From a country cook to a master chef

night.

Lin Jue lay on the bed, playing with a frying pan covered in dragon patterns, looking very happy.

After being soaked and rinsed with water from the spirit gourd, the rusty iron pot finally revealed its true appearance.

The pot's surface has a texture resembling dragon scales, and its overall color is silvery-white.

Lin Jue recalled a TV series he had watched as a child.

The main character in that movie seems to have a pot-shaped weapon like that.

Dragon-patterned slab!

"Legend has it that the Dragon Pattern Shield was made by fusing white dragon scales with refined steel."

"Could I really be that lucky?"

"Impossible. If I were lucky, I wouldn't have been hit by a car right after leaving the school gate."

Looking at the dragon-patterned griddle in his hand, Lin Jue knew in his heart that this griddle was definitely not the one he had imagined; it was only similar in appearance.

"If I use this pot to cook, will...?"

Thinking of this, Lin Jue got out of bed and went straight to the tavern's kitchen.

Qinghe Tavern occupies a huge area and has an overall antique style.

The tavern's kitchen was located in the northeast corner. Lin Jue walked through the corridor and, through the paper window, saw a small, thin figure busy in the kitchen.

He entered the house, and a cloud of black smoke billowed out.

Yuan Rou is starting a fire.

She tripped and accidentally poured dishwater into the stove.

Seeing Lin Jue approaching, he quickly stood up and hid his hands behind his back.

"Brother Lin, what's wrong...?"

Lin Jue didn't speak, but stepped forward and grabbed her right hand.

Yuan Rou's lips trembled slightly as she looked at Lin Jue, not daring to utter a sound. Her palms were red and swollen.

As a cook, Lin Jue immediately recognized that the person had burned their hand. Combined with the extinguished stove fire and the water on the ground, he quickly understood what had happened.

Yuan Rou's eyes welled up with tears from the pain, and her shoulders trembled slightly. "Brother Lin, I'm sorry."

"..."

Lin Jue was taken aback and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. He poured the last drop of spiritual liquid in the Spirit Gourd into Yuan Rou's palm.

"Just knead it yourself, why are you looking at me?"

"oh."

Yuan Rou bit her lower lip, raised her left hand, and gently applied the medicine from her right palm evenly to the burned skin.

As the medicine soaked into his palm, the unbearable burning pain was instantly dispelled by a wonderfully cool sensation.

"Brother Lin, I'm not in pain anymore!"

Yuan Rou looked at Lin Jue with delight, only to find that he was dealing with the huge bear paw.

When Lin Jue cooks, he is serious and meticulous.

Under Yuan Rou's curious gaze, he revealed the dragon-patterned griddle and began to fry the meat. Soon, a wonderful aroma of meat filled the entire kitchen.

Yuan Rou's eyes lit up. "It smells so good, Brother Lin! Did you put in some secret seasoning?"

Lin Jue did not answer. After silently frying the meat, he cut off a piece, plated it, and placed it in front of her.

"How does it taste?"

Lin Jue stared intently at the girl tasting the dish, showing great care for his creation.

The dragon-patterned griddle is used for frying, and the water from the spirit gourd is used as a seasoning. Every step of the process is designed to be perfect.

"Brother Lin, this is the first time Yuan Rou has ever eaten such delicious meat."

Yuan Rou put down her chopsticks with a lingering sense of satisfaction, speaking slowly and deliberately, "Brother Lin's cooking is so good, the shop's business will definitely be booming in the future."

Lin Jue shook his head: "Making money from the shop is secondary. My primary task is to practice martial arts. From now on, I will leave all the business in the shop to you."

Yuan Rou was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Brother Lin is right. In this chaotic world, having your own strength is the most reliable thing. Don't worry, Brother Lin, from now on, Yuan Rou will be in charge of making money, and you will be in charge of learning martial arts."

"However, there's one more thing. Brother Lin, Yuan Rou doesn't know how to cook the dishes you ordered."

"It's okay, I'll teach you."

……

In the dead of night, Yucheng was quiet and peaceful.

On the streets of Jing'anfang, a furtive figure moved through the alleys and gradually approached Qinghe Tavern.

Lin Jue walked out of the kitchen, stretched and leaned against the door frame. He had spent some time finally teaching Yuan Rou how to cook those dishes.

But since it was only a verbal explanation, he could only pray that she could grasp the essence of it first.

The wind was strong at night, mixed with drifting snowflakes, and it was unusually cold.

There was a stove in the kitchen, so it wasn't cold. But as soon as he stepped out of the room, the wind and snow hit his face, making Lin Jue shiver. He hurried back to the dormitory, following the footprints.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. Since he started learning martial arts from Master Liu, he had become sharp-eyed and perceptive, able to see in all directions and hear in all directions.

He was still several feet away from the room when he heard the sound of something being rummaged through inside.

His eyes instantly sharpened.

Late at night, a thief broke into the tavern.

Rolling up his sleeves, taking a deep breath, Lin Jue bent down and carefully made his way towards the room, so light that he left no footprints in the snow.

The dormitory window was half-open, and the room was dark, making it difficult to spot the thief. Lin Jue stared intently ahead, his right hand gripping the dragon-patterned griddle, ready to deliver a slap to the thief at any moment.

In the dim light, his toes pressed against the wall, making a soft cracking sound.

The thief inside the house immediately perked up his ears, stopped what he was doing, turned his head to look outside, and like a startled rabbit, smashed open the window, jumped out, and escaped at lightning speed to the courtyard wall, where he used a rope that had been prepared in advance to make his escape.

Lin Jue reacted quickly and kept up the chase, following the other party through Jing'anfang and into the area where Xiayuanfang was located.

The thief was so fast that Lin Jue would never have been able to catch him in the past.

Although the escape route seemed to be winding and circuitous, it was always heading towards Xiayuanfang, not like someone who was desperately trying to escape.

After crossing two streets, Lin Jue unknowingly followed the thieves to a familiar street.

Pingjie Street, Jiming Alley.

In the dark alley, the thief, panting heavily, turned around and stopped, grinning at Lin Jue.

"Qin Kuai of the Black Bamboo Gang greets Manager Lin."

A fire lit up the alley, and a young man in black sat on the wall with his legs crossed, bowing to Lin Jue with clasped hands: "Manager Lin is truly skilled and daring, daring to chase after petty thieves while carrying only a pot."

"What is your relationship with Qin Chi, the leader of the Black Bamboo Gang?"

"The person Manager Lin mentioned is my father."

"I have no connection with the Black Bamboo Gang. What is the meaning behind your actions tonight, Young Master?"

Lin Jue frowned. He had never had any contact with the Black Bamboo Gang. The Black Bamboo Gang ran the lottery business in Xiayuanfang, and he and they kept to themselves.

unless……

Lin Jue had a clear mind and immediately realized that it might be related to Qinghe Tavern.

Before Xiang Yuan died, he only guaranteed that the tavern would not be implicated in the major case of the patrol bureau, but he did not say that the tavern could continue to operate safely.

"If we hand the tavern over to Ping'er, it will only benefit someone else. It's better to give it to you..."

The words Xiang Yuan spoke on his deathbed echoed in Lin Jue's mind, and he immediately understood the profound meaning behind them.

As the underworld overlord of Xiayuanfang, the Black Bamboo Gang couldn't possibly protect Qinghe Tavern with Xiang Ping, who didn't know martial arts. No wonder Xiang Yuan gave the tavern to him before he died.

The old man doesn't seem to have good intentions either.

A fierce battle is inevitable tonight!

Lin Jue thought to himself, gripping the Dragon Pattern Shield tightly.

The next moment, to his astonishment, Qin Kuai smiled slightly, turned around, and led the Black Bamboo Gang members away, disappearing into the vast night.