Chapter 6

Chapter 3

As Bai Xiaochun stretched his head out, the pale and thin young man immediately saw him, his gaze landing on Bai Xiaochun's face, his demeanor fierce.

"It's you who took my spot!"

"It wasn't me!" It was too late for Bai Xiaochun to retract his head, so he quickly put on an innocent look.

"Nonsense, you're so thin and have such a small head; you're clearly the new one!" Xu Baocai clenched his fists and glared at Bai Xiaochun.

"This really has nothing to do with me," Bai Xiaochun said softly, feeling wronged as he saw the other's anger about to explode.

"I don't care. In three days, at the southern slope of the sect, we will fight to the death. If you win, I'll let this go. If you lose, the spot is mine." Xu Baocai shouted, pulling out a blood letter from his chest and throwing it onto the windowsill in front of Bai Xiaochun. The letter was covered with countless blood-red 'kill' characters.

Bai Xiaochun looked at the blood letter and the many blood-red 'kill' characters, feeling a chill run down his spine, especially when he heard about the fight to the death, he drew a sharp breath.

"Senior Brother, how big of a deal is it? You wrote so many characters in your own blood... how much it must have hurt."

"How big of a deal? For years, I've been living frugally, saving up spirit stones for seven years, seven whole years!! I finally got the chance to enter the kitchen, but you stepped in. I will not stand for this. In three days, either you die or I live!" Xu Baocai shouted hysterically, his teeth gritted.

"I'm not going," Bai Xiaochun quickly used his fingertips to pick up the blood letter and threw it out the window.

"You!" Just as Xu Baocai was about to get angry, he felt the ground tremble, and a mountain of flesh appeared beside him. Zhang Dapang had silently stood there, coldly eyeing Xu Baocai.

"Jiupang, go help your Second Senior Brother with the dishes. As for you, don't make a fuss here, go play somewhere else." Zhang Dapang waved his hand, creating a gust of wind.

Xu Baocai's face changed, and he took a few steps back, wanting to say something but holding back when he saw Zhang Dapang. He finally gave Bai Xiaochun a venomous look and left in a huff.

Bai Xiaochun thought for a moment, feeling that the look Xu Baocai gave him as he left was too sinister. To be safe, he decided it was best not to leave the kitchen casually and stay inside, where the other person wouldn't dare to come in.

A few days passed, and Bai Xiaochun gradually adapted to the work in the kitchen. At night, he practiced the Purple Qi Cauldron Technique, but unfortunately, his progress was slow, and he could never hold it for more than four breaths, which troubled him greatly.

One night, while he was practicing, he suddenly heard the excited voices of the fat Senior Brothers from the kitchen.

"Close the door, close the door, Huang Erpang, go close the door!"

"Hei Sanpang, quickly check if anyone is peeking around!"

Bai Xiaochun was taken aback. This time, he was smarter and didn't look out the window but peered through the door crack. He saw several fat figures moving nimbly in the courtyard, bustling about mysteriously.

Soon, the kitchen door was tightly shut, and an unknown technique was used to create a thin layer of mist, making the figures of the fat men even more mysterious.

Bai Xiaochun watched for a long time until he saw the fat men gather in front of a thatched hut. Even through the mist, he could clearly see Zhang Dapang's imposing figure, whispering something. He felt it was best not to know about such secrets and stepped back, trying to act as if he hadn't seen anything.

But at that moment, Zhang Dapang's voice came.

"Jiupang, you've seen everything, why don't you come over quickly?" His voice was not loud, as if deliberately suppressed.

Bai Xiaochun blinked, put on an obedient look, and walked out.

As soon as he got close, Zhang Dapang grabbed him and brought him to the group. Bai Xiaochun immediately smelled a unique scent, which turned into warm currents in his body as he inhaled it.

Looking at the others, they all had expressions of comfort. Bai Xiaochun felt invigorated and saw that Zhang Dapang was holding a lingzhi mushroom the size of a baby's head, crystal clear and clearly not an ordinary item.

"Junior Brother Jiupang, come, have a bite." Zhang Dapang looked at Bai Xiaochun and handed him the lingzhi mushroom, speaking in a simple manner.

"Ah?" Bai Xiaochun looked at the lingzhi mushroom and then at the fat Senior Brothers around him. Seeing Bai Xiaochun hesitate, Zhang Dapang immediately got angry, as if he would not let it go if Bai Xiaochun didn't eat it.

Not only him, but also Huang Erpang, Hei Sanpang, and the others were staring at Bai Xiaochun.

Bai Xiaochun swallowed, thinking that such a valuable and rare lingzhi mushroom being given to him like a chicken leg and forcing him to take a bite, with the threat of a fight if he didn't, was something he had only dreamed of, never experienced in reality.

Bai Xiaochun's heart pounded, and he bit the lingzhi mushroom, taking a large bite. The lingzhi mushroom melted in his mouth, and the intense comfort that followed made his face turn red.

"Good, after eating this hundred-year-old lingzhi that Elder Sun specifically requested for the soup, we are truly one of us." Zhang Dapang looked satisfied, took a bite himself, and passed the remaining piece to the next fat man. Soon, the group had eaten the lingzhi mushroom in turns, and they all smiled at Bai Xiaochun as if he were one of them.

Bai Xiaochun chuckled, realizing that this was a form of collusion. Since these Senior Brothers had eaten so much and were still fine, he assumed this was safe. No wonder Xu Baocai had given him a challenge letter with so many 'kill' characters...

"Senior Brother, this lingzhi mushroom is really delicious, it makes me feel so warm." Bai Xiaochun licked his lips and looked at Zhang Dapang with longing.

Hearing this, Zhang Dapang's eyes lit up, and he laughed heartily, pulling out a piece of huangjing from his chest and handing it to Bai Xiaochun.

"Junior Brother, now you know how good it is here, right? I didn't lie to you, did I? Eat, you'll always be full here!"

Bai Xiaochun's eyes sparkled, took a large bite, and just as he finished, Zhang Dapang took out another treasure from the earth, which was golden and fragrant.

This time, without waiting for Zhang Dapang to speak, Bai Xiaochun quickly bit into it, savoring the sweet and sour taste, and feeling a wave of comfort. Zhang Dapang then took out a red spirit fruit, which had a sweet and sticky aroma and a swirling qi inside.

In the following time, Bai Xiaochun and the other fat men each took a bite of the lingzhi mushrooms, herbs, spirit fruits, and earth treasures. Bai Xiaochun felt dizzy and drunk, his body hot and even emitting white smoke. He felt his body had grown a bit fatter.

As he continued to eat, Zhang Dapang and the others' gazes became increasingly gentle, and they all patted their bellies and laughed, a sense of camaraderie in their laughter.

Bai Xiaochun, feeling drunk, let loose, slapped Zhang Dapang's belly, and stepped on the side, laughing along.

"In other rooms of the杂役处 (Miscellaneous Service Hall), people fight to get a spot as an outer sect disciple, but we fight to lose a spot as an outer sect disciple. No one wants to be an outer sect disciple. It's so much better here." Zhang Dapang looked at Bai Xiaochun and felt more and more that they were a good match. He took out a ginseng root with countless rings and dense roots, clearly many years old.

"Junior Brother Jiupang, our cultivation is already sufficient to become outer sect disciples, but we must hide it. Look, this is a hundred-year-old ginseng root. Outer sect disciples fight to get a bite, but look at us." Zhang Dapang broke off a root and ate it, then handed the ginseng to Bai Xiaochun.

"Senior Brother, I'm full... I really can't eat anymore..." Bai Xiaochun's eyes were hazy, and he was truly stuffed. Just as he was about to speak, Zhang Dapang broke off another root and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Junior Brother Jiupang, you're too thin. If you go out like this, which girl in the sect will like you? We like the strong and full-bodied types. Come, eat... In our kitchen, there's a couplet that says, 'Better to starve in the kitchen than to fight in the outer sect.'"

Zhang Dapang burped, took out a stack of empty bowls, and pointed to the thatched hut where the couplet hung.

"Yes, yes, we all starve here... yes... we all starve." Looking at the couplet, Bai Xiaochun patted his belly and burped.

Hearing this, Zhang Dapang and the others laughed, finding Bai Xiaochun increasingly adorable.

"Today is a happy day, Junior Brother Jiupang. I'll tell you a secret. In our kitchen, there are rules for eating. There's a mnemonic you must remember: 'Eat the edges of the spirit plants, never touch the main stem; cut the meat with a fierce knife, leave three parts of the bone; add more water to the spirit porridge, drink only half a cup of the elixir.'"

"These six true sayings are the wisdom of our predecessors over the years. As long as you follow them, you'll be fine. Alright, everyone, the night snack is over. The outer sect disciples are waiting for the soup." Zhang Dapang said, pouring rice soup into the bowls.

Bai Xiaochun, dazed, had the six true sayings in his mind. He looked at Zhang Dapang and the others pouring the rice soup, then at the bowls. After burping, he squatted down, picked up an empty bowl, examined it carefully, and smiled.

"Senior Brother, this bowl isn't very good."

Hearing this, Zhang Dapang and the others looked at Bai Xiaochun, surprised.

"Look at this bowl. It looks small, but it can hold a lot. Why don't we make it look big but actually hold less? For example, the bottom... could be thicker?" Bai Xiaochun said with an obedient look, smiling.

Zhang Dapang was stunned, feeling as if he had been struck by lightning. His body's fat began to tremble, his eyes glowing. The other fat men also breathed heavily, their bodies shaking.

With a slap, Zhang Dapang slapped his thigh and laughed heartily.

"Good, good, good! This is a great idea that will benefit countless future generations in our kitchen. I never thought Junior Brother Jiupang, who looks so obedient, would have such a clever mind. Ha, you're naturally suited for the kitchen!"

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