Chapter 18

On the way back, Second Brother explained to Jiang Xingchen that Mo Hongxian had asked him to come early tomorrow to deal with the demon beast, the Snow Pheasant.

Jiang Xingchen was somewhat surprised upon hearing this. The Zijing Mercenary Group had a chef, so why did they need him? Could it be... driven by curiosity about the demon beast, he asked, "Second Brother, does the meat of the demon beast have a fishy smell?"

"Meat always has a fishy smell, but that's not the main issue! The important thing is that the meat of the demon beast contains refined essence, which is highly beneficial to the body. However, during the cooking process, if the heating time is too long, the essence will dissipate, and it requires a very precise control of the heat... that's why the boss asked me to find you!"

"Essence!" Jiang Xingchen's heart stirred, immediately thinking of the misty leaves that had developed the sensitivity array, and he couldn't help but feel a bit excited.

But after some thought, Jiang Xingchen frankly said, "I'm not a great chef; how can I control the heat so precisely? Captain Mo will probably be disappointed!" He wasn't confident in his heat control; he had just roasted the swordback pig, and if he messed up this time, it wouldn't just be embarrassing.

"Come on, Brother Jiangling, don't be modest! We've all tasted your grilled meat, which is perfectly cooked and tender. Who else would we ask? In our Zijing Mercenary Group, you are the top chef in Hongyuan City!"

"Uh!" Even with Jiang Xingchen's mental fortitude, his cheeks flushed at Second Brother's flattery.

"Alright then! I'll go tomorrow, but I can't guarantee anything. If I mess it up, Second Brother can't blame me!" Seeing no way to avoid it, Jiang Xingchen had to agree.

"Hehe! Of course, I won't blame you. The Zijing Mercenary Group isn't run by me! Everything is decided by the boss, and her temper... you know!" Second Brother chuckled softly.

Jiang Xingchen's lips twitched, and his body tensed. He was genuinely afraid of the violent woman who would hit people without hesitation.

Seeing Jiang Xingchen's expression, the frustration from being kicked in the groin by Second Brother finally dissipated. His smug look quickly vanished.

After a moment of silence, Second Brother, feeling much better, suddenly remembered testing Jiang Xingchen's martial arts skills and asked, "Jiangling, what level of cultivation do you have now? From your agility just now, you must be at least at the seventh level of Body Strengthening, right?"

Jiang Xingchen shook his head and said, "Seventh level of Body Strengthening? I don't even know martial arts! I took fake medicine before, and my cultivation was completely ruined!"

"Ah?" Second Brother looked at Jiang Xingchen in shock, finding it hard to believe. He knew about the fake medicine; they had investigated everything about Jiangling last night. But to say his cultivation was ruined, he didn't believe it at all. The fight just now was the best proof.

"I know you don't believe me! Tomorrow, I'll go to the noble management department to activate my essence spring. You can come with me, and then you'll see. I really don't know martial arts!" Jiang Xingchen explained.

"What?" Second Brother's disbelief grew even more: "You mean, you activated your essence spring?"

"Yes!" Jiang Xingchen said, and a ripple suddenly appeared around his head. "I don't know why, but after taking the fake medicine and losing my cultivation, I activated my essence spring!"

"It... it's true!" Second Brother stared at Jiang Xingchen, his lips trembling for a while before he suddenly let out a wail: "How unfair is the world? Someone without cultivation can activate their essence spring, while I, at the ninth level of Body Strengthening, can't break through and can only rely on my family's support... It's fine, it's fine! I'm just feeling a bit emotional!"

Halfway through his wailing, he saw Meier quickly run to Jiang Xingchen's side, staring at him warily. He immediately composed himself, clamped his legs together, bent slightly, and smiled, waving his hands.

Sun Sanqiang, who was walking in front, turned around and, seeing this, couldn't help but laugh.

Jiang Xingchen also tried to suppress his laughter and explained, "I was able to tangle with Second Brother just now, probably because my body is naturally agile..."

Second Brother didn't know if he believed Jiang Xingchen, but he didn't ask about it again on the way back, always glancing cautiously at Meier.

They finally returned home. Sun Sanqiang had the thugs put away the things and sent them away. Jiang Xingchen invited the two into the house, prepared hot water, and then took Meier into the kitchen.

Scooping water, lighting the fire, and kneading the dough... the little girl helped on the side, curiously watching her brother handle the ingredients.

"Brother, what are you doing? Making baked flour pancakes?" Meier asked.

"You'll see in a moment! Pass me the oil..." After spreading the dough, Jiang Xingchen took out a round wooden stick, as there were no rolling pins in this world.

Stretching the dough, brushing oil, rolling it up, and cutting it into evenly sized pieces, he used the wooden stick to flatten the pieces into round pancakes, then sprinkled a layer of flour and pressed them into the hot iron pan.

Before long, the aroma of the dough wafted out, and Meier couldn't help but lick her lips.

The first large pancake was ready, and Jiang Xingchen tore off a small piece, and a burst of hot steam immediately escaped from the tear.

"Meier, try it!" Jiang Xingchen blew on the pancake and handed it to the little girl.

"Thank you, brother!" Meier took it, took a small bite, chewed a couple of times, and her eyes widened. She then ate the rest in one bite, nodding at Jiang Xingchen and making a "mhm" sound.

"Ha ha!" Jiang Xingchen laughed and turned back to continue making pancakes...

In the bedroom, Sun Sanqiang and Second Brother sat facing each other, occasionally sipping hot water.

After a moment of contemplation, Second Brother said to Sun Sanqiang, "Little San, what's your real purpose in getting close to Jiangling?"

At this moment, Second Brother looked serious, exuding a powerful aura, completely different from before.

Sun Sanqiang felt the pressure increase, his heart racing, and his breathing becoming labored. He hurriedly said, "Second Brother, I genuinely want to be friends with Jiangling! Of course, I have my own interests. I saw him casually take out two secret formulas, so he must have more. I thought he might let something slip, and I could benefit from it!"

"Hmm!" The pressure from Second Brother slightly decreased, but his face remained serious. "It's best if you think this way! But I must warn you, don't involve him in your siblings' conflicts..."

After a brief pause, Second Brother asked, "Do you know why our boss values him so much?"

Sun Sanqiang blinked and slowly shook his head.

"Because he cured Miss Wanrou's body!" Second Brother revealed.

"Ah! Miss Wanrou, you mean..." Sun Sanqiang's face showed shock.

"That's right. If anything happens to Jiangling, all the underground forces of the Sun family will be uprooted! You know, the Marquis only has this one daughter!"

Sun Sanqiang's forehead was already sweating, and he nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, I understand. I won't involve Young Master Jiang..."

At this moment, a rich meaty aroma wafted into the room, and Second Brother's serious expression instantly vanished. He sniffed hard, his eyes gleaming.

Sun Sanqiang breathed a sigh of relief and was also drawn by the aroma, unable to resist swallowing his saliva.

"Creak!" The door opened, and Meier entered with a stack of pancakes, placed them on the table, and then left.

"What is this?" The two looked at each other, staring at the pancakes for a while before Second Brother's eyes lit up.

"It's a new food that Jiangling made. It must be delicious!" He said, reaching for a pancake.

Sun Sanqiang didn't move, but a smile appeared on his face. Jiang Xingchen had made new food without hiding it from him, which clearly meant he didn't consider him an outsider.

Sun Sanqiang's eyes brightened, and his expectations grew even more. With Jiang Xingchen's help, he would definitely stand out among his siblings!

"Hot, hot! Mmm, delicious!" Second Brother's voice brought Sun Sanqiang back to reality. He looked up to see Second Brother stuffing a pancake into his mouth, blowing out the heat, and chewing, mumbling indistinctly.

Sun Sanqiang's mouth watered, and his hunger increased. All his thoughts were driven away by the delicious smell, and he also reached for a pancake.

Just then, Meier entered again, this time carrying a jar, which she placed on the table.

She gently lifted the lid, and a rich meaty aroma wafted out.

Both stopped their actions and looked at Meier.

Meier took a pancake, picked up a piece of meat from the jar, placed it on the pancake, and rolled it up...

"So that's how you eat it!" Seeing Meier bite into the pancake with the meat, Sun Sanqiang immediately followed suit. Second Brother, on the other hand, stared at the half-eaten pancake in his hand, feeling like a fool...

Half a month later, amidst Jiang Xingchen's curses, Second Brother reminded him to come early tomorrow and then left with Sun Sanqiang, their bellies full, waddling out of the gate.

"Eaters, both of them are eaters!" After they left, Jiang Xingchen cursed. Eight large pancakes and seven pounds of swordback pork, he hadn't eaten much, and almost all of it had gone into the bellies of these two eaters. Second Brother was strong and could eat a lot, but Sun Sanqiang was thin and frail, where did he get such a big stomach?

"Brother, here!" While cursing, a pancake with a few pieces of meat was handed to him.

"You're the best, sister, you care about me!" Jiang Xingchen, moved, took the pancake and bit into it.

"Huh? Why is it raw inside... Ah! Meier!"

"Brother, don't be angry. I was just trying it out and didn't realize it wasn't cooked..." The little girl explained and ran into the bedroom...

As night deepened, after washing up, Jiang Xingchen lay in bed early, tucking Meier in, and closed his eyes to observe the sensitivity array again, feeling very pleased.

He didn't know its other uses yet, but being able to dodge attacks made him very satisfied. The array had only developed to his neck, and he could already hold his own against the second-in-command of the Zijing Mercenary Group. If it developed further... it would be a means of self-preservation.

Moreover, since the array and cultivation conflicted, he was certain this wasn't the true purpose of the sensitivity array. He still hadn't figured out its true function.

After studying for a while, Jiang Xingchen started thinking about the appraisal tomorrow and then pondered how to deal with the demon beast. Unconsciously, he fell asleep.