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As night fell, the scorching heat gradually faded away, and a night breeze began to blow in through the window, dispersing the lingering warmth in the kitchen.
Inside the kitchen, everything remained unchanged, as if time had never passed here.
Lin stood before the stove, not moving an inch. His fingers tapped rhythmically like a typewriter, striking one after another.
His gaze remained focused, fixed on the flames beneath the Clay Pot. As the flames flickered, fireflies danced in his eyes, mirroring the flames' movements.
He had been standing there for three hours, rooted like a wooden stake, without even turning his head.
Suddenly, Lin's tapping fingers stopped. His expression shifted to one of sharp intensity as he called out, "Time's up!"
With that command, Lin's body began to move. He casually lifted the lid, and a large plume of white steam surged from the Clay Pot, causing the temperature in the kitchen to rise instantly.
Sweat beads formed on Lin's forehead, but he had no time to wipe them away.
Turning around quickly, he grabbed the Willow Whisper and used his index finger and thumb to pinch the Crimson Spirit Fruit from the cutting board, moving it above the Clay Pot.
"Ha..."
Lin Shen took a deep breath. With only his right hand available, and knowing that the Crimson Spirit Fruit was juicy, he had to employ a technique he rarely used to avoid wasting any juice.
Skyward Slice.
This was an extravagant way of preparing ingredients—tossing them into the air and using a sharp blade to slice them while they hovered momentarily.
This method required high skill and an exceptionally sharp knife; its difficulty made it impractical for everyday use and leaned more towards performance than utility.
This flashy method was rarely used by Lin; he did not like such superficial things. However, there was no other choice now; he could only resort to this trick.
Taking a deep breath, Lin exhaled slowly, fully alert. This technique still posed some difficulty for him.
The Crimson Spirit Fruit was tossed into the air, and Lin Quan focused intently, his muscles tensed, even his left arm felt a slight pain.
"Swish!"
The sound of slicing through the air echoed as the Willow Whisper in Lin's hand moved along the trajectory of the ingredient. His wrist trembled continuously, the blade cutting through the ingredient in a very short arc.
With a soft "thud," the Crimson Spirit Fruit fell into the Clay Pot, its red juice beginning to spread. The round fruit was cut into eight pieces, resembling a flower as it scattered in the clear broth.
The red juice quickly diffused in the clear soup, resembling blood. In no time, it turned the entire broth a light red.
What was initially a faint fishy freshness now mixed with a unique sweet and sour aroma from the fruit, wafting with the steam.
Lin Qing lightly twitched his nose and took a sniff. A smile finally appeared on his face as he whispered, "It smells pretty good; it hasn't lost its flavor. It seems making this dish is indeed feasible!"
Feeling a sense of relief in his heart, Lin knew just from the taste of this soup that it would not be a failure. As for how effective it would be, that would only be known after tasting it.
Turning around, Lin You took out blood from the Refrigerator and held a Sea Bowl to shake over the Clay Pot, letting the thick blood drip into the pot.
This was the final step of the process; once the blood was added, all that was left was to wait for it to finish cooking.
Lin looked into the pot and saw that the soup was still half full. He calculated carefully and estimated that it would take about two more hours to finish cooking.
Checking the countdown on the system, he saw that there were "5 minutes" left, which didn't leave him much time.
"I hope there's enough time..."
Time was something Lin couldn't change; he could only silently pray for better luck and that the transformation wouldn't take too long.
He covered the pot again, and the strange aroma disappeared from his nostrils, allowing his body to relax completely.
After standing for over ten minutes, Lin felt extremely fatigued. He could barely handle it and started walking toward the living room.
"Creak, creak."
His joints made friction sounds like rusty bearings, making Lin feel quite uncomfortable.
After stopping cooking, various aftereffects in his body became apparent. Fatigue and pain in his left hand surged up; Lin could feel a throbbing pain in his left arm, likely because the numbing effect of the Healing Ointment had worn off.
Pain was something he had to endure, and for the next few days, Lin would probably have to bear this discomfort.
Sitting on the sofa, Lin felt utterly exhausted. He slumped onto the old couch, feeling as if his eyelids were fighting each other, ready to fall asleep at any moment.
"No! I can't sleep! I'm just one step away; I must not fail now!"
Encouraging himself like this, Lin pulled out a can of Super Red Bull from his inventory and gulped it down, forcing himself to stay alert.
Sitting there for two hours, Lin continuously tapped his right hand against his left arm, letting the slight pain stimulate him to avoid falling asleep.
Finally, the torturous two hours passed. Lin immediately jumped up from the sofa, feeling invigorated, and walked towards the kitchen.
He opened the Clay Pot, and inside, the soup was only two-fifths full. The chunks of meat had become shriveled skeletons, with all the muscle cooked down to mush.
Lin picked up a long pair of chopsticks and carefully selected the large bones and meat pieces. The broth was left with only a thick red liquid, so dense that even stirring it with a spoon gave a feeling of pulling strands.
The fruits had long been stewed to mush, completely dissolved in the broth, leaving no trace behind.
The largest particles in the soup were likely clots of blood, each round and droplet-shaped, rolling up and down in the broth like playful tadpoles.
The aroma was increasingly peculiar; just half a minute after opening the pot, a slightly sweet and sour fragrance had already filled the entire room, wafting everywhere.
"It's done!"
Lin nodded, unable to hide the smile on his face. He covered the pot again, leaving a small gap, then turned up the heat to reduce it to Thick Soup.
This step was usually unnecessary; if one were pursuing an ultimate flavor, this step might seem excessive as it could make the taste too rich and lose the essence of clear broth.
However, this dish aimed for extreme refinement. Adding this step would undoubtedly concentrate the broth further, affecting the flavor while definitely refining its energy once more.
Three minutes remained for the final wait.
Lin took his time; at this stage, there was no chance for error. He couldn't help but hum a song he often heard in his childhood.
"I'm so hungry, so hungry, I'm really so hungry..."
While humming a tune, Lin Ye was not idle. He took the Gallbladder of the Willow Leaf Turtle from the Refrigerator and placed it in a bowl. Using chopsticks, he squeezed it to let the Bile flow out.
Next, he retrieved a jar of wine from the corner of the cabinet behind him. This wine was left by his father when he departed and was meant for celebration upon his return.
"What a pity! You can't come back, dear old dad. Let me drink this jar of wine for you!"
Lin smiled to himself. Even when thinking of Lin Zhongxun, he felt no sense of rebellion, showing just how happy he was at that moment.
As he opened the jar, a rich aroma of wine wafted out, intertwining with the fragrance of Turtle Soup in the room, creating a wonderful melody.
"Good wine, but unfortunately, I can't drink much!"
Lin shook his head and poured the white wine into the bowl, mixing it with the Bile. He spread it across the bottom of the bowl, creating a dish of Soft-Shelled Turtle Gallbladder Wine.
Lin understood wine well; he had studied it carefully for cooking purposes. However, he rarely drank because he knew that too much alcohol would ruin his palate and numb his senses.
A good chef must avoid both alcohol and cigarettes.
But today, this Soft-Shelled Turtle Gallbladder Wine was something he had to drink; after all, it was an appetizer for "Torrent"!
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