From a country cook to a master chef

Outside the Qinghe Tavern, a series of urgent knocks sounded on the door.

Xiao Er pushed open the door a crack, and a biting cold wind instantly rushed into the room. The newcomer had an honest appearance, with two piles of snow-covered firewood at his feet. His face was pale, and his lips were frozen purple.

"Just leave the firewood at the door. Here's thirty coins, please take it!"

"Thank you, thank you!"

The man accepted the copper coins with both hands and took his leave with great joy. He was a refugee living in Xiayuanfang and made a living by delivering firewood to this tavern every day.

Seeing that the person knocking on the door was not one of his subordinates, Xiang Yuan's eyes were cloudy and lifeless, half-open and half-closed, his breath barely perceptible. "Do you know how the cultivation realms of Qi Refiners are divided?"

"The initial stage of Qi Refining cultivation is the Qi Refining stage, which is divided into thirteen minor stages, followed by the Foundation Establishment stage, Core Formation stage, Nascent Soul stage, and Deity Transformation stage." Lin Jue pondered, "As for the stages after Deity Transformation, I am not very clear about them either."

"There are very few Nascent Soul cultivators in the world. I have wandered for half my life and have seen many Core Formation cultivators. I have also seen one Nascent Soul cultivator in the capital. As for Nascent Soul cultivators, I have never heard of them."

With each word Xiang Yuan spoke, it seemed as if he was squeezing out a sliver of life force from his body. The rise and fall of his chest became weaker and weaker, and the intervals between them became longer and longer. "The division of martial arts realms among martial artists is similar to that of Qi cultivators, and they are also divided into different levels."

"Those who are new to martial arts can be called martial artists. They practice body techniques, hand movements, eye movements, and footwork, with the goal of refining internal energy. There are different types of internal energy, such as hidden energy, visible energy, neutral energy, and elixir energy. Those who master internal energy can be called martial arts masters."

"But martial artists and martial masters are not within the scope of martial arts realm division. True martial arts are enough to contend with Qi cultivators. Only by stepping into the first realm of divine power can one truly be considered to have embarked on martial arts cultivation."

At this point, Xiang Yuan took a deep breath, and as if he had been given a final burst of energy, he suddenly became radiant and extended an index finger, dipping it into the wine glass on the table.

As he slowly pulled out his index finger, strangely, not a single drop of alcohol touched it. The alcohol that should have covered his finger seemed to be kept out by an invisible, mysterious force.

Xiang Yuan explained, "With internal energy protecting the body and physical strength reaching the divine level, one can be considered a martial artist at the Divine Power Realm."

As soon as he finished speaking, he moved his index finger to the wine glass and cut it into two symmetrical halves as easily as cutting tofu. The wine in the glass was also divided into two parts, without spilling onto the table.

"When the primordial energy merges with the body and the vital energy takes form, one can be called a martial artist of the Divine Illumination Realm." Xiang Yuan sighed softly, "As for beyond the Divine Illumination Realm, there is the third realm of Divine Harmony, the fourth realm of Divine Appearance, and the legendary fifth realm of Martial God, which can rival cultivators who have refined their Qi and transformed into a Divine Realm."

When the words "God of War" were mentioned, a deep longing appeared on Xiang Yuan's pale face. Qi practitioners pursue immortality, while martial arts practitioners like him often make becoming a God of War their life's goal.

Thinking of this, Xiang Yuan suddenly began to cough violently without warning, each cough more rapid and violent than the last, until he coughed up a mouthful of something fishy and sweet.

Xiang Ping was anxious to run out and fetch a doctor, but was stopped by Xiang Yuan, who had caught his breath.

"Ping'er, come here!"

Xiang Ping approached with red eyes and knelt down with a thud. "Shopkeeper, please don't say anything. Ping'er will listen to whatever you say."

With all his might, Xiang Yuan finally raised his right hand and placed it on Xiang Ping's head. His breath was uneven and his lips were slightly parted: "After I leave, this place is not suitable for you. You can go to that place to settle down by yourself. I left some things for you there. You should make good use of them."

Having explained everything, Xiang Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Lin Jue with a peaceful gaze. "As for this tavern, since we are destined to meet, I will give it to you!"

"I cannot accept such a reward without having done anything in return. I am afraid I cannot accept your kind offer, senior."

Lin Jue solemnly clasped his hands in a respectful bow: "Since Brother Xiang Ping was adopted by you, it is only right that he should continue to run this tavern."

As Lin Jue spoke, he secretly mobilized his internal energy. The man in front of him was, after all, a martial artist at the Divine Illumination Realm. He simply couldn't believe that the man was suddenly going to give him a tavern.

Perhaps the other party is testing him.

Xiang Yuan looked satisfied and shook his head helplessly at Xiang Ping in front of him: "If the tavern is handed over to Ping'er, it will only benefit others. I might as well give it to you. I only hope that if Ping'er is in trouble in the future, you can lend a helping hand."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jue raised his eyebrows slightly, his expression hesitant and uncertain.

Although Qinghe Tavern is small, it's still more comfortable than staying in Jiming Lane, Xiayuanfang.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't tempted.

Xiang Yuan coughed incessantly. After a brief pause, he pointed a trembling finger at the counter. Xiang Ping understood and went to retrieve the tavern's land deed and ivory token from behind the counter.

The ivory token was a trade certificate issued by the Grand Military Commissioner's Office, similar to a modern business license, and also served as proof of tax payment for taverns.

"Although the matter of the patrol office occurred today, I assure you that it will not involve the tavern. You can rest assured about that."

Xiang Yuan forced a smile and said, "As for Ping'er, you just heard it. I've already arranged an escape route for him. He won't ask you for help unless it's absolutely necessary. Originally, I planned to burn down the tavern before I died, but thinking about it carefully, it's a lot of my hard work. It would be a real pity to burn it down, so I might as well give it away..."

Before the words could even be fully uttered, Xiang Yuan's body trembled violently, his eyes widened instantly, and his gaze quickly dimmed.

Xiang Ping clutched the large hand that had slipped from his head, staring blankly at the motionless Xiang Yuan.

After a long while, he took a deep breath, put his arms through Xiang Yuan's back and knees, and lifted the curtain behind the tavern while holding the gradually cooling Xiang Yuan.

There was a black wooden coffin parked there.

Xiang Ping took Xiang Yuan away, and the tavern fell into a deathly silence.

Lin Jue sat alone by the window, watching the person and the coffin gradually disappear into the wind and snow.

There was half a cup of leftover wine, a land deed, and a domino on the table.

The biting wind extinguished the firewood in the stove, causing the candlelight on the table in front of Lin Jue to flicker. He slowly raised his hand, picked up his wine cup, and took a small sip.

The spicy liquor irritates the throat, offering a completely different flavor from warm liquor.

He got up, took the tavern land deed and the ivory tag, and quietly followed Xiang Ping out of the city through the West Yan Gate.

One should always be wary of others. He would rather be suspicious of a gentleman than not come along and make sure that Xiang Yuan had no other tricks up his sleeve before he could take over the tavern with peace of mind.

After witnessing Xiang Ping bury Xiang Yuan in the suburbs, Lin Jue followed him all the way. After seeing him settle down in Fengyi Ward in the city, he secretly kept watch for three days but found nothing unusual.

For the past three days, Lin Jue has not returned to Xiayuanfang. He has been keeping an eye on Xiang Ping's movements and occasionally hears news about the Gao family from passersby.

The Gao family patriarch was killed by the patrol inspector, and the Gao family was attacked by a group of desperados, suffering heavy casualties. Although the situation was later stabilized, the Gao family was already severely weakened.

Huluo Pingyang was bullied by dogs.

As the Gao family's businesses were continuously encroached upon by rival families, their power gradually waned, and they lost all the glory they once enjoyed as the overlords of Yucheng.

After the patrol station was destroyed, the commander of the garrison personally went to investigate, but found nothing.

At this point, the tavern was already Lin Jue's possession.

Five days later, Lin Jue and Yuan Rou officially moved into the tavern. The two of them specially took down the signboard hanging at the entrance of the tavern, cleaned it, and repainted it.

In the backyard of the tavern, a wolf cub was chained to a large tree, with a makeshift doghouse made from a basket next to it.

At this moment, Lin Jue finally felt relieved and full of expectations for the future.

This is not a dream!

He will never forget Xiang Yuan; he was his lucky star.

"Shopkeeper, brew a pot of good wine and slice two pounds of beef!"

Just as Lin Jue was immersed in his beautiful imagination of the future, a man in a dark blue Taoist robe walked into the Qinghe Tavern.

He looked up and saw that the person who had come was Han Wenqiao, whom he hadn't seen for a long time!