Chapter Eleven: Qingxi Wine House

  Hehe!

  A sword-like light flashed and flowed, a sharp and fierce sword energy flew out in all directions, cutting through the air with a shrill whistling sound.

  Chen Hao held a sword in his left hand, his slender figure shrouded in the hazy sword shadow. His small face was set with determination, his eyes calm as water. The "Little Heavenly Star Sword Technique" he learned from the Tianxing Academy was executed to perfection, the moves familiar and precise, ethereal and agile, flowing naturally, with a sense of abandon.

  Looking at his younger brother in the arena, Chen Xiao's expression was dazed and he seemed to have returned to five years ago.

  At that time, I was also so determined and devoted to swordsmanship training, with each move of the sword being repeated thousands of times by myself, yet not feeling even a bit dull or tired.

  Every time this happens, Grandpa would stand by, not saying a word, just smiling and looking at me with a face full of wrinkles and satisfaction.

  Grandpa's feelings at that time were probably the same as mine now?

  Watching her younger brother practicing sword under the sunlight, Chen Xiao's emotions were complicated and hard to express.

  "Good! Your swordsmanship has reached a subtle level, and it's rare to see someone using their left hand with the sword. The moves between the sword and the hands are complemented by a hint of mysteriousness, and with some more practice, you'll definitely become a great master!"

  He clapped his hands in admiration, and a rare look of appreciation appeared on his resolute face.

  If it was previously due to emotional considerations that Meng Kong decided to assess Chen Huan, then now, his heart has been won over by this left-handed sword-wielding frail youth.

  On Chen Huan, he saw the determination and persistence towards the sword, which is the most basic quality to become a qualified swordsman. Especially since Chen Huan was only twelve years old now, he had already brought his swordsmanship to the realm of subtlety, such an extraordinary talent, given time, would surely go further on the path of the sword!

  Bai Wei quietly let out a breath of relief, looking at Chen Hao in the arena, with You Rongyan. She knew how harsh the conditions for Mo Kong's selection were, and being able to receive his unreserved praise was something Chen Hao could be proud of!

  ……

  Walking out of Songyuan Academy, Chen Tang was silent and didn't speak a word.

  His younger brother unexpectedly became a disciple of the Mong Kong Sect, becoming a member of the Songyan Academy. He was naturally overjoyed, but when he thought about the annual tuition fees for the Songyan Academy, which were as much as 4,000 yuan stones, he got a headache.

  Relying solely on the symbol, even if I don't eat or drink, I'm afraid I won't be able to pay this tuition. It seems that I must find a way to earn some yuan stone myself.

  "You should be happy, Songyuan Academy is not a place where anyone can enter, and being able to become a disciple of Meng Jiao is one in a thousand. Chen Huan following him to practice swordsmanship can dig out greater potential, which is extremely beneficial for his future path of sword cultivation."

  Bai Wei Qing seemed to have seen through Chen Tai's thoughts, and smiled: "As for Yuan Shi, don't worry about it, I'll lend you some first, and you can return them to me later."

  Chen Xiao shook his head and said, "That's not possible. Earlier, Meng Qianbei agreed to pay the tuition fees by the end of the year, which is already a huge help to me. I plan to find another job and try to earn enough to pay the 4,000 yuan in stone coins by the end of the year."

  Bai Wei Qing smiled and said, "Apart from making talismans, what else do you plan to do?"

  "Of course, the more money you make, the better."

  Bai Wei Qing hummed, thinking for a long time, and suddenly her eyes lit up: "Why don't you come to the Clear Brook Wine House? You're good at making talismans, controlling spiritual fire should be easy to get started. I know a spiritual chef who still doesn't have an apprentice. Why don't you go try it out? Once you become a spiritual cooking apprentice, earning thirty yuan stones a day shouldn't be difficult. If you can stand on your own, you can earn even more yuan stones."

  "Kitchen?" Chen Yao asked hesitantly.

  Bai Weiqing smiled and scolded, "Don't underestimate the spiritual chefs. Each dish cooked by a spiritual chef not only tastes great but also has various mysterious effects, such as consolidating the foundation of the Tao, enhancing true yuan, healing injuries and illnesses... Those wealthy families all have their own spiritual chefs serving them, and their status is no lower than that of a symbol master."

  Chen Xiao was taken aback and said: "Isn't that spiritual chef similar to an alchemist?"

  Bai Weiqing smiled and said, "Indeed, both require a thorough understanding of the properties of various materials and need to be operated with spiritual fire. However, there is still a difference between them. A spiritual chef focuses on flavor, with efficacy as an auxiliary; an alchemist prioritizes efficacy but never considers flavor. As for which one is better or worse, it depends on their individual levels."

  Chen Xiao was taken aback, thought for a moment, and finally made up his mind: "Then I'll just go give it a try."

  Bai Wei Qing smiled and said, "You'll definitely be fine. Brushing talismans requires wrist strength, chopping vegetables also requires wrist strength, the mixture of ink and symbols needs various materials in proportion, cooking dishes is the same, the only thing to pay attention to is controlling the spiritual fire, but you've been drawing talismans for years, skilled at precise control, so controlling the spiritual fire shouldn't be difficult."

  Chen Xiao didn't expect Bai Yuqing to have such high expectations of him, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. He was far from skilled in crafting talismans, having only grasped the basics of various first-rate symbol spells so far.

  "Come on, I'll take you there right now." Bai Yuqing said excitedly.

  "Uh, now?"

  Chen Xiao rubbed his head, feeling embarrassed. Just now, because of his younger brother entering Songyan Academy, he hadn't even thanked Bai Yuqing yet. Now, he was going to trouble her again, and even with his thick skin, he felt a bit ashamed.

  Bai Wei Qing was taken aback, gazing at the young man in front of her with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. It was the first time she had seen Chen Tai's expression change so richly, completely losing his usual calm and reserved demeanor.

  She couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion, if it weren't for the pressure of life, Chen Yu might also be an optimistic young man, how could he frown every day and rush around for a living?

  ……

  Qingxi Wine House is built by the water, with exquisite and elegant architecture, and has a high grade. It has three top chefs, known as the "Three Leaf Spirit Chefs", and is renowned as the number one wine house in Songyuan City.

  Bai Weiqing was a kitchen maid at Qingxi Wine House, responsible for purchasing food ingredients.

  The kitchen of Qingxi Wine House is located behind the wine house, where rows of crystal-like clean cooking tables are lined up in a space of 100 meters. Freshly purchased spiritual animal meat, vegetables and grains emitting a faint aura, bottles and jars of strange seasonings... all kinds of materials related to delicious food are neatly arranged throughout the kitchen.

  Apprentice cooks were busy in every corner, some using spiritual fire to smoke cured meat, others using knives and forks to chop vegetables and fruits, while matching seasonings. In front of the stove, strands of spiritual fire of different colors continued to spew out, young spiritual kitchen apprentices stirred and carried pots, cooking dish after dish of semi-finished dishes.

  As soon as Bai Weiqing walked into the back kitchen, Chen Wei saw such a magnificent scene and was shocked. He had never seen such a large-scale kitchen before.

  "Come on, let's go to the second floor."

  Without lingering here, Bai Yuqing took Chen Yao along the stairs on one side and went straight up to the second floor.

  "The first floor is where various ingredients are prepared, and the second floor is where the three spiritual chefs cook delicious food."

  As they walked, Bai Weiqing explained: "The spiritual chef I mentioned is surnamed Ma. Everyone calls him Old Man Ma. He has a bit of a strange temper, but he's actually very kind-hearted. When you meet him later, be sure to behave yourself."

  Chen Xiao nodded silently.

  "Xiao Bai? You little girl, how dare you speak ill of me behind my back. Be careful or I'll get the boss to fire you!" A hoarse and unpleasant voice came from inside the second floor house, sounding angry but with a hint of teasing.

  Little White

  Chen Xiao glanced at Bai Yuqing beside him, and a strange feeling floated up in his heart. Bai's daughter was already six years old, but this old man called her Little White, which was simply disrespectful to the elderly.

  Bai Wei Qing felt Chen Xiao's gaze and was secretly annoyed, knowing that she shouldn't have brought him here in the first place. However, thinking about Old Man Ma being a straightforward person, she didn't get too angry.

  Leading Chen Yu, they pushed open the door and entered, and what met their eyes was a scene that seemed like a paradise on earth.

  The blue sky is like silk, the white clouds are like cotton, and among the flowers, trees, and grasses, there is a winding small road. At the end of the small road, a small emerald bamboo building stands tall, hidden among the green cypresses and pines.

  Illusory Formation!

  Chen Xiao's eyes scanned for a moment, and almost instantly, he saw that everything in front of him was an illusion created by the Array Star Formation.

  The scenery is like a painting, vivid and lifelike. Such an illusion array probably can only be set up by a master of the Great Symbol Array who has mastered the art of illusions.

  Breathing in the fragrance of flowers and trees in the air, Chen Tai couldn't help but sigh with endless admiration. Only when one reaches the top of the nine-grade symbol master can they be called a symbol array master. Now he is only a first-grade symbol master, and he doesn't know when he will reach this level.

  "This is a Green Sky Flower Shadow Formation, lower level Phantom Array, hidden killing intent. Be careful and follow me closely, don't wander around recklessly."

  Bai Wei Qing whispered a command and walked forward along that winding small road.

  Chen Xuan's heart skipped a beat as she hastily followed behind Bai Yuqing, not daring to be the slightest bit negligent.

  The nine ranks of talisman masters, the talismans they produce are divided into nine ranks. Above the nine ranks of talisman masters are the talisman array masters, whose talismans are divided into upper, middle and lower three grades.

  As Chen Xiao knew, the Illusory Formation of Entering Grades was enough to make the Zifu Cultivators not dare to take a step beyond the Thunder Pool. The Azure Sky Flower Shadow Formation in front of him undoubtedly possessed such powerful lethality, how could he still dare to act rashly?

  Entering the small bamboo building, the scenery changed again. The large room was extremely simple, with only three kitchen counters sparsely placed, and nothing else. It was completely incomparable to the beautiful and magnificent kitchen on the first floor.

  At this moment, an old man and a woman are standing in front of three stoves, skillfully cooking food. Behind the three people, lifelike puppets stand quietly, holding round trays with various ingredients placed on them.

  "Hi, white beauty."

  With a loud whistle, the man standing in front of the kitchen counter raised his head and smiled at Bai Yuqing. The man was dressed elegantly, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, handsome and tall, with a slight smile on his lips that was captivating.

  "What a young and handsome boy! I'm drooling just looking at him. Hmm, Wanqing little sister, is this your boyfriend?"

  In front of another stove, a woman in a fiery red dress lifted her head, her chest heaving, her figure slender and hot, her watery peach eyes staring straight at Chen Tai, a captivating smile on her delicate face.

  "Get to work!"

  In front of the last stove, an old man with a shriveled face like a monkey's glared with his eyes wide open, banging the spoon in his hand and shouting loudly.

  The handsome man and the charming woman trembled all over, quickly buried their heads to cook, with a obedient and well-behaved appearance...