Chapter 50

Jiang Xingchen followed the soldier who came to pick him up to the headquarters of the Seventh Legion. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard a chorus of flattery from the left, interspersed with a few triumphant laughs.

Jiang Xingchen turned his head and saw several soldiers who had danced with him talking animatedly, their faces flushed with excitement and their eyes sparkling. The wounded soldiers surrounding them looked at them with admiration and envy!

Jiang Xingchen chuckled. During the performance, he had promised to make them famous in the army, and now it had indeed come true.

"Master Jiang!" The soldiers, who were still laughing, caught sight of him and quickly composed themselves. They parted the crowd and ran over eagerly.

"Ha ha! You guys chat, the legion commanders need to see me. When we have the chance, I'll treat you to a drink!" Jiang Xingchen smiled, waved his hand, and walked into the main hall.

"That was Jiang Xingchen just now!" A soldier who hadn't watched the preliminary performance in the morning asked.

"Uh-huh!" The others nodded, watching as Jiang Xingchen entered the hall.

"Did he really rise from a commoner to a baron in twenty days?"

"Of course! The Duke of Northern Pacification announced it on the spot, how could it be false! The legion commanders were all there!"

"Wow, what an honor, a big shot like Jiang Xingchen even said he'd treat you to a drink!" A group of people gathered around, their faces full of envy.

The soldiers immediately felt refreshed and elated. With Jiang Xingchen's current status, inviting them to drink was a huge honor...

In the same hall, all seven legion commanders were seated. Seeing Jiang Xingchen enter, Tang Chuxue got straight to the point and explained their intentions.

Their request was simple: they wanted Jiang Xingchen to make ten large drums for each legion. They assured him that there would be credit for this, and they offered a price of one thousand yellow crystal coins per drum.

Thinking about the effect the drums would have, they felt excited. Combined with the new healing methods, the legion commanders were all looking forward to a major battle. Especially Wu Tianfeng, who had the most friction with the Dongxuan Dynasty.

"A thousand yellow crystal coins per drum, that's a huge profit!" Jiang Xingchen's heart skipped a beat. The cost of one drum was at most twenty yellow crystal coins, with the most expensive material being wild buffalo skin, which cost only about ten yellow crystal coins.

However, after some thought, Jiang Xingchen did not agree. Instead, he hoped to exchange the drums for some qi-containing beverages or beast monsters. Knowing that the array had not yet developed to its full potential, he could imagine the effects it would have. What he lacked most now were qi-containing items.

Tang Chuxue frowned and said, "Your development in other industries is more promising than cultivation! And I know your cultivation is already ruined, you can't practice martial arts, so why are you so persistent!"

Jiang Xingchen smiled and explained, "I need qi-containing food, not for cultivation! I'm sure you know, the most famous dish in Hongyuan City, the braised ribs, was made by me..."

"Oh? You can process beast monsters without losing their qi!" Tang Chuxue's eyes lit up in surprise. "There can't be more than twenty people in the capital with such skills!"

The legion commanders, upon hearing this, looked at Jiang Xingchen with bright eyes.

"Uh-huh!" Jiang Xingchen nodded without hesitation. Although he knew it wasn't good to reveal too much, after the performance, he was already famous. Besides, if the legion commanders wanted to investigate him, it would be easy. He also had the confidence, with the Duke of Northern Pacification standing behind him.

"Good! Then it's settled. We'll immediately gather beast monsters at all our bases!" Tang Chuxue said, pausing slightly, and then smiled, "But if we have the chance, we'll have to try your cooking!"

"I'm happy to serve!" Jiang Xingchen responded, not saying more, and prepared to take his leave.

Just as Jiang Xingchen was about to leave, Tang Chuxue suddenly asked, "The new food called baozi in Hongyuan City, did you make that too?"

Jiang Xingchen paused, nodded to confirm, and then turned to leave...

"What's baozi?" After Jiang Xingchen left, Chen Xuangan and Wu Tianfeng asked simultaneously.

"You guys really wasted your trip to Hongyuan City! It's now known as the city of delicious food, and you don't even know the most famous baozi!" Tang Chuxue shook her head helplessly.

"Is that thing really that delicious?"

"Try it and you'll see! I've never eaten anything as fragrant!" Tang Chuxue thought of the baozi the guards had brought the day before and felt her appetite stir.

"Chuxue, you said this baozi was also made by Jiang Xingchen?" Wu Tianfeng asked.

"Not just that, even the new dishes at the two major restaurants in Hongyuan City are his creations... and the toothbrushes you've been using for the past two days..." Tang Chuxue said.

"The toothbrushes were given by the Duke of Northern Pacification... really made by him... how many skills does this kid have?" The legion commanders exclaimed in unison, their faces turning serious.

Tang Chuxue looked at them and said solemnly, "Now you understand, this kid is no ordinary person, he's a genius... and due to the Emperor's development strategy, he's already famous! What we can find out, others can too. If it's just food or performances, it might be fine, but the use of the drums and the method of making sheep gut strings..."

Chen Xuangan raised an eyebrow and said sternly, "If so, we should take him and keep him in the army!"

"Take him?" Tang Chuxue pursed her lips, "This kid looks gentle on the surface, but he's very proud inside! He dared to make demands in front of so many people, something a low-ranking noble wouldn't do! Once he gets angry, ten wild buffaloes can't pull him back... I can say, if he doesn't want to go, no one can take him... and are you not afraid the Duke of Northern Pacification will fight you to the death? Jiang Xingchen is his life now!"

"This..." The legion commanders hesitated, thinking of the bearded man's angry face, they felt a chill.

"What should we do? Sooner or later, the Xuan Yuan Heavenly Sect will find out, and the Duke of Northern Pacification alone can't protect him..." Wu Tianfeng frowned.

Chen Xuangan also said, "Moreover, the Duke of Northern Pacification has already promised to give him a fief!"

Tang Chuxue smiled faintly and said, "So, we need to find him a bodyguard!"

"A bodyguard?" The legion commanders frowned, "Who among the experts we know would be willing to guard a third-class baron?"

"Of course, that old man, who does nothing all day, it's perfect for him to have a job!" Tang Chuxue said.

"The old man..." The legion commanders felt a chill down their spines, their eyes twitching, thinking, "Only you dare to call him that, when the old man gets playful, he can be deadly..."

"Then... will he come?" Wei Ning asked.

"Have you forgotten what the old man likes most... heh heh, he should have heard about the city of delicious food by now, he'll come within half a month!" Tang Chuxue laughed, "And Jiang Xingchen can't refuse, the old man is a great physician, and his sister's illness is serious..."

While they were discussing how to protect Jiang Xingchen, the Duke of Northern Pacification was also worried. From his heart, he didn't want Jiang Xingchen to be so famous. What Tang Chuxue could think of, he could too. But the Emperor's development strategy needed such a role model to encourage people to engage in other industries, not just cultivation.

"Ah! Why does this kid insist on returning to that remote village, I could protect him if he stayed around Hongyuan City... well, if it can't be helped, I'll just have to send more bodyguards!"

"Thump thump thump..." A series of hurried footsteps interrupted his thoughts, and a servant rushed in.

"Your Grace, another group of people has come, requesting an additional performance of 'A Man Should Be Strong'"

"No performance! Let them wait for the New Year's performance in March!" The Duke of Northern Pacification waved his hand impatiently.

The servant was taken aback, quickly responded, and ran out with a bitter face...

While he refused, the evaluators from the Imperial Academy were hoping Jiang Xingchen would perform more, to create an even greater impact and attract people from the capital.

In fact, they were also worried. Without seeing the live performance, the headquarters of the Imperial Academy in the capital would surely have many doubts. It wouldn't be easy to give the Purple Thistle Dance Troupe credit. Only by making the impact even greater could they share in the glory. After all, the new instruments and performance methods were promoted by them.

However, when they found Jiang Xingchen's home again, they were politely refused! And the reason for the refusal, they had to accept: he was making drums for the seven legions, seventy in total.

"Damn it, what do you need drums for, are you going to form a dance troupe too!" The evaluators were furious, this was blocking their path to advancement.

But no matter how dissatisfied they were, there was no way around it. The seven legions guarded the eight kingdoms of the Xuan Yuan Heavenly Sect, and everything was prioritized!

In the end, they had to settle for second best and ordered thirty drums from Jiang Xingchen at the same price of one thousand yellow crystal coins!

"Once the new instruments are sent to the capital and the effect of the drums is seen, it should silence some of the critics!" The evaluators thought...

Jiang Xingchen didn't show up, and neither the Imperial Academy nor the Duke of Northern Pacification agreed to another performance. In the end, everyone had to let it go.

However, many people remembered the performance and looked forward to the New Year's performance in March.

The preliminary selection was over, and the heat in Hongyuan City slightly decreased, but it remained bustling and lively. People who left spread the reputation of the city of delicious food, and every day, people came specifically to taste the food.

Not only the two major restaurants and the baozi shop, but other restaurants that bought the recipes were also thriving.

The nobles from other territories who came for the recipes eventually found Mo Hongxian and paid for them! Although they had secretly bought them once before, they had to pay again, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to ask the Duke of Northern Pacification for other recipes in the future.

These people cursed the Duke of Northern Pacification in their hearts for being cunning and vicious, but they could only swallow their anger.

Jiang Xingchen completely put everything behind him and focused on making the one hundred drums, which would take him quite a while.

The little girl was surprisingly understanding. Seeing him busy, she didn't pester him to sing. Every day, she either watched him work or went to the kitchen to learn cooking, and her skills improved significantly.

Ten days passed, and the one hundred drums were finally completed!

"Finally done, I'm so tired!" Jiang Xingchen stretched his arms high and yawned deeply.

He made the drums with a sense of completing a task, but he didn't know that soon, the drums would create another craze in the capital, making more people look forward to the New Year's performance.

At this moment, Wan Rou came to tell him that his contribution had been confirmed, and he could now request to return to his fief!