She deglazed the wok with a splash of high-grade fermented spirit-wine, the alcohol burning off in a spectacular burst of blue flame that illuminated the dark swamp.
Finally, she pulled out a specialized jade container containing the prime cuts of a Rank 5 Silver-Scaled River Salmon she had caught earlier that week.
She didn't cook the fish.
With rapid, blindingly fast knife work, she sliced the salmon into paper-thin, translucent pieces of perfect sashimi, arranging them on a platter over a bed of crushed ice, garnished with a dab of freshly grated spirit-wasabi.
Within thirty minutes, the camp smelled like a five-star imperial banquet.
"Dinner is served," Ji'an announced, presenting a massive bowl of the spicy, stir-fried boar to Blue, and setting the platter of sashimi down on a clean rock for the Nekomata.
«Acceptable,» the kitten projected, elegantly hopping down from the branch and delicately taking a bite of the raw fish.
