Fighting to be Kind in a Cultivation World

Chapter 397: Just Let Me Cook…

After showing Reina the basics of how to cook nip cake into natural sugars and fudge, I also integrate a few items that the cooking process will activate.

Theoretically, this will allow the fudge to have a bit of qi infused into it. Just enough to let it be nourishing for cultivators, while not too much to harm regular people, even if they indulge in it.

As she makes it, even her parents seem to get into it, amazed by how simple the process is. With that said, I let them know the timing on these is significant, just like normal cooking. Though, if you make a mistake with this, even in the worst case, it won’t harm anyone, just not taste good or provide as many benefits.

Reina is clearly ecstatic at being able to make sweets herself.

“This is so coooool… you mean we can actually eat this afterward?”

I give a smile at her innocent cheerfulness.

“Absolutely, and this actually is just the start. Do you know what ice cream is?”

Both she and her parents shake their heads.

That's understandable, given that they have spent their entire lives in the slum. Only the rich would really know about the delicacies, like this. 

“I know you guys know milk, but after a certain amount of work, you can turn it into a sweet, cold, creamy treat.”

I lean in almost conspiratorially, with a grin.

“And that’s just the start. You can put many sweets into ice cream to make it even better. Fudge is one of those things.”

The awe I feel from them makes me realize I may just need to bring more than just fudge into their lives.

… I’m sure of it now. I’m going to make them into them into a purveyor of sweets. Not only them… but many other people need it. This world needs it.

“You know what… I had some plans, but let me do something.”

I pull one of the many jade slips from my bag.

“I’m sorry, but could I ask you to keep practicing making the fudge while I try to do something?”

The parents furiously nod their heads, drawing the connection between what we are doing now and the slip that I’ve taken out. Of course, because of her age, Reina hasn’t. Just enjoying the activity of making sweets for herself, as she continues to test the work.

As they continue, I insert my consciousness into the slip, encountering a wide, blank space. Within that space, I conjure my memories of countless foods, desserts, and other dishes that I had tasted and heard of back on Earth. Using my scan, I created even more, along with the necessary recipes to make them.

And now to connect it with this world.

Using that knowledge and creations, I have my scan come up with ways to integrate the ingredients, recipes, and culinary techniques of this world with this information. Adding to that, I consider my OCS method and yet another secret cultivation method that I built into it.

“The Nourishing Star-Devouring Repast method”

A method focused on helping others' progress in their cultivation by feeding them. Most interestingly, it is a symbiotic cultivation method, since it relies on the connection between them and others to progress.

You can still cultivate with it by eating your own food, but it’s considerably less effective.

Despite that weakness, it’s powerful, because of the benefits the person gets while practicing it. The symbiotic part of the method allows you to gain the slightest bit of affinity with the person’s cultivation techniques who eat your food.

Which means that if a fire cultivator is constantly eating your food, you will eventually be able to use similar or the same fire cultivation techniques. Albeit much weaker ones.

And all without conflict between them. Turning it into a jack of all trades class, centered on helping others.

That most cultivators hold their cultivation techniques close to themselves balances this as well. You would have to have a lot of trust with a cultivator for them to share their techniques. With the type of groups that I hope to build, this likely won’t be an issue.

Plus, I may just end up making techniques myself that are ‘open source’ anyway.

With this in mind, I develop another OCS method jade slip. Baking into it, like many of the others, the secret methods. But in this specific jade slip, I also place the recipes and cooking techniques they can use to grow a culinary focused sect in the future.

Considering the increased speed of my scan and that I’m in safe territory, it doesn’t take long for me to do this, only 20 minutes or so. Once I finish, I finally pull my consciousness out of the slip to see that Renia and her parents have completed making their third batch of fudge. It looks really great.

She may have a talent for this.

“Hmm, this batch looks tasty. May I try?”

After their quick nods of affirmation, I taste it.

Yep. Delicious.

“Hahaha, I’m glad that this cultivation method won’t be going to waste on someone who can’t use it well. Here, I’d like the three of you to take this method. It’s called the ‘Nourishing Star-Devouring Repast’ and is a culinary cultivation method, based out of the Omnibus Cultivation method.”

I still see the flashes of concern in the parent’s eyes about the culinary aspect, so I add an additional note.

“And for anyone who might like to persecute you, though there shouldn’t be any, you can easily switch back to the normal OCS method that you’ve already been practicing. So, you can pretty easily hide your true cultivation method, if necessary.”

This seems to have drastically eased their concerns, as I can see the tension leave their shoulders.

It’s a good reminder that no matter how much you trust someone, things that are scary, are scary.

“Before you check it out, though, let me adjust your bodies a bit.”

I place my hands on their backs, as I had done with Da Xia earlier, to adjust their bodies and unlock the method in the jade slip. It doesn’t take a long time, so they can soon place their consciousnesses into the slip to start learning.

Considering that they aren’t geniuses, like Da Xia, I already know that this will take quite a bit of time.

I move into a cultivating position and just spend the time thinking, using my scan for plans, and creating spirit stones in my storage space. The planning aspect taking up of most of my thought processes, as my scan informs me of other urgent aspects that have been bothering Gong.

It looks like I’ll need to meet back with Gong and navigate some of the other demihumans' issues that she’s been encountering.

It’s not that she couldn’t handle it, but some issues are just causing her frustration, that could be eased with a bit of additional knowledge.

…then there are some that I’ll need to deal with, as Gong’s support. Because there are some people that she is too close to, to say something to.

Nonetheless, I set the pieces in place by whispering my thoughts to some nearby spiders that I know Gong is monitoring. Adding in my own feelings and thoughts through our shared connection.

Looks like she's mostly on board. There are a few things we’ll need to discuss, but I expected as much.

This continues for a few hours, until I finally see Kai, Hana, and Reina wake up.

The excitement on their faces tells me everything I need to know.

With a huge grin on my face, I pull out a giant pot. The same one that I had used to create the large number of concoctions on the way up the mountain for my sect exam.

“So… ready to cook with cultivation?”