"Perhaps I can give it a try."
This is a down-on-his-luck, proud man with a story, strength, and ambition, but seemingly lacking in luck.
"Only the strong can follow me." Ye Xiruo looked at Zhang Quan, and of course, loyalty was also essential.
"I will strive to follow in the footsteps of the young master."
"This is a level three medicinal cuisine recipe. I require you to prepare a medicinal cuisine that satisfies me within three days, as a test."
"yes."
Normally, Ye Xi would have prepared medicinal cuisine herself, but these days she spends all her time cultivating and refining pills, and with her seventh brother Xiu Qi not around, she has no intention of making medicinal cuisine at all.
Ye Xiruo took the spatial ring and quickly left the kitchen, leaving a group of people stunned and still recovering from their shock.
"Master Zhang, you've struck it rich!" A junior cook who was usually close to Zhang Quan winked at him and said, "Quickly show us what kind of pills the young master bestowed upon you."
Although they were in the Pill King Palace, the place with the most pills on the continent, everyone except alchemists would lack pills. The palace master gave out a lot of spirit stones, but it would still cost a lot to buy good pills.
"It's a top-grade Nourishing Essence Pill, a pill used to aid cultivation, perfectly suited for those in the Golden Core stage." It seems the young master is a meticulous person.
Zhang Quan's slightly somber eyebrows relaxed, and a smile appeared on his usually serious, chubby face. He let his young apprentices pass the Nourishing Essence Pill around among themselves.
Firstly, this was a gift from the young master. Secondly, the Nourishing Essence Pill is a fifth-grade pill, not easy to refine, but in high demand. Normally, a high-grade Nourishing Essence Pill would cost three hundred mid-grade spirit stones. Yet Ye Xiruo bestowed three pills upon him in one go.
No wonder his disciples were all shouting that he had been chosen by the young master. But he knew in his heart that if he wanted to truly follow the young master, his current cultivation level was far from enough. His past inheritance had long been taken away, and now this was a chance for rebirth, a chance for him to stand up again and take back everything that was his.
"Alright, everyone, disperse."
"Master Zhang must treat us to a meal."
"Yes, we're treating everyone. This is a very happy occasion."
"In fact, if one can be valued by the main hall, one can also soar to great heights."
"Yes, the youngest Nascent Soul cultivator on the continent, the youngest Rank 8 alchemist on the continent, either one of them is someone to be looked up to. Most importantly, His Highness likes good food, so it's time to test your culinary skills again." Wan Fang said excitedly, his right hand clenched into a fist.
"Ouch! Who ambushed me?" Wan Fang hadn't finished his long speech when he was hit on the head with a garlic clove. The force was considerable, and the pain made his face turn pale.
"Chop vegetables." The slightly hoarse voice sounded weak and listless, as if he might faint at any moment. But everyone in the kitchen froze for a second upon hearing this voice. Wan Fang even forgot about the large bump on his forehead and ran as fast as he could. The others immediately started washing vegetables, chopping vegetables, preparing ingredients, carving decorations, and plating dishes. There was no trace of the chaotic scene that had just unfolded.
Because it was Chef Zhang who spoke, the most skilled and accomplished cook in their kitchen. Although he never revealed his identity as a master chef, everyone assumed it was true.
"Xiao Zhang, come with me for a moment."
Zhang Quan silently followed Master Zhang to the only small kitchen.
Old Zhang's dark, wrinkled face remained expressionless: "This is an opportunity you may never encounter again."
"I know I will prove my worth."
"Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. Since you've chosen this path, even if it means death, you must continue on it, do you understand?"
"I understand, and I will definitely strive to follow in the footsteps of the young master."
“She doesn’t need thugs, otherwise she wouldn’t have come to a place like ours. Do you really know what you should be doing?”
"Yes, thank you so much for taking care of me all these years, Mr. Zhang. I will never forget your kindness."
"Alright, I've taught you everything I can. The rest is up to your own destiny."
Zhang Quan knelt down and kowtowed three times respectfully.
At that moment, Ye Xiruo was unaware that her casual act had changed someone's fate. She secretly returned to her room, slipped into her spatial dimension, and carefully packaged various seasonings into small compartments. Satisfied, she clapped her hands; soon she would be able to eat meat, and someone would be making medicinal cuisine especially for her.
Those medicinal dishes weren't cheap, and the Seven-Colored Pool water also required spirit stones, as did the system. There simply weren't enough to go around! If Ye Xiruo was worried about spirit stones again, she definitely couldn't let her master know, otherwise he would laugh haughtily and ask, "Did you use all those spirit stones to make medicinal dishes?"
The eldest brother lives deep in the Spirit Mountain year-round, and all the spirit stones are sent to him by Master, so he's naturally poor. The second brother is quite wealthy, but if the second brother finds out, Master will definitely find out too.
Stuck in a dead end again, Ye Xiruo dug a hole, planted seeds, and pondered her grand plan to earn spirit stones.
It's not impossible to refine pills. Although first-grade pills are the lowest level, the demand is still huge. For example, pills like Rejuvenation Pills, Hemostatic Pills, Detoxification Pills, and Qi-restoring Pills, as long as the quality is good, there's no worry about the market.
The problem is that she can only refine high-grade Qi-restoring pills right now; she hasn't refined any other pills at all. At most, she can refine a hundred pills a day. If each pill costs five low-grade spirit stones, then five hundred low-grade spirit stones a day would be five mid-grade spirit stones. It seems like she uses up three spirit stones a day just by cultivating!
This path is completely impassable, but even a small gain is still a gain, and she can't let it slip by. Once she becomes a fifth-grade alchemist, she can earn at least five hundred high-grade spirit stones a day. The higher the grade and the better the quality of the pills, the more exponentially the price will increase.
Another option is to open a medicinal cuisine restaurant, serving medicinal dishes and also selling spirit wine. Medicinal cuisine perfectly blends the energy of medicinal herbs and exotic beasts, causing less harm to the body. While satisfying the palate, it enhances physical constitution and increases strength, making it even more popular than spirit wine. With medicinal cuisine paired with spirit wine, and utilizing her business acumen from her previous life, she was confident she could become a success in this new world.
However, this also has a prerequisite: Zhang Quan must be able to prepare a medicinal meal that satisfies her. If he doesn't meet the system's requirements, she'll have to ask her master to find someone else. She absolutely won't give up on this path paved with spirit stones.
Right, it seems a bit weak to rely on my own strength alone. I can bring my eldest and second eldest brothers along. Ye Xiruo's eyes lit up, and she left the space. (To be continued.)
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