In the Cooking Kitchen.
More and more kindling piled up in the corner, as Long Jun swung his hatchet up and down, the gleaming blade flashing before him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As more chopping experience flowed in, all the scattered Blood Qi in Long Jun's body was refined into his limbs and bones.
The previously uncontrollable swelling sensation finally disappeared, and the burning sensation in his breathing also subsided.
Wonderful! So the wood chopping technique had such benefits!
Long Jun felt joyful and continued practicing with the hatchet.
Until several hours passed and intense fatigue hit him, Long Jun finally had to put down the hatchet and let out a long breath.
He opened his attribute page.
[Essence: 10+]
[Blood Qi: 18+]
[Spirit: 12+]
[Free Attribute Points: 8]
[Cooking Value: 3]
[Wood Chopping Level 1 (15/100)]
Looking at those 8 free attribute points, Long Jun decided to allocate them while he had the chance.
He pondered for a moment, and first tentatively added one point to his Essence attribute.
[Essence: 11+]
As his Essence increased, the previous fatigue was somehow reduced, and Long Jun's spirit involuntarily perked up.
So the three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit were interconnected. Excessive consumption of Blood Qi would cause mental fatigue, while increasing mental strength could also accelerate Blood Qi recovery.
Of course, his attribute panel seemed to only display the maximum values of his three elemental attributes, not the real-time specific condition after physical exertion.
But for skill experience, once confirmed, it was permanently recorded—this was the greatest benefit.
Long Jun then added one point to his Spirit attribute, carefully feeling the changes in his body.
This time, he felt his thinking become somewhat clearer and more agile. Though not obvious, there was a comfortable feeling like his brain had been smoothed out.
Satisfied, Long Jun continued adding points.
Soon, his attributes became:
[Essence: 14+]
[Blood Qi: 18+]
[Spirit: 14+]
[Free Attribute Points: 2]
[Cooking Value: 3]
He left two free attribute points because he discovered that increasing any of the three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit could help him recover his physical strength when fatigued or weakened.
Keeping two points in reserve would help with endurance.
Afterward, Long Jun examined his leg injury. His right lower leg, in terms from his previous life, had suffered a comminuted fracture.
This kind of injury might be treatable in a modern technological society, but in Jichuan County, no doctor dared to say his injury could be completely healed.
Long Jun originally thought that due to limited ancient medical skills, he might have to live with a lame leg for half his life.
But now knowing this was a world of gods and monsters, everything was different.
If mortal methods couldn't cure it, what about supernatural methods?
Long Jun now believed that as long as his essence, qi, and spirit continued to grow, someday he would surely heal himself!
He continued without rest, and after understanding the use of attribute points, he continued practicing wood chopping until he had exhausted all his possible time in the Cooking Kitchen.
[Wood Chopping Level 1 (35/100)]
In the small house in Peace Alley.
As the sunlight gradually shifted upward, Long Jun, finally leaving the Cooking Kitchen, awoke as if from a dream. He immediately stood up from the table.
The moment he stood, he felt light and healthy, refreshed and clear-headed.
Even his injured right leg had changed from previously unbearable pain and itching to a comfort now like soaking in a hot spring.
All the experience of chopping wood flowed through his mind like a stream. Long Jun moved his wrist, feeling an impulse to grab the hatchet and chop three thousand times in a frenzy.
He quickly felt his waist and abdomen, and even through his clothes, he could feel the smooth sensation of taut abdominal muscles.
Everything in the Cooking Kitchen truly reflected in reality!
How marvelous, Long Jun smiled, finally finding the real feeling that he "indeed possessed a heaven-chosen cheat system."
Of course, during the growth period, one should still be cautious when necessary.
Long Jun maintained his relentless work ethic, getting up to go to the kitchen, first checking the porridge and pancakes he had deliberately left.
He saw the porridge still on the stove and the pancakes untouched.
Hmm, the Rat Demon didn't come to eat the porridge and pancakes?
Long Jun tilted his ear to listen carefully, trying to hear the Rat Demon's voice, but still heard nothing.
He couldn't help but wonder if the Rat Demon didn't come to eat because it was injured? Indisposed? Captured by some expert? Or...
Or what, Long Jun couldn't guess.
He could only console himself: this was a demon, a demon whose good or evil nature was hard to discern. Worrying about a demon, wasn't that foolish?
Long Jun put aside his thoughts and simply left the porridge and pancakes deliberately placed in a corner of the stove.
Then he began to check the miscellaneous ingredients he had exchanged with vendors on South Market Street.
The items were scattered: a small piece of tofu, a handful of shepherd's purse, a meat bone, a handful of millet, a fist-sized malnourished small gourd, a small bundle of perilla leaves, and so on.
It was basically impossible to make any proper delicacy with these random things. Based on his cooking experience from his previous life, Long Jun decided to stew a pot of meat and vegetable porridge with these ingredients.
His current cooking skill was: [Ordinary Cooking LV2 Proficient (45/100)]
This was largely due to his hobby in his previous life. In this life, since his main occupation was studying for the imperial examinations, he didn't have many opportunities to cook.
But this was enough. With his talent [My Food Always Tastes Better], he could handle the current level of diners.
Long Jun lit the fire, heated the pot, and simmered the porridge.
This simmering took a full half hour.
During the process, Long Jun also brought over the "Book of Changes" from his bedroom, carefully reading it while watching the fire.
The firelight reflected on the young scholar's face, making his eyes seem to shine like stars.
Suddenly, thin squeaking sounds came again from a distant crack.
"Squeak squeak, Jiu Ye, this scholar reads while simmering porridge, he's so tired!"
It was the voice of the little mouse!
Reading his book, Long Jun rejoiced inwardly. The little mouse was speaking—the Rat Demon was indeed safe. He had worried for nothing.
But if the Rat Demon was safe, why didn't it eat what he had left?
Long Jun was puzzled as he heard another elderly voice say: "He reads while simmering porridge, you could say he's diligent, why say he's tired?"
The little mouse squeaked: "Looking at him makes me feel he's so tired! But his porridge today smells so good! Different from before. Jiu Ye, I really want to eat it!"
[Rat Demon Like +1]
The elderly voice said: "It does smell good, but after all, we're companions, and we're rats. We shouldn't appear in someone's home during the day. Be good, Ashi, we'll eat what the owner leaves at night."
[Rat Demon Like +1]
...
Long Jun never expected this would be the reason the Rat Demon didn't come to eat porridge during the day.
At that moment, he couldn't help but feel emotional.
How many unreasonable people are there in the world, yet these two old rats are so humble and polite. No wonder the ancients condemned: "The rat has dignity, yet humans lack propriety!"
Long Jun stood by the stove, occasionally stirring with the wooden spoon.
Gradually, an increasingly rich meat aroma emanated from the pot.
The meat bone in the soup pot had turned white, and Long Jun had already picked off the meat, chopped it into bits, and mixed it into the porridge.
The porridge contained two grains, white rice and millet.
After simmering for a long time, the porridge had an appropriate thickness, with each grain of rice blossoming.
Long Jun sprinkled a handful of salt and finally added various chopped vegetables one by one.
A burst of rich aroma exploded. From the distant crack, the little mouse squeaked urgently: "So fragrant, so fragrant, so fragrant! So very fragrant! Jiu Ye, it's really so fragrant, so fragrant, so fragrant!"
[Rat Demon Like +1]
[+1]
+1+1+1...
Sitting by the stove, Long Jun couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth slightly, smiling.
In just this short while, the Rat Demon had directly given him nine likes, and adding the three previous unconverted likes, he had far exceeded the ten-like limit.
Now Long Jun had another free attribute point available for allocation.
[Free Attribute Points: 3]
[Accumulated Likes: 192]