Fruit Farmer In A Cultivation World

Sen Lin was deep in thought. As someone who had lived alone in two different lifetimes, cooking was a skill he had a good grasp of.

In fact, cooking was something he was very passionate about and enjoyed greatly. If he had a status window, he had no doubt that his level in cooking would easily exceed 10.

Still, his skill really didn't help him much in the moment. As the saying went, "Even a skilled housewife cannot cook without rice."

Aside from the food he had stockpiled to last him through winter, he didn't have much else. With such poor ingredients, how was he going to satisfy the two cultivators?

Even as he stood there thinking, he could feel two expectant gazes landing on his back.

After some hesitation, he steeled his heart and brought out the eggs he had saved up throughout the winter. The meal would cost him some eggs but it wasn't enough to burn a hole through his wallet.

Also, he wasn't heartless enough to not look after the guests who had come from afar. It definitely wasn't so that he could create a good impression so he could ask for their help in the future.

Cracking the eggs, he scrambled them on the pan sitting on top of his hearth. Scrambled eggs were definitely a luxury for a village farmer like him but he decided to go all out since he didn't have the confidence to impress them with anything else.

Of course, scrambled eggs alone wouldn't be anything special. However, he wasn't worried. He had a secret weapon.

Opening his self-made drawer that was a bit crooked, he retrieved an old pot. Inside it was mushroom powder he had made from grinding mushrooms left after making mushroom ketchup.

The bright idea had stuck him a while back when he was craving ketchup. Unfortunately, this world didn't have tomatoes. At least he hadn't seen any.

So, instead of making tomato ketchup, Sen Lin opted for mushroom ketchup.

Even back on Earth, mushroom ketchup was something that preceded the more popular tomato ketchup. Though it had lost its popularity later on, even being overtaken by the likes of banana ketchup, it's taste couldn't be underestimated.

Furthermore, taste wasn't the only good thing about mushroom ketchup. As a condiment with historical significance, mushroom ketchup was popular in the olden times not just for its flavor enhancing properties.

The leftover mushrooms could be baked and ground to create mushroom powder – a deeply flavorful spice that satisfied the tastebuds of many during the olden times when normal spice could only be afforded by the wealthy.

Sen Lin sprinkled the mushroom powder on top of the scrambled eggs generously and walked back to his guests.

Liang Zhi and Xiang Lan both took the plates handed to them and began digging in. Seeing their action, Sen Lin's eyes naturally darted to the young woman's side.

She hadn't taken off her veil but was already bringing the food to her mouth. Just as he began wondering if she forgot to take the veil off, her chopstick passed through the veil as if it didn't exist.

His eyes widened in surprise but he quickly composed himself. After reminding himself that the two in front of him were cultivators, he came to accept the ridiculous scene with ease.

Liang Zhi's eyes opened wide as well. But it wasn't because of Xiang Lan's veil but the food in his plate.

The egg was nothing special but the addition of the unknown powder had elevated the dish to a new level. There was no salt added in the eggs but the savory flavor from the powder cut through with just the right amount of kick.

The velvety eggs coupled with the magical condiment's deep umami flavor and slight tanginess took him on a flavor rollercoaster ride. And even after the bite disappeared, a subtle hint of nutty undertone still remained, reminding him of the delicious egg he had just eaten.

The bite made for a culinary experience that was hard to put into words. It lacked the qualities like the spiritual plums and was unable to satisfy his spiritual senses. But that didn't mean this was any worse.

Instead, this left an even bigger impact on him. He had eaten plenty of spiritual fruits before and the plums Sen Lin had grown was just unique for its emphasis on taste that satisfied the spiritual senses of cultivators instead of storing spiritual energy to boost one's cultivation practice.

When consumed by a mortal, though they'd gain slight health benefits, the taste wouldn't differ much from an ordinary plum as they lacked the ability to taste all the flavors the plum had to offer with their spiritual senses that had not yet been awakened.

This magical condiment, on the other hand, was a whole new thing. Even a mortal would be able to appreciate its beauty and experience the divine taste brought by it.

Even Liang Zhi, who had tasted all sorts of delicacies was shocked by it. It was akin to having salted food for the first time. Or eating chili for the first time. Only that the flavor profile was much more complex.

Enamored by the taste, Liang Zhi forgot all about the problems of his master punishing him when he got back or Xiang Lan being unsatisfied with the visit. Right now, the only thing that mattered to him was the scrambled eggs in front of him. Bringing the plate closer to his face, he shoved one mouthful of eggs after another into his mouth.

Before he realized it, the food was all but gone. Though reluctant, he could only put down the plate.

Curious, he turned to the side to look at Xiang Lan. He was curious. What would the prodigy of a spirit chef think of the unknown condiment?

Perhaps because he was looking forward to her reaction, he was disappointed to find her looking normal. But thinking about it made sense. As someone who was said to be one of the continents future master spirit chefs, what sorts of things had she not tasted.

She finished the eggs gracefully before putting down the plate. Without giving Sen Lin a chance to inquire about the purpose of her visit, she spoke in a calm manner.

"The trip has been even more fruitful than I could have ever expected. Thank you for the dish farmer Sen. I'll see you in a week."

Xiang Lan walked away immediately and the stunned Liang Zhi followed after her in a hurry after speaking a few words to Sen Lin.

Soon, the two took off in a paper bird leaving Sen Lin to stand there with a dumbfounded look.

What about my feelings?

Sen Lin, who had planned on asking the two regarding his sudden transformation into a qi condensation cultivator could only swallow his questions. All that was left was a sense of loss for having spent four eggs to curry a favor only to end up empty handed.