In the end, it was Zhao Feng who helped Zhuge Fang catch his breath.
Li Xuan and Ankang Princess also stopped being mischievous and humbly asked Zhuge Fang about the profound mysteries involved.
Only then did Zhuge Fang feel a bit better, and clearing his throat, he explained:
"Through special processing and combination with other side dishes, I have maximized the efficacy of the arctic supreme clam while suppressing the absorption process to the most stable level possible."
"The effects you two are feeling now will not only last until today but will continue for several days afterward, at least seven days by my estimation."
When Zhuge Fang said this, Li Xuan couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
If it was truly as he said, then today's All-Clam Feast was indeed extraordinary.
Zhuge Fang not only cooked the arctic supreme clam into edible dishes but also utilized his expertise to ensure its efficacy was absorbed as much as possible by them.
"Of course, your two extraordinary physiques also played a crucial role."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to make such a dish."
At this point, Zhuge Fang couldn't help but reveal a satisfied expression, as if meeting Li Xuan and Ankang Princess was also a great fortune for him today.
And in fact, it was true.
As the Imperial Kitchen Manager, Zhuge Fang's passion for exploring culinary arts was naturally beyond doubt.
But good dishes also need to meet people who can appreciate them, especially when today's ingredients were so special.
Previously, Zhuge Fang used clam juice to test Ankang Princess's tolerance limit, also to see how much he could unleash his skills today.
However, he never expected that this princess, who was always rumored to be frail and sickly, would have such strong tolerance.
Zhuge Fang naturally understood the principle of not asking what shouldn't be asked, merely secretly rejoicing in his heart that today's ingredients met diners with compatible attributes.
Cooking is also very much about fate.
Especially for dishes made from such rare treasures, if their attributes clash, even high-level martial artists cannot fully enjoy them.
Zhuge Fang felt that today's cooking was satisfying enough, and his mood was simply wonderful.
Explaining the intricacies to Li Xuan and Ankang Princess, he was even more delighted, dancing with joy like a child having a blast.
Li Xuan and Ankang Princess originally just listened casually, but as they listened, they unconsciously became engrossed, developing an interest in Zhuge Fang's theories on ingredient compatibility and various culinary details.
Especially Li Xuan, from Zhuge Fang's words, he actually heard the profound principles of the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth, except that these principles were all applied to culinary art.
"The Five Elements of Heaven and Earth are omnipresent."
"Zhuge Fang's insights can help him become a top talent in culinary arts, so if applied to other skills, will they also have the same effect?"
"After all, all skills in this world must follow the laws of the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth."
At this moment, Li Xuan seemed to have a different understanding of the entire world.
Some skills that used to make him feel obscure and gave him a headache just by looking at them now seemed to have a new perspective.
"Martial arts, alchemy, formations, and even culinary arts..."
"These all seem to be just different ways of harnessing the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth for one's own use."
"If I think about it from another angle, they all lead to the same destination as the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth that I constantly comprehend!"
Li Xuan blinked, his eyes bursting with brilliant light, as if the whole world had become clearer.
Zhuge Fang saw Li Xuan's small expression and thought that this unusually intelligent cat understood his theory and admired him immensely, so he immediately spoke more excitedly, spittle flying everywhere.
"Manager, Manager..."
Zhuge Fang was speaking happily, but the Imperial Chefs he brought were all grim-faced and had no choice but to call him.
Zhuge Fang was interrupted in his train of thought by their noise and immediately snapped:
"What do you want?"
"Do you have no manners?"
"Don't you see that the Princess and I are discussing culinary arts?"
The Imperial Chefs were scared like quails, but they still had to remind him: "Manager, if the remaining ingredients are not processed soon, they will no longer be fresh."
At this reminder, Zhuge Fang remembered that two-thirds of the arctic supreme clam remained.
And Li Xuan also felt that the cold air emanating from the arctic supreme clam was far less cold than it was initially, seemingly continuously losing its vitality.
After all, the most essential one-third of the arctic supreme clam had already been cooked by Zhuge Fang and eaten by him and Ankang Princess.
Zhuge Fang had already finished preparing the essence, and he was actually somewhat uninterested in the remaining ingredients, but due to his duty, he still had to process them.
"Hmph, how many times have I taught you how to process these ingredients?"
"Just now was your chance to try, but you were all cowards, not a single one dared to make a move."
Although Zhuge Fang was at fault, as a leader, he naturally couldn't admit his own mistakes.
He immediately turned to Ankang Princess and politely said:
"Your Royal Highness, my subordinates are somewhat incompetent; I've made you laugh."
"I will just finish processing the remaining ingredients and also practically demonstrate some of my theories from earlier."
After speaking, Zhuge Fang changed his expression again and said to his Imperial Chefs:
"You guys are lucky today; thanks to the Princess, I will demonstrate again how to process these ingredients."
Although the Imperial Chefs were scolded, they all beamed with joy upon hearing this, quickly making way while also finding good spots to prepare to learn carefully.
It seemed that while Zhuge Fang had a bad temper, his culinary skills were highly recognized by the Imperial Chefs.
Zhuge Fang continued to prepare the remaining ingredients, this time without needing to be as focused as before, not even having time to speak, but explaining the principles and details to Li Xuan and Ankang Princess while processing.
Li Xuan and Ankang Princess listened, half-understanding, but the Imperial Chefs beside them listened with rapt attention, utterly absorbed.
Thus, as time passed, all the remaining arctic supreme clam was made into cold dishes, leaving only an inedible shell.
"Your Highness, these cold dishes can be stored in a cold place for four or five days, but it's best to consume them as soon as possible; the longer they are stored, the less effective they become."
"Moreover, since these dishes have general efficacy, there aren't too many taboos; at most, eating too much will cause diarrhea, and ordinary people can also consume them according to their physique."
"If you don't want to get diarrhea, I do have a standard for measuring."
"When eating these cold dishes by a brazier in the room, you should stop when you feel your body getting cold; that's just right, and you can continue eating the next day, but if you overdo it, you'll get diarrhea."
Zhuge Fang introduced the consumption of these remaining cold dishes, telling them some points to be wary of.
But compared to the essence parts from before, these side effects were negligible.
"Yuer, your physique is stronger than ordinary people's, so eating a bit more is fine."
Zhuge Fang did not forget to remind Yuer at the end.
Yuer immediately thanked Zhuge Fang.
Li Xuan saw that the arctic supreme clam had all been prepared, leaving only a shell on the ground.
He was a frugal master, naturally unable to tolerate such waste, so he immediately pressed his paw on it, mimicking how he broke open the shell before, and absorbed the remaining shell entirely.
But Li Xuan could clearly feel that the energy contained in this remaining shell was far less than the initial one.
"It should be because the arctic supreme clam has completely lost its vitality, right?"
Li Xuan guessed, but he also felt it wasn't a loss.
After all, even a mosquito's leg is still meat.
And the cold dishes made from the remaining arctic supreme clam ingredients also filled a large table.
Zhuge Fang wanted to share more of his culinary insights with Li Xuan and Ankang Princess, but he was stopped by Zhao Feng.
"Alright, alright, Zhuge Fang."
"The Princess is tired from eating today, and we still have to report back after finishing our task."
Zhuge Fang was pulled away by Zhao Feng and immediately asked in confusion:
"Ah? Do I also need to report back?"
"Isn't this all your business?"
"I think the Princess might be a culinary prodigy; can you let me chat a bit longer?"
Zhuge Fang was unwilling to leave but was forcibly dragged away by Zhao Feng.
Zhao Feng also made sure to have the others bow to Ankang Princess, and once they all left, Jingyang Palace suddenly became quiet again.
"Hehe, Manager Zhao Feng knows we can't be ourselves with outsiders present."
Ankang Princess said with a smile, knowing this was Zhao Feng's good intention.
"Quick, quick, Sister Yuer, sit down and eat too."
"You must be hungry after just watching Li Xuan and me eat, right?"
Ankang Princess pressed Yuer to sit in her seat.
Just then, Yuer's stomach rumbled at the opportune moment, making her blush with embarrassment.
"This, this..."
Yuer's face turned red, feeling that her stomach was too uncooperative, rumbling right after Ankang Princess finished speaking.
"Hehe, Sister Yuer, there's no need to be shy; it's just us now anyway."
Ankang Princess said, taking a plate of cold dishes, then said to Li Xuan:
"Li Xuan, tell your friends to come down and eat."
"I'll go to the backyard to see if Golden Pig and Dabai will eat this."
Ankang Princess carried the dishes and ran off to the backyard in a flash.
Li Xuan also let out a shout, and Cat Overlord and the others, who had been watching the show from the wall for a long time, immediately came down and began to eat the cold dishes made from arctic supreme clam under Li Xuan's supervision.
These guys needed Li Xuan to keep an eye on them, especially Niu Niu and Cheese; they ate with a death-defying gusto, and even if they felt uncomfortable, they would probably continue to eat, so Li Xuan had to watch them closely.
Li Xuan thought that the arctic supreme clam was, after all, a rare heavenly treasure. Although he didn't know what effect it would have on Cat Overlord and the others, with Li Xuan watching, there wouldn't be any major problems.
Under Li Xuan's gaze, Cat Overlord ate five pieces of clam meat, then licked his mouth and stopped eating.
It was clear that Cat Overlord still wanted to eat more but was forcing himself to stop.
Fat Orange ate one more piece than Cat Overlord, but that was all.
Li Xuan saw that both of them only ate a little and then stopped, and he nodded silently.
At least these two had self-control.
Moreover, Li Xuan found that Cat Overlord and Fat Orange's intelligence seemed to have increased significantly compared to before, and he wondered if it was due to their frequent contact with him.
After all, it's almost unimaginable for ordinary cats to exercise self-restraint in front of delicious food according to their own needs.
However, Niu Niu and Cheese's behavior was more like ordinary cats.
Li Xuan saw these two guys open their big mouths and try to dive their heads into the plate, so he immediately held them down.
But even when Li Xuan held their heads down, these two hungry ghosts still strained to lick the clam meat on the plate with their tongues.
Li Xuan couldn't help but break into a cold sweat; if he weren't there, Niu Niu and Cheese would inevitably eat themselves to death.
Li Xuan used his two front paws to hold down the heads of these two guys, then used his tail to pick up a small piece of clam meat from the plate, first offering it to Cheese.
Cheese immediately bit the clam meat eagerly, about to swallow it whole.
How could Li Xuan let it eat so fiercely? He tightened his tail around the clam meat, only allowing Cheese to bite off small pieces, while also using the paw holding it down to monitor Cheese's physical condition.
He had only eaten half of this small piece of clam meat when Li Xuan noticed cold energy accumulating in Cheese's body, so he immediately took the clam meat away, not daring to let it continue eating.
Cheese, deprived of the clam meat it was about to eat, cried out desperately with heart-wrenching meows.
But Li Xuan shook his head and put the remaining half piece of clam meat into Niu Niu's mouth.
"It's no good; this little guy is still too small, his body hasn't fully developed, and he hasn't practiced martial arts."
Cheese cried out a few times, and its stomach immediately rumbled.
Perhaps feeling uncomfortable, Cheese's meows grew weaker and weaker, and soon it quieted down, looking sickly and listless.
Li Xuan smiled helplessly, flipped Cheese over, and then rubbed its belly, which made the rumbling in its stomach subside a bit and restored some of its spirits.
Although Li Xuan could help Cheese feel more comfortable, he couldn't help it absorb the efficacy of the arctic supreme clam.
Next, it was Niu Niu's turn to be fed. After eating the half-piece left by Cheese, this guy only ate two more pieces of clam meat.
Li Xuan was so angry he gave Niu Niu an electric shock, but Niu Niu, despite being hit, still wailed because it couldn't eat the clam meat.
Li Xuan was annoyed by the noise and gave Niu Niu two more electric shocks.
"Meow, meow, meow? (Meow, I've practiced martial arts for so long, and I'm still eating like a child, aren't I?)"
"Meow, woo! (If you wail one more time, see if I don't beat you!)"
Niu Niu's eyes were somewhat swollen from the beating, but it could still clearly see Li Xuan raising his paw, looking very angry.
Niu Niu immediately dared not "wail" casually anymore, pouting aggrievedly and lying on the ground, pretending to be pitiful.
Li Xuan's anger was not without reason; Niu Niu only ate two more pieces than Cheese, yet the cold energy accumulated in its body was even greater than in Cheese.
But strangely, Niu Niu's stomach didn't rumble along with it.
Despite his anger, Li Xuan was very precise with his actions, only hurting Niu Niu but not injuring it at all.
"Sigh, neither good at academics nor martial arts, what will become of it in the future?"
Li Xuan couldn't help but worry about Niu Niu.
Cat Overlord and Fat Orange grew up smoothly, but only Niu Niu was useless at everything and just knew how to play all day.
Although this was a cat's natural instinct, Li Xuan felt that they should be somewhat different after encountering him, becoming unique cats.
But looking at Niu Niu's pitiful appearance, Li Xuan's heart softened, and he flipped it over as well, planning to rub both their bellies.
But when Li Xuan's paw pressed on Niu Niu's belly, his expression froze.
"Huh, why is the cold energy less?"