From a country cook to a master chef

Dawu Kingdom, Yucheng.

Four Symbols Martial Arts School

On the red brick wall covered with Virginia creeper, a snow-white kitten licked its paw.

Suddenly, the white cat perked up its ears, lowered its body, and stared intently at the black and white doves landing in front of it, its eyes like copper bells.

The white cat crouched low as it slowly approached the unsuspecting pigeon.

boom!

A figure flew backward and crashed heavily against the courtyard wall. The pigeons were startled and flew away, and the white cat let out dissatisfied meows at the martial arts disciples standing in the courtyard.

"Kung Fu, what is kung fu?"

"All that training you've done for so long has been for nothing. You can't even beat the beginner disciples of the Green Mountain Martial Arts School."

The enraged middle-aged man in the blue robe looked at his group of silent disciples with a look of utter disappointment.

His name is Liu Yue, the master of the Four Symbols Martial Arts Academy in Yucheng. He is burly and powerful, with superb martial arts skills. He is renowned throughout Yucheng and is a top-five martial arts expert.

Boom, boom boom!

An untimely knock sounded at the door.

When the disciples heard someone knocking on the door, they grasped at it as if it were a lifeline and rushed to open it.

"All of you stand at attention, one leg like a golden rooster, and practice for an hour!"

Liu Yue shouted angrily, and all the disciples immediately stood back in their original positions and began to practice the Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg stance.

Liu Yue opened the door, about to curse, when suddenly his eyes lit up and he grabbed the young man standing at the entrance of the martial arts school.

The young man asked in surprise, "Master, what's going on?"

"Don't speak yet."

After speaking, Liu Yue grasped the young man's hands with one hand, and with the other hand, he first pinched the arm bone, then the wrist bone, then the shoulder, hip bone, and leg bone, and finally solemnly said:

"Bear with it, it might hurt a little!"

Liu Yue smiled and moved two fingers together, first touching the skin, then the bones, and then the young man's spine.

呲!

The young man grimaced in pain, hissing and gasping for breath.

"With a wasp waist, ape arms, and mantis legs, his physique is extraordinary; he is truly a martial arts prodigy, one in a million!"

Reflecting on the bone-reading process, Liu Yue couldn't help but marvel, growing more and more fond of the young man before him.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Lin Jue, and you are?"

"As you can see, I am Liu Yue, the master of the Four Symbols Martial Arts School, known for my fast punches."

Lin Jue was taken aback. "So you are Master Liu. I've heard of your great reputation. I've come here today because..."

"No need for further words, I'll accept you as my disciple."

"what?"

Lin Jue explained, "Master Liu, you may have misunderstood. I do not wish to become your disciple."

Liu Yue suddenly realized, slapped his thigh, and said happily, "No need to say anything, I know what you mean. In and around Yucheng, which ambitious young man wouldn't want to recognize me, Liu Yue, as his godfather?"

"You little rascal are to my liking. Call me godfather, and I'll accept you as my godson."

Inside the courtyard of the Four Symbols Martial Arts School, everyone stood there dumbfounded.

Looking at the burly man in blue robes before him, Lin Jue swallowed hard and said calmly, "Actually, I wanted to ask you if the martial arts school is still hiring cooks."

"cook?"

Liu Yue was taken aback, and the disciples of the martial arts school all showed expressions of disbelief.

With the heavy snow causing disasters, countless people want to join the Four Symbols Martial Arts School and seek the protection of Liu Yue, the master of quick punches, but all of them are turned away by the school.

Today, someone actually refused to become Liu Yue's disciple, and even gave up becoming Liu Yue's adopted son!

Liu Yue suppressed his anger and stared at Lin Jue seriously, saying, "The martial arts school doesn't lack cooks, it only lacks a personal disciple."

"Excuse me, I'll go ask at the Qingshan Martial Arts School next door."

Lin Jue grinned awkwardly and was about to leave when Liu Yue quickly grabbed his hand. "Fine, a cook is fine. He'll stay at my Four Symbols Martial Arts School anyway."

Liu Yue sighed, his face showing both joy and disappointment, and pulled Lin Jue into the martial arts hall: "Even though I'm just a cook, I still need to register my name, age, and place of origin first."

Upon entering the main hall of the martial arts school, Liu Yue retrieved a sandalwood plaque engraved with his identity information and handed it to Lin Jue.

"This is your pass for entering and exiting the martial arts school. It has the date engraved on it. The wooden pass will expire after five months and you will need to get a new one."

Lin Jue took the wooden plaque and examined it from all angles. After just one glance, he was startled.

He sensed a similar aura to the internal energy in the inscription on the wooden plaque, but it was more domineering and sharp.

"The Four Symbols Martial Arts Academy doesn't have many disciples. Including those sent out on missions, the academy has nearly fifty people in total. My daughter, Ruyan, usually does the cooking. I'll take you to meet her."

When Liu Yue mentioned his daughter, he smiled and said, "Ruyan's mother passed away early, and I raised her single-handedly. In terms of martial arts, among all the disciples of the Four Symbols Martial Arts School, apart from my eldest disciple Wang Lingzhi, no one else is her match."

Lin Jue laughed and said, "Like father, like daughter. With the guidance of the master, Miss Ruyan's future achievements are limitless."

The two walked through a bamboo forest and came to a thatched stone house. Smoke curled from the chimney, and the air was filled with the rich aroma of scrambled eggs and stewed pork ribs.

With a face full of satisfaction, Liu Yue pointed to the pretty young girl washing dishes in front of the stone house, "That's my daughter, Liu Ruyan!"

"..."

Lin Jue only glanced at it from afar, but his heart was already stirred and his emotions surged.

With almond-shaped eyes, a high and straight nose, and skin as white as porcelain, she was a beauty that could topple kingdoms.

"Father, who is this?"

Seeing the two approaching, Liu Ruyan put down her bowl and chopsticks, jogged to meet Liu Yue, and then looked Lin Jue up and down.

Before Liu Yue could introduce him, Lin Jue clasped his hands in a respectful greeting: "My name is Lin Jue, and I am the new chef at the martial arts school. I hope Miss Ruyan will give me your guidance in the future."

Liu Ruyan nodded, whispered something in Liu Yue's ear, and the latter smiled and left to continue instructing and supervising his disciples' martial arts practice.

"If you want to stay in the Four Symbols Martial Arts School kitchen, you'll have to show me your skills first and make me admit defeat."

After thinking it over, Liu Ruyan pointed to the large goose that was walking unsteadily in the cage next to her and said, "You can make a stewed goose in an iron pot. If you do it well, you can stay."

Lin Jue didn't say anything. He walked into the stone house, looked around, and then began to catch geese, butcher them, wash vegetables, and chop vegetables...

Liu Ruyan was resting in a rocking chair when she was suddenly attracted by a refreshing fragrance.

"Did you make this?"

After taking two bites of goose meat, Liu Ruyan's hands were trembling as she held her chopsticks.

Lin Jue nodded and said, "Now, can I stay?"

"Yes, yes."

Afterwards, the two had a serious exchange of culinary insights.

With his skill in making braised goose in an iron pot, Lin Jue successfully landed a job as a chef at the Four Symbols Martial Arts School.

"Fortunately, I put some water in the spirit gourd beforehand, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to defeat Liu Ruyan."

On his way back to Jiming Lane, Lin Jue gripped the Spirit-Controlling Gourd tightly, carefully hanging it around his neck. Thinking that he had already entered the Four Symbols Martial Arts School, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

But just then, screams and groans came from deep within Chicken Cry Alley.

"..."

Lin Jue ran quickly toward No. 27 Jiming Lane. As he glanced around, he couldn't help but gasp.

Four or five strangers lay sprawled on their doorstep, all beaten black and blue, barely recognizable as human.

Lin Jue looked bewildered, tiptoed, and crept through the group.

boom!

Another figure flew out of the tiled house, rolled around on the ground like a balloon, coughing up blood and struggling.

A cold laugh came from inside the room.

"You little brats, you dare mess with me? You want to die?"