Chapter Twenty-Nine: Studying Ingredients

It really was just a slight touch—nothing more.

Li Can’s eyes sparkled. After quickly finding a band-aid on the second floor to cover his wound, he returned to the kitchen, excitement bubbling within him.

Though the butcher’s knife had turned black and its surface appeared uneven, the edge was sharper than ever. Holding the blade upright, he gently set a radish on it; the radish split cleanly in two. Then, tapping a pair of chopsticks on the edge, they snapped into two pieces as well.

“Incredibly sharp,” he muttered.

Li Can examined the knife under the light. The blackened blade resembled hewn stone—coarse on the surface but concealing a deadly edge.

“I’ve really found a treasure,” he thought, inspiration flashing through his mind. He hurried back to the table, only for his face to fall in disappointment.

Inside the monster, all that remained was the black fluid that had seeped from its tumor. It had already hardened; a light pinch between his fingers reduced it to powder.

“What a pity. If I’d realized sooner, I should have coated all the knives with it!”

Li Can stood in place, beating his chest in regret, but the moment had passed, and remorse was useless.

“Still, tonight’s harvest isn’t bad. I can accept this loss. Come to think of it, this monster’s entire body is full of unusual resources. Perhaps other monsters are the same…”

A strange anticipation welled up in him.

Adjusting his mindset, Li Can used the mutated butcher knife to hack through all the bones. It was not as easy as he’d imagined, but the knife emerged unscathed—a marvel in itself.

Reluctantly, he put the knife away and exhaled as he gazed at the now-empty table.

Only the shriveled tumor remained. After clearing away the powder formed by the black fluid, all that was left was a thin layer of skin.

It looked exactly like a deflated ball.

Other than that, there was nothing left. No heart, liver, spleen, lungs, or kidneys; no intestines, large or small.

The monster’s anatomy was utterly unlike any normal creature.

“Maybe all its functions were concentrated in this tumor,” Li Can mused, holding the mass in both hands and giving it a tug. It was about two centimeters thick, elastic, and reeked so badly it stung his eyes.

Even stronger than an onion!

Unable to endure the stench, Li Can quickly snipped it open and plunged it into the sink to wash.

Once.

Twice.

A third time…

The inside of the tumor was not as smooth as the outside; it was slick with mucus and minced flesh.

Water alone was not enough to clean it.

A sudden idea struck Li Can. He fetched a packet of dry flour.

Flour, with its powerful absorption, was perfect for removing the tumor’s mucus and the tiny remnants clinging within. After scrubbing with flour, he rinsed it clean with water.

“The smell is lighter now, but still not enough.”

He boiled a pot of water and placed the tumor in while the water was still cold, adding a measure of white vinegar.

The high temperature and the acetic acid from the vinegar would help soften the grime and stubborn mucus.

Devotion to food is devotion to one’s guests; there’s no room for shortcuts.

While waiting, Li Can turned his attention to the large basin filled with the monster’s chopped bones.

Some bones were curved, some straight, all a black-gray hue. Their cross-sections were smooth, riddled with tiny holes like gauze—utterly irregular.

Now, a milky-white, gelatinous substance was oozing from the holes, though only a little.

Li Can dabbed some with his finger and tasted it. It was odorless, very mild, and even faintly sweet.

Just that tiny bit on his finger sent warmth coursing through his body, banishing all fatigue.

He immediately decided to use all the bones for a soup!

Soup preserves a food’s nutrition best. He could adjust the seasonings later according to the ingredients.

The restaurant had only one soup pot—the huge iron barrel that until recently had hidden the monster’s corpse.

One barrel’s worth—plenty!

He quickly scrubbed the barrel clean, filled it with water, and set it on the stove.

After thoroughly cleaning the bones, he placed them in the pot.

Li Can purposely kept the flame low, wanting to study the ingredients’ properties before the water boiled too quickly.

He held onto one bone, licking it with his tongue.

“The bones don’t taste bad, but they don’t taste like much else either. After a while, there’s a faintly fishy note.”

He set the bone down, glanced at the pot’s contents, and drew on his experience to add smashed ginger, scallions, and a dash of cooking wine.

These three ingredients would effectively suppress any gaminess while lending a subtle aroma—an ideal combination.

Bubbling—

Two minutes later, the pot with the tumor came to a boil. A layer of deep gray scum floated on the water, residue from the stubborn mucus and grime within the tumor.

Li Can fished out the tumor and cooled it in cold water to preserve its elasticity and prevent over-softening.

He sliced a small piece and tasted it.

“It’s chewy, springy—though still faintly smelly, it’s tolerable.”

He closed his eyes, contemplating.

“The stench is unique: it hits hard at first, but the more you chew, the milder it gets, even becoming fragrant. The vigorous movement of my jaws seems to stimulate saliva, whetting my appetite…”

One to spark the appetite, one to warm the stomach.

Li Can opened his eyes, his gaze shifting between the tumor and the soup pot.

“If I want to further reduce the smell, I can either use lots of water or add stronger-smelling seasonings. But if I do the latter, I might lose the original flavor of the ingredient.”

He made up his mind.

He cut the tumor into strips the width of a little finger and added them to the bone broth to simmer together.

The bone broth alone was too plain; the tumor would complement it perfectly.

“A warming soup to stimulate the stomach, chewy meat strips to provoke salivation—the combination enriches the broth and lessens the smell.”

After waiting a few minutes, Li Can ladled out a spoonful to taste. The odor was still present but much lighter than before cooking.

“By morning, the smell will be even milder.”

The broth had long since come to a boil, the bubbling and heat forcing all the residues from the bones to the surface.

Li Can skimmed off the foam, covered the pot, and turned the heat low to let it simmer.

Clearly, this soup could not be finished with such simple treatment. Further adjustments would depend on how the flavors developed; he would observe and decide as needed.

Now that the bones and tumor were dealt with, it was time to handle the sixty or seventy pounds of remaining meat.

Li Can frowned, a headache brewing.

First, since the meat had been carved from a monster, he couldn’t prepare it in front of others, especially Su Rui, who frequented the kitchen.

So, it couldn’t be cooked to order; it had to be made in advance.

Several methods came to mind—

Braised, steamed with rice flour, boiled plain, or stewed in soy…

Second, the meat was black-brown. Regular seasonings couldn’t produce a sauce dark enough to mask its color. If guests noticed, the true origin of the meat might be exposed, and explaining that would be troublesome.

“A pity there’s not enough time or maple leaves. If I had them, I could mash the leaves, dry them, soak them in water for a day and night, and make a black liquid.”

Maple leaf juice is often used to make the black sticky rice in five-color rice dishes—it works wonderfully, imparts a unique maple aroma, and tastes exquisite.

Li Can shook his head helplessly, dismissing the options of braising, steaming, boiling, and stewing.

“What method can solve all these problems?”

He rummaged through the kitchen, searching for inspiration among the piles of ingredients and seasonings.

Dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, regular soy, brown sugar, yellow sugar, mung beans…

None would do.

Wait—

Suddenly, his eyes were drawn to a pile of bright red seasonings.

(To be continued…)

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