pjbooks Chapter 4 [Sacred Arts]
Chapter 4 [Sacred Arts]
Deng Shen felt his breathing stop for a moment.
The phone camera faithfully recorded this scene, and the comments in the live stream paused for a moment.
Song You calmed down, and the easygoing demeanor of the farmhouse owner he had been exuding vanished completely.
He stood there, seemingly blending into the vegetable garden behind him, the grapevines overhead, and the entire courtyard.
Focused, and solemn.
This was an aura that Deng Shen had never seen before, unlike any chef or butcher he knew.
He lowered his phone slightly, capturing Song You's entire movement on camera.
Song You had his eyes closed, and the hand he placed on the fish's head seemed to radiate an invisible warmth from his palm.
The giant bluefish, which had been occasionally twitching on the stone slab, miraculously became quiet and completely still, as if it had fallen into a deep sleep.
[Gourmet Druid] Ability, [Divine Arts].
This is the Druid's respect for life: giving peace before taking.
A line of text quietly appeared in Song You's mind.
[Druid Log: Your kindness towards the creatures of nature will allow them to return to their slumber in the cycle of life. Gourmet Druid beginner progress +1%.]
"Thank you for nature's bounty; your flesh and blood will nourish new life, and your soul will rest in this land."
Song You recited the prayer in a low voice. It was a prayer he had come up with himself, combining Druidic doctrines with some simple local beliefs.
After the prayer was finished, he opened his eyes.
His other hand had somehow already grasped a thin-bladed knife. Without the slightest hesitation, the blade flashed and precisely sliced across the neck of the bluefish.
There was no struggle, no thrashing, and not even a drop of extra blood splattered.
The giant bluefish ended its life in this almost eerie tranquility.
Deng Shen and the hundreds of thousands of viewers in the live broadcast room fell silent.
"I...I'm not seeing things, am I? The fish is asleep?"
"Is this boss a hypnotist? Hypnotizing fish before killing them? This is the first time I've ever seen anything like it."
"This technique is so clean, it's more efficient than any fish-killing video I've ever seen."
Deng Shen subconsciously swallowed. He felt his worldview had been slightly shaken. This was beyond what good skills could explain; it was almost mystical.
Song You ignored his shock.
The moment he completed the [Divine Art], he could clearly feel a faint, fragmented energy emanating from the fish's body, like specks of starlight, before slowly sinking into the ground beneath his feet and merging into the entire agritainment area.
These are fragments of mortal souls, devoid of intelligence, merely pure life essence. Guided by the [Druid's Diary], they have become nourishment for this land.
[Druid's Log: The farm's land has received a new soul fragment, resulting in a slight increase in soil fertility.]
"Not bad, a virtuous cycle." Song You was very satisfied.
He stood up, and at the same time, a thought sank into the reservoir through the [Whispers of Nature].
"The sacrifice is complete. In return, I will purify your waters and bring in more abundant food."
Deep in the reservoir, the restless fish gradually calmed down, and a collective feeling of joy and satisfaction was clearly reflected back to Song You.
This is the power of the Beastmaster Druid: to communicate with living beings and establish contracts.
They can only make unilateral announcements and cannot communicate with animals.
As for the [Bodybuilding] ability granted by the [Jungle Druid], he was still full of energy and not tired at all after a busy day.
These three branches together form the foundation of his Tier 0 [Farmhouse Druid].
Although his abilities are still very basic, they are enough for him to handle the current situation.
Song You picked up the knife and began to prepare the fish.
His movements were so fast they were dazzling.
Scaling, gutting, and removing the internal organs—all done in one go.
The thin-bladed knife came to life in his hand, swimming along the fish bones and, in a matter of moments, breaking the huge fish into several large pieces.
The fish meat is snow-white and translucent, and the fish bones are clearly separated, with not a single piece wasted.
Deng Shen was completely dumbfounded.
He can cook too, but compared to Song You's skills, his amateurish abilities are nothing.
"Boss, did you graduate from New Oriental?" Deng asked after hesitating for a while.
"Self-taught." Without looking up, Song You sliced the best piece of fish belly meat into thin slices, preparing to steam it.
He cut the other piece, with the skin still on, into large chunks, intending to braise it.
The huge fish head and bones were placed in another basin, ready to be used to make soup.
Deng Shen leaned closer and looked at the glistening fish meat in the basin, his appetite completely whetted.
He picked up his phone and started snapping photos of the fish.
"Family, look at the quality of this meat, look at this knife work! I feel like I'm getting more and more value for my 666 yuan today!"
Song You ignored him and turned to go into the kitchen.
Soon, the sizzling sound of oil hitting a hot pan came from the kitchen, followed by a rich aroma of scallions and ginger.
Deng Shen was bragging to his viewers in the live stream when his nose suddenly twitched, and he couldn't continue speaking.
The aroma was so overpowering that it went straight into his nostrils, whetting his appetite.
Gollum-
His stomach started growling uncontrollably.
The chat in the live stream went crazy.
"I can smell it! I can smell it even through the screen!"
"Hey streamer, stop just filming! Go check out the kitchen!"
"I can't take it anymore, I'm ordering takeout, I have to have fish tonight!"
The aroma was so enticing that Deng Shen couldn't sit still, so he simply took out his phone and strolled to the kitchen doorway.
Song You's kitchen wasn't big, but it was spotless.
The fire on the stove was blazing. Song Youzheng held the pot in one hand, and with a flick of his arm, the fish pieces in the pot were flipped over and evenly coated with sauce.
As the sauce is poured in, an even richer and more complex aroma explodes instantly, blending the fragrance of soy sauce, wine, and the freshness of fish, creating an irresistible flavor.
Deng Shen stood at the door, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, saliva gushing from his mouth.
He has many friends who are food bloggers and has seen all kinds of big events, but never before has he felt like he could barely stand up just from the smell.
This fish is definitely something special! And this owner is definitely something special too!
Song You poured the braised fish into a clay pot, covered it, and simmered it over low heat. He then added the fish head and bones to the pot, along with water, and simmered them.
Finally, arrange the sliced fish fillets on a plate, sprinkle with shredded ginger, and place in a steamer.
The movements were fluid and graceful, full of an indescribable sense of rhythm.
"Go sit outside and wait, it'll be ready soon." Song You glanced at Deng Shen, who was peeking in from the doorway.
"Okay, okay." Deng Shen seemed to wake up from a dream, quickly retreated, and plopped back into the chair, feeling his legs were a little weak.
Not long after, Song You came out carrying a huge casserole and a white porcelain plate.
As soon as the lid of the casserole was lifted, the braised fish pieces bubbled and steamed in the thick broth, the steam carrying an irresistible aroma that wafted towards you.
Another plate of steamed fish fillets, as white as jade, was garnished with emerald green scallions and red chili threads, and drizzled with boiling hot oil, bringing out the ultimate freshness of the fish.
Deng Shen's eyes widened, and he gripped his chopsticks tightly, waiting for Song You's command.
"Don't rush, there's still one thing missing." Song You's face showed a hint of a smile.
He turned around and went back into the house.
Deng Shen's heart was in turmoil. What else could it be? Could there be something even more powerful than this fish?
A moment later, Song You came out carrying a brown earthenware jar that looked very old. The mouth of the jar was sealed tightly with red cloth and mud.
"What is this?" Deng asked curiously.
"My dad buried it." Song You put the jar on the table and gently patted off the loose soil. "After he passed away, I found it in his account book. He said he buried a jar of good wine under the orange tree in the yard for me to use when I got married."
When Song You said this, his tone was very calm, and there was no trace of emotion in his voice.
He picked up a small hammer and gently tapped the clay seal on the mouth of the jar.
"Smack."
The sealant cracked open.
A rich and mellow aroma of wine suddenly burst out from the crack!
The aroma of wine and the freshness of fish blended together, instantly sublimating and gripping Deng Shen's throat.
He stared wide-eyed at the earthenware jar, and a clear swallowing sound escaped his throat.