From a country cook to a master chef

"..."

Upon hearing what Ding Xiangfei said, Lin Jue was taken aback and greatly surprised. He couldn't help but scrutinize Senior Sister Ding.

Seeing that Lin Jue was staring at her, Ding Xiangfei quickly said, "Junior Brother Lin, don't get the wrong idea. What I mean is that the conditions for spiritual energy are very demanding, and it is absolutely impossible to start refining pills today."

If Junior Brother Lin trusts me, please leave the prescription and all the medicinal materials. Once I have gathered the spiritual energy, I will immediately refine this pill for you.

What does Junior Brother Lin think?

After hearing Senior Sister Ding's explanation, Lin Jue smiled somewhat embarrassedly. It turned out that he had indeed misunderstood.

However, judging from what Senior Sister Ding said, she seemed to have a way to obtain that so-called spiritual energy. Thinking of this, Lin Jue smiled and said:

"In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Senior Sister."

The Reversal of the Five Elements Pill was of great importance, and Lin Jue did not trust anyone else, so he had to ask this Senior Sister Ding to help him refine it.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Consort Dingxiang, Lin Jue bid her farewell and went to Zhong Liang's place.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered, his master Zhong Liang greeted him with a smile and invited him to sit down. He then took a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Lin Jue, saying solemnly:

"Lin Jue, you've come at the right time. I have something I need you to do."

This is a letter; please keep it safe. I will explain this matter to you in detail later.

Upon hearing this, Lin Jue quickly clasped his hands and said, "Master, if you have any requests, please feel free to instruct me. I will do my best to fulfill them."

Not wanting Lin Jue to be confused, Zhong Liang, after a moment of deep thought, sat down and explained the whole story.

"Actually, this matter is a private matter for me as a teacher."

More than 30 years ago, I served as a general under General Han and led troops to garrison Hanzhou in Baiyue for a period of time.

At that time, the Xiang clan was the most respected clan in Baiyue Hanzhou. The teacher and Xiang Tongya, the then clan leader, hit it off immediately and became sworn brothers after several meetings.

Later, the Xiang family suffered a tragedy. In one night, almost the entire family was brutally murdered in a pool of blood. By the time I arrived at the Xiang family, it was already too late. I could only rescue one orphan from the ruins.

The teacher named him Xiang Fei.

By that calculation, he should be almost thirty years old now.

At this point, Zhong Liang sighed, then continued, half explaining and half narrating:

"Xiang Fei's physical constitution is not suitable for martial arts, and he does not have spiritual roots. Over the past few decades, with my help, he has opened a restaurant in Hanzhou and has lived a comfortable life."

However, not long ago, a scout reported that the army of Zhanbo Kingdom was about to besiege Hanzhou City. I am worried about the son of this old friend, so I want you to ride to Hanzhou as fast as you can. After gaining his trust with a letter written by me, take him to Tiandu Pingzhou and settle him properly.

"Don't worry, I won't let you come for nothing. Here are ten imperial edict talismans left by Fellow Daoist Jiang Luan. Take them with you; they should solve a lot of trouble for you."

After listening, Lin Jue nodded solemnly. He could tell that his master, who was not his master, truly cared for the orphan of the Xiang family and treated him as his own son.

But when he thought about how the ten talismans his master had given him seemed to be given to him to solve his troubles, Lin Jue felt a little depressed.

In that case, these ten talismans are not considered a reward for this trip. If something happens on the way and they are all used up, wouldn't I have made a wasted trip?

Thinking of this, Lin Jue clasped his hands thoughtfully towards Zhong Liang and stammered, "Master, this disciple has not yet broken through to the Divine Illumination Realm, and my strength is weak. Even with your talisman by my side, I'm afraid..."

Seeing Lin Jue's awkward demeanor, Zhong Liang knew exactly what he was thinking. He shook his head, rolled his eyes, and thought to himself, "I wonder where this guy learned this from. He really won't get up early for nothing."

After a moment of silence, Zhong Liang coughed twice, took a knife from under the table behind him, tossed it to Lin Jue, and said with a serious expression:

"This sword was used by my master to kill enemies on the battlefield. It is named 'Wangxue' (meaning 'Blood-Gazing'), and as the name suggests, once it is drawn, it will inevitably draw blood. It can cut hair in two and is extremely sharp."

Now I bestow this upon you, hoping you will not disappoint your teacher's good intentions.

"There's no time to lose, you should go right away!"

"Yes, Master! Your disciple will certainly not fail you."

Lin Jue accepted the precious sword with great joy, quickly thanked him softly, and then left the tent.

He was worried about not having a suitable weapon. He couldn't keep fighting with the Dragon Pattern Shield. Although it was handy, it was too conspicuous and not suitable for everyday use.

Now that he had accepted the task assigned by his master, Lin Jue had no choice but to hurry to Baiyue Hanzhou.

However, before that, he found Senior Sister Ding again, and after discussing with her a suitable time to retrieve the pill, he hurriedly set off on a fast horse.

……

"Although Senior Sister Ding claims she can refine the Reversal Five Elements Pill in a month, it probably won't be that quick. I'll go find her to collect the pill in two months."

As for this trip to Hanzhou, if, as the master said, there are no other matters to attend to along the way, it should be completed within a month, and we should be able to return to Jingu Plain to report back.

In the icy and snowy landscape, Lin Jue galloped on his horse, heading at full speed towards Baiyue Hanzhou.

"Unfortunately, even Tianwu Mountain doesn't have any black crystals!"

Lin Jue sighed silently.

After learning about the preciousness of the Ink Crystal from the Nascent Soul stage leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, Lin Jue never inquired about it from his master, Zhong Liang.

This stone is extremely rare and is a favorite material for refining weapons among all Nascent Soul stage cultivators. Even if Tianwu Mountain has it, it is unlikely that it would be given to a disciple at the Divine Power Realm.

Moreover, the amount of black crystals he needs is not small.

Thinking of this, Lin Jue sighed again, realizing that his idea of ​​using the Big Dipper Five Elements Array to teleport away would probably never be realized.

"However, given how precious the black crystal is, I really don't know how the Zhao sisters were able to collect three of these stones."

Could it be something left behind by the Xingxiu Sect?

Thinking of the Zhao sisters in Lingyunwu, Lin Jue suddenly began to secretly speculate with some suspicion.

According to Shi Wushu, the leader of the Yanxia Sect, each piece of black crystal stone is a rare treasure in the world, capable of arousing the covetousness of Nascent Soul stage monsters.

Since the Xingxiu Sect has no Nascent Soul Elder, if those three pieces of ink crystal were truly treasured by their sect, they would probably have been punished by the Nascent Soul Elders of the Six Sects long ago, and would not have remained until now.

But on second thought, the Big Dipper Five Elements Array is located in the back mountain of the Xingxiu Sect, so it seems quite normal that the sect has ink crystals that can activate the teleportation array.

Lin Jue pondered the matter and gradually fell into a dilemma.

Suddenly, he abruptly pulled on the reins and stopped his horse, muttering to himself, "Unless the Big Dipper Five Elements Formation was not set up by the Starry Constellation Sect in the first place, the appearance of the Ink Crystal Stone is just a coincidence."

Lin Jue suddenly realized that, according to Zhao Shuhui, the Big Dipper Five Elements Formation was an ancient teleportation array.

It may have existed long before the Xingxiu Sect established its sect.

The three pieces of black crystal stone were most likely dropped into the nearby mountains by an ancient cultivator a long, long time ago, and were only obtained by chance by the Zhao sisters.

If everything is as Mr. Shi said, then black crystal was not originally a rare item; it was only after excessive mining that it gradually evolved into what it is today.

Although sulphite mines can be regenerated, the process is extremely slow, requiring millions of years of accumulation and reaction before a complete sulphite mine can appear.

Soon, after traveling for a whole day, Lin Jue, feeling that his horse was exhausted, had to stop outside a post station. After showing his Tianwu Mountain disciple token, he successfully changed to an official horse and continued on his way.

On the surface, Tianwu Mountain is a sacred place for martial arts, but in reality, it is a special military force representing the Martial Emperor. The high-ranking members of Tianwu Mountain enjoy the official rank and treatment of a Great Martial General, and all disciples also have the status of Great Martial Soldiers in a disguised form.

Elite disciples of the inner court like Lin Jue can even be directly appointed as the commander of a city once they arrive on the battlefield.

Therefore, in the Great Wu Kingdom, Tianwu Mountain can be described as an extremely special existence.

After traveling for a day and a night, Lin Jue finally saw a majestic city standing in the distance that morning.

Baiyue Prefecture, Hanzhou City!