Chapter 57

"Speaking of which, I still don’t know your names, all four of you?"

Recently, Zhong Wen had gradually become familiar with Qiao Erniang and the four young maids. After having breakfast early in the morning, they chatted idly in the courtyard.

"I’m Da Ya."

"Er Ya."

"San Ya."

"Si Ya."

Zhong Wen: "......"

What kind of lazy person would name them like this, Da Ya, Er Ya, as if they were in a fantasy drama!

Qiao Erniang’s face turned slightly red, and she said somewhat embarrassedly, "Mr. Zhong, please forgive me. I haven’t read much and am always busy, so I haven’t had the energy to think of names for them. I’ve just been calling them by these names. Mr. Zhong is very talented; if you don’t mind the trouble, could you please give these maids some proper names?"

You don’t know that I’m actually a big illiterate.

Zhong Wen complained in his heart but didn’t want to disappoint the four maids’ expectations. He racked his brains and thought hard for a while. Suddenly, an idea came to him, and he remembered the names of the maids serving the four sisters in "Dream of the Red Chamber."

"Since it’s a request from Sister Qiao, how can Zhong Wen refuse? Besides, when our Qingfeng Pavilion reopens, its class will far surpass the past. Calling them Da Ya, Er Ya, and so on would be too vulgar." Zhong Wen patted his chest and said, "I may not be very talented, but I’ll try to help Sister Qiao. However, my knowledge is limited, so please don’t blame me if the names aren’t good."

Upon hearing this, the four maids looked at Zhong Wen with expectant eyes.

"Mr. Zhong, you’re too modest. With your abilities, the names you come up with will surely be excellent." Qiao Erniang laughed heartily, "These maids are truly fortunate."

At this moment, Nangong Ling and the woman in green also appeared in the courtyard. Seeing the lively conversation, they stopped to listen.

"Once the four of you go down the mountain, you will be the face of our Piaohua Palace. I’ll name you after the four friends of scholars. In your free time, you can study these skills, which can help cultivate your temperament." Zhong Wen, not noticing Nangong Ling and the woman in green, continued, "According to my idea, the four of you will be named Baoqin, Siqi, Shishu, and Ruhua. What do you think?"

Qiao Erniang and the four maids carefully considered the names, finding them simple yet elegant, and perfectly matching the number of maids. They all showed signs of joy, nodding their heads, and each claimed their new name, praising them endlessly.

"Zhong Wen, I didn’t expect you to have such a talent for naming." Hearing Nangong Ling’s voice, Zhong Wen was taken aback. Turning his head, he saw the admiration in her incomparably beautiful eyes, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit proud.

"Not at all, just a moment of inspiration." Zhong Wen humbly replied, "As the saying goes, good writing comes naturally."

Nangong Ling was an extremely intelligent woman, so she understood the high level of cultural literacy required to come up with such fitting names in such a short time. Hearing Zhong Wen’s eloquent words, she looked at him even more favorably. Just as she was about to delve deeper into the discussion, she suddenly heard Shangguan Mingyue’s voice from outside the courtyard: "Zhong Wen, the things you asked for have been delivered. Come and check them out!"

Knowing Shangguan Mingyue’s prejudice against her, she naturally wouldn’t go up to her, so she turned and left.

"Alright!" Zhong Wen, upon hearing this, felt a sense of familiarity, as if he were receiving a package from his past life. He hurriedly ran over.

At the courtyard gate, Shangguan Mingyue was directing her subordinates to arrange the goods. Her long, straight legs were partially hidden under her red dress, visible through the slits. The morning sun illuminated her white, jade-like face and her well-proportioned figure, making her look like a delicate statue, beautiful to the point of being mesmerizing.

"Here they are, don’t forget the sword you promised me!" Seeing Zhong Wen, Shangguan Mingyue pointed to the two boxes on the ground, somewhat unhappily.

Clearly, she was somewhat dissatisfied with Zhong Wen’s repeated requests.

"Don’t worry, I won’t forget." Zhong Wen smiled and approached Shangguan Mingyue, smelling the faint, fresh scent from her, "Miss Shangguan, you’ve worked hard. I’ll show off my cooking skills today and prepare a special dish to reward you."

"That’s better." Hearing Zhong Wen’s words, Shangguan Mingyue’s food lover’s spirit was ignited, and her mood improved significantly, her tone softening.

"Looking forward to it." Zhong Wen gave a thumbs up and winked at her.

"Then check the goods quickly, I’ll go see Auntie." Shangguan Mingyue said and walked to the side of the courtyard to Shangguan Junyi’s room.

Zhong Wen opened the boxes, and seeing no one around, he put the set of forging tools and the advanced spirit pattern disk into his storage ring. He then delivered the remaining set of tools to Shen Dachui’s guest room. When placing the order, he secretly counted the number of people, and for some reason, Zheng Yueting’s image flashed in his mind. He mistakenly requested that one of the weapons be forged into a "Willow Leaf Blade."

Back in his room, Zhong Wen locked the door and took out the large and small hammers and various square stones from his ring, starting to build a forging stand. He then took out the spirit pattern disk and spirit pattern pen and began to draw the "Device Fire" used for forging.

The "Device Fire" used for forging weapons was different from the "Pill Fire" used for making pill furnaces. Fortunately, the "Divine Fire Gun Forging Method" written by Elder Long in the Medicine King Valley provided a detailed description of how to draw this "Device Fire."

Soon, a simple spirit device forging stand was built. He placed a spirit crystal in the spirit pattern disk below, and a fiery red "Device Fire" instantly shot up, much more fierce than the gentle "Pill Fire."

Taking out iron ore and other materials, Zhong Wen repeatedly recalled the method for forging the Divine Fire Gun in his mind. He raised his right hand, which held the hammer, and brought it down heavily, starting his first forging experience with a series of "clinks" and "bangs."

As a novice in forging, Zhong Wen didn’t encounter much difficulty in making the "Divine Fire Gun." Elder Long had spent his entire life researching this spiritual weapon, so the description in the book was extremely detailed, with every possible issue clearly marked. It was even more user-friendly than the tutorials Zhong Wen had seen online in his past life. Additionally, there were some basic books on spirit devices in the Medicine King Valley, so he followed the steps in the book and smoothly completed the process of forging this powerful weapon.

The completed "Divine Fire Gun" was about three feet long, with a slender handle at the bottom and a black iron barrel at the top. The two parts were connected by an irregular sphere, which had eight slots around it for placing spirit crystals. As more spirit crystals were added, the power of the Divine Fire Gun would increase in stages.

Zhong Wen stared at the first spiritual weapon he had forged, feeling that this small black tube seemed to contain immense energy, exuding a faint aura of destruction. He couldn’t help but feel proud.

"Task 2 completed: Successfully forged the 'Divine Fire Gun.' Please draw a lot to receive the initial task reward: 1. Jade Maiden Sword; 2.醍醐灌顶 (one scroll); 3. Purple Qi from the East."

With no one around, there was no "lucky king" to borrow luck from. Looking at the generous lot options, Zhong Wen was a bit skeptical and decided to rely on himself: "Draw a lot!"

"Congratulations, you have won the reward:醍醐灌顶 (one scroll)!"

"I’m really a black hand!" Looking at the lot result, Zhong Wen’s face fell, once again confirming his "non-king" nature.

The "New Huazang Pavilion" in his mind didn’t care about his mood and promptly updated the task panel:

"Task 2: Successfully refined the 'Spirit Gathering Array,' one lottery draw opportunity."

The new Task 2 was exactly what he wanted. He had purchased the advanced spirit pattern disk from Shangguan Mingyue to refine the "Spirit Gathering Array" and increase the spirit energy concentration at Piaohua Palace. Now, he could complete a task, achieving two goals with one action, which slightly alleviated his depressed mood.

However, he didn’t immediately start on this new task. Instead, he picked up the large hammer and began to forge a huge copper furnace...

In the main hall at noon, everyone was gathered around a copper furnace, watching the boiling water with a few floating vegetables and mushrooms.

"Zhong Wen, this is the special dish you mentioned?" Shangguan Mingyue circled the copper furnace, unable to figure out what was "special" about it.

"Don’t worry, you’ll know soon." Zhong Wen said, bringing out a basin of sliced fresh meat and vegetables from the kitchen and placing various condiments in front of everyone.

"This is a unique dish I developed, called 'Hot Pot.'" He picked up a piece of meat and put it into the boiling copper furnace, "I’ll show you how to eat 'Hot Pot.' Put the meat in the furnace like this for a while."

"Remember, don’t cook it for too long, or the meat will become tough and affect the taste." Zhong Wen skillfully moved the long chopsticks, lifting the now cooked pork and dipping it in the sauce in front of him. He blew on it lightly and then took a big bite, his face showing extreme enjoyment, "The sauce comes in spicy and non-spicy options. Choose according to your taste. Come on, try it yourself."

Seeing Zhong Wen’s absorbed expression, the hungry crowd couldn’t wait any longer and started to imitate him.

"Wow! So delicious!" The little girl ate a piece of pork dipped in sauce and found it incredibly tasty, almost swallowing her tongue.

Soon, the hall was filled with various exclamations of praise. In the steamy main hall, a group of beautiful women rolled up their sleeves and ate hot pot without any regard for their image. Despite it being summer, Qingfeng Mountain wasn’t hot, but the women in the hall were all sweating and panting, creating a unique and beautiful scene.

At this moment, Zhong Wen, who had been busy, brought out a cup of slightly cool plum juice. The sweet and sour drink refreshed the women who had been eating the spicy hot pot for a long time. After the meal, the women were all sprawled out in the main hall, gently patting their slightly bulging stomachs, unwilling to get up.

After getting used to the food at Piaohua Palace, what will I do when I return to the capital?

After eating and drinking, Shangguan Mingyue lazily slumped in her chair, staring blankly at Zhong Wen, who was clearing the table, a faint sadness passing through her heart.

After washing the dishes, Zhong Wen went to Leng Wushuang’s room.

He saw the girl lying on the bed, breathing evenly, sound asleep. She still looked a bit pale, but her face was rosier than the day before. Her long, slender eyebrows, straight nose, rosy cheeks, and bright red lips all exuded a fresh and charming aura. Her chest rose and fell, making Zhong Wen a bit distracted.

He leaned down and gently kissed Leng Wushuang’s soft lips, whispering in a voice so low it was almost inaudible, "Wushuang, don’t worry, the assassin will soon pay the price."

He turned to the door and said in a very cliché way, "Anyone who dares to harm my woman must die!"

After saying this, he left Leng Wushuang’s room and hurriedly headed towards the courtyard gate.

In the room, the obedient and lovely assassin girl was still immersed in a sweet dream, her lips slightly curved, forming a beautiful arc...