Braised Dragon with Soy Sauce

1 Just as everyone was still feeling unsatisfied, Huang Rongrong's undeniable voice rang out.

Everyone immediately sprang into action. At this moment, a dozen or so second-generation elders, led by Long Da, brought over a dozen black stone slabs and placed them one by one on the stone platform.

Meanwhile, next to the stone slab was a large basin of processed and cut meat. After processing, the meat in the basin was cut into slices about two fingers thick and the size of a palm. There was also a large handful of bamboo skewers more than two feet long in the basin. Clearly, today's feast was mainly about barbecue.

Mo Yuming was filled with doubt. Huang Rongrong shouted loudly, "Light the fire and start the stove!" But from beginning to end, he neither saw where the stove was, nor did he see anyone preparing wood, charcoal or other things for starting a fire.

All I could see was the group of elderly men calmly using bamboo skewers to select their favorite pieces of meat, skewering them, and then placing them on the black stone slab.

Is it possible that after all the black stone slabs are in place, they will use fire to heat these slabs to grill meat skewers?

Mo Yuming watched the elders' work with curiosity. The black stone slab was five feet long, two feet wide, and three inches thick. Although its surface wasn't perfectly smooth, it was relatively flat. However, how long would it take to heat such a thick slab with fire?

Just as Mo Yuming was filled with confusion, Shi Potian and the others, who were quicker to act, had already filled a stone slab with meat skewers.

At this moment, Leopard Lord stretched out his palms and gently pressed them against the edge of the stone. He took a light breath, his shoulders slightly lowered, and he pressed his palms firmly against the stone slab. A powerful surge of fire elemental energy flowed from his palms and then into the stone slab.

Soon, the black stone slab began to heat up, and the stone gradually turned from dark to red, like an iron block being scorched in charcoal fire. In no time, the black stone slab became like a red-hot iron plate.

Under the scorching heat of the hot stone slab, the meat skewers placed on the slab soon began to sizzle, as if joyfully announcing the deliciousness that was about to arrive.

At the same time, a rich aroma of roasted meat instantly filled the air. The aroma was mellow and tempting, like the most magical thing in nature, seeping into people's nostrils and stimulating their taste buds.

Mo Yuming watched the old men's actions with a sense of novelty. He couldn't help but wonder why the hands pressed against the stone slabs weren't burning hot, even though the stone slabs had turned bright red.

The scene was so interesting that Mo Yuming's curiosity was instantly ignited, and he couldn't wait to skewer some meat and grill it. However, just as he was about to do so, Xinlan stopped him.

"This monster meat is for adults; we can't eat it."

Xinlan said softly.

"The way they skewer and grill it looks really good; I'd like to try it too."

Mo Yuming's eyes were fixed on the sizzling, oily meat skewers, eager to taste the large pieces of grilled meat. The aroma of the grilled meat grew stronger and stronger, constantly tugging at his heartstrings.

"That's monster meat, we children can't eat it."

Xinlan explained patiently.

"You can't eat monster meat? Why is that?"

Mo Yuming was completely puzzled. He had heard before that monster meat could not be eaten directly and needed to be processed using special methods before consumption.

But these meats have clearly been processed, so why can those old men eat them, but he can't?

"Hehe, you want to eat monster meat? Do you want me to grill it for you?"

Gan Ran smiled mischievously at Mo Yuming. Her smile held a hint of playfulness, like that of a mischievous old man.

At this moment, the aroma of the roasted meat grew even stronger, its rich fragrance wafting freely through the air. The aroma, a blend of the unique richness and wildness of monster meat, both captivated and somewhat deterred those who dared to approach.

"Grandpa Gan is lying! Don't listen to him, he just wants you to have a stomachache! You bad grandpa!"

Xinlan stood in front of Mo Yuming and angrily shouted at the old man Gan Ran.

Her face flushed red, and her eyes were full of protectiveness towards Mo Yuming.

Mo Yuming naturally understood the mocking tone in Gan Ran's words, and he certainly wouldn't eat the meat skewers she grilled.

Seeing Xinlan defend him so earnestly, he felt very gratified. However, he also knew that Gan Ran was just teasing him, so he didn't take it to heart and gently took Xinlan's hand, saying:

"I know he's lying, let's just ignore him!"

"Girls, come here, this is for you. There's also barbecue and mushroom soup that Grandma Huang made especially for you!"

At this moment, Xinlan's maternal grandmother, Qimei, brought over a large wooden plate with a pile of chopped meat pieces on it. The meat pieces were fresh and tender, emitting a faint aroma of meat. Although it was not as rich as the meat of the monsters, it had a unique freshness.

There was also a large bowl of steaming soup, its aroma of mushrooms and subtle herbs enticing the appetite. On the plate were a small bamboo tube and two small wooden bowls, all exquisitely crafted and charming.

Qingwei then brought over a sturdy, shallow iron basin, placed it upside down on the makeshift stove made of two stone slabs, added some dry firewood between the slabs, and lit the fire.

The leaping flames, like dancing sprites, added a touch of warmth to this cozy scene.

"The mushroom soup already has the ingredients in it, so you can just drink it. You can grill the meat yourselves. The seasoning is in the bamboo tube. If Ming doesn't know how to do it, you can teach him."

Qi Mei placed the wooden tray aside and said.

"Okay, thanks grandma!"

Xinlan responded obediently.

After Qimei and Qingwei settled everything, they went to prepare their own barbecue, leaving the two children, Mo Yuming and Xinlan, to do whatever they wanted.

Mo Yuming was all too familiar with the scene before him; it was just teppanyaki grilled meat skewers.

I never expected these old men and women to know how to do this. But why do these old men use those heavy stones to grill their meat skewers, while his and Xinlan's grilling is different?

They use an iron plate with charcoal for grilling, and the meat is cut into smaller pieces. Are they afraid that it won't cook through?

The plate contained over ten kilograms of meat, enough for two people to eat their fill.

These pieces of meat were cut into small pieces about two fingers wide and two inches long. They were incredibly tender, with a perfect balance of fat and lean meat, and were all taken from the best parts of the meat.

Mo Yuming was able to tell that these chunks of meat were not from one type of animal, but rather composed of several different kinds.

However, since it had been cut into pieces, Mo Yuming couldn't tell the difference between these pieces of meat and the ones the old men ate, nor could he identify what kind of meat they were. Could it be because they were taken from different parts of the body?

"This is just ordinary beast meat, you can eat as much as you want. Grandpa and the others eat demonic beast meat, but our cultivation level isn't high enough, so eating demonic beast meat would make us feel very uncomfortable."

Xinlan seemed to know what Mo Yuming was thinking, and while skewering meat with bamboo sticks, she spoke to Mo Yuming.

Why do I feel so uncomfortable?

Mo Yuming was completely puzzled.

"Because the meat of magical beasts contains a lot of spiritual energy, it is difficult for people with low cultivation levels to refine it. If they eat too little, they will feel uncomfortable all over and have a stomachache; if they eat too much, their bodies will be damaged."

"Don't those spiritual fruits also contain a lot of spiritual energy? Why are we fine after eating them?"

Mo Yuming recalled the embarrassing incident of eating maple leaf fruit last time.

"Eating too many spiritual fruits can also cause problems, but the spiritual energy contained in spiritual fruits is relatively pure and singular, making it easier to absorb."

After we finish eating the spiritual fruit, we can slowly refine it. However, the spiritual energy contained in the monster meat is mixed and violent. If it cannot be refined in time, it will harm the body.

Therefore, children like us with low cultivation levels can only eat a very small amount of monster meat at a time, or drink some soup, even if we want to eat it.

Although Xinlan was only a little over five years old, she was extremely nimble and skillfully skewered meat, finishing several skewers in no time. Mo Yuming, on the other hand, seemed clumsy and hadn't even finished a single skewer.

"So what level of cultivation is required to eat demonic beast meat?"

After learning the reason, Mo Yuming's curiosity became even stronger, and the temptation of the monster meat became even more intense.

While holding the meat skewers from the plate in his hand, he kept glancing at the monster meat in the old men's hands.

"There aren't any particularly high requirements. As long as you awaken your spiritual root and can cultivate a wisp of spiritual energy vortex within your dantian, that's fine."

According to cultivation levels, this is the initial level of entering the profound cultivation stage—Human Rank 1. At this point, you can try eating some low-level magical beast meat, but you still need to be careful and moderate, and do so according to your own ability, otherwise you will still suffer.

However, some people want to accelerate their cultivation by eating monster meat. Sometimes they choose to consume excessive amounts of monster meat and then force themselves to work hard to refine and absorb it, thereby speeding up their cultivation process.

Xinlan placed the skewered meat on the preheated iron pan to grill, while Mo Yuming took a wooden bowl, filled two bowls with mushroom soup, handed one to Xinlan, and drank the other himself.

"what!"

After taking a sip of the mushroom soup, Mo Yuming couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

This soup is absolutely delicious! It's completely different from the mushroom soup I used to make. Although the mushroom soup I made before was still quite fresh, it always tasted bland because I didn't add any other ingredients.

"Isn't it delicious! Grandma Huang's soup, made with her secret recipe, is the best ever! She's a master chef, comparable to an eight-crown dragon chef!"

Xinlan looked at Mo Yuming with a grin, her smug expression suggesting that she had known all along that Mo Yuming would be surprised.

"Grandma Huang's soup is really delicious. I have never had such a delicious soup before."

Mo Yuming echoed.

"Of course, Grandma Huang is the best cook in the world, but it's a pity that we can only eat her cooking once every six months."

Xinlan sighed.

"Why?" Mo Yuming asked curiously.

"Because those seasonings are too difficult to make, it takes Grandma Huang almost half a year to make enough for everyone to have a meal together! Even with the help of Grandma Qing, Grandma Li, my maternal grandmother and Grandma Qingwei, it still takes several months."

Therefore, in order to avoid making Grandma Huang too tired, everyone agreed to hold a tooth-treating party every six months.

As Xinlan continuously turned the meat skewers in the iron basin, she explained. When the skewers were half-cooked and started to ooze oil, she picked up the small bamboo tube containing the seasonings, carefully poured out a tiny bit of seasoning, and then cautiously and evenly sprinkled it on the meat skewers, afraid of sprinkling too much.

Mo Yuming took the bamboo tube and saw that it was less than a wrist thick and contained about half a tube of seasoning, which he estimated to be about two or three ounces.

The seasoning was a mixture of several grayish-black powders. Upon closer inspection, the black and brown powders appeared to be ground from the stems and leaves of some plants. The rich herbal aroma emanating from the small bamboo tube must have come from these powders.

Besides the black and brown powders, a large portion of the seasoning was a grayish-white powder, which looked more like minerals. After glancing at it, Mo Yuming immediately guessed that it was likely salt powder.

The powder wasn't very white; if it was indeed table salt, it was coarse salt that hadn't been refined sufficiently. However, it was far better than the coarse salt that Xinlan had given Mo Yuming.

Mo Yuming, with some skepticism, stretched out his finger and gently scooped out a few grains of white powder from the bamboo tube. He then put the powder-covered index finger into his mouth and tasted it lightly with his tongue.