Chapter 8

**Slap!** Jiang Xingchen's wrist was grabbed, and the small jar was snatched away. A slightly hoarse voice sounded in his ear: "Did you make this?"

"Huh?" Jiang Xingchen felt his vision blur, and before him stood a woman in her twenties wearing a red dress. Not only had she grabbed his wrist, but she also had the small jar in her hand.

The woman was very beautiful, but her facial features were distinct, and she had a bold and heroic air about her, making her look more like a man.

With just a glance, Jiang Xingchen lowered his eyes, avoiding a formal bow, and responded, "I made it!"

"That's good, follow me!" The woman spoke little, her demeanor as masculine as her appearance, and she dragged Jiang Xingchen into the courtyard.

**Bang!** The gate was tightly shut, and the two guards at the entrance exchanged glances. One of them whispered, "The leader actually came out herself. It seems she really liked the meat this kid stewed!"

"Of course! The aroma just now, even the leader could smell it from inside the courtyard. It must have been very fragrant. I was drooling just now!"

"Right, I wish I could taste a piece..."

"Forget it, it's not our turn! Guard the gate well... But it's a bit strange. The way that kid acted, he doesn't seem like a commoner at all..."

While the two guards were whispering, the onlookers finally snapped out of their shock.

"That aroma just now... How could a commoner make something so delicious... Hey! Where are you going?" One person was still questioning in disbelief when the person next to him had already turned and run away.

Not just this person, but the others also quickly turned, as if afraid of being left behind.

The two shopkeepers who knew Jiang Xingchen didn't move, still in a daze. Their faces changed from surprise to confusion, then to regret, and finally, anger surged to their heads. They almost simultaneously raised their hands and slapped the apprentices next to them.

"Damn it! Is he a fraud? Do you know, if we had kept him yesterday, our restaurant would have flourished!" They were so regretful that their intestines turned green, thinking of the large amount of yellow crystal coins that had just flown away.

"Can I blame myself? You old bastard also said he was a fraud yesterday..." The apprentice, covering his face, tears welling up in his eyes, cursed in his heart but didn't dare to say it out loud, instead showing a fawning smile.

"Boss, don't be angry. We'll go find him later... Oh!" The apprentice was kicked to the ground by the shopkeeper before he could finish speaking.

"Find him! Do you know what those people just did? They all went to report back. Soon, the owners of the major restaurants will be here! With the two big restaurants, Rich Glory Hall and Green Garden Tower, we won't even get a sip of soup..."

After scolding, the two shopkeepers also turned and ran away. Although they knew the hope was slim, if they didn't report, it would be a matter of attitude. If the boss blamed them, even pushing all the responsibility onto the apprentice wouldn't help.

The entrance to the Purple Thorn Mercenary Group quickly became much quieter. The remaining foreign noble merchants' eyes began to sparkle, and at the thought of that aroma, their mouths involuntarily produced a lot of saliva...

In the courtyard of the Purple Thorn Mercenary Group's base, the air was filled with the scent of meat. A dozen or so big men stared at a room, constantly smacking their lips, their Adam's apples moving up and down, making continuous gulping sounds.

"Fourth Brother, do you think the boss will be satisfied this time?" A big man with a full beard on the right side whispered.

Beside him, a relatively slim young man blinked, smacking his lips and said, "He probably won't be satisfied. How can meat not have a fishy smell... Second Brother, why don't you go ask? If the boss isn't satisfied, we should quickly take out the small jar!"

The big man waved his hand and grabbed Fourth Brother's neck with a bang, grinning maliciously, "Kid, you're trying to trick me again. You want to eat meat but don't want to show your face, making me take the risk..."

As he spoke, he lifted his hand, and Fourth Brother flew out, crashing into the door frame.

Fourth Brother's face was bitter, and he turned to see Second Brother and the other big men all unashamedly grinning.

"What is it?" An unhappy voice came from the room.

"Um!" Fourth Brother shrank his neck, glanced back, and whispered, "Boss! Second Brother sent me to urge you. If you're not satisfied, quickly take out the small jar..."

"Second Brother, you damn fool, are you itching for a beating again..." An angry voice burst out from the room.

**Boom!** In an instant, the dozen or so big men in the courtyard disappeared, leaving only Second Brother staring dumbfounded at the door.

After a long while, seeing no movement after the scolding, Second Brother finally breathed a sigh of relief and then roared, "Fourth Brother, I'm going to kill you..."

Unlike the noise in the courtyard, the room was very quiet. A woman with delicate features and fair skin, exuding a scholarly aura, was picking a piece of rib from the small jar, bringing it to her mouth, and gently biting off a piece, chewing slowly, her eating posture extremely elegant.

The red-dressed woman watched her, her expression tense but with a hint of excitement.

Jiang Xingchen stood at the door, staring straight at the red-dressed woman. He never expected that the leader of the Purple Thorn Mercenary Group would be a woman.

After a moment, the woman with delicate features finished a piece of rib and picked another one from the jar.

"Wanrou! How is it, no fishy smell, right?" The red-dressed woman asked.

"No!" Wanrou raised her head, smiled at the red-dressed woman, and said softly, "It's very good, Hongxian, you should try it too!"

Hearing this, the red-dressed woman suddenly laughed, extremely unrestrained, "Hahaha... Wanrou, you can finally eat meat. Your frail condition can finally be improved!"

As she spoke, she stepped forward, opened her mouth, and bit the entire piece of rib that Wanrou was holding, then smiled at her.

Jiang Xingchen, watching from behind, couldn't help but twitch his lips, thinking to himself, "These two aren't... you know, that kind of relationship, right?"

"Mmm, it's delicious, really good!" Mo Hongxian spat the bone onto the table and turned to Jiang Xingchen, "Kid, you're really skilled. Compared to the stewed ribs you made, those restaurant chefs are nothing. The meat they make makes Wanrou feel like vomiting just from the smell!"

"Thank you, Leader Mo!" Jiang Xingchen smiled brightly.

Mo Hongxian was momentarily dazzled by Jiang Xingchen's smile, her gaze somewhat fixed. Then, she suddenly stepped forward, reached out, and pinched his chin, "Kid, you look good when you smile!"

"Uh!" Jiang Xingchen was completely flustered. He never expected Mo Hongxian to make such a move and stood there in a daze.

Wanrou behind him also widened her eyes, her expression full of disbelief.

"Hahaha..." Seeing Jiang Xingchen's stunned look, Mo Hongxian looked extremely pleased, laughed heartily, released his chin, and patted his shoulder heavily, then suddenly asked, "You're not a commoner, right?"

"Ouch!" Jiang Xingchen felt his shoulder burning, sucking his teeth in pain, "This is a real man, no, a pure man..."

He quickly took a step back, creating some distance from Mo Hongxian, and smiled again, "I wasn't a commoner before. Later, my father was sent to the front lines and went missing. After three years, I failed to activate my Yuan Spring and had no achievements, so I was stripped of my noble status!"

"Oh!" Mo Hongxian nodded, realizing, "I thought your manners and behavior didn't match a commoner's. You don't have that humble demeanor... But even if you were stripped of your noble status, you shouldn't be this destitute, without even a decent set of clothes."

Hearing this, Jiang Xingchen realized that they were suspicious of his identity. Mo Hongxian's actions earlier were to catch him off guard and get him to reveal the truth.

"No wonder Mo Hongxian disappeared with the small jar for a moment, she must have been testing for poison!" Jiang Xingchen's back felt cold. Only now did he realize how rash his actions were. Bringing the prepared dish to their door and acting out of character for his supposed status would make anyone suspicious. If not for Mo Hongxian and Wanrou being satisfied with his stewed ribs, he might have been treated as a suspicious person.

After a moment of thought, Jiang Xingchen answered Mo Hongxian's question, "Recently, I sold all the valuable things at home to buy medicine to activate my Yuan Spring... but it didn't work!"

Wanrou behind him frowned and said softly, "You don't need to be too concerned. With your secret recipe to remove the fishy smell from meat, your future life won't be bad!"

Jiang Xingchen shook his head, "I estimate that many restaurants are already watching me. Once I step out of here, this secret recipe might no longer be mine... So!"

He hesitated slightly, looked at Mo Hongxian and Wanrou, and then said firmly, "So I want to sell this method to the Purple Thorn Mercenary Group and ensure it won't be leaked. If Leader Mo collaborates with the restaurants using this recipe... it should be a significant profit!"

Mo Hongxian's eyes narrowed. Originally, she hadn't intended to take the recipe, but Jiang Xingchen's suggestion made her heart race. Although collaborating with restaurants wouldn't bring in as much as hunting fierce beasts like the Swordback Pig, which could earn tens of thousands of yellow crystal coins in one go, it would be a steady stream of income over the years, not a small amount.

"Do you not fear I might take it by force and not pay you?" Mo Hongxian exchanged a glance with Wanrou and then smiled at Jiang Xingchen.

"Ha ha!" Jiang Xingchen's expression was very relaxed, and he smiled, "The most important thing for a mercenary group is credibility. With the Purple Thorn Mercenary Group's reputation, Leader Mo is certainly a person of integrity. I trust you..."

On the surface, he was calm, but inside, he was not. Although he spoke confidently, he had no real confidence. However, he wasn't too worried. At worst, the method to remove the fishy smell wouldn't make money, but the 300 yellow crystal coins Mo Hongxian wouldn't refuse to pay.

Mo Hongxian didn't speak, just quietly watching Jiang Xingchen. The room fell silent, the atmosphere somewhat oppressive.

After a long while, when Jiang Xingchen's breathing became somewhat rapid, Mo Hongxian suddenly laughed and nodded, "Later, you tell me the method, and I'll take care of the rest. We'll split the profits... You said you'd sell the recipe to me, and I, Mo Hongxian, won't take advantage of a commoner... You don't need to worry about those restaurants; they won't dare not listen to me!"

Jiang Xingchen's eyes showed surprise. This outcome far exceeded his expectations. His earlier words were a strategic retreat, a gamble on Mo Hongxian's character. However, he never expected her to offer a fifty-fifty split, making him feel like he had judged her unfairly.

"Thank you, Leader Mo... I'll leave it to you," Jiang Xingchen quickly regained his composure, not showing much emotion, as it would make him look weak. But in his heart, he secretly clenched his fist. He was desperately short of money.

"Alright! The top-grade ingredient from the Swordback Pig's back is still here. It was originally for Wanrou, but today, let's celebrate our successful collaboration. We'll see your skills later..." Mo Hongxian said, raising her hand again.

"Ah!" Jiang Xingchen, seeing her about to pat his shoulder again, quickly dodged, thinking, "Attack! This violent woman is definitely an attacker! Wanrou is the receiver..."

With a head full of evil thoughts, Jiang Xingchen, like a frightened little animal, opened the door and darted out!