Chapter Thirty-Nine: Too Distracting with All That Jumping

At first glance, this knowledge might seem useless, being just theory without practical skill. Yet, it's already a step ahead of others. Culinary techniques can be practiced, mastery over heat can be learned, but the knowledge that resides within the mind is not so easily obtained.

This knowledge, which emerges in her mind, could be considered the sum of a lifetime of research and study by each of the girls she becomes through divine possession—be it Erina Nakiri, the expert chef, or Huang Xiaoyan, the wandering immortal devoted to cultivation, or any new two-dimensional girl who might be born in the future.

At present, the knowledge in Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s mind is still limited—culinary arts, Daoist talismans, and the use of true essence energy. Whether it’s the culinary skills that support her work or the foundational cultivation techniques for future mastery of divine powers and combat, all of it will be a great help to her. As more girls are created, each bringing their own expertise, Zhuang Xiaoyuan will surely grow stronger, whether in battles against evil gods or in the ordinary rhythms of daily life.

As long as Zhuang Xiaoyuan chooses a direction and diligently studies the knowledge in her mind, she is destined to succeed. This is nothing short of a gift from heaven. And as the number of two-dimensional girls she can become increases, so will her store of knowledge—perhaps one day she might become the omniscient “Sage” of humankind. Well, that’s just a joke.

She turned on the faucet above the sink. Grasping the lively carp, Zhuang Xiaoyuan began to wash away the mud from its body. The holding area closely resembled a bionic environment, complete with soil and bacteria.

Once cleaned, she picked up a sharp kitchen knife and began to scale and gut the carp. While preparing the fish, she replied, “It’s already late, so a few more minutes won’t matter. At this hour, there should still be a few vendors who’ve bought more stock and will linger for a while. I’ll prepare the carp now, so when I return with the rest of the groceries, I can cook immediately.”

At this moment, Zhuang Xiaoyuan was handling the carp without invoking Erina Nakiri’s divine transformation; she relied on her own skills. Her knife work was a bit clumsy, and the slippery fish often slipped back into the sink. The scales were not removed cleanly and required repeated scraping, but she continued methodically. The knowledge was there—her technique just hadn't caught up yet. With each attempt, her once awkward movements became smoother.

The preparation wasn’t particularly difficult—just cutting and marinating the fish. The dish she planned didn’t require the pieces to be uniform in size. Even if the cuts were uneven, she could always rely on Erina’s culinary skills to fix it later.

She split open the carp’s belly, removed the innards, and rinsed it clean. Unfortunately, it wasn’t spawning season, so there were no roe to make another dish.

Placing the cleaned carp on the chopping board, Zhuang Xiaoyuan followed the methods in her memory: she cut the fish in half, extracted the central spine, and began chopping it into pieces. The carp’s shape was hardly symmetrical, but she did her best to cut the pieces to similar sizes, though the differences were still obvious.

She put the pieces into a large dish, added salt, white pepper, cooking wine, and shredded ginger, then let out a sigh of relief. Setting the marinated fish aside, she washed her hands, ready to go to the market.

“Are you making fish stew? I don’t really like carp—too many bones,” Wen Hui said, watching Zhuang Xiaoyuan prepare the fish with keen interest. She didn’t notice the awkward knife work or the uneven pieces, nor did she realize how little could be expected of Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s cooking skills.

“Being picky isn’t a good habit. Carp are nutritious. They’re resilient and can be found everywhere, and they reproduce quickly. You should eat more—maybe you’ll receive a carp’s blessing and live for a thousand years,” Zhuang Xiaoyuan replied, wiping her hands on a clean kitchen towel and picking up the bamboo basket for groceries.

“No, no, no. It’s turtles that live a thousand years, not carp. Carp have short lives. You see, this one struggled to survive, only to die at your hands. I’ll pass on the carp’s blessing—maybe their curse is more effective,” Wen Hui quipped, hopping after Zhuang Xiaoyuan as they left the kitchen.

“...I can’t even argue with that,” Zhuang Xiaoyuan said, speechless. It was true—no matter how resilient or prolific carp were, they always ended up on someone’s dinner table. How pitiful. For a moment, she hesitated, considering not eating the fish tonight. But thinking of the delicious dish she would make, she quickly cast aside her fleeting sympathy.

“Haha! Victory is mine this time!” Wen Hui grinned, delighted to have finally left Zhuang Xiaoyuan at a loss for words, skipping even more exuberantly.

“If you keep jumping around like that, you’re just an eyesore,” Zhuang Xiaoyuan remarked flatly, shooting Wen Hui a sideways glance.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Wen Hui asked, confused, taking another bouncing step.

“I mean those unnecessary bundles of fat on your chest. All that bouncing is an eyesore.” Suddenly, Zhuang Xiaoyuan turned, reached out, and firmly squeezed Wen Hui’s chest before darting off, her words just finishing as she ran.

“Ah!” Wen Hui stood stunned for two whole seconds before she realized what had happened. As her face flushed red, she shrieked and chased after Zhuang Xiaoyuan. “You jerk! You’re dead! Don’t let me catch you! Stop right there!”

“Yay! Hahahaha!” Zhuang Xiaoyuan laughed, making a face as she ran, her laughter ringing out as she fled.