Chapter 10

Zha Ruguo was dressed in a long, elegant white robe, with a fair complexion and jet-black hair secured by a green hairpin, looking quite handsome. He wore a pair of dragon-skin boots and a belt inlaid with jade, exuding nobility and grace.

"Zha Ruguo?!"

Sun Qixiang, disheveled, stood up and covered his important parts with both hands, his face dark as he glared at the handsome man in front of him.

"I never thought Young Master Sun would have such a fetish. Today, I've truly seen something new," Zha Ruguo chuckled, his eyes like graceful threads sweeping over Sun Qixiang, his expression peculiar.

Sun Qixiang's face turned almost red with embarrassment. He turned to look at a servant behind Zha Ruguo, the same one who had been with him earlier.

After stripping the servant of his clothes, Sun Qixiang's expression improved somewhat. Ignoring Zha Ruguo, he turned to face Bu Fang's small shop and shouted angrily, "If I don't smash your little shop tomorrow, I'll change my name! Just wait and see!"

After his outburst, Sun Qixiang glanced at Zha Ruguo with narrow eyes and said, "Great Scholar Zha, your dream goddess is in that small restaurant. Let me kindly warn you, there's something strange about this place. The beautiful Xiao seems to be falling into it."

Without waiting for Zha Ruguo's reaction, Sun Qixiang left with a dark face, striding away.

"Falling into it?" Zha Ruguo's lips curled into a meaningful smile, his handsome face showing a hint of curiosity. He looked at the small, shabby restaurant in the alley.

A small restaurant in such a remote area actually had customers, and they were the children of the prestigious General Xiao from the capital. Zha Ruguo wouldn't believe it if there wasn't something unusual about it.

Curiosity piqued, Zha Ruguo took a step toward the restaurant, wanting to see what made it so special.

However, before he reached the door, he saw the Xiao siblings walking out of the restaurant, their expressions somewhat odd.

Xiao Yan Yu's mind was far from calm, not because Bu Fang had thrown Sun Qixiang out of the shop, but because of the enhanced fried rice. After eating the enhanced fried rice, she found that her true qi had surged, increasing significantly. Although it wasn't enough for a breakthrough, the improvement was considerable.

A bowl of enhanced fried rice could actually boost one's cultivation, with effects comparable to a fourth-grade pill. Moreover, the taste was so heavenly that it surpassed any pill.

No wonder it was said that at least a third-grade Battle Frenzy cultivation was required to order the enhanced fried rice. The increase in true qi alone exceeded the total of a second-grade Battle Master. If a second-grade Battle Master ate it, they wouldn't just fail to break through; they would be overwhelmed by the sudden surge of true qi.

"Yan Yu, what's wrong?" Zha Ruguo asked softly, his eyes softening as he approached Xiao Yan Yu.

Xiao Yan Yu was immersed in the joy of her cultivation improvement and didn't pay attention to Zha Ruguo. Xiao Xiao Long, however, watched Zha Ruguo warily, surprised to see him here. Could it be that Sun Qixiang had reported to him?

Watching the two ignore him and walk away, Zha Ruguo's curiosity grew. What was so special about this small shop that it could make Yan Yu look like that?

"Hope to see you again next time." After sending off the dazed Xiao siblings, Bu Fang yawned and prepared to close for the day.

The iron robot Xiaobai returned to the kitchen, resuming its post.

Just as Bu Fang was about to close the door, a tall, handsome figure appeared in front of him.

"Boss, don't close the door yet. I want to taste your cooking."

Zha Ruguo smiled at Bu Fang, standing elegantly at the shop's entrance. A breeze blew, lifting the hem of his white robe.

Bu Fang looked at Zha Ruguo expressionlessly, while Zha Ruguo smiled back.

"Oh, today's business hours are over. Please come back tomorrow."

Bu Fang said calmly, then ignored Zha Ruguo and continued to close the door.

Zha Ruguo's expression stiffened. Was the boss refusing a customer? How could this small shop dare to refuse a customer?

"Business hours are set by people... They can be changed. I can pay more." Zha Ruguo thought for a moment and said again.

"No." Bu Fang's expression remained unchanged.

Zha Ruguo frowned. "I'll pay double. Is that okay?"

Bu Fang thought for a moment and still refused. "No."

Zha Ruguo was inwardly fuming. This small shop, was it really so stubborn? He didn't believe that they wouldn't take money!

"Triple the price!"

"No."

"Quadruple the price?!"

"No... no."

"Five times!" Zha Ruguo resisted the urge to kick Bu Fang's expressionless face and said coldly.

Five times?! Bu Fang's heart ached. At five times the price, a bowl of enhanced fried rice would cost fifty yuan crystals, and a regular bowl would cost five. He felt countless coins flying before his eyes.

"As a culinary god aiming to stand at the top of the food chain in this mystical world, you must have your own principles and integrity. Stick to your principles and don't be swayed by money! Don't bend for money!"

Just as Bu Fang was about to agree, the system timely poured a bowl of chicken soup, completely waking him up.

Zha Ruguo was quite pleased. He saw the hesitation on Bu Fang's face, which meant he was about to agree.

A small restaurant owner was talking about principles with him. There were no principles that a large sum of money couldn't break, and if that didn't work, an even larger sum would!

Bu Fang took a deep breath, his face becoming even darker and uglier. He glared at the smug Zha Ruguo and then...

"Bang!"

The door slammed shut, startling Zha Ruguo.

"What's going on? Boss, open the door! Are you still in business?" What about the hesitation and the compromise? How could he turn his back so quickly?

Even with his good manners, Zha Ruguo was now furious. Even the Phoenix Immortal Tower, the top restaurant in the capital, didn't have as many rules as this small shop. A small restaurant in a corner was actually talking about principles with him!

"Today's business hours are over. If you want to eat, come back early tomorrow."

Behind the tightly closed door, Bu Fang's lazy voice, accompanied by a yawn, echoed, followed by silence.

No matter how Zha Ruguo knocked, there was no response from behind the door.

The big black dog, lying at the door, lazily glanced at Zha Ruguo with its dog eyes and continued to sleep. This big black dog seemed to do nothing but eat and sleep, living a life more like a pig than a dog.

Zha Ruguo finally realized he had been refused. The handsome and suave Zha Ruguo had been rejected by a small, insignificant restaurant.

It felt as if an invisible arrow had pierced his heart.

Even a faint aura of true qi swirled in Zha Ruguo's pale hands, and with his third-grade Battle Frenzy cultivation, he wanted to smash the shop.

But after some thought, he gave up.

"Very well! I'll come back tomorrow to see what kind of shop dares to refuse me, Zha Ruguo!"

Zha Ruguo, the son of the Left Chancellor, was of noble birth. In the capital, everyone gave him some respect. To be humiliated by a small restaurant was a slap in the face!

Fuming, Zha Ruguo dissipated the true qi in his hands and turned to leave.

The big black dog, still lying down, watched Zha Ruguo's retreating back and rolled its eyes...

Bu Fang returned to his room, not giving Zha Ruguo a second thought.

He yawned again, feeling very sleepy today.

Lying on the bed, Bu Fang called up the system interface to check.

Host: Bu Fang

Gender: Male

Age: Twenty

True Qi Cultivation: First Grade (As a culinary god in a mystical world, future food will definitely require true qi. Young man, work hard.)

Culinary Talent: Unknown

Skills: None

Items: None

Culinary God Overall Rating: Beginner (A beginner who has finally mastered true qi and learned to cook fried rice.)

System Level: One Star

Bu Fang's face showed surprise.

"True Qi Cultivation is already at the first grade? Hey... does the system have levels?"

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