Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 76 Fair Competition
afternoon.

Jingbian Division.

Lin Xuan had just finished some tasks and returned to his duty room to sit down. Before he could even have a sip of tea, a guard came to report that four cooks who had come to apply for jobs at the Jingbian Division were already waiting in the courtyard.

To avoid being infiltrated by the Nanzhao Kingdom, the Jingbian Division recruited cooks but could not post notices in a high-profile manner.

During lunch, Lin Xuan asked Tian Qingluan to recommend a few reliable cooks.

Things have priorities; hiring a cook isn't a big deal, but it can't be delayed.

Lin Xuan walked into the courtyard and said to the four women, "You four, each prepare two of your best dishes, one meat and one vegetable. List the ingredients you need on a piece of paper, and I will send someone to buy them..."

The four women were very enthusiastic and each told the women what ingredients they needed.

At their age, they could only find odd jobs like sewing and washing outside. But cooking at Jingbian Division not only paid them more and didn't have to suffer, but their status was also far superior to what they could find working outside.

Lin Xuan wrote down the ingredients they needed and handed the paper to a guard, instructing him to go to the street to buy them immediately.

An hour later.

Jingbian Division, Rear Office.

Wenren Yue was meditating in the courtyard when there was a knock on the door.

Sensing that the person outside the door was Lin Xuan, she said softly, "Come in."

The courtyard gate was not closed. Lin Xuan pushed it open and entered. Two guards behind him came in carrying trays and neatly arranged eight dishes on the stone table in the courtyard before leaving.

Wenren Yue stepped forward, frowned slightly, and said, "I'm all alone. You don't need to cook so many dishes next time; it's too wasteful."

Lin Xuan explained, "My lord, there were different cooks tasting the dishes today, so there were more dishes than usual. After you have tasted them, you can keep whichever cook's cooking you prefer. In the future, you can just let her know what you want to eat in advance."

Wenren Yue glanced at Lin Xuan; she hadn't expected him to be so thoughtful, even when it was just about hiring a cook.

She didn't say anything more, picked up her chopsticks, tasted each dish, and then pointed to two of them, saying, "These two, please."

In truth, she felt that all these dishes combined couldn't compare to the bowl of noodles she had at noon, which suited her taste better.

But she couldn't force Lin Xuan to cook just because she wanted to satisfy her own appetite.

He already has enough jobs to do.

Lin Xuan glanced at the two dishes and knew that Wenren Yue probably preferred a lighter diet.

Southwest China is short of salt, so the local people generally prefer stronger flavors in their food.

A Luo and Tian Qingluan have the opposite tastes to Wenren Yue.

He nodded and said, "These two dishes were made by two different cooks. Since their cooking skills suit your taste better, I will keep them both."

Wenren Yue shook her head and said, "Keeping one is enough, and it will save the department some expenses."

Lin Xuan said no more and asked, "Which one does Your Excellency wish to keep?"

Wenren Yue pointed to a dish of stir-fried bamboo shoots and said, "Keep it."

Lin Xuan clasped his hands slightly and said, "I will make the arrangements immediately."

Just as he was about to leave, Wenren Yue suddenly spoke up: "Wait."

Lin Xuan turned around and asked, "Sir, is there anything else you need?"

Looking at the sumptuous dishes on the table, Wenren Yue said, "There are so many dishes, I can't finish them all by myself. Why don't you stay and eat with me? That way, there will be less waste."

Lin Xuan had actually taken the portion size into account; he only served a small portion of each dish.

However, even a small portion is still a bit too much for one person.

Wenren Yue didn't give him any room to refuse and sat down on her own.

The leader invited him to dinner, which meant he considered him one of their own, so Lin Xuan couldn't refuse. He took a pair of chopsticks from the kitchen, sat opposite Wenren Yue, and quietly ate with her. Wenren Yue ate very quietly.

She is always quiet.

Lin Xuan has recently gotten used to Tian Qingluan and A Luo chattering around him during meals, making him feel very awkward during the meal.

After the meal, Lin Xuan kept the cook chosen by Wenren Yue.

He also gave each of the other three women two hundred coins as a reward for their hard work.

When Lin Xuan returned home, he discovered that Tian Qingluan had moved next door.

The Tian family is repairing her courtyard.

She was rich and could do whatever she wanted, so Lin Xuan couldn't say anything.

At dinner, A'Luo noticed that Lin Xuan hadn't served himself any rice, but had only taken a few bites of vegetables. She couldn't help but ask with concern, "Brother Lin, what's wrong? Don't you have an appetite?"

Lin Xuan shook his head and said, "No, Commander Wenren invited me to dinner earlier, but I already ate at Jingbian Division."

A Luo and Tian Qingluan paused simultaneously as they were picking up food.

After tasting a few bites of food, Lin Xuan put down his chopsticks and said, "You guys eat, I'm going to practice my martial arts."

The Jingbian Division has been extremely busy these past two days, and he hasn't had much time to practice his skills or engage in visualization.

Having absorbed the Bone Tempering Liquid rewarded by the town magistrate, he had already faintly touched the bottleneck of the seventh rank. Only after breaking through the seventh rank and transforming the internal energy into true qi could he be considered to have truly entered the path of martial arts.

After Lin Xuan left, only two women remained at the table.

Tian Qingluan picked up a piece of food and suddenly asked in a low voice, "Little sister A'luo, you like Lin Xiaoqi, right?"

A'Luo did not deny it, but lowered her head and whispered, "Sister Qingluan, don't you like Brother Lin?"

Tian Qingluan smiled slightly and generously admitted, "I not only like Lin Xiaoqi, but I also want him to be my husband. He can make the Tian family stronger, and the Tian family can also provide him with a lot of help. Don't you think I am the best match for Lin Xiaoqi?"

Although A'Luo's voice was soft, her tone was not weak. She shook her head slightly and said, "Sister Qingluan is very rich, but liking someone has nothing to do with money. I may not lose to you..."

Tian Qingluan looked at her and said, "In that case, how about we compete fairly?"

Aro met her gaze and asked, "What is fair competition?"

Tian Qingluan smiled slightly and said, "Fair competition means relying on one's own abilities. No one should use underhanded methods behind the other's back. Let's see who can win his heart in the end. How about we set a time limit of one month?"

Aro asked again, "What constitutes dishonorable means?"

Tian Qingluan said, "Sneaking into his bed at night is a dishonorable act... For the next month, we cannot reveal our feelings to him. After a month, let him make his own choice."

After a moment's thought, Aro nodded slightly: "Okay."

Lin Xuan changed into her training clothes and came out of the room.

A Luo and Tian Qingluan seemed to be talking about something, but after he came out, they both fell silent.

Women are truly strange creatures; one moment they're at each other's throats, the next they're as close as sisters.

Stopping thinking about these things, Lin Xuan went into the courtyard and continued practicing the basic stance training of Zhenyue Gong.

Now, he is quite proficient in all three types of stance training on the second level, whether static or dynamic. As long as he continues to practice step by step, he should be able to reach the peak of the eighth rank in less than a month.

Breaking through the barrier is somewhat troublesome.

Breaking through a bottleneck is also greatly influenced by luck. Some people can break through naturally as soon as they reach the peak of their cultivation level, while others need a year and a half, or even longer.

In the case of bad luck, breaking through that barrier can take even longer than the entire cultivation time for that grade.

Lin Xuan just hoped his luck would improve and that he wouldn't stay stuck at this bottleneck for too long...

(End of this chapter)