Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

"This is my first time eating one too. Abedo told me about it. Before this, I had no idea that spiders could grow so big..."

Jiang Bai began to ramble on about what had happened in the past few days.

"The Frost Spike of the Snow Mountain has been raised. Kong wrote to tell me about it, so I went to see it. Abedo happened to be there too, and we both remembered that horizontal palace from last time..."

"The Nails of Frost have been raised?" This was the first time Hu Tao had heard of this.

"Yes, it's empty. All the fragments have come together and formed a long, cracked nail, floating above the snow-capped mountain..."

"Is that so..."

"It's a pity we couldn't find the palace we went into last time; it's as if it vanished into thin air..."

"Disappeared? That's really strange..."

"But it wasn't a complete failure. I caught a big spider and brought it back. It'll be an extra treat for everyone tonight!"

Jiang Bai turned his back to Hu Tao and with a swish, lifted the black cloth covering his back, revealing a ferocious giant spider.

An ordinary girl would definitely be frightened by this giant spider, but Hu Tao is not an ordinary girl.

"Wow!" Hu Tao exclaimed in surprise.

As she gnawed on the spider's leg, she looked the large spider up and down, even pinching and poking it with her hands.

"I've never seen such a big spider before!"

“These only exist deep underground; catching one like this isn’t easy,” Jiang Bai said smugly.

If it weren't for Abedo, Jiang Bai wouldn't have known that this thing was edible.

"It's not that the spider is dead, but I wonder if the flesh will deteriorate after it dies..."

"Dead?!" Jiang Bai quickly put the spider down to check it. He had only knocked the spider unconscious, so how could it be dead?

Could it be because he used a teleportation anchor while carrying it?

But it also used the teleportation anchor point with Gudu, so why is Gudu fine?

Since Gudu is a purely elemental life form, won't it be affected?

Jiang Bai suddenly had many more questions.

However, we'll find out about these issues next time we try it out.

"Before it dies for long, put it in the kitchen. I'll go call Xiangling; she'll definitely be willing to cook with this kind of ingredient!"

As he spoke, in order not to lose the freshness of the ingredients, Hu Taozi slipped away and disappeared in a flash.

Chapter 362 Peace and Joy, Nothing More Than This

She went straight to Wanmintang. It wasn't a restaurant yet, so the place wasn't busy. Hu Tao, being very loud, called Xiangling out.

"Xiangling, Xiangling!"

"What's wrong?" Xiangling came out with Guoba and looked at her in confusion.

"Try this!" Hu Tao tore off a piece of meat and gestured for Xiang Ling to open her mouth.

"Ah~"

Although she was a little worried that Hu Tao might be up to a new prank, Xiangling opened her mouth because it smelled delicious.

Can you guess what this ingredient is?

"It's so delicious!" As soon as the food entered her mouth, Chef Xiangling immediately began to analyze what ingredients were used and how it was cooked.

"This meat must have been smoked over a fire for several hours. There weren't many spices added; it relied entirely on the natural flavor of the ingredients. The texture of this meat doesn't resemble poultry or slime. What exactly is it?"

Xiangling was really curious.

Such fresh ingredients are a rare find!

"Lulu~"

Guoba jumped up; he wanted to try anything delicious!

"Open your mouth, Guoba." Hu Tao didn't show favoritism and tore off a large piece of meat.

"Smack smack..." Hearts popped into the crispy rice crust's eyes. Delicious!

"Hehe, you'll see when you come to the Hall of Rebirth! There's a whole one there, just waiting for you, Chef, to prepare it!"

Upon hearing what Hu Tao said, Xiang Ling could no longer hold back. She told her father and then ran towards the Rebirth Hall with Guoba.

The hall was bustling with activity. Almost all the ritual attendants had stopped what they were doing to watch the giant spider that Jiang Bai had brought back. Even Zhong Li had come.

"Is this spider really edible?" a servant asked.

The appearance of this giant spider is truly terrifying; it's hard to imagine that it could be used as food.

"Xiangling has even used gecko tails to cook, so spiders should be able to too, right?"

The speaker wasn't entirely sure either.

"Mr. Zhongli, what do you think?" Everyone looked at Zhongli.

Zhongli rested his chin on his hand. He had seen this giant spider that lived in the silvery-white ancient tree, but he had never eaten it.

"It should be usable as food."

"It's definitely edible, the question is how to prepare it."

The speaker was the chef, who was holding a cleaver and staring at the eight-legged spider, unsure where to begin.

"The chef is here!"

Hu Tao pulled Xiang Ling along and rushed over, and everyone quickly made way for them.

"Wow! What a huge spider!" Xiangling spotted the giant spider surrounded in the middle at a glance, her eyes gleaming.

"Tonight, Chef Xiangling will be our head chef! Let's give her a round of applause!"

"Oh!!!" As soon as Hu Tao finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted.

As everyone knows, Xiangling's cooking skills are top-notch. Every time she is the head chef at Wanmintang, the restaurant is always packed with people who have to wait for a table.

Her presence as the head chef at Wangshengtang today means everyone is in for a treat!

Jiang Bai gave Hu Tao a thumbs up, saying that the head chef was indeed worthy of being called the head chef because he had lured Xiang Ling to come over for free by using new ingredients.

Walnut stood with his hands on his hips, looking smug.

Otherwise, how could she be the head of the hall?

Cleaning, bleeding, skinning...

Xiangling was extremely busy.

Of course, it wasn't just Xiangling who was busy; everyone was helping out.

Since we're going to make a grand meal, we can't just prepare this one dish.

Jiang Bai went to the Whispering Forest and brought back a large forest pig.

Of course, the originally alive Lin Zhu that returned also died.

Jiang Bai also discovered some patterns: some ordinary creatures cannot use teleportation anchors, or rather, they cannot resist the information erosion in the earth's veins during teleportation, which directly leads to brain death.

As for why Gudu is unharmed, Jiang Bai doesn't know yet.

A spider the size of a person, plus a wild boar the size of a person, and some other dishes—there are a dozen or so people in the Rebirth Hall, plus Xiangling and Guoba, enough for them to have a lively meal.

To make the atmosphere more lively and avoid crowding in the kitchen, they simply set up several stoves in the yard: one for crispy roasted whole pig, one for lemongrass giant spider, and one for other stir-fries.

Xiangling was busy and everyone else was also busy, washing and chopping vegetables, washing fruit, moving tables, and starting a fire... It was a rare lively scene.

Seeing everyone so happy and enthusiastic, Zhongli, unusually, also felt the urge to get involved. He rolled up his sleeves:

"I'll cook one of my signature dishes too."

"Slow-cooked pork and bamboo shoot soup! Isn't that right!"

Hu Tao, who was looking around, immediately came over when she heard this.

The dishes Zhongli makes are not something you can usually eat. First of all, the ingredients are exquisite, and secondly, the cooking methods are meticulous.

Simmer over low heat for at least two to three hours.

"Hmm. Why don't you go and find some ingredients for me, Master?"

"no problem!"

Jiang Bai sat on a stone chair to the side, resting his chin on his hand as he watched everyone busy at work.

This wasn't an important day, nor was it a celebration of anything. Everyone was happy simply because he brought back a novel ingredient that they had never eaten before.

It's just a simple kind of happiness, everyone getting together to work, and chatting and laughing during their spare moments.

As the sun gradually sets on the horizon, night silently descends into the sky. Warm lights illuminate the surroundings, flames dance with laughter, and the gentle breeze carries the aroma of food far and wide.

His eyes were curved, and a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.

Peace and joy are nothing more than this.

"Jiang Bai, stop resting and come serve the dishes!"

Hu Tao's greeting came from below. She stood under the lamplight and waved to Jiang Bai. The flames and lamplight fell on her hair, forming a soft outline that was both vibrant and bright.

Jiang Bai stood up and stretched.

"The Hall Master has arrived!"

After a busy afternoon, a large table was completely filled.

The lemongrass spider was placed in the center position. The originally ferocious spider was almost unrecognizable after being processed. The bright green scallions were sprinkled on the smoked and golden-brown meat, making it look incredibly appetizing.

The crispy roast suckling pig was not served whole; it was cut into small pieces and placed on a plate.

Zhongli served a stew of pickled bamboo shoots and pork belly that had been simmering for several hours, along with other side dishes, making it a very sumptuous meal.

Walnut poured everyone a specially made coconut milk drink and raised his glass.

"Everyone's worked hard, cheers, let's eat!"

"cheers!"

The clinking of glasses rang out, and even on an ordinary day, it didn't dampen everyone's joy.

Wow! This giant spider tastes delicious!

"Yeah, it looks ugly but tastes really good!"

"It's been so long since I've had Mr. Zhongli's pickled bamboo shoots and pork soup..."

"Chef Xiangling, you've worked hard! Eat more, and please come again next time you have new ingredients..."

"Tell me where you caught this spider later, I'll go catch a few and experiment with new recipes..."

"Lulu~"

Laughter and cheers emanated from the Hall of Rebirth and carried far on the wind.

Chapter 363 What wish did you make, Hall Master?

The peaceful days were incredibly comfortable. Every morning, Jiang Bai and Hu Tao would run two laps around Liyue Harbor to improve their physical strength. They would cultivate in the morning and continue cultivating in the afternoon while playing around. This went on for more than half a month.

With the moon shining brightly and a gentle evening breeze blowing, Jiang Bai and Hu Tao were basking in the moonlight on the rooftop.

Jiang Bai lay on the roof with a blade of grass in his mouth, his hands behind his back, his head resting on his head. Above him were countless stars.

Walnut sat on the roof tile, holding Little Ghost's tail in her hand, and resting her chin on her hand as she looked at the stars.

It was getting late, and many of the lights in Liyue had gone out.

In the ancestral hall, apart from the ritual attendants on duty, most people had already rested.

"The stars are as beautiful as ever," Hu Tao said, gazing at the starry sky above her, somewhat lost in thought.

This starry sky has remained unchanged since she became conscious.

“Yes, indeed~” Jiang Bai’s lips parted, and the grass root in his mouth trembled with each movement. “This scene is perfect for reciting a poem.”

Hu Tao snatched the grass root from his mouth, put her hands on her hips, and looked down at him: "Don't steal my lines!"