Chapter 32: Cuisine and Preparations

"You two aren't as handsome as me, stop arguing! I just grabbed a grasshopper's huge leg in one go, so fierce!" Huang Mang exclaimed.

Just as the three were about to continue their debate on the matter of 'handsomeness,' Ji Chang waved his hand to interrupt and said, "Enough of your arguments, none of you are as handsome as me! Alright, let's hurry and clean up. With these grasshopper legs, we won't be able to fly. We need to walk back!"

Upon hearing Ji Chang's words, the three nodded in unison and exclaimed, "Indeed, Brother Ji is the most handsome!"

However, when they heard they had to walk back, a look of bitterness covered their faces...

...

Over an hour later, Ji Chang led the group back to the writing desk.

"Lingling, come out for a barbecue!"

Huang Mang, who had just arrived at the writing desk, placed a grasshopper leg on the ground and shouted towards the house.

However, there was no response at all.

Ji Chang and Zhou Jun Zheng Haiyu, who were organizing the grasshopper legs, couldn't help but be taken aback.

Soon, they realized that the three were nowhere to be found.

"What's going on? Where did they go? Did something happen?"

Huang Mang searched the house and its surroundings, but he couldn't find the three. Anxiously, he came to Ji Chang and asked, "Don't worry, maybe... they went to the kitchen. Stay here, I'll go check!"

After a brief thought, Ji Chang said. Based on his understanding of Chen Lingxue and what happened before they set out to catch grasshoppers, Ji Chang felt certain that Chen Lingxue must be exploring the kitchen with Wang Lingling and Dong Xuan.

Just as Ji Chang was about to ride the wasp to the kitchen to look for them, a familiar voice came from not far away.

"Oh! You're back!"

"Captain, look at what we found!"

"Mang-ge, I'm back!"

The three girls exclaimed excitedly.

Soon, Wang Lingling, embracing Chen Lingxue and Dong Xuan, landed on the writing desk.

Seeing the three return safely, Ji Chang's originally tense heart eased a bit.

Huang Mang was the first to rush forward, complaining, "Lingling, why did you wander off? I thought..."

"We didn't wander off, we went to the kitchen to gather supplies!"

Before Huang Mang could finish speaking, Wang Lingling waved a hand with an oval-shaped object in it and happily said, "Captain, guess what this is..."

Dong Xuan gathered her courage and joined Ji Chang's side, displaying a dark red, flat piece in her hand. But before she could finish speaking, her brows furrowed, followed by a sudden sneeze.

Instantly, her face turned as red as the flat piece in her hand.

"Chili?"

Looking at the red flat piece, Ji Chang suddenly felt his nose itch, and he ended up sneezing just like Dong Xuan...

Hearing the strangely synchronized sneezes from the two, everyone burst into laughter.

Before long, Huang Mang took the chili slice from Dong Xuan's hand and let everyone personally experience the sneezing sensation.

Finally, Chen Lingxue stopped Huang Mang's antics in time, laughing as she said, "We found cumin and chili in the kitchen, and some millet too! But we only brought back two grains of millet; we couldn't carry more!"

"That's great! This time, we not only have meat to eat but also millet cakes!"

Zhou Jun exclaimed excitedly.

Subsequently, everyone began to prepare the meal.

With everyone's hands at work, after a flurry of activity, warm millet cakes were ready to be served.

Chen Lingxue had thoughtfully added chopped bok choy to the millet cakes, creating a delightful texture when eaten. With the addition of cumin and chili powder, the grasshopper legs personally prepared by Huang Mang emitted a captivating aroma that wafted for miles. A sprinkle of salt brought out the final touch.

At first, the three girls resisted the idea of eating the roasted grasshopper legs Huang Mang had made. However, as Wang Lingling succumbed to Huang Mang's tempting offer and took a bite, she couldn't stop herself. Witnessing this, Chen Lingxue and Dong Xuan adopted the same attitude, each grabbing a grasshopper leg and gnawing on it with gusto, matching Huang Mang's audacious style.

After eating and drinking their fill, the group rested on the stools, feeling the surge of their spiritual energy.

Soon, Chen Lingxue pulled Ji Chang aside.

"What's the matter, Squad Leader?"

Seeing a trace of worry in Chen Lingxue's eyes, Ji Chang inquired.

"Ji Chang, this time when we went to the kitchen, we practically searched every corner. Apart from the seasonings we brought back, we only have around a dozen grains of millet left. Besides that, there's nothing else edible left! I think we should plan for our food situation sooner rather than later. Otherwise, in a few days, we'll face another food shortage!"

Having comprehensively assessed the kitchen's situation, Chen Lingxue voiced her concerns.

Hearing her words, Ji Chang's brow furrowed slightly.

Indeed, the food situation was a major issue. Food not only alleviated hunger but also played a vital role in rapidly boosting their spiritual energy. Just from the previous feast, Ji Chang felt the surge in his spiritual energy surpassing the effects of several prior meals.

As Ji Chang had speculated before, different types of food provided varying degrees of spiritual energy enhancement. Furthermore, the higher the nutritional value of the food, the greater the boost in their spiritual energy.

"If the kitchen runs out of food, then we'll have to... we'll have to search the courtyard!"

"But our current superhuman abilities are still somewhat weak!"

"How about this, later I'll go with you to bring back the remaining millet. Along with the existing bok choy and grasshopper legs, it should last us for three days. During these three days, let's seize the opportunity to enhance our strength and prepare to attack the courtyard!"

After careful consideration, Ji Chang proposed.

He understood that to acquire more food, they needed to venture into the courtyard. However, this wasn't just about the short distance from the house to the water tap; they had to delve deeper into the courtyard. Similar to Ji Chang's previous visit to the vegetable garden at the entrance of the courtyard, they needed to explore further.

The courtyard contained not only grasshoppers but also many types of edible plants. Several grasses were also edible. Additionally, there were a few corn plants growing in the courtyard. Before they were shrunk, they had observed that the corn had ripened. All of this could become their sustenance.

However, to explore the depths of the courtyard, they needed to have sufficient self-defense capabilities. Otherwise, it would be equivalent to marching to their deaths.

In three days' time, Ji Chang believed that with the methods they had devised for enhancing their spiritual energy, their strength would undoubtedly increase significantly. By then, it would be the right moment for them to attack the courtyard.

In this way, their growth in strength would greatly benefit from this endeavor.

After experiencing several explorations of the courtyard, Ji Chang's spiritual energy had grown remarkably fast. He was becoming increasingly adept at controlling the two spirit beasts. This wasn't just true for Ji Chang; through the recent grasshopper-catching experience, Huang Mang, Zhou Jun, and Zheng Haiyu had all seen significant improvements in their spiritual energy.

Before long, Ji Chang and Chen Lingxue reached a consensus and shared this situation with the others. Upon hearing that they would fully explore the courtyard in three days, excitement radiated from everyone's expressions.