A Triumphant Return

Chapter 89 A Triumphant Return

After a while, Nan Xu opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

The nameless swordsman's gift not only gave him over 100,000 points of swordsmanship proficiency, raising his swordsmanship attribute to another level, but also increased his comprehension by a full 5 points!

It's important to know that comprehension is an extremely precious attribute, and there are almost no ways to obtain it.

His previous enlightenment of a life feast only added 5 points to his comprehension.

Important milestones in a chef's growth, such as the "Feast of Life," are always limited in number, and not every dish can enhance one's understanding.

This wisp of sword intent actually boosted his comprehension to the point that it was equivalent to comprehending a feast of life.

This demonstrates the profound depth to which this nameless swordsman's understanding of swordsmanship had reached.

Thinking of this, he stood up and bowed deeply to the white, jade-like skeleton.

"Disciple Nan Xu thanks you, senior!"

After the ceremony, Nan Xu put the Plain Moon Blade back into its box, and then placed the Mysterious Ice Jade Box and the precious blade inside into the Food Treasure Bag.

This time, the jade box and the treasured sword offered no resistance whatsoever, because the sword intent contained within them, after acknowledging Nan Xu, had completely transformed into nourishment for his growth.

Then, he took a deep look at the sword techniques recorded on the stone wall, as if he wanted to engrave them word by word into his mind.

That initial insight only allowed him to touch the threshold of raising "Hundred Flowers in Full Bloom" to the third rank. He still has a long way to go to truly master the essence of this sword technique.

Although he had memorized the key points and made several copies, the insights it brought were ultimately no match for the original text carved with a knife.

That being said, he wouldn't push too hard.

Now that we have the most important thing in our hands, it's time to leave this dark cave.

Nan Xu left the stone wall and walked to the cold pool in the center of the cave.

A smile appeared on his face as he watched the few white fish swimming faintly in the pool.

Even though there were a lot of white fish in the pool, after so many days of taking and consuming them, their numbers had shrunk considerably.

Fortunately, the Cold Pool Whitefish is very prolific, laying tens of thousands of eggs in a single spawning, and can quickly recover to its population size.

"Thank you all for your hard work during this time."

As he spoke, Nan Xu opened the food bag and filled the bag with a large amount of water from the cold pool into the cave.

The hidden space inside the bag was a bare green area, about the size of a courtyard.

He had already dug a small pond in the center of the green space. Now, the cold water from the pool flowed in and naturally followed his intention to enter the pond.

After filling the pond, Nanxu picked up the food bag and stopped filling it.

The water level in the cold pool only dropped slightly and continued to rise, soon returning to its original position.

Nan Xu's actions did not end there. After retrieving the food pouch, he reached into the water again and felt along the stone wall by the pool.

Soon, he touched a soft, white mass.

The mass was composed of countless tiny silvery-white particles, which were none other than the eggs of the Cold Pool Whitefish!

Nan Xu gently lifted it up with her other hand and opened the food bag.

Once the fish eggs were out of the water, Nanxu immediately put them into a bag and placed them in the pond.

With the matter settled, Nan Xu's smile became even brighter.

In this way, as long as he waits for this batch of white fish to hatch and then takes care of them regularly, he can have a continuous supply of Grade 4 ingredients.

During this month and a half, he also caught a lot of whitefish from the cold pool and stored them in his food pouch, enough for him to raise his first batch of fish fry.

Nan Xu tied up the food bag, stretched his limbs, and a look of anticipation appeared on his face.

He'd been eating whitefish every day for over a month. While the deliciousness of whitefish hadn't made him tired of it, it was enough to make him crave the taste of other delicacies.

"What should we eat for our first meal after we arrive in town? —"

With that thought in mind, Nan Xu took a step and walked out of the cave.

With a "thud," Nan Xu put down her chopsticks, let out a long breath, and wiped her mouth with satisfaction.

Chun Yuan Lou truly lives up to its reputation as a long-established local brand in Zhenjiang; the taste of its dishes is guaranteed to be excellent.

The signature Crystal Pork Belly is translucent and has a smooth and chewy texture. Paired with Zhenjiang vinegar and shredded ginger, it is rich in aroma without being greasy, and has a very layered flavor.

Crab roe soup dumplings have paper-thin skins and juicy fillings, with a fresh and sweet taste that is not fishy.

Even the main course, the pot lid noodles, which were the perfect finishing touch, were chewy and smooth, with a delicious broth that left you feeling warm and comfortable afterward.

Nanpeng paid the bill and left in a good mood, leaving the waiter a few pieces of silver as a tip.

"Alright, we've eaten, now it's time to get down to business."

After walking through several streets, Nanxu arrived at the bustling market.

Zhenjiang vinegar is one of the four famous vinegars in China, characterized by its five qualities: color, aroma, acidity, mellowness, and richness. Its acidity is mild and not pungent.

As a chef, having come here, he would definitely not miss this great opportunity to expand his spice collection.

However, Zhenjiang vinegar was not his main purpose in coming here.

"I remember—that blacksmith shop should be around here."

The market was a maze of interconnected pathways, but Nan, relying on his memories from his past life, accurately headed in a certain direction.

I had only taken a few steps when the clanging sound of a hammer striking an anvil reached my ears.

Nan Xu's eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over. Inside the semi-open shop, a blacksmith was shirtless, hammering away at something with all his might, his bronze skin glistening with sweat in the firelight.

Above the blacksmith shop's facade hangs a bronze plaque with the words "Wu's Blacksmith Shop" written on it.

"Wu's Blacksmith Shop—you must be Master Wu, right?" Nan Xu glanced at the blacksmith who was forging iron and asked politely.

When Master Wu saw that a customer had arrived, he slowed down his movements.

"I dare not accept the title of 'master,' it's just the neighbors' kind words." He spoke humbly. "What kind of items would you like to have made?"

Nan Xu got straight to the point: "I would like you to make me a kitchen knife, made of refined iron, and in the most common square-headed style, suitable for both civil and military use."

Then, he took off the plain moon wrapped in cloth from his waist: "Also, I want to equip this knife with two scabbards, one large and one small, both made of cold iron, and wrap the smaller scabbard and handle with sharkskin."

That's right. Even with the fourth-grade treasure sword, Su Yue, he still needs other kitchen knives.

In the real world, there are many different types of Chinese kitchen knives, including mulberry knives, slicing knives, general-purpose knives, cleavers, boning knives, carving knives, and so on.

Each of these kitchen knives has its own unique use, and switching between different types of knives depending on the situation can often achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Even though cooking skills can compensate for the inconvenience of operation, Nan is still used to carrying at least three kitchen knives.

One knife is used for cutting vegetables and slicing, another for cutting meat and chopping bones, and a small knife is used for deboning and carving.

Su Yue's blade is sharp and thin, making it suitable for slicing. Considering that I don't currently need to debone or carve, I only need a slightly heavier knife for chopping meat and bones.