Wait a minute, where is my master?

Jiang Xiulian greeted them in a casual manner and then she pulled the little Taoist along towards a different direction.

The implication of her words was...

In the few days since they had last met, she seemed to have opened a shop in Qingmu City.

...

Jiang Xiulian's shop wasn't far from the location where Jin Xu and his companions had originally been; otherwise, she couldn't have arrived so quickly.

After walking through two streets, the group arrived at the street where Chef Jiang's shop was located.

Her shop was a three-story wooden building with a courtyard behind it.

The building was without a signboard.

Only a large "Jiang" character stood at the entrance.

From a distance, Jin Xu could see cultivators queuing at the shop's door.

"Please forgive the laughter, little Taoist, the front door is inconvenient. Let's take the back door," Jiang Xiulian said with a gruff explanation, leading the little Taoist and others into a small path beside them. She then addressed the two little guys at the Foundation Establishment Realm, "You two go to the front door and tell the customers that the prepared dishes for tomorrow are not for sale anymore; I need a day of rest. Oh, and remember to be polite; treat the customers with the same respect you would the Taoist Ancestor. Got it?"

"Yes, Shopkeeper!"

The two little guys at the Foundation Establishment Realm walked with their heads held high and explained the situation to the group of cultivators who had been queuing since the evening before.

As everyone made their way through the small path, Jin Xu looked at Jiang Xiulian curiously and asked:

"Brother Jiang, didn't you return to Qingmu City because there was news about healing your daughter with a Spirit Fruit? How come you've opened a shop now?"

"Alas, it's a long story—I'll explain it properly to the little Taoist after we get there," Jiang Xiulian sighed deeply, her large square face filled with a sense of world-weariness.

Then she turned her head to look at the Milk Cow Demon being led by Little White and said with a hint of regret, "It's a Taiji Bull, this breed is rare in the Nine Provinces Realm. Tsk, such a pity it's a male, otherwise its milk would have been a great delicacy. Little Taoist, how do you always have such rare beasts by your side?"

Having learned from previous experiences, Chef Jiang did not immediately think of the ox as a food ingredient, just lamented with slight disappointment.

"It's all a matter of chance. By the way, Brother Jiang, do you know how to cook steaks?" Jin Xu asked intentionally.

Indeed, upon hearing this, the Taiji Bull being led by the Water Spirit Chain looked down and knelt on the ground with a thump!

"Little Taoist, I'm truly an undercover sent by Qingmu Academy. I don't know what's wrong with that crow, but my master is truly Mr. Song from the Three Friends of Winter. Please don't eat me!"

Jiang Xiulian was about to boast about her cooking skills when the Taiji Bull's reaction completely flustered her.

"Little Taoist, this ox..."

Chef Jiang looked curiously at Jin Xu and then saw his slightly sly gaze fixed on the kneeling Taiji Bull. Though coarse, she instantly understood the little Taoist's intention.

So Jiang Xiulian decisively changed her tune, "....the way to eat this ox is quite sophisticated. Not only can I make grilled steaks, but also braised beef, beef brisket stewed with vermilion fruit, stir-fried beef tenderloin, dry-fried beef fillet, celery and beef soup, and so on. I can make you a hundred different dishes without any repetition."

"Oh, and the best would be the grilled beef skewers.

You must use the spinal meat with some beef fat cubes in between. Just cut it into squares, skewer it with iron sticks, and place it on spiritual charcoal with no open flames to barbecue.

When you keep turning it and it starts sizzling with oil, sprinkle on my homemade secret spices, and the taste—guaranteed the little Taoist will never forget it in his lifetime."

The more Jiang Xiulian spoke, the more excited she became, and while she was in the midst of her enthusiastic explanation, she suddenly heard three swallowing sounds from the path.

That was the sound made by Little White and Yu Yaoer.

Why three sounds? Of course, it was because the husky swallowed twice.

Jin Xu was actually tempted by Chef Jiang's words too but he resisted the urge to swallow his saliva!

However, he looked at the trembling Taiji Bull and thought to himself,

"No way, this creature has shape-shifted, it's repulsive."

The little Taoist only wanted to scare the Ox Demon and had no intention of actually harming it, especially since they had waited at the village entrance for so long without getting even a single hair.

Scaring the other party a little shouldn't be excessive, right?

"Brother Jiang, you've made me crave it too. I must try your cooking when I get the chance," Jin Xu finally swallowed saliva as he smiled at Jiang Xiulan.

After saying this, he expressionlessly said to the Ox Demon, "Get up. Eating steak doesn't necessarily mean eating you; don't be so scared. When we get to Brother Jiang's shop, I have questions for you."

The Taiji Bull stood up trembling and kept thanking Jin Xu for sparing it from being eaten.

The little interlude ended.

The group quickly arrived at Jiang Xiulan's shop.

The backyard of the shop was spacious, with many rooms, more than enough to accommodate four more people. After the little Taoist and the others chose their rooms, Jiang Xiulan invited Jin Xu and his party to the guest hall.

In the hall, there was a long table with several trays on it, filled with an assortment of appetizers.

Standing beside the table were the two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators from earlier.

However, their faces now bore blood marks, and their clothes and hair were tattered, one could only wonder what they had gone through when they went to announce the closure for the day.

"Please have a seat, everyone. Time was short, so I had to use some pre-made dishes to entertain you all. I hope the little Taoist and the others won't mind," Jiang Xiulan said, sitting at the head of the table and enthusiastically inviting everyone to eat.

Jin Xu took a bite of the dish and inwardly appreciated the fact that it deserved the Food God's reputation.

Although they were pre-made dishes, they were obviously much better than the ones he had in his previous life.

After a few more bites, the little Taoist turned his head to look at Jiang Xiulan in the seat of honor.

"Brother Jiang, can you now talk about why you opened a shop in Qingmu City?"

Upon hearing Jin Xu bring this up, the burly Chef Jiang's face showed a slightly embarrassed look.

"It's a long story.

When I rushed back to Qingmu City from Gusu City, I found that old friend who had news of the Seven-orifice Exquisite Heart Fruit. To my disappointment, my old friend told me that although they had it, they wanted a special dish in exchange before they would give me the fruit.

Your Brother Jiang may bear the title of Nine Provinces' number one Food God, and at that time, I was desperate to save my daughter, so without much thought, I agreed.

However, after I agreed, they then told me that they wouldn't provide the ingredients; I would need to procure them myself. After preparing the dish, I would have to go and make the exchange with them.

Although I was outraged in my heart, I had to comply because I was the one asking for a favor.

However, the ingredients were expensive, and my savings from many years in the Cultivation World were only enough to buy two of them. That's why I had to open a shop to sell some pre-made dishes and raise Spirit Stones temporarily, in hopes of buying that last ingredient soon, making the dish, and exchanging it to get the Seven-orifice Exquisite Heart Fruit from them."

"What ingredient is so expensive? And what's so special about that dish?"

Following the principle of asking if he didn't understand, Jin Xu asked about the doubts in his mind.