Longevity Martial Arts: I have a Mysterious Water Snake Avatar-Chapter 183 - 176: Food Tao Skill! Minor Whale Swallowing Skill!
Perhaps knowing how much Le Congsheng valued Hong Yuan, the chefs at Hundred Joy Restaurant didn’t dare to cut corners on this meal.
Glasses clinked, chopsticks picked up meat, and laughter and chatter filled the air...
Hong Yuan had to admit that the chefs of Hundred Joy Restaurant were truly skilled; even with his second-grade culinary expertise, he couldn’t spot any major issues.
Perhaps this was the reason they were so audacious, daring to cause trouble right under Le Congsheng’s watchful eye.
With such culinary talent, where couldn’t they earn a living?
"Brother Cong Sheng, with your restaurant thriving like this, have you started to break even?" Hong Yuan poured some fruit tea for Jiang Nai and asked Le Congsheng.
"Ah~" Upon hearing the question, Le Congsheng heaved a sigh, saying with distress, "Don’t bring that up. It’s a saddening topic."
"According to my calculations, excluding the first month of opening, we should’ve made nearly a thousand Energy Stones in the second and third months."
"But somehow, I’m losing hundreds of Energy Stones each month!"
Le Congsheng, holding his wine cup, gulped down the wine. Unlike Hong Yuan, who had inherited his late senior brother’s estate and didn’t have to worry about Energy Stones, each stone was extremely precious to him. He still dreamed of marrying Tang Baiwei with all the pomp and ceremony, to make the Tang Family look up to him.
"Not only have I not earned nearly a thousand Energy Stones, but I’m also losing hundreds." Hong Yuan raised his eyebrows, surprised. At this, Hong Yuan was genuinely amazed at the audacity of the kitchen staff.
Good grief, in his previous life, his chef teams usually managed to sneak a little extra for themselves while ensuring the boss made a profit. As long as profits were assured, the bosses would turn a blind eye with unspoken agreement. Yet, the chefs in this lifetime were so brazen, it was unbelievable.
"Yes." Le Congsheng looked bitter; the food he was eating had suddenly lost its flavor. "I didn’t want to just earn a fixed monthly wage, which is why I ventured into the restaurant business, but I didn’t expect to be trapped by it instead. I keep pouring heaps of Energy Stones into it, without hearing the slightest echo."
"It seems Yuan, your suggestion was right. We Martial Artists should earnestly cultivate, follow the arrangements of the Sect to ascend to high positions—this is the real way. I’m afraid I won’t be able to return those five thousand Energy Stones to you anytime soon."
"I can’t understand it. The kitchen staff are all so diligent, working tirelessly for the restaurant."
With that said, Le Congsheng angrily ate, gobbling down plain rice, bowl after bowl.
Seeing this, Tang Baiwei quickly served Le Congsheng some dishes, presenting a supportive demeanor. Moved by the sight, Jiang Nai occasionally glanced at Hong Yuan’s porcelain bowl.
Great treachery can look like great loyalty. Your business is booming, yet you’re incurring continuous losses—the problem must be with the kitchen staff! Hong Yuan sighed inwardly, resisting the urge to point out the problem.
He felt an intense gaze upon him and turned to see Jiang Nai looking intently at his porcelain bowl.
With a thought, Hong Yuan immediately understood what Jiang Nai was thinking. His expression unchanged, Hong Yuan pretended not to notice.
「Two days later, it rained continuously.」
The Power Tao Incarnation put away his oiled-paper umbrella and arrived at the Law Enforcement Hall.
Compared to the peaceful Scripture Pavilion, the Law Enforcement Hall was somewhat noisier.
The dim lighting was somewhat oppressive, and the presence of the instruments of punishment was chilling.
Amongst the many halls of Phoenix Creek Sect, the disciples of the Enforcement Hall were considered top-tier in strength.
Under the scrutiny of two official disciples, Hong Yuan made his way to the area for cultivating disciples.
He hadn’t come here to take on missions for rewards. Rather, Le Congsheng was on duty today, and Hong Yuan had come specifically to see him.
Soon, Hong Yuan caught sight of Le Congsheng.
Le Congsheng was currently dressed in a blue robe, sitting behind the counter, overseeing the situation.
As the First Elder’s disciple of the Enforcement Hall, his power was beyond what outsiders could imagine.
"Xiao Jie, hold the fort here for me first."
Seeing Hong Yuan wave at him, Le Congsheng immediately ordered a female disciple to hold the fort. He then stepped out from a side door, pulling Hong Yuan into a guest room.
"Yuan, why have you suddenly come over?" Le Congsheng took out a teacup and kettle, intending to make some tea to entertain Hong Yuan, but Hong Yuan stopped him.
"Brother Cong Sheng, I think I’ve discovered the problem with your restaurant," Hong Yuan said softly.
"Hmm!?" Le Congsheng lifted his head, his eyes wide. "Yuan, please tell me quickly! Every day my restaurant gobbles up my Energy Stones; it’s breaking my heart."
"Have you ever heard the saying, ’If cooks don’t pilfer, the harvests will fail’? The problem with your restaurant lies in the chefs being too greedy, severely overstepping the mark."
"..." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
As Hong Yuan explained, Le Congsheng was at first skeptical, but then he had an epiphany and was so angry he ground his teeth at how much the chefs had indulged themselves.
Le Congsheng was furious. He had offered the chefs a high price and had gone to great lengths to help them settle in Waxia Outer City, and this was how they repaid him?
"I’ve misjudged people, misjudged people indeed!" Le Congsheng slapped his chest. "If it weren’t for your reminder, I don’t know how badly they would have harmed me. It seems I need to find a batch of reputable chefs who prioritize culinary ethics."
Afterward, the enraged Le Congsheng wanted to return to the restaurant immediately and give each of those excessively greedy chefs a taste of his blade.
If Hong Yuan hadn’t held him back, he might have truly assembled a team and, under some pretext, gotten rid of the chefs from the Hundred Joy Restaurant.
After all, Le Congsheng’s status as a disciple of an Elder of the Enforcement Hall was not just for show; those chefs truly had some nerve.
「A week later.」
Le Congsheng suddenly handed Hong Yuan an old, yellowed book, saying it was the "life-money" from that group of chefs.
Hong Yuan flipped through the book, and his eyes shone brightly.
The Minor Whale Swallowing Skill!
This was a Food Tao Skill, and although only second-tier, it was tremendously precious. For the Food Tao was a school of thought that had been lost long ago in the river of time, making it extremely rare.
Minor Whale Swallowing Skill:
In the north of the destitute realms lies the Northern Ming Sea, a celestial pond. Within it resides a fish, spanning thousands of miles in breadth, whose cultivation is unknown. It swallows and grows enormous, reaching boundless expanses, akin to the Northern Ming, carrying all boats, large or small, and containing all fish, big or small...
My goodness, this seems to be the real deal, Hong Yuan muttered to himself while flipping through the pages, flashes of insight lighting up his mind.
Although the language of the Minor Whale Swallowing Skill was obscure and difficult to understand, its true meaning became clear under Hong Yuan’s high aptitude of 70 points. He was even able to fill in the missing words with his own Martial Arts cultivation.
Having spent nearly one hundred thousand Energy Stones to read all kinds of Martial Arts Cultivation Techniques, strange tales, and Demon Beast records in the Scripture Pavilion... Hong Yuan hadn’t just been idling his time away there.
Give Hong Yuan a starting point, and with his high aptitude, he truly could deduce a respectable Cultivation Technique.
Gradually, the Aperture in the Power Tao Incarnation’s body began to vibrate, wave after wave rolling and surging within.
Simultaneously, the phantom of a whale began to coalesce behind the Power Tao Incarnation, becoming more and more substantial.
Seven days later, the Power Tao Incarnation opened his eyes, and a strange Worm floated in his hand.
This was a second-tier Cultivation Worm in the shape of a tiny whale, its color a murky black. It was a Food Tao Worm, condensed from the Minor Whale Swallowing Skill.
"It took seven days to cultivate to the realm of perfection. As expected of a long-lost Food Tao discipline; previously, I could condense a second-tier Cultivation Worm in just two or three days," Hong Yuan whispered in admiration to the Black Whale Worm.
He channeled True Essence into it, exploring the Black Whale Worm’s uses.
After some manipulation, Hong Yuan’s body trembled; he felt incredibly comfortable.
Because this Black Whale Worm could help him grow quickly!
[Black Whale Worm: A second-tier Food Tao Cultivation Worm. The user can: first, increase their eating speed, improve the efficiency and speed of food digestion, and convert food into Essence Qi; second, accelerate the absorption of Essence Qi, promoting cultivation growth.]
Looking at this Black Whale Worm, joy surged in Hong Yuan’s heart.
Having an additional method to rapidly increase my cultivation, this is like heaven helping me.
"It seems even the heavens don’t wish for Zhang Baicun and Li Zixing to live much longer! Hahaha!"
Hong Yuan laughed out loud.
