Chapter 165: Steam Pot Chicken! High-Grade Spirit-Level Medicinal Cuisine
Chapter 165: Chapter 165: Steam Pot Chicken! High-Grade Spirit-Level Medicinal Cuisine
The old man’s expression was kind and pleasant, making one feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.
It had to be said, the Jianshui City Lord’s demeanor made it difficult to dislike him.
As the saying goes, you don’t slap a smiling face.
"I am Zhu Ge. I am honored by the City Lord’s high regard."
Zhu Ge hadn’t come to cause trouble. On the contrary, he was here to seek cooperation, so he cupped his hands and took a seat, saying:
"Then I’ll just sit down."
Normally, the complex etiquette of the banquet table—concerning the seat of honor, secondary seats, and so on—was quite prevalent here.
But Zhu Ge couldn’t be bothered with any of that and simply plopped himself down.
"Zhu Ge, you truly are a heroic youth! That day, I only thought you were young, but seeing you today, you seem even more remarkable than before!"
The Jianshui City Lord paid no mind to Zhu Ge’s actions and immediately called someone over to pour wine. "Quick, fill Young Master Zhu’s cup."
A serving girl immediately came forward to pour the wine.
Zhu Ge didn’t refuse. As the serving girl poured, he cupped his hands toward the Jianshui City Lord. "City Lord, you flatter me. I returned to the city today for two reasons. First, to thank you all for your support, and second, to discuss the current situation in our Red River Prefecture."
It was easy enough to guess. The moment Zhu Ge entered the city gates and deactivated his [Secret] trait, spies from many factions had rushed to report it.
By the time he reached Tongfu Restaurant, the news had likely spread throughout the entire city.
And the people sitting here now must have been invited by the Jianshui City Lord.
Since the Jianshui City Lord had arranged this banquet, it made no sense for him to invite people with whom Zhu Ge had a feud.
The people before him, then, must be those with whom he had no conflict.
And just as he expected.
Seeing Zhu Ge cup his hands in thanks to everyone present, the others at the table returned the gesture one by one.
"Not at all, not at all. Young Master Zhu is a heroic youth. Your willingness to cooperate with us is our honor."
"Indeed, indeed! I have long admired Young Master Zhu. Seeing you today in person is far better than just hearing of your fame!"
"Young Master Zhu is truly a man of remarkable talent and bearing!"
Once the pleasantries were exchanged, the atmosphere warmed up.
The Jianshui City Lord raised his cup and laughed heartily. "Young Master Zhu, I have a daughter, eighteen years of age. It seems to me that you have not yet married..."
Zhu Ge had just raised his cup when he heard this. His hand trembled, and he gave a wry smile. "City Lord, I am already betrothed."
’If I were unmarried in this situation, I’d constantly be pestered with offers like this.’
’I have no time for marriage and children.’
’I am utterly devoted to the pursuit of strength. To find a wife before I have the power to protect myself and my home would be to bring disaster upon her.’
"Betrothed?" The Jianshui City Lord was taken aback, clearly not expecting Zhu Ge to have a marriage arrangement, so he dropped the subject.
"No matter. It is common for a man to have three wives and four concubines. As it happens, my daughter was rebellious in her youth and is now the Shopkeeper of this very Tongfu Restaurant."
"According to my daughter, you two have had some dealings before. She wishes to invite you to a banquet another day, and I hope you’ll grant me some face."
Since he’d put it that way, for Zhu Ge to refuse would be a great show of disrespect. "Thank you, City Lord. It would be more respectful to obey than to decline."
’I never would have thought that Shopkeeper Li Hao of Tongfu Restaurant was actually the Jianshui City Lord’s daughter.’
’No wonder this place takes up so much land, and Li Hao herself has the strength of the Second Realm.’
’But just as the Jianshui City Lord said, he is a Third Realm Scholar Realm expert of the Confucian Dao, yet his daughter ended up walking the furtive path of the Thief Dao.’
’That’s not just rebellion. It’s a disgrace to the family!’
’Of course, if Li Hao were to become a Third Realm expert of the Thief Dao, that would be another story entirely.’
"You don’t have to call me City Lord anymore." Perhaps seeing that Zhu Ge’s attitude and personality were not as arrogant and domineering as he had imagined, the smile on the Jianshui City Lord’s face became a bit more sincere.
"People call me Mr. Langhao. Though you are young, you have already reached the Mountain Shattering Realm. I also sense some Literary Energy about you. Therefore, we can address each other as brothers."
"I’ll be so bold as to take the role of the elder brother! You can just call me Brother Langhao!"
’Mr. Langhao!’
’Just like the Zhenrens of the Immortal Dao, the Fishermen of the Fishing Dao, and the Venerables of the Martial Dao.’
’For example, the Raincoat Fisherman, Venerable Rain Swift, and so on.’
’Third Realm experts of the Confucian Dao also have titles.’
’This Jianshui City Lord was known as Mr. Langhao.’
"City Lord... Alright, Brother Langhao!" Zhu Ge also noticed that the Jianshui City Lord didn’t seem as calculatingly deep as he had first appeared, so he decided to go with the flow.
’Of course, you can know a person’s face but not their heart.’
Zhu Ge wouldn’t let go of his basic vigilance, but at the very least, his smile became much more genuine.
The Jianshui City Lord smiled and raised his cup to the crowd. "Everyone, let us drink this cup together. Please!"
The rest of the crowd all raised their cups. "Please!"
With a cup of wine down, the atmosphere grew even more lively.
Zhu Ge wasn’t the least bit unsociable. He mingled with everyone, drinking and occasionally eating.
The wine was a low-grade Spirit Level wine. Although he didn’t know its specific name, after drinking it, Zhu Ge felt a cool sensation spread through his organs.
Not only was there none of the usual discomfort of drinking, but the more he drank, the more refreshed and comfortable he felt.
"Younger Brother Zhu, your Six Paths Palace was just recently established, and I have yet to send a gift. This table of fine dishes is all beneficial to the Blood Qi of the Martial Dao. Consider it my first congratulatory gift," Mr. Langhao said with a smile.
"And when I first met you, you lured away tens of thousands of Demon Beasts for our Jianshui City. I must thank you for that as well."
"Brother Langhao, please don’t mention it," Zhu Ge replied, shaking his head.
"I am also from Red River Prefecture. I had simply lived in the mountains for a long time and was unaware of the situation in Jianshui City. Since I happened upon it, I merely offered what little help I could. It was no great merit, so please don’t bring it up again."
Upon hearing this, the crowd immediately erupted with all sorts of praise.
"A young hero indeed! A role model for our generation!"
"This is what it means to have a deep sense of righteousness! Come, come, Young Master Zhu, I’ll toast to you."
"Brother Langhao has gained a good friend, and we have gained an ally. This calls for a celebration, truly!"
The crowd praised him while offering toasts, and the atmosphere was fervent.
"Hahaha, good, good, good."
Mr. Langhao was also greatly pleased. "Eat, eat! These dishes were prepared by the Spirit-Level Chef of Tongfu Restaurant. Each dish has a different effect. Younger Brother Zhu, hurry and eat."
Some of these dishes were low-grade Spirit Level, others were mid-grade Spirit Level. The dish in the center, said to be Jianshui City’s specialty "Steam Pot Chicken," was a high-grade Spirit Level delicacy.
According to the introduction from a nearby serving girl, this "Steam Pot Chicken" was made from a Second Realm avian Demon Beast and steamed in Tongfu Restaurant’s prized treasure: a high-grade Spirit Level purple clay steam pot.
The steam pot chicken was prepared with the large purple clay pot as its base, which contained a medicinal broth.
The chef used their Spiritual Power to heat the pot. The broth then turned into steam, which, due to the pot’s special structure, rose and condensed on the chicken above.
The chicken was cooked by this steam, and in the end, the essence of the medicinal broth and the Spiritual Qi from the chicken itself blended and condensed.
This process not only preserved the original, delicious flavor of the ingredients but also gave the dish a powerful restorative effect.
After drinking a bowl of the soup, not only Zhu Ge—a Martial Artist who had never eaten anything of the high-grade Spirit Level before—but even the others at the table all closed their eyes to circulate their energy and regulate their breathing.
Incredibly restorative!
"Hooo..." Zhu Ge slowly exhaled and opened his eyes to find everyone’s faces flushed red.
It had nothing to do with the wine. It was because the high-grade Spirit Level delicacy, the Steam Pot Chicken, was simply too potent.
However, Zhu Ge’s complexion hadn’t changed at all.
Their faces were red because they couldn’t absorb all the medicinal power, allowing it to dissipate from their bodies.
But Zhu Ge was different.
By now, Zhu Ge had already completely absorbed all the medicinal effects of the Steam Pot Chicken, which were comparable to a high-grade Spirit Level pill.
’I can’t believe I broke through to the Mid-Mountain Shattering Realm just like that... ’