This is a good question. Ye Tiancheng was silent for a moment before saying, "My cooking skills are... very ordinary. But it's edible, and I don't know many dishes. I'll work hard to learn more and strive to make more delicious meals so we don't have to mistreat our stomachs. Don't worry, I'll learn seriously."
"As for now, if you ask me to make a bowl of beef noodles or something, I can still do it. What do you think?"
The little fox had endured worse days. When they were in the illusions created by the alien races with Ye Tiancheng, the little fox had eaten pan-fried fish and shrimp made on a stone slab without any seasonings. Of course, she wasn't that picky, let alone when Ye Tiancheng was going to make beef noodles.
"Then beef noodles it is. I'm fine with anything, Ye Ge. Whatever you cook, I have no problem. But if Ye Ge wants to learn to cook, did we bring any cookbooks this time?" the little fox asked again.
There were, of course, no cookbooks. If Ye Tiancheng had told Hou Mingzhu that he was preparing such a thing in his luggage, it would have seemed too strange, and Hou Mingzhu would surely have been suspicious. So, naturally, none were prepared.
However, the internet was so developed now that learning to cook was very easy. If the conditions were insufficient, they could either grow their own, buy some, or ask the Nuwa Stone for help.
With the Nuwa Stone, planting was very easy. The Nuwa Stone could easily accelerate the growth of plants; this was the Nuwa Stone's most basic power. The Nuwa Stone could do this before, and it could certainly do it now, and even better.
When Ye Tiancheng asked Hou Mingzhu to prepare things for him, he had also asked her to prepare many fruit and vegetable seeds. Hou Mingzhu had asked him why he needed so many seeds, and Ye Tiancheng had told her the reason.
It was obviously unrealistic to carry so many ingredients. Firstly, it was too strenuous, and they couldn't carry them all. Secondly, fruits and vegetables, in particular, didn't keep well. Preparing too many and not being able to eat them would be a problem, wasting food, and soon Ye Tiancheng and the little fox would not be able to eat fruits and vegetables.
Since the Nuwa Stone had such a great advantage in planting, he only needed to bring some seeds. This way, in special circumstances, such as when he was cursed last time and Hou Mingzhu came to see him, he could be self-sufficient.
After hearing Ye Tiancheng's explanation, Hou Mingzhu found it very reasonable and prepared many seeds for him, even a very complete variety. When the Nuwa Stone helped him plant these things, and then harvest new seeds, it could be an infinite cycle.
The troublesome part was fresh meat. On this point, the Nuwa Stone had suggested Ye Tiancheng collect some young animals. The Nuwa Stone stated that it could take care of the planting and breeding cycle here, helping Ye Tiancheng manage them well, so that Ye Tiancheng would not lack food in the future.
As for where to collect young animals, there were some small fishing villages by the sea in these mountains. Besides fishing, those fishing families also grew some fruits and vegetables and raised some poultry and livestock. If he collected a pair of young animals of different species from them, the Nuwa Stone could help Ye Tiancheng breed a large herd.
Ye Tiancheng could also go out. Although he had told Hou Mingzhu that the formation would be sealed until they obtained the fragment, this was actually a lie. This formation and illusion could only be entered and exited by Ye Tiancheng and the little fox; there was no real sealing.
When Ye Tiancheng had free time, he could still go down the mountain to buy things, but purchasing electrical appliances would be a bit troublesome.
He had also considered whether to ask those fishing families to buy some for him, and then he could pick them up when he had time, but he hadn't finalized it yet. He planned to act after everything was planned, as they were not in such a hurry anyway.
This time, when Ye Tiancheng and the little fox came here, they had prepared the most seasonings regarding food. As for fruits and vegetables, they only prepared a few days' worth, as they wouldn't keep. Meat was prepared in larger quantities, and then staple foods like rice and wheat could also be handled by the Nuwa Stone.
When they had the conditions later, and the formation and illusion were closer to the town, they could buy them themselves, saving them the trouble of doing things like threshing and milling.
Ye Tiancheng's best skill was beef noodles, so when he proposed making beef noodles for the little fox, it was because he didn't want to mistreat the little fox's stomach. As for the Fatty, he was a bit more skilled in cooking, and Ye Tiancheng didn't know as many dishes.
Since electrical appliances couldn't be conjured out of thin air for immediate use, the kitchen in the old house still used old-fashioned wood-burning stoves, large iron pots, and other utensils. The firewood nearby was all provided by the Nuwa Stone, which could accelerate the growth of trees to provide an endless supply of firewood. Ye Tiancheng could directly use it.
Ye Tiancheng made two large bowls of noodles. As for the broth, bone broth or chicken broth would have been better, but they didn't have the conditions to stew soup now. Ye Tiancheng had high-broth cubes and similar items among the seasonings he prepared, so he made a makeshift broth to make do.
The beef used was good beef, prepared by Hou Mingzhu. Of course, she had prepared the best ingredients possible, and there was nothing to complain about. Finally, Ye Tiancheng did not forget to add a handful of greens to scald them and divide them into the two noodle bowls.
The little fox ate the beef noodles with great relish, finding Ye Tiancheng's cooking skills better than he thought. Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but laugh, "It's all thanks to the fact that we have everything prepared now. With so many seasonings, as long as you're not a kitchen disaster, you shouldn't make anything too unpalatable."
Like last time when he was cursed and Ye Tiancheng couldn't contact anyone, leading to very difficult living conditions, the beef noodles Ye Tiancheng cooked for Hou Mingzhu when she came later were not as good as the bowl he cooked for the little fox now.
After eating, Ye Tiancheng had something to do, so he wasn't idle, as he still needed to collect the fragments of the Fuxi Qin.
The reason the formation was formed in this place was that originally, there was a fragment of the Fuxi Qin here. It was similar to what he had made an excuse for earlier; the Fuxi Qin fragment here didn't require much trouble, it just took time.
However, Ye Tiancheng still needed to leave the old house to collect the Fuxi Qin fragments. This illusion was quite large, and to prevent any accidents, the Fuxi Qin fragments definitely couldn't be too close to the house.
If, by any chance, Ye Tiancheng's house collapsed, then Ye Tiancheng and the little fox would have to build a house themselves.
Just like electrical appliances and many other things that Ye Tiancheng had to bring in himself, the house couldn't just appear out of thin air. It was because there was actually such a house in reality that the Nuwa Stone could help Ye Tiancheng obtain it to live in.
So, if this house really collapsed, it wouldn't be so easy to get a new one.
In fact, the illusion created by the Nuwa Stone was more like a legendary space that could accommodate living beings, except that it lacked a spiritual spring.
Even if the Nuwa Stone could create the things Ye Tiancheng wanted, no matter how real they felt, they were just illusions and couldn't truly satisfy people's long-term needs.
When Ye Tiancheng went to collect some fragments, the little fox had to stay in the old house. Fortunately, he was a very sensible child, and Ye Tiancheng didn't have to worry too much about him.
Before leaving, Ye Tiancheng instructed the little fox a few times, "I'm going out. You'll be home alone, you can do whatever you want. You can study, but remember to rest. I'll come back at noon to cook."
"If you need anything and I haven't come back yet, you can directly call Little Stone and ask Little Stone to help you, understand?"
The little fox nodded obediently and then said, "I know, I've remembered everything."
The Nuwa Stone also chimed in, "Don't worry, Little Fox and I are quite familiar now. I'll help you take good care of Little Fox, no problem at all."
This wasn't the Nuwa Stone boasting. After all, the entire illusion was controlled by the Nuwa Stone. If the place Ye Tiancheng was going to was the connection point between the illusion and the formation, and the formation was born from the Fuxi Qin, with the illusion merely attached to the formation, the Nuwa Stone couldn't fully control it, so it couldn't always pay attention to Ye Tiancheng's situation.
However, for the Nuwa Stone to take care of a little fox who stayed entirely within the illusion was an easy task.
It could do it easily. The little fox didn't require much worry from Ye Tiancheng. Ye Tiancheng needed to worry more about whether there would be any trouble at the formation point that the Nuwa Stone couldn't fully control.
Collecting Fuxi Qin fragments was simple in a way, but it was also somewhat difficult and potentially dangerous.
After receiving the assurance, Ye Tiancheng felt relieved and went out.
The Nuwa Stone controlled the entire illusion. While accompanying the little fox, it could also keep an eye on Ye Tiancheng's situation, guiding Ye Tiancheng to the connection point between the illusion and the formation, where the Fuxi Qin fragments were located.
It sounded like he just needed to find the fragments, spend some time, subdue them, and absorb them into his body to complete the task. However, he would have to see how it actually was.
Before arriving, the Nuwa Stone could guide Ye Tiancheng. Upon arrival, the Nuwa Stone would start to lose contact with Ye Tiancheng from time to time.
There was a roughly demarcated area, and Ye Tiancheng had to find the specific location himself. Ye Tiancheng did feel the aura of the Fuxi Qin fragments and knew it was in a cave. It was there that he vaguely sensed an unusual aura.
He hadn't expected that, besides him and the little fox, something else had also been accommodated into the illusion.
Ye Tiancheng speculated in his heart that perhaps that thing had been guarding this place all along. After all, there was a Fuxi Qin fragment here, and it might have sensed that this thing was beneficial to itself, so it had been guarding this place and never left.
Then, when Ye Tiancheng and the little fox arrived, they triggered the formation, and the Nuwa Stone's illusion covered it, merging tightly with the formation. That thing was then accommodated together.
Moreover, because it was at the connection point between the illusion and the formation, a place the Nuwa Stone couldn't fully control, even the Nuwa Stone hadn't discovered that something was hidden here.
Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but sigh, feeling fortunate that he hadn't brought the little fox with him.