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The delicacies of Guanzhong had a long history.
As the capital city for several generations, cooks from all directions gathered in Chang'an, bringing together the mountain and sea treasures of Jiuzhou, not only of great variety but also with intricate culinary details.
The staple foods, apart from noodle soup and flatbread, also included Qingjing Rice from the south. This rice was soaked in juice made from the "southern bamboo" and then steamed and sun-dried nine times. The resulting grains were tight and small, black like onyx beads, strengthening the body and enhancing the complexion, making one white after prolonged use.
There were also rice cakes with more than a dozen ingredients, Qingfeng Rice which cooled the body in the heat, and Jade Well Rice steamed with lotus roots, not to mention locust leaf noodles and cold cherry dumplings.
The preparation of various livestock such as pigs, sheep, cattle, and horses was even more dazzling. Although the capital had moved northward, some of these traditions continued.
In his previous life, Li Yan had been a gourmet, so his culinary skills were naturally good.
Now that the weather had turned hot, some foods weren't suitable for preparation without an ice cellar, and handling half a fatty pig focused on preservation.
Guanzhong smoked meat was best made in the winter and twelfth lunar month, but making it now could easily lead to maggots and spoilage.
However, Li Yan clearly had his methods.
He rendered pork fat, using part for cooking and the rest to seal off large chunks of Five Flowers pork, which preserved them for a long time.
The leftovers were made into braised meat and marinated meat, and there were also dry fried meatballs.
Of course, a basin of fine meat sauce was indispensable.
The fragrant aroma filled the courtyard, enticing the village dogs to pace back and forth outside the gate.
"Scram!"
Li Yan laughed and cursed, "Blind Third comes to the village, and you all get so scared you don't dare to bark, useless things."
Even though he said this, he was still puzzled.
The village dogs were brave enough to confront wolf packs; why then did they let "Blind Third" get into the village?
Unfortunately, the matter had passed, and no one knew the reason.
At noon, they had meat sauce noodles, and in the evening, rice porridge with bread and pork fat-cooked dishes. The grandfather and grandson ate till they were full and sat on the doorstep enjoying the cool breeze, all their worries gone.
Village life was peaceful but also monotonous.
When night fell, except for a few men still on the bed with their wives, the rest of the villagers had turned off their lights and gone to sleep early.
The busy farming season had arrived, and they had to wake up early to work in the fields the next day.
Before long, the entire village was silent.
・ ・ ・
In Widow Wang's house, the main room was dimly lit by candlelight.
In the room, an altar was filled with sacrificial offerings.
On the open ground in front of it were inserted more than a dozen redwood sticks bound with red ropes, forming a circle within which lay a young girl.
The girl, only four years old, was different from the disheveled Widow Wang, as she wore clean clothes and, having rarely seen sunlight, appeared pale and tender.
The girl seemed trapped in a nightmare, her body curled up, face flushed red, eyes tightly shut, and her eyelids trembled ceaselessly, forehead covered in sweat.
She was Widow Wang's daughter.
Widow Wang knelt on the ground, her face pale as she looked worriedly at her daughter, occasionally glancing toward the door.
It seemed she sensed something as she bowed repeatedly with three incense sticks held above her head, muttering,
"Third Aunt bless, Third Aunt bless..."
・ ・ ・
In the side room, Li Yan, who was asleep, suddenly opened his eyes.
He jumped up, somewhat puzzled, and touched his back.
His hand felt icy, yet the surrounding air was burning hot, as if he had touched ice in the scorching heat of summer.
What was going on?
Li Yan's eyes were unpredictable.
He had practiced martial arts for many years, though he had always been unable to break through Hidden Energy due to his age and lack of combat experience. His body perception and control, however, far exceeded that of ordinary people.
If there were any issues, he'd be the first to notice them.
This feeling was very familiar, having appeared once before after he killed the Evil Wolf "Blind Third."
However, it quickly disappeared, making him think it was just an illusion.
Why did it appear again, and so noticeably this time?
Could it be that the creature was unclean, causing him to catch a disease?
Li Yan didn't panic but attempted to use the Substitute Divine Statue.
His treasure could replace any physical body injuries, whether poisoning, knife wounds, or even illnesses, as long as the three Life Fires hadn't gone out, making him almost immortal.
But something strange happened,
the statue didn't function!
His back remained icy cold, even growing colder.
How odd, could it be a psychological problem?
Thud!
Just then, a sound came from outside.
It seemed something was tapping on wooden boards.
Although faint, it was very evident in the quiet night.
Li Yan's sword-like brows furrowed, and he quickly got out of bed, casually put on his pants, took down the Guan Mountain Blade from the wall, and slowly pushed open the door a crack to peer outside.
His movements were silent.
Guanzhong, as peaceful and uneventful as village life might be, was not without danger, wolves being just one of them. More fearsome were the bandits.
Although the Li Family Castle's sole landlord, Village Chief Li, might not have much to plunder, some crazed desperadoes couldn't be ruled out.
And there were some lesser figures from the pugilistic world.
He had heard from his father that in the pugilistic world, the Five Flowers and Five Elements were as diverse as the Eight Professions, with those who honestly carried out their trade and more who specialized in deception and fraud.
The Eight Gates were further divided into the Open Eight Gates and the Dark Eight Sects.
The Open Eight Gates consisted of metal, skin, color, hanging, evaluation, formation, adjustment, and willow, while the Dark Eight Sects referred to hornet, hemp, swallow, sparrow, flower, orchid, centipede, and auspiciousness.
Within the Open Eight Gates, there were people who practiced fortune-telling and Fengshui. Some had genuine skills, while most were charlatans, making a living with eloquence on the streets.
The "hemp" faction of the Dark Eight Sects consisted of lone conmen.
Some would disguise as Taoists and monks, duping wealthy families if they could or otherwise deceiving rural villagers.
They would smear eel blood on your front door to make bats hit the door at night, creating the illusion of ghostly knocks.
They would hide powdered water salt and sulfur within peach blossom paper, replacing your lamp wicks to make candlelight flicker, creating the impression of ghostly extinguishing lights.
In any case, they'd scare you half to death first before pretending to be a sage and swindling money.
The various deceitful tricks in the pugilistic world were truly peculiar and strange.
If they tried to fool him, it'd be an old tortoise eating arsenic, having lived too long and tired of life.
Li Yan sneered inwardly, inspecting outside.
However, under the dim moonlight, there was nothing in the courtyard.
Thud!
When he was in doubt, the sound appeared again.
This time he heard it clearly, emanating from outside the courtyard gate.
The sound was faint, could it be a rat or a cat?
Regardless, Li Yan dared not be careless, narrowing his eyes as dragon-like coldness gleamed, drawing his blade slowly and stealthily approaching the gate.
His blade was incomparably sharp.
If it turned out to be a thief or bandit, it could pierce them through the wooden door!
But as he neared the gate, Li Yan's expression changed instantaneously.
He could feel that outside the door was empty, nothing at all, yet there was a stench, a blend of bloodiness and chill.
The smell was very familiar, exactly "Blind Third!"
Wasn't this creature dead?!
Li Yan felt chills in his heart, goosebumps rising.
Uncertain, he probed again. Though nothing visibly apparent, the pungent scent thickened steeply, full of malignance.
A spirit?
The situation before him was beyond his comprehension.
Although he felt "Blind Third" was peculiar at the time, it ultimately was made of flesh; white blade into the flesh, red blade out, killed it he did.
But now, what to do?
Why would even a creature's menacing spirit seek revenge?
Thud!
The sound occurred once more.
Li Yan paused, raising his head to observe.
This time, he heard more distinctly, emanating from above the courtyard gate, deducing it to be his grandfather's "Hundred Battle Valor" plaque.
At the same time, he caught another scent.
It was the scent of metal and wood, with a hint of incense.
This was a peculiar sensation as metal and wood have no smell, but upon smelling it, Li Yan's first impression was this.
"Blind Third's" stench carried a chill.
Yet the scent of the Hundred Battle Plate, oddly, bore warmth.
Thud!
The collision of the two scents produced the sound again.
Li Yan had an epiphany.
Unexpectedly, the plaque at his home was also a treasure, usually discreet, only activated when malevolent entities approached.
And his bizarre olfactory sense, able to detect unusual scents.
It was certain now it was unrelated to the Substitute Divine Statue, but rather from his predecessor.
What on earth was going on?
Li Yan had sweaty palms, facing this incomprehensible and eerie entity, feeling helpless for the first time, as if his life was beyond his control.
Seemingly sensing his breath, "Blind Third's" stench outside intensified markedly, colliding with the plaque more frequently.
Thud, thud, thud!
The sound was faint, not conspicuous in the night.
But to Li Yan's ears, it pounded like a death knell.
He remained motionless, thinking of his grandfather sleeping inside, not daring to retreat nor risk opening the door, and the sharp Guan Mountain Blade in his hand provided no comfort. He could only hope the "Hundred Battle Valor" plaque could withstand it.
Thud, thud, thud, the sound continuously echoed.
Li Yan felt his back grow colder as if placed against a block of ice, pervading coldness while "Blind Third's" dying malicious gaze persisted in his mind.
A curse?
Li Yan surmised yet couldn't be sure.
Fortunately, he could feel as the two forces clashed, the scents weakened respectively.
Unknowingly, an entire hour passed.
Thud!
Finally, after the final collision, "Blind Third's" stench outside faded gradually, vanishing entirely.
Woof woof woof!
In the darkness, the barking of dogs pierced the silence.
The eerie stillness was thus broken.
Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief, though his expression remained grave.
The chill on his back still lingered...
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