After a brief discussion and some rest, Su Yuan allowed the souls of Xiangling and Youngtore to attach themselves to his body before leaving the Border of Life and Death, preparing to return to Liyue Harbor.
By the time they arrived back at the Wanmin Restaurant, it was already evening — almost time for dinner.
According to their plan, Aether and Paimon would find a way to distract Master Mao, while Su Yuan would let Xiangling take control of his body to cook a meal.
After that, they would finally tell Master Mao the truth.
While it was still a bit early before the dinner rush, Aether and Paimon made up an excuse to send Master Mao away for a while.
Su Yuan then quietly slipped into the kitchen of Wanmin Restaurant and handed over control of his body to Xiangling.
"Xiangling, what kind of dish do you want to make for Master Mao?" Su Yuan asked.
"Hehe, of course it's going to be something with my signature Xiangling flair!" Xiangling giggled while controlling Su Yuan's body, then walked into the pantry and pulled out several brightly colored ingredients.
"This is… Slimes???" Su Yuan stared in disbelief.
"I can't believe that even now, you still want to make—cough—such unique cuisine?"
"Haha, Su Yuan, you don't understand! If I don't make something distinctive, how will Father know this dish is made by me?" Xiangling said cheerfully, completely unconcerned, and started preparing her ingredients.
"The Anemo Slime has a light, airy texture—like eating a mouthful of breeze…"
"The Hydro Slime is smooth and moist, almost like a soothing throat lozenge…"
"The Pyro Slime is fiery and explosive, spicy and hot—perfect for stir-frying with chili peppers!"
"The Cryo Slime is cool and refreshing, ideal for cold dishes, desserts, or chilled drinks…"
"The Electro Slime is crisp and tingly, giving your tongue a zappy sensation—great for appetizers…"
"The Geo Slime is tough and chewy; even after long cooking, it doesn't fall apart. Probably not suitable for the elderly though…"
"The Dendro Slime tastes fresh and earthy, with a slightly bitter, soil-like flavor. Young people might dislike it, but the elderly might find it nostalgic and pleasant…"
Xiangling took a deep breath and continued:
"In the past, I only experimented with dishes made from one type of slime at a time…"
"But now, things have come this far—there's no reason to hold back anymore!"
"So, I've decided to mix all the elemental Slimes—"
"—Together!!"
Hearing that, Su Yuan was completely speechless.
Mixing all types of Slimes together? If that's not dark cuisine, what is?!
"It takes no real skill to turn premium ingredients into tasty dishes—that's basic cooking," Xiangling explained.
"But turning the most ordinary ingredients into the most delicious cuisine—that's the true test of a chef's skill!"
As she spoke, Xiangling (still using Su Yuan's body) began preparing the Slimes.
Some were sliced, some were chopped into cubes, some minced into paste, others juiced.
But regardless of the method, in the end, all the different elemental Slime parts were mixed together.
However, as the mixture came together, both Su Yuan and Xiangling began to notice something strange—this unidentifiable, pitch-black Slime concoction started to emit an ominous aura…
"Xiangling, this… this doesn't seem right."
Su Yuan's face turned tense as he stared at the indescribable, writhing dark mass before him.
"This really is dark cuisine now!"
"I don't understand…" Xiangling murmured.
"I've mixed two kinds of Slimes before—many times—and nothing like this ever happened!"
"But no matter what, as a chef, no matter how a dish turns out, I still have to taste it myself…"
"Su Yuan, since I'm the one using your body right now… I'm afraid you'll have to endure it for me…"
"It's alright, Xiangling," Su Yuan replied indifferently, thinking to himself that no matter how bad this Slime Medley tasted, it couldn't possibly be lethal like the dishes made by Raiden Ei, right?
However, the moment that pitch-black Slime Medley entered his mouth, Su Yuan immediately felt that something was terribly wrong—to a degree of nine out of ten!
Because that taste… it was eerily similar to the flavor of those bugs that the corrupted "Furina" had once fed him!
Why—why would a dish made from seven different elemental slimes have that taste?
Just as confusion and unease welled up inside him, something even more horrifying occurred.
Su Yuan could clearly feel it—a violent surge of Eerie power bursting forth from within Xiangling's soul!
"Xiangling"… had fallen into Eerie state!
Su Yuan couldn't understand it.
Why would Xiangling enter an Eerie state now of all times?
She had definitely eaten every type of elemental slime before.
Even if they were mixed together, it shouldn't have been an entirely new ingredient to her…
Could it be that by combining all seven elemental slimes, they had produced an entirely new substance, and after Xiangling tasted it, it triggered her Eerie state?
But now wasn't the time to ponder that.
Su Yuan vividly remembered the information once revealed to him through the sigil on his right palm—it had clearly stated that even a soul alone could undergo Eerie state, though without a physical body, it couldn't unleash its full power.
The problem was… right now, "Xiangling" was in control of Su Yuan's body, and with that Eerie power amplifying her strength, she could very well unleash tremendous power!
Without hesitation, Su Yuan tried to forcibly reclaim control of his body—but he quickly realized that there was an impenetrable barrier of Eerie power between him and Xiangling's consciousness.
Clearly, the attempt to seize control had failed.
All Su Yuan could do was watch helplessly as "Xiangling," controlling his body, lifted that bowl of indescribable, pitch-black Slime Medley and slowly walked toward the door of the kitchen.
"Dear father," she said in a voice tinged with eerie tenderness,
"please… have a taste of the special meal I've prepared just for you…"