249 Bamboo Rice_1
“Doesn’t this prove the spell is powerful?”
“Not that powerful,” Bai Zisheng raised an eyebrow, confidently saying, “It can only trap me for about two breaths’ time. I just need to channel my spiritual power, and I can break free in a moment.”
Mo Hua said, “In a life-and-death battle, hanging by a thread, those two breaths are enough to decide victory or defeat, enough to decide life and death.”
Hearing this, Bai Zisheng frowned, thought for a moment, and had to admit, “You’re right.”
If one is not careful and gets caught off guard, those one or two breaths are indeed enough to determine life and death.
Mo Hua reminded him, “You should be careful in the future too, don’t get caught off guard by such obscure spells.”
Bai Zisheng nodded solemnly in agreement.
Then he thought, there probably weren’t many cultivators in the world like Mo Hua with such strong divine sense, quick action, and possession of such obscure spells.
Bai Zisheng’s heart inexplicably lightened a bit.
The opportunity was rare, not every cultivator knew such obscure spells. Bai Zisheng wanted to spar with Mo Hua a bit longer, but if they continued, he wouldn’t be able to finish his studies.
Bai Zisheng could only reluctantly go back to his studies.
Mo Hua finished practicing the Water Prison Technique and was about to leave when Bai Zixi suddenly called out to him.
Mo Hua turned around and saw Bai Zixi’s fair little hand pulling a book out of the beautifully embroidered, pale golden phoenix-patterned storage bag beside her and handing it to him.
“What book is this?”
“A culinary recipe book.”
Mo Hua took it and looked carefully; indeed, it was a gastronomic cookbook. It contained some of the Tao Cultivation World’s gourmet delicacies and their cooking methods.
The names of the dishes were dazzling, like Golden Hall, Crabapple Jade Crisp, Plum Blossom in Snow, Dew-Hugged Hibiscus, Envying the Mandarin Ducks, Immortal Dew Pearls, and so on.
Mo Hua was stunned for a moment, “For me?”
Bai Zixi glanced at him indifferently, “It’s for Aunt Liu.”
“Oh.”
Mo Hua nodded, and then thought, it made sense; he wasn’t a Meal Master, and the recipe book was of no use to him.
“For the thanks I owe you from before,” Bai Zixi said crisply.
Mo Hua smiled, “Thank you, my mother will definitely be happy to receive this.”
Bai Zixi also smiled faintly, her eyebrows like crescent moons, her eyes like night-blooming cereus, ethereal and stunning.
Mo Hua sighed in his heart, “Why be so good-looking?”
On the way back, Mo Hua flipped through the recipe book, checking if there were any tasty dishes; as he looked, his stomach started to growl.
After getting home, Mo Hua handed the recipe book to Liu Ruhua, “Mother, Zixi asked me to give this to you.”
Liu Ruhua took it, glanced at it, and her face lit up with joy. “Thank her for me.”
“Mhm.” Mo Hua nodded, then pointed at a dish called “Emerald Bamboo Rice” in the book, smiled, and said, “Mother, I want to eat this.”
Emerald Bamboo Rice is made by cutting a segment of emerald bamboo, adding fragrant rice, some green plums, satisfying fruit, and sweet spring water, then roasting it over fire.
Once cooked to perfection, the bamboo’s green fades, and the rice is ready.
Cracking open the bamboo, the bamboo’s fresh aroma, the slightly tart taste of the plums, and the fragrant stickiness of the rice all mix together, offering a clear, soft chew with color, fragrance, and flavor all present.
The preparation isn’t difficult and the ingredients are simple, not particularly rare; a few scarce ingredients could be substituted with others.
Mo Hua deliberated for a long time before he chose this one.
Liu Ruhua affectionately patted Mo Hua’s head, “Alright, I’ll make it for you.”
The next day, Liu Ruhua prepared the ingredients and, after trying a few times, successfully made the Emerald Bamboo Rice.
Mo Hua tasted a bite, feeling the soft and sticky texture, the flavor lingering in his mouth, and couldn’t help but squint his eyes, saying, “Mother, this is so delicious!”
Seeing Mo Hua eat with such delight, Liu Ruhua’s eyes also brimmed with laughter.
In the following days, Liu Ruhua made some more and had Mo Hua deliver it to Mr. Zhuang and the Bai siblings.
Mr. Zhuang quite liked the clean taste, nodding with satisfaction.
Bai Zisheng liked it too, but he preferred the spiciness of monster meat.
The one who liked it most was Bai Zixi. She sat under the big locust tree, eating it bite by bite, her movements graceful and refined, chewing slowly, but she never stopped, quickly consuming three or four segments.
“Does it really taste that good?” Mo Hua asked, somewhat puzzled.
Bai Zixi, upon hearing this, raised her head and handed a section to Mo Hua.
As Mo Hua ate, he felt that it seemed to taste better than what he had eaten the other day. After finishing one section, he wanted more.
So, beneath the large locust tree, the two of them ate bamboo like two little pandas, one section at a time.
With the matter of the Sin Cultivators concluded, Mo Hua’s work with the Monster Beasts in the Inner Mountain became more convenient.
The rest of the time, apart from cultivating, Mo Hua continued to paint Formations, learning to solve them and practice the Reversed Spirit Formation.
He started with a Grade 1 Compound Formation. Once he mastered it, he’d paint it on paper, then solve the Formation himself.