Soon, senior sisters wearing short qipaos entered, carrying trays. They respectfully placed each dish on the table, and with every serving, they said, “Please enjoy your meal.”
Mu Yanxi also understood why a single dish wasn’t that expensive. Demonic beasts were generally massive in size, often weighing several hundred jin, or even several tons, or dozens of tons.
However, making one dish only required one or two jin of meat, supplemented with other ingredients to form a complete dish. The cost in terms of spirit stones wasn’t that high.
But that didn’t mean these dishes weren’t worth dozens of spirit stones. Leaving aside the inherent value of the demonic beast meat itself, the Culinary Arts alone were exceptionally advanced.
When the dishes were placed on the table, the aroma filled the entire room, making one’s mouth water. Mu Yanxi directly felt a pang of hunger—she hadn’t eaten anything all day.
Lei Mulan rested her claws on the edge of the table, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the dazzling array of dishes.
She was practically drooling, ready to pounce and start gnawing, but Hai Lingxue pulled her back first. “We must propose a toast before we start eating!”
“You’re right. Then let’s hurry up and make the toast so we don’t delay the eating,” Shangguan Yun said, standing up and pouring drinks into the ritual bronze cups in front of everyone.
The ritual bronze cup was a ceremonial bronze vessel with two spouts like spreading wings and three legs at the bottom.
Shangguan Yun picked up the golden flagon and slowly poured the nectar along the outward-facing spout. Her every movement displayed the refined etiquette of a young lady from a noble family.
What was poured wasn’t wine, but a milky-white nectar that, as it flowed out, was threaded with countless golden filaments.
After the nectar was poured into the cup, the golden threads slowly swirled within, appearing quite magical.
Moreover, this nectar carried a unique fragrance. Upon smelling it, one felt refreshed and clear-headed, as if a single sip could make one feel blissfully light and happy.
“What is this? It smells so good, I really want to drink it!” Lei Mulan sniffed the air, looking eagerly at Shangguan Yun as she slowly poured for each person, seemingly wanting to snatch the golden flagon and pour for herself.
“This is moonflow nectar. As the name suggests, it’s a nectar condensed from collected essence of the moon.”
“Drinking it can enhance the Divine Soul and spiritual sense. You can have a bit more. Moonflow nectar has special benefits for demon cultivators,” Shangguan Yun said with a smile, speeding up her pouring.
But as soon as she poured a cup of moonflow nectar for Lei Mulan, Lei Mulan couldn’t resist and directly picked up the bronze cup, downing it in one gulp.
She didn’t even drink from the spout; instead, she raised the cup high and poured the nectar directly into her mouth.
“Mulan, that’s so rude,” Hai Lingxue couldn’t help but say. Everyone hadn’t even raised their cups for the toast yet, and she had already finished hers.
“It’s fine, let her drink. Demon cultivators find it hard to resist the allure of moonflow nectar. I knew about its benefits for demon cultivators, which is why I ordered a flagon of it,” Shangguan Yun said with a laugh, pouring another cup for Lei Mulan.
And it was indeed an allure.
Unless they encountered a great opportunity to awaken their intelligence, the usual method for spirits to become demons was to absorb the essence of the sun and moon daily, relying on slow, steady accumulation until they achieved enlightenment and became spirits.
This moonflow nectar was actually a highly concentrated essence of the moon, so its attraction for demon cultivators was naturally immense.
Lei Mulan drank three cups in a row before she could control herself. Shangguan Yun patiently poured the moonflow nectar for her three times.
Lei Mulan then realized her roommates at the table were all waiting for her. Embarrassed, she covered her cup and said, “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself for a moment. Now we can make the toast.”
Shangguan Yun returned to her seat, finally pouring the moonflow nectar for herself last. She raised her bronze cup and stood up, and the others followed suit.
Actually, Mu Yanxi hadn’t understood what “ganbei” meant earlier. While Shangguan Yun was pouring for Lei Mulan, she had checked the Dao web.
“Ganbei” was a drinking etiquette where both parties clink cups to show respect and blessings for each other. It could also be done with multiple people.
In Mu Yanxi’s previous life, when drinking, one only needed to hold the cup with both hands and offer a toast from a distance. She hadn’t expected this world to have an etiquette like clinking cups.
It was said that someone who could “ganbei” many times at a single banquet would earn the respect of the participants, making it easier to discuss many matters.
“Come, for our future camaraderie as fellow disciples, ganbei!” Shangguan Yun said, raising her cup.
The six women each picked up their bronze cups, clinking them together all around the table. Then they lifted their cups and drank them dry.
Mu Yanxi carefully remembered the banquet etiquette explained on the Dao web: do not let your cup be higher than the other person’s cup, as it would show disrespect.
If drinking with elders, one’s Master, superiors, and the like, one should actively hold their cup lower than the other’s to show respect. Additionally, after “ganbei,” one must drink the cup dry in one go.
Although the cup contained moonflow nectar, not star wine, Mu Yanxi still raised her cup and drank it all in one go.
Immediately, she felt a warm current rush straight into her abdomen, transforming into a vast energy that settled in her Elixir Field.
Mu Yanxi couldn’t naturally absorb the essence of the sun and moon like demon cultivators could. She could only wait for her Elixir Field to slowly digest it.
Looking at it this way, even if it wasn’t wine, finishing a whole cup of moonflow nectar in one go was a significant strain. No wonder people who could consecutively drink over a dozen cups at banquets were popular and respected.
At that moment, Mu Yanxi suddenly thought: the virgin fairy bathing method could absorb spiritual water and liquids. In a sense, moonflow nectar was also a liquid. Could it be absorbed by the virgin fairy bathing method?
Thinking it, she acted. Mu Yanxi activated the virgin fairy bathing method, and indeed, it could be absorbed. The moonflow nectar settled in her Elixir Field instantly merged into her limbs and bones.
Mu Yanxi immediately felt her Divine Soul rapidly strengthening. Besides that, her physical strength also increased considerably.
Shangguan Yun poured for everyone again, filling their cups. But this time, she didn’t stand up and pour for each person individually; the first time was just for a sense of ceremony.
This time, with a light wave of her hand, the golden flagon flew up and automatically filled everyone’s cup.
“Let’s eat! The quick get the food, the slow get nothing,” Shangguan Yun said with a smile, picking up her chopsticks and directly placing a large piece of demonic beast meat into her mouth.
Lei Mulan was even wilder. She directly reached out, grabbed a lamb chop, brought it to her mouth, and took big, hearty bites. In almost an instant, she had devoured an entire large lamb chop, leaving only the bone.
Mu Yanxi also restrainedly picked up a small piece of dry pot Kui. It was said this was a demonic beast with the bloodline of the ancient divine beast Kui. Strictly speaking, it was a type of beef.
Originally, Mu Yanxi thought the meat might be tough, but it melted in her mouth, tender and juicy, and incredibly delicious. In her previous life, Mu Yanxi had never eaten meat this tasty.
Even the higher-grade demonic beast meat she’d eaten at the Magnificent Truth Sect’s Feast wasn’t as delicious as this Kui meat.
Moreover, after the meat entered her mouth, it seemed to transform into faint threads of electric current, stimulating her Meridians and body. Under this electrical stimulation, the strength of her body and Meridians was slowly increasing.
Wasn’t this just too incredible?
Mu Yanxi quickly picked up several more pieces of Kui meat and put them in her mouth. That sensation of faint currents flowing throughout her body could be maintained, and her physical strength would automatically increase.
Just as Mu Yanxi was marveling at how this was indeed a demonic beast with a Divine Beast Bloodline, Shangguan Yun asked, “Why are you only eating the beef? Do you really like beef?”