Cultivation Daddy Chapter 66: One Pot of Calm, One Spoon of Storm

With three buns out of the house, the usual chaos of the Li family simred down quite a bit. The courtyard felt wider and the laughter was lighter, they missed the other three more than expected.

Li Jain saw this and decided to get them busy. By midmorning, the Spiritual Tavern reopened its doors and the custors that’ve been waiting rushed in one after another.

The scent of stead lotus dumplings and grilled phoenix root skewers wafted out onto the street, stirring up the familiar buzz of eager custors. When the Spiritual Tavern didn’t open on ti, they were a bit worried that it was closed again.

News of the spiritual tavern has spread far and wide beyond Fengwu, and many people have been coming in and out of Qingyuan town. This makes many business n envision. Unfortunately, they couldn’t produce what the Spiritual Tavern sold. By noon, the line stretched halfway down the block.

Inside, Li Yujian and the others were moving quickly, and gracefully, balancing plates on their palms like they weighed nothing. At the sa ti, Li Cheng handled the counter, carefully confirming orders and exact change while making small talk with regular custors.

"Ah, Little Master Yujian, long ti no see," an old cultivator in green robes chuckled as he accepted his tray. "Tell , does your father put a spirit nurturing array under the kitchen floor? The taste of his dishes...mm, it’s practically divine."

The old man smiles with a mouth full of teeth: "I bet I can also produce sothing of this quality if I have a spirit nurturing array under my kitchen."

Li Yujian offered a polite smile and said jokingly: "Grandpa Zhou, if we did, the food might float off the plates. Wouldn’t want to chase your dumplings around."

The other tables chuckled.

Li Yujian was already used to this. Every once in a while soone would indirectly ask them about the secret to the success of their restaurant.

A plump woman with elegant robes leaned conspiratorially toward Cheng. "Little Master Cheng, your father’s recipes... are they inherited from a powerful sect? Or did he once serve as the private chef to a reclusive alchemist?"

This was a more or less direct question. Li Cheng sighed: "My father says food is like cultivation, it cos from sincerity and balance."

"Ohh~ so mysterious," The woman tittered and pretended not to hear the hidden aning of his words.

"Sounds like he’s dodging the question," soone else teased.

Li Cheng didn’t flinch. "So recipes can’t be explained. My father is just a good cook."

Laughter rippled across the room. But just as everyone was enjoying the relaxing afternoon, a sharp voice cut through the air like a sharp blade.

"Where’s the owner?!!"

The shout was filled with both anger and urgency.

A middle-aged man stord through the tavern doors, with his dusty robes from the long ride. His face was flushed with anger and spiritual pressure leaked from him uncontrollably. Luckily, his level wasn’t high so it didn’t affect the custors.

Li Jain appeared from the kitchen, wiping his hands with a cloth. "I’m the owner. May I help you, honored guest?"

"You’ve got a lot of nerve," the man sneered. "Your food nearly killed my young master! He collapsed not long after eating from here! Now he’s still unconscious and the physicians don’t know what to do. They said if he doesn’t wake up by nightfall, he’ll be gone!"

"How do you explain this? We bought food to cultivate, not to kill!"

A sharp silence dropped over the room. Chopsticks froze mid-air. Although so custors pretend not to see what’s going on, they still pick up their ears listening to how Li Jain would handle this situation.

This was the first ti Li Jain experience food poisoning since the opening of his restaurant. Even so, his expression didn’t change. Both Yujian and Cheng stepped forward quietly, ready to assist.

Li Jain raised a calming hand. "Please sit. Let’s not cause panic. I take every dish that leaves this kitchen seriously. They are all cooked by , I assure you that there is no poisonous material in them. Why don’t you tell what your young master ordered and ate?"

The man slamd down a folded order slip. "We ordered takeout for him ’Fiery Orchid Stir-Fry’ and the ’Clear Spirit Jelly Broth.’ We thought it’d help him recover faster as described, but now he’s unconscious!"

"Fiery Orchid Stir-Fry," Li Jain repeated, frowning, "and Clear Spirit Jelly Broth... I see."

Whispers fluttered through the tavern. Regulars started murmuring. The gossip-spreaders perked up.

"That dish combo helps with breakthroughs..."

"I’ve eaten both before, when I was stuck at a bottleneck. I broke through peacefully, unfortunately I can’t afford it now. I’m still saving up for my next breakthrough."

"He’s lying, trying to get free compensation..."

Li Jain waved them quiet. Not only was his restaurant reputation on the line, but every custor was important to him. And every dish reacts differently to different people.

He looked the man in the eye and asked him: "Did your young master have any ongoing symptoms? Any spiritual instability, irregular qi flow, or cold marrow condition?"

The man blinked and said hesitantly: "He... he has Cold Core Suppression."

The guests gasp, this was a serious problem that involves flawed foundation and weak construction.

Li Yujian muttered under his breath, "That’s a rare imbalance of fire and water roots. Causes internal freezing during cultivation."

Li Jain nodded solemnly. "I see. If soone with Cold Core Suppression eats the Fiery Orchid Stir-Fry, it stimulates internal yang energy. The Clear Spirit Jelly Broth on its own is a powerful cleanser, but it opens the spiritual chambers too rapidly. When taken together, the dishes cancel and clash. The result can be spiritual backlash."

"You’re saying this is our fault?" the man scowled.

"I’m saying...," Li Jain said gently: "that certain foods interact differently depending on the body. That’s why there are warnings on both dish descriptions. If the order slip you brought ca from our tavern, it should have listed dietary cautions clearly."

He took it and turned it around, pointing: Warning: not recomnded for those with Cold Core, Ice Root, or Fla Imbalance.

The man looked embarrassed.

Li Jain bowed lightly. "However, since this involves soone’s health, we won’t ignore it. Please bring your young master here imdiately. I’ll prepare a cooling broth and pulse stabilizer. If we act quickly, he’ll recover within the day."

The man hesitated, clearly flustered by the unexpected turn of event and the growing number of judgntal stares from the other custors.

Soone whispered too loudly, "Didn’t even read the warning. So nerve to shout in public."

Another woman near the door crossed her arms. "Coming in screaming like that... What a disgrace. You’re lucky, owner Li is so polite."

The man’s face turned red, he gave a stiff nod and left quickly: "I’ll... bring him at once."

After he left, the room slowly resud its relaxed mode. They discussed the matter for a while before switching to casual conversation.

Li Jain turned to Cheng and Yujian. "Thank you for the assistance."

"We didn’t do anything." Li Cheng’s little face has an unusual blush.

"Your presence made all the difference." Li Jain laughs and robs their heads.

From a VIP room, a voice called, "Little boss! The golden plum vinegar is low again!"

"I’m coming!" Li Yujian replied.

Li Jain nods: "Let’s go get busy."

The day went on as usual, the setting sun cast long shadows across the stone floors. The Spiritual Tavern had its ups and downs, but as long as Li Jain stood at its heart, no gust of wind could stir too much trouble.

...

Evening painted the tavern courtyard in warm gold, casting soft light over the tiled roofs. Only a few custors stayed longer, waiting to see the climax of the previous incident .

Li Jain worked quietly, boiling herbs and refining spirit liquid with precision. Yujian and Cheng helped without needing much instruction. They helped clearing the last tables, washing dishes, and eting each custor’s needs.

Then, just before the sunset completely, the courtyard gate creaked open again.

The man from earlier returned, this ti he was carrying a pale, unconscious boy on his back. His expression was filled with guilt rather than anger now.

Behind him follow an elderly man with sharp hawk-like eyes, wearing the dark gold robes. He carried himself with dignity, but a deep frown marred his face. It could be seen that he’d scolded the middle-age servant a lot during their journey.

"I brought him." The man said quietly. "He hasn’t woken up."

Li Jain has been expecting them. "Bring him here."

He gestured to a prepared mat on the floor of a side room. Cheng and Yujian moved silently to assist, helping ease the boy down while Jain examined him with careful hands.

One palm pressed gently against the boy’s chest. His spiritual sense seeped inside.

Many custors took this opportunity to go see his backyard. But Li Jain didn’t care, apart from the herb garden, there wasn’t much worth seeing.

"His ridians are constricted," Jain murmured. "His yang is clashing against his yin. But we still got ti."

He looked at Li Cheng. "Bring the cooling star-root tea. The one steeped in moon marrow."

"Yes, Father."

"Xiao Jian, hold this stabilizing array steady," Li Jain instructed, placing a small talisman plate in his eldest son’s hand. "If the fla flickers, tell imdiately."

"Yes, Father."

The man who had accused them earlier stood off to the side, wringing his hands. "Will he be alright?"

"I’ll do my best." Li Jain said simply.

The old cultivator behind him narrowed his eyes, and stepped forward at last: "You are the tavern’s owner?"

"I am."

"Then allow to apologize on behalf of my disciple’s caretaker." The old man said: "He panicked and lost his composure. I am Elder Wei, an itinerant teacher and physician. I had no idea your establishnt included spiritual grade diagnostics."

Li Jain offered a soft smile. "Food and dicine co from the sa source. We only hope to serve what nurtures and brings delights to the soul."

The elder gave a low hum of agreent.

Over the next hour, with precise hand seals and gentle guidance, Li Jain worked to regulate the boy’s qi. The boy’s expression relaxed slowly, his lips losing their bluish tinge. Eventually, his breathing evened out and his eyelids fluttered.

"He’ll be fine," Jain said finally. "No internal damage. He’ll be awake by tomorrow morning."

The boy’s caretaker burst into relieved bows. "Thank you! Thank you, Owner Li."

Jain shook his head. "Just rember to pay attention next ti."

"I will, I will. Thank you so much." The man was so relieved that he started to cry.

Yujian muttered loud enough for everyone to hear: "What about the fees?"

"Yujian," Li Jain warned gently, but the corners of his mouth twitched. "No need for fees, treat it as compensation."

Everyone present looked at him in a new light thinking, owner Li was really a rare good man.