isn't here?"

Helian Jue casually stopped a waiter and asked, his tone carrying a sense of disappointment that he himself was unaware of.

"Sir, the master went out to run errands before dawn and probably won't be back until evening."