Chapter 80: 80
Jun Xiaomo had not eaten anything today, and she had even wasted a fair bit of time arguing with these bunch of buffoon disciples . Right now, she was completely famished . Since matters had come to some form of conclusion, she did not wish to waste her saliva on the other disciples any further . Thus, she tugged at Ye Xiuwen’s arm, lamenting, “Brother Ye, I’m hungry…”
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She had earlier already complained to Ye Xiuwen about her hunger . But right now, she even made it sound like she was being wronged .
The suave-looking young man scrunched up his face like a bitter gourd as looked at Ye Xiuwen with watery eyes and a hopeful gaze . All that was possibly lacking was for someone to write the words “I’m hungry . Let’s eat” on his face . Ye Xiuwen could not help but chuckle lightheartedly .
This person really wears his expressions on his sleeve . Ye Xiuwen thought to himself helplessly as he patted Jun Xiaomo’s head, saying, “Let’s go then . Didn’t you say you wanted brother Ye to try your culinary skills?”
“Great! Come with me, brother Ye!” Jun Xiaomo’s eyes brightened as he immediately grabbed onto Ye Xiuwen’s arm and dragged him to the side, ignoring everyone else present .
On the other hand, everyone else who were looking at this sight were left completely speechless . The two of them seemed completely oblivious to everyone’s presence right now, and the intimate atmosphere between them did not even allow room for a third party’s interjection . Everyone was completely stunned by this sight .
They had never seen Ye Xiuwen acting so…affectionately . In their eyes, Ye Xiuwen had always been cold and distant . But now, not only had Ye Xiuwen patted Yao Mo’s head; he even allowed Yao Mo to hold his arm and lead him away . This left all the disciples from the Sect completely flabbergasted .
But how would these disciples know that Ye Xiuwen had been so cold and distant to these martial brothers and sister precisely because they had never done deserving of a place in Ye Xiuwen’s heart? To those whom he cared about, such as his martial brothers and sisters from Heavenly Peak, Ye Xiuwen would always maintain a cordial attitude towards them and treat them warmly . Of course, he also tastefully tempered his cordiality with these disciples with the dignity and awe from his stature as the First-Seat Disciple of Heavenly Peak . This also allowed Ye Xiuwen to gain the utmost respect from everyone within Heavenly Peak . In Jun Xiaomo’s previous life, Ye Xiuwen naturally became the main pillar of support of all the disciples of Heavenly Peak after Jun Linxuan and Liu Qingmei’s death .
As Jun Xiaomo dragged Ye Xiuwen along, she passed by the location of the bonfire which Qin Lingyu and the others had just put out . And just beside that bonfire, she noticed the various pieces of rock-hard, black-looking meat that had been discarded by the disciples .
“Tsk tsk . Is your combined culinary effort only worth that much?” Jun Xiaomo prodded those few pieces of meat with her legs in disgust as she chuckled to herself .
Hearing this, all the disciples immediately glared at her . One of them even added, “Since you’re so good, then why not you cook something and show us? Talk is cheap – the proof is in the pudding!”
They all felt that Yao Mo acted like the son of an aristocratic clan head born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and thus they sincerely believed that he knew nothing about cooking, much less roasting wild game out in the wilderness . Therefore, they did not believe that Yao Mo could make anything decent to begin with .
Tch! This Yao Mo fella clearly only knows how to flap his jaws . The disciples all glared at Jun Xiaomo as they thought .
Jun Xiaomo glanced at them languidly but decided not to waste her breath on them . She walked over to the side with a more open space, and she set up another bonfire in a few quick moves .
Jun Xiaomo’s efficacy and proficiency with setting up this bonfire immediately silenced the rest of the disciples .
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After all, these disciples had spent a good amount of time starting the fire yesterday, even with all of their efforts combined .
“Let’s continue to rest here for a while more . Some of you might not have eaten much this morning, so those who need to eat or hydrate, do so now . We can leave when everyone is sufficiently rested . ” Qin Lingyu gave orders to everyone around . The disciples all nodded as they took their seats around their camp site .
There were now two bonfires burning in the woods . One bonfire had several disciples seated around it; and the other looked much lonelier with only two people at the bonfire . The segregation was well apparent .
Even though nobody believed that Yao Mo would be able to whip up anything good, all the disciples around still could not help but glance over their shoulders at Jun Xiaomo and Ye Xiuwen from time to time .
“Hmph . They mentioned that they’ve encountered a Green Elder Python, but it looks like they’ve only been hunting . Look at the size of that reindeer!” One of the disciples who noticed Jun Xiaomo retrieve the large reindeer from her Interspatial Ring commented with bitter jealousy .
“Isn’t that so? They even made us worry the entire night for them . ” Another disciple chimed in softly . However, when they noticed Ye Xiuwen suddenly turn around to look at them, they immediately shut their flapping mouths .
Even though Ye Xiuwen face was obscured by the veiled conical hat, his gaze was still sufficient to put pressure on these disciples .
Moments later, Ye Xiuwen turned his head back and continued looking at the fire . Seeing this, the disciples all heaved a sigh of relief .
On the other side, Jun Xiaomo swiftly divided the reindeer’s body as she cut skillfully along the grain and prepared various parts of the reindeer’s meat for roasting . They were divided into pieces of different sizes, and Jun Xiaomo placed all of them onto large leaves before she started to season them .
Jun Xiaomo had brought some seasonings along from the kitchen back home . In fact, she had come so well prepared that her Interspatial Ring stored sufficient seasoning for her and Ye Xiuwen to use for a couple of months .
Ye Xiuwen noticed these various types of bottles that Yao Mo had taken out and immediately revealed a shocked look on his face . Then, he looked thoughtfully over at Yao Mo .
Liu Qingmei had loved going into her kitchen ever since she was pregnant with Jun Xiaomo . This was because she hoped that as her daughter grew up, she would have the blessing of being able to taste Liu Qingmei’s own cooking that was made with love .
Because of this, Liu Qingmei was extremely particular about the things she kept in her kitchen, to the extent that even these little bottles that were used to store various kinds of seasonings were all extremely exquisite and well made . At times, walking into the kitchen in Jun Xiaomo’s home would even feel no different from walking into a woman’s chambers – everything was clean, neat and orderly, while the seasoning bottles were exquisite and beautiful . All that was lacking was a bunch of fresh flowers to complete the look .
This was something known to all of the disciples at Heavenly Sect . Sometimes, Jun Linxuan would bring one or two of his disciples with him when he traveled out of the Sect on missions, just so they could experience the world outside . During these trips, they would discover that their master had a habit of stopping by some small crafts stores at the marketplace, pick out a few well-made bottles that looked pleasing to the eye, pay for them, before quietly storing them within his Interspatial Ring . And he did all these with a stern and somber expression on his face .
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At the start, the disciples at Heavenly Peak had speculated that their master might have some strange obsession and therefore enjoyed collecting these exquisite looking bottles . Some of them even thought of gifting some of these less commonly seen bottles to their master for his birthday gift . But after a few of these disciples made the mistake of gifting these things to their master, the disciples all eventually learnt that these little bottles that he had purchased on his travels were in fact gifts to Liu Qingmei for her use in the kitchen .
Once they learnt the truth of the matter, everyone could not help but be pleasantly surprised at how well their master treated his wife! Naturally, they all had a good laugh about their misunderstanding too .
After all, their master picking out these bottles with a stern and somber face was something that was too comical . It was as though the items he was picking out were not even regular bottles or containers, but some high-quality miracle medicine or herb of sorts .
As Jun Linxuan’s First-Seat Disciple, Ye Xiuwen was naturally aware of this incident . Even though Ye Xiuwen was unaware of how his master’s kitchen looked like, since the kitchen belonged to the private realm of the family, but there were few people in this world who would be so particular about their kitchen’s cleanliness and order . Therefore, this incident left an indelible mark in his heart .
Right now, when Jun Xiaomo retrieved so many exquisite looking seasoning bottles from his Interspatial Ring, Ye Xiuwen was immediately reminded of Liu Qingmei’s obsession with her kitchen .
Is this a mere coincidence? Or is it… Ye Xiuwen’s heart skipped a beat . Then, he managed to suppress the roiling emotions in his heart .
All this while, Jun Xiaomo’s attention had been fixated on seasoning the reindeer meat perfectly, and she naturally failed to notice Ye Xiuwen’s peculiar expressions . How would she have known that her act of bringing out some bottles from her kitchen would give Ye Xiuwen an important clue about her identity?
If these clues continued to accumulate, then perhaps the day that Jun Xiaomo can no longer deny her true identity would just be around the corner…
Jun Xiaomo was extremely well practiced with her art of seasoning and grilling meat out inn the wilderness . She swiftly coated each piece of the reindeer meat with layers of seasonings, and then she flipped them over and did the same to the other side . After that, she did not hastily put the meat to the grill, but waited a moment before brushing yet another layer of seasoning on the meat…
After a few repetitions, Jun Xiaomo finally stopped when she judged that the meat had now become sufficiently marinated with the seasoning . Thereafter, Jun Xiaomo retrieved a piece of wire mesh from her Interspatial Ring . Then, she picked out a few pieces of round and smooth pebbles and started stacking them up to form a mini “furnace” of her own, placed the wire mesh on top, and started a fire directly under the wire mesh, in the furnace .
Everyone: …… Was this person really lost in the woods before being rescued by Ye Xiuwen earlier? He looks incredibly well prepared for this!
Jun Xiaomo completely ignored the curious glances from the other disciples, and she only continued to busy herself with the task at hand . Right now, she continued to brush layer after layer of oil on the wire mesh as the gleaming golden globules of oil dripped through the mesh into the fire below, setting the fire below ablaze with even greater intensity .
When the fire in the furnace grew to a sufficiently strong level, she finally began placing the reindeer meat onto the grill .
Tssss!! The reindeer meat sizzled as it as it hit the grill, and a thick waft of fragrance from the seasonings and the searing meat immediately diffused into the air around them .
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Jun Xiaomo had even added her own special touch to the seasoning so that the meat would have a fresher aroma with traces of fruity fragrances .
At this moment, a gentle breeze blew across the woods, carrying the aroma of the grilling meat over to the disciples by Qin Lingyu’s side, causing them to be completely enveloped by the smells emanating from Jun Xiaomo’s grill .
Growwwwllll… One disciple gulped as he swallowed the salivation in his mouth, and he couldn’t help but gaze over blankly at Jun Xiaomo’s side .
In fact, he was not the only one gazing blankly at Jun Xiaomo at this moment . Several other disciples involuntarily turned their attention towards Jun Xiaomo and Ye Xiuwen’s side and stared vacantly at them right now . The only people who were able to remain calm and settled right now were only Qin Lingyu and Ke Xinwen . Ke Xinwen was able to remain calm because his hatred for Jun Xiaomo and Ye Xiuwen was even stronger than his gluttonous desires . Therefore, he refused to succumb to Jun Xiaomo’s temptation right now . On the other hand, Qin Lingyu had to maintain his image as the First-Seat Disciple of the Sect Leader, and he naturally remained calmly seated where he was, munching away at the dry rations in his hands .
It was as though the dry rations in his hands were just as tasty as the grilled meat on the other side .
Jun Xiaomo had a great grasp on the heat emanating from the furnace . Just as a thin layer of caramelization formed on the surface of the reindeer’s meat, she lowered the heat and continued to broil the meat, flipping the meat with some bamboo skewers from time to time .
It’s about time! Jun Xiaomo removed from the grill a piece of beautifully cooked meat that looked thick and succulent, and then she carefully placed it on a large leaf . They had earlier picked a few of these leaves beside the stream and cleaned them thoroughly so that they could be used as “plates” .
Finally, Jun Xiaomo sprinkled some pepper on the grilled meat, and voila – the dish was complete . Just as she was about to “submit” her work of art to Ye Xiuwen for his review, she immediately smacked her head as she said muddleheadedly, “Ah! I’ve forgotten to bring a small knife along with me!”
Without a small knife to cut up the reindeer meat to bite sized pieces, how were they going to eat this piece of grilled meat? Gnaw on it?
Ye Xiuwen had all this while been silently watching Yao Mo proficiently prepare and sear the meat as he tried hard to suppress his suspicions for Yao Mo’s true identity . But now, he was suddenly jolted back to his senses when he heard Yao Mo exclaim to himself .
“Let me do it . ” Ye Xiuwen softly said, as he received the leaf holding the reindeer meat from Jun Xiaomo’s hands . Then, with a few quick flicks of his hands, the meat was sliced into neat pieces by several controlled Wind Blades .
Everyone: ……I never knew that wind-based spells could be used in such a practical manner . Extraordinary… But regardless, seeing Ye Xiuwen use a Wind Blade to cut meat is simply too strange and peculiar .
Jun Xiaomo’s eyes brightened as she saw Ye Xiuwen’s display of abilities as she exclaimed, “Brother Ye, that’s amazing!” As she said that, she picked up a piece of meat with a bamboo skewer and delivered it straight to Ye Xiuwen’s mouth as she expectantly said, “Brother Ye, hurry up and give it a try!”
Ye Xiuwen gave the reindeer meat that had been delivered in front of his mouth a complicated look – if Yao Mo were truly his little martial sister, then how could he possibly be so adept at her culinary arts?
He was wearing a veiled conical hat at the moment, and it was not convenient for him to eat out of Jun Xiaomo’s hands right now . Therefore, he received the bamboo skewer from Jun Xiaomo before placing the piece of grilled reindeer meat into his mouth…
It was truly delightful . The outer layer of the grilled reindeer meat was caramelized perfectly – crisp to the bite while it carried slight traces of charred fragrance . At the same time, the sear on the outside locked in the juices so much so that it was extremely tender, and every bite delivered an explosion of flavours formed by the combination of the seasoning and the freshness of the reindeer meat . It was truly delectable and irresistible .
“It’s great . ” Ye Xiuwen gave Jun Xiaomo an objective review of her food as he looked at her comically .
“Then have more, brother Ye! I’ll make more if it’s not enough . ” Jun Xiaomo responded in elation, and her eyes curled up in joy .
On the other side of the fire, the other disciples looked slack jawed at Ye Xiuwen and Jun Xiaomo’s delectable food as they suddenly felt extremely hungry .
Unfortunately, they knew that had offended Yao Mo too much, to the extent that the bridge had been burnt . Even if they wore a contrite expression on their face and asked her nicely right now, it was highly unlikely that they would be able to get any reindeer meat from her .
Furthermore, how would their pride allow them to wear a contrite expression and ask her nicely in the first place?
Squeak squeak! The little packrat was so tempted by the aroma of the food that it even popped its head out of the bag, hopped over to a piece of meat that had just come off the grill and almost immediately took a large bite at it .
“Nuh-uh-uh! Hot, hot, hot! What are you so anxious about? It’s not like I didn’t make a portion for you!” Jun Xiaomo smacked her little packrat’s paws as she chided . Then, only when the piece of meat had cooled down a little, did she let her little packrat put its paws on the food and start eating .
The little packrat immediately buried its head into its food as it devoured its food in joy . It’s body even quivered in its delight!
The people from Dawn Sect: …… That’s just great . Our food can’t even be compared with the food of a little packrat now!
Then, their minds wandered to thoughts of how their coming days were going to be filled with situations like this – glistening pieces of meat that they could smell and see, but not eat or taste . Immediatetly, their eyes darkened in dismay .
Can it get any worse than this?!