His identity being exposed is no big deal; it simply means the struggle has moved from the shadows to the open. He will once again challenge Dongfang Heng and will definitely not lose to him.
Under the blazing sun, Shen Lixue paced back and forth at the entrance of the Holy King's Mansion, her anxious gaze frequently sweeping across the deserted road. Dongfang Heng had been in the palace for two hours; why hadn't he returned yet? Could something have happened to him?
As I was filled with worry, a luxurious carriage turned onto the road and sped towards me.
Seeing the familiar carriage and the markings hanging on it, Shen Lixue's eyes lit up. It was Dongfang Heng's carriage. The carriage had returned, and he should be back too!
Under Shen Lixue's expectant gaze, the carriage stopped, the curtain opened, and Dongfang Heng, dressed in white, stepped out. He was elegant in demeanor, sharp in his eyes, and deep in his pupils. He was the person she knew well.
"Is the matter resolved?" Shen Lixue stepped forward, her heart slowly calming down. Looking at his handsome, familiar face, she felt as if she had been through a lifetime.
"It's resolved!" Dongfang Heng stepped down from the carriage, tightly grasped Shen Lixue's small hand, and a faint smile appeared in his deep eyes. When he returned and saw her waiting at the door, she looked like a little wife waiting for her husband to come home. It felt wonderful.
"Is the mastermind behind this Dongfang Zhan?" After entering the Holy King's Mansion, Shen Lixue looked around to make sure no one was there, and asked in a low voice.
“It’s him!” Dongfang Heng nodded. For more than ten years, he and Dongfang Zhan had always maintained a semblance of politeness so that they wouldn’t feel awkward when they met, and they only fought in secret. This time, Dongfang Zhan set a trap, and he devised a plan to break the deadlock. The conflict intensified, and the struggle would be brought out of the shadows.
"Has he been punished?" Shen Lixue blinked. Dongfang Zhan was clever and cunning, and it wasn't easy to find something on him. Once she did, she had to strike hard, otherwise, if he caught his breath and gained the upper hand, they would be the ones in trouble.
Dongfang Heng frowned: "He found a scapegoat and got away scot-free!" Dongfang Zhan is very clever. He likes to use others to do his dirty work and never does it himself. If something happens, he can't be blamed.
Shen Lixue frowned: "Dongfang Zhan is extremely difficult to deal with!"
Dongfang Heng smiled. He and Dongfang Zhan had been fighting for more than ten years without a clear winner. Dongfang Zhan was indeed very powerful, but he was never afraid of strong opponents.
The sun hung high in the sky, bright and dazzling. A wave of hunger washed over her, and Shen Lixue suddenly remembered that it was lunchtime. She shielded her eyes from the sunlight with her hand and looked at Dongfang Heng: "Have you had lunch yet?"
"Not yet!" After leaving the palace, Dongfang Heng rushed back to the Holy King's Mansion, fearing that Shen Lixue would worry, and did not have lunch.
Shen Lixue reached out and took Dongfang Heng's arm: "Then I'll make you lunch to celebrate our little victory!"
"You can cook?" Dongfang Heng looked at Shen Lixue suspiciously. He remembered that when she was brewing medicine, she couldn't even control the heat properly.
"Of course!" Shen Lixue blinked, telling the little lie without batting an eye: "When we were in Qingzhou, my mother and I didn't have any servants to wait on us; we cooked for ourselves!"
"How does it taste?" Having been in Beijing for several months, Dongfang Heng had never seen Shen Lixue cook. She was very unfamiliar with controlling the heat and probably hadn't cooked much.
"Well..." Seeing Dongfang Heng's eager gaze, she smiled mischievously, deliberately teasing him: "It shouldn't kill anyone!"
"Hmm!" Dongfang Heng's sharp eyes narrowed instantly, and images of plates of charred charcoal flashed through his mind. Such food was hard to swallow, but it certainly wouldn't kill anyone.
"Just kidding, you'll know once you taste my cooking!" Shen Lixue pulled Dongfang Heng along and hurried into Fengsong Courtyard. Since Dongfang Heng doubted her skills, she decided to show him.
"Is the food you cooked edible?" Dongfang Heng frowned slightly as he looked at the small kitchen that was so close at hand.
"If I can eat, then you can eat too!" Shen Lixue angrily dragged Dongfang Heng into the small kitchen. Since he doubted her cooking skills, she made a small Manchu Han Imperial Feast in front of him to show him.
She took out several different kinds of green vegetables from the basket, picked and washed them, and placed them on the counter. Then she chopped the meat and seasonings, and turned to start a fire.
Dongfang Heng, who was standing still, noticed Shen Lixue busy at work. He walked slowly to the counter and looked at the various vegetables on it: "Shouldn't the vegetables be chopped up?"
"Yes!" Shen Lixue nodded in response, turned her back to Dongfang Heng, lit the fire, washed the pot again, and poured in some oil.
"Clang clang clang!" A series of soft sounds came from behind her. Shen Lixue turned around and saw Dongfang Heng chopping vegetables with a kitchen knife. The sharp knife flew up and down in his hand at an extremely fast speed. She only saw flashes of silver light, and the vegetables under the knife had already turned into minced pieces.
"Dongfang Heng, why did you chop the vegetables into such small pieces?" Shen Lixue frowned at Dongfang Heng. Although his knife skills were excellent, how could he stir-fry the vegetables when they were all chopped into small pieces?
"Didn't you say you were going to chop the vegetables finely?" Dongfang Heng stopped chopping, looked at the pile of greens that were barely bigger than dust particles, and frowned. It seemed that the vegetables he usually ate were indeed not chopped so finely.
Shen Lixue sighed and rubbed her forehead: "Vegetables are easy to stir-fry, they'll fall apart after a few chops, I didn't ask you to chop them this finely."
"What do we do now?" Dongfang Heng looked at the dish full of vegetable scraps; he couldn't cook any more.
Shen Lixue sighed, "Let's make vegetable soup!" Boil some water, add chopped greens and other ingredients, and drink it as soup. It will taste good too.
"That's a good idea!" Dongfang Heng waved his hand, and a flash of silver light appeared. The chopped vegetables on the table were instantly collected into the porcelain basin.
"Didn't you say you learned how to start a fire and cook in the military camp?" Shen Lixue looked at Dongfang Heng suspiciously. How could he not even know how to cut vegetables?
"Time was tight in the military camp, so we ate whole things and never cut them!" The military camp was a place for training people, and life was relatively tough. Dongfang Heng cooked for himself. It was very simple. He would break the green vegetables into strips, throw them into hot water to boil, add some ingredients, and that was a dish. He would skin and pluck the feathers of the small birds and rabbits he hunted, roast them over a fire, add some ingredients, and that was a delicious meal.
Shen Lixue frowned. Dongfang Heng's experience was somewhat similar to hers in modern times. When she was hiding from a perverted killer in the mountains, she ate very casually. At that time, survival was the priority, so she didn't care about how exquisite the food was. As long as she could eat her fill, that was enough.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?" Shen Lixue was busy running around, while Dongfang Heng stood leisurely watching, feeling a little guilty.
"Help me cut this meat into small cubes!" Shen Lixue took out a piece of lean meat, placed it on the cutting board, and carefully instructed, "Don't cut it into such small pieces again!"
"Don't worry!" Dongfang Heng flipped his wrist, and with a flash of silver light, a thick piece of lean meat turned into thin strips of meat in the blink of an eye.
"Excellent, excellent knife skills!" Shen Lixue nodded in praise, placing a few potatoes on the cutting board: "Slice the potatoes into thin strips as well, the finer the better!"
With a glint of silver light, the potato was instantly sliced into hair-thin strands. The skill and speed of the knife work are beyond the reach of even modern chefs!
Shen Lixue carefully stir-fried the potatoes in the oil. After a few moments, the aroma filled the entire kitchen. She quickly served them, and the potatoes on the plate looked and smelled delicious, making one's mouth water.
Spicy chicken, braised pork, soy sauce fish, braised eggplant, Mapo tofu, and all sorts of other dishes were laid out on the table, each one emitting a fragrant aroma that filled the entire Fengsong Courtyard.
Looking at the exquisite dishes, Dongfang Heng was amazed. Not only could Li Xue cook, but the food was also delicious, no less than what the chefs in the kitchen made.
Shen Lixue served the last soup: "Alright, you can eat now!"
"Is this the vegetable soup?" The soup in the large bowl was milky white, with a few green scallion pieces floating on the surface, reflecting the yellow egg and green vegetable pieces, making it look particularly tempting.
I picked up the small spoon, took a bite, and the aroma instantly filled my mouth, refreshing and pleasant.
"How does it taste?" Shen Lixue looked at Dongfang Heng, anticipating his answer.
"Very good!" Dongfang Heng nodded approvingly. The food she cooked was very fragrant and unique; the chefs couldn't make it taste like that.