Be careful not to burn yourself

Lin Mo put away his phone, his gaze returning to the jadeite rough stone on the table, now completely stripped of its outer rock layer.

The stripped stone was about the size of half a watermelon, its entire body displaying a profound "emperor's green" hue. Its texture was fine, its translucency excellent, and under the sunlight, it glowed with a warm, soft, treasure-like radiance.

This piece of material, if placed on the market, would be enough to drive any jeweler wild.

But in Lin Mo's eyes, its greatest value lay in the natural property within it—a property capable of containing spiritual power.

From this single rough stone, he could make many things.

His fingertips lightly traced the surface of the stone, carefully sensing its internal grain and flaws.

A moment later, spiritual power flowed from his fingertips, sharp as the finest blade, making light cuts at several points with minor cracks or slightly inferior quality.

An irregular piece of jadeite silently separated from the main body of the rough.

He then divided it into five pieces.

These five jadeite pieces, each smaller than a finger segment, could store some of Lin Mo's spiritual power. Given to Liu Zheng and the others, they could at least save their lives in specific situations.

After all, considering the physical resilience of those guys,

a submachine gun could turn them into Swiss cheese.

Lin Mo casually infused these jadeite pieces with spiritual power, drew a talisman in the air, and pressed it into the jade.

The jadeite trembled slightly, its internal color becoming even more profound and warm, as if it had gained life.

A faint, almost imperceptible fluctuation of spiritual power was perfectly sealed within.

Using jade to bear talismans was far more effective than using yellow paper and cinnabar. Not only could it store more spiritual power, but it could also be activated repeatedly. It was a new method Lin Mo had recently figured out.

This was indeed a method Lin Mo had recently thought of.

After all, in this vast world, he was the only cultivator. There wasn't much experience to draw from; he had to rely entirely on his own exploration and trial and error.

The system often went off to play around too, sigh, giving this old host endless worries.

After preparing all five jadeite pieces, Lin Mo casually put them in his pocket.

In the kitchen, a rich, buttery sweetness practically spilled out the doorway.

Chu Miaomiao, wearing a cartoon apron, was meticulously frying eggs and bacon at the stove, her expression as focused as if she were conducting a precise experiment.

Lin Mo leaned lazily against the kitchen doorframe, hands in his pockets, watching with great interest.

He didn't offer to help, and Chu Miaomiao didn't ask him to intervene. There was an unspoken tacit understanding between them.

After she plated the golden fried eggs and sizzling bacon, she took out the beef patties she had marinated earlier.

In May, the summer heat in Yangcheng was already quite oppressive.

The central air conditioning struggled to push cool air into the kitchen, but upon meeting the heat waves from the stove, it was utterly defeated.

Before long, a layer of fine sweat beaded on Chu Miaomiao's smooth forehead, a few strands of hair damp with sweat clinging to her full temples.

Lin Mo took a tissue from the dining table, walked over, and very naturally wiped her sweat for her.

The warmth of his fingertips through the tissue touching her skin made Chu Miaomiao freeze abruptly.

She seemed completely unprepared for this gesture from Lin Mo. A wave of heat rushed from her neck to her cheeks, turning even her earlobes pink.

"I... I can do it myself."

"Don't move, or the beef patty will burn." Lin Mo gestured towards the frying pan with his chin, but his hand didn't stop. "Don't surgeons on the operating table have nurses wipe their sweat?"

"This is just frying some beef, it's nothing like surgery," Chu Miaomiao retorted softly, but her eyes never left the patty in the pan, afraid she might accidentally ruin this top-quality ingredient.

Ever since Lin Mo cooked a meal for her at home last time, she had decided to expand her skills beyond just baking, even asking her mom to teach her how to cook.

She was determined to win over Lin Mo through his stomach.

The simplest place to start was with frying.

After all, their kitchenware was the best—the best non-stick pans, the best ingredients.

Ding!

The built-in oven emitted a crisp chime.

Lin Mo took the opportunity to let go, turned, and walked over, pulling open the oven door.

An even more domineering aroma of butter instantly swept through the entire kitchen.

"These croissants look good."

Looking at the golden, flaky pastries on the baking tray, Lin Mo's appetite was whetted.

"Mhm, they're ready! The oven mitts are hanging right there, be careful, it's hot!" Chu Miaomiao hurriedly reminded him.

Lin Mo glanced at the thick mitts, then, as if he hadn't heard, directly reached in and pulled out the scorching hot baking tray with his bare hands.

The metal tray landed steadily on a nearby heat-resistant pad with a soft thud.

Chu Miaomiao turned her head and saw Lin Mo had actually handled the tray with his bare hands.

The spatula in her hand clattered back into the pan. She rushed over, grabbing Lin Mo's wrist.

"Are your hands okay?!" Her voice held a tremor she didn't even notice herself.

Lin Mo's hand was perfectly fine, without even a hint of redness.

He turned his hand over, grasping the girl's soft little hand, and with his other hand, ruffled her hair.

"Did you forget? I'm different from other people."

His tone was as casual as if he were commenting on the nice weather.

"This temperature can't burn me."

As he spoke, Lin Mo pointed towards the stove.

"Go check on your beef."

Chu Miaomiao let out an "ah," as if waking from a dream, quickly breaking free from Lin Mo's grasp and rushing back to the stove.

Flustered, she flipped the beef patty. Thankfully, it didn't seem overcooked.

She turned off the heat and let out a long sigh of relief. But when she looked back, she saw Lin Mo nonchalantly pick up a croissant, gently blow on it, and take a bite.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on his calm profile.

Chu Miaomiao stood there dumbfounded, spatula in hand.

Croissants and regular crescent rolls are very similar in shape, but a failed croissant is just a crescent roll, and a failed crescent roll is simply garbage.

Croissants have a heavier butter flavor and a more fragrant, flaky texture.

Freshly baked croissants are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Because they're homemade, unlike those made commercially by machine, they don't stay crispy for very long.

Simply put, you eat them while they're hot.

Chu Miaomiao knew Lin Mo liked things with a richer butter flavor, so these croissants leaned towards the savory side. With one bite, Lin Mo thought they tasted better than the only croissant he had eaten in his previous life.

Chu Miaomiao set the fried beef patty aside and asked Lin Mo, watching him, "Is it good?"

"It's delicious."

Hearing this, Chu Miaomiao's face blossomed into a smile. "I have another way to eat them, you know?"

As she spoke, she opened the refrigerator and took some durian from the freezer.

May was the peak season for durian.

Chu Miaomiao sliced the croissants open horizontally, stuffed a piece of durian flesh inside, made three of them, then placed the filled croissants back on the baking tray. Just as she was about to pick up the tray, Lin Mo grabbed her hand.

"Hey, don't. This tray is still very hot."

Chu Miaomiao was startled, but she felt a little happy about this physical contact.

The tray hadn't completely cooled down yet.

Lin Mo placed the tray back into the oven. "For how many minutes?"

"Five minutes at medium heat will do."