At first, the members of the Demon Revival Society were skeptical about Jiang Ke’er’s cooking skills.
After all, everyone had their own area of expertise.
Since Jiang Ke’er was skilled in combat and even talented at painting, she couldn’t possibly have much time or energy left to study the culinary arts.
They did their best to persuade Jiang Ke’er not to cook, insisting it was better left to the servants… until the fragrance of rice from the pot wafted through the entire courtyard.
This was just too fragrant! It was only rice—how could it possibly smell this rich and inviting?
They were used to the “no matter how hard you try, it always ends up as dark cuisine” trope.
There were plenty of people with that kind of setting, but this was the first time they’d seen someone like Jiang Ke’er—no matter what she casually whipped up, it always turned out delicious, defying all logic, and putting so-called dark cuisine to shame!
For a moment, the entire courtyard was transformed into a paradise.
The aroma of rice was pure and honest, yet it carried a simple, back-to-basics beauty that was impossible to resist on a physical level, making everyone’s mouths water.
Yan Liben had never experienced such a strong appetite upon waking up in the morning.
In the past, no matter how rare the delicacies before him, he could never muster any enthusiasm…
But now, he didn’t need anyone to urge him—he threw on his clothes in a flash, hurried out of his room, and wandered to the kitchen door, drawn by the scent, clutching the door frame and peeking inside, drooling uncontrollably.
“Qingyi Miss, is the rice ready yet?” Yan Liben’s stomach roared as he stared at the stove in agony, urging her on.
“The rice is ready.”
“Then can I have a bite first?” Yan Liben exclaimed in delight, rushing toward the pot.
“Pa!”
But Jiang Ke’er smacked his hand away with a rice ladle.
“Wait your turn. If you eat all the rice now, you’ll salt everyone else to death.”
“Just one bite!” Yan Liben pleaded pitifully.
“No chance.” Jiang Ke’er was as stern as ever, completely unmoved by Yan Liben’s pitiful look.
Luckily, Yan Liben didn’t have to suffer long.
Jiang Ke’er cooked at an astonishing speed, leaving even the Old Chef dumbfounded, repeatedly exclaiming how unscientific it all was.
It was as if time sped up in Jiang Ke’er’s hands.
The rich broth that normally needed to be simmered over high heat for ages was finished perfectly in just a few minutes—something that should have been impossible.
They saw with their own eyes: from preparing the ingredients, simmering the broth, to infusing the flavors, a famous dish like Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, which usually took days to complete, was perfectly made by Jiang Ke’er in mere minutes!
They must be hallucinating.
Jiang Ke’er personally brought the dishes and rice to the table, secretly sighing to herself—Breakfast with Buddha Jumps Over the Wall? If she’d had this kind of treatment in her past life, would she have ever struggled to get out of bed?
Qiao Xiaoxian was really getting a good deal.
“Wow!” Yan Liben cried out in excitement, throwing all decorum aside as he lunged for the table and began devouring the food.
Each person had their own clay pot filled with tender, slow-cooked delicacies from the mountains and seas, steeped in a rich, aromatic broth, with a side of rice as white as jade.
Actually, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was quite suitable as a breakfast dish—nutritious, low in oil and sugar, and the ingredients were soft and easy to digest, putting no strain on the stomach.
The only problem was that it was usually troublesome to make… But was that really the problem? The real problem was that it was too expensive to eat!
“Has the sun risen in the west?” Qiao Xiaoxian squinted, bringing her nose close to the food and cautiously sniffing.
It was an irresistible aroma, and it didn’t seem to be poisoned.
Jiang Ke’er sat beside Qiao Xiaoxian with a gentle smile, scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew it cool, and brought it to Qiao Xiaoxian’s lips, saying sweetly, “Da Lang~ time to take your medicine~”
“…”
Seeing Jiang Ke’er act so deliberately, Qiao Xiaoxian actually relaxed, finishing the soup in one gulp and savoring it with her eyes closed.
It really was amazing.
No exaggeration—Jiang Ke’er was a treasure from head to toe.
She was undoubtedly the Furnace of the year.
Even Changsun Qingyue, who was always composed and experienced, couldn’t maintain her poise in front of her little clay pot.
Her cheeks flushed with excitement as she ate, and in the end, she even carefully searched out every last grain of rice from her bowl.
Only after finishing the rice and emptying the pot did Changsun Qingyue gracefully wipe the corner of her mouth, glancing around to make sure no one had noticed her earlier loss of composure.
Seeing everyone else still engrossed in their food, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, she was the type who looked elegant but actually ate incredibly fast… Changsun Qingyue secretly rejoiced.
Feeling the changes in her cultivation and realizing that her foundation had not only remained untainted but had actually improved in quality, Changsun Qingyue was awestruck.
What kind of culinary skill was this, to reach such heights—to turn ordinary ingredients into something on par with Dan Medicine!
Even Dan Medicine couldn’t achieve this.
Medicine always has side effects, but this Qishan left no aftereffects at all… If there was any side effect, it was that after eating this, all other food would seem bland.
Truly incredible.
The next half hour was basically devoted to praise.
Everyone in the Demon Race sang the praises of Jiang Ke’er’s cooking.
Only Mu Guoguo ended up crying as she complimented her.
“If only Jiang Ke’er could have a taste too, wuuu…”
What a true friend—she even thought of Jiang Ke’er when eating something delicious.
Jiang Ke’er was deeply moved, and decided to give Mu Guoguo an extra chicken leg at lunch.
After a round of “Qingyi Miss is the best in the world,” everyone finally left the Yan Family, heading for the Mission Hall of the Ranger Guild.
Yan Liben stayed at home—he was too young to take on missions—so he was replaced by an old member Jiang Ke’er hadn’t met before, named Jie Shui.
It was a strange name, but certainly memorable.
Jiang Ke’er only needed to hear it once to remember it.
Jie Shui was already waiting for them at the entrance to the Ranger Guild.
He was a wolf-tribe man, with shoulder-length gray hair and a fierce scar across his glasses, giving him a rather aloof appearance at first glance.
But as soon as he spoke, the persona shattered.
“You’re here, sis!” Jie Shui grinned, hands tucked into his sleeves, beaming as he greeted Changsun Qingyue.
“These two are the new members? They’re both so pretty! I told Ah Huo and the others yesterday, but they didn’t believe me… Haha, this is awesome!”
Changsun Qingyue pressed her forehead in exasperation. “Be serious, don’t scare the newcomers.”
“Alright~” Jie Shui agreed verbally, but didn’t look serious at all.
He clasped his hands to Qiao Xiaoxian and Jiang Ke’er and introduced himself, “Let me introduce myself, I’m Jie Shui, third in my family. I have four brothers: Jie Jin, Jie Mu, Jie Huo, and Jie Tu…”
“…”
Could your parents have been any lazier?
Also, if they have a sixth child, what would they call him? Jie Feng, Jie Lei, or something?
“Oh right,” Jie Shui slapped his forehead, adding, “I also have a younger brother called ‘Jie Zha Ban Ma’.”
“…”
Your family wins.
Let’s have a moment of silence for your little brother.
And another for his future teachers… The dignity of the teaching profession will be ruined by your brother, for no good reason.
Imagine the psychological trauma when the teacher calls his name.