Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The Food Cauldron Celestial Book, Ten Years Late

In the latter half of the night, the drizzling spring rain continued to linger in the air, falling until dawn.

Chen Xu didn’t even know when he fell asleep, lost somewhere between dreams and reality, seeming to have a head full of bizarre dreams.

At one moment, he dreamt that he passed the imperial exams with high honors, riding through the streets, taking in the blooming flowers of Chang’an in a single day;

At another moment, he dreamt that he was led by a fairy into a cold, misty desolate mountain, where a Fox Girl was pressing him to get married with her;

In an instant, he felt he had become a demon, barging into the Ghost Market.

On the dim and ghostly long street, with ghost fires flickering, demons and spirits coming and going, the things for sale included corpse oil, Painted Skin, decayed maggots, and blood-dripping straw figures. There were also Evil Ghost tears, human skin lanterns, and skull goblets…

Chen Xu awoke with a start.

His heart was pounding, almost leaping out of his chest.

He leaned by the window, listening to the various sounds from South Market Avenue in the distance, as well as the sound of quarreling between husbands and wives in the neighboring homes, the clattering of pots and pans, the cries of children…

The human world’s greed, anger, and infatuation, on the contrary, pulled him back into the Mortal World.

Chen Xu took a long breath, finally calming his heart and clearing his thoughts.

It was a dream, thank goodness.

He picked up his cane, deciding to first check the kitchen.

To see if… there really was a Mouse Demon!

In the kitchen, everything seemed unchanged from how he had tidied up after making dinner the night before.

Except for the stove, which was faintly warm, and the bowl covered with bamboo strips on the counter, the bowl of white porridge had vanished without a trace.

And beside the empty porridge bowl, there was now an added piece of grayish-brown tree bark, about half the size of a palm!

Seeing this piece of tree bark, Chen Xu was initially stunned, then he remembered what the Mouse Demon said the night before: “Place the Worry-Free Robe on the stove.”

So the so-called Worry-Free Robe turned out to be a piece of tree bark.

Earlier, just hearing the name, Chen Xu had thought it was some kind of Magical Treasure or Magical Robe.

But thinking about it, if that night’s Mouse Demon was really so powerful, easily giving away a Magical Treasure, why would it sneak around at midnight to steal, steal… swap for porridge?

Somehow, discovering that what the Mouse Demon gave was just a small piece of bark, Chen Xu not only wasn’t disappointed, but actually felt a light relief.

He leaned slightly to study the bark, pondering how to handle it when suddenly a message popped up in front of him.

[Worry-Free Robe, bark from a hundred-year-old peach tree, carries a weak anti-evil effect when carried, can be ground into powder for sterilization when ingested.]

Chen Xu blinked, and the message disappeared; the moment he focused again, it reappeared.

Chen Xu immediately realized he had gained a remarkable ability, and quickly attempted to inspect all the items around him. He concluded that this ability could be called [I Can See All Food Entries]!

Yes, all “food,” including some items edible in unconventional senses.

For example, the salt in the jar, entry reads: [Crude salt, salty and bitter, harmless in small amounts, toxic in excess.]

Another example, the ashes beneath the iron pot, entry reads: [Pot ashes, poor quality Hundred Herbs Frost, has mild hemostatic effect whether ingested or applied externally.]

Even pot ashes had an entry, showing the wide range of “edible” items the entry covered.

Immediately, Chen Xu’s mind filled with countless thoughts, and his previously gloomy mood began to stir slightly.

But thinking there might still be a demon lurking somewhere in the house, he quickly controlled his rising emotions.

He walked back and forth in the kitchen, feigning surprise, saying, “Eh, why is the porridge gone? Did I remember wrong?”

He casually pocketed the tree bark from the stove into his sleeve, then set the porridge bowl aside.

[Worry-Free Robe], it can ward off evil, the Mouse Demon was thoughtful.

Returning a favor with a favor, Chen Xu immediately lit a fire, preparing to make breakfast.

With not many ingredients available, Chen Xu once again boiled a pot of white rice porridge.

Then he cracked five eggs, grabbed a handful of flour, mixed them with water, added some salt and lard, and made ten thin, soft egg pancakes.

The mixture of eggs and lard was instantly triggered by the high heat to release a marvelous aroma.

The young child in the neighboring eastern household had a particularly keen nose, and immediately cried out by the wall, “Grandma, Grandma, Stone wants egg pancakes, egg pancakes smell so good!”

As soon as the cries were out, a head with white hair popped up by the east wall of Chen Xu’s courtyard, it was an old lady, shouting towards Chen Xu’s kitchen, “Scholar, Chen Shusheng, how did you make these egg pancakes? Why do they smell so fragrant?”

[Like +1]

[Like +1]

…

Chen Xu was stunned in the kitchen.

It turned out that not only did the Mouse Demon liking his food trigger a notification, but ordinary people’s praises also triggered a notification!

What on earth was going on? What exactly were the uses of these likes?

With this in mind, Chen Xu immediately stepped out of the kitchen, smiling at the old lady on the wall, saying, “Good morning, Mistress Lai. You say my egg pancakes smell fragrant? Are they really fragrant?”

Mistress Lai’s eyes rolled around nimbly, her face full of wrinkles bunching together, licking her lips before saying, “Fragrant, they truly are fragrant! With such fragrance, Chen Shusheng, are you going to share some with us?”

[Like +1]

[Like +1]

[Like +1]

Three consecutive likes popped up, and on the other side of the wall, the Lai family’s little child called out anxiously, “Grandma, I want some too! I want the fragrant egg pancakes, Stone wants some!”

[Like +1]

[You’ve collected 10 likes, Qi Blood +1]

[Food Cauldron Celestial Book activated]

Chen Xu’s vision suddenly blurred slightly, and he immediately felt a primitive bamboo scroll, as if from another corner of a distant space and time.

It was both real and unreal, both true and illusory, gradually unfolding in the void before Chen Xu!

Startled, Chen Xu’s first reaction was to turn back to look at Mistress Lai leaning over the wall.

He worried she might see the Food Cauldron Celestial Book before his eyes.

But before this worry could manifest, a strange intuition in the darkness informed Chen Xu that the Celestial Book was his personal treasure, only he could know, could see, and could use it.

Mistress Lai continued to stare at Chen Xu with eyes full of appetite, almost drooling.

Seeing Chen Xu not replying, she urged again, “Chen Shusheng, your pancakes, where are they? My family’s Stone wants to eat them too!”

Normally, Chen Xu would never agree to easily share pancakes with Mistress Lai, this sticky neighbor like a plaster.

But this time was different, he turned and went back to the kitchen, bringing out two egg pancakes on a plate.

He limped, moving slowly, and midway, Mistress Lai kept calling, “Chen Shusheng, Chen Shusheng?”

Chen Xu brought the plate to the wall, with a half-smile saying, “Mistress Lai, no need to be so anxious, the road always has an end, no need to compete for a snail’s place.”

Mistress Lai’s eyes were already glued to the egg pancakes, where could she still hear what Chen Xu was saying?

She scrambled at the wall, neck stretched long like a hanged duck, arms reaching to grab the pancakes.

“What snail’s place, snail’s fight, scholars’ words are really hard to understand. Ah, these pancakes smell so good! Quick, reach them out, scholar, stretch your hands further!”

[Like +1]

Chen Xu slightly moved his hand, keeping the plate half a foot from Mistress Lai’s claw-like hand.

“Mistress Lai, are the egg pancakes truly fragrant?”

“Fragrant, fragrant, fragrant! Quick, give them to me!”

[Like +1]

Chen Xu lifted the plate a bit higher, and Mistress Lai finally reached out her fingers and snatched the two pancakes from the plate in an instant.

She exerted too much force, causing herself to fall backwards over the wall, and through the wall, Chen Xu heard a thud.

“Ouch!” Mistress Lai fell to the ground, her voice gleeful and distorted despite any pain, “Delicious! The pancakes smell so good, so tasty! Stone wants some too!”

[Like +1]

[You’ve gathered 10 likes, Qi Blood +1]

[Food Cauldron Celestial Book activated]

Chen Xu’s vision suddenly shifted slightly, and he immediately felt an ancient bamboo scroll, as if coming from the other end of faraway time and space.

It seemed both real and surreal, slowly unfolding before his eyes, in the void of this very moment!

Startled, Chen Xu’s first reaction was to turn his head to look at Mistress Lai, who was hanging onto the wall.

He worried she would see the Food Cauldron Celestial Book open before him.

But before that worry could manifest, he somehow inexplicably knew: the Food Cauldron Celestial Book was a treasure of his own, visible only to him.

Mistress Lai’s eyes were still glued to the pancakes beyond Chen Xu’s incantations.

Seeing Chen Xu not replying, she exclaimed joyfully, her voice twisting with excitement, “Fragrant! The pancakes are truly fragrant, delicious! Stone wants some, they smell so good, Stone wants some!”

[Like +1]

Behind the wall, the little child from the Lai Family was noisily exclaiming, “Grandma, grandma, Stone wants egg pancakes, they smell so good!”

[Like +1]

[You have gathered 10 likes, Qi Blood +1]

[Food Cauldron Celestial Book unlocked]

Once again, Chen Xu’s vision trembled slightly, and he immediately perceived an ancient scroll, seemingly emerging from another distant time and space.

It seemed both real and illusory, gradually unfolding in front of Chen Xu now and in the void!

Startled, Chen Xu’s first instinct was to check and see if Mistress Lai, who was perched on the wall, could see the Food Cauldron Celestial Book on his end.

But even before this anxiety could take hold, an inexplicable sense of understanding dawned on him: the Food Cauldron Celestial Book was a treasure that belonged solely to him, one that only he could know about, could see, and could use!

Mistress Lai’s stare had already been stuck on the egg pancakes, her wrinkled face crumpling together, her tongue licking her lips as she said, “Fragrant! Indeed fragrant! They smell so good. Chen Shusheng, will you give us some?”

[Like +1]

Chen Xu slightly shifted his hand, keeping the plate just inches from Mistress Lai’s claw-like hand as she stretched to snatch them.

“Give give give! Hurry, give it to me!” she cried out excitedly.

[Like +1]

Mistress Lai stretched out her arm and, giving it too much force, tumbled back down the wall, banging with a thud.

“Ouch!”

Her head popped back over the wall, her eyes were fixed on the egg pancakes as if she hadn’t heard a word Chen Xu had said.

“Smells so good! These pancakes smell so delicious, taste so good! Little Stone wants them too!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep