After seeing Nanshan Lü off, Mo Xiaoxing returned to her room.
Outside the door, three guards and two maids were already kneeling; these were the attendants Qin Yu had brought with her when she joined the sect. Seeing them, Mo Xiaoxing couldn’t help but sigh. Although Qin Yu had done many wicked things, she was purely a product of being spoiled; she truly had no concept of good and evil. Now that she was gone, it could be considered a reckoning. However, Qin Yu’s parents, who had hoped their daughter would become a phoenix, were still unaware, and one could only imagine how heartbroken they would be when they found out.
“Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress has sent a letter,” one of the maids said, presenting a scroll.
Mo Xiaoxing opened it and read; it was nothing more than the Empress missing her daughter and asking how her cultivation was progressing at the sect. Although Qin Yu was lazy and ignorant, she would always boast in her letters to her parents about how she had mastered some powerful technique… Sigh, she wasn’t even afraid of being exposed! Mo Xiaoxing couldn’t bring herself to brag, so she simply replied that she had advanced to the fourth layer of the Qi Refining stage.
“You all, build a kitchen on the east side of the small building, and ensure all the necessary cookware is prepared,” Mo Xiaoxing commanded. She gave them spirit stones for the procurement; they were certainly more efficient at handling these matters than she was.
The guards and maids were puzzled, assuming this was just another of the Princess’s fleeting whims. They were used to such things—perhaps she would have them tear it down as soon as it was built? Still, they followed her orders, and the job was finished in just two days.
Mo Xiaoxing toured the kitchen and absolutely loved it. Anyone who loves cooking naturally loves a kitchen. The kitchen in her old rental apartment was so small only one person could stand in it; this one was so spacious she could do cartwheels inside. How could she not love it?
“Today, I’ll try making Hundred-Fruit Porridge.”
Hundred-Fruit Porridge was also a recipe from the pill manuals; it replenished spiritual energy and relieved summer heat. She had just started boiling water in the pot when she heard a maid shriek.
“The black egg ran away! Quick, catch it!”
Mo Xiaoxing looked over and saw the black egg indeed running wild, jumping a meter high and bouncing across the courtyard with a rhythmic “Duang-Duang” sound. The three guards and two maids were in a frantic mess, completely unable to catch it.
Mo Xiaoxing stood at the kitchen entrance with a ladle in hand, hands on her hips, and shouted, “You naughty egg! Stop running around! I’m boiling water, not eating you!”
The black egg bounced over and hopped in front of Mo Xiaoxing, looking as if it were questioning her.
Mo Xiaoxing: “I’m going to cook these fruits. You’re so young, yet so suspicious. Where is the basic trust between a human and an egg? You really are a bad egg!”
She tapped the black egg with her long-handled ladle—clang! The egg spun around and zoomed away into the corner. It settled firmly in the corner, looking as if it were sulking. It was just unfortunate that it had no mouth to defend itself against being called a “black egg,” a “naughty egg,” or a “bad egg”…
“Your Highness, shall we do it instead?” the two maids asked, terrified. They had tried to take over several times, anxious about what had provoked the Princess into cooking for herself.
“Go, go, you can’t do it. Don’t underestimate my porridge.”
Unable to intervene, the maids could only hover around and watch from the outside, not daring to leave. What astonished them was how quickly the Princess moved; her cleaver danced with such speed it left afterimages! She used various fruits, keeping some whole, only using the skins of others, the seeds of some, and the kernels of others. It was baffling to them, but it was naturally all because of the different medicinal properties.
Mo Xiaoxing tried to crack a fruit pit with a stone, but it wouldn’t open. A guard tried chopping it once with his sword, but that failed too. Just as he was about to swing a second time, a black shadow darted out.
Clang!
The black egg hopped out and effortlessly split the fruit pit open. The guard stood there holding his sword, completely bewildered. The black egg bounced in front of Mo Xiaoxing as if asking for praise. A mere fruit pit was no challenge at all.
Mo Xiaoxing was also pleasantly surprised. “Wow, you’re actually this capable!”
The black egg bounced even higher, appearing overjoyed.
Mo Xiaoxing: “I’ve never seen such an amazing egg. From now on, you shall be called ‘Iron Egg’!”
Iron Egg.
Mo Xiaoxing reached out, wanting to give Iron Egg a hug, but the egg hovered in the air for a second—whoosh! It flew back to the corner.
Mo Xiaoxing picked up the fruit kernels and put them into the pot.
“Pfft… Your Highness, Iron Egg doesn’t seem to like that name,” one of the maids giggled, though she quickly hushed herself after a nudge from the other. “This servant just thought the name the Princess chose was excellent…”
Mo Xiaoxing glanced at the maids, noticing their caution and fear, but said nothing. She wasn’t going to try to be Qin Yu; she was Mo Xiaoxing, and they would get used to her in time.
“Iron Egg is still a baby, and it lost its parents before it was even born. They say that giving a ‘earthy’ name makes a child easier to raise. Of course, I hope Iron Egg will be blessed in the future.”
In the corner, Iron Egg silently spun in a circle. However, since it looked the same from every side, it was impossible to tell its front from its back.
Once the Hundred-Fruit Porridge was finished, it was placed in a jar, chilled in an ice bucket for a while, and finally served in bowls.
“You all should try some too!” Mo Xiaoxing said to the guards and maids.
“This servant wouldn’t dare.”
Mo Xiaoxing: “I said drink it. Do you think I can finish a whole jar by myself?”
As she said this, Mo Xiaoxing remembered the White Peacock. She had a normal appetite, but the White Peacock’s stomach was a bottomless pit! Even a full pot, the White Peacock could finish with incredible elegance.
This was the second time she had missed him on the third day of his absence!
The guards and maids finally stepped forward to take their bowls, though they would never dream of sitting at the same table as the Princess. The moment they smelled the aroma, they began to salivate. After one sip, the five of them looked at each other in astonishment; spiritual energy instantly melted into their internal organs and was absorbed by their bodies.
“Your Highness, how is this porridge even more effective than a spirit-replenishing pill?”
Mo Xiaoxing: “Really?”
“Yes, truly!”
Mo Xiaoxing hadn’t really noticed. Although she had made many soups and porridges, her only taste-tester had been the White Peacock. Since the White Peacock had a profound cultivation level, such a small amount of spiritual energy was likely insignificant to him; he simply enjoyed the taste of the food.
Only after hearing the guards and maids did Mo Xiaoxing realize the level of her cooking—this was medicinal cuisine!
It was clear that while there were so many spirit plants and herbs in this world, mortals only ate grains, and cultivators shunned grains entirely, using only Bigu pills (fasting pills). But Mo Xiaoxing couldn’t live without eating! Wouldn’t it be better to have the best of both worlds?
After finishing their bowls, the guards and maids wanted to lick the bottoms of them… the taste was delicious, and the spiritual energy was so dense they didn’t want to waste a drop.
Mo Xiaoxing: “You can go get more.”
The guards and maids naturally rushed to do so.
A bowl remained on the table. Mo Xiaoxing finally looked toward the corner. “Iron Egg, come here! This bowl is yours!”
Iron Egg spun in place, appearing frantically conflicted. Finally, with a whoosh, it darted over. It bumped against the bowl on the table, but it couldn’t drink from it. Mo Xiaoxing found the sight hilarious.
Iron Egg suspected that Mo Xiaoxing was bullying it. Mo Xiaoxing, however, patted Iron Egg and said: “It’s alright. You’ll be able to drink it once you hatch. So, keep your spirits up and come out soon! I want to know what kind of creature you are.”