Chapter 8: An Untradeable Feast, Not Even For Elixir!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Li Nianfan was sitting at the inner court with Blackie laying by his feet. Xiao Bai had built a grill in front of them. The body of the leopard had been cleaned up and gutted by then, and it was skewered on the grill above a charcoal fire. Meanwhile, Xiao Bai manned the skewer like a temporary professional chef.
Although Li Nianfan could do pretty much anything, he would not do the tiring work himself, especially since Xiao Bai had reached the most advanced level of Artificial-Intelligence. He had downloaded countless recipes into its system, so making a meal was not a challenge for it. In fact, its cooking skill was comparable to—if not at least a hundred times better than—a five-star Michelin chef from back in the Mortal Realm.
With a multifunctional robot like Xiao Bai, anyone could afford to be lazy. If not, he must be an idiot!
“Hello, is Mr. Li home?” A familiar voice resonated from outside.
Who would come during lunch time?
Li Nianfan opened the door to see two women standing outside. “Oh, look. It’s Miss Luo. Please, come in.”
Luo Shiyu introduced, “Mr. Li, this is my mother.”
“Hello, I’m Zhong Xiu. Sorry to disturb you without prior notice.” Zhong Xiu sized up Li Nianfan—just as Luo Shiyu said, Li Nianfan appeared to be a completely ordinary man.
Li Nianfan sized up Zhong Xiu, as well, and he could not help but be amazed. No wonder her daughter was so beautiful!
He opened the door and smiled, “You two came at the perfect time. The meal’s ready.”
Zhong Xiu nodded and followed him into the inner court. Right away, her eyes caught sight of Xiao Bai who was working diligently behind the grill. She seemed amused.
“Mum, this is Xiao Bai, the one I told you about. It’s very smart!” Luo Shiyu introduced as she waved at Xiao Bai. “Hello, Xiao Bai.”
“Hello, my beautiful lady. Please, allow me to prepare you a delicious feast. I’m sure you’ll like it.”
Li Nianfan was unsure whether it was just him or that Xiao Bai’s voice seemed more gentle and magnetic than usual.
Was he flirting with the ladies!?
As expected, Luo Shiyu giggled at its remark, while Zhong Xiu was flabbergasted.
Zhong Xiu was utterly stunned because she was way more knowledgeable than Luo Shiyu.
‘What kind of Spiritual Intelligent is this? It can cook and even communicate with people? Even the most precious treasure in the imperial court is nothing compared to this!’
In that instant, Zhong Xiu believed all the things her daughter said about this expert. At the same time, she also decided that it was by fate that they had the pleasure to meet with him. She knew for sure that she had to make befriend Li Nianfan.
“Please, have a seat. The meat’s almost ready. You ladies are in luck today,” Li Nianfan said smiling.
He looked at the leopard meat in anticipation. He had never eaten the meat of a leopard before, not even when he was back in the Mortal Realm. Before this, he had only seen leopards at the zoo, yet tonight, he was about to taste the meat of Leopard Monster! How rare!
“Is it delicious?” Luo Shiyu sniffed the air a little harder before her beautiful gaze locked onto the grill with a little doubt. As a Princess, she had tasted all kinds of refined food, but she could not tell what was so special about this meal.
Xiao Bai replied like a human. “I know you’re very pretty, but this isn’t an excuse for you to dismiss my culinary skills.”
Zhong Xiu did not seem particularly excited either. She could tell right away that this was the meat of a Leopard Monster, but this was not something new to her as she had it frequently. How delicious could this be?
However, she was afraid that Luo Shiyu might offend the expert with her words, so she gently told her off. “Shiyu, don’t be rude! If Mr. Li says so, he must have his reasons!”
Li Nianfan smiled without talking. Although the Immortal Realm was quite advanced, the standards of living here were almost equivalent to the medieval period of the Mortal Realm, which included the standards of cooking. The ladies were about to be astonished by how delicious a feast could be in a few moments.
Meanwhile, Xiao Bai was diligently grilling the meat, brushing on more sauce onto the leopard skin from time to time.
Sizzzz…
Not long after, droplets of yellow-gold oil permeated out of the meat, dripping down the skin and into the charcoal fire, making a sizzling sound. Immediately afterward, a strong smell of delicious meat wafted across the inner court. The smell was so ludicrously tempting that one’s hunger could be triggered just by a sniff.
“Hmph! This is smelling good!” Luo Shiyu called out as she stared at the leopard excitedly.
Gulp.
Luo Shiyu and Zhong Xiu had to keep their drool down after being triggered by the delicious smell. However hard they tried to restrain themselves from the temptation, the smell was so strong that even a small puff of it seemed to captivate their souls. Even if they held their breaths, the scent still penetrated their noses like the naughty children running around, teasing their senses.
‘Hmph, this smells too good!’
They had never thought that food could evoke such temptations. Even when it came to elixirs, they had never felt such a strong desire before!
Growl…growl…growl…
A loud rumbling sound was heard coming from their stomachs. Instantly, both of them blushed in embarrassment. They lowered their heads, unable to look at Li Nianfan in the eyes.
Ever since they started cultivating, their craving for food had mostly disappeared. They maintained their lives by absorbing Spiritual Qi or taking elixirs. They had long forgotten the feelings of hunger and craving, let alone the growling of their stomachs.
This was too embarrassing!
Both Luo Shiyu and Zhong Xiu cried out in their minds, wishing there was a hole they could dig up and bury themselves in. The doubts that they had moments ago dissipated completely for the feast in front of their eyes was so tempting, they would not trade the feast for anything, not even an elixir!
Li Nianfan was indeed a true expert, even the food he prepared was beyond imagination! Most importantly, this delicious meal was all prepared by the Spiritual Robot! Who would believe them without seeing this with their own eyes!?
Watching the astonishment grow on their faces, Li Nianfan felt satisfied. Both the ladies were extremely gorgeous. One was youthful and noble while the other was mature and elegant. Most importantly, both of them were cultivators, which made them even more attractive! Being able to watch them being shy out of embarrassment was definitely one of the greatest pleasures in life!
Li Nianfan smiled. “It’s ready. Xiao Bai, bring the dishes to the ladies.”
“Sure thing,” Xiao Bai answered. In an instant, the knife in its hand moved with so much speed that the meat was instantly cut into pieces. It was then presented onto their dishes.
Xiao Bai even added, “The leopard’s explosive power is all concentrated in its thighs, hence, the leg muscles are the most developed. Therefore, the meat around the thigh area is optimal and the best to chew on.”
“Thank you,” Luo Shiyu and Zhong Xiu thanked the robot in unison as they stared at the grilled meat in anticipation. The outer skin was burnt and buttery while the meat was red from the sauce. Heat radiated from the cooked meat. Along with its fragrance, anyone would start salivating uncontrollably.
Luo Shiyu could not resist licking her lips. Her cherry lips opened instinctively and took a small bite.
Munch!
The burnt outer layer shattered a little, making a loud crunching sound from the bite. It was so sensational, she almost moaned out in pleasure.
The meat was thoroughly burnt from the charcoal fire which released its overpowering aroma. From the use of various seasonings for a touch of color, the meat became more flavorful and tender. It was soft, crispy, fresh, salty, and spicy, all at the same time. The flavors burst in her mouth, drowning her taste buds in overwhelming sensations.
Mmm… So yummy!
She chewed harder and faster, somewhat drooling uncontrollably as she ate. Every bite was filled with happiness!
On the other hand, although Zhong Xiu was eating rather elegantly, she was somehow already on her third piece of meat!
“Mum, you’re eating too fast!” Luo Shiyu complained.
Zhong Xiu’s lips paused slightly while her face stiffened momentarily out of embarrassment. Then, she refuted out of shame, “How could you be so rude!”
However, as she spoke, she put another piece of meat into her mouth without missing a beat. She did not care about her image by now.
Luo Shiyu complained again. “Mum, wait up. This piece of meat is mine!”