From a country cook to a master chef

"I never expected that after just two years, Master Lin has become a martial artist at the Divine Power Realm. He is truly a changed man. I am quite envious."

Before Lin Jue could speak, the man slowly walked towards him, sighing repeatedly, "This kid is my disciple. I never expected that he would steal from Master Lin this time. If Master Lin wants to beat or kill him, I, Zhu, will not have the slightest complaint."

Lin Jue sized the man up and down, hesitated for a moment, then released the boy he was holding and smiled slightly, saying, "I didn't expect to run into Chief Zhu here!"

The man before them was none other than Zhu Xinghe, the notorious thief who had captured Lin Jue years ago and taken him up the mountain to cook the Beauty-Enhancing Jade Soup.

His appearance is exactly the same as it was back then, still covered in pockmarks.

The only difference is that his physique has undergone a stunning transformation, from a previously obese man with a large belly to a gaunt figure.

"Master Lin is joking. There is no Boss Zhu here. I was blind back then. If you want revenge, Master Lin, please do it."

Zhu Xinghe knew very well that with Lin Jue's current strength, if he really wanted to kill him, he wouldn't be alive now.

Therefore, he had no intention of escaping. Rather than doing that, he preferred to appear openly and honestly, and lower his stance towards the other party.

Seeing Zhu Xinghe's respectful manner towards him, Lin Jue was secretly amazed.

However, he naturally understood the reason behind it.

After coughing, Lin Jue smiled and waved his hand, glancing at the boy beside Zhu Xinghe, and sighed softly, "This kid has stolen my purse before."

He stole my purse two years ago, but back then he wasn't this fast.

At this point, Lin Jue slightly tilted his head, glanced at Zhu Xinghe, and asked with some curiosity, "Since he is your disciple, I'd like to know, how can he be so fast?"

Zhu Xinghe was taken aback at first, but then his expression turned serious and he said, "This is not a secret. If you want to know, Mr. Lin, please come with me."

Zhu Xinghe dared not be negligent in his treatment of Lin Jue.

The scenes of him single-handedly annihilating the Zhao family and killing cultivators with his mortal body are still vivid in his memory.

"please!"

Zhu Xinghe respectfully stepped aside to offer a greeting and led Lin Jue into his current residence.

A small house with two courtyards, built with blue bricks and gray tiles. An ordinary family home.

"Ah Fu, quickly boil water and make tea."

After dismissing the boy, Zhu Xinghe sat down after seeing Lin Jue take his seat.

"Master Lin, please look, this is what you wanted."

As soon as Zhu Xinghe sat down, he immediately took out an antique-looking manual from his pocket and gently pushed it in front of Lin Jue. He chuckled and said, "This technique is called Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada. I obtained it by chance back then. It is a superior martial arts technique."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jue immediately picked up the manual and began to read it without making a sound. Soon, his expression gradually became happy.

"After practicing the Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada, the time it used to take to walk one step can now be used to walk eight steps."

However, it is not possible to take eight steps in one step as soon as one learns this method. Under normal circumstances, a beginner who can take two steps in one step can be considered to have extraordinary talent.

To master the "Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada," one must cultivate this technique to its highest level.

After Zhu Xinghe finished explaining, he noticed the token at Lin Jue's waist, his expression changed slightly, and after coughing a few times, he slowly said, "If Master Lin likes it, please feel free to take it."

Lin Jue did not respond, silently flipping through the Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada Manual.

He has practiced martial arts since he was born, and has successively mastered the Pine Crane Long Fist, the Zhao Family Blood Saber, and the Tianwu Mountain Innate Body Technique, all of which are combat skills. As for movement techniques, he has not studied any special techniques.

Having witnessed the speed of the Eight-Step Cicada Catcher, Lin Jue naturally did not want to miss this technique. If he could learn this skill, he could escape even if he couldn't defeat any dangerous enemies he encountered in the future.

Thinking of this, Lin Jue glanced at Zhu Xinghe and suddenly took out two silver ingots from his storage bag: "I won't take advantage of you. Here are ten taels of gold; use them to buy this manual of yours!"

Upon hearing Lin Jue's words, Zhu Xinghe was taken aback at first, then stood up and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Sir, you are too kind. You have made great contributions in guarding Yucheng. It is just a tattered book. I will give it to you as a gift. How could I dare to accept your money?"

Seeing this, Lin Jue was stunned, but when he looked down and saw the token hanging on his waist, he suddenly realized what was going on. He then rested his chin on his hand and said thoughtfully, "If you give it to me, I definitely can't accept it."

"How about this, you lend me this manual for now, and I'll return it to you after I've learned the techniques within."

"Lend it to you?" Zhu Xinghe's face showed a look of surprise.

"That's right, it's a loan."

Lin Jue nodded and said with a smile, "By using the pretext of borrowing, I can avoid being accused of accepting bribes and avoid a lot of trouble."

"In that case, everything is up to you, sir." Zhu Xinghe took a deep breath, stood up, and bowed.

Lin Jue was overjoyed to have obtained the Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada. After chatting with it for a while, he hurriedly returned to the General's Mansion, closed the door, and earnestly studied the cultivation method of the Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada.

And just like that, a month passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, everything was peaceful inside and outside Yucheng.

Lin Jue has been diligently practicing the Eight Steps to Catch Cicadas. After years of practice, he has finally made progress and can now catch cicadas in five steps. His speed is so fast that it is almost comparable to "Growing Fast".

Lin Jue was unaware that such results could be achieved in just one month. If Zhu Xinghe knew about this, he would surely be dumbfounded.

He spent a full six months learning this technique before he could even begin to grasp its basics.

Even now, Zhu Xinghe has only just reached the level of "Seven Steps to Catch the Cicada".

However, during this month, in addition to mastering the Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada, Lin Jue also unexpectedly ran into the butcher Zheng Pangzi and his family.

According to Fatty Zheng, after Yucheng fell, most of the people in the city who had the means chose to go north. Woodcutter Zhang Lao Er and hunter Liu Lao Hei were among them, and their entire families fled to the north.

After the Zhanbo people entered the city, Fatty Zheng stopped his butcher business and moved into Xiayuanfang with Mad Dog Chen Baoguo.

The wealthy markets of Yucheng were basically looted by the Zhanbo people. Fortunately, the two families moved into a slum like Xiayuanfang and escaped the calamity.

Upon learning that Lin Jue was now the garrison commander of Yucheng, Fatty Zheng sighed deeply, saying that when he first met Lin Jue, he knew that he was no ordinary person and that he would rise to prominence sooner or later, but he never expected that day to come so quickly.

After a long separation, Lin Jue did not return to the General's Mansion that night, but instead stayed at Fatty Zheng's house.

Upon hearing that he had returned, Mad Dog Fist Chen Baoguo disregarded Lin Jue's current status and insisted on dragging him to the courtyard for a match after dinner.

As expected, Chen Baoguo's "mad dog fist" was completely ineffective against Lin Jue, and could even be described as utterly harmless.

Chen Baoguo was greatly disappointed by this and, after much reflection, said that it was due to his lack of practice and that he would definitely practice for an hour every day from now on.

The next morning, Zheng Pangzi's wife got up early and cooked a pot of white porridge for everyone. Although there were no side dishes, Lin Jue ate it very happily.

Coming here felt like coming home. The harmonious atmosphere between the Zheng and Chen families made him feel happy too.

"Brother Zheng, Brother Chen, there are still a lot of things waiting for me to do at the General's residence. Let's get together again when we have time. I'll take my leave now."

"Brother Lin, this is some fine wine my mother brewed; please take it with you!"

Zheng Pangzi's son, Zheng Hu, with a silly grin on his face, held a pot of wine and leaned against Lin Jue without caring whether Lin Jue liked it or not.

Seeing this, Lin Jue knew it was their good intention, so he quickly took the things from them and waved goodbye to everyone.

However, not long after he returned to the general's residence, news came from below that Zhanbo's army was attacking.

"Approximately how many men do they have?"

"My lord, according to the report from Dunjun, there are approximately 30,000 men."

What is the strength of the vanguard general?

"A martial artist at the peak of the Divine Power Realm!"

"Pass on my military order: Command Vice General Li Xuantong to lead troops to defend against the enemy. There must be no mistakes."

After giving the order, Lin Jue glanced at the map of Yucheng, then picked up his sword and walked towards the outside of the general's mansion. He only whistled halfway there, and "Grow Fast" rushed to his side like lightning.

After setting out and mounting the official horse led by the soldier, Lin Jue took a deep breath and quickly rode towards the Tongtian Tower in Yucheng.

After climbing the Tower of Babel, he looked in the direction from which the Jampa army was attacking, and his expression immediately turned extremely ugly.

A white mist rose from where Zhanbo's army was located, slowly drifting towards Yucheng.

This scene reminded Lin Jue of the eerie white mist that had once enveloped the entire city of Yu.