The heads of general ingredients are often inedible, but there are exceptions, such as fish heads. Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chilies is quite an excellent dish.

The key to making this dish lies first in neutralizing the fishiness: marinate the fish for a period with a small amount of salt and cooking wine, layered with ginger shreds. Second is drizzling the oil: pour oil heated to a rolling boil directly over the chilies and various seasonings; this dish relies heavily on oil and intense spice.

The dish boasts a bright red color, deep flavor, and tender flesh. The fish head is soft and gelatinous, rich without being greasy, perfectly balanced between savory, fresh, and spicy.

Finally, I have managed to prepare this Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chilies. Gazing at the dish in the large blue-and-white porcelain bowl—the tender fish head, the vibrant red chilies—I couldn't help but swallow.

My own palate leans far too heavily toward spice; I am a chili addict. But addiction to spice is fine, as long as I enjoy my meal.

Carrying this bowl of Steamed Fish Head to the courtyard, where a bluestone table and four bluestone chairs sat beneath several stalks of bamboo, I settled onto a chair and began to savor the dish with gusto. A sip of wine, a bite of food.

I wouldn't trade this for the world, not even the heavens. Relishing this delicacy with such pleasure, taking a few sips of wine between bites—absolute bliss.

The shadows of the surrounding bamboo forest swayed, and the pond water in the courtyard flowed slowly. Just then, Li Fang hurried in: "Young Master, Young Master." Lu Yuan didn't rush to answer; he finished his sip of wine first, then asked, "What is it?" Wasn't this man just worried that the dungeon wouldn't be large enough?

How does he have time to find me now? Li Fang said, "Young Master, what should we do now?

Shouldn't we severely extort the leaders of the dozen or so factions we captured this time?" As soon as Li Fang spoke, he realized he was no longer the stern old man he used to be; he certainly had no habit of extortion before. I must admit, watching the Young Master extort Sun Tiangang last time was incredibly satisfying.

Now, with so many hostages in hand, the thought crept back naturally. I am supposed to be a stern elder who is strict with myself.

Li Fang felt his former image drifting further and further away. Lu Yuan picked up a piece of fish, "No, this time we will not extort them.

We are all cultivators; how can we resort to extortion back and forth? It is too discordant." Li Fang couldn't help but pause, surprised.

Has the Young Master suddenly become righteous? Lu Yuan said in a deep voice, "The Elder Council manages all disputes between the Immortal Sects within the cultivation world of the Great Jin Kingdom.

Of course, they cannot interfere in the internal politics of a single Immortal Sect. The cultivation world of the Great Jin Kingdom is fundamentally centered around the Five Great Immortal Sects, and the members of the Elder Council are predominantly drawn from those Five Sects." "Now, regarding this conflict, let me consider: the Millennium Noble Family Wang, the Royal Family connected to the Great Jin Imperial Clan, the Qian Family backed by a mid-tier cultivation sect, plus the other miscellaneous factions—their strength within the Elder Council is far inferior to that of the Five Great Immortal Sects.

Yet, they dared to be so audacious as to attack the Li Family Manor, which belongs to the Huashan Immortal Sect lineage. This transgression is no small matter." "If they hadn't fallen into our hands, the Qingcheng Immortal Sect and the other forces could still engage in quibbling within the Elder Council.

But now, that is clearly impossible." Lu Yuan smiled, "Based on this offense, it is entirely proper to sweep these factions out of the Eastern Dao Prefecture. As for figures like Huang Fengbo, Qian Leng, and Wang Hongtu, confining them in the Tianlao (Heavenly Prison) of the Huashan Immortal Sect for a few hundred years until their lifespans expire would be perfectly normal." "Therefore, this time, we will not extort." Lu Yuan stated seriously, "We will swallow up all the mines in the Eastern Dao Prefecture area." Tears streamed down Li Fang's face.

He thought he had become less rigid, contemplating extorting these captured individuals, but he never expected the Young Master to be even more ruthless and powerful, choosing instead to escalate the matter directly to the Elder Council. Following the rules of the Elder Council's game, he intends to seize all the mines in the Eastern Dao Prefecture.

"What about the Sun Family Manor, which is backed by the Qingcheng Immortal Sect?" Li Fang asked. "The Sun Family Manor?

Let the higher-ups handle that," Lu Yuan shrugged. "The Qingcheng Immortal Sect is also one of the Five Great Immortal Sects.

In the Elder Council, one of the Five Great against another of the Five Great won't hold a significant advantage. However, this time we have substantial evidence, and we have captured Sun Tiangang.

The higher-ups will handle it very well; we don't need to worry about it at all." The matter was thus settled, and Li Fang quickly departed. Lu Yuan resumed drinking his wine.

When cultivators choose disciples, they prioritize temperament above all else, followed by root bone. Taking a disciple with a poor temperament can lead to matricide and rebellion.

Since several such incidents occurred in the cultivation world, temperament has become the primary focus when accepting disciples, with other factors secondary. Cultivation itself, however, hinges on comprehension, aptitude, and resources—none can be missing.

Aptitude and comprehension are innate. If one's comprehension and aptitude are low, achieving immortality is difficult.

Every true core disciple possesses excellent comprehension and aptitude, usually of the upper grade. Lu Yuan’s aptitude is upper grade, and his comprehension is the very pinnacle of the upper grade.

As for resources, no matter how high one’s comprehension or aptitude, they are indispensable. Legend suggests that in ancient times, someone aspired to ascend on their own in a single day, enduring the thunder tribulation and achieving godhood instantly without needing any resources.

But that is merely an ancient myth; such figures essentially no longer exist today. Even someone like Lu Yuan, with his comprehension, still requires resources.

Of course, I never actively seek to seize resources; that conflicts with my temperament and risks straying onto the demonic path. However, when resources are delivered right to my doorstep, why should I refuse them?

Cultivation, in truth, is an exceedingly difficult undertaking. It is impossible without resources, yet obsessively pursuing resources can easily lead one into the demonic path.

To be carefree, to act without design, and to follow one’s nature—these twelve characters sound simple, but they are profoundly difficult to practice. —————— After pushing the matter up to the Elder Council, Lu Yuan reverted to his usual, carefree existence.

Currently, no power in the Eastern Dao Prefecture could challenge the Li Family Manor. Rumor had it that when the cultivators from the Li Family Manor went out, they no longer carried mere prestige, but true awe.

Now, everyone within this sphere knew that the various powers of the Eastern Dao Prefecture had been largely swept clean, and those remaining were incapable of contending with the Li Family Manor. Of course, this had little to do with Lu Yuan.

Lately, Lu Yuan’s days primarily consisted of drinking wine, sleeping, and visiting various inns across the Eastern Dao Prefecture to sample different delicacies. This formed the main substance of his life.

Naturally, dressed simply in a green robe as a young man, the tavern keepers likely never suspected that this green-robed youth was the highest-ranking figure in the most powerful force in the Eastern Dao Prefecture: the Li Family Manor. This was a pond.

The water was crystalline blue, reflecting the weeping willows lining its edges. Willow leaves lightly brushed the surface, and a bird darted past the leaves, breaking the mirror-like stillness of the water, causing the reflection of the pond to waver.

Beside the pond stood only a figure in green, wearing a bamboo hat that obscured their features and age. The green-clad figure held a fishing rod, the line trembling slightly—clearly, a fish had taken the bait.

Yet, the figure seemed oblivious. After a long while, the person seemed to wake up: "Ah, I must have dozed off.

A fish took the bait and I didn't notice. My apologies, my apologies." He swung his arm to pull in the catch, but the fish had already swallowed the bait and swam away to parts unknown.

The green-robed youth smiled lightly, showing no annoyance that the hooked fish had escaped. Fishing, after all, is about catching a state of mind.

If one’s mentality is calm, everything is fine. Lu Yuan, for once, had come out to fish.

Fishing was one of the rare activities Lu Yuan enjoyed. It allowed him to sit perfectly still for hours and even take a nap.

Such an activity was exceedingly rare, so he couldn't help but like it. Since this fish swam away, he would wait for the next one.

He believed there must be a lazy fish that, after biting the bait, wouldn't swim away, waiting patiently for him to wake up from a short doze before willingly letting itself be caught. If there was someone as inherently lazy as himself in this world, there must surely be equally lazy fish.

He would simply wait right here. Lu Yuan cast his line again, hooking a small earthworm as bait, and tossed it back into the water.

However, this time, before another fish arrived, a person appeared. An old man with flowing white hair—Lu Yuan recognized him.

This man's surname was Lu, and he usually resided on the North Peak; Lu Yuan always called him Uncle Lu. Upon seeing him, Lu Yuan immediately stood up.

Although Uncle Lu was a subordinate of his master, he was also an elder. Years of education in the Huashan Immortal Sect had ingrained the habit of respecting elders: "Uncle Lu, you've arrived?" The elder surnamed Lu nodded, "Young Master, you did very well this time, capturing the leaders of those factions so cleanly.

Furthermore, by using magnetic stones, the moments when the leaders were captured were all recorded. These have all become favorable evidence.

In this session of the Elder Council, our side won a decisive victory. These factions have all been expelled from the Eastern Dao Prefecture, and the mines in this area now belong to our faction.

However, in return, they are allowed to ransom those people back upon paying a compensation of spirit stones that isn't exactly generous." The ruling of the Elder Council had finally been delivered. Just as he had predicted, the Elder Council’s verdict was set.

While the Elder Council claimed absolute fairness and impartiality, it invariably leaned toward the Five Great Immortal Sects, as it was primarily composed of their members. When human bias exists, leaning toward the Five Great Immortal Sects during disputes was natural.

"As for the Qingcheng Immortal Sect, a private agreement was reached with them: we will not bring up the matter of Sun Tiangang to the Elder Council, to save the face of the Clear Sound Sword Immortal, Sun Qingyi. But there are conditions: the Sun Family Manor must withdraw from the mining areas of the Eastern Dao Prefecture according to the agreement." The Elder Council's ruling seemed finalized.

The fact that Elder Lu had come personally was likely simple: Lu Yuan was here only for a period of tempering/experience. Once finished, he would return to Huashan.

As Li Fang here couldn't quite hold the situation steady, Elder Lu was sent to stabilize the region. This major affair was finally nearing its conclusion.

A person could finally breathe a deep sigh of relief. (To celebrate my novel hitting the paid chapters, with strong subscriptions and generous monthly tickets, today I release four chapters—this is the second one.) [.16U