The Legend of Fangren

"Fangzi, come in quickly."

Upon arriving at his lodgings, Luohe warmly invited Fang Shi inside. The room was tidy and well-organized.

"Not bad, not bad, much cleaner than our Qiaocun Village."

I still remember their two dilapidated houses next to each other. If you could just break the wooden plank in the middle, you could see the next house through the crack.

"I'm much better, but Fangzi, you're not here with me anymore, I feel so lonely..."

Oh my, that's a bit too direct. Fang Shi's heart skipped a beat when he heard it.

But Qu Mei, who was about to return to her room next door, couldn't pretend she hadn't heard these words.

"Junior Sister Luo~"

Her tone was filled with resentment: "Your words have hurt my feelings, senior sister. For the past month, we've been like best friends, looking out for each other. Are you just going to pretend you didn't see it?"

Pushing open the door, Qu Mei glanced at Fang Shi again, feigning concern. The two expressions combined to make her even more sorrowful, as if she had solidified into a tangible form.

Luo He knew this senior sister well, and sighed helplessly, "Senior Sister Qu, I won't go to the kitchen for dinner tonight. You can go by yourself."

"Ah~!" Qu Mei wailed and collapsed onto Luo He's bed, sobbing. "I wondered why Junior Sister Luo was so rough with me today. Turns out she has a new love and has abandoned her old one. Fine, I'll go alone. You don't need to stop me. Just let me die alone."

"..."

Fang Shigan fell silent after the exaggerated speech.

To describe Sister Qu Mei in an old-fashioned way, she would be: a drama queen.

It's quite lucky that Luohe was able to meet such a cheerful person so soon after arriving at the sect.

Also, there's something I need to correct.

Senior Sister Qu, you are the one who came!

"Ugh."

Over the past month, Luohe had come to understand Qu Mei's character and stopped acting strangely, gently coaxing her out of bed.

"Senior Sister Qu, Fangzi brought me some spiritual items. I'll eat these tonight."

"Tch, what kind of spiritual objects could a poor kid like you find? You're a metal elementalist, how many metal spiritual objects could there possibly be in these mountains?"

Hey, Fang Shi couldn't pretend he hadn't heard, so he immediately stepped forward and took out several earthenware jars and several large sealed cloth bags from his bag.

"This is jam made from fire heart fruit, along with several portions of golden and silver lotus root and lotus seeds. It's enough for you to eat for several days, Hezi."

"Wow? Honeysuckle?" Qu Mei didn't believe it and reached out to unseal the cloth.

Luohe quickly slapped her hand away and took the things from her.

Although she wasn't usually stingy, that didn't apply to the things Fangzi brought her.

Qu Mei's jealousy intensified upon seeing this, and she muttered sourly, "Golden lotus only grows on cliffs and in wild valleys, where it grows in muddy pools full of poisonous creatures. You're just strong, I don't believe you can pick it..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Fang Shi silently took the cloth envelope, quietly untied the rope, and the spirit object reflected a moist luster under the evening lamplight.

A truly eye-opening and face-slapping moment!

I'll just stay silent and pretend to be an expert, quietly observing your reaction.

"Uh...uh..."

The slap in the face came too quickly. Qu Mei's mouth was half open; she didn't know whether to speak or leave. After struggling for a while, she finally raised her hand and said, "I want to eat too!"

"No, this is for Hezi."

"No, this is from the recipe."

The two spoke in unison, their tacit understanding was remarkable, and their combined aura overwhelmed Qu Mei, instantly making her look like a pitiful, lonely little thing.

Having a companion is amazing!

With tears streaming down her face, Senior Sister Qu Mei ran away screaming.

If we go to the food stall any later, we won't be able to get any good food.

Hmph, what kind of magical creature is this? Do you think it can cook as well as a professional chef at the Kitchen Hall? You two are just pretending!

"It's so sour~"

The two people inside ignored the eccentric senior sister and started preparing their own dinner.

Although Heavenly Rank disciples have a kitchen to prepare meals, they also need to consume spiritual fruits for daily cultivation. Therefore, there is a small stove in the room. Some spiritual items cannot be eaten directly like spiritual fruits and need to be cooked simply before consumption.

"How can it be sour?" Fang Shigang, who was already angry, heard what she said and came over to take the jam jar from her hand.

Give me a chopstick.

"Hey." Luo He handed him the one she was holding directly. Fang Shi didn't pay any attention and dipped it in the jam to taste it.

"Hmm... this jar is made with freshly picked fire heart fruit. There's still some wood left to burn, so it's a bit sour." He asked, "Do you like it? If not, I'll take this jar home."

"I like it." Luo He grabbed the square jar and chopsticks back and went to the side to dip the food in the sauce.

Fang Shi quickly said to her, "Don't eat so fast, we'll mix it up when the food is ready."

"oh…"

Luohe obediently placed the square jar on the small stove. Fang Shi turned around and pushed it further away, then placed the golden and silver lotus roots on top and cut them into thin slices.

Then, a bucket of spring water was scooped into a pot and boiled. Several chopsticks were placed in the water, stacked on top of each other, and lotus root slices were added.

Simply simmering the lotus root in water gives off a delicate fragrance, but that's not enough. It needs to be simmered further until the fragrance settles and becomes a salty aroma in the water.

Although lotus root belongs to the water element, it also possesses all five elements of life. As long as it is cooked properly, it can bring out a variety of different flavors in the dish.

"Hmm, that's about right."

Fang Shi took the jar of jam, dipped some into the lotus root soup, and used the soil to concentrate the lotus root flavor into the soup.

After removing the lotus root slices, pour out the lotus root soup.

The lotus root soup is clear and refreshing, with the aroma of lotus root and a hint of saltiness.

Water and fire are vital elements. When boiled, the lotus root flows into the water, leaving only the earthy and woody essence of the lotus root slices, releasing its sweet and refreshing flavor.

Spread a thick layer of sweet jam on the lotus root slices, sandwich two slices together, and mix in a few peeled lotus seeds. Then take a bite.

The stewed lotus root slices are crisp and tender, and the sweetness of the jam is balanced by the slightly bitter taste of the lotus seeds, preventing them from being too sweet. Such a flavor is truly delightful when paired with a sip of lotus root soup.

A whole table was filled with jam-stuffed lotus root cakes. Luohe couldn't finish them all by herself, so she could put them back in the pot and eat them the next morning. This was a way of eating that Fang Shi had specially researched a couple of days ago.

"Fangzi, aren't you going to eat?"

After munching on two or three, Luohe noticed that Fang Shi was secretly munching on dried spirit fruit by himself.

With his mouth full of fruit crumbs, he laughed and said, "Isn't this spiritual food meant for you to eat? Cultivation is the most important thing."

Unexpectedly, Luohe pursed her lips and puffed out her cheeks, pulling him to the window in displeasure. She then dragged the table holding the lotus root cakes to the window, grabbed a lotus root cake, and stuffed it into his hand, giving each of them one.

Sitting on the same bench, the two held the food they had prepared together, looked at the stars in the night sky outside, and ate in silence, as if they had returned to their childhood when they were seven or eight years old.

"Fangzi, the sky seems closer here."

"Um."

"But I can't find the stars we used to count."

"No, the stars have always been there." Fang Shi pointed to the sky.

At this moment, Luohe also extended a finger, but she poked Fang Shi's face.

Why are you poking me...?

"Hehe~ Because I'm counting stars."