Both Su Wen and Du Yue did not use flying swords to travel. Instead, they walked side by side, with Du Yue clinging comfortably to his left arm.
Although they appeared to be strolling casually, their speed was far from slow.
With every step, Su Wen quietly tempered his Space Intent, using the subtle shifts of distance and position to comprehend Grade 3 Space Intent.
Meanwhile, Du Yue played with a small floating blob of water in her palm, repeatedly turning it into ice and then back into water, slowly refining her Grade 3 Snow Intent based on her current will… a will that revolved entirely around her husband.
'Stingy husband… he never wastes even a single moment,' she thought with mild annoyance.
'Even while walking, he never stops cultivating. Hmph… that's fine. One day, I'll turn him into ice so cold that even his thoughts will only belong to me.'
As she thought this, Du Yue smiled sweetly. Yet somehow, that sweet smile looked a little dark and sinister.
Su Wen suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine. A vague sense of crisis washed over him, but he didn't dare turn his head to look at the source.
They walked until the sun slowly sank below the horizon, yet neither of them stopped cultivating even for a single moment.
When night finally fell and the sky turned deep and quiet, Su Wen set up a small tent in the wilderness for his wife. Then he prepared a simple barbecue beside it, as naturally as if this were an everyday habit.
He lit the fire with a flick of spiritual qi, the flames crackling softly in the dark. From his storage ring, he took out Peak Grade 2 spirit beast meat and carefully placed it over the grill. The rich aroma of spiritual essence immediately began to spread.
He sprinkled crushed spiritual herbs, rare spices, and a thin layer of seasoning over the meat. As the fat dripped onto the fire, sizzling sounds echoed in the quiet night, carrying a fragrance so tempting that even ordinary beasts would have gone mad for it.
The meat gradually turned golden, its surface glistening while spiritual qi gently seeped out, making it both nourishing and irresistibly delicious.
Du Yue watched from the side, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Husband… I'm getting even hungrier…" she said eagerly, saliva almost dripping from the corner of her mouth as she stared at the barbecue like a starving kitten.
Su Wen glanced at her helplessly and smiled faintly, carefully turning the meat to make sure not a single piece was overcooked.
Once the meat was perfectly cooked, he placed it on a plate for her and said softly,
"Eat as much as you want… until your belly can't take any more. In the future, we'll need to look for Grade 3 spiritual beast meat for your cultivation."
He continued, "Grade 2 won't be enough anymore. We'll have to go to the Central Continent to get resources that match your level. The closer we get, the higher the grade of the cities… and even the wilderness will have more powerful spiritual beasts."
Du Yue shrugged casually, taking a bite of meat. "Husband, I don't care about that. Even Grade 1 spiritual beast meat is enough, as long as you cook it for me."
She raised her eyebrows, chewing clumsily, and asked curiously, "Husband… how did you learn to cook so well? And… is there a reason you learned spirit cooking?"
Su Wen's chest swelled with pride at her praise. He lifted his chin slightly. "Being born a genius… it's nothing for me."
He then took out a bottle of wine, poured a cup, and slowly raised it to her lips, letting her drink gently so she could swallow easily.
'Of course I knew how to cook from my past life. After all… I had no one to cook for me back then', he thought quietly.
"Well, I learned cooking since childhood," Su Wen said calmly. "Later, I focused on it even more for my grandparents. They were very sickly, so I made sure they always had well-nourished, healthy meals."
"As I learned more about alchemy, my interest in spirit cooking only grew stronger," he continued. "The two are actually quite similar."
"It's not like mortal cooking, where you just throw things into a pot and wait. Spirit cooking uses spiritual ingredients and requires delicate control… retaining spiritual qi, purifying impurities, and carefully mixing spiritual herbs and spices for both balance and flavour."
He spoke steadily, his tone gentle yet confident.
"Alchemy usually relies on strict formulas to refine pills and elixirs, with its major areas being healing, cultivation, and the nourishment of both body and soul."
"Spirit cooking, on the other hand, focuses more on taste and nutrition. Sometimes, this can slightly reduce the medicinal effectiveness of the ingredients… but that doesn't mean it can't still be used for cultivation or healing."
He smiled faintly.
"In truth, alchemy and spirit cooking go hand in hand. They can't really be separated. Simply put… spirit cooking is a branch of alchemy that focuses mostly on taste… while still being able to reproduce many of the same effects."
She listened to him attentively while chewing, then replied softly,
"Husband, you've done a great job… grandparents loved your cooking the most."
Su Wen felt warmth rise in his heart at the praise, though he didn't show it on his face.
"When I first met them six years ago, they were very frail. I didn't have money to buy pills or proper spirit ingredients," he said calmly. "So I used ordinary ingredients and cooked the most nutritious meals I could, just enough to keep them healthy."
He chuckled lightly.
"Later, when I learned alchemy from Teacher Elen, I began to understand many principles behind refining spirit ingredients. That indirectly helped my spirit cooking a lot."
"I went to the academy library and read almost every book about spirit chefs. The more I read, the more interested I became."
He glanced at her, who had both hands full of meat, and smiled faintly,
"And now, since I have you, my little glutton, I've decided to treat spirit cooking as one of the fields I'll seriously study. There are several core concepts I still need to master. I'll have to look for proper books and resources in the Treasure Tower."
Du Yue felt both warm and embarrassed when she heard this.
Not only would she be able to enjoy even more delicious food in the future… but it also meant her husband was thinking of her even while choosing his cultivation path.
She hurriedly swallowed the barbecue meat in her mouth and turned her face away, trying to hide her expression.