Chapter 18 Sweet, So Sweet
Chi Li discovered that Tang Lu was not discouraged after experiencing the "glorious victory" of the "flower-inducing technique".
Instead, she turned her creative passion to a completely new field, which made Akari even more terrified.
The incident began when Tang Lu saw Chi Li taking a break from handling government affairs and casually using the wisp of pure phoenix divine fire from her fingertips to roast a Vermilion Flame Fruit as a snack.
That Vermilion Flame Fruit, which was originally violent and would cause ordinary demons to bleed from the nose if they ate it.
Under Akagi's precise control, the fruit was roasted until the outer skin was crispy and the inside was molten, emitting an enticing sweet aroma.
Tang Lu stared wide-eyed, sniffed hard, swallowed hard, and asked, "Lili, is this... delicious?"
Chi Li casually held the roasted fruit to her lips: "Want to try some?"
Tang Lu took a small, careful bite, and her eyes widened instantly!
So delicious! Warm, sweet, and with an indescribable, comforting quality!
"Delicious!" She nodded vigorously, her cheeks puffed out, like a hamster being fed.
Her eyes were filled with admiration as she looked at the tiny flame in Chi Li's hand: "Li Li is so amazing! Huo Huo is amazing too!"
Chi Li was pleased by her straightforward admiration and, in a good mood, roasted a few more mild spiritual fruits for her.
However, she never expected that this impulsive act of feeding would ignite Xiaoshu's dream of "becoming a culinary master"!
The next day, Chi Li had just escaped from a long court assembly and returned to her bedchamber to rest for a while when she was hit in the face by a strange smell that was a mixture of burnt, sweet, and some kind of plant fragrance.
Her heart tightened, and she quickly followed the smell to the small kitchen in the side hall.
Then, she witnessed a scene she would never forget.
Her fair-skinned little tree spirit now had streaks of black ash on her face, and her once smooth golden hair was now curled from the smoke.
She was frantically waving a spatula... taller than herself?, trying to stir a large pot that was billowing with thick smoke.
The pot contained a viscous liquid of ambiguous color, somewhere between dark green and burnt black, which was bubbling and gurgling.
Scattered around were the remains of various spiritual fruits, as well as a few leaves that had clearly been violently torn off, belonging to a rare spiritual plant in her garden.
"Tang Lu!" Chi Li rushed forward and first pulled the little fool who was about to faint from the smoke away from the stove.
A flash of crimson gold light appeared at her fingertips, and the pot emitting black smoke, along with the indescribable substance inside, instantly vaporized and disappeared, leaving only an even stronger, strange odor swirling in the air.
"Cough cough..." Tang Lu coughed from the smoke, her little face covered in smears like a kitten, but she still held up the big spatula and said to Chi Li like a treasure, "Li Li! You're back! Tang Lu is making you something delicious!"
Looking into her bright, sparkling eyes that seemed to say "Praise me!", and then at the small kitchen that looked like it had been struck by lightning, Chi Li felt her nerves throbbing again.
"What...are you doing?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.
"Sun-dew Stewed Fruits!" Tang Lu puffed out her little chest and announced a dish that sounded wonderful. "It uses the sweetest fruits, sun-dew collected in the morning, and..."
She pointed to the leaves of the rare spiritual plants on the ground: "And the leaves that make things smell nice!"
Chi Li looked at the leaves of those spiritual plants that she had regarded as "spices," each one worth a fortune, and felt her heart bleeding.
That stuff is one of the main ingredients for refining high-level pills; it's extremely potent. Is it used to "make you smell nice"?!
"From now on... don't pick leaves from the garden casually." Chi Li took a deep breath and told herself that she couldn't argue with a little tree spirit who might be her culinary mentor and had "imagination" at heart.
"Oh..." Tang Lu nodded as if she understood, but was clearly more interested in her "work." "Then Lili, try what Tang Lu made..."
“This… can’t be eaten anymore.” Chi Li interrupted her decisively.
But when she saw the little guy's eyes dim instantly, she added, "I appreciate your kindness. However, cooking is dangerous, so don't do it yourself anymore. Just tell me what you want to eat or tell the cook."
Tang Lu pouted and gave a wronged "Oh," clearly disappointed that her "hard work" had been destroyed.
Looking at her pitiful appearance, Chi Li's anger instantly dissipated, leaving only helplessness.
She pulled Tanglu to wash her face and hands, and then used her divine power to smooth her hair, which had become curly from the smoke.
Looking at the little tree spirit, who had become clean, white, and fragrant again, Chi Li found him much more pleasing to the eye.
However, Chi Li clearly underestimated the little tree spirit's persistence in "feeding Li Li".
If open methods don't work, she'll resort to covert ones.
Over the next few days, Chi Li discovered that whatever she ate or drank always contained some "surprises".
When you drink the spiritual tea, you'll find a few plump, cloyingly sweet dried spiritual fruits at the bottom of the cup.
If you look closely, you might find a few fresh leaves arranged in the shape of small flowers, exuding the fragrance of earth, next to the delicate pastries.
Chi Li even strongly suspected that it was something she had just taken off herself.
On one occasion, while reviewing jade slips, she casually picked up a throat-soothing liquid prepared by a nearby eunuch and took a sip. She was almost driven mad by the sweetness of the mixture of at least a dozen different kinds of nectar!
Tang Lu would always hide nearby and secretly observe Tang Lu's reaction with her expectant eyes whenever Tang Lu discovered these "little surprises".
If Akari shows even the slightest bit of acceptance, even if it's just feigned, she'll be so happy her eyes will crinkle into crescents.
But if Chili reluctantly puts it down, she will droop her little head like an eggplant that has been hit by frost.
Chi Li finally understood that the little tree spirit's way of expressing affection was to give her whatever she considered the best in various ways.
This clumsy yet pure "reverse feeding" left Chi Li feeling both amused and exasperated, yet also filled with a warm and throbbing sensation in her heart.
That day, Chi Li specially instructed the cook in advance to prepare some of the simplest and mildest spiritual plant ingredients, and then brought Tang Lu to the small kitchen.
"Today, I will teach you how to make the simplest 'Honey-Preserved Spirit Berry' dish," Chi Li said, rolling up his sleeves to the bewildered Tang Lu.
She decided that instead of letting the little one figure out "biological weapons" on her own, she would personally intervene and guide her dangerous enthusiasm onto the right track!
And so, in the kitchen of the Demon King's palace...
His Majesty the Demon King is personally instructing a little tree spirit with flour on his face on how to properly wash spirit berries, how to control the heat when making honey, and how to gently mix the two together...
Tang Lu studied very hard, although she was still clumsy and got her hands and face covered in sticky honey. But under Chi Li's guidance, she managed not to set the kitchen on fire again.
When the bowl of "honey-soaked berries," though unremarkable in appearance, was ready, Tang Lu's excitement was comparable to when she successfully used her flower-inducing technique for the first time.
She carefully scooped up the biggest, reddest berry with a spoon, stood on tiptoe, and brought it to Chi Li's lips, her eyes shining like stars:
"Lili! Try this! Tanglu made it with you!"
Chi Li looked at the spoonful of berries that were clearly too sweet, then at Tang Lu's little face full of anticipation and a sense of accomplishment, lowered her head, opened her mouth, and ate it.
Sweet, cloyingly sweet.
"Is it delicious?" Tang Lu asked nervously.
Chi Li nodded, her eyes softening: "Mmm, it's delicious."
It seems that in addition to reviewing memorials and practicing magic, she will also have to serve as the "personal culinary instructor" from now on.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com