Chapter 62: Ji Chengxue's Farewell
Host: Bu Fang
Gender: Male
Age: Twenty
True Energy Cultivation Level: Third Grade (Has already achieved the ability to manifest true energy outside of the body. As the God of Cooking in the fantasy world, you will definitely need to make use of true energy when cooking. Work hard, young man.)
Cooking Talents: Unknown
Skills: Level One Meteor Cutting Technique (52/100)
Tools: Fragments of the God of Cooking Set (3/4)
God of Cooking overall rating: Apprentice Chef (You can finally cook ingredients with your true energy. Practice your cutting technique and the road to becoming the God of Cooking will open for you. Work hard, young man.)
The current turnover is two thousand eight hundred and eighty crystals. True energy conversion degree: 720/1000
System Level: Three Stars (Conversion ratio is at twenty-five percent, customers are allowed to bring ingredients lower than fourth grade.)
The next morning, Bu Fang drowsily got up from bed. He was looking at the system panel while washing up.
After looking at the true energy conversion degree, he realized that he should be able to reach the next level soon. He was currently a third grade Battle-Maniac. Once he reached a thousand crystals, his true energy value would reach fourth grade Battle-Spirit. At that time, he would become much more proficient at controlling true energy
"What exactly is the set… I am really curious. However, I've already collected three fragments. Once I reach the next level, I should be able to complete the collection," Bu Fang muttered as he headed downstairs.
Then he arrived at the kitchen and began his daily radish slicing practice.
After finishing his practice, Bu Fang walked toward the store's entrance and removed the door boards. The air seemed to have gotten colder and even the cold wind blowing on his face was slightly bone-chilling.
Bu Fang glanced at Blacky, who was still soundly asleep, and returned to the kitchen to practice his cooking. After a while, an overwhelmingly fragrant Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs was completed.
"It's time to eat, Blacky." As Bu Fang placed the Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs in front of Blacky, it immediately became energetic.
Fatty Jin and his buddies arrived as usual and left after finishing breakfast. Eating at Bu Fang's place had already become a habit for them. Even though Bu Fang's dishes were expensive, Fatty Jin was a nouveau riche… He did not lack money.
Xiao Yue did not appear anymore after he was blown out of the store by Blacky's sneeze, as if he had completely disappeared from within the imperial city. However, Bu Fang did not mind at all. At the most, he felt regret over the loss of a customer.
Within the alleyway, a slightly bone-chilling autumn wind was blowing. Ji Chengxue, who was wearing a white robe, slowly approached the store. His fair and gentle face and his narrowed eyes made it seem as if he was constantly smiling.
"Owner Bu, good morning," Ji Chengxue gently greeted Bu Fang. Bu Fang indifferently nodded and acknowledged the greeting.
"Your Highness big brother, why are you so early today?" Ouyang Xiaoyi puzzledly asked Ji Chengxue, who had just stepped into the store and sat down.
Ji Chengxue patted Xiaoyi's head and said with a chuckle, "I am here to eat Owner Bu's dishes today."
"What are you eating today?" Bu Fang asked.
"I'll have a serving of each dish. After this time, I don't know whether I would have the chance to taste Owner Bu's dishes anymore," Ji Chengxue said with a sigh.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Bu Fang puzzledly asked. Ouyang Xiaoyi was curiously looking at Ji Chengxue as well.
Ji Chengxue's gaze was slightly downcast as he simply said, "It's nothing. It's just family matters. I'll be leaving the imperial city tomorrow. As for when I am returning, I have no idea either."
"I understand, give me a moment." Bu Fang expressionlessly nodded and went back into the kitchen. Then he returned with a jar of Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine and directly tossed it toward Ji Chengxue.
Ji Chengxue was startled as he caught the jar of wine. Then with a gentle smile, he removed the cloth cover and poured the wine into a cup.
Bu Fang poured a cup for himself as well. He lifted up his wine cup and they lightly clinked their cups together as he said, "I wish you safe journey."
"Hahaha, thank you. How about treating me to a meal today? Or give me a discount?" Ji Chengxue finished the cup of wine in one gulp and started to chuckle.
Bu Fang indifferently glanced at him and expressionlessly replied, "No."
Then Bu Fang returned to the kitchen and began to cook the other dishes.
Footsteps could be heard from the alleyway once more and three figures slowly approached.
"Your Highness is refined. You came so early today," Xiao Meng slightly bowed toward Ji Chengxue with a straight face, while Xiao Xiaolong and Xiao Yanyu stood behind him.
Xiao Yanyu's complexion was much better. It seemed that the Sage Herb Phoenix Chicken Soup had taken effect.
"General Xiao, I've made a fool of myself. Since I am setting off tomorrow, I came here to eat Owner Bu's dishes for one last time so that I wouldn't be craving for his food during the campaign." Ji Chengxue chuckled as he filled his own cup and another one for Xiao Meng.
Xiao Meng was silent for a moment, before he sighed and received the cup of wine from Ji Chengxue.
The two of them sat down and began to drink.
Ouyang Xiaoyi informed Bu Fang about the dishes that the Xiao family had ordered and he indicated that he understood.
Dish after dish of overwhelmingly fragrant dishes were brought out by Ouyang Xiaoyi and placed onto the table. These were all ordered by Ji Chengxue. He was enjoying himself as he drank while eating the delicious food.
"General Xiao, how has my elder sister been doing recently?" Ji Chengxue took a sip of wine and said as he looked toward Xiao Meng with a complicated gaze.
Xiao Meng slightly frowned and finished the cup of wine in a single gulp. He lightly breathed out and gloomily said, "She's still in a comatose state as always. The imperial physicians don't understand the reason either. It's already been three years and I still don't know when Ru'Er will wake up."
"Sister has always been such a kind person, heaven will certainly help her. I am sure she'll wake up one day," Ji Chengxue consoled him.
Ji Ru'Er was the elder sister of Ji Chengxue, the wife of Xiao Meng, and the mother of Xiao Yue. Three years prior, Xiao Yue used the blood from his mother's heart as an offering to comprehend the true essence of the way of the sword and caused Ji Ru'Er to fall into a coma. Now that three years had passed, there was still no indication of Ji Ru'Er waking up.
Within the past three years, Xiao Meng had searched the entire Light Wind Empire for extraordinary individuals and doctors with exceptional skills in order to wake up Ji Ru'Er, but there had been no results.
Because of this matter, his hair had turned white from worry. For a seventh grade Battle-Saint, this was something unbelievable.
"Actually, I don't dare to hope for it anymore. Even though Ru'Er is still in a coma, I am already contented that she's still alive. I came here today to inquire Owner Bu whether there's a way to wake up Ru'Er. I am only grasping at straws here," Xiao Meng honestly told Ji Chengxue about his objective in visiting the store.
Ji Chengxue nodded in agreement. If Bu Fang's medicinal cuisine could help Xiao Yanyu to recover from a severe loss of life force when she was close to dying, there was a chance that it could wake up his elder sister.
He could not help but feel a sense of hope as well.
The both of them did not speak any further and continued to drink the wine. Within this period, Xiao Meng only exhorted Ji Chengxue about taking note of certain matters during the campaign.
Even though Ji Chengxue was a prince, he was the third son after all. His mother was only a concubine with a lowly status. He was neither comparable to the crown prince, Ji Chengan, nor to King Yu, Ji Chengyu, and he was also not favored by the emperor himself. If Xiao Meng was not his brother-in-law, the third prince could have already been erased by the crown prince or King Yu.
There was a reason behind the saying, "The royalty has no relatives".
"You must take care of your own safety during the campaign. Remember, even though His Majesty doesn't favor you, you're still a prince," Xiao Meng seriously said.
Ji Chengxue indifferently nodded and gulped down a cup of wine.
As the two of them chatted while drinking, the sound of coughing rang out from outside as an elderly figure slowly walked into the store.
The gaze of Ji Chengxue and Xiao Meng naturally shifted toward the person who just arrived. Their expressions immediately froze and their eyes were filled with incredulity.
...........
Chapter 63: Hello, Emperor
Xiao Meng and Ji Chengxue looked in surprise toward the person that just arrived. Their eyes were filled with incredulity.
"Your Majesty?! Why are you here?" Xiao Meng hurriedly stood up and went forward to meet the emperor. The stunned expression on his face had still not dissipated. The fact that the emperor himself would visit a store situated within an alleyway was out of anyone's expectations.
"Your son and subject greets father emperor[1]," Ji Chengxue stood up as well and saluted the elderly man.
Even though the elderly man's hair had turned white, his mental state was still pretty good. He wore a beautiful robe and his hair was fixed in place with a green jade hairpin. With his hands placed behind his back, he was exuding a grandeur and refined aura.
"General Xiao? Chengxue? Are you eating at this store as well? Looks like the food here should be pretty good." Ji Changfeng faintly smiled as he stepped into the store. He was coughing as he walked and his body swayed with every step. He gave off the feeling of someone who had one foot in his grave.
Xiao Meng hurriedly supported him, fearing that the emperor would suffer a mishap.
"Your Majesty, why are you out here alone? This is unsafe. Even though the experts from the clan hiding within the imperial city have mostly retreated, there's no guarantee that there's none of them hiding around," Xiao Meng anxiously said.
The emperor waved him off and simply said, "It doesn't matter. Back in the day, I was still considered someone who awed the world. Even though I've grown old, not just anyone would dare to approach me. I came here today to talk about food and not anything else."
The emperor sat down on a chair and surveyed the surroundings. The space within the store was not big. There were a few neatly placed tables and the decorations were quite cozy. There was a certain sense of charm.
The emperor sniffed the air and his gaze shifted toward the table that Xiao Meng and Ji Chengxue were previously sitting at. His eyes slightly lit up as he said, "The aroma of this wine is truly rich. Could this be the fine wine that is better than the Bejewelled Nectar Wine?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. This is the wine exclusive to this store, the Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine. A jar costs fifteen crystals," Xiao Meng said with a nod.
"Fifteen crystals… that's not cheap. However, I am even more anxious to taste it now. Where's the owner? I want to meet him and order the dishes at the same time," the emperor asked.
Ouyang Xiaoyi was shyly looking at the emperor with her eyes widened. When she heard his words, she turned to the kitchen window and shouted, "Smelly boss, the emperor grandpa wishes to meet you."
"Hmm? Who?" Bu Fang's indifferent voice rang out from the kitchen, accompanied by the sound of stir frying.
"The emperor grandpa," Ouyang Xiaoyi earnestly repeated herself.
"Oh, let him wait," Bu Fang's indifferent voice drifted out but Ouyang Xiaoyi was dumbfounded by his words.
The little loli was exasperated. Whenever she spoke with Bu Fang, she felt like vomiting blood from exasperation.
The person that wanted to meet him was the emperor, the number one person within the Light Wind Empire as well as the supreme ruler. What did he mean by letting him wait?
Ji Changfeng and the others had heard the complete dialogue between Bu Fang and Ouyang Xiaoyi and their expressions were inexplicably wonderful.
Xiao Meng and Ji Chengxue did not know how to respond. They thought, "This Owner Bu… His character is still as eccentric as always. He doesn't even give face to the emperor."
On the other hand, Ji Changfeng was amused and thought it was interesting. If ordinary chefs heard his title, they would hurriedly come and fawn over him. There was not a single case like Bu Fang where he was completely ignored.
"This owner… has an interesting character." Ji Changfeng faintly smiled as he stroked his beard.
Xiao Meng and Ji Chengxue awkwardly smiled along as well.
Finally, after a few minutes, Bu Fang walked out of the kitchen. He was holding a plate of Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs in his hand. The rich aroma of the meat spread out and enveloped the entire store. The tangerine color of the Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs was tantalizing.
"Here's your Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs, please enjoy your meal," Bu Fang simply said as he placed the plate on Ji Chengxue's table.
Then he turned around and looked toward the elderly man sitting on the chair. He thought, "This must be the emperor grandpa that Xiaoyi mentioned."
"Hello, emperor," Bu Fang expressionlessly said.
Everyone was startled. The emperor was stunned for a moment and started laughing while stroking his beard.
"Hello, young man. Are you the owner of this store? What's the name of that dish just now? It's very fragrant." The emperor had a gentle smile on his face as he looked at Bu Fang. He thought that the owner was interesting.
"Oh, the name of the dish is Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs. It's the most expensive dish in the store for now," Bu Fang simply said.
"Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs… With such an alluring smell, I am looking forward to it. Good." The emperor nodded with a chuckle.
"The menu is behind you, tell me what you want to eat. The Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine is limited to three jars per day and there's only one jar left today," Bu Fang said as he pointed to the menu behind the emperor.
The emperor was surprised for a moment. He turned his head and saw the menu on the wall filled with dishes with astronomical prices.
The emperor frowned and lightly coughed a few times. Then he asked, "Interesting, a bowl of improved Egg-Fried Rice actually costs ten crystals. Sweet 'n' Sour Ribs… fifty crystals per serving. Why are they being sold at such an expensive price?"
"There's naturally a reason why the price is so expensive. Our store has a strict standard when it comes to the ingredients, handling process, and cooking process. Not only are our dishes delicious, but they can also promote the circulation and growth of true energy within a cultivator's body. These prices are… fair," Bu Fang expressionlessly said.
"Your dishes can promote cultivation? Even the meat of spirit beasts would lose most of its spirit energy after cooking. How do you manage to cook dishes that can promote cultivation?" the emperor curiously asked.
Bu Fang indifferently glanced at the emperor and said with a frown, "This is a secret."
Cough cough cough… Xiao Meng and the rest immediately coughed a few times. The mood became slightly awkward because of Bu Fang's reply.
On the contrary, the emperor nodded. "You probably have a special handling method and cooking method. This is indeed a secret and should not be casually revealed."
"Young man, then give me a serving of each of the dishes here. Let me taste this so-called dishes that can promote the circulation of true energy," the emperor said while stroking his beard as he calmly looked at Bu Fang.
"Alright, wait a moment. I'll cook your order once I've finished cooking their dishes," Bu Fang expressionlessly replied with a nod before he turned around and headed toward the kitchen.
This time, the emperor was frowning and slight unhappy as he asked, "Why aren't you cooking mine first?"
"First-come, first-served is the rule of the store," Bu Fang turned around at the entrance to the kitchen and replied.
"Cough cough… Owner Bu, it's fine if our dishes are served later. Please serve His Majesty's order before ours," Xiao Meng awkwardly coughed and hurriedly said.
Bu Fang expressionlessly glanced at Xiao Meng and simply said, "I already said that this is the rule of the store. First-come, first-served… Since you ordered first, I'll cook your dish first."
After Bu Fang finished speaking, he entered the kitchen and continued cooking the dishes.
Xiao Meng was dumbfounded by Bu Fang's words. He did not know how to respond as he helplessly looked at Bu Fang.
The smile on the emperor's face had already disappeared and his unfathomable gaze was directed toward the kitchen as his fingers tapped on the table. He simply said, "He has an interesting character, but this character must be built on the basis of strength. I'll give him a chance. If his dishes are unable to impress me, then there's no need for this store to continue operating."
The emperor was still the emperor after all. As the supreme ruler, when was he ever ignored by anyone like this? Bu Fang's indifference incited the emperor's displeasure as well.
Xiao Meng and Ji Chengxue suddenly felt their hearts skipped a beat. They were aware that the emperor was annoyed.
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[1] Your son and subject greets father and emperor. (儿臣见过父皇) - Whenever a prince meets the emperor, he would refer to himself as "son and subject"(儿臣) while referring to the emperor as "father emperor"(父皇). The term, 父皇, has actually been used quite a few times in a few other chapters but I've simplified them into "father".