Lian Baiping took a handful of dried vegetables from the Chen family after just a few words, and then returned to Ju'an Pavilion in less than half a cup of tea. After greeting several people in the same courtyard, he personally delivered the food to the kitchen door.
"Mr. Ji, here are the dried vegetables, just a handful."
"Okay, bring it in."
"yes!"
Lian Baiping shook his sleeves slightly, shaking out all the dried vegetables, then he gently took them in his hands and went into the kitchen.
The kitchen of Ju'an Pavilion has only one door and a small window, but it does not seem dark inside. Ji Yuan is cutting some ingredients on the chopping board next to the stove, and the fire in the earthen stove is constantly flickering.
"Sir, dry vegetables."
"Well, just put it in this wooden basin and spread it evenly."
Lian Baiping looked at a medium-sized wooden basin on the small wooden table. There was a layer of gauze inside, which should be just enough to stuff a whole fish in it.
Lian Baiping followed Ji Yuan's instructions and spread the dried vegetables in his hand evenly. Then he saw Ji Yuan sprinkle some cut food on it. He put the remaining pieces of fish into the basin and embedded the dried vegetables in the gaps between the fish meat.
"I remember when I was on a boat on the Chunmu River, a fisherman made steamed fish with dried vegetables. Decades have passed, but I still remember it."
"Then we are lucky to have the master personally cook this dish today!"
Ji Yuan lifted the wooden basin, placed it on the pot with a steamer, covered it with a lid, and then looked at Lian Baiping.
"How much does the Tianji Pavilion know about Ji's affairs? How much does it know about the affairs of heaven and earth? How much does it know about the future?"
Lian Baiping suddenly felt a huge amount of pressure. These three questions were more serious than each other. The key was that he could barely answer the first one, while the next two were too broad. He also knew that what Mr. Ji asked was definitely not an ordinary matter, but he still didn't know where to start.
"When we go to Tianji Pavilion, we will be able to get some answers to your questions, but I dare not make any promises. I can only say that Tianji Pavilion will not neglect you."
Lian Baiping spoke sincerely but did not say everything. Ji Yuan also knew that his question was rather vague, but he did not dare to ask too practical questions as that would be fatal, so he could only nod.
"Friend Lian, please go out and wait. The accountant will notify you when the meal is ready."
"Uh, I can help with the fire."
Lian Baiping obviously wanted to stay in the kitchen for a while longer, but when he saw Ji Yuan shaking his head, he had to smile and bow and leave.
Outside, Zao Niang was still reading. She put down the book and poured him a refill of tea only after Lian Baiping came out.
"Friend Lian, what did you say to Mr. Ji?"
Pei Zheng asked this casually. He was quite familiar with the Tianji Pavilion, so there was no need to be too taboo, especially since the Tianji Pavilion now attached great importance to Yu Huaishan, which seemed to be no less than some real famous families.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that Sir also has some things he wants to know from my Tianji Pavilion. He asked a few questions in advance, so my Tianji Pavilion will naturally make it convenient for him."
As he spoke, Lian Baiping looked up at the jujube tree in the yard again. In the crown of the tree, there was a faint stream of light floating, and behind the light were some large green jujubes hidden in the branches and leaves, but there were some more blurred areas in the bushes, where a faint red light could be seen from time to time.
'Spiritual roots of heaven and earth!'
Lian Baiping glanced at Zao Niang. This quiet woman who was reading a book should be the spirit of the spiritual root. He just didn't know whether the fruit of the spiritual root was ripe now.
But soon, those who were drinking tea and reading books could no longer maintain their original calm. The aroma from the kitchen was becoming more and more intense. As the last pot of fish was cooked, the aroma that Ji Yuan had sealed up from the other two dishes was also released, drifting into the courtyard of Ju'an Pavilion and filling it.
"Okay, it's time to eat."
Because the fish was big, the containers for it were also big. One was a wooden basin, and two were large soup basins. They were carried to the stone table in the yard by a gust of breeze. Ji Yuan also walked out of the kitchen, holding a large wooden rice bucket in his hands.
The tea set on the stone table had already been cleaned up by Zao Niang when the aroma wafted from the kitchen. Three large pots of food were placed on the table, and even the immortal cultivators could not help but drool.
A stool was added, and the five people sat around in the yard. After a few polite words, they all started eating. It was rare to see cultivators, especially immortal masters, sitting together to eat, but today's group of people were eating particularly happily.
To be honest, although he had imagined that Mr. Ji's cooking skills would be very good, the degree of this quality was still beyond Lian Baiping's imagination. Eating this dish was no longer just about tasting the flavor, but also a feeling that transcended pure taste. It was so mysterious that it was difficult to explain, but it made people happy physically and mentally. He couldn't stop for a while, and he ate three big bowls without even bothering to say a few words to Ji Yuan.
Ji Yuan was in a similar situation. He originally wanted to chat with people at the dinner table, but he didn't expect these immortal masters to eat so ferociously. Their table manners were good and they looked gentle and elegant, not at all uncultured, but that elegance and steadiness did not affect the frequency of their use of chopsticks, forcing Ji Yuan to take them seriously.
"Gurgle..."
A heavy and peculiar sound appeared, and no one knew where it came from. It was like a sound that hit everyone's heart, causing everyone to stop eating their chopsticks. Only Ji Yuan continued to do his own thing, eating his rice with the fish.
"Uh, Mr. Ji, did you hear a strange noise just now?"
Qiu Feng asked carefully. This was in Ju'an Pavilion, and all the noise would definitely not escape Mr. Ji's ears, so it was impossible for Mr. Ji not to have heard it.
Sure enough, Ji Yuan nodded.
"I heard it, just continue eating, no need to pay attention."
Hearing this, Zao Niang immediately continued to eat the fish. She had 100% trust in Ji Yuan. Moreover, the fish made her feel warm in her stomach, which was obviously very beneficial.
Seeing Ji Yuan's attitude, the others did not dare to ask more questions and continued to eat.
Three large pots of fish cooked in different ways, along with a large bucket of rice, were all eaten up, without even a grain of rice left.
After a few polite words, Ji Yuan sent Qiu Feng, Pei Zheng and Lian Baiping away and asked them to go to Yuhuai Mountain to wait. Lian Baiping was originally prepared to shamelessly propose to stay in Ju'an Pavilion for a while, but Ji Yuan said in advance that Ju'an Pavilion was not convenient for keeping people for the time being, thus shutting Changxu Weng's mouth in advance.
After the guests had left, Zao Niang was still tidying up in the yard when a voice in Ji Yuan's sleeve could no longer be held back.
"Ji Yuan, why did you seal the scroll just now?"
When Zaoniang heard the voice, she glanced at Ji Yuan, but then continued what she was doing. Ji Yuan smiled and took out the Xiezhi scroll.
"The sound of you swallowing saliva was as loud as thunder, and it scared Ji's guests."
There was a brief silence on the scroll, and then the voice of Xiezhi was heard again.
"I didn't expect that you, Ji Yuan... would have such an amazing skill... This dish is... really good... Um, Ji Yuan, we have known each other for a long time, right?"
Ji Yuan counted on his fingers.
"It hasn't been that many years. I guess it's just a nap for you."
"That's wrong... Don't you, Mr. Ji, love playing around in the mortal world, watching the joys and sorrows of ordinary people, and understanding the true nature of the world by observing their birth, aging, illness and death? The time we have known each other is definitely not short in this mortal world!"
Ji Yuan grinned and said directly without saying anything more.
"There's still a whole piece of rice crust left. Sprinkle some salt on one part of it, and spread a little honey on the other part. Let's divide it. Do you want to eat it?"
"eat!"
Okay, it was indeed this desire for food. Ji Yuan felt more and more that the creature in the scroll was not a Xiezhi, but more like a Taotie.
Ji Yuan walked to the kitchen. The charcoal in the stove was still warm. After thinking for a while, Ji Yuan took out a few sweet potatoes of suitable size from his sleeve and threw them directly into the stove. He covered them with charcoal fire and wood ash with tongs, then came to the pot, felt the temperature in the pot, took a pinch of salt and scattered it, then reached out and hooked up a small ball of honey in the jar next to it, forming a thin film umbrella to cover the rice crust.
“Sizzle…”
Under the influence of the stove fire and the temperature of the iron pot, an enticing sizzling sound was heard for a moment, and then Ji Yuan simply pried up the entire pot-shaped rice crust with the spatula.
"Click..."
The rice crust was split into two, and the Xiezhi scroll was already floating beside the kitchen table, with a pair of painted eyes staring at Ji Yuan's hand.
"The one on the left is obviously bigger, Ji Yuan, you have to be fair!"
"Since Ji just had his meal, I'll give you the one on the left."
Ji Yuan did not tease Xiezhi, but directly threw the left half of the rice crust towards the Xiezhi scroll. An ink-colored Xiezhi claw stretched out to catch it, and then grabbed the rice crust back into the scroll.
“Crack…Crack…Crunch…Crunch…”
Soon, the crispy sounds of eating and chewing the rice crust could be heard in the kitchen.
"Sometimes, I really wonder whether you are a Xiezhi or a Taotie?"
"Of course it's Xiezhi! If you don't believe me, you can ask the officials of the Dazhen Censorate to swear an oath to me."
Ji Yuan's eyes lit up as he remembered something. He seemed to have seen the legend in his previous life that officials in charge of law worshipped the Xiezhi.
"Ji Yuan..."
"what happened again?"
"I'm done..."
“Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch…”
"Okay, I'm done too."