Regret, it was just regret.
Aether stared blankly at the bowl of unknown soup in front of him, his expression a little dazed.
He had just thought it would be nice if Xiangling could find some ingredients to cook in Jueyun Karst?
He must have been confused.
Or rather, he had been misled by Xiangling's past performance.
He subconsciously assumed that since Xiangling's cooking was so delicious, even a meal made with random ingredients found in Jueyun Karst would definitely not taste bad.
Compared to eating the dry rations they carried, being able to set up a small tent, establish a simple camp, and eat a meal personally cooked by Xiangling, what a wonderful thing that would be!
But in reality, it was not like that at all.
The tent was indeed set up, the camp was indeed established, and Xiangling had all kinds of cooking utensils and tableware. Even if she didn't, she could make simple ones to use.
In the end, the problem actually lay with the dishes Xiangling cooked.
"Aether, how is it?" Xiangling looked at Aether with anticipation, waiting for his evaluation.
"I…" Aether almost choked, looking down at the small bowl of somewhat cloudy soup in his hand.
He felt that perhaps he had misjudged just now, or that his taste buds might have had some problem.
So, he took another sip.
"Pfft— *cough cough*…"
"Aether?! Are you, are you alright?!" Xiangling quickly came to his side and pulled out a tissue to wipe Aether's mouth.
"No, I'm fine… Um, Xiangling, can you tell me what this soup is made of?" Aether breathed slightly, his face a little pale.
Logically speaking, with Xiangling's skill, it was impossible for her to perform so poorly. It must have been the ingredients.
"Lizard tails, butterfly wings, Mint leaves, Slime condensate…" Xiangling listed out the raw ingredients of the thick soup one by one.
The more Aether listened, the more alarmed he became, his face growing even paler, and he even felt his stomach churning.
"Can, can these things really be eaten?" Aether put down the bowl of soup in his hand, completely abandoning any thought of drinking it again.
With these things combined, even a top chef like Xiangling couldn't possibly make it taste good.
"Of course they can be eaten! Many of these things are even medicinal ingredients, but… does it taste really bad?" Xiangling saw Aether's expression and mostly guessed that the soup didn't taste good.
"Did you, taste it?" Aether looked up and couldn't help but ask Xiangling.
"I did." Xiangling nodded.
"Then how did you feel?"
"I removed most of the original flavors of these things. After all, although these things can be used as medicine, the taste is really indescribable…" Xiangling looked down at the bowl of soup and slowly said.
"But I didn't completely remove them. I kept a small portion, trying my best to make this dish both medicinal and strangely appealing in terms of texture and taste."
Liyue's diners were very picky. Even traditional Liyue or Yue cuisine could no longer satisfy those discerning diners. The two large restaurants were both pursuing innovation.
And more common restaurants like Wanmin Restaurant also faced the test of these picky diners. Xiangling had seen many customers who sought strange flavors when dining.
Coincidentally, Xiangling hadn't explored this area much, so she had the idea of giving it a try.
"…" Xiangling's words directly silenced Aether, and the expression on his face couldn't even hold for a moment.
"Honestly, rather than saying it tastes bad, it's more like the texture is too strange." Aether shook his head, deciding to give Xiangling some serious, actionable advice.
If you were to say this bowl of soup was undrinkable… at least it wasn't the kind that was hard to swallow. In fact, if you didn't know the ingredients, you might not even find it particularly bad.
But combined with this texture, Aether felt it could even be described as disgusting.
Sticky, cold, and looking very cloudy, it challenged Aether's taste bud limits in every aspect.
"Is that so? It seems I should reduce the proportion of Slime condensate even more…" Xiangling stroked her chin, deep in thought.
"Xiangling, will eating these things have any side effects?" Aether felt inexplicably worried about his health and asked Xiangling.
With his physique, eating something unclean certainly wouldn't be fatal, but it was hard to say whether these things would make him uncomfortable for a while.
If possible, he still hoped to return safely.
"Side effects? Hmm… I don't think so?" Xiangling thought seriously for a moment, then shook her head at Aether.
She had long become immune to all poisons due to various taste tests, and in this regard, she really couldn't give Aether any advice.
She hadn't tried combining some of the ingredients in it before, so she didn't know if there would be any side effects.
"Don't worry, Aether, even if there's any problem, I can guarantee your safety."
"…"
-
"Master." The tall, white-haired Damselette blocked the path.
In front of her was an immortal crane whose size was too immense for human comprehension.
"What is it?" The giant immortal crane spoke in human tongue.
"Are we not cultivating today?" The white-haired Damselette's voice was clear and cold, filled with indifference, as if devoid of emotion.
"Today… This master has important matters. Let's talk when I return." The immortal crane shook its head, then flapped its wings and flew into the sky.
"Important matters?"
"You stay here and don't go out. I'll be back soon… If I don't return, you may study on your own first." After the immortal crane finished speaking, it flew towards the distant sky.
A mysterious guest had arrived in Jueyun Karst today. For safety's sake, she had to go and see for herself.
A few days ago, the True Monarch, the one who embodies the dust of the flowing market, had mentioned the Damselette, and she had silently memorized the Damselette's appearance then.
She had intended to make contact if she had time, but she hadn't expected the Damselette to come knocking today.
Regardless of the Damselette's purpose for coming to Jueyun Karst, she intended to observe her thoroughly.
To see how unique and how terrifying that person truly was.
If she truly posed no threat to Liyue, then it would be fine, but if others had misjudged, and the Damselette was a complete unstable factor…
Then she would have to make good preparations, at the very least, not let that Damselette act recklessly.
"…" The white-haired Damselette watched the immortal crane fly away, then slowly lowered her head.
"Why is there a strange palpitation in my heart?" Her brows furrowed slightly, and one hand involuntarily rested on her chest, which was quite human-like.
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