Xiu Qiyu took a book from the study and stood outside in the courtyard, carefully reading it under the bright moonlight. How long had it been since he'd been able to relax like this, since he'd been expelled from his family and begun his cultivation? He didn't have to think about arduous cultivation to improve his strength; he didn't have to think about his future; he didn't have to think about the overwhelming hatred.

These peaceful days, though mundane, are filled with a touch of vitality.

Ye Xiruo hummed an unknown tune in the kitchen as she prepared various ingredients.

Meatballs are a must, and beef rolls are also essential.

She had already put chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, garlic, and beef bones into the pot, and it was slowly simmering, a faint aroma already wafting out. Thinking of the hot pots she had eaten in her previous life, Ye Xiruo slurped them down and began preparing baby bok choy, spinach, greens, and rapeseed, until she had filled a whole bowl with vegetables.

Then I cooked a large amount of rice noodles, sliced ​​a plate of potato slices, a plate of potato chunks, a plate of sweet potatoes, and a melon that tastes very similar to winter melon.

"Brother Xiu Qi, come in and help!"

"Freeze this beef first, then slice it into thin slices." Although Xiu Qiyu was somewhat helpless, seeing Ye Xiruo's expectant eyes, he still gritted his teeth and froze several pieces of beef in an instant. Then, he circulated his true energy, and with a light flick of his fingertips, the sharp true energy transformed into an ice blade as thin as a cicada's wing. Ye Xiruo only saw countless flashes of light, and in the blink of an eye, a pile of beef rolls had been formed.

Each piece is the same thickness, comparable to a machine.

"That's fantastic, that's exactly the effect." As for Xiu Qiyu going to work at the restaurant, well, I think I'll have to reconsider.

Xiu Qiyu feigned nonchalance, but inwardly he was utterly shocked. It seemed that ever since meeting Ye Xiruo, his principles had been broken time and time again. Like the previous hunting, processing the prey, chopping meat, and even today's waste of precious true energy slicing beef rolls. If his admirers and followers knew, they would all be utterly devastated.

"These should be enough for the dog. If it's not enough, I can cut more. I'm going to make some beef balls."

Xiu Qiyu nodded: "I'll go chop the meat."

"Don't use the sword you used to kill people," Ye Xiruo said disdainfully.

Xiu Qiyu didn't intend to use his own sword, even though it was a famous sword.

"Brother Xiuqi, thank you. You deserve the most credit today, so you can eat more."

Xiu Qiyu said expressionlessly, "Ten high-grade spirit stones."

Ye Xiruo's face darkened instantly: "I will pay it back." One high-grade spirit stone is equivalent to one hundred mid-grade spirit stones, and one mid-grade spirit stone is equivalent to one hundred low-grade spirit stones. Good heavens, she had unconsciously absorbed ten high-grade spirit stones when her spiritual power broke through, although a small portion of them were wasted. But those were high-grade spirit stones!

She'd never even seen a top-grade spirit stone before! It turned to ash instantly.

"Next time you must hold back and not waste a single spirit stone on me."

Xiu Qiyu smiled and said in a good mood, "I will remember, Little Yezi."

"Would the food taste even better if we used fire elemental energy to start a fire?" Ye Xiruo had a sudden inspiration and looked excitedly at the steaming pot.

Xiu Qiyu was speechless for a moment. What was Ye Xiruo thinking? Using such precious spiritual energy to cook rice.

"No one on the mainland has tried this yet, you can give it a try."

Ye Xiruo disagreed: "There must be like-minded people who have been doing this for a long time, you're just ignorant and don't know it." From ancient times to the present, there must have been many great predecessors who dedicated their lives to food. The Chinese cuisines of the past were all the crystallization of the wisdom of countless ancient people.

"Your fire-elemental true energy is too weak," Xiu Qiyu retorted mercilessly.

Ye Xiruo chopped a piece of rib fiercely: "One day I will be able to cook with fire spirit energy, and I believe it will be very delicious."

"Isn't it true that food tastes different when cooked with different types of fire?"

Xiu Qiyu nodded: "That's for sure. Cooking and alchemy are based on the same principle. One is control, which is basically mental control; the other is fire. Before the Golden Core stage, you alchemists can only use earth fire or ordinary fire to refine pills. After the Golden Core stage, internal fire will be generated in your body, which is perfect for refining pills and can also improve the success rate of refining pills. After entering the Nascent Soul stage, infant fire will be generated in your body. The power of infant fire is even stronger, and the effect of refining pills is also better."

"So the stronger a person is, the higher the quality of their flames, and the higher the grade of the pills they refine."

"That's generally true, but we can't rule out the possibility of some peerless geniuses who possess extraordinary fire and make rapid progress in alchemy, which is beyond the reach of their strength."

Ye Xiruo's eyes gleamed with admiration: "People like this are truly enviable." She was practically going crazy! While others painstakingly cultivate step by step, this kind of person can break through even while eating and drinking—it's truly speechless!

Xiu Qiyu shook her head and remained silent. Ye Xiruo had not yet realized that she already possessed a talent that others envied. Even if she performed only moderately in alchemy, she was still able to leave countless people behind.

"A strange fire, that sounds like a rare thing, very few people can probably obtain it!"

"That's natural. Strange fire is extremely beneficial to those who cultivate fire-attribute true qi. Obtaining a strange fire not only greatly enhances attack power, but also eliminates almost all bottlenecks in subsequent cultivation. Throughout history, those who obtained strange fire, unless they were killed by accident, eventually became great masters."

"How could an alchemist possibly defeat a martial artist with such poor attack power!"

"That's not necessarily true. Alchemists are usually like a beehive. If you mess with one, there will be countless martial artists behind him. They can beat you to death even if they gang up on you."

"Hehe, if I have a different kind of fire, I can ask you for help! Water and fire don't mix, so it's perfect."

"Different flames are rare and hard to come by. If you do encounter one, you'll naturally want to fight for it."

"It smells so good!" Ye Xiruo opened the pot lid, and the bright red soup inside was boiling, emitting a wonderful aroma.

"Alright, if there's any fire elemental energy, we can take the pot outside to eat."

“That’s easy, one fire spirit stone is enough.” Xiu Qiyu picked up the pot and went outside.

Ye Xiruo followed behind, carrying the dishes and beef rolls outside, making five trips in total. Luckily, the outdoor table was big enough, otherwise they might not have been able to fit them all.

"Cook these vegetables in the broth until they are cooked through, then they are ready to eat."

Xiu Qiyu's talent for food was self-taught; she quickly grasped the essence, leisurely simmering the beef rolls and enjoying her meal. Of course, her eating movements remained as elegant as a painting.

Ye Xiruo also started eating. The beef from this other world was pure and delicious, and the beef bone broth was absolutely amazing. It would be even better if there was peanut sauce or sesame sauce.

"good."