Dao of Cooking

Chapter 57: A Little Accident

Zhu Luli took another look at the bamboo slips on her bed, trying to decide how best to answer her aunt's not-so-subtle inquiries about her whereabouts. She loved her aunt, of course. Who didn’t? The woman was like a spring breeze—gentle and pleasant. Her voice was heavenly, and dozens of people were courting her, vying for her hand in marriage.

She’s still single, though. Whatever, good thing she didn’t refuse and sent me the manuals.

Her aunt, Zhu Meirong, had asked for one thing in return for those manuals: to know when Zhu Luli would come back home. According to her aunt, Zhu Luli’s father would have long started an empire-wide search if not for the light still burning in her soul-tablet, which was stored back at home.

I’m not a little child you can keep locked in that mansion, and I don’t need you looking out for me. This place is way better than that hell!

Zhu Luli closed her eyes tiredly, feeling the soft tail of Little Yao against her back. For once, the squirrel didn’t take advantage of this rare moment of weakness. It seemed she understood—or perhaps knew—that if they were to go back home, nothing would ever be the same.

That cage can wait…

She sighed and gestured for Little Yao to pick up the bamboo slip as she turned toward the door. The sun had just shown its face in the sky, and that meant the kids would be waiting for her.

As expected, her little group was lined up before the entrance, serious expressions on their faces. The sight made Zhu Luli chuckle. They were growing—and growing fast. Snake, Stone, and Little Mei were close to the 5th Step of the Body Tempering Stage, with the second group not far behind them.

Normally, a young cultivator’s progress would slow around the 4th Step of the Body Tempering Stage. This was essentially the midpoint, right after the body’s first cleansing, and had to be tread with care. Recklessly pushing for more could damage or, in the worst case, cripple one’s cultivation base.

Unless you have a Spiritual Chef.

That changed everything. Brother Lei’s dishes were no different than perfect pills, allowing the kids to eat the equivalent of two or three pills every night. Genius or not, that amount of real pills would have killed these kids long ago, as pill poison was a tough beast to deal with.

On the other hand, the only side effect of Brother Lei’s dishes was that you always wanted more.

Tonight, I’ll go get a good spiritual beast from the Darkloom Forest. I need to step into the Qi Condensation Stage, just in case.

As they made their way to Brother Lei’s old place in the ruins, Zhu Luli thought about their conversation from the other night. Brother Lei had seen one of those rotten bastards talking with two of the higher-ups in Jiangzhen’s Governance, which meant their suspicions were right. The Governor, or at least his people, were in cahoots with that bunch.

While Brother Lei didn’t want to risk anything, especially now with all the restaurant work, he couldn’t turn a blind eye either. So, Zhu Luli had volunteered. She would trail the Head Scribe and the Head of the Post Office at night, to see if she could find anything.

Worst-case scenario, I’ll send word to Aunt about these guys. She’ll know what to do.

She already regretted not sharing anything about the rotten bastards earlier, but that would have made her seem desperate. And would anyone actually care that a bunch of weirdos were doing strange things around a mortal city?

I doubt it.

Shaking her head, Zhu Luli watched as the kids took their places before the half-destroyed house. Her eyes lingered on Little Ji for a long second as she hesitated, but then she sighed and let the kids start their morning meditation.

She sat down and used her own technique to feel the flow as well. There was something about the very practice of breathing that fascinated her, which was why she had started cultivating at a young age. That fascination had grown into a general curiosity about the world—the world beyond the high walls of the Zhu Clan’s mansion.

Now and then, she reminisced about those times. Odd that she only remembered the bad stuff. She refused to believe nothing was good about her upbringing, but then, good and bad were relative things in the eyes of a cultivator.

At least Father never tried to use me like other Patriarchs. Betrothal... Ugh, I wonder how Sister Qiao is doing? She wasn’t too happy about that Young Master of the Tang Clan.

Breathe in and out—it was simple. Zhu Luli slowly drove the thoughts away from her mind. Soon, the only sound in her head was the thumping of her heart. The more she listened, the more tension left her, until, at last, that bright bond came into view.

The bond between a star and a cultivator was special. Though she hadn’t yet stepped into the Qi Condensation Stage, she could feel the star she was bonded to. It was there, beyond the clouds, freer than the birds chirping around them.

One day, I’ll stand beside you.

The only way to do that was to become a Nascent Soul cultivator. Only they could touch what was beyond the reach of men. Only they could see the world in its naked glory, with the planets lazily dancing in the dark of space.

Step by step, shall we? First, focus on the Qi Condensation Stage.

She felt a touch around her arm, the fluffy tail teasing her, as if Little Yao had heard her thoughts. The little beast was about to become a Qi Condensation expert too. She didn’t need to bond with a star like Zhu Luli; spiritual beasts were all born bonded to their common star in the sky.

I wonder what the Browntail’s Star looks like? It must have a tail or something, right?

Zhu Luli smiled, coming out of her meditation. She clapped her hands for the kids to wake up.

“I have to go get new ingredients from the forest, so we’ll end the lesson here,” she said, much to the kids’ disappointment. That made her smile. She might be better at this than she’d thought. “But I’ll give you your manuals. I want you to study them, memorize each word, but don’t try to cultivate it. We’ll do that when I’m back. Understood?”

“When will we start hunting?” came Snake’s voice, his eyes still half-closed. “Theory alone can’t be enough, right, Big Sister Luli?”

Zhu Luli glanced at him. “You’re correct. Once you get the hang of these manuals, we’ll move on to more practical lessons. Don’t worry.”

Snake nodded and slapped Stone on the back, earning a tired sigh from the kid. They exchanged whispers and started laughing.

On the side, Little Mei was busy caressing the soft coat of a black cat, her eyes closed in bliss. Even now, Zhu Luli could feel the yearning in Little Yao’s eyes as she watched that cat.

“Go,” she grumbled, rolling her eyes. “But you only have five minutes. We need to move.”

Little Yao bolted forward, sprinting between the kids until she reached Little Mei and yanked the cat’s tail. The cat screeched and jerked back, while Little Yao eased into Little Mei’s arms as if nothing had happened.

You’re something else.

……

"So you're saying it's not bad?" Snake muttered, staring down at the bamboo slip clutched tightly in his hands. Big Sister Luli had done something to the spiritual seal on the cultivation manual before he got to read it, so he was the last one to check his manual. Bright lights had burst forth from the bamboo slip, and then words appeared.

I've said it's quite good for your age. It's certainly not bad. You're lucky that the Zhu Clan has allowed that little girl to give you this manual. They are normally a secretive bunch, especially that Old Goat Bai. I wonder if he's still alive…

"Old Goat Bai?" Snake frowned as he glanced at the bronze ring. "Who's that?"

The founding ancestor of the Zhu Clan. Calls himself a Scholar, that old goat does. After all the beatings he took from me, there's no wonder why he'd chosen the way of a Scholar. Hah! Books, can you believe it?

Snake leaned back in his bed, shaking his head. Things weren't as bad as they used to be between him and the old man. They were getting along well, kind of. Part of it was because Snake started to listen, and another part was that the old man finally started taking them seriously.

"I kind of liked to get a weapon, but…" Snake trailed off when the ring around his finger started glowing.

You're being impatient again, Little Snake. Taking up a weapon and learning it… You can do that any time. Yes, mastering a weapon is no easy feat, but growing your fingers into spiritual treasures is something entirely different. You have to understand the changes one goes through with each stage.

Take the Qi Condensation Stage, for example. Your body will shed a layer of your mortal skin, growing strong and capable once you step into that stage, yet the memory of your muscles will stay with you. Therefore, the best time to start cultivating a manual like this Thousand Node Fingers is during the Body Tempering Stage.

Snake glanced at his fingers, a piece of Big Sister Luli's performance flashing before his eyes. Teacher Zhu's fingers were sharp and durable like those of a sword, unlike his fingers, which looked like simple sticks.

"Can I do anything with these?" Snake muttered. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't believe that his fingers would be better than a sword in a fight.

Right now, your fingers are weak. That's to be expected, but with Zhu Clan's Thousand Node Fingers, you will grow them into spirit treasures. Now, close your eyes and focus on your meridians. The key to this technique is simple. Half the Qi you absorb through your meditation should be directed toward your fingers. Once there, I want you to try and hold onto that spiritual energy for as long as you can.

Snake took a deep breath, focusing on the Tranquilizing Meditation Technique. Threads of spiritual energy eased in through his pores, slowly making their way toward his meridians. Soon, the first circle started with ease.

He sensed the Qi circling around his meridians, which felt like he was neck-deep in warm lake waters. Just then, when the second minor circle was about to start, he tried to separate half of the Qi and send it toward his fingers.

A sharp pain jolted him straight, breaking the rhythm of his breathing. Disoriented, he tried to get back into the flow, taking long, deep breaths, but it only made the pain worse. He coughed and sputtered, eyes flying open as he stared around in panic.

Stone stared back at him, confused.

“What was that?” Snake choked out, his heart thumping in his chest. “I couldn’t control that Qi!”

Hah… A long sigh echoed in Snake’s mind, and the old man clicked his non-existent tongue mentally. Sometimes I wonder if I should poke a hole in that thick head of yours. It was one thing to forgive the impudence you’ve shown toward me. I could pass that off as the rashness of youth, but this is different. You’re too arrogant, thinking the spiritual energy of the world would listen to a ten-year-old brat.

“I’m nearly thirteen,” Snake grumbled, rubbing the side of his neck as the pain slowly wore off. “And I don’t think I did anything wrong, right, Little Brother?”

“How am I supposed to know that?” Stone answered from his own bed, back to the wall.

From the outside, they must have looked like normal kids talking and mumbling, but they were both busy listening to an ethereal, mysterious old man.

Snake shrugged at that. “You’ve done it, right? You know how to control Qi before it flows into a minor circle. How do you do that?”

“Me?” Stone pointed at his face. “I don’t think you can control Qi before the Qi Condensation Stage. I can’t, at least.”

“I’m not talking about perfect control. You remember the time you wrecked the room? I need to learn how to do that, but from the inside,” Snake said, shaking his head. He could have asked the old man about it, but he always found that speaking with Stone about these things made him feel much more comfortable.

“Oh!” Stone raised his head. “That’s simple. First, you can’t interfere with minor circles. You have to wait for a minor circle to end before you act. Then, if you want to focus the energy to a certain point in your body, just… try to squeeze that part of your body.”

“What?” Snake’s eyes went wide. “What do you mean, squeeze that part?”

“Watch.” Stone pointed at his right hand. He closed his eyes, and Snake felt the air shift as his Little Brother started taking deep breaths. The invisible lines of energy were drifting slowly toward Stone. Seconds passed, and finally he clenched his right hand into a fist and held the pose as his eyes opened.

A faint shimmer of energy flickered around Stone’s fingers, like heat rising off the ground. "See? It’s all about the pores," Stone explained, panting slightly from the effort. "You have to be aware of the energy flow, and when you complete a minor circle, just let the energy surge into your hand and squeeze it like you’re trying to hold onto a slippery fish."

Good demonstration, Little Stone, but let me clarify a few things, the old man said, his voice steady. Snake knew he was speaking with both of them right now.

Imagine it like this. When you clench your fist, you're lowering the flow of energy into your hand, similar to how a straw works when you cover the top. The energy in your meridians still wants to flow, so it rushes toward your hand to equalize the pressure. The difference in pressure is what draws more energy into your clenched fist. This way, you can focus that energy and start cultivating your Thousand Node Fingers more effectively.

“Fine,” Snake groaned. “Let me try it.”

Closing his eyes, he focused on the meditation technique, breathing deeply as he sought the familiar warmth of Qi flowing through him. Just when the first minor circle was completed, he clenched his right hand. A flicker of warmth began to pool in his palm, and this time, instead of feeling overwhelmed, he sensed the rush of power responding to his command.

“It’s working!” His right hand was warm as he waved it left and right. Then it got warmer still. And warmer yet, as panic started gnawing at him. “What do I do now?!”

Open your palm, the old man said with a tired voice.

With a frantic flick, Snake opened his palm wide, releasing the swirling energy like a burst of fireworks. The warmth exploded outward, slamming into the bed with a crack that echoed through the room. Splintering wood and flying debris filled the air as the bedframe buckled under the sudden surge of power.

Snake's eyes widened in disbelief.

Stone gasped.

The old man barked a laugh in the back of his mind

“You did this on purpose—“

“You brats!” came an angry voice from downstairs, as loud steps echoed beyond the closed door of the room.

“Big Brother Lei’s going to kill us,” Snake said, shaking his head.

“Us?” Stone scowled at him. “I didn’t do anything. It was you.”

“Hey, what do you mean? The last time—“

“Was your mistake, again. Now, Brother Snake, please explain yourself to Big Brother Lei.”

Snake’s heart pounded in his chest as the footsteps grew louder. Just as he was about to argue further, Stone suddenly let out a dramatic groan and flopped back onto his bed, eyes closed. “What the— Little Brother!” Snake hissed, kneeling beside him. “Are you serious right now?”

Stone didn’t respond, only his lips twitching slightly as he lay still, pretending to be out cold.

The door burst open, and there stood Big Brother Lei, his face a storm of fury. His eyes immediately fell on the shattered bed and then on Snake, who was frantically gesturing to the 'unconscious' Stone.

“Little Snake!" Lei barked, his voice thunderous. "What did you do this time?”

Snake froze, then pointed at Stone, trying to deflect the blame. “It was him! He—he passed out from the Qi backlash!”

Big Brother Lei's glare intensified. "And why, exactly, is he the one passed out, while you’re standing there looking guilty?"

Snake’s mouth opened and closed, panic rising. He glanced at Stone—who, of course, looked perfectly unconscious, breathing softly, his innocent face betraying nothing.

"Explain yourself," Lei growled.

Stone, still playing dead, shifted slightly, as if on cue, making it all look worse.

Snake grimaced, realizing he was utterly framed. “Uh... I can explain...”