In the southeastern corner of Yihetang Manor, there is an open area surrounded by large water pools on all four sides, with a red copper tripod standing in the center.

The brewing of essence food... takes place here. As soon as Pang Long announced the brewing of essence food, everyone became instantly excited.

Over a dozen people gathered in front of the tripod.

"Remove the lid!"

Pang Long ordered.

Li Xian and other nursing home workers climbed up the wooden ladder to the top of the tripod, which was as tall as a zhang, and incredibly heavy.

The tripod had four handles, and the edge was thick enough for several people to stand on.

After finding a stable footing, Li Xian bent over, grabbed the lid with both hands, and looked at the others around him.

Exchanging glances and nodding, everyone began to exert force together.

"Rumble..."

The lid was moved half an inch, and the heavy sound reverberated around.

There were five people, including Li Xian, trying to lift the lid. Even with their combined strength, they could barely lift it slightly.

The weight of this object was truly astonishing.

"Inner Qi can be considered a form of force. When you channel it out to envelop a heavy object, you can save a lot of energy when lifting it."

"But this object is so large and heavy that my Inner Qi can't fully envelop it, making it extremely difficult to lift."

Gritting his teeth, Li Xian exerted all his strength to lift the lid another three inches.

The lid was square in shape, and seeing the difficulty everyone was having, Pang Long shouted, "Bring the rope!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a nursing home worker threw a yellow rope towards him. Pang Long caught it, swung it like a whip, and tossed it at the lid.

With a snap, the rope wrapped around the lid. Then, with a flick of his wrist, Pang Long pulled it back and tied a knot in the air, securing the lid tightly.

"Impressive skill!"

Li Xian praised.

Pang Long smiled and handed the rope to the other nursing home workers, saying, "Pull with all your might, and let's take off the lid together."

It was like a tug of war. Li Xian and others lifted from above while more than a dozen nursing home workers pulled from below.

With combined efforts and exhausting energy, they managed to finally remove the lid.

When it hit the snow, the ground trembled three times.

Li Xian's hands and feet trembled a bit, a normal result of expending too much energy.

"Just opening the tripod is already so troublesome."

"I never had the chance to deal with these things when I was a servant."

It was a surprising thought because during the last essence food brewing, Li Xian was waiting outside the manor, transporting clear water back and forth.

With time and changes, he could now share in the bounty.

...

"Be careful with your movements."

"This is Dragon Roar Charcoal, just the size of a palm, but it costs one tael of silver."

"If you break it, according to manor rules, it will be deducted from your wages, so be gentle."

After opening the tripod, it was time to arrange the charcoal.

The charcoal was placed at the bottom of the large tripod. The "Dragon Roar Charcoal" was cylindrical with hundreds of tiny holes.

A single piece of charcoal can burn for a long time, and its heat is intense and penetrating. It's a commonly used charcoal for brewing essence food.

When it burns, it makes a "huhu" sound, like a dragon breathing, hence the name "Dragon Roar Charcoal."

"One tael of charcoal is equal to one tael of gold."

Li Xian clicked his tongue.

It seemed that anything related to Madam Wen was extraordinarily expensive, providing a deeper understanding of the phrase "spending money like water."

There were roughly a thousand pieces of charcoal, arranged in a cone shape. Then Pang Long started the fire.

The fierce flames twisted the air. The fire from the "Dragon Roar Charcoal" was unique, with a pale yellow and purple hue. Though it burned vigorously, it clung tightly to the tripod wall.

At first glance, it appeared as if the body of the tripod was adorned with a layer of flaming patterns.

After finishing these tasks, Li Xian and the others had completed their work. Pang Long went straight to the inner yard, and came back holding four pieces of meat.

The meat was of a peculiar color, grayish-brown.

One large piece and three small pieces, the large one was about the size of three fists, and the small ones were about the size of a little finger joint.

When the tripod was heated to a rolling boil, Pang Long threw the meat into the tripod, making a sizzling sound.

A plume of green smoke emerged from the tripod, and Li Xian sniffed hard, finding it quite pungent.

"Don't inhale it!"

"This stuff is poisonous."

Pang Long warned. Li Xian was taken aback and immediately stepped back three steps, distancing himself from the roaring fire of the tripod.

"Commander Pang, the meat you just added is from the Snow Demon Monkey?" Li Xian asked curiously.

"Indeed." Pang Long nodded.

"The Snow Demon Monkey is not just this small, why not cook it all together?" Li Xian asked.

"It can't be cooked all at once." Pang Long pointed to the 'Dragon Roar Charcoal' and said, "Everything has to be cost-effective."

"In theory, all parts of the Snow Demon Monkey can be considered 'essence food', but... the only portion truly suitable for stewing is the back of the neck."

"That part has already been completely put in."

"Commander Pang, please explain further." Li Xian was eager to learn, thinking the notion of 'cost' hadn't been fully explained, so he humbly asked.

Pang Long didn't understand much, but he repeated what Madam Wen had mentioned: "As long as you're willing to put in the effort, the blood and flesh of demons can always have the poison removed and be simmered into 'essence food' for consumption."

"It's all about whether it's worth it. Demons like the Snow Demon Monkey appear in winter and hide in summer, love feeding on human liver and gallbladder, and are unpredictable. The back of the neck is the least toxic."

"After brewing for two days and a night, the poison can be completely removed."

"However, other parts have multiplied toxicity, requiring six days and nights to fully remove the poison before they can be used as essence food."

"In this way, it's not cost-effective. Because burning for six days and nights, the 'Dragon Roar Charcoal' consumed is valued at over ten thousand taels."

"Moreover, the Snow Demon Monkey is not a particularly valuable essence food, with limited benefits, so there's no need to spend so much money on it."

Li Xian secretly noted that Martial Artists also emphasized 'cost' and 'cost-efficiency.'

He looked at the burning copper tripod, silently estimating that this batch of essence food also cost over a thousand taels of silver.

Martial Artist, the rebirth of a Martial Artist... the expenses involved are incomprehensibly massive.

"I'm just a mere nursing home worker for now..."

"It seems I'm still far from reaching the First Realm of Martial Arts 'Essence Food.'

Such a gap can't be bridged by hard work alone.

Opportunities, luck... all sorts of factors, making Li Xian feel like a frog at the bottom of a well looking up at the vast sky, yet the well is a thousand feet deep, making becoming the one to leap out as difficult as reaching the heavens.

After simmering for half an hour, Pang Long began to instruct the servants to shovel snow, sieve snow, and move snow.

The sieved snowflakes, crystal clear, were poured into the large tripod, where they sizzled, turning into splashes of water. As the water splashes increased, they coalesced into boiling liquid.

Boiling fiercely in the fire, they evaporated rapidly. To prevent drying out, snow needed to be continuously sieved, moved, and poured.

Constantly replenishing the water source allowed for dynamic balance, keeping the tripod always boiling.

The evaporating steam would carry away the poison in the flesh.

With snow everywhere, why not use it?

Whenever brewing essence treasure, 'water' is the biggest consumable.

It requires a constant, massive supply of water. If stopped, the essence food would dry and lose efficacy, rendering the hard work futile.

Lots of silver would flow away.

Yihetang Manor has no shortage of water, with several mountain lakes, water veins, and streams within three miles.

These were factors seriously considered by 'Madam Wen' before establishing the manor.

"Transporting water is a long process, prone to accidents along the way, leading to insufficient supply and hence, failure."

"Brewing essence food in the snow can significantly reduce water usage."

"But it will increase charcoal consumption."

"It's about increasing cost efficiency. Conversely, during the hot summer days, brewing will save on charcoal but increase water demand, lowering cost efficiency."

"Each has its pros and cons, depending on the choice."

Li Xian pondered on the manor's operation patterns.

Perhaps one day he'll manage a manor himself?

Even though it's distant, learning in advance isn't a mistake.

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