Chapter 18

As the woman entered, the room suddenly fell silent, even the self-absorbed Qiao Nan and the infatuated Pei Wei closed their mouths.

Chen Xi raised his eyes and saw that the woman had a tall and well-proportioned figure, a delicate nose, cherry lips, and features that were like a painting. Her skin was fairer than frost and snow, and she wore a black robe. From a distance, she resembled a solitary and proud black peony, exuding a unique coldness.

"She is Du Qingxi, the owner of Qingxi Restaurant. She usually stays in seclusion and spends most of her time in closed cultivation. She rarely appears at the restaurant. Her background is quite mysterious, and no one knows her strength. It is said that even General Qin from the General's Mansion has to show respect to her."

Bai Wanqing's gentle and pleasant voice quietly entered Chen Xi's ears. He then understood the identity of the woman and couldn't help but feel slightly surprised. To be able to manage the first-class restaurant in Songyan City at such a young age, this woman's abilities were indeed astonishing.

After Du Qingxi entered, she ignored everyone and only glanced at Chen Xi inconspicuously. She then turned her gaze to the old man Ma and said directly, "The disciple you have taken in will be supplied with a hundred yuan stones daily, and the materials for practicing culinary skills will be provided free of charge. However, he must sign a three-year contract, guaranteeing that he will only work for my Qingxi Restaurant during this period. What do you think?" Her voice was cold and clear, leaving no room for doubt.

The old man Ma shook his head and said, "I only teach culinary skills. You need to discuss these matters with the boy."

Du Qingxi frowned and looked at Chen Xi, saying slowly, "Have you understood the conditions I have stated? Whether to sign the contract is entirely up to you."

To be honest, such conditions were beyond Chen Xi's expectations. He originally thought that earning a few dozen yuan stones a day would be a stroke of luck, but he never expected Du Qingxi to offer a hundred yuan stones a day, which left him both surprised and delighted.

After a moment of silent contemplation, Chen Xi made his decision and replied, "I can agree to work only for Qingxi Restaurant, but I cannot guarantee the time. However, I can assure you that as long as I am in Songyan City, I will not choose to work for any other restaurant."

He did this to be prepared for any eventuality. He had too many responsibilities on his shoulders and could not guarantee that he would be able to serve as a spirit chef apprentice at Qingxi Restaurant for three years.

Du Qingxi was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Chen Xi to bargain with her. After a while, she coldly nodded and said, "I hope you can keep your word."

With that, she turned and left, her movements crisp and decisive, without any hesitation.

From the moment Du Qingxi entered the room to the moment she left, it took only a short while, but her presence and decisive words were fully displayed. Coupled with her proud and cold beauty, she seemed like a queen inspecting her territory, evoking a sense of awe.

However, these things had little effect on Chen Xi. He knew that he had become a spirit chef apprentice with a daily salary of a hundred yuan stones, so he was in high spirits and paid no attention to Du Qingxi's strong attitude.

...

"Miss, I have investigated thoroughly. This is the detailed information about Chen Xi." Wu Feng, with a respectful expression, handed over a piece of paper.

Wu Feng had a fair complexion and a gentle demeanor. Since Du Qingxi's birth, he had been assigned to her side, like a shadow, always guarding her.

"Chen Xi, the eldest grandson of the Chen family in Songyan City..."

The paper recorded all the details about Chen Xi, from his birth to the present, all presented on a thin piece of paper.

After Du Qingxi finished reading, a rare hint of surprise appeared in her cold, star-like eyes: "Family destroyed, parents separated, marriage annulled, grandfather killed... This guy is really unlucky, no wonder he is called a broom star."

Wu Feng frowned and said, "Miss, are you feeling sorry for him, which is why you offered such generous terms? Those ingredients are all full of spiritual energy, letting him use them for free seems... inappropriate, doesn't it?"

Du Qingxi dismissed it, saying, "As long as he can learn one-tenth of the culinary skills from the old man Ma before the trial in the Southern Barbarian Evil Region, it won't matter if some materials are wasted."

Wu Feng seemed to realize something and exclaimed, "Miss, are you really going to the Southern Barbarian Evil Region?"

Du Qingxi replied calmly, "Yes, I have obtained a Sealed Essence Pill, which can reduce my strength to the innate realm without any problem. However, you know that the Southern Barbarian Evil Region is spiritually barren and filled with evil energy. Spending three years there would be a dead end without a spirit chef."

Wu Feng was taken aback and said, "Why three years? The Southern Barbarian Evil Region usually opens for less than three months before closing. Is there some change this time?"

Du Qingxi coldly glanced at Wu Feng and said after a long pause, "These matters were entrusted to me by my father. Are you sure you want to know?"

Wu Feng, recalling some terrifying event, shivered and quickly shook his head, "I am just concerned about your safety, Miss, with no intention of being disrespectful."

Du Qingxi waved her hand and instructed, "You may leave now. Remember, do not spread the news about Chen Xi learning culinary skills at Qingxi Restaurant. The Li family may be small, but they have the influence of the Southern Border Su family behind them. It's best not to have any conflicts with them."

Wu Feng solemnly agreed and, with a flick of his body, turned into a faint black smoke and disappeared.

...

Not long after Du Qingxi left, Bai Wanqing also bid farewell and left. As for Qiao Nan and Pei Wei, the old man Ma directly chased them out of the room with his iron spoon, leaving only him and Chen Xi.

The old man Ma disliked idle talk and had no intention of conversing with Chen Xi. He immediately began teaching culinary skills.

Before the lesson, puppet-like figures carried a stream of plates and placed them in front of Chen Xi. Each plate contained several unprocessed ingredients, emitting spiritual energy, which was quite eye-catching.

Chen Xi roughly counted and found that there were over a hundred plates, containing over a thousand types of ingredients. He couldn't help but be slightly taken aback. What was the old man Ma planning to do?

"These 1,308 ingredients involve fruits, vegetables, grains, herbs, and the flesh of demonic beasts. They are the most basic ingredients, also known as lower-grade ingredients. If you can cook various dishes using these ingredients and make them beneficial for innate realm cultivators, then you will have passed the initial stage."

"I will now demonstrate the preparation of thirteen dishes. Each method has its own focus, such as knife skills, spiritual fire, and the combination of the five elements. Pay attention to learning."

After a long speech, the old man Ma came to the kitchen counter, grabbed seven or eight ingredients, and began to teach personally.

"This dish is called Spicy Red-Braised Red麟Shrimp. The Red麟Shrimp lives by the side of spiritual water, grows to a foot in length, has a yin-cold attribute, and its meat is tender and refreshing. To cook it, you must use the Sea Shell Pepper, which has a yang-attribute and a spicy taste, as a seasoning. You also need to use Water Fragrance Grass, Wild Boar Fat, and Green Crystal Salt, and cook it with a Yang Fire..."

While speaking, the old man Ma didn't stop moving his hands. He first dissected the ingredients, then controlled the spiritual fire. After the fire was hot, he added the seasonings and quickly stirred the pot, his movements smooth and free.

Chen Xi stared at the old man Ma without blinking, fully focused.

Five years of making talismans had cultivated a good habit in him: whenever he wanted to do something, he would fully commit to it in a short time.

In the past ten days, Chen Xi had been diligently visualizing the Fuxi divine image, and his divine soul power had been rapidly advancing, almost reaching the brink of a breakthrough.

The moment he focused, his mind instantly entered a state of clarity. The old man Ma's movements appeared slow to him, and every action and step was clearly visible and memorized.

Sizzle!

A pungent and spicy aroma filled the room.

Soon, on a white jade plate, a Red麟Shrimp, its body completely red, lay coiled, with a layer of bubbling, shiny broth on its surface, emitting a mouth-watering spicy aroma.

"Taste it. If you can't achieve this flavor in the future, don't call yourself my disciple!" The old man Ma was radiant, exuding a sense of pride, clearly confident in his skills.

Chen Xi swallowed hard and picked up the chopsticks, gently touching the shrimp shell. The Red麟Shrimp split open neatly, revealing the snow-white, crystal-clear shrimp meat inside, the aroma becoming even more enticing. He lightly picked up a piece of the steaming shrimp meat and put it in his mouth.

The moment the shrimp meat touched his tongue, a unique spicy and fresh sensation instantly spread throughout his body. Chen Xi felt his tongue tremble slightly, as if electrocuted, and his mouth was filled with a tingling, smooth, and tender sensation. He couldn't help but chew slowly, finding the shrimp meat delicate and resilient, with a spicy and refreshing taste, extremely delicious.

"How does it taste?" The old man Ma crossed his arms, looking very confident.

Chen Xi mumbled, "Let me have another bite." He then quickly moved his chopsticks, picking up the shrimp meat like raindrops, without his usual calm and composed demeanor, instead devouring it like a starving ghost, savoring the deliciousness. In a blink, he had completely finished the entire Red麟Shrimp.

It wasn't surprising that Chen Xi lost his composure; the Red麟Shrimp was truly delicious. For someone who had only eaten plain rice and salted vegetables for over a decade, the Red麟Shrimp was an unparalleled delicacy, making him unable to stop.

More importantly, after eating the Red麟Shrimp, he clearly felt a thick stream of spiritual energy flowing into his dantian, instantly boosting his cultivation by a bit!

Chen Xi couldn't help but marvel. No wonder noble families all had their own spirit chefs. They could enjoy delicious food while absorbing spiritual energy. Who wouldn't want to enjoy such dishes?

The old man Ma was very satisfied with Chen Xi's performance. Actions often speak louder than words, and Chen Xi's ravenous eating was undoubtedly the highest praise for his culinary skills. However, he still sneered, "Boy, this is a dish prepared for innate realm cultivators. Can't you show a bit more ambition?"

Chen Xi remained silent, feeling embarrassed. He had indeed lost his composure just now...

"For a qualified spirit chef, delicious dishes are a path that can free the tongue and enrich the cultivation life, a goal that every spirit chef strives to achieve throughout their life. Boy, becoming a qualified spirit chef is not an easy task."

The old man Ma's expression suddenly became solemn, his eyes filled with boundless enthusiasm and determination.

Chen Xi was stunned, and unconsciously, he felt a sense of anticipation for his future life!