The Black Book: Seven Deadly Sins

But once the novelty passed, Zhu Haomiao tossed it aside and began checking the other ingredients.

Over a thousand pounds of meat and bone had been decomposed into fist-sized pieces, sealed within translucent azure dark ice.

These meats and bones were rushed over from the southern province of [Da Zhen], and their market value alone was worth thousands of taels of silver. If combined with other ingredients to make a premium medicinal dish, the price would multiply several times over!

Nodding slightly, Zhu Haomiao shifted his gaze to a gnarled old ginseng root, longer than his arm.

It was evident that the pharmacist who harvested the ginseng was very meticulous; the dense collection of ginseng whiskers were undamaged, with the longest extending several meters!

He pinched off a section of the ginseng whiskers, put it in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. A surge of medicinal power transformed into a fiery warm current radiating from his stomach through his blood, circulating throughout his body. Within moments, beads of fine sweat appeared on Zhu Haomiao's forehead.

Phew~

Exhaling a mouthful of hot turbid Qi, Zhu Haomiao couldn't help but grit his teeth silently.

The so-called [Dragon and Tiger Strengthening Bone Soup] he had at the inn earlier had claimed to be brewed with essence-laden tigers and jiao snakes, supplemented by thousand-year-old ginseng!

Yet, the medicinal potency of the ginseng in that soup didn't even compare to a single whisker of this root!

The old ginseng in his hand was only three hundred years old!

How exaggerated!

But on second thought, Zhu Haomiao felt relieved.

He had gobbled up food all night and only spent dozens of taels of silver. That pot of [Dragon and Tiger Strengthening Bone Soup] only cost over a dozen taels of silver. Expecting to eat thousand-year-old ginseng for such a price was indeed wishful thinking.

The price of the old ginseng in his hand alone exceeded a thousand taels!

Sighing, Zhu Haomiao shifted his gaze to eight tennis-ball-sized, crystal-clear milky-white fruits.

Jade Dew Fruit, a legendary treasure said to grow in the Immortal Realm, with only one fruit ripening every thousand years.

Each contains a thread of the essence of heaven and earth, sun and moon. Consuming it could purify the mundane, eliminate impurities, and even have the effect of transcending to immortality!

Of course, this was the seller's narrative; in reality, the Jade Dew Fruit merely had demanding growth conditions, only surviving where spiritual energy thrived.

Moreover, it didn't take a thousand years to ripen a fruit. Each Jade Dew Tree can produce one Jade Dew Fruit every few decades, containing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that the mother tree absorbed over the years.

Due to its mild yet potent medicinal properties, it has been a royal tribute from ancient times, rarely seen among commoners.

A perfectly graded Jade Dew Fruit like the ones in his hand would be worth a fortune, and no one knew how Wilson had acquired them…

Rubbing his chin with interest, Zhu Haomiao suddenly noticed that the water in the large cauldron had come to a boil. He hurriedly shattered the dark ice and tossed the thousand pounds of meat and bone into two large pots.

Gurgle gurgle~

Once the blood started to boil out, Zhu Haomiao skimmed off the foam and divided the old ginseng in half, throwing it into the pot.

Then, he took out the Ghost Cry Vine that had turned the water black, cleaned it, peeled off the outer layer, mashed the soft white pulp, and added it to the pots.

"Pour this pot of water out."

Pointing at the cauldron that had cooked the Ghost Cry Vine, Zhu Haomiao instructed the maid standing by, suddenly recalling something, and added sternly.

"After pouring it out, make sure to wash it thoroughly. This water is poisonous!"

The maid, who had been salivating at the scent of meat, was suddenly startled and quickly nodded.

"Yes, young master."

"Mm, go ahead."

Shifting his gaze back, Zhu Haomiao watched the bubbling broth and rubbed his chin.

According to the recipe, he needed to stir continuously for three days and nights until the meat fell apart and the bones dissolved. Finally, adding the Jade Dew Fruit to activate the medicinal properties would complete the task.

But with his [Gluttony] authority, he should be able to accelerate this process.

With a thought, Zhu Haomiao placed both hands on the pot's edge, and an emerald green spirit light flickered deep in his pupils.

Supernatural power spread forth, and the bubbling broth gradually calmed. The burning firewood's strength was entirely absorbed into the reaction of transformation rather than leaked.

As he sensed the various materials in the cauldron dissolving slowly, barely perceptible, Zhu Haomiao impatiently furrowed his brows.

At this rate, it would still require at least a dozen hours of simmering!

Still too slow...

In the next instant, as if struck by inspiration, Zhu Haomiao recalled a special cultivation technique.

[Penetration Force]!

It could penetrate his strength into the ingredients, breaking them down from within and dissolving them, squeezing out every bit of nutrition with his [Gluttony] authority!

With just a thought, Zhu Haomiao released his power, and the two large cauldrons started vibrating with a high-frequency hum.

Buzz buzz buzz~

The broth began to pulse again, but this time, it wasn't a rolling boil but a tremor.

The amplitude wasn't large, but the frequency was too fast to be observed by the naked eye, appearing as if the broth's surface was emitting an ethereal phantom.

Noticing that under the influence of [Penetration Force·Thunderbolt], the originally tough muscle fibers and even the bones began to decompose, Zhu Haomiao couldn't help but reveal a satisfied smile.

When the maid returned after washing the cauldron multiple times, the rich aroma of meat immediately filled the air, making her drool.

On the other side, Zhu Haomiao casually sprinkled a large amount of fine salt into both cauldrons, then added the eight Jade Dew Fruits, pressing his palms back onto the pot's edge.

Upon seeing this, the maid instinctively exclaimed.

"Young master, be careful, it's hot!"

Zhu Haomiao remained focused on the contents within the pots and responded without looking up.

"It's fine, no need to worry."

Seeing the young master's calm and indifferent profile, the maid sighed with relief. After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but ask.

"Young master, is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yes, go find all the containers in the residence that can hold the broth and clean them thoroughly."

The maid glanced at the large, buzzing pots under the young master's control, quickly calculating how many containers would be needed for such a large quantity of broth, and rushed out.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Zhu Haomiao immersed himself in the cauldron entirely. His eyes shone with emerald green spirit light, sweat beaded on his brow, as he pushed his limits and focused his Qi!

Being in the [Pupation] state, his strength was already greatly reduced, and coupled with the prolonged use of [Penetration Force], his Dantian was nearly exhausted.

But sensing all the medicinal properties start to merge and transform, Zhu Haomiao gritted his teeth, forcing himself to endure.

Finally, as he was about to reach his limit, a visible crystal-clear spirit light bloomed from the cauldron. The Jade Dew Fruits completely melted, merging with the pot's ingredients, and a tantalizing aroma erupted like a volcano, filling every inch of the kitchen.

[Qilin Soup] was done!

Phew~

Looking at the two cauldrons of crystal-clear broth, Zhu Haomiao's tired lips curled into a smile, exhaling a long breath of turbid Qi.

"Chirp!"

Enticed by the aroma even through its shell, Diao Chan excitedly emerged, climbed onto its master's shoulder, licking its lips and rubbing its cheek against the young master's.