Brine-Hollow wasn't just a town; it was a testament to the fact that anything in existence could be improved, at least some people think it is improved, by soaking it in vinegar and spices for an extended period of time.

  The moment they stepped deeper into the market district, the sensory assault shifted from a general smell to a specific, localized bombardment of flavors. The streets were lined not with stone but with flattened barrel staves that clattered pleasantly underfoot. The buildings were constructed from dark resinous wood that had absorbed decades of acidic fumes. It gave the entire town a preserved and almost ageless quality.

  "Look at this!" Bai Ruo shouted while rushing over to a stall that displayed rows of glass jars glowing with amber, red and deep green liquids. She was enjoying herself here and the foodie side of her couldn’t be contained. Even though she was over 700 years old, it didn’t stop her fascination.

  She fit in well and was looking like a traveling academic interested in local botany. Si Luo, however, had refused to emerge. She claimed the air smelled like "fermented failure" and preferred to stay in her exquisite spider-ornament form. She continued hanging around Li Yu's neck and even put a thin layer of void Qi around her to keep the smells away.

  "It’s... eggs?" Li Yu asked while peering at the jar Bai Ruo was holding.

  "Not just eggs," Bai Ruo corrected, her eyes shining with genuine intellectual fervor. "I asked the shop wonder and these are the eggs of the Venom-Scale Cobra. They are pickled in a brine made from extremely hot peppers, distillate and lime. The acidity neutralizes the venom, turning them into a rich, savory gelatin. It’s brilliant! Dangerous if done incorrectly but brilliant!"

  "I’ll take two," Li Yu said to the shopkeeper.

  "You have a good eye, travelers!" the shopkeeper replied. He was a man with forearms stained purple from beet juice. "But if you want variety, look here. Pickled Iron-Root. Pickled Cloud-Fungus. And for the brave, Pickled Scorpion-Tails. They are crunchy, spicy and guaranteed to wake you up."

  'Why pickle a scorpion?' Si Luo’s voice projected into Li Yu’s mind and was dripping with disdain. 'It ruins the texture of the shell. It should be crisp, not soggy. That is not how you eat a scorpion.'

  Li Yu ignored the voice in his head. He was questioning her taste in food but to each their own. Li Yu smiled back at the shopkeeper. "I will take a sampler platter. We are looking to try everything. This is our first time here."

  They sat on a bench near a fountain that instead of water, sprayed a fine mist of cooling mint-water to combat the desert heat. It was a nice touch that added additional charm to the town.

  "Try the radish," Li Yu suggested. He then quickly popped a cube of bright pink root into his mouth.

  Crunch.

  The flavor was explosive. Sour, sweet, salty and then a kick of heat that traveled up the nose. The radish was still crunchy and you could still taste its flavor through all of the pickling process.

  "Mmm," Bai Ruo hummed as her cheeks flush pink. "The fermentation balance is perfect. The bacteria have converted the sugars perfectly. I must ask for the recipe." Clearly she was well versed in the process of pickling.

  'You and your exploration of knowledge. Combine food and knowledge together and you are won over.' Si Luo teased from the necklace. 'You are eating a root that has been rotting in a jar for a year. Have some dignity.'

  'It is preservation, not rot!' Bai Ruo defended herself mentally as she continued to happily munch on a pickled lotus root. Bai Ruo was used to Si Lou’s character by now and didn’t slow down at all.

  As they ate, a commotion arose near a loading dock a few stalls down. A massive beetle, easily the size of a wagon, was emitting a high-pitched whistling sound. It was a Press-Beetle, a beast commonly used in this region. Their incredibly heavy, flat bellies were used to press the lids onto the giant fermentation vats to ensure an airtight seal. They were also used to pull and carry things.

  "He’s whistling again!" a worker shouted as he was throwing his hands up. "He won't press! The lid is loose! If air gets in, the whole batch of Star-Yams will rot!"

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  "Push him!" another worker yelled.

  Three men were trying to shove the beetle but it was anchored to the ground and whistling in distress. The men could barely move it at all, there was no hope.

  Li Yu wiped his hands. "Looks like I have my first patient today."

  He walked over with his bamboo staff tapping rhythmically. "Trouble with the press?"

  "He's stubborn!" the foreman growled. "This beetle has sealed over a thousand vats. Today, he just sits there and whistles. We’re losing the seal! If we don’t fix this soon, we risk contaminating the batch."

  Li Yu approached the beetle. It was a magnificent creature up close with an iridescent green shell. He could feel its distress radiating in waves. He used his spiritual sense to probe the beasts and check all around it.

  He then placed his hand on the beetle's carapace. Li Yu then sent his spiritual sense into the beast to check. He had not worked on many beetles before so he was using this opportunity to learn more about its body. After around 5 minutes of probing Li Yu believed he discovered the problem.

  "He's not stubborn," Li Yu announced. "He's wheezing. The Star-Yams... did you add some kind of hot spice to this batch?"

  The foreman blinked. "Aye. Extra spicy. The Mayor ordered it."

  "The fumes from the spice are heavier than air," Li Yu explained as he had detected it earlier with his spiritual sense. "They’re pooling right under the beetle’s breathing vents on his belly. You're gassing him with this recipe. That is why he is acting how he is."

  "Oh," the foreman paled at the realization. "We didn't think of that."

  "Move the vat," Li Yu suggested. "Get him fresh air. And wash his vents with water. He should be okay after that. Just make sure to be more careful in the future and possible add some additional venting on the ground to help him in the future."

  The workers scrambled to slide the massive vat out from under the beetle. As soon as the source of the fumes was gone, Li Yu took a waterskin and gently sprayed the spiracles along the beetle's abdomen.

  The whistling stopped. The beetle let out a low, contented chitter and clicked its mandibles.

  "There," Li Yu patted the shell. "He'll be fine. Just... maybe use a stone weight for the spicy batches next time."

  The foreman bowed to Li Yu. "Thank you, Physician! Please, take this jar of Honey-Garlic as thanks for your work!"

  Li Yu accepted the jar with a smile. Much better than any kind of money compensation. "Honey-Garlic. Bai Ruo, put this in the inventory. It sounds like a cold remedy or perhaps we can use it in certain dishes."

  Bai Ruo took the jar happily and acted as though it was a rare treasure. She stored it away in a spatial ring that Li Yu had given her. "Fascinating. The honey acts as a sealant against bad bacteria and things that would make the food go bad."

  They continued their tour. The town was a labyrinth of scents. They found stalls selling pickled fruits from the southern jungles. Mangoes soaked in a sort of chili vinegar, turning them into sweet-and-sour bombs. They found pickled meats. Strips of Bison jerky rehydrated in soy brine and some other processes that made it more tender.

  At one stall an old woman was selling long, phallic-shaped vegetables floating in jars.

  "Pickled Snake-Gourds," the woman cackled. "Good for vitality. Especially for young men. One of these will keep you full of energy for a full day of work."

  Li Yu stopped. He stared at the jar for a moment. He listened to the old woman’s words and saw that indeed men that were laborers were buying it. However, they were mostly middle aged or older men. He didn’t see anyone around his age going to buy it. Li Yu wanted to buy it to try but now felt hesitant since it seemed he wasn’t the target demographic for this pickle.

  'Li Yu,' Si Luo’s voice purred in his mind, velvety and amused. 'That vegetable looks... familiar.'

  Li Yu stared straight ahead at the jar but even recognized what she had meant. ‘It is a gourd, Si Luo. Didn't you hear that woman earlier? It’s a vegetable that you can grow here on this continent.’

  Si Luo was stunned he didn’t understand and then realized how innocent he was. This made her want to tease him even more. 'Is it?' She continued, her mental voice dripping with innocent malice. 'It looks very... robust. Rigid. Preserved at peak firmness. Is this something human males require assistance with?'

  Li Yu still didn’t understand what she meant at all. So he continued, thinking she didn’t understand what vegetables were. ‘It can be used in soup. You chop it up. It gives a nice flavor and becomes tender in the soup.’

  'Ouch,' Si Luo winced playfully in his thoughts. 'Don't chop it up. That seems wasteful. Perhaps you should buy one. For research.'

  Bai Ruo, oblivious to the telepathic teasing Si Luo was giving, was reading the label. "It says here it increases Yang energy by ten percent! Li Yu, you should eat this! Young men need Yang energy! It’s good for cultivation, I’ve read that in many cultivation scriptures. It is logically sound."

  'See?' Si Luo laughed in his head. 'Even the scholar agrees. You need more... Yang.'

  ‘I have plenty of Yang,’ Li Yu said, still not understanding the teasing from Si Luo. ‘I can absorb all kinds of different energies and my martial spirit is able to purify and refine it for me. I am nothing but nearly perfectly balanced when it comes to Qi.’