Chương 9: Chapter 3 Chef's Training (Part 2)_1
Nian Bing said, "Why didn't you mention this earlier? How can you blame me if you didn't make it clear? I'm done eating. I'll go out for some exercise now."
Cha Ji helplessly said, "I'll let you off this time, and I won't explain anything more to you. If you answer me like this at noon, I won't give you dinner. You should get moving, take that ax, and cut some firewood."
Following Cha Ji's pointing finger, Nian Bing saw a huge axe almost as tall as him standing in the corner. The axe blade was over a foot wide. Although it seemed a bit rusty, Nian Bing could still feel its sharpness. He nodded and said, "Master, I'll go now. How much firewood do we need?"
Cha Ji was stunned. He had thought that Nian Bing would complain about the giant axe, but he surprisingly agreed without any hesitation. Subconsciously, he asked, "Don't you think this axe is too big?"
Nian Bing said resignedly, "Even if it's big, I have to chop! Now that I'm here, leave all this heavy work to me. Your hands are inconvenient, rest more. Who knows, the tendons might grow back someday." As he spoke, he walked toward the axe.
Upon hearing Nian Bing's words, a warmth that hadn't been felt for many years spread in Cha Ji's chest. Like something stuck in his heart, his heart trembled a little.
The axe was indeed heavy. Nian Bing barely managed to lift it with both hands. This heavy axe was indeed not convenient for chopping firewood.
Cha Ji said, "Nian Bing, just bring back a little firewood for our living needs. What I need you to do is to split the wood with this axe, the thinner the better. As a chef, you must have a strong body. At the same time, knife work should begin with blunt force. Do you understand?"
Nian Bing nodded in understanding, smiled, and dragged the large axe outside.
"Wait a moment." Cha Ji found himself forgetting something very important and couldn't help but break out in cold sweat. The heavens had sent him such a good disciple, and it would be unforgivable if he lost his life because of his carelessness.
Nian Bing, who had just walked out of the room, turned and looked back at the chasing Cha Ji, "Master, is there anything else?"
Cha Ji patted his chest and said, "I am really confused. You have just arrived, and I forgot to introduce you to the surroundings. This forest is called Peach Blossom Forest, because over seventy percent of the trees in it are peach trees."
Nian Bing thought, isn't this obvious? Without peach trees, how could it be called Peach Blossom Forest, "So what?"
Cha Ji said, "Most of the peach blossoms in this forest are not ordinary. Do you know why there are no people here? It's because these peach blossoms secrete a type of toxin that spreads with the wind, which I call Peach Blossom Miasma. The toxicity is very strong, cattle and people inhaling it will immediately convulse and die. So, this place is one of the forbidden areas of the Bing Yue Empire, besides a few inherently resistant animals, there are no other living beings. People definitely wouldn't come here. Therefore, you don't have to worry about being pursued."
Nian Bing was taken aback and asked, "If the Peach Blossom Miasma is so poisonous, how come you're fine?"
Cha Ji grinned and said, "Have you forgotten what your teacher does for a living? I'm a chef, no one has a sharper sense for the edible than I do. The Peach Blossom Miasma here is indeed toxic, but it's not without its countermeasures. Every potent poison is accompanied by something that neutralizes it. In this forest, there's a five-leaf grass. Make it into a medicinal powder, consume it, and your body will develop resistance to the Peach Blossom Miasma. You'll be fine. Here, take this. Eat it. After three months of consistent intake, your body will naturally produce antibodies, you'll have nothing to fear." As he was saying this, Cha Ji handed a small porcelain bottle to Nian Bing.
The medicinal powder from the five-leaf grass tasted bitter. Nian Bing barely managed to keep it down after swallowing. He then started heading into the forest with his great axe.
Entering the Peach Blossom Forest, Nian Bing observed his surroundings. The air was incredibly fresh and carried a faint fragrance of peach blossoms. The air was also quite humid as the forest was located next to Tianqing River. The gap between each peach tree was quite small. Despite Nian Bing's small stature, he had to tread carefully so as not to bump into any of the trees.
The peach trees were not tall. Even the older ones remained the same. The branches spread sporadically in every direction, making it easier to chop down than the typically tall and straight trees. However, Nian Bing encountered a problem. Even if the branches were low, he would have to lift the axe to cut them, and how could he, at such a tender age, wield an axe that even adults would struggle with?
As he looked at the peach tree in front of him, Nian Bing felt a little helpless. After several tries, he could only manage to lift the axe off the ground slightly, which was very tiring. Strength wasn't the strong suit of a mage.
"If only I could conjure an Ice Blade, maybe I could cut the branches off," Nian Bing mumbled to himself. Although he had acquired Ice Magic Power, he had never practiced Ice Magic Spells. Without the right spell, Magic Power was useless. Should he use Fire Magic to burn it down? Although he had memorized Fire Magic Spells from the First Rank to the Eighth Rank, they were of no help. Unless, of course, he wanted to burn the peach tree in front of him.
The axe was indeed too heavy for a ten-year-old boy. Sitting under the peach tree, Nian Bing pondered using his unusually clever mind. Should he break some branches off? No, then he wouldn't be able to chop firewood. He needed to cut down thicker ones. But how could he chop them down without being able to lift the axe?
Suddenly, an idea popped into Nian Bing's head. Although he didn't know any Ice Magic, he remembered a Fire Attribute Second Rank Magic spell which could form a Flame Knife using Fire Elements to attack enemies. The Flame Knife, with its main attacking power concentrated on the fire element, would not be good for cutting down trees and could easily cause a forest fire. It could be troublesome if the Peach Blossom Forest caught fire. However, he wondered, what would happen if he changed the spell slightly and swapped fire for ice while chanting the spell? Although using Second Rank Magic pushed his Magic Power to its limit, it was worth a try. After all, he had nothing to lose.
Nian Bing jumped up, threw the axe aside and pulled out his cherished Ice-Snow Goddess Stone. With a slight smile, he held it high above his head pinching it between his thumb and forefinger, and began to chant with deep concentration, "Oh Ice Element! I implore you, coalesce into a sharp colossal blade. Tear asunder the world's chains and shackles." He recited it exactly the way he would for the Flame Knife. He clearly felt the Ice Elements around him converge on him rapidly, resonating with the Ice Magic Power in the left side of his body. Mid-air, an almost transparent Ice Blade, about a foot long, slowly materialized. Nian Bing was overjoyed inside, realizing that he had succeeded. He stretched out his hand and pointed towards a branch that was as thick as a thigh, and commanded, "Go."
With a flash of light, the Ice Blade struck the branch and shattered into fragments. After all, his magic power wasn't strong enough to fully utilize the Ice Blade's potential. Nevertheless, Nian Bing was still very excited. He knew that he had found a shortcut. Perhaps middle and high-level magic had their unique spells, but for low-level magic, the chanting methods should be similar. The branch, cut by the Ice Blade, had a deep groove in it, about one-third its thickness. Nian Bing didn't make another Ice Blade. Instead, he ran to the branch, grabbed it with both hands and began to pull and tug with all his weight.
The notched branch wasn't metal after all. With a crackling sound, it broke off.
He repeated the same method and to his surprise, his newly acquired Ice Magic Power was actually greater than his previously acquired Fire Magic Power. It wasn't until he used Ice Blades seven times consecutively that he exhausted his Ice Magic Power. On the ground, lay seven large branches.
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