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"Envy?! What's there to be envious of?! It's so embarrassing!"

Paimon's "Oola Oola" became more frequent, and his little fists were waving rapidly, although to Ying it was still just like a tickle.

"Ying is an idiot! I don't care! Retreat now!"

Seeing that simple verbal persuasion was not only ineffective, but instead intensified the intensity of Paimon's "massage", Ying knew that she had to use her trump card.

Chapter 59: The Ingenious Plan of An Paimon

Ying quickly took out the [Gourmet Tablecloth] she had just drawn, and unfolded it in front of Paimon like a magic trick.

"Stop fighting, stop fighting, Paimon, look! What is this?" Ying's voice was full of temptation.

As if the pause button was pressed, Paimon's waving little fist froze in mid-air in an instant.

Her big eyes, which were filled with tears of shame and anger, suddenly burst into a brighter light than when she drew the purple light just now when she saw the tablecloth with the familiar pattern!

"This... this is!" Paimon's attention was completely diverted. She flew over the tablecloth, pointed at it with her little hand, and her voice changed with excitement.

"Is it the same gourmet tablecloth that Xing has?! The one that can be summoned just by saying what you want to eat?!"

"That's right!" Ying nodded with a smile and shook the tablecloth in her hand. "What do you want to eat? Pan-fried pork with honey-glazed carrots? Sweet flower-stuffed chicken? Or..."

"I...I..." Paimon looked at the tablecloth, then at the "malicious" smile on Ying's face.

Looking at his own "powerful" stand-in again, a fierce struggle broke out in his heart between the "temptation of delicious food" and the "embarrassing photos".

In the end, the sheer allure of delicious food prevailed.

Her shoulders drooped, and her tone was a little aggrieved and forcedly magnanimous.

"Then... then I'll reluctantly forgive you... but! Absolutely! Absolutely no longer allow you to laugh at my Paimon Star! And no more random photos!"

She stretched out her little finger and stared at Ying seriously, as if she was signing some important contract.

"Okay, okay, I promise, I won't post anything casually, and I'll try not to make fun of you... haha..."

Ying nodded quickly, but she saw Paimon trying hard to maintain his "dignity" even though he was obviously extremely greedy, and the muscular Paimon behind her who was making a serious expression at the same time.

The strong contrast made her unable to hold back and laugh again.

"Ying——!" Paimon's little face puffed up like a bun again.

"Ahem, sorry, sorry!" Ying quickly held her face in a straight line and spread the tablecloth for the food. "To express my apology, for the first meal, Paimon can order whatever you want! All you can eat!"

"...Hmph! That's more like it!" Paimon's attention was finally completely drawn back to the delicious food. She floated above the tablecloth, and her little face was glowing again.

I began to seriously think about the menu for this "forgiveness meal", temporarily putting aside the little troubles brought by the "Paimon Star" appearance.

Two figures, one big and one small, gathered around a magical gourmet tablecloth, and the aroma of the food seemed to have begun to spread out of the window.

Zhongli and Ruotu finally arrived at the bustling Chihuyan. The familiar sign of Wanmintang and the tempting smell of fireworks were already in sight.

Ruota is still persistently asking about the mysterious "huge gift".

Zhongli could already imagine Xiangling's excitement when she saw the [Giant Imperial Boar], her eyes shining and her hands rubbing with excitement.

Fortunately, Xiangling has not traveled far to look for new ingredients during this period. She is researching new dishes in the kitchen of Wanmintang.

When the energetic chef heard that Mr. Zhongli had "high-quality ingredients" for her to cook, her eyes immediately lit up and she agreed without hesitation, even forgetting to take off her apron.

I’m just a little confused about Zhongli’s request to move to a more spacious place to handle the matter - isn’t the backyard of Wanmin Hall big enough?

Until everyone arrived at the top of Tianheng Mountain, the view was broad, there were few people, and the breeze was gentle. It was indeed a good place for a picnic.

Zhongli then flicked his sleeves and extracted the huge beast - the [Giant Imperial Boar].

"Boom!"

The dull sound of landing was accompanied by a slight tremor in the ground.

“Wow——!!!” Xiangling’s scream instantly rose several pitches, and her mouth opened so wide that a whole sunset fruit could fit in it.

It's not like she hasn't seen big guys before. The over ten-meter-long Snow Mountain Boar King she and Ying had hunted in the Dragon Ridge Snow Mountain was already a behemoth in her opinion, but this one before her...

It is nearly twenty meters long, with fangs like giant spears. Even though it has lost its life, the oppressive feeling of its huge body is still overwhelming!

This completely overturned her perception of the "ingredients" body shape!

The Rāhula Dragon King standing by couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, "Wow!"

In the chaotic era of the Demon War, there were quite a few giant beasts of this size.

But now that we have been at peace for a long time, this kind of creature is really rare.

Zhongli went out to "visit" and actually brought back such "local specialties"?

Besides being pleasantly surprised, the glutton in my stomach was also aroused by this top-quality ingredient.

After not having eaten for so long, this feast came just in time.

For beings like them, food is no longer necessary for survival, but the pleasure of satisfying their appetites and savoring the daily life of the world is the important bond that maintains "humanity" and distinguishes it from the cold divinity.

Xiangling recovered from her initial shock and circled around the prehistoric beast several times, rubbing her hands together excitedly, her eyes burning with the fanatical fire that only a chef has when faced with top-quality ingredients.

But soon, Xiangling felt a little embarrassed - it was too big!

No matter how sharp her kitchen knife was, she felt powerless when faced with this mountain-like body, unable to bite it.

This is not just a matter of strength, but also an absolute lack of experience and skills in handling such huge ingredients!

A feeling of frustration of "having the will but not the strength" made her face fall slightly, but it was immediately replaced by a stronger fighting spirit - she must become stronger!

Greater power, stronger flames, more exquisite skills!

This is the only way to conquer all the ingredients in the world!

Zhongli took in Xiangling's changing expression and said to Ruo Tuo beside him, "This creature has thick, rough skin and flesh, making it difficult to cut with ordinary knives. Ruo Tuo, could you please help break it down a bit?"

Ruo Tuo was about to say something arrogant, "Are you ordering me around again?"

But when he caught a glimpse of Zhongli's nonchalant expression and thought of the delicious food that was about to enter his mouth, he swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth and just snorted.

His mind moved slightly, and a heavy and ancient giant sword [Sword of the Unforged Sword] wrapped in the brilliance of rock elements appeared in his hand.

There was no sign of him gathering strength, but he just shook his wrist lightly, and several extremely condensed ochre-colored sword lights cut through the giant beast's huge body like cutting tofu.

"Chi chi chi——"

After a few soft sounds, the wild boar as big as a hill was neatly divided into several relatively regular huge pieces of meat. The cross-section was as smooth as a mirror, which shows the exquisite control of its strength.

Although it is only the most basic rough classification, it has greatly facilitated subsequent processing.

"Wow! That's amazing! Thank you, young man!" Xiangling's eyes lit up, and she sincerely thanked the taciturn "friend of Mr. Zhongli".

She no longer hesitated and immediately jumped into battle. Guoba also jumped out with a "lulu" cry, his small eyes fixed on the huge piece of meat in front of him.

Chapter 60: Meeting an old friend at the mountaintop fireworks

The processing officially begins!

Xiangling first carried out the preliminary cleaning and key marinating of the meat - top-quality ingredients, simple processing can bring out their original flavor.

Salt, a little Liyue's unique heart-clearing nectar, and several of her secret spices were evenly spread on the surface of the huge piece of meat.

Then, she split her forces into two groups:

Guoba is in charge of the whole journey, carrying out the most primitive and unrestrained cooking - giant barbecue!

Guoba took a mouthful of Jueyun pepper, took a deep breath, and his belly puffed up, suddenly spewing out a golden-red flame that was much more blazing and more condensed than usual!

The temperature of the flame was so astonishingly high that the air was slightly distorted. It was obvious that Guoba had tried his best to roast this giant.

The huge piece of meat was roasted over a fierce fire, and its skin quickly began to change color, making a pleasant "sizzling" sound. The rich aroma of meat mixed with the scent of spices spread across the mountaintop like a substance, attracting Ruota's attention.

The other route was prepared by Xiangling herself.

She wields a specially made thick-backed bone-cutting knife, swiftly slicing the meat into pieces suitable for the pot. Fry, stir-fry, stew, deep-fry...

She brought Wanmintang's unique skills to full play.

Stir-fried pork slices, a slow-cooked rich bone broth, golden and crispy fried pork chops, and stir-fried seasonal vegetables with the most tender tenderloin...

The spatula flew, the flames jumped, and Xiangling's figure shuttled back and forth between the makeshift stoves. She was unaware that the sweat soaked her temples, and her face was filled with concentration and excitement.

Mr. Zhongli promised to give her a piece of top-quality pig hind leg!

She couldn't even imagine how delicious this ham would be!!!

This made her extremely motivated, and she vowed to maximize the potential of this unprecedented ingredient!

On the other side, Zhongli had found a stone platform with an excellent view and calmly set up a quaint tea table.

Mountain spring water gurgles over the small red clay stove.

He took out a simple and elegant white porcelain jar, which contained the jar of [Qimen Black Tea] that he won in the lottery.

Although it is not the famous tea from Qiaoyingzhuang produced in Teyvat, its tea leaves are tight and thin, dark in color with golden tips, and faintly emit a unique sweet fragrance like flowers and honey, which is also an extraordinary product.

Boiling water is poured into the covered bowl, and the tea leaves stretch and roll in the clear water, and the color of the soup quickly becomes bright red, like the finest amber.

A warm and mellow tea aroma with the sweet taste of fruit honey rises up, intertwining with the overbearing barbecue aroma not far away, creating a strange harmony.

Zhongli skillfully dispensed the tea and pushed a cup of bright red and transparent tea in front of Ruota.

I picked up the other cup, put it to my nose and sniffed it, feeling the unique "Qimen fragrance".

Ruota sat down carelessly, grabbed the teacup, and without caring whether it was hot or not, he sniffed it like Zhongli, then tilted his head back and drank it all in a "gulp", his movements as heroic as if he was drinking strong liquor.

The boiling hot tea soup goes down your throat, feeling slightly hot at first, then turns into a warm current with a mellow and fresh taste. The unique sweet aroma of honey lingers in your mouth with a long aftertaste, which is quite unique.

The two of them sat there quietly, sipping the black tea from another world, their gazes cast into the distance.

Beneath his feet lay the now prosperous Liyue Harbor, a place that had weathered millennia of wind and rain. Thousands of ships gathered, and the bustling city life drifted in from afar, leaving only the vibrant background sound.

Liyue Harbor is like a flowing painting of prosperity, unfolding at the foot of the mountain.

As Ruota looked at this scene, the resentment in his heart caused by "guarding an empty city" dissipated unknowingly.

A heavy feeling mixed with pride and relief filled my heart.

This is the place where he, Morax, countless immortal Yakshas and mortal heroes fought bloody battles and passed on their efforts to guard for thousands of years!

Looking down from such a high place, you can see its magnificence and vitality even more clearly.

This prosperous scene created by countless people is indeed more intoxicating than any fine wine.

Ruota withdrew his gaze from the magnificent Liyue Harbor and casually swept it towards the busy stove.

Xiangling was concentrating on stir-frying the meat in the pot, her movements were quick and energetic.

And her companion, the chubby and cute little bear Guoba, was puffing up his belly and spitting out blazing flames at another piece of huge meat that needed to be roasted over a high fire.

At first, Ruota just thought that this little bear helper was interesting and the fire he spit out was quite strong.

But as he watched, his rough brows gradually furrowed. A faint, yet lingering sense of familiarity lingered in his heart.

That flame… wasn't just any ordinary fire. I felt like I'd seen it before. And the calm demeanor that little creature occasionally displayed when directing the flames was at odds with his simple, honest appearance…

"Hey, Morax..." Ruota nudged Zhongli, who was drinking tea calmly beside him, with his elbow, and nodded his chin in the direction of Guoba.

"That fire-breathing bear... is quite interesting. Why do I feel a bit like an old friend in it? Is it an illusion?"

His tone was filled with confusion and uncertainty. After all, the little bear in front of him was very different from the one he remembered.

Zhongli's hand holding the teacup paused slightly, and his eyes gently turned to Guoba who was working hard, with a barely perceptible flash of reminiscence in his eyes.

He did not directly answer Ruota's question, but asked it calmly.

"Ruotu, do you still remember the Demon God of the Hearth at the end of the Demon God War? He was so dedicated to ensuring that the people of Liyue had enough food and clothing that he exhausted all his divine power, distributing his wisdom and strength across the land and mountains. Ultimately, he was exhausted and degenerated, his figure and wisdom far diminished... the Demon God of the Hearth?"

"Marcosius?!" Ruota's dragon eyes suddenly widened like copper bells!

He turned his head suddenly and stared in disbelief at the furry little bear that was "hehehehe" breathing fire and occasionally helping Xiangling pass a seasoning jar.

The floodgates of memory burst open!

The dusty picture surged out - the once tall and majestic Demon God of the Hearth, Marcosius, who controlled the fire of life and death for all people and fought side by side with him and Morax!

Its majestic figure, warm and powerful aura, and the adorable little bear in front of him that was trying hard to spit out small flames... this huge contrast made him speechless for a moment.