“Ah, no, I don’t eat beef, but this Kui Niu stew is just too delicious, and it even has the effect of strengthening the constitution.”
Mu Yanxi’s words came out a bit jumbled, mainly because she felt embarrassed about her lack of table manners as a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.
In her past life, she not only didn’t eat beef but had long since stopped consuming anything besides elixirs. She only indulged her appetite during sect feasts.
And those feast dishes from her past life—whether in flavor or effect—were far inferior to this stew.
After all, cultivators were focused solely on bitter cultivation; how many of them understood culinary arts? Mortal chefs couldn’t handle demonic beast meat either.
The most critical factor was the seasoning. In her past life, Mu Yanxi had never encountered spices of this level.
They perfectly complemented and highlighted the Kui Niu’s meaty aroma, optimized the texture, and even subtly amplified its effect on tempering the body.
Mu Yanxi couldn’t even analyze what these seasonings were made from. She only sensed that several different flavors blended together, and the raw materials for these spices were all top-tier spiritual herbs.
At home, her parents also used some seasonings for cooking.
Although the taste wasn’t as refined as this restaurant’s, and the culinary skill couldn’t match these professional culinary cultivators, it still far surpassed the so-called “delicacies” of her past life—nothing but roasted or boiled fare.
Now, Mu Yanxi felt that the dishes she ate in the Magnificent Truth Sect were akin to burning zithers and boiling cranes—an utter waste.
“Here, try this green-back bear paw.” Shangguan Yun picked up a small piece of bear paw, cut it with a knife, and placed a bone-in chunk into Mu Yanxi’s bowl, like a virtuous wife.
“Thank you.” Mu Yanxi took the bear paw and brought it to her mouth. The meat was completely stewed until tender and falling off the bone—rich but not greasy.
The hundred-year-old fragrant leaves, green beans, and other supplementary ingredients fully extracted the bear paw’s aroma to the extreme. Just as Shangguan Yun had said, its taste was in no way inferior to the Kui Niu stew.
Moreover, this dish also made Mu Yanxi feel her body slowly improving. Although the enhancement was very gradual and the effect quite faint, if she ate this regularly over time, the benefits would surely rival daily bitter cultivation—and without any conflict.
“How about another bowl of old duck soup? Drinking soup while eating meat cuts the grease, making the combination even more flavorful.” Shangguan Yun scooped up a bowl of medicinal sea-plucking duck soup and gently placed it before Mu Yanxi.
“Enough, enough, I can serve myself. Thank you.” Mu Yanxi quickly said. The aroma of the medicinal old duck soup made her mouth water, and Shangguan Yun’s gentle attitude made her feel overwhelmed.
“We’re double cultivation study partners, aren’t we? Isn’t it only natural for partners to take care of each other? Besides, the more you eat, the stronger your cultivation becomes, and the more benefits I get too.” Shangguan Yun spoke with perfect logic.
Mu Yanxi had no choice but to obediently take a sip, and then she couldn’t stop. The sea-plucking duck in this soup actually had a millennium of cultivation, and even the medicinal herbs used for the soup were thousand-year spiritual medicines.
Though only roots and leaves, the rich broth after simmering was truly exceptional. In the blink of an eye, Mu Yanxi finished one bowl and, still unsatisfied, ladled herself another.
“Everyone, don’t hold back. Eat as much as you can. Tomorrow is physical education class, so boosting your blood energy and constitution ahead of time will yield more results during physical cultivation.” Shangguan Yun also said to the others.
Actually, she didn’t need to say it—the others were already wolfing down their food. Especially Lei Mulan, who held a lamb chop in each hand, taking huge bites, even chewing the bones and swallowing them.
Among them, only Hai Lingxue hadn’t touched her chopsticks. She sat in her seat, staring at the array of delicacies on the table with longing in her eyes.
“Go ahead, eat. Don’t hold back. There are no outsiders here, and I mean no harm. I know you don’t need to eat, but you’re not unable to, and you actually want to, right?”
Shangguan Yun lowered her voice, speaking more softly than before—more like a true friend persuading now than the bold tone earlier.
“Lingxue, hurry up and eat, or there won’t be any left!” Lei Mulan also urged while gnawing on a lamb bone.
“I know.” Hai Lingxue sighed, finally dropping her airs, picking up her chopsticks, and joining the meal.
But she didn’t wolf it down. Her eating style was quite refined—taking small portions of each dish one at a time, savoring them slowly.
***
After every few dishes, she’d take a sip of duck soup or raise her glass to taste the moonflow nectar. Clearly, she was a true gourmand who knew how to enjoy herself.
This wasn’t a sign that an artifact spirit’s body didn’t need food.
Compared to Mu Yanxi, who had never eaten well before; Lei Mulan, who as a demon cultivator had a naturally huge appetite; and Bai Huang, who had little money and no chance to experience high-end banquets, Hai Lingxue had clearly eaten before—even at a level above this one.
So she could savor the food leisurely, maintaining good table manners.
She even picked up scissors to cut open a green dragon lobster claw, expertly used tools to peel the shell, and placed a large, intact piece of claw meat onto Lei Mulan’s plate. This was clearly not her first time handling a shell.
In terms of table manners, only Shangguan Yun could compare with Hai Lingxue. She too ate with great elegance, chewing slowly, and even while eating, she exuded an aesthetic appeal.
Anyway, once everyone started eating in earnest, they didn’t speak at first. Only after finishing about half the meal and feeling some fullness did they slow down and begin to chat.
The first topic was naturally today’s club activities—which clubs everyone had joined. Lei Mulan, who had just happily devoured lamb, was the first to speak:
“I’ve already joined the Track and Field Department!”
“The Track and Field Department is great—it’s the top choice for physical cultivation and also advantageous for demon cultivators. If you win prizes in sports competitions, it’ll add points to the future Gaokao,” Shangguan Yun praised.
“I joined the Model Play Club. Mo Xiu didn’t have many options either,” Bai Huang also said.
“Model play, huh? That’s going to cost a lot of spirit stones. You might have to take on more sect tasks in the future.”
“But fortunately, Lingyue High School has plenty of sect tasks, and Mo Xiu is strong in combat, so with some effort, you can still earn a decent amount of spirit stones,” Shangguan Yun commented.
“Yanxi, what about you? Which club did you join?” Bai Huang looked at Mu Yanxi. Lei Mulan also glanced over curiously—they’d parted ways in the sports area, so she had no idea which club Mu Yanxi had joined.
“The Wind Instrument Department,” Mu Yanxi said while eating. There was nothing to hide; it wasn’t shameful to admit.
“The Wind Instrument Department? So Yanxi can play an instrument? Why not give us a live performance?” Lei Mulan asked excitedly.
Mu Yanxi smiled. It was no different from her past life—during banquets, there was always music for entertainment. That was why she knew a bit about melodies.
“I don’t mind playing a tune, but unfortunately, I don’t have an instrument on me to perform for you,” Mu Yanxi hedged.
At that moment, Shangguan Yun’s eyes sparkled, and she revealed a smile: “I have instruments. Do you want a zheng, a zhu, or a se?”