I'm a male god in Liyue

The Hilichurls were the same kind of humanoid monsters he had seen in the wild before.

"Yes, as long as you can accept the settings in the book, it's very interesting."

"Since Zhu Zi also likes reading, why don't you help me choose some books?"

"But, boss, I can't understand much of the Liyue script..."

"It's alright, it's better for you to choose than for me to pick randomly like a blind person. Just choose from the first bookshelf, those should all be best-selling books."

"it is good."

While Zhu Zi hesitated in front of the bookshelf, Xia Zhi walked alone to the inner bookshelf. The Teyvat Travel Guide he had bought last time was found in a dusty corner, but that book had been of great help to him.

This time he plans to search again to see if he can find any other treasure books.

Xia Zhi used the detector to search for a while and found two more books with good content.

One of them is "The Chronicles of Jueyun", a collection of many strange and legendary stories circulating in Liyue. It includes many short, concise, and popular anecdotes, mostly of folklore.

One of them is "Liyue Customs and Traditions", a monograph recording the local customs of Liyue Harbor. It was originally written by Faldran, a scholar who traveled to Liyue, and was later edited and proofread by many local scholars in Liyue.

For Xia Zhi, both books will help him better understand the customs of Liyue and are worth reading.

He went out with two books and saw that Zhu Zi was already carrying seven or eight books.

"Boss, I've made my selection."

"Okay, let's go pay the bill together."

The proprietress, Ji Fang, calculated the price: "It's 1080 Mora in total."

The price of the book is still very high.

Before Xia Zhi could speak, Zhu Zi stepped forward and said, "It's too expensive. We're buying so many books, shouldn't you give us a discount?"

"Sir, the cost price of these books is already high, and they sell very well. You think they're expensive, but some people can't even buy them even if they pay extra!"

"That's just these few books..."

After some haggling, the price was rounded down, and I bought all the books for 1000 Mora.

On the way back to the store, Xia Zhi turned to look at her and said, "Zhu Zi was so imposing just now."

Zhu Zi smiled sheepishly: "I used to be... used to being very frugal."

"That's great. We'll have you help with the store's purchasing from now on; it'll definitely save us a lot of money."

"Don't worry, boss."

Xia Zhi nodded, then suddenly thought of something.

Tea cost 20 mora a couple of days ago, and 100 mora today, but I saved 80 mora by buying books this time.

I just managed to save the money I spent on tea today.

That's quite an interesting coincidence.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Xiangling's Innovative Dishes

Back in the store, after putting away the books they had bought, Xia Zhi took Zhu Zi to Wanmintang for dinner.

Xiangling had been eagerly waiting for him. When she saw him from afar, she stood at the door, waved, and called out, "Mr. Xia! And Miss Zhu!"

Xia Zhi smiled and nodded: "Miss Xiangling."

"You've arrived quite early this time."

"I'm mainly looking forward to the taste of the new dishes that Xiangling will make."

"Oh, I also relied on Mr. Xia's guidance. Please have a seat, I'll go cook right away."

After saying that, Xiangling rushed back to the kitchen: "Dad! I'll cook for you!"

Master Mao looked up and couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Xia has arrived?"

Xiangling took out the ingredients and nodded, "Mmm!"

This afternoon, when Wanmintang was closed, Xiangling tried to remake Lailai Cai and Xiangnen Jiaojiao Chicken in the kitchen according to Xia Zhi's suggestions. As a result, just like the Kou San Si last night, the taste of both dishes was an incredible breakthrough.

It's important to know that every recipe at Wanmintang is the result of generations of inheritance and countless refinements, and the taste of the dishes has long been recognized by countless diners.

Modifying old recipes of this caliber is inherently extremely difficult, yet Xia Zhi, without knowing the recipe, was able to identify the flaws in the dishes simply by tasting them and provide perfect improvement methods. This ability is truly astonishing.

Master Mao peeked out and said with some emotion, "Mr. Xia is really amazing. I don't know how he did it. He doesn't look that old, how come he's older than me who's been around since I was a child..."

At this point, a strange guess suddenly popped into Master Mao's mind.

Could it be... that Mr. Xia is actually an immortal?

The story often told in the teahouses of the market is the Chronicles of the Geo Archon, which tells the story of how the Geo Archon once traveled in human form throughout Liyue, leaving behind various strange tales.

Now that the Emperor has passed away, Mr. Xia is definitely not the Emperor, but may be some other immortal.

If this Mr. Xia is an immortal, then all these things make sense.

Although he looks young, he may have actually visited Wanmintang many years ago and even dined there.

His visit to Liyue this time might be to inspect the area on behalf of the Geo Archon, to see if the Seven Stars are causing any trouble...

Master Mao thought about it more and more and it seemed more and more likely. He peeked out and looked at Xia Zhi sitting at the table. He felt that Xia Zhi’s aura was very calm and indifferent, and there was even a faint feeling that he did not belong to this world.

This person doesn't look like an ordinary person at all!

"It can not be?"

Master Mao muttered to himself.

"What do you mean, is it true or not?"

Xiangling happened to walk over with the prepared ingredients. Hearing her father's whisper, she gave him a strange look.

Master Mao shook his head and said, "It's nothing..."

Xiangling didn't mind, took the large ladle from his hand, and said, "Father, step aside, I'll do it!"

Master Mao silently stepped aside.

In no time, Xiangling finished the three dishes and placed them on the table, looking at him hopefully: "Mr. Xia, these are the improved versions of Lai Lai Cai and the fragrant and tender pepper chicken. Please try them and see how they compare to what we had for lunch."

Xia Zhi picked up his chopsticks, tasted each one, and nodded: "It's delicious, just as I expected."

Xiangling smiled happily and pushed the third dish over, saying, "Mr. Xia, after your guidance, I have some new ideas. This is a new dish that I improved based on my own ideas, another kind of braised three shreds. Please try it!"

Xia Zhi had actually "seen" this new braised pork three-shredded dish a long time ago, but he couldn't discern anything special about it from its aroma.

A hint of curiosity crossed his face, then he took a bite, his tone slightly surprised: "Hmm? This sticky, gelatinous texture, what is this...?"

Xiangling smiled mysteriously and said, "It's slime condensate! I added slime condensate!"

Xia Zhi paused for a moment, then said, "So that's what it is. What a unique approach..."

Slime condensate and slime are actually the same thing, just different names. This stuff is colorless and odorless, no wonder he didn't smell anything unusual in the fragrance just now.

But isn't this a material for alchemy? How can you eat it?

Xiangling looked at him expectantly and asked, "Mr. Xia, what do you think of this dish?"

Xia Zhi thought for a moment and said, "It has a very unique texture, like it has meat jelly and fish glue added, but without the fishy smell of meat jelly and fish glue. The thick soup coats the three shredded ingredients together and perfectly blends their flavors. I think it's great."

Xiangling's eyes lit up, and she asked, "Really?"

Xia Zhi nodded seriously: "Really."

Xiangling couldn't help but show an excited expression, and said, "Great! I now have a direction for my recipe innovations!"

Looking at the burning light in Xiangling's eyes, Xia Zhi felt as if this girl had suddenly opened the door to a new world. Could she be making some terrible dish with strange ingredients?

Xiangling left full of energy: "Mr. Xia and Miss Zhu, please continue your meal. I'm going to get back to work."

Zhu Zi looked down at the plate of braised shredded vegetables and asked with a strange expression, "Boss, is there really slime liquid in this?"

Xia Zhi nodded and said, "Yes."

Zhu Zi's eyes immediately showed a look of half disgust and half curiosity as she asked, "Boss, is this really delicious?"

Xia Zhi nodded again and said, "It's delicious."

Zhu Zi was still suspicious and asked, "Boss, you're not lying to me, are you?"

Xia Zhi frowned: "I didn't lie to you."

"Really?"

"real."

"Then take another bite and show me."

"it is good."

Xia Zhi picked up a piece of shredded pork belly with his chopsticks, chewed it a few times, swallowed it, and said to her, "It's really delicious."

Zhu Zi then dispelled her doubts, picked up a piece with her chopsticks, slowly put it in her mouth, and carefully bit it. Then her eyes lit up: "It really is! It's sticky and soft, and the soup has a melt-in-your-mouth feel. It's quite delicious."

I didn't lie to you, did I?