Chapter 13

"Give you ten days to memorize the 'Compendium of Myriad Ingredients' and the 'Spirit Fire Collection.' If after ten days, you still can't even figure out the properties of some ingredients and spirit fires, I won't take you as a disciple!"

Old Ma, still unwilling, proposed another condition.

Chen Xi didn't mind and pondered, "Ten days isn't a problem. I want to know how many essence stones I can get each day after becoming your disciple."

Old Ma's eyes suddenly widened, seemingly unable to believe his ears. His chest heaved violently, and he suddenly roared loudly, "You want to become my disciple just to earn essence stones? Can my culinary skills be measured by essence stones? You, you, you... Get lost!"

Seeing Old Ma on the verge of a rampage, Bai Wanqing quickly pulled Chen Xi and fled.

"Has character, but still not as unique as I was back then," Qiao Nan stroked his chin and commented solemnly.

"Oh, Young Master Chen Xi is different. A man like him is worth my care," Pei Wei murmured to herself, her beautiful eyes sparkling with unusual light, once again falling into a state of infatuation.

"Get to work for me!"

Old Ma's sharp roar, filled with boundless anger, mixed with the clanging of an iron spoon hitting a pot, resounded loudly.

...

After leaving Qingxi Winehouse, Bai Wanqing couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Old Ma's frustrated appearance.

Chen Xi also found it a bit amusing and said, "Old Ma's temper is indeed peculiar."

Bai Wanqing changed the subject, "You don't need to worry about not earning essence stones. After ten days, as long as you officially become Old Ma's disciple, Qingxi Winehouse will sign a contract with you at a reasonable price."

Chen Xi nodded, thinking the same. As the head spirit chef of Qingxi Winehouse, Old Ma had an extremely generous treatment. As his disciple, Qingxi Winehouse would be more than willing to provide essence stones.

Bai Wanqing seemed to recall something and a hint of unusual expression appeared on her delicate face, "Being able to become Old Ma's disciple, you might even meet the mastermind behind Qingxi Winehouse in ten days... a person with immense influence."

Chen Xi was taken aback, thinking it was indeed true. Qingxi Winehouse was known as the top winehouse in Songyan City, and its owner must be highly capable.

Seeing Chen Xi's expression, Bai Wanqing knew he didn't fully understand her meaning but didn't elaborate further, smiling, "Are you going to Zhang's General Store today?"

Chen Xi shook his head, "No, I didn't manage to create any talismans today. Uncle Zhang at the store would probably scold me."

Thinking about today's events, Chen Xi felt even more grateful to Bai Wanqing. His younger brother had successfully entered Songyan Academy, and he himself had gained the recognition of the spirit chef, Old Ma.

He didn't know why Bai Wanqing was so determined to help him, but he knew this favor was heavy enough to make him repay it for a lifetime!

"Aunt Bai, thank you so much."

Chen Xi's expression was solemn, looking deeply into Bai Wanqing's eyes, speaking each word clearly.

Bai Wanqing was taken aback, taking a moment to react, her heart filled with emotion. She suddenly reached out and pinched Chen Xi's cheek, smiling, "Smile more often. Don't be so stiff and get called a 'stiff face.' The nickname 'Stiff Face Chen' is too ugly."

Chen Xi was caught off guard by Bai Wanqing's unexpected action and took a while to recover, a rare blush appearing on his pale, handsome face.

"Ha, you're blushing."

Bai Wanqing blinked, her face full of playful smiles.

Chen Xi couldn't take it anymore, ignoring Bai Wanqing and focusing on walking quickly, enjoying the warmth of the moment.

...

In the Li family's main hall.

"Rogue! Useless!"

With a bang, Li Yizhen's wine glass shattered into powder. His rugged and fierce face was dark as water, his eyes almost spitting fire. He roared, "Attacking people on the street and challenging the authority of the General's Mansion, this is all your doing!"

"Father, I was the one who got beaten. How can the General's Mansion be so unfair?" Li Ming tried to defend himself.

Li Yizhen's face grew even darker, coldly staring at his youngest son, "Your skills are inferior, yet you still act arrogantly. Being beaten is a great humiliation, and you use it as an excuse to avoid responsibility. If you weren't my son, I would have killed you myself!"

Li Ming's face turned pale, his body trembling, and he dared not say another word.

"Steward Wu, since you acted, why didn't you kill Chen Hao? Do you know how much trouble your failure has caused me?" Li Yizhen coldly snorted, his gaze falling on Steward Wu, demanding an answer.

Steward Wu was drenched in sweat, his heart pounding, and he was as silent as a cicada.

He knew that the family head had paid a heavy price, sacrificing a rank-advancing magical treasure to appease the General's Mansion. In such a situation, he dared not defend himself, only saying in a low voice, "I had a hundred percent chance of killing Chen Hao, but Chen Xi suddenly attacked. Caught off guard, the two brothers managed to escape. Please punish me, Lord of the Manor!"

Li Yizhen's anger slightly subsided, "Chen Xi? Has he reached the peak of the innate realm?"

Steward Wu felt even more ashamed, "No, this boy is skilled in talisman creation and has a ruthless mind. He first used invisibility and concealment talismans to hide, then attacked with ice spike talismans, choosing the perfect moment to strike. That's why..."

Li Yizhen was taken aback, thinking, "I promised the Southern Border that when these two brothers reach the peak of the innate realm, I would cripple their cultivation, making them suffer and die in agony. Because of this, I never took them seriously. Now, it seems I need to pay more attention."

Steward Wu said solemnly, "What are your plans, Lord of the Manor? I am willing to do anything to assist you!"

Li Yizhen shook his head and sighed, "I just received intelligence that Chen Hao has entered Songyan Academy. Songyan Academy is powerful, on par with our Li family, so we can't act against him for now. This will benefit him."

Steward Wu seemed to recall something, his eyes brightening, "Lord of the Manor, in half a year, there will be the Southern Barbarian Evil Domain trial, in which all academies in Songyan City will participate. Chen Hao has reached the innate realm and will surely join. Moreover, the Southern Barbarian Evil Domain is in the Southern Barbarian Mountains, where the General's Mansion cannot interfere. At that time, we just need to send some people to lie in wait and kill him!"

Li Yizhen pondered, "This plan is good, but we can't kill him; we must cripple his cultivation."

A ruthless look flashed in Steward Wu's eyes, and he coldly smiled, "Lord of the Manor, rest assured, I will definitely take care of this boy!"

"Great, I'll go too!" Li Ming excitedly called out, his eyes filled with intense hatred, clearly hating Chen Hao to the bone.

Li Yizhen said coldly, "Wanting revenge isn't a bad thing. From today on, you won't go to Tianxing Academy. You will close yourself in the ancestral house to cultivate. When you reach the peak of the innate realm, you can come out!"

Closing himself in the ancestral house?

Li Ming's legs trembled violently, his face turning pale.

"Iron Hand, take the young master down. His cultivation will be your responsibility," Li Yizhen said calmly.

"Understood."

Behind Li Yizhen, a shadow suddenly appeared, and a tall, thin man in black quietly emerged.

He had an ordinary appearance, nothing special, but Li Ming saw him as if he saw a demon, his lips trembling, "Father, can I..."

His voice abruptly stopped.

Like a ghost, Iron Hand suddenly appeared beside Li Ming, striking him unconscious with a wave of his hand. He then picked up Li Ming like a chicken and left the hall.

A hint of reluctance flashed in Li Yizhen's eyes, quickly replaced by determination, muttering, "Jade unpolished is not a gem. If you can't even reach the peak of the innate realm, what right do you have to compete for the position of family head with your brother? The Li family doesn't need useless people!"

Steward Wu was stunned by the scene before him. Iron Hand? The Purple Mansion realm powerhouse who always hid in the shadows, the Li family's top executioner, whose hands were stained with blood?

Being watched by such a monster while cultivating, the young master's days ahead would be unbearable.

Steward Wu felt a sudden pang of pity.

"Steward Wu, there's another task for you," Li Yizhen frowned, thinking for a moment, and made a decision.

"Please instruct, Lord of the Manor!" Steward Wu snapped back to reality, taking a deep breath and speaking loudly.

"In the near future, we shouldn't provoke the General's Mansion, but we can't let Chen Xi off so easily. I want you to cripple his cultivation one month from now."

...

After bidding farewell to Bai Wanqing, Chen Xi went straight home, hurriedly ate, and began to study the 'Zhou Tian Star Slaying Body Tempering Technique.'

The recent events had given him a strong sense of urgency, and he dared not slack off in the slightest.

More importantly, whether it was cultivating qi, tempering his body, visualizing the true body imprint, or making talismans to earn money, all would take up a lot of his time. Now, with the addition of culinary skills, his time became even more precious. He could not allow himself to waste a single moment.

Chen Xi didn't know how others treated their time, but he knew that if he wanted to become stronger, if he wanted to avenge his grandfather and the Chen clan, if he wanted to meet his mother, he could not relax his standards.

On the contrary, to achieve these goals, he had to be even more strict with himself. No matter how hard it was, no matter how much more sweat he shed, he could not give himself any excuse to slack off!

Without firm determination and a thousandfold effort, how could he see hope?

With this mindset, Chen Xi formulated a cultivation plan: making talismans in the morning, practicing culinary skills afterward, and cultivating the 'Zhou Tian Star Slaying Body Tempering Technique,' 'Purple Dawn Technique,' and visualizing the true body imprint in the evening.

As for how much time he would have left for sleep, it was not a concern for him.

Of course, if Chen Xi could reach the Purple Mansion realm and become a Purple Mansion cultivator, sleep would be irrelevant.

"Most people who temper their bodies use hard stones, metal, lightning, and water and fire to strengthen their physique, but I've never heard of using star evil qi to temper the body. The 'Zhou Tian Star Slaying Body Tempering Technique' can take a different path, which is indeed astonishing!"

As if opening a mysterious window, Chen Xi's eyes were exceptionally bright, filled with intense curiosity, carefully savoring the elegant words imprinted in his mind.