Duke Wen watched as Yu He personally ladled the soup, a hint of sentimentality crossing his face. He stood up, walked over to Yu He, and bowed slightly.
“The Lord Heavenly Chef has worked hard.”
Yu He waved a hand, his expression indifferent. “You are too polite, Duke Wen. This is my duty.”
As he spoke, he handed over a bowl of Longevity Flat Peach Soup. “This bowl is yours.”
Duke Wen accepted it with both hands, then asked for another bowl before turning to walk toward the disciples’ table.
Hong Ling was sitting at her seat, still holding the bamboo slip, her brow slightly furrowed. Her mind was clearly still buried in the official documents.
Tao Tuantuan, meanwhile, was slumped next to her, the back of her head facing everyone.
“Hong Ling, stop reading for a moment.” Duke Wen placed the bowl in front of Hong Ling. “Try this.”
Hong Ling looked up, glanced at her master, and then at the golden soup in the bowl.
She set down the bamboo slip and picked up the bowl. She didn't drink it immediately, but first observed it carefully.
The broth was as thick as honey, with a layer of pale golden oil floating on the surface. The flat peach flesh had been stewed until soft and tender, and the golden patterns on the peach were faintly visible in the liquid.
She stirred it gently with a spoon, feeling the ripples of spiritual rhythm contained within the broth. That surge of power was gentle and long-lasting, not the type that would clash with one’s meridians. It was an extremely exquisite recipe to consolidate the foundation and cultivate the origin, and the Wenchang noble qi of the flat peach had been refined by heart-fire, making it easy to absorb.
She took a small sip.
As the broth entered her mouth, a pure sweetness spread from the tip of her tongue, followed by layer upon layer of complex aromas.
Hong Ling closed her eyes, carefully sensing the changes within her body. A warm current of air rose from her stomach, climbing up along her meridians before finally merging into her sea of consciousness.
Then, she froze slightly.
It felt as if something in her sea of consciousness had been gently flicked.
Many things her master had taught her before—such as the nine-difference division method in the tax system, the poll-to-acre conversion in population statistics, or the Feng Shui and geomancy in city planning—though she had memorized them all, she always felt as if there were a layer of paper between her and a full understanding.
Now, that layer of paper seemed to have been pierced. Places she hadn't been able to grasp before suddenly became clear.
She opened her eyes, looked down at the remaining broth in the bowl, and scooped another spoonful into her mouth.
This time, the feeling of clarity was even more pronounced.
Combined with her Linglong Heart, she could even recall the specific numbers in an official document she had read three days ago. Every word was perfectly clear, as if carved into her brain.
“How is it?” Duke Wen asked from the side.
Hong Ling set down the bowl and said seriously, “Master, this flat peach soup is truly extraordinary.”
“I feel that my sea of consciousness has cleared up significantly. Some doubts I had accumulated in the past have suddenly been resolved.”
Duke Wen nodded with satisfaction. “That’s good, that’s good.” He turned to look in Chen Zhou’s direction, only to find that the Lord’s gaze was also fixed on Hong Ling.
Chen Zhou watched the changes in Hong Ling’s expression, and he had already made a judgment in his heart.
Although Hong Ling looked pleasantly surprised, there was no phenomenon of light like when Nie Chaoxi awakened during the New Year's Eve dinner, nor were there any signs of a Noble Destiny awakening.
Her change was more like an enhancement, optimizing her already excellent abilities further, rather than a qualitative change from nothing to something.
A pity.
Chen Zhou sighed slightly in his heart.
In fact, he had thought about it carefully before; Hong Ling was truly a perfect fit for the Wenchang destiny.
She had a Linglong Heart and was naturally gifted at summarizing, organizing, and drawing inferences. Her logic was clear and her methods orderly when handling administrative affairs; the entire operation of the City of the Wrongfully Dead relied on her coordination.
If she could be further bolstered by the Wenchang Noble destiny, her abilities would definitely reach a new level. Perhaps she could even touch upon some of the paths to authority beyond the ninth-stage in advance.
But destiny was not something that could be given just because someone was suitable.
Dingnai Hall had a special effect.
【Pao Ding Carving an Ox: If a master chef is present, they can decompose high-level bodies through cooking to extract bloodlines, destinies, and talents into inheritance dishes.】
【Consumers have a certain probability to inherit the trait (probability depends on quality and compatibility).】
The system prompt was very clear; the core factors were compatibility and probability. The higher the compatibility, the greater the probability, but it was ultimately not one hundred percent.
The compatibility between Hong Ling and Wenchang should not be low, but she happened to have a bit of bad luck and didn't trigger it.
However, Duke Wen clearly didn't think that way.
Seeing Hong Ling’s change, he was already overjoyed.
“Tuantuan, you have a bowl too.”
Tao Tuantuan opened one eye, glanced at the bowl in her master’s hand, then at the flat peach soup in the cauldron, and closed her eye again.
“Master, I don't want to drink it.”
“Drink.”
“I really don't want to.”
Duke Wen held the bowl, his tone becoming a bit heavier. “Are you going to drink it or not?”
Tao Tuantuan resignedly sat up, took the bowl, and looked down at the golden liquid within.
Her expression was complex—a mix of helplessness and a hint of distaste.
To put it bluntly, the things in this bowl were her corpse.
Using her corpse as an ingredient, adding eighty-four types of spiritual medicines, stewing it for sixteen hours, and then serving it to her to eat herself.
What kind of nonsense was this?
Tao Tuantuan held the bowl and couldn't help but speak up. “Master, I have a question.”
“Speak.”
“Does eating one's own corpse count as violating the ‘cannibalism’ clause in the laws of the City of the Wrongfully Dead?”
Duke Wen: “...”
“Just drink it when you're told to. Why all the nonsense?”
Tao Tuantuan: “...Fine.”
Tao Tuantuan took a deep breath, pinched her nose, and gulped down the entire bowl of flat peach soup in one go.
Then, she was stunned.
As the broth slid down her throat, a pure, sweet flavor exploded in her mouth.
The flat peach flesh had been stewed until it melted in her mouth, and the complex aromas of the spiritual medicines surged up in layers, each layer a different flavor.
It was delicious.
Truly delicious.
Tao Tuantuan couldn't help but lick her lips, feeling her sleepiness dissipate quite a bit.
Her sea of consciousness became exceptionally clear. In the past, whenever she thought about things, she always felt her brain was half a beat too slow; now, that half-beat was made up, and she was even thinking faster than usual.
But this was not good news.
She wouldn't have insomnia tonight, would she?
Please, no!
Tao Tuantuan set the bowl down and slumped back into her chair, closing her eyes to continue pretending to be dead.
But this time, she found she couldn't keep up the act. Her mind was too awake; she couldn't sleep at all.
Song Zi'an followed his master’s instructions and distributed the soup to everyone, until he walked up to the Ugly Hag.
“Ugly Hag, you have a bowl too.”
The Ugly Hag was serving food to Piao. Hearing this, she looked up and smiled while waving her hand. “I don’t think I need it. I’m just an old woman; drinking it would be a waste.”
“What are you saying?”
Hearing this, Duke Wen turned and said, “You teach at the Hall of Talent Cultivation, and the children all love you. You’re much better than us officials who only know how to play with words and harm the nation with empty talk.”
“You are more than worthy of a bowl of peach soup.”
The Ugly Hag couldn't refuse, so she had to take the bowl and sip it slowly.
Chen Zhou’s gaze fell on the Ugly Hag, and a sliver of anticipation rose in his heart.
Although the Ugly Hag claimed she had only read a few books when she was young, her knowledge was definitely not something that could be summarized by just a few books.
When this old woman spoke, she could quote classics and cite historical allusions with ease, and she had a thorough understanding of folk customs.
While teaching at the Hall of Talent Cultivation, she could simultaneously teach literacy, arithmetic, history, and geography. Moreover, she taught every subject in a simple and easy-to-understand manner, and the children listened with great interest.
This kind of scholarly foundation would have made her at least a university professor in his previous life.
Furthermore, the Ugly Hag was Piao’s family, and Piao’s luck had always been good. With the Heavenly Noble Jiu'er sitting right next to her, perhaps a miracle would occur under the accumulation of fortune.
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