From a country cook to a master chef

Dawu, Xiaoyao Prefecture, Yulin Town.

Three or five lean horses gallop through the dead trees covered with icicles, surrounded by a white expanse of ice and snow.

The wind was biting cold, accompanied by occasional snowflakes.

When Lin Jue woke up, everything was dark, and his head was wrapped in a tattered sack that still smelled of livestock manure.

"This is the road into the mountains..."

"Have I been kidnapped?"

Based on the glimpse of light seen through the gaps in the burlap sack, Lin Jue was able to determine his current predicament.

This is bad...

At this moment, he was hunched over, bound tightly to the horse's back, and being driven into the mountains. The violent jolting almost made him vomit up the spicy and salty tofu he had drunk that morning.

After crossing two hills, he finally reached a cave and had his men pull him off his horse.

"Idiots, this is how you invite Chef Lin here?!"

The portly fat man laboriously and quickly walked out of the cave, his face contorted with fat, and he smiled as he stepped forward to untie Lin Jue and ripped the smelly sack off his head.

"My name is Zhu Xinghe. I am honored by your kind words, Master Dao. I am also known as Young Master Hua. Chef Lin, you must be tired from your journey. Please come with me into the cave for a chat!"

The moment Lin Jue heard the man introduce himself, a wave of confusion washed over him.

Playboy Zhu Xinghe?

On that wanted list of the Grand Military Commissioner, the notorious womanizer?

Lin Jue had assumed that Zhu Xinghe would be a handsome and elegant man, but he never expected that the other party's appearance would be so indescribable.

Not to mention his face was covered in scabies, his body was so fat that he must have weighed at least two hundred pounds.

The only point that matches his nickname "Playboy" is that he speaks in a manner that is at least polite and well-mannered.

"Chef Lin, no, Brother Lin, seeing is believing. I am truly honored to meet you today. What a blessing!"

Zhu Xinghe led the way, with Lin Jue walking behind him, followed by the two henchmen who had captured him.

"What brings Master Zhu here, sending his men to summon me?"

Lin Jue quietly surveyed his surroundings, memorized the route he had taken, and spoke casually.

The cave was a maze of interconnected paths, branching out to the left and right. Zhu Xinghe led him around for quite some time before finally arriving at a relatively spacious corner.

If it were an ordinary person, they would have been completely disoriented by now, and even if they had a chance to escape, they would definitely not be able to find their way out.

Such a well-hidden and complex den of thieves, with multiple burrows for a cunning rabbit, no wonder the Dawu government's repeated raids on it ended in disappointment.

Seeing that Lin Jue's gaze remained fixed on the area around the cave, the smug-faced Zhu Xinghe laughed smugly, "I discovered this cave by chance during one of my mountain adventures. There are sixty-four branching paths inside, as well as several turbulent underground rivers, teeming with poisonous snakes. It's practically a dead end. I, Zhu Xinghe, am not very capable, but I led my brothers to set up camp here, which is quite a carefree and enjoyable experience!"

Lin Jue didn't reply and continued walking silently.

As he passed a corner, he faintly heard the mournful cries of a woman coming from inside the wall, and he stopped to listen carefully.

Seeing this, Zhu Xinghe raised an eyebrow slightly, slapped his hand on the stone wall, making a series of long and short sounds. Immediately, someone inside replied, "Boss, two more lambs froze to death last night. How about we make some roast lamb today?"

"I didn't expect that Chief Zhu's men raised sheep. In this snowy weather, mutton is the most nourishing meat, it's a good thing."

Lin Jue withdrew his curious gaze and continued walking forward without making a sound.

Just now, behind that wall, he clearly heard two women sobbing.

In the winter of the 28th year of the Great Wu Dynasty, Lin Jue traveled through time. A rare heavy snow fell for several months and has not stopped since.

Winter is a season of death, especially with months of freezing weather.

Lin Jue had heard of the practice of exchanging children to eat.

But if they hadn't eaten all the food and livestock in the house, what parent would have the heart to be such a wicked person as to dismember their own body for cooking?

Mountain bandits are lazy, greedy, and vicious; they would never have the patience to feed cattle and sheep.

Thinking of the so-called lamb behind the wall, Lin Jue felt a nameless rage rise in his heart.

But soon, the anger subsided.

In this unfamiliar world, if it weren't for his excellent cooking skills and the fact that his employer would give him a meal, he would probably have starved to death on the streets long ago.

While the rich wine and meat smell, the road with frozen bone.

That's all there is to it; I'm used to it.

He's too busy taking care of himself to care about the lives of others.

Led by Zhu Xinghe, the group passed through a dimly lit passage and arrived at an extremely spacious and dry area.

What comes into view are tables, chairs and benches made of hard rock, with many pots and pans placed in a corner, and nearby are stoves, firewood, and some precious coarse salt and clean water.

"You asked me earlier why I wanted to see you, and now I'll tell you."

A cool breeze blew into the cave through the cracks in the mountain wall, and the candlelight on the wall flickered in the wind.

Zhu Xinghe slowly walked to the stone chair next to him. The bone cup on the table was filled with fine wine, and in a daze, it reflected the face of a handsome young man.

The figure in the cup moved Zhu Xinghe, who slowly said, "In my early years, I suffered a misfortune that ruined my appearance and deformed my body. Fortunately, I met a master cultivator who bestowed upon me a miraculous elixir that could regenerate my rotten flesh, giving me a new life."

"Over the years, I, Zhu, have gone through countless hardships and finally found all the good medicines and ingredients required for the immortal prescription. I heard that Brother Lin's cooking skills are superb, and the medicinal dishes he makes are so ingenious that they are astonishing. Therefore, I specially sent someone to invite Brother Lin here to cook a dish for me according to the immortal prescription."

Although Lin Jue had expected this, his expression still changed slightly when faced with Zhu Xinghe's invitation.

Now that he had ventured into the lion's den, if he refused outright, he feared for his life. After careful consideration, Lin Jue feigned agreement.

"Since this is a divine medicinal diet, please have Chief Zhu retrieve the recipe so that I, Lin, can take a look and make some preparations."

Lin Jue calmly sat down opposite Zhu Xinghe, who had been waiting for him to speak. At that moment, he quickly handed over a silk handkerchief tightly wrapped in yellow oil paper.

Upon touching the silk handkerchief, which resembled both silkworm silk and soft cotton, Lin Jue exclaimed that it was indeed a celestial object, its soft and delicate touch making him think that leaving such a treasure in the hands of a band of mountain bandits was a waste of its preciousness.

Under Zhu Xinghe's watchful gaze, Lin Jue quickly browsed the contents of the immortal formula:

Goji berries, fragrant pork, century-old ginseng, phoenix-feather chicken, angelica root, angelica sinensis, pig's heart, rice meat...

Lin Jue rested his chin on his hand, frowned, and asked in puzzlement, "Even immortals can't stand firm when 'fragrant meat' is rolled around in the hot pot. 'Fragrant meat' is dog meat, I do know a little about that."

"But the last ingredient in this medicinal dish, 'rice meat,' is something I've never heard of before. Could it be meat made from rice?"

click!

Zhu Xinghe snapped his fingers crisply.

A hidden door opened in the stone wall beside them, and a bandit pushed a cart full of a dazzling array of ingredients, followed closely by a young girl whose hands were bound by chains.

The girl's appearance startled Lin Jue, but he did not show any emotional fluctuation.

Zhu Xinghe's ability to become the number one wanted criminal on Dawu's wanted list is undoubtedly due to his cunning and shrewdness.

Upon hearing Lin Jue's question, he did not pursue whether Lin Jue truly did not know or was deliberately feigning ignorance.

In this day and age, everyone who has survived to this day is a shrewd and cunning person.

With everything prepared, Zhu Xinghe stood up and said with a smile, "All the ingredients are here. Brother Lin, don't let me down."

Lin Jue stood up, nodded calmly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Master Zhu, I'm not used to being watched when I'm cooking, no, when I'm in charge of cooking. Could you and your brothers please step aside for a while?"

"Of course!"

Zhu Xinghe nodded, and before leaving with his men, he took a deep look at the boy.

Lin Jue breathed a sigh of relief, making sure the stone doors were tightly closed and no one was watching. He then picked up the kitchen knife and strode over to the bound girl in yellow.

"Close your eyes."

I'm so sorry!

He raised the cleaver, hesitated, and then brought it down.

The chains on the girl's hands snapped instantly.

Dropping the weapon in his hand, Lin Jue quickly helped the girl, who was still shaken and slightly exhausted.

"Second Miss, didn't the master send someone to take you to the city to seek refuge with Master Liu? How did you get captured by bandits?"