Chapter 5: Consider the small steps while cooking a large meal

Entry #2

Cooking is refinement. Refinement is cooking. And cultivation cook books are stupid. I could probably whip up a recipe in a day or two. Either way, everyone here is stupidly obsessed with pills. PILLS. These people could be cultivating and learning how to control the elements of the Earth or flying. 

I'll never make the mistake of wasting such a god given opportunity. All the people here must be retarded to give up such a bright future to basically work a minimum wage job.

I'll make it big one day. You can read this later and tear up future me.

This is journal entry 31. 

I still remember being a naive young boy. Reincarnated into a world full of cultivation. Yet I'm here. Stuck in the freaking kitchen of a run down restaurant instead of cultivating. 

The worst issue here is probably the recipes. Whenever I read cultivation novels, they usually skip over this process. And now I know why. It's boring, tedious, and headache inducing. 

Where will I find "Three colored tiger grass"?

Is that even a real thing? Or did some drunken cultivator make that up?

Either way, I'm still stuck in the pill production lines. I brought up the innovative production line, and it only took the clan 20 days to steal the idea from me, not give me any royalties, and make me a cog in the machine that makes pills. 

My feet ache, my back mildly hurts, and my hands are cramping up. 

Either way, good night journal. Tomorrow I'll be a better man. 

***

Journal entry number 69

I would make a funny joke here. But I kinda wanna die. Not really, but working in pill production really takes something out of me, you know? If I have to refine another six spirit leaf I'll probably go insane. I think I've purified upwards of 1000 six spirit leafs today. 

Like if all men and women are born with a type of spirit inside of them, mindless stirring, purifying, and adding ingredients probably killing that spirit. Matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this pill production technique actually used my spirit as a resource to produce pills. 

Either way, I plan on escaping soon. There's no future here. I'll never grow to become anything if I stay here. 

***

Journal entry #100

I've finally hit entry number 100! I admittedly forgot to write some days, maybe a lot, but it's ok. Those days didn't matter anyway. Except the one where I got fired, but that's besides the point. 

I'm currently on the run from the clan authorities. Luckily, the surrounding rival clans were more than happy to help. If there's anything I've learned, it's that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I probably wouldn't have more than a 1% chance if I tried to do this myself. 

Funnily enough, these Mei clansmen have a strange culture. I heard one man scream that he hated me so much he'd eat me! He said he would eat me! I almost stopped running from laughter! He probably couldn't catch me even if he spent his whole life trying. 

Anyways, wherever I ended up, I do not speak their language. Which is quite unfortunate, as I stole quite a large sum of materials from the clan. After all, I wasn't planning on spending all my days as a production slave. 

***

Journal entry 183

I've spent my time reading and refining food. Funnily enough, the one thing I ran from I came back to. 

Refinement is hard. All the time I spent working in the production lines taught me almost nothing. I'm not even sure if I like this more than before. With working at a factory I at least got a pay. With this, I have nothing. 

It doesn't matter how much potential I have to grow and make money if I can't realize it.

I've done my best today, I'll do it again tomorrow. But for how much longer I'm not sure.

***

Journal entry 200

To commemorate entry number 200, I shall sleep peacefully today. I can't believe I'm writing this with tears in my eyes, but I am. I miss my family at home. I miss my friends back in the clan I started in. I miss my community. Maybe I was young and brash. 

But nonetheless, I'll still keep pursing this path. I've already set the destination, it's up to my ability to walk the road I've prepared. 

My heart feels empty and I'm not sure about my decision. I wish I had the confidence to say that this was the right choice, but I can't say that. What I can say is that I will never have any regrets from on.

For this heart can feel sorrow, joy, and everything between. But from today forward I shall never feel regret. 

***

Journal Entry # two hundred and sixty seven

I have 7 recipes. They're all low to mid tier in the market. I'm not sure if they'll succeed, but I'm targeting the poorer cultivators. And I know that they're not as well informed. 

I plan on opening a shop with workers to help me with production. Finding materials, purifying them, mixing them, and producing the pills is quite taxing. Especially when doing everything myself. Including delivery. 

Maybe I'll simplify it when I make a shop. But I'll never treat my workers like I was treated. That I can promise.

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Three years of my life, and now I have seven recipes to show for it. I feel like throwing up. And whenever I cry I always end up laughing. This poem shall be carved on my grave. 

Oh the world is so large

Humans are so small and fragile

A strong gust will uproot an entire clan

While a millennia of humanity leaves the world unfazed

 

To live in this world is nothing noteworthy

Dreaming of changing the world remains a dream

But to remain unchanged in this world is already an achievement 

 

Heaven and Earth may fall

But my heart will feel no regret at all

No gaze shall bother me

For I have always been who I am

 

Unchanged by the world

Unchanged by my peers

I alone can live in this world

 

If I am rebuked and laughed at, I'll feel no regret. I can be mocked, beat, anything. Who cares? Not me. This is simply what I wish to do! To live in this world unchanged and unfazed by the world. Even on my deathbed, even staring down into the abyss, I shall remain unchanged. For I have always been myself. 

***

Journal Entry: 598

I believe I am losing my memories. I can no longer remember all of my adventures, and reading my journal feels like reading a stranger's stories. 

My children have already grown up well. Their children will never have to suffer as I did. I've captured a small and niche market for myself. I've crushed the competition ruthlessly. 

I may finally pass with no regrets.

***

"Ha. Truly he was crazy" Yajun took a look at the old journal besides the corpse. 

He felt no pity. The author was an otherworldly demon who arrived at his Mei clan. As the youngest master of the clan leader, his future was assured. 

Yajun had awakened his aperture at the age of 6, cultivated to rank 3 at the age of 20, and reached rank 4 at age 57. But just as he began preparing to ascend to rank 5, this demon had taken everything of value from the Mei clan. 

Without any resources, their only option was to raid other surrounding clans for resources. And entire 300 year old clan had fallen prey to a single person. 

Yajun raised his head to the sky and cried. 

He had long reached rank 5, the apex of mortals. Within the central continent, there were few to rival him. His power was nearly unmatched. Yet with all of his grand powers he couldn't revive his clan. 

To achieve his cultivation he had sacrificed his clan. First he had killed his father to raise his aptitude. 

His father did not even blame him for his actions! With his dying breath, his father pleaded him to stay low and survive. But how could this be? Yajun had the entirety of the clan's safety on his shoulders. His father was already at death's doorstop, and could no longer protect the clan. The clan was constantly on the move, hunting for more resources and running from those who they had already raided. 

As the years passed, hundreds of Mei clansmen had died. Either killed by pursuers or from hunger and disease. 

Yajun took another look at the corpse. He had spent the last 13 years chasing this demon down. He took out a knife and began slowly slicing the corpse into smaller pieces. 

He took out a pot, boiled the water, and cooked the corpse. No seasoning, and he kept all the blood and bones in. 

Yajun took each bite slowly. Savoring the blood of his enemies. As he eat, he felt tears run down his eyes yet again. He had finally avenged his clan. But this wasn't enough for him. 

For he was already dead. But his descendants were still alive. 

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