ARLQLCC chapter 7

 

The shopkeeper was stunned when he heard that. He sized Su Ji up for a moment, then nodded and said, “If it’s a partnership, then of course I’ll take it. My surname is Chen. May I ask your honored surname, Young Master?”

Su Ji raised his hand and shook his. “Shopkeeper Chen, my name is Su Ji.”

“Young Master Su, this is not a convenient place to talk. Would you be willing to come inside with me so we can discuss the details? The spiritual fields in the back courtyard have just matured, so we can tour them while discussing our cooperation.”

Su Ji entered the back courtyard together with Shopkeeper Chen. One of the clerks went to Shopkeeper Chen’s seat and took over receiving customers in his place.

The seed shop was called Lingle Pavilion. The storefront in front sold all kinds of seeds and seedlings, with a full range of varieties, while the place Shopkeeper Chen referred to as the back courtyard was so large that calling it a courtyard didn’t seem fitting at all.

Calling it a back mountain would be more appropriate.

Passing through the curtain that led from the shop to the back courtyard, the view suddenly opened up. Vast spiritual fields spread out at the foot of the mountain, filled with lush spiritual plants that were clearly being carefully tended.

Most of the shop assistants were working in this back mountain area. Along the small paths, busy figures came and went, fertilizing and watering the spiritual fields.

This was a completely open-air and fully developed large-scale planting base, with a very systematic management method. No wonder they were able to build relationships with all the sects and become their supplier.

Su Ji said in surprise, “This is the first time I’ve learned there’s such a large spiritual plant base here.”

Shopkeeper Chen stroked his beard and smiled. “Young Master Su looks unfamiliar. I’m afraid you haven’t visited the market very often, so it’s normal not to know. May I ask which sect Young Master Su is representing?”

Su Ji touched the tip of his nose somewhat embarrassedly. “To be honest with you, Shopkeeper Chen, I belong to no sect.”

Shopkeeper Chen looked surprised. “Oh?”

Su Ji spoke frankly. “I wonder if Shopkeeper Chen has heard of Linggu Mountain. It used to be the location of a cafeteria connected to various sects, but for some reason it was abandoned.

I live there now, and I felt it would be a pity to let it remain abandoned. If I can reopen it, it would also give disciples from the various sects another option for meals.”

After hearing his words, Shopkeeper Chen’s eyes lit up. “Linggu Mountain! What a coincidence. When it was still operating, they worked with us. At first, the owner of the cafeteria used spiritual plants grown in the mountain fields as ingredients, but once the number of disciples increased, the supply could no longer keep up, so they came to Lingle Pavilion to find me.”

As he spoke, he burst into laughter. “Speaking of which, there is a teleportation array in the Linggu Mountain cafeteria, and I personally led people there to set it up!”

Su Ji had not expected there to be such a connection and exclaimed, “That really is a coincidence!”

Shopkeeper Chen asked again, “How long does Young Master Su plan to order ingredients for at first? I’ll make a record so that Linggu Mountain can reopen as soon as possible.”

Su Ji replied, “Does Lingle Pavilion have a minimum time requirement? If I’m ordering ingredients, I’d like to start with six months. After all, it’s been abandoned for so long. If it suddenly reopens, I don’t know whether it will operate steadily, so ordering for half a year seems safer.”

Shopkeeper Chen nodded in agreement.

With that, the deal was settled. The two returned from the back courtyard to the shop. Su Ji paid in advance with spiritual stones for six months of ingredients, while Shopkeeper Chen called over Lingle Pavilion’s array master, and the three of them flew on swords together to Linggu Mountain.

Throughout Su Ji’s conversation with Shopkeeper Chen, Chu Zhaoye had remained quietly nestled against his chest. Now that they were returning to the mountain, he poked out half his head and let out a soft meow.

Afraid that he would crawl out and fall, Su Ji raised a hand and pressed it on his head, lowering his head to remind him, “Ma Tuan, don’t crawl out. If you fall, it’ll be hard to catch you.”

Chu Zhaoye was furious.

He had only stuck out half his head because he wanted to look at Su Ji. How could he be that stupid!

The little cat in his arms protested by patting his chest twice. Su Ji coaxed him, “Alright, alright, sorry. How about I make tomato soup hot pot for you at noon?”

Chu Zhaoye’s paw, which had been patting him, paused, and he let out a very loud meow.

The three of them flew back to Linggu Mountain on their swords and landed in the back courtyard.

The moment Shopkeeper Chen landed, he gave Su Ji a strange look. Su Ji noticed and asked with concern, “What’s wrong, Shopkeeper Chen? Are you dizzy from sword flight?”

Shopkeeper Chen: “…Not exactly. It’s just that while we were flying on swords, it seemed like you were talking, but there was no one around besides us, so I found it a little strange.”

“Oh!” Su Ji suddenly understood. He pulled a black fluffball out from the front of his robes and explained, “Ma Tuan is probably too small, so he isn’t very noticeable tucked against my chest. I was afraid he’d crawl around and fall out, so I was talking to him.”

Looking at the kitten that was not even as large as Su Ji’s palm, Shopkeeper Chen nodded in understanding and asked curiously, “Is this your spiritual pet, Young Master Su?”

Su Ji said, “Not exactly a spiritual pet. It would be more accurate to say he is my family.”

Shopkeeper Chen said, “It sounds like Young Master Su is very fond of this little cat.”

Chu Zhaoye had been lying obediently in Su Ji’s hand licking his fur, but after hearing their conversation, he froze. For a moment, he even forgot to keep licking his fur, and looked at Su Ji with a complicated expression.

Su Ji did not notice anything unusual. He habitually rubbed the cat’s head, nodded in agreement with Shopkeeper Chen’s words, then raised his other free hand and gestured toward the newly renovated little cafeteria.

“Don’t stand outside, you two. Come in first.”

Su Ji had completely put away all the tables and chairs in the cafeteria, so when they entered, there was not even a place to sit.

Su Ji said apologetically, “I’m really sorry. I just finished cleaning up this morning, and all the tables and chairs are still in my magic artifact. Please wait a moment. I’ll set them up right away.”

Shopkeeper Chen and the array master did not mind. They waved their hands to indicate that he need not be concerned.

One by one, the tables and chairs Su Ji had carefully selected flew out from his magic artifact. Under the control of spiritual energy, the previously empty cafeteria was filled in no time.

The colors of the tables and chairs complemented one another. They did not look out of place in the simple cafeteria at all, but blended perfectly into the environment, adding a touch of brightness to the old cafeteria.

Shopkeeper Chen watched from the side and praised casually, “Young Master Su has excellent taste.”

The array master echoed, “Looks good, looks good!”

Su Ji felt embarrassed. He raised his hand and pointed toward the cafeteria entrance. “You flatter me. The array is over there. Please come with me.”

The array was set up at the entrance. It could not be seen unless spiritual energy was infused into it, but for this sort of relatively low-level array, most cultivators could still sense it with spiritual energy even when it was not visible.

The array master stepped forward and infused spiritual energy into it. After examining it for a moment, he said, “Although this array was created many years ago, it is not completely damaged. It can still be used after repairs, but the repairs may take some time. Young Master Su, please wait patiently for a moment.”

Su Ji smiled and waved his hand. “It’s no trouble. Since the two of you have come all this way to my home, stay and eat before you leave.”

Shopkeeper Chen was not polite with him and cupped his hands. “Since we’ll be working together in the future, this is the perfect opportunity to sample Young Master Su’s cooking.”

Su Ji took Chu Zhaoye to the kitchen, while Shopkeeper Chen and the array master remained by the array.

Skilled as ever, Su Ji set the cat ball on the table and took out the ingredients he had prepared from his magic artifact.

The tomatoes sold in the market were large and plump. Su Ji selected two of the best-looking ones, peeled and diced them, and set them aside.

He poured hot oil into the pot, added chopped scallions, ginger, and garlic until they released their fragrance, then poured in the diced tomatoes he had prepared. He stir-fried and crushed them with a spatula until they softened and released their juice.

The sweet-and-sour aroma of the tomatoes was brought out by the sizzling oil and drifted faintly into Chu Zhaoye’s nose. The rumbling from his kitten belly interrupted his thoughts. While greedily watching Su Ji’s busy back, he felt extremely melancholy.

Before today, he had thought Su Ji had taken him in because he was rather cute in his cub form and was keeping him as a pet.

He had never expected that the reason the other party had treated him so well these past few days was because he regarded him as family.

As the ruler of the demon race, Chu Zhaoye had little concept of family. His true form had been born from heaven and earth. He had no father and no mother, and from the moment of his birth, he possessed extraordinary talents far beyond what other demons could hope to match.

Compared to family, he did not even have many friends.

The only ones who could be considered friends were his trusted subordinates.

But although they had known each other for thousands of years, they were nowhere near as close as he had become to Su Ji in just a few days.

In the past, when Chu Zhaoye slept, he either did not sleep at all, or he slept alone. Now there was one more option—sleeping like a little pig beside Su Ji.

The more Chu Zhaoye thought about it, the more melancholy he became.

He had not expected that he was so important to Su Ji, but sooner or later he would recover his magic power and return to the demon realm. It was impossible for him to remain by Su Ji’s side as a cat for his entire life.

The kitten, whose thoughts were running wilder and wilder, let out a sigh.

He wondered whether Su Ji would be able to accept him on the day he returned to human form.

However, after feeling melancholy for only a short while longer, he suddenly thought that, since Su Ji liked him so much, he could simply take Su Ji back to the demon realm with him when his magic power returned.

In any case, he had plenty of money. When the time came, Su Ji would not need to run this lousy cafeteria, working himself to death and earning only a few spiritual stones.

Feeling that his reasoning was very sound, Chu Zhaoye lay back down on the table and continued waiting for Su Ji to finish cooking.

Once the tomatoes were almost done frying, Su Ji added soy sauce, oyster sauce, and salt in sequence. Finally, he poured in a ladle of clear water and waited for the soup base to come to a boil.

The aroma had already filled the entire room, and Su Ji himself was getting a little hungry.

These past few days, he had either been opening fields or cleaning the house. His workload was more than twice what it had been when he was still in the sect.

Not to mention that he had only just been reborn from his previous life. He had sat on the Cliff of Reflection for twenty years, and after his rebirth, all he had done was physical labor. It really was a bit tragic.

The fish fillet congee he had eaten that morning had long since been completely digested. Su Ji rubbed his flat stomach, then took out another pile of ingredients. Some were sliced, some were cut into chunks, and the different ingredients were arranged neatly on separate plates, ready to be cooked in the hot pot later.

Since Su Ji did not know Shopkeeper Chen’s and the array master’s tastes, he chose a tomato soup base as a compromise. It was rich and flavorful, suitable whether someone liked spicy food or not. Not to mention that the ingredients he had bought were all fresh and high quality, making them perfect for hot pot.

Before the soup base finished boiling, Su Ji first carried the plates of ingredients into the cafeteria one by one. Once the fragrant soup base was bubbling, he brought it out as well.

Su Ji carried the soup base into the cafeteria, and Chu Zhaoye followed closely behind him, ready for the meal to begin.

As the tomato soup base was set down, the fragrance filled the cafeteria. The two men studying the array at the entrance raised their heads in perfect unison and looked toward Su Ji, who was carrying the soup pot.

Seeing them look up, Su Ji smiled, set the soup pot in the middle of the ring of ingredients, and called out, “You two have worked hard. Come eat!”

The two had already grown impatient from the aroma. The array repairs were nearly finished as well, and the array master was the first to stand and stride over to Su Ji.

Shopkeeper Chen followed behind, teasing as he chased after him, “You’re always the most enthusiastic when it’s time to eat!”

The array master’s voice drifted from ahead. “If you’re not enthusiastic about eating, there’s something wrong with your thinking!”

Su Ji could not help laughing. He divided the bowls and chopsticks, then picked up Chu Zhaoye, who was looking up at him from the floor, and placed him on the table.

Now that they were closer to the table, the fragrance of the soup base hit them head-on. Shopkeeper Chen and the array master exchanged a glance and both swallowed.

Shopkeeper Chen asked, “This is the first time I’ve seen food prepared this way. Are these side ingredients supposed to be cooked in the pot?”

Su Ji nodded. “Exactly. I also prepared several dipping sauces, both oil-based and dry. You can give them a try.”

Charcoal burned beneath the soup pot, making the red broth bubble enticingly. The array master, who loved soup, ladled out a spoonful of tomato broth, blew on it a few times, and impatiently took a sip.

The tomato juice had fully blended into the soup, making it incredibly rich and fragrant. With just one sip, saliva flooded his mouth.

After one taste, the array master could not stop. He blew hard on the steam rising from his bowl and drank the entire bowl in one go.

Seeing how impatient he looked, Shopkeeper Chen asked in confusion, “Is it really that good?”

The array master set down his bowl, gave Su Ji a thumbs-up, and praised sincerely, “I never expected Young Master Su to have such exquisite cooking skills at such a young age. Delicious!”

Standing on the table, Chu Zhaoye felt honored by the praise, and his tail wagged wildly.

Of course. If Su Ji’s cooking wasn’t delicious, then no one’s cooking was!

Hearing this, Shopkeeper Chen also ladled himself a bowl of soup and took a small sip. The rich tomato flavor exploded in his mouth, prompting him to take another sip.

He quickly finished the entire bowl. Only then did Shopkeeper Chen understand the array master’s reaction. It really was delicious.

As the manager of Lingle Pavilion, Shopkeeper Chen worked with sects of all sizes, and naturally he had been invited to try meals at many sect dinner halls. However, there were not many people on the continent who seriously studied cooking. There were skilled chefs, but they would never humble themselves to work in a small cafeteria.

As a result, among all the sect dinner halls he had visited, the best of them could only be considered acceptable.

Never before had he encountered a cafeteria like Su Ji’s. It was clearly just a simple soup pot, yet it produced such a rich and fragrant flavor that one could not forget it.

Before this, Shopkeeper Chen had thought that with Su Ji running such a cafeteria alone in a place abandoned for many years, business probably would not be very good. But after tasting his cooking, he completely overturned his previous opinion.

No wonder Su Ji, with only himself and one cat, dared to spend a huge amount of spiritual stones ordering six months’ worth of ingredients in advance. It turned out he had exceptional cooking skills to rely on.

Those sect disciples who ate mediocre food every day were probably already tired of it. If they tasted even one bite of Su Ji’s cooking, they likely would not want to return to their sect cafeterias ever again!

Savoring the taste of the tomato soup, Shopkeeper Chen praised, “Young Master Su, once your cafeteria opens, the dinning halls of the other sects are all going to lose business!”

Su Ji laughed. “Lose business? Is it really that exaggerated?”

The array master had just finished his second bowl of soup and joined the conversation. “That’s not exaggerated at all. Old Chen and I have visited so many dinning halls, and their dishes and cooking skills can’t compare to yours! Even this single soup pot is made to such a high standard. Your other dishes must taste even better!”

The repeated praise made Su Ji feel a little embarrassed. He scratched his head and said softly, “Please don’t praise me anymore. If you keep praising me, I’ll start believing it. And don’t just drink the soup. These ingredients taste quite good after being cooked and dipped in the sauces.”

Hearing this, Shopkeeper Chen laughed heartily and picked up a slice of beef with his chopsticks, lowering it into the soup pot.

The pot was equipped with a circular strainer, so the ingredients would not sink to the bottom. Once cooked, they could be picked directly out of the strainer.

The freshly cooked beef was tender and flavorful. The tomato broth seeped into every fiber of the meat, wrapping it completely. Even eaten plain, it retained the beef’s natural aroma, and together with the rich tomato flavor, it was already delicious.

Shopkeeper Chen then dipped it into the oil-based sauce set before him. Multiple flavors bloomed in his mouth, so fragrant that he narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.

Seeing the two of them eating with great enjoyment and even beginning to share which ingredients they thought tasted best, Su Ji felt reassured. He lowered his head and asked Chu Zhaoye, “Ma Tuan, what do you want to eat? I’ll cook it for you.”

Chu Zhaoye pointed to the fish slices in front of him and let out a meow.

Fish was too delicate and would easily fall apart if cooked directly in the pot, so Su Ji placed several slices into a strainer ladle and lowered them into the broth.

The fish cooked very quickly. In no time, Chu Zhaoye’s bowl was filled with cooked fish slices. Even while eating, Su Ji did not forget to feed him. Every time Chu Zhaoye finished the food in his bowl, it was immediately filled again.

The tomato soup hot pot was enjoyed thoroughly by both host and guests. From human to cat, every belly was round and full.

Su Ji politely declined Shopkeeper Chen and the array master’s offers to help wash the dishes. He escorted them to the back courtyard and promised that after the cafeteria opened, they were welcome to come eat anytime, free of charge.

After seeing the two off, Su Ji efficiently cleared the table and washed the pots and dishes. In a cheerful mood, he rubbed the cat’s head several times.

“Ma Tuan, the array is repaired! Once we prepare the menu tomorrow, we can officially open for business!”

 

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