"I brought what you asked for." Bai Mei hefted a small sack from his shoulder and dropped it on the wooden counter with a soft thud. Dust particles danced in the morning sunlight as the ingredients settled.

  Lin Fan looked up and smiled. The morning couldn't be any better. While leaving for home last night, he had asked Bai Mei to bring raw ingredients for three dishes, and he had delivered perfectly. If someone asked him to paint a loyal friend, he would definitely paint Bai Mei.

  Lin Fan wiped the counter once again after putting the sack back in the stall.

  "Cook Fan, is everything all right today?" A firm voice struck him, pulling his attention away.

  Guard Min stood outside the hut in her crisp jade-green uniform, the fabric catching the golden morning light. Her presence commanded attention even in the humble surroundings of the market stalls. Her black hair had been tied neatly atop her head, and a subtle powder now concealed the small scar near her eyebrow.

  The polished insignia on her collar gleamed as she shifted her weight.

  "Yes, Guard Min. Everything is all right." Lin Fan glanced at Noodle, who lapped contentedly at leftover soup from a separate bowl on the ground.

  "I was moving by, so I thought I would check on the stall," she said, peeking inside with curious eyes. The morning light softened her usually stern features, highlighting the elegant curve of her jaw and the intelligent spark in her eyes.

  "How about you drink some tea before you start your patrol, Guard Min." Lin Fan took the hint and poured fragrant tea into a meticulously washed ceramic cup. The steam rose in delicate curls between them. Guard Min seemed particular about cleanliness, so he made sure to offer his best. He couldn't risk creating any issues with the guards and losing his stall, or worse.

  Guard Min lifted the cup to her nose, inhaling deeply. "This smells of ginger and caramel powder. Nice tea," she said, taking a careful sip.

  Guard Min sipped the tea slowly, savoring its warmth. The liquid left a faint sheen on her lips before she set the cup down with a gentle clink. She left half a copper on the counter and continued on her duty, her footsteps measured and purposeful on the packed earth.

  "Is she regular?" Bai Mei asked, his eyes following the guard's retreating figure.

  "No." Lin Fan shook his head, then gestured to the bulging sack of ingredients. "Anyway, we have ingredients for three dishes. What should we start with today? You pick." He spread his hands in invitation. "Clarity Broth, Strength Dumplings, or Calming Tea?"

  Bai Mei rubbed his temples, squinting against the morning light. "My head feels foggy lately from all those account books at the pavilion. Let's try the Clarity Broth."

  As Bai Mei spoke, Lin Fan's thoughts turned to his quest. Three more spirit-infused dishes to complete in the next day and a half. The pressure built in his chest, but he breathed through it, remembering his father's lessons about calm focus yielding the best results.

  System: Quest Progress: 2/5 Spirit-Infused Dishes Created System: Time Remaining: 1 Day, 18 Hours

  Lin Fan nodded at the floating blue characters only he could see. Time enough, if he worked efficiently. "Clarity Broth it is."

  He untied the sack and began sorting through the ingredients. Chrysanthemum flowers with yellow petals, still vibrant with morning dew. Ginkgo nuts nestled in their hard shells. Spring onions with roots attached, freshness evident in their crisp stems. Each ingredient now carried subtle energy that Lin Fan could sense through his fingertips, a newfound awareness from his cultivation.

  Noodle slithered closer as Lin Fan arranged the ingredients in order. The snake's tongue flicked rapidly, tasting the air. It moved with focus toward one chrysanthemum flower, circling it with clear intent.

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  "What is it?" Lin Fan picked up the flower and examined it closely. A tiny black spot marred one petal, almost invisible to normal sight. "Good catch." He set the flower aside, replacing it with another.

  "That thing is getting smarter," Bai Mei observed, keeping a respectful distance from Noodle. "I wonder how does he do that? Have you ever heard snakes doing something like this?"

  "No." Lin Fan shook his head. "Anyway, he is helping me." Lin Fan filled his best pot with clear water from his morning well trip. Even before becoming a cultivator, he relied on this fresh water for cooking. It glittered under the morning sunlight like a crystal.

  As the water began to heat, Lin Fan closed his eyes, one hand hovering over the pot.

  He focused on the warm current of qi flowing through his meridians, directing it down his arm in a controlled stream. Unlike his earlier attempts, he no longer forced the energy into the food. Instead, he created a circuit, pulling the broth's natural essence upward while sending his own qi downward in continuous exchange.

  "The broth is changing," Bai Mei whispered. "How do you do this?"

  Lin Fan wondered the same. He had reached layer one Qi Refinement Realm, and had his father's journal. But he lacked a cultivation manual to study.

  A hiss in the water pulled his attention back to the task at hand.

  The liquid had taken on a pale golden hue, tiny motes of light swirling within like dust in sunbeams. These particles moved with purpose, forming patterns before dispersing and reforming. Lin Fan stirred once clockwise, then twice counterclockwise, completing the energy circuit.

  Twenty minutes passed. After cutting and dropping a couple more ingredients at precise intervals, he finally reached the exact moment specified in his father's journal.

  Taking a deep breath, Lin Fan willed his qi to enter the broth at maximum intensity.

  The broth responded with a quick shimmer, golden particles forming concentric rings before settling into a gentle swirl.

  System: Spirit-Infused Dish Created: Clarity Broth (Basic)

  System: Quest Progress: 3/5 Spirit-Infused Dishes Created

  A smile played on his lips, his heart filled with gratitude and excitement. Third Spirit Infused Dish.

  How would it taste?

  "It's ready." Lin Fan carefully ladled the broth into two bowls. The liquid moved with unusual fluidity, almost alive in its motion. Bai Mei's eyes widened at the first sip.

  "Heavens above!" he gasped. "It's like someone just wiped clean a foggy window in my mind."

  Lin Fan chuckled at his friend's praise. But when he tasted it himself, he felt the same way. Like sitting in a tea shop during the rain when someone wipes the foggy window, letting you see clearly outside.

  Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps.

  "This really improves vision and color," Bai Mei said, his pupils dilating slightly.

  Lin Fan noticed the same effect on himself.

  The market sounds split into clear layers he could focus on one by one. Best of all, his thoughts lined up neatly, like scrolls properly arranged instead of scattered across the floor.

  "I can remember the entire inventory from yesterday," Bai Mei said. "Every thread count, every color."

  "Good morning, young man." Old Xu appeared at the counter. "You're busy early today. And what is this broth? It looks and smells delicious. Care to sell it to this old man?"

  "Uncle Xu, how can this little one refuse? Have it? It's on the house for you." Lin Fan offered him the broth.

  After tasting it, the elderly man's posture straightened slightly, his gaze became more focused, and the slight tremor in his hands steadied.

  "Remarkable," Old Xu murmured. "I can recall scrolls I transcribed one month ago." He studied Lin Fan with newfound appreciation. "Your father would be proud. He had the same gift, though he rarely showed it."

  Lin Fan felt warmth spread through his chest at the mention of his father. "Thank you, Uncle Xu."

  Word spread quickly. By midday, several regulars had requested the "mind-clearing soup," and Lin Fan was preparing his normal fare again when Guard Min returned.

  "I hear you've created quite a stir today, Cook Fan." She stood at the counter, her patrol bringing her back sooner than expected. Despite covering a large ground in a day, she looked radiant as usual.

  "Just a new recipe, Guard Min," Lin Fan replied cautiously.

  "Indeed. The tax collector mentioned his assistant suddenly remembered three weeks of missing entries after visiting you." Her eyes showed clear curiosity beneath her official demeanor. "He wondered what kind of soup could improve memory so dramatically?"

  "Just good ingredients, properly prepared," Lin Fan answered, measuring his response carefully.

  "Is there any left?" she asked, scanning the empty pot.

  "I'm afraid not. But I'm making Strength Dumplings next, if you'd like to return later. If I succeed, I will keep some away for you. I promised you after all."

  A quick debate flashed across Guard Min's face. "I'll return before evening," she decided, her voice hinting at more than just duty.

  As she walked away, Bai Mei raised an eyebrow. "She's visited twice in one day."

  "She's probably just checking I follow rules," Lin Fan replied, not fully believing his own words.