《Spirit Chef Chronicles》 Chapter 1 In the beginning there was chaos. Elements of all types mingled together without rhyme nor reason, ceaselessly moving in an unpredictable fashion. And then, into this chaotic mess came streams of order. They carved their way across the riotous expanse, gathering bright motes of light and pulling them into themselves. Slowly yet surely they slithered their way across the disorderly zone, all headed towards the same location. And when they met, there was fire. Zhang Wuli opened his eyes, the edges of his mouth curving upwards in a satisfied smile as he observed the spirit flame hovering a few inches off the floor ahead of his seated form. He wiped the sweat of exertion from his brow and silently congratulated himself on his best performance yet. ¡°One whole minute to form this tiny spirit flame?¡± Wuli turned to face the voice, belatedly recalling that he was not alone in the room. Two other men were in the room, one kneeling beside him and the other, Head Chef Ma Cheng, standing before them. Ma Cheng shook his head in mild disgust as he regarded the tiny spirit flame that was already close to being extinguished by Wuli¡¯s breath. He rubbed his bulging gut and addressed the wiry man kneeling before him with a warning tone. ¡°Old Hao, if this is the best your nephew can do, I don¡¯t think I can take him. Forget my shop, I don¡¯t think anyone in this city would take him in like this.¡± Elder Zhang Hao¡¯s already bent form bent even further, leaving the old man almost prostrate before Head Chef Ma Cheng. ¡°Brother Cheng, I beg you to reconsider. If it is not you, then my nephew will have no choice but to destroy his body in the mines. If I were to let that happen not only would I never be able to hold my head high again, but my brother would haunt me from the grave for mistreating his son.¡± Wuli¡¯s cheeks coloured with shame as his uncle lowered his head till it was almost brushing the ground. If the situation was different, if his talent was better, if he hadn¡¯t been born with clogged channels then he would have been able to cultivate at the same speed as everyone else. He wouldn¡¯t have had to struggle for his 17 years just to get his command of a single element up to this level. He would have been able to take care of himself even after his parents died. His uncle would not have to be lowering his head to beg on his behalf like he was now to keep him out of the mines.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. However, the situation wasn¡¯t different, and his uncle was lowering his head. Wuli swallowed the remnants of his pride and did the same. ¡°Raise your heads,¡± came the resigned voice from above, ¡°Seeing both of you bowing is just making me nauseous.¡± Wuli raised his head at the same time as his uncle, looking up at the frowning Head Chef as he in turn regarded Uncle Hao with the look of a man that is about to do something he knows he will regret. ¡°Fine!¡± Ma Cheng announced in a booming voice, ¡°I¡¯ll give him a chance to prove his worth, but that¡¯s all it is, a chance! If he can¡¯t keep up, I¡¯ll treat him like any other worker in that position.¡± Uncle Hao bowed again, drawing an annoyed huff from the Head Chef. ¡°Brother Cheng, I won¡¯t say thank you since that would only devalue our sworn brotherhood. Wuli will not let you down.¡± ¡°That remains to be seen. Old Hao, I won¡¯t stand on ceremony, you can show yourself out. Boy, come; I will show you to your station.¡± Zhang Wuli scrambled to his feet and followed the Head Chef through the little bead curtain in the back of the small room, sparing his Uncle not a glance. They both knew how important this was and had said goodbye long ago. Head Chef Cheng led Wuli down a short, dark hallway that stank of woodsmoke and grease before walking out into a bustling kitchen. A dozen people went about preparing the ordered meals with an air of haste. There was no panic in their movements, but they were clearly moving as quickly as they thought they could manage. A wave of heat blasted him in the face as one of the chefs opened a small stone oven and floated out the item within on a cloud of undulating flames. ¡°What are you looking at? Your station is back here!¡± The voice of Head Chef Cheng snapped Wuli out of his gazing and he realized that he had stopped at the entrance and now the Head Chef was already across the room. Zhang Wuli ducked his head in embarrassment and quickly walked around the busy cooking stations to catch up with the Head Chef. Head Chef Ma Cheng awaited him at the back of the kitchen, standing in front of a set of double doors and somehow looking even more annoyed. ¡°In the future, you won¡¯t be coming through here. In a busy kitchen like this I must have a place for every chef to do their work without getting bothered. A novice like you walking through will just disrupt the flow. Understand?¡± The portly Head Chef stared Zhang Wuli down with a stern look on his face until the boy nodded in acknowledgement. He regarded the boy a moment longer before indicating the door behind him his his thumb. ¡°Good. Every station in my shop must be worked, and every worker has a station. Your station is here.¡± Ma Cheng pushed open the door revealing the place Zhang Wuli would be working. Towers of plates, palaces of pots, and forests of utensils greeted Zhang Wuli. Half a dozen men in simple rugged clothing took dirty dishes, pots, and pans and scrubbed them vigorously and rapidly before washing them clean and placing them in piles that were carried away by waiting porters. ¡°Go find an empty spot and work hard. Payment is at the end of the week.¡± Zhang Wuli¡¯s face sank. Chapter 2 Zhang Wuli never thought he would end up as a plate washer, although as he thought about it he decided that this was way better than burning his life away in the mines. The washing area was a small room adjoining the kitchen. It had just enough space for four double bowl sinks, neatly stacked piles of dirty and clean utensils, and the seven men that worked vigorously to lessen one pile and increase the other. The light of the noonday sun poured in through open windows in the back wall, a cool breeze wafting through it doing a fair amount to combat the heat emanating from the kitchen. Zhang Wuli rose up on the balls of his feet, looking for an empty station to get to work. ¡°Hey newbie, over here!¡± A relaxed and friendly voice drew Wuli¡¯s attention to one of the washing stations. There, a bald-headed man with a wild bristly beard stood alone with a plate spinning on an outstretched finger. The man flicked his wrist and water jumped up from the sink before him like an eager dog before wrapping itself around the plate and spinning violently. A few seconds later a spotless plate emerged from the whirlpool and clattered softly unto a nearby pile of identical plates. ¡°You can use water arts too?¡± Zhang Wuli asked with a slightly disbelieving tone. Was this what he had to compete with? The man chuckled and reached for another plate, repeating the process with a flick of his wrist. ¡°You aren¡¯t too confident in your water arts, huh? Don¡¯t worry kid, the only thing you need to know to work here is fire arts.¡± Zhang Wuli approached with a chagrined look on his face and took up the empty spot beside the man. ¡°I¡¯m Zhang Wuli, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Li Bo!¡± he replied, placing a stack of dirty plates on Wuli¡¯s side of the sink. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re here, our station was beginning to fall behind the rest.¡± ¡°Will we get fired if we fall behind?¡± Wuli asked, with a jolt of apprehension Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Li Bo snorted in amusement and smiled. ¡°No, nothing like that. It¡¯s just that the slowest station buys the first round of drinks!¡± ¡°Li Bo, I¡¯m looking forward to your hospitality again today!¡± one of the other workers, a man with a round face and bright smile, shouted out. ¡°Wen Ai, don¡¯t you dare provoke me! Do you think I can¡¯t pass you again now that my blood brother Zhang Wuli has arrived?¡± ¡°Do I think? I¡¯ll bet another full round that our station does one hundred more plates than your station.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Li Bo accepted without hesitation, turning back to his work with renewed fervour. ¡°Young Wuli, let¡¯s not waste time. Tonight we will drink well.¡± Zhang Wuli blinked owlishly and looked between the two men who were even now washing plates like their lives depended on it. How did it come to this already? With a sigh of disbelief, he turned to do his job. It¡¯s not like he was worried anyway. Since he was born with blocked channels this was the first time he had been able to get a job. Before this he had been supported by his Uncle and Aunt while he was growing up and Zhang Wuli had been forced to do all kinds of chores around the house to earn his keep. When it came to mundane chores like this, Wuli was certain he had no equal. He grabbed a dirty plate from the pile and immediately set to washing it using the water in the sink, soap, and a scrubbing cloth. In a handful of seconds all the remnants of food and sauces were washed away and the plate rinsed until it was spotless. Wuli grinned and set the plate down in the clean pile for his station and then grabbed a new dirty plate. On and on he worked, steadily becoming used to the new surroundings and increasing his pace. Soon he was matching the nearby workers in washing speed. ¡°Oh! Young Wuli you are truly a hidden talent!¡± Li Bo exclaimed joyously while he controlled his water like a snake, ¡°I was joking earlier but with skills like yours perhaps we can become blood brothers in truth!¡± Zhang Wuli smiled in response. ¡°Ah but hold on a moment Young Wuli. Take a look at that plate you have there.¡± ¡°Hmm, what is it?¡± Zhang Wuli looked at the plate in his hand. It was made of some manner of dark stone, but there were no special markings or anything he could make out on it. ¡°That plate and others like it are made from Sunset Basalt, a kind of Yin Fire Stone. When you¡¯re washing that one you have to use flame as well as water.¡± Li Bo took the plate from his hands, and with a snap of his fingers a fist sized flame came into existence over the plate. Li Bo flexed his fingers and directed the flame across the surface of the plate, ensuring that every part was touched and the stone was steaming as he finished. ¡°Like so, see? You have three other ones I can see in your pile right now, and more will be coming later so watch out for it when you get there.¡± Zhang Wuli looked at the stack of plates he had been given and after a moment he began to see the plates Li Bo was talking about. The plates made of Sunset Basalt were all dark colours, while the other plates were light colours. This was the first time in his life that the colour of a plate intimidated him so much. Zhang Wuli swallowed nervously and grabbed for another, light coloured plate. ¡°H-ha ha Senior Li Bo, thank you for your advice.¡± Li Bo¡¯s face twisted in displeasure as he answered, ¡°No need to add senior, I am just twenty-two years old. Calling me senior makes me feel like I¡¯m past my prime. Just Li Bo will do.¡± The clatter of stone on stone drew Wuli¡¯s attention back to his stack where a porter was depositing more dirty plates. The new stack had an additional five Sunset Basalt plates. This was going to be a problem. Chapter 3 Zhang Wuli decided to put the matter of the Sunset Basalt plates aside for the moment. There were only a few of them, and he could get to them when he was done. ¡°Li Bo. Are there any other special plates I need to look out for?¡± Wuli asked innocently. The bald-headed man hummed as he focused on his work, completing the plate he was working on before answering. ¡°Hmm, not today I think. It¡¯s the first day of the week so the menu should only have neutral, earth, and fire aligned meals, and of those only the Pebble Back Boar needs to be served on anything special.¡± ¡°You need special plates to serve Pebble Back Boar?¡± Zhang Wuli had heard of Pebble Back Boar before. It was a relatively common Yin Earth aligned Spirit Beast that was found in the countryside. He had never eaten one himself as his family was far too poor to eat meat regularly much less the meat of a Spirit Beast, but even so he knew people who knew people who had eaten Spirit Beast meat and none of them had mentioned anything like this. Li Bo favoured him with a wry grin and a raised eyebrow. ¡°What, did you think being a Spirit Chef was as simple as boiling rice? A real Spirit Chef has to think about the meal from the start to finish!¡± The clatter of plates alerted Wuli to another stack of dirty dishes being added to his station. There were three more Sunset Basalt plates in the stack. Zhang Wuli quickly resumed washing. ¡°Is it really so complicated? I¡¯ve never cooked a Spirit Meal but isn¡¯t it just cooking with Spirit Arts?¡± Zhang Wuli asked Wen Ai laughed uproariously behind them, briefly stopping his washing as he clutched his stomach. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re definitely a novice. Its good that you¡¯ve never cooked a Spirit Meal with that kind of attitude, or you definitely would have wasted the ingredients.¡± ¡°Its not like I don¡¯t know how to cook,¡± Zhang Wuli protested, ¡°I prepare all the meals for my family and none of them complain. My roast pork receives high praise every month!¡± Wen Ai only laughed louder, earning a glare from Li Bo before the bearded man turned back to Zhang Wuli ¡°Young Wuli, since you are my station partner now I¡¯ll give you some advice. Don¡¯t let any of the Chefs hear you compare their Spirit Cooking to preparing some roast pork. You¡¯ll only earn yourself a good beating.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Li Bo, save your breath¡± Wen Ai chuckled, ¡°Can¡¯t you see you¡¯re denying this young buck some good fortune? Not everyone can be blessed enough to get a beating from Fairy Meilin.¡± ¡°Ignore the fatty over there,¡± Li Bo continued ¡°Hey...¡± ¡°If you mess up and insult the profession, not even the Head Chef will save you.¡± Zhang Wuli turned this over in his mind. He didn¡¯t understand, but he didn¡¯t need to. Right now his job was washing plates. Wuli reached for a new plate in his pile. It was Sunset Basalt. He hadn¡¯t noticed while they were talking, but over time all the other plates in his stack had been washed and sent away, leaving only a stack of Sunset Basalt plates almost as tall as himself. A quick look around showed that he was the only one of the washers with any of the black plates left¡­did he have all of them? ¡°Young Wuli, why have you stopped?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m just preparing to clean the special plates¡­¡± Li Bo looked at the stack and gave an appreciative nod. ¡°Looking to do the whole thing at once? I didn¡¯t know you were that skilled in fire arts.¡± ¡°N-no I¡­¡± ¡°Of course! With fire arts that good you would have no problem getting the job even without other supporting arts. You must be a specialist.¡± Zhang Wuli hurried to correct Li Bo, but the older man had set down his plates and turned to face him directly. He had a serious look on his face as he continued to speak. ¡°People with your talent don¡¯t come through here too often, normally they get snapped up by industrial fields or get noticed by the sect. If you don¡¯t mind I¡¯d like to see if I can pick up anything while you work, my fire arts have been stagnating lately¡­¡± Zhang Wuli broke out in sweat as Li Bo watched him intently. Specialist? Talent? Wuli couldn¡¯t even match the casual demonstration Li Bo had done earlier! Normally he would have said that immediately, but Li Bo¡¯s words gave him pause. Zhang Wuli was not skilled in fire arts. Even though he could produce a spirit flame and so could grudgingly be said to be able to use them, his skills were below those that even a ten-year-old could be expected to show. This job was simply due to the sincere pleading of his uncle with the Head Chef. The Head Chef was also the owner of the restaurant and as far as Zhang Wuli knew he could hire anyone he wanted. But if one of his more skilled workers took offence would Head Chef Ma Cheng keep him around? ¡°H-ha ha, Li Bo, don¡¯t look at me with that face,¡± Zhang Wuli stammered out, ¡°The truth is that my control is a bit poor. I¡¯m afraid that if I released my arts in his small space it would be too much of a shock.¡± It would be a shock, certainly, and his control was indeed poor. Li Bo frowned at him and glanced around the space. ¡°The space is indeed small but¡­¡± ¡°How about this. You take my Sunset Basalt plates and clean them. In exchange I¡¯ll do double the amount of the other plates and give you some pointers on your flame arts. Agreed?¡± The older man stared at him in silence for a moment then took a step forward. ¡°Zhang Wuli¡­¡± Sweat poured down the young man¡¯s brow as he answered ¡°Y-yes?¡± Li Bo clapped his hand down on Wuli¡¯s shoulder and stared him in the eyes. ¡°Forgive me. You are truly a good man. I won¡¯t call you young Wuli anymore.¡± Zhang Wuli released a breath he didn¡¯t know he was holding. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Without you I would not have a way to complete my work.¡± Li Bo broke out in laughter and a smile split his bushy beard in two. ¡°Let switch sides, its easier to deal with that way. We have to work quickly to pass Wen Ai and the others.¡± The two switched sides amicably. Even while they spoke new plates had been arriving from the front and the piles had grown slightly larger. Zhang Wuli swapped the Basalt plates in his new pile for two each of another type from Li Bo¡¯s as agreed and the two washers returned to work. Chapter 4 Zhang Wuli rubbed his aching hands. He had started working halfway through the day but he still ended up washing several hundred plates in the five hours before the restaurant closed. It was now the evening, and the bright sunlight from the windows had turned to a reddish orange glow that cast the wash room in a soft glow. The flow of plates had finally trickled to a halt just a few minutes ago, but the heat from the kitchen had yet to falter. ¡°Li Bo, is the workload always this heavy?¡± Zhang Wuli addressed his washing station partner. The bearded man was casually cleaning his last plate next to him, the light from the setting sun outside gleaming off his sweaty bald head. ¡°Hmm, not always. It¡¯s a little lighter during the week, but on special order days like today we always see a lot of people.¡± Li Bo placed the clean plate down on his stack and controlled an orb of water to scrub the sink itself as a porter moved the stack to storage. ¡°You¡¯ll have many more days like this in the coming weeks, especially on the first and last days. If you¡¯re going to keep working here you¡¯ll have to work on your physical cultivation a bit.¡± Li Bo punctuated his statement by slapping Zhang Wuli on the back, drawing a pained hiss from the young man. ¡°You¡¯re not too bad for a man your age, but you could stand to do some more work! Even a specialist like you shouldn¡¯t neglect his body.¡± Zhang Wuli laughed nervously in reply. Just like his spiritual cultivation, his physical cultivation was hampered by his blocked channels. In fact, Wuli had never even bothered to learn how to do it! Like Li Bo said, he wasn¡¯t bad for a seventeen-year-old, but all of his strength came from the chores he did to earn his keep and some natural strength from his mother¡¯s side of the family. Most people would not start making great gains in physical cultivation until they were around his age, so it was easy to mistake his lack of strength as him simply being lazy. As time went on however, his condition would be obvious. With their station cleaned up, Li Bo directed him outside through a side door Wuli had seen the porters going through. The door lead to a hallway that stretched from a door at the back of the restaurant to the dining area, with doors to the kitchen and washing room. Before the two could exit the building however, another pair came out behind them. ¡°Li Bo!¡± Wen Ai exclaimed, ¡°Could it be that you are running away from your bet?¡± From the sour look on Li Bo¡¯s face, he had been attempting to do just that. ¡°Of course not Wen Ai! I was just getting some fresh air while we waited for you and Ding Da.¡± The man named Ding Da glanced between Zhang Wuli and Li Bo with a dubious expression. Unlike Wen Ai, Ding Da was muscular and fit with square and flat features. He looked like a brick wall came to life and started to wash plates. ¡°The others have things to do tonight,¡± Ding Da rumbled in low baritone, ¡°so it will be just us four.¡± ¡°Look happy Li Bo, you¡¯ll only have to buy two extra drinks¡± Wen Ai chortled out. With that the group headed towards the back door, Zhang Wuli sheepishly following behind. There was no question that Zhang Wuli¡¯s speed had caused them to lose the bet. While he had started strong, after the first fifty plates the other veterans started pulling ahead and soon Wen Ai had cleared the one hundred plate limit. The back door led straight outdoors and right unto the roof of the neighbouring building. Despite this, the small group were not the only people out here, and a steady flow of foot-traffic moved from roof to roof without pause.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Eternal Flame city was perched halfway up a mountain and ran all the way around it. While normally a city would not have formed like this, in this case there was no choice. Eternal Flame Peak was the strongest source of natural spirit energy for hundreds of miles and the Eternal Flame Sect for which the city and mountain were named occupied the entire upper half of the landmark. A thick blanket of unnatural clouds divided the upper half of the mountain from the lower half and kept the majority of the spirit energy behind it. What little escaped through the barrier grew weaker and weaker as it flowed down to the base. As a result, every inch of space below the barrier on the mountainside was filled with buildings. Any small space was filled with whatever could fit until the spirit energy became too weak to fight over. As a result buildings were pressed together, roofs became walkways, and the city was naturally divided into building layers with stairways allowing people go to up and down. There were even some businesses that could only be reached by walking through a completely unrelated building! Unless one had the strength or money to secure themselves room, they would simply have to get used to working in cramped spaces. The restaurant was located just a few layers below the cloud barrier on the western side of the mountain. While it meant that it would be dark in the mornings as the sun rose on the other side, the restaurant¡¯s customers could enjoy beautiful sights as the day drew to a close. The setting sun bathed the city in light and reflected light from the cloud barrier caused the sunlight to last far longer than it otherwise would have. It allowed Zang Wuli to see the lower third of the mountain quite clearly as he stepped out into the city. Slums took up the lower third of the mountain. The spirit energy barely existed that far from the peak, but it was the best option many people had. Ramshackle houses and tents surrounded the city like a skirt, soaking up what little dregs of spirit energy they could and making ends meet by working in the city. It was in those slums that Zhang Wuli had grown up all his life. ¡°Zhang Wuli, you¡¯re coming to drink with us, right?¡± Li Bo¡¯s question pulled his eyes from the slums back towards the waiting group. Li Bo, Wen Ai, and Ding Da stood in a line by the closest stairway down, waiting for a chance to join the flow. He winced and felt his pockets, knowing there was nothing in them. ¡°Sorry Li Bo, I¡¯ll have to pass tonight. I didn¡¯t bring any money with me today.¡± Li Bo waved him off idly. ¡°Forget about that. How could we brothers let you miss our first drink together for something like money?¡± ¡°Besides, Li Bo is already buying the first round!¡± Wen Ai declared ¡°Come on, we need to hurry if we want a good spot.¡± Ding Da rumbled. Zhang Wuli made a few more attempts to refuse, but gave in as the three men pulled him by the shoulders and joined the flow of people going lower in the city. The trio moved confidently, stepping off the stairway after three levels only to join a different set of stairs where they made their way up once more. It continued in this fashion for a while, with the three men making enough twists and turns that Zhang Wuli was hopelessly lost by the time they arrived at a cheap looking building somewhere between the twelfth and fifteenth level. The trio went inside without pause, pulling Zhang Wuli with them and the scent of cooking meat hit his nose. ¡°We left a restaurant to go to a restaurant?¡± Zhang Wuli asked with confusion. This tiny building was several levels below where they had come from. ¡°Ha! You think we can afford to eat at Ma Cheng¡¯s?¡± Wen Ai asked ¡°The cheapest thing on that menu would bankrupt me twice over.¡± ¡°A Spirit Chef¡¯s food is made with expensive ingredients. Only the wealthy and full sect members could afford to eat such things daily.¡± Li Bo chided ¡°For normal workers like us, normal food will have to do.¡± Zhang Wuli recalled the Pebble Back Boar on the menu and was forced to agree in his mind. He realized with a start that he had no idea what else the restaurant cooked. He would find out later. The restaurant they had just entered was cramped, with barely enough space between tables for a single person to shuffle past. The owner had somehow crammed twelve tables in a space meant for six at most and still managed to surround them with chairs. Each table had a shallow, blackened depression in the middle. Even so the place was almost full of people and the group of four barely managed to get a table when another group slipped out. ¡°Ha ha, thin beef, thin beef, thinly sliced beef.¡± Wen Ai cheered ¡°When you go out to drink you have to have thin beef, right? Bartender, eight servings of beef here and four house specials.¡± ¡°Hey! I¡¯m not buying the meat. We only agreed on drinks.¡± Li Bo cautioned ¡°Don¡¯t be so stingy. This is Zhang Wuli¡¯s first day and so we have to give him a proper welcome. That means beef!¡± As Wen Ai spoke, a man squeezed his way through the tables and placed a thin metal tray, four sets of chopsticks, and four cups of a cloudy liquid before the group. On the tray were 8 slices of raw beef so thin Wuli could see the metal through them at places. Li Bo looked at the beef and audibly swallowed. ¡°Fine, but any more than this and you buy it yourself! Come let¡¯s set up the grill.¡± Li Bo grabbed the tray and put it above the blackened depression, fitting it firmly above it so it wouldn¡¯t slide around. Zhang Wuli quickly realized that they were supposed to cook the meal themselves. Zhang Wuli gave out the chopsticks and drinks to the others while Li Bo set up, but when he looked around he realized something was missing. ¡°Li Bo, what about the coal?¡± The bearded man smiled. ¡°Coal? You won¡¯t find anything like that here. This is one of the cheapest places in the city that serves food and drink where you don¡¯t have to worry about the origin. In exchange for the cost they only provide the bare minimum and the rest you¡¯ll have to do yourself¡­¡± Li Bo snapped his fingers instantly filling the space below the grill with wavering flames. ¡°¡­using Spirit Arts.¡± Chapter 5 ¡°Really? Are you playing with me Li Bo?¡± Zhang Wuli asked ¡°I find it hard to believe that any place in the city would require you to be a Spirit Chef just to have a meal.¡± Wen Ai laughed, shaking his head as he organized the beef on the tray. The thin metal heated up almost immediately when exposed to Li Bo¡¯s spirit flame, and the meat began to sizzle. ¡°Zhang Wuli, I thought I told you earlier that mere cooking with Spirit Flame was not Spirit Cooking.¡± Li Bo replied with a sigh, ¡°Anyone can control some flame to heat up meat. If it was that easy would the profession of Spirit Chef exist?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°What do you think a Spirit Chef does?¡± Ding Da asked Wen Ai produced a small bag from inside his robes as Zhang Wuli thought about his answer, opening it to reveal several tightly-sealed finger sized bottles. Each bottle was filled with a different liquid or powder and he fingered through them for a moment before pulling out two, one filled with white crystals and the other filled with black powder. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just that?¡± he answered meekly, at last. ¡°How did you get a job with Ma Cheng if you don¡¯t even know this much?¡± Wen Ai asked. He broke the seals on the tiny bottles and lightly sprinkled some of the contents on the sizzling meat. ¡°It¡¯s not so simple.¡± Li Bo continued with a shake of his head, ¡°This is a good opportunity to show you the difference. Wen Ai do you have any Blacksteel Root?¡± The rotund man jerked in surprise and glared at Li Bo. ¡°Li Bo, I¡¯ll thank you to not have any designs on my ingredient stash. Do you know how much trouble I went through to get these?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one that said we shouldn¡¯t be stingy? This is for Zhang Wuli¡¯s welcome and development. You already gave some salt and pepper, what¡¯s a little Blacksteel Root more?¡± Wen Ai snorted like an angry bull and swept up his small bag, replacing the salt and pepper bottles in them. ¡°If I use them up now, what will happen when I need some later?¡± ¡°Brother Ai, stop being difficult.¡± Ding Da interrupted, ¡°We can pick up some more on the way back tomorrow.¡± ¡°Aya, betrayed by my own station partner. Fine, but don¡¯t blame me if you¡¯re blocked up and we don¡¯t have any on hand!¡± Wen Ai declared. With that, he produced a bottle of Blacksteel Root from his bag and passed it to Li Bo before returning his attention to the meat. Li Bo unsealed the bottle and poured out a number of small black thorns. With deft fingers he coiled up half the slices of meat into tight rolls and pierced them through with a single thorn each to hold the roll together. Zhang Wuli watched in growing alarm as the brisk trade concluded and Li Bo lifted the tray up to put the rolls of beef directly into the spirit flame underneath. ¡°H-hey, isn¡¯t Blacksteel Root a Spirit Herb? Can you really use something like that here?¡± ¡°Blacksteel Root is a Spirit Herb only in name,¡± Ding Da interrupted, ¡°It is actually the seed of the Tier 1 Spirit Herb Blacksteel Rose. If allowed to mature the seeds would naturally accumulate qi before falling off and drilling into the earth to become the roots for another full Blacksteel Rose.¡± ¡°When the Rose is harvested before the seeds can mature,¡± he continued, gesturing at the bottle of black thorns, ¡°they become like this. You can get them cheaply from the Alchemy shops on the third level.¡± Zhang Wuli breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°I only knew it was a Spirit Herb. To me all such things are hard to get, I never would have expected there to be a cheap and plentiful Spirit Herb¡± ¡°Not if you tell everyone in earshot where to get them¡± Wen Ai grumbledUnauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Raw Blacksteel Root is only good for dealing with stomach aches.¡± Ding Da replied as he crossed his arms before his chest, ¡°It is too tough to eat without at least a Foundation Establishment Cultivation, and by that time it would already be useless. Even if everyone in the city knew where to get them the shops would still be overflowing.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better hope so!¡± Wen Ai snapped. ¡°If I can¡¯t get any next time¡­ hmph! Watch your back. In any case, here the beef is ready.¡± Wen Ai flipped the four slices of beef remaining on the tray one last time before the four men reached out with their chopsticks and each grabbed a piece and began to eat. The beef had been seared on the tray and as such the outside was crisp and the inside was soft and chewy. Without a doubt it would have been juicy on the inside if it wasn¡¯t so thin. As it was it only just avoided being dry but the salt and pepper drew out the taste. Wen Ai made a displeased face and took a sip from his drink. ¡°Not bad, not bad. I left it on too long but the Kumis helps the final score. Take a sip.¡± Zhang Wuli complied eagerly taking a drink of the cloudy liquid. The first thing he noticed is that the drink was chilled and slightly sour, with a mild alcoholic bite. As he drank, the flavour transformed in his mouth until it was a smooth, refreshing coolness that danced down his throat. ¡°This is pretty good!¡± Zhang Wuli exclaimed, taking another gulp. ¡°Don¡¯t finish it all, you¡¯ll need it for the next part.¡± Li Bo cautioned. The bald-headed man placed his chopsticks aside and took a quick gulp of his Kumis before he returned his focus to controlling the spirit flame. The metal tray jumped and rattled as Li Bo continued his work hidden from view. ¡°Hasn¡¯t it been too long already?¡± Zhang Wuli asked. The beef they just ate had been cooked for just over ten minutes. With how thin it was any longer would have had the beef begin to burn. The rolls Li Bo made had continued cooking as they ate and would surely turn into bits of fragrant charcoal if he continued. ¡°Ha! Just watch and wait. I¡¯ll show you something good!¡± Li Bo cackled. ¡°Zhang Wuli, what Li Bo is doing now is using the principles of Spirit Cooking.¡± Wen Ai spoke up. He was slowly sipping his Kumis as he watched Li Bo at work. ¡°This beef is normal beef, but even though Blacksteel Root is a weak Spirit Herb, it still barely qualifies for these techniques.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t Blacksteel Root too tough to eat?¡± Ding Da snorted in amusement before adopting a lecturing tone. ¡°Blacksteel root is a Yang-Metal aligned Spirit Herb. When consumed raw it strengthens the stomach and can suppress nausea. Due to its toughness it is impossible for mortals to consume without hurting themselves, but with Spirit Cooking you can make use of it as an additive.¡± Ding Da dipped his finger in his drink and used the wet digit to draw five small circles on the table before connecting them with one larger circle. ¡°By the principles of Wu Xing, we understand the basic interactions between the five elements. Fire creates Earth, Earth bears Metal, Metal collects Water, Water nourishes Wood, and Wood feeds Fire.¡± He dipped his finger in the bowl one more time and drew lines between the circles, connecting each one to the two that were not directly next to it. ¡°There are other interactions, but only two are important right now. Fire destroys Metal, and Metal collects Water. Li Bo will use his flame to overcome the metal element in the Blacksteel Root and release its spirit energy into the meat. This is too simple to be called real Spirit Cooking but it should give you a taste.¡± ¡°Well, Ding Da has ruined the surprise but I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Li Bo sighed ¡°Come on, it¡¯s just about ready.¡± Li Bo snapped his fingers and the now glowing red hot plate rose up half and inch on a wobbling cloud of fire, exposing four crisp rolls of meat shimmering with green flame. Wen Ai moved instantly, grasping each roll with his chopsticks and flipping them up unto the tray with deft movements. As soon as they were in place, Li Bo cut the flame and the plate clattered to the surface of the table. ¡°Quickly, before the energy escapes. Use the drink if its too hot.¡± Li Bo said. He grasped the meat with his chopsticks before plopping it into his mouth in one piece, Ding Da and Wen Ai quickly following suit. Seeing this, Zhang Wuli immediately joined them. Hot, Hot! A weak spirit flame was still around the meat when Wuli began to chew, but thoughts of pain quickly fled his mind as a tide of flavour burst in his mouth. The meat was crisp and succulent like a side of thick bacon and unlike the earlier set was juicy as well! A smooth, savoury taste danced over his tongue and as he chewed the meat more and more of the flavour was released. He swallowed and as the meat slid down to his stomach he felt the faint tickle of qi trying to fill his channels. The tiny thread of qi from the meal filled him with warmth before encountering his blocked channels and faltering. After a moment, the qi flowed out of his body and dissipated into the environment. Zhang Wuli sighed, partly in disappointment and partly in pleasure. While it was sad that his condition blocked the qi, the meal itself was so tasty that he could hardly feel bad about it. With the qi gone, Zhang Wuli was suddenly reminded of the minor burns in his mouth. He quickly gulped down the rest of his Kumis before speaking. ¡°What was that? The meat was so¡­ juicy.¡± Li Bo grinned. ¡°Like Ding Da said, Fire destroys Metal and Metal collects Water. Basic transformation like this is one of the basic building blocks of Spirit Cooking. It¡¯s no big secret.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no secret, but that doesn¡¯t mean everyone can do it.¡± Wen Ai grudgingly admitted, ¡°Li Bo is the best among our little group at this thing. One could say he is halfway to being a Spirit Chef already.¡± A boisterous laugh cut across the cramped space, drawing the eyes of everyone in the restaurant. A wild-eyed man in dusty clothes sat with two other similarly dressed men a few tables away from Zhang Wuli and the others. He clapped his hands together in a mocking applause as he glared in their direction. ¡°Ah, a half-step to Spirit Chef already, Li Bo? Your star is indeed bright.¡± The man shouted. Zhang Wuli glanced at Li Bo. Did he know this madman? Li Bo was frowning, all signs of his earlier enjoyment gone as he glared in the man¡¯s direction. Wen Ai swiftly grabbed the bottle of Blacksteel Root and slid it back into his pouch before securing the entire thing back in his robes. ¡°In fact, such an exalted countenance shouldn¡¯t be eating among us mere mortals. A half-step Spirit Chef!¡± The wild-eyed man shouted again before breaking into laughter once more. The patrons eating at the tables next to his quickly scarfed down whatever they had, placed a couple coins on the table and squeezed their way out of the restaurant. As if waiting on a signal, other groups in the restaurant began to do the same, quickly making their way out of the cramped space with the laughing madman. ¡°Li Bo, what¡¯s happening? Who is this?¡± Zhang Wuli asked as the groups began to trail out. Soon their two groups were the only ones remaining, the bartender had seemingly vanished into thin air. ¡°Li Bo!¡± The man interrupted, angrily slamming his fist against his table, ¡°How could you bring someone new here and not tell him who told you about it! Hurry up and introduce us.¡± Li Bo rolled his eyes and gestured dismissively at the man. ¡°That loud fool over there is Chang Biren. He and his brothers work in the Earth¡¯s Blood Mines.¡± Chapter 6 Eternal Flame Mountain belonged entirely to the sect. From the highest point on the main peak to the lowest foothill and even the surrounding countryside, all the land had been claimed as their territory. The city was only allowed to exist because the residents provided services that the sect considered beneath their own action. One such service was the Earth¡¯s Blood Mines. The Earth¡¯s Blood Mines were one of several mining operations pursued in the sect¡¯s territory, but they were by far the largest and most lucrative. They exceeded other mining operations by such a degree that if you mentioned ¡®the mines¡¯, the listener would automatically assume you were talking about the Earth¡¯s Blood Mines. This was because the mines were the primary source of the titular Earth¡¯s Blood. Earth¡¯s Blood was a low-grade, Fire-aligned spirit stone found in the depths of the earth near magma flows. In terms of power, raw Earth¡¯s Blood was barely Tier 1 but it was still heavily coveted because it was one of the only terrestrial sources of Yang Fire, and by far the most numerous and easy to acquire. Yang Fire spirit stones were otherwise only found by chance in unique situations or extracted in miniscule amounts over time from sunlight. As could be guessed about a material that was found near magma flows, Earth¡¯s Blood was not easy to harvest. Mining was a dangerous operation and a miner being cooked by accidentally breaking into a magma vein or getting caught in a cave-in was a common story. To be a successful miner one had to be confident enough in their Earth Spirit Arts to keep themselves alive. When Zhang Wuli heard that this wild looking man and his brothers were Earth¡¯s Blood miners, he saw him in a new light. Self-empowerment was a common Earth Art and one that was necessary for miners. No matter what this man looked like, he was probably way stronger than Zhang Wuli. ¡°That¡¯s right! I am a miner, my brothers are miners, and everyone that eats here is a miner!¡± Chang Biren declared. ¡° Li Bo, I¡¯ve overlooked your actions since you and your friends used to be like us but you can¡¯t bring non-miners here.¡± Li Bo rolled his eyes and scratched at his beard dismissively. ¡°Chang Biren, what is this really about? It has been six months since we parted ways and the first time we meet again you¡¯re trying to start trouble?¡± Chang Biren sprung to his feet and stalked over towards Wuli and the others menacingly, not bothering to hide his wrathful grin in the least. ¡°Ah! You got me Li Bo. I really am here to cause trouble. You see my brothers and I just lost a big vein to some idiot causing a collapse. It¡¯s going to take weeks to dig down to our spot again and until we won¡¯t be able to make any money. So we miners are going to monopolize this place.¡± ¡°Biren, don¡¯t do anything rash!¡± Li Bo shouted. ¡°Oh you still have the guts to talk back? I¡¯ll show you just how rash I am willing to be¡­¡± Suddenly Chang Biren drew back his fist and threw a punch at Li Bo. CLANGStolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Sizzle Sizzle? Chang Biren looked down in shock at the glowing red metal plate that had blocked his attack. Zhang Wuli held the cooking plate with a corner of his shirt, putting it between the two men. ¡°Kid, how could you!¡± Chang Biren cried out in pain. Li Bo flashed a grin and cocked his fist back for a heavy punch. ¡°Nice work, Brother Wuli! SMACK Li Bo¡¯s fist sent Chang Biren stumbling backwards across the little restaurant into the arms of his brothers. ¡°It looks like your head is full of rocks Biren, can¡¯t you count? There are three of you and four of us and you dare start a fight?¡± Li Bo shouted. Chang Biren stood up with tears of pain and rage in his eyes, shaking his hands to banish the heat. ¡°It¡¯s you who can¡¯t count, Li Bo. I only count three.¡± Li Bo turned in confusion to look at his colleagues. Zhang Wuli, Ding Da¡­ at some point Wen Ai had disappeared. ¡°Get them!¡± Chang Biren shouted. The Chang brothers charged across the space and Wuli quickly pulled off his shirt and wrapped it around his hands. He gripped the hot plate and brandished it ahead of him like a shield just in time to stop a fist from striking him. CLANG Sizzle ¡°AH! Why you!¡± His opponent, one of the other Chang brothers, shouted. He grimaced in pain and ducked to the right before swinging a wild haymaker at Zhang Wuli with his other hand. CLANG Sizzle ¡°Stop doing that!¡± He shouted, tears in his eyes. ¡°Why? You stop trying to punch me!¡± Zhang Wuli declared The man stood back, shaking the pain from his hands while looking for a way around Zhang Wuli. Everywhere he looked, Zhang Wuli moved the hot plate in the way before he could move. Zhang Wuli¡¯s opponent snorted and grabbed two nearby chairs, holding them up with an evil grin. With a shout he swung them at Zhang Wuli. CLANG CLANG Zhang Wuli desperately blocked the swinging chairs with the hot plate, but the thin and cheap metal was already beginning to bend after just two strikes. The third strike wrenched it from his hands and the fourth smashed into his side and sent him staggering across the restaurant to crash into the bar. Zhang Wuli hissed in pain and reached over the bar blindly, trying to find a weapon as the Chang brother stalked across the small space towards him. He felt something get thrust into his hand and threw it at the man immediately. The thrown bottle of lukewarm liquor smacked his opponent right in the face, knocking him out cold and buying Zhang Wuli some time to think. Across the room, Li Bo and Chang Biren were slugging each other in the face and chest with wild abandon, neither willing to back down. Ding Da held the last brother away from him with one hand, the giant of a man easily treating his opponent like a toddler. ¡°Nice throw, Zhang Wuli. That should take him out for a bit.¡± Zhang Wuli turned at the voice and saw Wen Ai crouched behind the small bar counter. The round man was sipping on his cup of kumis idly as he peeped at the ongoing scuffle through a hole in the wood. ¡°Wen Ai!¡± he hissed angrily, ¡°Why are you hiding back here!¡± Wen Ai only glanced at him with disdain, taking a moment to sip his kumis before answering. ¡°This senior is carrying plenty of expensive ingredients, do you think I can afford to get into a fight? Besides, just these three can¡¯t overcome Li Bo.¡± Wen AI gestured at the fight vaguely before taking another sip. SMASH Chang Biren made a beautiful arc through the air as he flew back from Li Bo¡¯s uppercut and crashed into his remaining brother. Ding Da grabbed them both and tossed them in a heap with easy motions. It looked like Wen Ai hadn¡¯t been needed after all. Li Bo was covered in bruises, but he still had a smile on his face as he dusted himself off. ¡°Hmph, next time you decide to start something bring some more men with you. I couldn¡¯t even get a good warm up.¡± A groan from the pile on the floor was his only answer. ¡°Li Bo, we should leave before the city guard shows up.¡± Ding Da rumbled. ¡°Right, right. Let¡¯s head back.¡± Zhang Wuli rose to a standing position and immediately hissed in pain and grabbed his side. Even without using any spiritual energy, the miner had a way higher physical cultivation than he did. ¡°Brother Wuli, are you injured? Ding Da go take a look.¡± Before Zhang Wuli could say anything Ding Da had already come over and placed a hand on his side. Zhang Wuli hissed in pain once more as his nerves lit up like fireworks. ¡°Mmh, fractured rib. Not too bad, but this will interfere with his work if we leave it be, we should bring him to Madame Ming¡¯s for healing.¡± Ding Da rumbled. ¡°Ah, no. I¡¯m pretty tough. I should be fine after a rest.¡± Zhang Wuli quickly replied. He couldn¡¯t even pay for a meal, how would he pay to be healed? ¡°Brother Wuli,¡± Li Bo interrupted, ¡°I asked Ding Da to take a look because he¡¯s training to become a physician. If he says it will interfere with your work, you should believe him. Come now, we will pay for a session, it won¡¯t take long to complete.¡± The two argued back and forth for a short while, but eventually Li Bo won out and Zhang Wuli agreed to get healed. With that settled, the group left the restaurant and headed out into the night.