Chapter 154: Cooking Personally

"Behave yourselves, all of you!" He Zuo said coldly.

Seeing this, the crowd looked at Bai Qingzhou and his two companions with eyes full of terror.

He Zuo’s display of such terrifying martial prowess immediately shocked the villagers into utter speechlessness.

Bai Qingzhou sighed softly, turning to the elderly man in the middle with a gentle voice, "Who might you be in this village?"

"Esteemed hero, I am the village chief..." the old man replied with a trembling voice.

"Very well!" Bai Qingzhou waved his hand and said slowly, "Then have three rooms prepared for us..."

"Yes, please follow me..." The trembling old man hurriedly turned around to lead the way.

He Zuo followed cheerfully.

The surrounding crowd immediately cleared a path, their faces all etched with expressions of fear.

After all, this teenager who looked to be only a little over ten years old had skin capable of withstanding a steel blade, and could even crush a steel saber directly into pieces. In their understanding, this was something completely impossible!

Bai Qingzhou and his companions slowly followed the old man away.

Looking at the departing backs of the three figures as they vanished around the street corner and entered the village chief's house, the crowd collectively breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"This... it seems they know martial arts..." a woman said in a daze.

"No!" said the middle-aged brawny man who had first initiated the attack and was now sitting paralyzed on the ground, terrified. "Jianghu martial artists could not possibly possess such strength. These are... immortals!"

"Ah! Immortals?!"

"Immortals truly exist in this world?!"

The middle-aged man's words immediately sparked a wave of exclamations in the courtyard.

The crowd began to chatter excitedly all at once.

"What shall we do then...?" asked the woman who had initially rushed out to protect her son, her voice tense.

"Do not fear!" The middle-aged man had already recovered his wits. He stood up and shouted to the crowd, "These immortals did not hold our rudeness against us; they must be from a righteous and prominent sect! They will certainly not harm us!"

The middle-aged man apparently held considerable prestige in the village. With just a few words, he managed to calm the crowd down. Upon hearing that these individuals were immortals, the expressions of fear on the villagers' faces slowly dissipated, replaced entirely by looks of intense curiosity.

......

"...will certainly not harm us!" The voice of the middle-aged man reached Bai Qingzhou's ears. Bai Qingzhou smiled faintly. He knew that the man had said those words deliberately for him to hear, pinning the label of a righteous and prominent sect upon them, which implicitly meant they could not casually harm mortals.

"A clever little scheme..." Bai Qingzhou chuckled inwardly, paying no mind to it on the surface as he slowly stepped into the courtyard.

"Three esteemed heroes, you can just make do for the night here. Is that... alright?" The old village chief's voice was trembling as he looked cautiously at the three of them.

Seeing the old man looking so terrified, Bai Qingzhou shook his head helplessly and said in a slightly milder tone, "You don't need to be afraid. We won't harm you. This courtyard will do."

"Alright..." The old village chief acknowledged, then turned and headed toward the various rooms.

Urging and scolding sounds from the old village chief immediately echoed from within the rooms.

Before long, seven or eight people slowly walked out the door—some elderly, some women, and some children.

All of them looked timidly at Bai Qingzhou and his companions.

"Hurry up! Move along!" the old man urged repeatedly.

Carrying fearful expressions, the crowd scrambled out of the courtyard in a panic, and even the old village chief departed in a rush.

Leaving Bai Qingzhou and the other two staring at one another in bemusement.

"Senior Brother..." He Li said with a helpless sigh, "Why do I feel like we look like a bunch of bandits..."

Bai Qingzhou let out a breath and replied resignedly, "It certainly looks a bit like it."

Both of them felt a sense of irony, save for He Zuo, who let out a happy laugh and walked straight into a room, cheering aloud, "No more sleeping in the wild!"

Looking at He Li, Bai Qingzhou sighed once more, "It seems we shouldn't be so high-profile when asking for lodging next time. It only frightens mortals and brings unnecessary trouble."

"Senior Brother is right!" He Li immediately agreed.

"Alright, let's grab a bite to eat and then rest." Bai Qingzhou walked toward the side courtyard.

He Li hurried to keep up, blinking her large eyes as she asked, "Senior Brother, are you planning to cook right now?"

"Yes, aren't you hungry?" Bai Qingzhou asked with a smile.

"Now that you mention it, I am indeed quite hungry..." He Li rubbed her belly and added, "Then I'll help Senior Brother!"

"Great!"

Walking into the kitchen in the side courtyard, Bai Qingzhou first took a quick glance around, then cast a Water Element spell to simply wash the pots, bowls, and ladles on the counter.

Bai Qingzhou rubbed his hands together, rolled up his sleeves, and said with a cheerful smile, "Today I'll make one of my signature dishes for you!"

"Yay! We get to eat sweet and sour Guo Bao Rou!" He Li appeared very excited.

Having wandered the mortal world for many years, Bai Qingzhou had long since mastered excellent culinary skills. Having set out for several days and cooked every single meal, he had completely won over both He Zuo and He Li within just a few meals.

Bai Qingzhou retrieved a piece of beast meat from his [Storage Bag], washed it, drained the water, sliced it thinly, added a dash of seasonings, and mixed it well before setting it aside to marinate.

Next, he took a bowl from the cabinet, added an ounce of flour and an ounce of starch, stirred them thoroughly, and then poured in an appropriate amount of water to mix it into a thick batter.

"Xiao Li, go wash the rice and get it cooking." Bai Qingzhou took out some spirit rice and handed it to He Li.

"Got it!" He Li took it excitedly.

Watching her run off to wash the rice, Bai Qingzhou smiled slightly, then placed all the marinated meat slices into the batter, mixing them thoroughly to ensure each slice was evenly coated.

"Hoo~"

Using a [Flame-Conjuring Spell], Bai Qingzhou ignited the firewood and began to heat the wok. After adding a little vegetable oil and waiting for it to warm up slightly, he slowly began dropping the meat slices into the wok one by one.

With a flick of his wrist and steady medium heat, he continuously stir-fried the meat so it heated evenly. Before long, the surfaces of the meat slices turned golden-brown. Bai Qingzhou immediately poured in the prepared sauce, simmering it down to thicken and glaze.

"Wow... it smells so good!" He Li, having finished setting down the rice cooker, twitched her nose and exclaimed in admiration.

"Then you can eat a bit more," Bai Qingzhou laughed.

"Okay!"

Shortly after, Bai Qingzhou skimmed off the excess oil and scooped out the meat, then quickly stir-fried a dish of green vegetables.

In the blink of an eye, two small dishes were freshly prepared.

When the spirit rice was also fully cooked, Bai Qingzhou instructed He Li, "Go call Xiao Zuo to eat."

"I'm going right now." He Li trotted toward the room.

Using his spiritual energy to make the dishes, bowls, and chopsticks float lightly through the air, Bai Qingzhou walked out of the kitchen to the table and chairs in the courtyard and gently set everything down.

Before long, He Zuo was dragged out of the room by his right ear by He Li, while he continued to beg for mercy.

"Why do you love sleeping so much? Hurry up and eat!" He Li scolded.

"I know, I know! Didn't I just get up? Let go of my ear already..." He Zuo's pleas echoed out.

"Hmph!" He Li dragged He Zuo all the way to the table before finally releasing his ear.

Catching the aroma of the delicious food, He Zuo's sleepiness vanished instantly, and he became spirited once more, shouting in surprise, "It's Guo Bao Rou!"

He immediately sat down, picked up the chopsticks on the table, and started eating.

Seeing this, He Li gave him a flick on the forehead. "Why are you in such a rush?! Senior Brother hasn't even eaten yet!"

He Zuo instantly looked pitiful, clutching his head as he muttered, "If I don't eat I get scolded, and if I eat I get hit..."

"Alright, alright, stop bickering and hurry up and eat..." Bai Qingzhou interrupted their quarrel with a smile.

"Exactly, exactly..." He Zuo muttered under his breath.

He Li gave a cold huff and then sat down.

The three of them began to enjoy their evening meal together in the small courtyard...