Chapter 316: Lu Yang is Gone

Upon receiving the mark of the Immortal Fairy, he felt a sudden connection manifest with the kitchen, knowing a single thought could transport him there.

Then Lu Yang stirred his mind, and in a flash of reality, he truly entered the kitchen.

Lu Yang broke into a frantic run, violently throwing himself against the main doors.

Yet he possessed naught but a mortal frame and a lowly cultivation realm; his attempt to force the gates was no different from a mayfly shaking a giant tree, utterly futile.

Lu Yang exerted every ounce of strength from his very bones to push the doors, but they remained locked in absolute stillness.

Let alone his mortal flesh, even an immortal physique or celestial marrow would be of no avail; otherwise, why had the four, including the Heavenly Immortal, failed to leave back then?

Why was it that upon waking, the Heavenly Immortal and the others had dragged out the Nine-Layered Immortal—who had encouraged the Immortal Fairy to cook—and given him a clandestine thrashing?

Everything happened for a reason.

"Little Junior Brother, why are you running?" Yun Zhi asked, deeply perplexed.

The Immortal Fairy was the only one among the five ancient immortals who possessed culinary skills, rendering her a unique celestial chef in all the world; having the chance to eat her cooking, why did he not cherish it?

Furthermore, the ancient heritage had suffered a clean break, leaving none to comprehend the culinary styles of the primordial cultivators; only a living fossil like the Immortal Fairy could reconstruct ancient gastronomy.

During the Five Elements Sect's last visit, the Immortal Fairy had painstakingly prepared a grand banquet, yet before Yun Zhi could even taste it, the enraged Sect Master of the Five Elements Sect had overturned the table.

As for adding salt for twenty seconds or the like, it was presumably a matter of ancient culinary habits.

Those hazardous immortal treasure kitchen utensils held by the Immortal Cult must have been refined and altered after the cult acquired them; the original utensils could not have been so perilous.

Besides, this was a rare opportunity to learn, one that ought to be treasured with utmost sincerity.

A spiritual chef was immensely welcomed wherever they went; Yun Zhi believed that if Lu Yang could master even ten or twenty percent of the Immortal Fairy’s prowess, he could traverse the Central Continent without hindrance.

Just as Lu Yang was about to speak in explanation, he was cut short by the Immortal Fairy.

"Exactly, why are you running? It is a rare occasion that this Immortal is willing to cook a meal for you; this is a privilege reserved for celestial beings."

The Immortal Fairy knit her brows, displeased by Lu Yang’s reaction, but then, as if a realization had struck her, she suddenly understood.

"Oh—I see. You feel that this Immortal’s status is too exalted, and that I should not degrade myself to cook for you, so your conscience is wracked with guilt, is it not?"

"Oh, it matters not, this Immortal is not so fastidious; you have accompanied me for so long, do you still not understand what kind of person I am?"

"Come, let this Immortal borrow your body, I shall return it to you once the cooking is done, it will not delay your meal!"

The Immortal Fairy could not interact with physical entities and required the temporary lease of Lu Yang's body.

"Little Junior Brother, lend it to the Senior." The Eldest Senior Sister felt the Immortal Fairy's request was entirely reasonable.

Lu Yang still wished to offer some resistance, but hearing the Eldest Senior Sister's words, he fell into a momentary daze.

In that exact pocket of hesitation, his body was snatched away by the overjoyed Immortal Fairy.

Lu Yang could only watch with wide-open eyes as the Immortal Fairy commanded his flesh.

"The fortitude of this body is rather lacking; it cannot even withstand an explosion, so it cannot partake of dishes that are too high-grade," the Immortal Fairy remarked with a hint of disdain.

Lu Yang’s physique was definitively among the strongest within the Golden Core stage, but such a degree was far from sufficient for the Immortal Fairy.

"Wait a moment, why would one encounter an explosion while cooking?" Lu Yang grew instantly alert.

The Immortal Fairy found it strange that Lu Yang would exhibit such a reaction: "It is a perfectly normal occurrence; do they not always say that the ultimate delicacy will detonate upon the tastebuds the very moment it enters the mouth?"

Lu Yang: "..."

The Eldest Senior Sister nodded in secret, committing the Immortal Fairy’s words to memory.

These must surely be the insights born of the Senior Fairy's vast experience; as a junior, she had to study them with an open and humble mind.

"This time you must learn diligently, and I may well cultivate you as the true successor to my mantle!" the grand master of the Immortal lineage spoke thus to the second-in-command of the Immortal lineage.

The second-in-command of the Immortal lineage felt overwhelmed by both awe and trepidation.

"Your body cannot handle dishes that are too intricate; let me think... right, then let us make stir-fried tomatoes and eggs!" After a brief contemplation, the Immortal Fairy swiftly came to a decision.

Lu Yang let out a soft sigh of relief; she should have said so earlier, for he knew how to prepare this dish as well—it was exceedingly simple, and nothing could possibly go wrong under the Immortal Fairy's hands.

"What was stored in this jar again?" The Immortal Fairy lifted the lid of a medicine jar, and a pungent odor instantly rushed at their senses.

Within the spiritual space, Lu Yang felt the world spin violently; after swaying through two dizzying rotations, he blacked out.

"What is in the jar..."

The Immortal Fairy was single-mindedly devoted to her cooking and failed to notice Lu Yang’s abnormality.

Presently, control over Lu Yang’s body resided with the Immortal Fairy; whether Lu Yang was conscious or not did not impede her utilization of his vessel.

"Look, when beating eggs, you must stir with great force, like this," the Immortal Fairy explained the culinary steps, while the Eldest Senior Sister listened with rapt attention by her side.

"The egg liquid is used for the stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, while the remaining eggshells can be used to brew a soup; as the saying goes, the original broth digests the original food—this is the exact principle behind it."

The Eldest Senior Sister nodded from time to time, reflecting that the ancient methods of cooking were indeed vast and different from the present era, leaving still so much for her to learn.

That she could possess her current cultivation was due not only to her innate comprehension but also to her habit of diligent study and inquisitive nature.

It was only that nowadays, there were precious few things left for her to learn.

When Lu Yang slowly drifted back to consciousness, he found himself seated upright at the dining table, the dishes prepared by the Immortal Fairy laid out before him, with the elegantly poised Eldest Senior Sister sitting directly opposite.

"You are awake? You were bustling about in Ancient Scholar Tree Town, managing the grand scheme, and upon returning you did not rest but engaged in battle with Tao Yaoye; you were likely too exhausted and fell asleep," the Immortal Fairy explained kindly, worried that Lu Yang might be confused about the situation.

The Immortal Fairy truly possessed a talent for cooking; the stir-fried tomatoes and eggs displayed alternating shades of vibrant red and yellow, its colors enticing and dazzling, while a wave of aroma wafted over, inviting a flood of saliva.

A simple, ordinary home-cooked dish had actually been endowed with a breathtaking essence by the Immortal Fairy.

As for the eggshell soup resting to the side, it was automatically disregarded by Lu Yang.

Lu Yang’s appetite was thoroughly whetted; he picked up a piece of tomato with his chopsticks and placed it into his mouth.

"How is it, are the eggs delicious?" The Immortal Fairy gazed at Lu Yang with immense anticipation.

"Uh, eggs?" Lu Yang recalled that what he had just picked up was clearly red?

"Yes, I added a bit of chili powder into the eggs."

Lu Yang: "..."

Fairy, just how much chili powder did you add to make the eggs look exactly as red as the tomatoes!

His eyes turned black, and he was struck unconscious by the sheer intensity of the spice.

"How did he fall asleep again... oh dear, could it be a chili allergy?" The Immortal Fairy expressed deep concern.

Yun Zhi recalled that Lu Yang could handle spicy food, and analyzed from the side: "It is possible that the dish contained too much spiritual energy, causing him to faint under the impact; however, this is also a boon, as it will aid him in gradually absorbing the spiritual energy within the food to consolidate his cultivation."

The chili powder was a precious treasure hoarded by the Fairy, a genuine celestial delicacy.

"So that is how it is. By the way, how is my cooking?"

Yun Zhi gently lifted a piece of egg with her chopsticks and chewed it thoroughly; the fiery spice erupted forth, and the spiritual energy embedded within the chili assailed her tastebuds, leaving an endless, lingering aftertaste.

"Exquisite beyond measure."

"That is well, I had thought my culinary skills had deteriorated."