Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, noodles with scallion oil, and the "sweeping monk" (a term used to describe a monk who is unassuming and unpretentious)...

The eunuch led Sangye out of the study, drawing on the tablet in his hand as they walked out, removing the restrictions on Sangye's identity—except for the electric shock ankle bracelet on her foot.

"The terminal has been unlocked for you, but the ankle bracelet will remain on for now. It will automatically detach when you land on Black Tower Star."

"The files were also transferred from the prison to the Royal Special Forces—the files of everyone who went to Black Tower were sealed here, and their families receive subsidies from the Royal Family every year."

"Since you have no family, this subsidy will be given to you personally, but you won't need it on Black Tower Star."

"Your rank will remain the same; you'll still be a colonel on Black Tower Star, but you won't have the same good days in the First Military Region." The eunuch stated the facts calmly, without any hint of sarcasm.

Kuwano kept her eyes straight ahead, her face revealing no emotion, just as she had always done, calmly accepting the arrangement.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and the phoenix tree inside the cave seemed to be swaying happily: being able to survive was the best thing ever!

Until they turned a corner and encountered a smiling man—the head chef from the outer kitchen whom Kuwano had seen earlier.

"What are you doing here?" The eunuch's attitude softened, becoming somewhat respectful.

The head chef smiled kindly: "I was waiting for her to come back and cook for me; she just promised me. It seems she's back safely."

Sangye's thoughts returned, and he smiled, "Then I'll go make it for you now."

The eunuch did not stop them, allowing Kuwano and the head chef to walk back to the kitchen.

The kitchen was still filled with the rich aroma of broth and the savory smell of pork chops, but there were no other people around. It was unclear where the head chef and Su Mo had gone.

Sangye also wanted to cook something for himself, but not just plain noodles: "How about I make you some scallion oil noodles? And a sunset dish too?" Once he relaxed, he didn't care whether the head chef had heard of these names or not, and just blurted them out.

The head chef, of course, had never heard of it before and found it fascinating: "You can do anything."

"Sunset" is a clever term used by chefs to describe a dish that is actually just scrambled eggs with tomatoes, used as a metaphor for color.

Sangye pretended to go back to the kitchen and picked through the food, finally taking out some scallions, eggs, and tomatoes.

Sangye prefers to use scallions, as their flavor is milder and more delicate than that of green onions, making them suitable for most people's tastes. The scallions were freshly picked from the cave, crisp and glistening with morning dew.

Scallion oil noodles are a very simple and quick dish, suitable for all seasons and all times of day. Cut the white part of the scallions into sections and the green part into small pieces; then heat the oil in a pan. Cooks often say "more oil won't spoil the dish," which is indeed effective for beginners; however, when making scallion oil noodles, too much oil will only make it greasy and disgusting, and you won't be able to absorb the delicious flavor of the scallions.

Kuwano only used enough oil to cover about a section of her little finger, just enough for two people.

Meanwhile, prepare a bowl of seasonings: oyster sauce, MSG, soy sauce, a little sesame oil, and soy sauce. The proportions are key; too much soy sauce and oyster sauce will make it salty, and too little will make it bland; too much MSG will make it too salty and cloying; too much sesame oil will make it greasy, and too little will make it lose its aroma. After years of training, Sangye can handle it with ease; his hands are the most precise instruments, stopping precisely when he says so, without ever trembling.

Heat the oil, quickly add the chopped scallions, first fry the white parts until softened, then add the green parts.

As soon as the scallions hit the pan, they release their unique spicy aroma. Adding a few shrimp at the right moment creates a harmonious blend of seafood flavors. Once the scallion segments are fried until charred, remove them from the pan and pour the scallion oil into the prepared sauce. The moment the two ingredients come together, a wonderful fragrance bursts forth.

The most important thing to be careful about during this process is to use low heat and fry slowly, otherwise the scallions will burn instantly and the whole pot of scallion oil will be inedible.

Onions are not plants that can absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and their spiritual energy is not abundant; however, because of their ingenious cooking methods and versatile flavors, even cultivators are willing to try them.

Don't rush to cook the noodles; the noodles will clump together if they cool down.

Kuwano prepared the tomatoes as before, but this time she didn't chop them as finely, so that the tomatoes would naturally be present in the scrambled eggs. Similarly, she didn't separate the egg yolks and whites this time, allowing for a more authentic experience of the ingredients.

Sangye did it meticulously, stirring the egg mixture until small bubbles appeared on the surface, and when the whisk was pulled—it was delicate, soft, and flowed smoothly.

Once the oil is at the right temperature, stir-fry the tomatoes until the tomato juice becomes grainy, then remove them from the oil. Next, add the beaten eggs and stir-fry until golden brown, then add the freshly stir-fried tomatoes.

The perfectly formed egg, soaked in sweet and sour tomatoes, made Sangye want to devour it immediately, but she suppressed the thought when she remembered the people waiting behind her.

Sangye served the scrambled eggs with tomatoes to the table first—there was a small table in the kitchen for the chefs to eat at, and he handed a pair of chopsticks to the head chef: "Please eat first, I'll make some noodles soon."

The head chef, looking at the food he had never seen before, couldn't hide his eagerness, but still managed to say, "I'll wait for you to come."

Sangye raised an eyebrow as she turned around, which was beyond her expectations.

He added a little water to the broth and brought it to a boil again, releasing spiritual energy once more. Sangye took a deep breath, using the spiritual energy to relieve the fatigue he felt that day.

Sangye grabbed two handfuls of noodles and put them into the broth to boil. If it were before, Sangye would definitely not have piled on high spiritual energy food like this. Everything should be done in moderation. Too much spiritual energy can not be absorbed in time and will produce adverse reactions.

But right now, she simply didn't want to waste it. Making this level of broth in an interstellar environment wasn't easy, especially since many of the spirit beast ingredients weren't available in her cave-heaven. Every bit of broth she stored was precious, so it's no wonder she was reluctant to use it.

Seeing that the head chef was healthy and had a good appetite, Sangye decided that the noodles didn't need to be cooked until soft. After taking them out, he poured scallion oil and the scallion segments he had just taken out onto them, and then quickly stirred them with a skillful flick of his wrist.

Sangye divided the scallion oil noodles into two bowls, placed them on the table, and then ladled out two bowls of broth, sprinkling on chopped scallions and a little MSG.

A simple meal was prepared.

As soon as Sangye sat down at the table opposite him, the head chef couldn't wait to pick up a piece of scallion oil noodles and put it in his mouth, his face full of satisfaction.

The scallion oil noodles were so delicious they made your tongue tingle, and the addition of shrimp made them even better; the tomato and egg stir-fry was sweet and sour, and the eggs soaked in tomato juice were especially tasty.

Just as Kuwano was finally able to have a decent meal, he heard the person across from him suddenly speak.

"I never knew you had such culinary skills," the head chef said between bites, not paying much attention to his manners. "I've seen your court records; you're very different now than you were back then. I thought you were really determined to die."

Upon hearing this, Sangye stopped chewing and looked at him.

Although the head chef was chubby, he wasn't greasy at all; he had a cheerful and kind demeanor.

"What, you think I'm just an ordinary person and you can't tell?" The head chef still had that same smiling look on his face.

"I still don't know how to address you." Sangye's mind raced, and he asked an unrelated question.

“My name is Lin Tengyuan,” he replied.

Upon hearing this surname, Sangye completely stopped eating: "You and His Majesty..."

“We’re family, but my relationship with her is rather distant.” Lin Tengyuan continued eating. “I used to be a Sentinel, but after a mental upheaval, all my mental energy disappeared, even the spirit body that kept nagging me to go out and play went into a deep sleep.” He pointed to his head. “I can still see it lying there sleeping, but I can’t wake it up no matter how much I call it. I retired when I lost my mental energy. It was hard to have nothing to do, so I found a quiet job so I could continue to interact with my old partners.”

This was the first time Sangye had learned that spiritual power could also disappear. This was probably similar to the shattering of spiritual veins and Dao bones in cultivation, turning one into an ordinary person completely.

"Even His Majesty can't cure me. She's such a powerful person, yet she's helpless against me and Changli," Lin Tengyuan continued.

Upon hearing this name, Kuwano became extremely alert.

Seeing this, Lin Tengyuan smiled slyly: "Want to know about him?"

Sangye did not deny it: "I think His Majesty pardoned me and exiled me to Black Tower Star because he hoped that I could cure him."

“Changli’s situation is quite complicated. His spiritual body is the most difficult to manage of all spiritual bodies. We call them ancient divine beast spiritual bodies.” Lin Tengyuan took a sip of soup, stared blankly for a while, and then continued, “When a guide manages a spiritual body, they either treat the symptoms accordingly. For example, for feline spiritual bodies, they can create fur balls or other cat toys to play with and expend energy. For canine spiritual bodies, they can throw frisbees or run with them... It all depends on how much mental strength you can sustain.”

“But what do the spirits of the ancient divine beasts like? Nobody knows. That era is too far removed from us. Our star system has experienced destruction, rebirth, migration, and struggle... so far removed that written records have been lost and it is impossible to verify anything.” Lin Tengyuan slowly put down his fork, as if sensing something. “The sentinels of the spirits of the ancient divine beasts, to this day, except for me, have all died from mental riots.”

Sangye's heart skipped a beat: "What does your spiritual form look like?"

"It looks a lot like a tiger, but it has horns, colorful stripes on its body, and a tail that's longer than its entire body," Lin Tengyuan described slowly.

Zouwu. Sangye had found his answer.

"Therefore His Majesty attaches great importance to this matter. If you can truly cure Changli, what is there to worry about in terms of punishment?"

"You seem to have a lot of confidence in me?" Kuwano asked.

“It wasn’t there before, but it’s here now.” He looked at the simple meal in front of him, and the layer of gray, putrid gas that had been shrouding his spiritual body in a misty haze, like an eggshell, suddenly leaked out a little.

After so many years, just when he had given up hope and accepted reality, fate suddenly opened another door for him.

“If the situation in Changli weren’t more critical, I would definitely have kept you here.” Lin Tengyuan chuckled. “But it’s alright, I can wait. There will always be an opportunity. Maybe I’ll even volunteer to go to Black Tower Star later.”

Sangye looked at him speechlessly. Who would willingly request to be exiled to Black Tower Star? Isn't this just inviting trouble?

"I'm very curious, what is the Marshal's spiritual body?" Sangye asked the question again.

But Lin Tengyuan smiled just like Lin Shuangqiao: "You'll know when you get there."

"Also, let me remind you of something," Lin Tengyuan said, rising to leave. "If you happen to see Changli, don't mention anything about His Majesty in front of him. His mental breakdown is related to His Majesty. And he is by no means a gentle and tolerant person."

A note from the author:

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