From a country cook to a master chef

"Manager Lin, open the door! Manager Lin!"

At the tavern entrance, a middle-aged man dressed in black was anxiously knocking on the door.

"Who are you?"

Looking at the unfamiliar face at the door, Lin Jue asked, somewhat puzzled, "Do you know me?"

The middle-aged man took a deep breath, and after catching his breath, said solemnly, "I am the owner of the grain and oil shop on Dongning Street. Earlier, Miss Yuan came to the shop to buy oil... Manager Lin, before they go far, please think of a way to save her!"

Chen Qingyang, panting heavily, kept patting his chest. "Miss Yuan is a good girl. We can't let the monsters in the mountains ruin her. I've already asked the shop assistants to keep an eye on the sacrificial ceremony. If we go now, it should still be in time to save her."

Lin Jue realized what was happening and quickly asked, "Which direction is the Yucheng Mountain God Temple in?"

"Go out of Xitai Gate and walk straight for two miles, and you will see it."

Thank you!

Lin Jue clasped his hands in a salute, thoughtfully closed the tavern, picked up his tiger-headed saber, and jogged away.

Seeing this, Chen Qingyang sighed, wiped the snowflakes off his eyebrows, and loudly reminded him without any hesitation: "When I was traveling through Fengyang Mountain as a merchant, I saw that so-called mountain god from afar. I guess it was a monster that had become powerful. Its roar was as loud as thunder, and it could summon wind and rain. Manager Lin, you must not confront it head-on."

"Lin Jue will remember this. The weather is bitterly cold, and please take good care of yourself, Manager Chen."

Lin Jue was deeply moved by Chen Qingyang's heartfelt advice.

Xitai Gate and Qinghe Tavern are separated by several streets and two market districts. Lin Jue ran all the way here, and there were few pedestrians on the street.

He glanced around and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, put the tiger-head knife into his storage bag.

As they left Yucheng and approached Fengyang Mountain, Lin Jue saw countless Yucheng people kneeling in front of the mountain god temple, braving the heavy snow, praying for the mountain god to appease his anger.

On the open ground to the side, the garrison commander of Yucheng rode a tall horse, followed by three hundred soldiers, their expressions solemn.

Lin Jue glanced around the crowd but couldn't find Yuan Rou.

Right in front of the crowd, an old Taoist priest in a yellow robe was setting up an altar in front of the mountain god temple, holding a whisk, burning yellow paper, lighting incense, and chanting incantations.

In order to pray for the protection of the mountain god, the old Taoist covered a young goat with red talismans all over its body, then suddenly stabbed it in the heart with a knife, took out its heart while it was still alive, and after showing it to everyone, threw it into the incense burner to burn. Then he cut off the goat's head, which was carried into the mountain god's temple by two young boys as a sacrifice.

The old Taoist priest then turned to face the crowd and solemnly said, "The ceremony is over. Once the mountain god receives the servants we have offered, he will surely manifest his power to protect the people of Yucheng."

"May the mountain god protect you!" ×N

The people of Yucheng knelt and worshipped devoutly at the mountain god temple.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Lin Jue slowly retreated behind the group, avoiding the gaze of the Yucheng garrison, and quietly climbed the mountain along the path.

Based on Chen Qingyang's statement, he could now confirm that Yuan Rou and the other two women had been sent into the mountains to be offered as servants to the so-called mountain god.

Nominally a servant, but in reality, the odds are against them.

No one has ever made it down the mountain alive.

"Hopefully, it's not too late!"

Lin Jue prayed silently and gradually quickened his pace.

Before he knew it, he had almost reached the halfway point of Fengyang Mountain.

The surrounding area was filled with gnarled, bare trees and jagged, shadowy rocks.

The wind and snow were heavy in the mountains. Lin Jue trudged through the snow, his shoes making a crisp sound as they stepped on the dead wood and leaves.

Suddenly, he heard a woman's shrill scream coming from the other side of the mountain; it was sharp and filled with terror.

Remembering Chen Qingyang's reminder, Lin Jue took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with cold light. He gripped the tiger-head knife tightly and cautiously groped his way towards the direction from which the sound came.

As the distance gradually shortened, Lin Jue was covered in flying snow, like a nimble white ape darting through the dense forest.

He remained motionless behind a thicket of snow-covered bushes, his gaze fixed intently ahead.

There stood two strangely dressed figures, their bodies covered in black and white strips of cloth, with a mysterious mark between their eyebrows resembling two emerald green leaves.

The two stood in the wind and snow, yet not a single snowflake touched them; the swirling snow seemed to be deliberately avoiding them.

"An aura master?"

Lin Jue was startled and dared not make any rash moves.

He is only a seventh-level martial artist now; forcing a move would be like an egg hitting a rock.

Even when dealing with cultivators in the Qi Refining stage, his own strength would need to reach the Divine Power stage.

Lin Jue rested his chin on his hand, his expression gradually darkening.

Just then, the two men spoke, and to Lin Jue's surprise, the language they spoke was not the official language of Dawu, and he could not understand a word of it.

The woman who had cried out in distress took advantage of the moment the two were talking to drag her blood-covered body away. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, she crawled in the same direction as Lin Jue.

The two men, who were talking, suddenly grabbed at the woman on the ground from a distance, and her body suddenly and inexplicably floated into the air before crashing heavily onto the empty ground at their feet.

The two men simultaneously looked toward the bushes where Lin Jue was hiding. Just as they were about to make their move, a deafening tiger's roar suddenly exploded, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, carrying immense force as it rolled in from the depths of the forest, causing the snow in the forest to fall in a flurry.

A large, white-browed tiger with piercing eyes suddenly pounced out and bit one of the men on the neck. The man's neck bone snapped, and he died in the tiger's jaws before he could even scream.

The other person tried to escape, but the giant worm roared like thunder, scaring him so much that his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, the two collapsed into pools of blood, lifeless.

Lin Jue couldn't help but swallow hard, recalling what Chen Qingyang had said: there were monsters in the mountains that had become spirits, with voices like thunder and shapes like mountains—wasn't that the giant insect in front of him?

After dealing with the two, the giant worm turned and disappeared into the jungle to Lin Jue's astonishment.

He was both shocked and terrified. Just as he was relieved that the tiger hadn't noticed him, a heavy breathing sounded above his head. The hot air, carrying the smell of blood, rushed towards him, making his hair stand on end instantly.

Lin Jue's heart sank. He slowly looked up and saw the tiger's round eyes staring straight at him.

The tips of the man's and the tiger's noses were almost touching. Lin Jue could even see the rough lines on the tiger's nose and its sharp fangs, which were nearly three inches long.

After an unknown amount of time, the tiger moved its mouth, shook its head, and turned to walk into the forest.

Seeing this, Lin Jue's expression remained extremely solemn. Only after confirming that the giant insect was indeed not interested in him did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

"Young human, follow behind me."

The giant insect spoke in human language, and with a flick of its tail, it stirred up thick snow to bury the corpses on the ground.

Lin Jue was stunned for a moment, and his body followed the giant insect uncontrollably until it had walked hundreds of feet before stopping and returning to normal.

"Yuan Rou!"

"Brother Lin!"

He looked up casually, his eyes widened instantly, a look of disbelief flashed across his face, followed by a delighted smile.

Under a large tree not far away, Yuan Rou ran quickly toward him.

Lin Jue grabbed Yuan Rou's shoulders with both hands, spun her around, looked her over, and after confirming that she was not injured, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, he turned and bowed deeply to the giant tiger, clasping his hands in a gesture of respect, "Mountain God, who were those people just now?"

"I do not know. I am the Mountain Lord. They are deceiving the mountain people by using my name. They deserve to die."

The tiger didn't say much, and turned to walk silently into the depths of the forest.

"Respectfully bidding farewell to the Mountain Lord!"

Lin Jue bowed and clasped his hands in greeting. Only after the giant insect's figure had completely disappeared did he dare to lead Yuan Rou down the mountain.

Mountain god, giant insect, mysterious alchemist...

On the way back to Yucheng, Lin Jue fell into deep thought.

To avoid being seen by passersby, he draped his heavy cloak over her shoulders and chose to take a detour through Nanping Gate into the city, heading straight for No. 27 Jiming Lane, Pingjie Street, Xiayuanfang.

Many people participated in the city's parade to celebrate, but not everyone enjoyed it.

The people of Xiayuanfang are mostly refugees. In order to make a living, they are always on the road to earning money. Whether the mountain god is angry or not is irrelevant to them. They don't care.

If the mountain god truly has a spirit, how could this heavy snow keep falling, and how could they not even be able to afford food?