The Rock Scale Lizard was covered in thick, gray-brown scales, with dark red light glowing from the ridges along its back. Its tail was as thick as a stone pillar.
Yelena scanned the area around the Rock Scale Lizard with her Chef God’s Five Senses.
[A large number of companion plants, Groundfire Lingzhi, detected on the surrounding rock walls. Quality: Upper Grade.]
Yelena looked closely at the crevices in the rock wall, and sure enough, a dense patch of those fiery red mushrooms was growing there, emitting a faint orange glow.
Good grief, so many of them. Her Chef’s Soul ignited on the spot; she wished she could rush over and pick them right now.
“Fight first, then pick.”
Yiweite saw through her little scheme.
“Once I take down the big lizard, you can go.”
“Wait!”
Yelena stopped her, pulling a Buff Talisman from her leather pouch.
“Let me give you a buff first.”
She channeled her mana and stuck the Buff Talisman onto Yiweite’s back. The talisman lit up, then dissolved into specks of light that merged into Yiweite’s body. Following that, Yelena formed hand seals, and the spell circle of Fox Blessing enveloped Yiweite entirely.
“It’s boosted now. Should be much more effective than last time.”
Yiweite rolled her shoulders, feeling a noticeable increase in her strength.
“Not bad.”
She gripped her longsword, and with a flash, she vanished.
The Rock Scale Lizard was still dozing, but its battle instincts made it abruptly open its eyes when Yiweite stepped within ten meters. Its massive tail swept toward her!
Yiweite lowered her stance, holding the longsword diagonally to block. The tail slammed onto the blade’s spine, numbing her hand and sending her flying two meters away. But Yiweite wasn’t just trying to take the hit head-on. While blocking the tail, she used the force to roll sideways, sliding along the lizard’s body to its flank.
Eat my slide!
She flipped the longsword and thrust it into the soft armor of the abdomen. The Rock Scale Lizard let out a piercing roar, its body writhing violently. The spines on its back suddenly turned red, and searing heat burst from its body, distorting the air around it. Yiweite withdrew her blade and retreated just in time, her gloves smoking from the heat.
“This thing’s skill raises its temperature!”
Yelena, at the rear, was already prepared. Seizing the opening, she quickly pulled out an Explosive Talisman from her pocket.
“Take this blast!”
The talisman flew from her hand and hit the Rock Scale Lizard square on the back. A dark red explosive flash, debris flying, and a cloud of dust rose. But when the dust cleared, Yelena’s face fell in disappointment… Only a few old scales were knocked off the thick armor on the lizard’s back, revealing the hard gray shell underneath.
“It’s way too tough! Is it part tortoise?!”
No, she needed to adjust her strategy. She gathered two balls of Fox Fire in her palms, held her breath, and aimed at the lizard’s head.
“Go!”
The two Fox Fire spheres shot out and splattered straight onto the Rock Scale Lizard’s eyes. Blue-green Fox Fire had low damage, but a direct face hit as a weak point attack was quite effective. The Rock Scale Lizard, blinded by the Fox Fire, shook its head wildly, losing all rhythm.
“Anna!”
At Yiweite’s command, Anna charged in from the flank, and with a clean strike of her Sleeve Sword, she severed the tendons in the lizard’s back leg. The massive beast crashed down.
Yiweite didn’t give it a chance to turn over. She imbued her longsword with Inextinguishable Flame and drove it straight through the soft armor on its neck. The Rock Scale Lizard let out a painful howl, convulsed a few times, and then went completely still.
However, Yelena’s attention wasn’t there. She was staring at her own hands with shining eyes. Her Fox Fire had actually been useful. The damage was about as strong as a tickle, but the control at a critical moment had directly created an opportunity for the team.
[Ding, battle contribution recorded. Host proficiency increased. Phantom Eye proficiency +10, Fox Fire proficiency +12.]
“Hehehe…”
Yelena’s lips curled up, and she hopped over to the rock wall, starting to frantically harvest the Groundfire Lingzhi. These fiery red mushrooms felt warm to the touch and gave off a spicy medicinal scent.
[Chef God’s Five Senses has determined: Groundfire Lingzhi, high-grade medicinal cuisine ingredient, rich in concentrated Groundfire Essence and Life Source. Marked as Rare High-Grade Life.]
Rare! Yelena’s eyes sparkled, and her hands moved faster. She picked more than twenty plants in one go, stuffing them all into her Space Ring.
“That’s enough, that’s enough. If you pick any more, it’ll go bald. Leave some seeds for the future.”
Yiweite called from behind.
“But…”
“Little dummy, don’t you know the principle of not digging up all the bamboo shoots?”
That was true. You shouldn’t fish with a net that drains the pond. So Yelena reluctantly stopped.
…
Evening camp was set up. Yelena brought out her entire kitchen set from the Space Ring, making a big show. Magic stove, stew pot, cutting board, and the Silkie Chicken she had prepared earlier. She patiently washed the Groundfire Lingzhi, sliced them into thin pieces, put them in the stew pot, and simmered them gently with the Silkie Chicken. The steam rising from the pot carried a spicy fragrance that made the whole body feel warm just by smelling it.
While stewing, Yelena added goji berries, red dates, and a small amount of Silver Salt.
Next was the final step. She closed her eyes and pulled out a stored emotion from her Emotion Menu. This time, she chose satisfaction. It was from that day at the stall, when one of the diners let out a satisfied sigh after finishing a bowl of scallion oil noodles. Mana turned into silk threads and merged into the ingredients. Gradually, the stew pot emitted a faint golden glow.
[Groundfire Lingzhi and Silkie Chicken Soup, complete.]
[Rare·Intermediate Life High-Grade Breakthrough. Additional effects: Greatly increases consumer’s mana cap, strengthens physical meridians, heals hidden injuries.]
“Time to eat!”
The little chef called out to the two. Yiweite, who had been napping with a book on her face, was startled awake.
“Ah! Finally eating?”
“Sorry to keep you waiting~ Groundfire Lingzhi takes time to cook. Come and try it!”
Three bowls of soup were served. The soup was clear gold, with a layer of lingzhi slices at the bottom, and the chicken had been stewed until it fell off the bone.
Yiweite took the first sip, and her hand paused. The mana she had just recently broken through began to stir again, and the fire-type Magic Elements in her meridians accelerated, as if something was driving them forward.
Anna finished half a bowl, and her hand holding the spoon trembled. She felt her reaction speed improve, and her fingers became noticeably more agile.
Yelena picked up her own bowl, blew on the hot steam, and took a large gulp. The warm soup slid down her throat, and a heat then gathered and burst forth from within her body. It was the feeling of her mana pool expanding. Previously, she could barely maintain two Fox Fire balls at once, but now she felt she could control at least four simultaneously. The Chef God’s Five Senses in her Sea of Consciousness lit up, suddenly linking with her Curse Mage cultivation.
[Ding, host mana cap increased by 25%, far exceeding the other two team members’ increase amplitude. System determination: The lower the base value, the more significant the boost from rare cuisine.]
25%! Yelena’s hand jerked, almost dropping the bowl. She glanced at Yiweite and Anna, who were flexing their wrists. Their improvements were noticeable, but clearly not as exaggerated as hers. She herself had directly increased her mana by a quarter…
She quickly set down the bowl and tried to gather Fox Fire. Instantly, four Fox Fire balls appeared in her left hand, right hand, and above her head. Four blue-green Fox Fire spheres hovered steadily, and her control had improved.
“Four!”
Yelena was so happy she almost jumped, and the four Fox Fire balls bobbed joyfully along with her emotions.
Yiweite put down her empty bowl and licked her lips.
“Any more?”
“You’ve already had two bowls! Leave some for my training tomorrow!”
Yelena hugged the stew pot protectively, and the four Fox Fire balls automatically lined up in a row between her and Yiweite.
Watching this, Anna chuckled and said, “Is Lady Yelena’s fighting style to protect her food with Fox Fire?”
“No way! This is called… tactical defense! And… and it’s also training!”
Yiweite stood up with a laugh and stretched her muscles. She could feel that the fire-type Magic Elements in her body had become purer. The next time she used Inextinguishable Flame, the consumption should be a bit lower.
She walked over to Yelena and leaned down.
“Squad Leader, you may not be great at fighting, but you sure know how to refill mana.”
“Who says I can’t fight? Just you wait! I’ll practice Phantom Eye more now, and I’ll hit you with something big next battle!”
As Yelena said this, she put the stew pot into her Space Ring and picked up the Thunderstruck Wood Brush to continue drawing talismans.
Yiweite stopped her hand.
“Practice tomorrow. You’ve already used up enough mana today.”
“But I…”
“Be good.”
Yelena reluctantly put down the brush, then sneakily pulled out a Groundfire Lingzhi from her Space Ring and, taking advantage of Yiweite’s distraction, stuffed it into her mouth and chewed a couple of times.
So spicy!
It was so spicy that tears streamed down her face, but another wave of mana surged through her body.
“What did you just sneakily eat?”
“Nothing! Nothing at all! Ah-choo!”
Yelena covered her mouth and ran into the tent, with the four Fox Fire balls wobbling after her and disappearing inside.
Yiweite watched the blue-green light filtering through the tent and shook her head.
Anna walked up beside her and spoke softly, “Family Head, Lady Yelena’s growth rate is much faster than anticipated.”
“Mm.”
Yiweite put away her longsword and looked toward the southern horizon… That direction was the Demon Territory.
“She might really need to be faster.”
Suddenly, a muffled thud came from inside the tent, followed by Yelena’s miserable wail.
“My talisman paper exploded again! Who mixed that half-finished Explosive Talisman under my pillow?!”
“You put it there yourself, Lady Yelena.”
Anna’s voice was calm.
Yiweite strode over to the tent and lifted the flap, greeted by the smell of burnt soot and a little fox girl covered in black ash. The tips of her nine tails were still smoking.
“…I think my biggest enemy right now is not the Demon Race.”
Yiweite gave a look that said “what an idiot” to the little fox girl who was wrecking the place.
“Shut up! Help me put it out! My tails are on fire! My tails are on fire!”