From a country cook to a master chef

Inside a foot-serving inn in Sanlianzhai, a young man dressed in black sat quietly in a corner by the window, holding a cup of sake in his hand, his expression serene.

"Sir, what do you think? What I just told you are things that few people in the village know. They are definitely worth three taels of silver."

Upon hearing this, the young man nodded in satisfaction and gave the servant a small amount of silver as a reward.

The servant, overjoyed with the silver, took his leave with a smile. He was secretly delighted that he had earned three taels and one mace of silver just by talking.

This young man was Lin Jue, who had only recently arrived at Sanlian Village.

He put down his wine glass, stood up and looked out at the village chief's residence. He had already made up his mind about Zhao Xiaoyao's matter.

He learned from the servant that there were two martial artists in the entire Sanlian Village who had reached the Divine Illumination Realm, namely the First Leader and the Second Leader. The rest of the people, apart from the Third Leader who had reached the Divine Power Realm, were mostly martial apprentices and martial masters.

Perhaps it is the environment that shapes people, but the women on Qingmo Island, while not ugly, are certainly not as charming and graceful as women from other places. Their skin is bronze, yellowish and rough, and few are as beautiful as Gulimina, who is like a princess of the antelope.

Having been in Sanlian Village for at least a day, Lin Jue has yet to see a woman whose beauty rivals that of Gulimina.

In this way, he understood why the young leader of the village had wanted to force Zhao Xiaoyao into marriage as soon as he saw her.

Zhao Xiaoyao has a dignified appearance. Although she is not a stunning beauty in the outside world, she is definitely a scourge to the country on Qingmo Island.

No wonder it attracted the favor of that young master.

Recalling how Zhao Xiaoyao knew he possessed the Zhao family's immortal book but chose not to mention it and even gifted him nearly a thousand taels of silver, Lin Jue sighed inwardly. Although this matter was somewhat troublesome, he had to do it.

"Now that I am a martial artist at the Divine Power Realm, I wonder if I could control a martial artist at the Divine Illumination Realm if I activated the Spirit Control Gourd Seal?"

Lin Jue stood by the window, focused his mind, and immediately immersed himself in the sea of ​​consciousness.

He had not entered the Divine Sea for a long time. As soon as he arrived, he was surprised to find that the Three-Clawed Black Dragon had already awakened from its slumber. Upon seeing him, it flew over and affectionately nuzzled Lin Jue with its huge head.

Seeing this, Lin Jue's heart stirred, and he ordered the Mo Jiao to spin in place. The Mo Jiao, which used to be extremely resistant to his orders, now obeyed obediently.

"Could it be because I've advanced to the Divine Power Realm?"

After careful observation, Lin Jue discovered that the black dragon now possessed a unique aura similar to that of the Spirit-Controlling Gourd Seal, which was perhaps why it had become so docile.

"Since the Spirit Control Seal can even control the Ink Dragon, it might be effective against a Divine Illumination Realm warrior as well."

Thinking of this, Lin Jue raised his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp. Then he left the inn and headed straight for Chunmanlou in the village.

As the most crowded place in the village, Chunmanlou is always packed with people, and sometimes you even have to queue to get in.

Hu Zheng, the second-in-command of Sanlian Village, usually enjoys visiting Chunmanlou for pleasure, except when he's practicing martial arts. At this moment, he is lying flat on the edge of the waterbed, his head covered with a wet floral cloth, and he is impatiently calling out the name of Miss Wang, the most beautiful courtesan of Chunmanlou.

Hu Zheng was in a good mood. The young master was going to hold a wedding, and the head master entrusted him with everything, allowing him to make a profit. So he rushed to Chunmanlou to spend money.

"Miss Jinzhi, your hands are so smooth. Don't let them shake. I'm not a bad person. I wouldn't eat you up."

Hu Zheng grabbed Wang Jinzhi's slender hand and groped it haphazardly. His eyes were covered with a hot cloth, and he was unaware that a young man in black was standing next to this most popular courtesan, threatening her with a frying pan to keep quiet while continuing to massage Hu Zheng.

The young man was none other than Lin Jue.

Noticing the unusual scent of incense in the room, Hu Zheng asked with some confusion, "Doesn't Miss Jinzhi usually like camellia incense? Why is there a different scent today?"

"This..." The woman paused, glancing at the knife against her neck, and said softly, "To be honest, Master Hu, I only recently discovered that this incense smells quite good. I specially sent someone to buy some to try. Does Master Hu like it?"

"I like it, I like it. As long as Miss Jinzhi likes it, I like it too."

As he spoke, Hu Zheng took a few deep sniffs, hoping to win the beauty's favor.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Lin Jue calmed his mind and activated the Spirit Control Seal.

Within his divine sea, Hu Zheng's illusory figure appeared, staring at Lin Jue with great surprise, and fiercely questioned, "What place is this? Kid, who are you? Let me get out of this hellhole!"

"Hehe, Mr. Hu, don't be nervous. I won't hurt you." Lin Jue looked at Hu Zheng expressionlessly, slowly raised his hand, and gently shook his hand.

In an instant, Hu Zheng's illusory figure seemed to have his neck grabbed, his face turned red, and his breathing became rapid.

"It's done!"

Lin Jue was overjoyed. He immediately withdrew from the divine sea, instructed the woman not to make a sound, and then let her turn around and walk outside.

Wang Jinzhi left the room and breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, she hadn't betrayed Lin Jue. When questioned by the madam, she simply said that Master Hu in the room had gotten tired of playing with her and wanted to be alone for a while.

Having spent so many years navigating the treacherous waters of Chunmanlou, Wang Jinzhi had encountered all sorts of people, and she knew that the young man was not someone she could afford to mess with.

Inside the room, Lin Jue and Hu Zheng sat facing each other, showing no fear whatsoever in the face of this Divine Illumination Realm martial artist.

Hu Zheng carefully examined Lin Jue, sneered a few times, and said in a gloomy tone, "Brother Lin is truly skilled and daring. As a mere Divine Power Realm martial artist, you possess such ability that you were able to poison me without anyone noticing. Truly a remarkable skill."

Hearing Hu Zheng's slightly resentful and sarcastic words, Lin Jue said nonchalantly, "In Sanlian Village, there are too many monks and not enough meat. Does Chief Hu really want to continue to be suppressed by Feng Yucheng and his son? Doesn't he want to take back the top seat?"

Lin Jue had already found out that Sanlian Village was originally conquered by Hu Zheng, but unfortunately, Feng Yucheng took over the position of the chief. Although he had the title of the second chief, he was only in name and had no real power. His subordinates had long been sidelined by Feng Yucheng.

If he weren't a genuine Divine Illumination Realm martial artist, the Three Lotus Village wouldn't need such a powerful figure to oversee things; otherwise, the Feng family father and son would have already broken ties with him and fought to the death.

After all, one cannot allow others to sleep soundly beside one's bed.

Lin Jue wanted to join forces with him to deal with the chief, Feng Yucheng, in exchange for helping him reclaim Sanlian Village.

After a moment's thought, Lin Jue said confidently, "I'm sure you've already seen my methods, Master Hu. To be honest, you weren't poisoned by me. It's a secret technique that allows one to control another's mind and body, killing them invisibly."

"If it's poison, may I ask you, Master Hu, is there any poison in the world that can control another person's body and mind?"

Upon hearing Lin Jue's words, Hu Zheng nodded without arguing, but instead expressed his strong agreement: "I don't know if such a poison exists in the world, but I choose to trust you this once. I can join forces with you, but I need to know why you want to deal with them."

Seeing that Hu Zheng had taken the bait, Lin Jue smiled smugly, then whispered, "Because of a woman."

"woman?"

Hu Zheng's eyes lit up, and he burst into laughter.

He never expected that the bold young man in front of him was also a man of strong emotions, willing to go against the leader of Sanlian Village for the sake of a woman.

Hu Zheng was meticulous; after a moment's thought, he realized something and said in a sinister tone:

"So Brother Lin is also a newcomer to the island for the first time. No wonder you are so different from others. That woman is indeed a beauty, one that can only be found outside the island."

The Feng family father and son have truly brought ruin upon themselves by provoking Brother Lin this time.