Chapter 184 Crystal Pork Shoulder (i)

Translated by Gumihou

Edited by Gumihou

 

Shiyu was shocked. She had no idea that she would discover such an origin behind Qing Chen’s sweet tooth. Xuan Chu was so far from Eastern Qin that it would not be an exaggeration to call it the other side of the world. It’s even further than Eastern Empire, ah! Did he specifically want to enter Leisurely Cloud Sect? If so, why?

As questions spun within Shiyu’s mind, Qing Chen said calmly, “When I was very young, I was forced to leave. I did return later on. However, too many things have changed by then and I no longer wish to return.”

Shiyu nodded quickly, “Since it’s all in the past, it should be left there. The most important thing now is to look forward,”

“En,” Qing Chen nodded. The bottles in his hands felt cool to the touch. Suddenly, he asked, “Do the others have these too?”

“Ah, if you’re talking about gifts, I’ve prepared something for everyone. Naturally, everyone gets something different.” She has loads of stuff in her Saint’s Dwelling and could randomly take them out as gifts.

“I see,” Qing Chen’s mouth curved and his eyes narrowed in a smile. His eyes and lips were very pale, the deep blue of his clothes highlighted his light features and dark hair, making him looked as elegant and exquisite as the light blue wine bottle in his hands. It was a very gorgeous picture indeed.

Shiyu could not help covering her rapidly beating heart. It’s so rare to see Qing Chen smile that, no, it should be that she had never seen him smile before. When he laughed just now, she was nearly seduced by his male sultriness!

Too perfect!

In the face of such an individual, it was all she could do to maintain her composure.

Really, looks like handsomeness should also be classified as a type of martial attack…

 

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As the two people chatted under the delicately blooming roses, Qi Chuyun had woken up again. She sat by the large window on the second floor overlooking the garden. The two people in the garden did not hide what they were speaking about and she roughly heard most of the conversation.

Shiyu’s voice was crisp and bright, with none of the affected voices that rich young girls sometimes used around men they’re interested in. Her relationship with Qing Chen appeared very good.

As for Qing Chen…

He was courteous enough on the way to the Imperial Capital. If it was at all possible to not speak, he would avoid speaking. To think he would have this talkative side to him…

Qi Chuyun sat by the window, not bothering to hide her presence. Qing Chen’s speech was neither fast nor slow, his voice was very warm and soothing. She had woken up to their voices speaking amiably to each other. [1] There was no subterfuge or hidden motives in their speech, it was friendly and even as an outsider, Qi Chuyun felt a strange sense of enjoyment hearing them speak.

[1] So much so that she actually approached the large window to look down at the rose arch where the two figures were half-hidden under. She saw the moment when Qing Chen lifted his sleeves and laughed.

So, even this cold person could laugh, Qi Chuyun thought vaguely.

She left the window.

 

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After reminiscing to their heart’s content, Shiyu and Qing Chen settled back in their seats, a comfortable silence between them. [2] As they were enjoying the silence, the gate opened and a patter of feet later Lao Er and Wen Xian came rushing into the garden. They knew how much Shiyu love the garden. If she was not in the kitchen, she could be found in the garden.

[2] “Sister Shi!” Wen Xian called out cheerfully. He stopped at the sight of their guest. “Brother Qing Chen?”

[2] Qing Chen inclined his head elegantly at them.

[2] “Oh, so you’re here to visit us. It’s so great to see you, ah!” Wen Xian’s head bobbed about. “Where’s Sister Xuan Yin? Oh and Brother Lin Fan and Brother Feng Luo?”

[2] “Xuan Yin has gone to the palace,” explained Shiyu. [3] “As for Lin Fan and Feng Luo, we’ll have to ask your brother.”

[3] Just then, the door to the garden opened and Wen Heng stepped out. His eyes first landed on Wen Xian and then… drifted off into the distance…

[3] “… …”

[3] “Er,” Shiyu ventured. “That is-”

Still staring into space, Wen Heng said, “Once both of them broke through the 5th Level of Core Condensation Realm, an exit will appear.”

As soon as these cryptic words left his mouth, a void appeared next to them and two figures tumbled out.

Yes, they ‘tumbled out’.

Shiyu looked at the two very sorry looking figures. Weren’t these the very guys they were talking about just now? What are the odds of them appearing right then, ah?

[2] “Brother Lin Fan! Brother Feng Luo!” Wen Xian called out. He had probably developed immunity against people appearing out of nowhere thanks to this near-omniscient brother of his.

The two figures jerked their heads up. The shock clear on their faces. [4] “Wait, Wen Xian? Why are you- This is-“ one of the figures, Feng Luo, glanced around in a daze. “Shiyu? Xiao Qi? Why are you here? Wait, where is this-”

Compared to the shock of the unexpected relocation, they were more surprised to see these familiar faces surrounding them.

“Hoho, the two of you are in very good shape, ah,” Shiyu commented appreciatively. Though they were still half-grown youths and were rather thin and half-starved from their trials, both were in very good shape. Their clothes, what was left of them, were mere strips that barely covered their bodies. [5] Shiyu coughed, my, my, the cougar in her eyed these half-hidden muscles appreciatively.

Lin Fan had been quiet all this time. His eyes swept around the people around him once before he stood up, pulling the still chattering Feng Luo with him. “Looks like we’re out of that place.”

“Phew!” Feng Luo wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Oh, we’re really out, I thought I was dead for sure. A monster was about to stomp on me when I spotted the hole in the ground.:

While they were in that world, their Cultivation went up very quickly thanks to the energy balls left behind by the monsters. These energy balls could be directly absorbed into the body just by swallowing, which significantly sped up their Cultivation. Feng Luo had broken through to the 5th Level Core Condensation Stage when the energy fluctuation of the upgrade attracted a powerful monster. [4] He and Lin Fan had been holed up in a cave when the monster crashed in, blocking the only exit. They were trapped. That was until a void suddenly appeared and they threw themselves in out of desperation-

-and unexpectedly tumbled back into the Imperial College Villa.

“Well, it’s good that you’re back. You two had better go wash up and change your clothes,” if whatever’s left of those rags could be called clothes. The tattered remains of those outfits aside, the stink that came off their bodies were…

Lin Fan looked down at himself and flushed. He coughed and said, “Then, I shall go first. We’ll speak later.”

He left.

Feng Luo turned and trotted after him, “Wait for me, let’s wash together!”

The others did not seem to find the matter odd. However, a strange thought was brewing in Shiyu’s heart…

Two young men in a bath scene…

Ahem, it’s rare so all of us to be together like this. Let’s make a table full of delicious food! Let’s have a reunion party!

Hotpot is always a good choice for a large party of friends, however, it was the wrong season for it. While the weather was not too hot, the best time to enjoy hotpot was during the snowy season where everyone could huddle together for good food and warmth.

Since hotpot was off the menu, hmm, how about a barbecue?

That’s right, let’s have a nice fire going, fresh meat grilling, a table full of cool drinks, dessert and some cold dishes to balance out the heat from the fire. Yes, the lovely community feel of having food cooking on one side and people enjoying nibbles and conversation on the other … just thinking about it made her feel refresh.

For the drinks and desserts, she has plenty of fruits in her space that could be cut or juice. San Pang could be put in charge to cool the drinks. For the grilled meat and cold dishes, that would take a little more effort, but with so many people around, the work should go quickly.

[6] Shiyu quickly gave out orders and her friends were conscripted to slice meat, cut fruits or chopping up aromatics for the marinade. Feng Luo and Lin Fan came back to this bustling scene and Shiyu updated them on tonight’s menu. Both looked intrigued by the idea of a luxurious barbecue.

Feng Luo said thoughtfully, “If you want cold dishes similar to the ones paired with wine, there’s this really great restaurant called the First Rate Pavilion with the best Crystal Pork Shoulder I’ve ever tasted. I used to go there all the time, but it’s been quite a while. Why don’t I go and buy some?”

The Imperial Capital was certainly worthy of its unofficial title as a Gourmet City. There were famous restaurants with signature delicacies at nearly every street and Shiyu had barely tasted part of it. Leaving the famous restaurants aside, there would always be some hidden gem of a restaurant where only the locals or long staying residents knew. When Feng Luo suggested it, she immediately agreed.

Feng Luo quickly came back from his errand. He smiled and set down the red lacquered food box on the table. Then, with great fanfare, whisked the top off and revealed its contents. Nested within the box were three neatly placed, dark blue plates with crystal-like flowers.

No, these were not flowers at all, but thinly sliced pieces of pork shoulder that had been finely cooked until the fat was crystal clear and sliced so finely that it could be curled like the petals of a flower on a plate. Shiyu fell in love at first sight.

Eagerly, she picked up a piece with her chopsticks and placed the piece of meat into her mouth. [7] The fat was melt-in-your-mouth soft, the skin gelatinous and full of collagen. When she chewed, the secret broth used to boil the pork was released from the meat and flowed gently over her taste buds.

[7] Richly flavoured yet delicate, it was so delicious that she could not resist picking out another piece and let it melt on her tongue before chewing it. Why is it so delicious? Was it the broth? The timing? Or were there other processes involved? Never mind, let’s study it after she was done with her work.

With the elder brothers and sister all back, the happiest ones in the house were the little ones. Delicious food was being prepared in the kitchen, tables were being set up in the garden and Brother Feng Luo was here to regal them with stories about his adventures in that harrowing world where he was nearly eaten by a monster. It was truly a wonderfully warm and cosy scene.

Although, Shiyu suspected that Feng Luo might have exaggerated his stories a bit. It was really funny to see Lin Fan, who was helping out in the kitchen, suddenly stop whatever he was doing to look exasperatedly in the direction of the living room.

Wei, if we really did punch out that monster X that easily, would we tumbled out of that world in such a sorry manner?

 

[Gumihou: Lol, a boasting Feng Luo]

 

Gumihou is keeping track so that you don’t have to ~

 

凝氣	Condensation Stage	Stage 1
化丹	Core Transformation	Stage 2
凝丹(46)	Core Condensation	Stage 3
化神(52)	Divine Condensation	Stage 4
成嬰	Nascent Formation	Stage 5
合體	Unification	Stage 6
返墟	Revert Decay	Stage 7
歸真	Original Purity	Stage 8
成仙	Become Immortal	Stage 9

 

[1] Qi Chuyun’s Thoughts: She overheard a pair of friends speaking and went to check them out, this probably happened inadvertently, but left an impression on her. Focussed on giving this incident a more dreamlike quality.

[2] Added Details for Dramatic Reason: Reunion between the other kids and Qing Chen. Made used of Wen Xian’s personality to inquire after all the missing characters. In the original text, both boys only inquired after Lin Fan.

[3] Added Details for Logistic Purpose: Shiyu and Qing Chen were in the garden, Wen Xian was in the living room. Both were in separate places when ‘As Shiyu talked about Lin Fan, she looked at Wen Heng. Who felt her gaze and said…’

Not to say that this can’t happen, but it’s just… kind of unlikely? You’re not even in the same room? Has Wen Heng come out? I’ll just let Wen Heng walk out under his own power because his unfortunate brother is here.

[4] Added Details for Dramatic Purpose: Don’t tell me Feng Luo wouldn’t jump on this chance to talk the ears of someone off. Also, added some details to make the monster story more plausible.

[5] Shiyu’s Thoughts: More precisely, Shiyu’s dirty thoughts.

[6] Added Details for Logistic Purpose: Provide transition between Shiyu preparing food and a floating dialogue, which we only knew came from Feng Luo a paragraph later. No indication of how the dialogue started.

[7] Added Details for Dramatic Reason: Description for the Crystal Pork Shoulder

 

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