Yu Huaji had compensated him with a significant number of precious, ancient dicinal herbs, and Yan Qinghe also urgently allocated a batch from his inventory. Lin Tang devoured them as if they were candy, feverishly refining their dicinal power. In the blink of an eye, he reached the peak of Foundation Establishnt, only a hair's breadth from the Golden Core Stage. He needed just one opportunity to begin his breakthrough.
When not deliberately concealed, his aura grew increasingly unfathomable, enough to make Zhu Yingning tremble uncontrollably.
How is he getting stronger every day? Is cultivation really this simple for him?
If he were a bit stronger than her, she would be jealous. If he were much stronger, she would be in awe. But if he were imasurably stronger… she wouldn't even know what words to use to describe her feelings.
Lee Encai, however, was too weak to discern any change in Lin Tang. She was still as carefree and clueless as ever, even brazenly pulling his ear and roaring like a shrew, "Didn't you swear you did nothing with Shatana? Then why is she still hanging around, refusing to leave? I knew it! All cats are bound to steal a taste of fish. You must have slept with her that night."
"Hey, we're outside! Give so face, will you?" Lin Tang seed to have beco completely henpecked, feigning fear even as his eyes danced with laughter. Truth be told, having spent so much ti together, he and Lee Encai had grown incredibly close. Their deep affection and unspoken understanding made them seem more like a married couple. Lin Tang's tolerance for her was also the highest; he let her get away with anything, completely spoiling her.
"Shatana keeps trying to get to go to Sunset Country; there must be a conspiracy. I've already had Zichu try to sound her out. I won't et her until her motives are clear, let alone sleep with her, so you can rest assured."
"Rest assured? How can I rest assured? You just said you'll start sleeping with her once you figure out what she's really after!"
"..."
Is that what I ant?
The two continued to bicker as they arrived at a food street, ready to have dinner.
"Huh?"
A man selling fried rice from a cart looked familiar. After a mont, Lin Tang realized it was the migrant worker couple, Zhang Xinyu and Liu Changping. Yan Luoyang's grandmother had once placed a curse on Zhang Xinyu, but Lin Tang had discovered it and driven the evil out. The couple was not very skilled, their movents clumsy. Their cooking was rely ho-style, so they could only attract custors by offering generous portions at a low price. It wasn't working well; their stall was deserted. Next to them, however, another stall had flas roaring high. A severely dented wok was tossed skillfully by the owner, the fried rice dancing within it. Every grain was distinct, carrying that signature smoky aroma from a searing-hot wok. You could tell just by looking that it was packed with flavor, and custors were lined up in a long queue.
"Benefactor?" Upon seeing Lin Tang, Zhang Xinyu's first reaction wasn't a warm greeting, but to cover her face, wanting to run and hide. Liu Changping's face also flushed red with embarrassnt.
"Oh, it's you two. I rember you used to work in a factory. Why the career change?" Lin Tang asked casually.
"Sigh, don't even get started..." Liu Changping was about to complain, but Zhang Xinyu cut him off. "We felt that factory work was unfulfilling, so we wanted to try starting our own business."
"Oh. In that case, I'll have an order of fried noodles with extra egg and at."
"I want one too," Lee Encai added. Though she was a privileged young lady, she had no problem with street food.
The two sat on small stools around a tiny table. "I heard Shen Youling has been back with the Shen Family for a few days. Why haven't you gone to see her?" Lee Encai asked. "And after I helped you confess your feelings so many tis. She was really touched."
Lin Tang rolled his eyes. "Your 'help' just made things awkward, leaving clueless about how to act around her. I'm giving it so ti. We'll talk after she's forgotten about this whole incident." He also didn't want to deal with Dong Mingfeng and the others, lest he accidentally cripple or kill them. They were Youling's parents, after all. Besides, if Shen Youling really cared, why hadn't she taken the initiative to find him?
By the stove, Liu Changping whispered, "Why didn't you let tell him the truth?"
Zhang Xinyu sighed softly. "Our benefactor has already done more than enough for us. We can't push our luck. He doesn't owe us anything."
"That's true..."
The reality was that back when Lin Tang had been a wanted man, a group of officers had stord in and investigated everyone in Zhang Xinyu's rented building without explanation. An argunt broke out, and they were taken away. This led to them being absent from work and subsequently fired, and their final pay was heavily docked. Worse, rumors began to spread that they had been arrested for serious cris and were only released due to a lack of evidence, and that they could be thrown in prison at any mont. As a result, no other factories would hire them; they were blacklisted. Left with no choice, they tried running a food stall to make ends et.
Due to their clumsy movents and the stove's low fla, it took them more than ten minutes to finally bring over the fried noodles. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Benefactor."
"No problem. I'm eager to taste your cooking. Also, stop calling Benefactor; just use my na."
"Yes, of course, Benefactor!" Zhang Xinyu said, nervously wringing her hands, terrified that Lin Tang wouldn't like the food. When she saw him eating with relish, she finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"Ti to pay the stall fee! Everyone, hurry it up!" Just then, two or three n shouted as they ca to a stop at the edge of the street.
"Coming, coming!" All the stall owners, no matter how busy they were, imdiately stopped what they were doing and scrambled to pay, terrified that a mont's delay would anger the n. After all, a single word from them could decide if a stall was allowed to operate.
Liu Changping, whose cooking skills were already diocre, was frantically stirring a new order to keep it from burning in the wok. He couldn't bear to throw it out and start over, so he didn't imdiately get in line, figuring Zhang Xinyu could pay for both of them. But by the ti he finished cooking, he saw Zhang Xinyu being shoved roughly to the ground. "Weren't two people registered? Why did only one show up? You still wanna do business here or not?"
"I'm sorry, so sorry..." Liu Changping's face went pale as he rushed over to apologize profusely. The man, however, wouldn't let it go, insisting they had broken the rules and wasted his ti. They had to pay a fine, or they could pack up and get lost.
"How can they do that!" Lee Encai was about to go over and argue.
But Lin Tang stopped her. "Unless we can be here to help them every single day, we shouldn't escalate things."
"Huh?" Lee Encai paused, realizing he had a point. Even if she stood up for them now and got rid of those thugs, they would only hold a grudge. What about tomorrow? And the day after? She wouldn't always be around. "Brother Lin, don't you usually let your fists do the talking? Why are you using your brain today?"
"Bullshit! I always think before I act, alright!"
"Whatever," she scoffed.
Over on the other side, Zhang Xinyu paid double the fee and apologized again before returning with a heavy heart. Because of the delay, the few custors they had were all gone. The custor who ordered the now-finished plate had disappeared without taking it or paying. Liu Changping stood there, speechless.
"Old Liu, I'm still hungry. I'll take that order," Lin Tang called out.
"It's already cold, and the flavor's off. I'll make you a fresh one."
"Don't worry about it, I don't mind." Under their grateful gazes, Lin Tang polished off the al in a flash. Then he went to pay the bill. Zhang Xinyu tried repeatedly to refuse, insisting she would never take money from their benefactor, but she was no match for Lin Tang's strength and couldn't stop him. Lin Tang didn't pay double or triple, just the normal price.
After a mont's thought, he asked, "Do you have a pen and paper?"
"Yes, yes." As a novice, Zhang Xinyu had a poor mory and often mixed things up, so she wrote orders down.
Lin Tang quickly scribbled down a list of spices, noting the precise weight of each, down to the gram. Then he leaned in and whispered a set of instructions in her ear.
Zhang Xinyu's head was spinning. "My goodness, that's so complicated!" She sheepishly pulled out her battered old phone. "Can I record you?"
Lin Tang laughed. "Alright, forget it. I'll just show you."
Luckily, there was a shop selling spices nearby, so it was easy to get everything. Lin Tang deftly asured out each ingredient in its exact proportion, then ground them all into a fine powder. Zhang Xinyu took a whiff and was stunned. "That's so fragrant! How is that possible?" They were all common spices, just more of them. How could a simple change in quantity create such a monuntal difference in aroma?
Lin Tang had Liu Changping step aside and took over the wok himself. He cranked the heat to full, turning the bottom of the wok red-hot. With a flurry of movents as fierce as a tiger, he elevated the simple act of frying noodles into an art form.
"Wow!" The surrounding custors were srized.
"You can do that?" the other stall owners exclaid in shock. They watched as the noodles in Lin Tang's wok soared into the air like a rising dragon, shooting ten ters high before falling in a perfect cascade back into the wok. With a flick of his spatula, he made the noodles dance as if they were alive, spinning around him without a single strand falling astray. The egg and bean sprouts were perfectly integrated yet distinct.
Then, Lin Tang sprinkled his newly-made secret seasoning into the wok. The intense heat hit it.
BOOM!
An impossibly mouthwatering aroma exploded from the wok, wafting far down the street and drawing over every custor in sight.
"My god, is that even fried noodles?"
"So fragrant! I've never slled anything like it! It looks incredible!"
"And look at that portion size! What a bargain!"
"Boss, I'll take that order!"
"Hey, I was here first!"
"I'll pay double!"
In an instant, Zhang Xinyu's once-deserted stall beca the hottest spot on the street. The other stall owners were dumbfounded. This was how you competed for business?
Lin Tang laughed heartily. "Form a line, one at a ti! Still the original price, and if you don't like it, you don't pay!"
No matter how practiced and nimble the other cooks were, they were no match for him. His hands beca a blur, his movents growing more and more flashy until he even started tossing the entire wok high into the air. The move did nothing to improve the taste, but it was an incredible gimmick. It was impossible to look away! Anyone who passed by couldn't help but stop and stare in awe.
"Pfft—" Lee Encai stifled a laugh, her face a picture of pure adoration. Her gaze was so intense it was practically tangible. Compared to him just getting angry and chewing out the fee collectors on their behalf, what Lin Tang was doing now was far more appealing to her.
He's so cool!
「anwhile, at Lin Tang's ho.」
The secretly lurking Yu Huaji shifted his weight; his legs were numb from squatting for so long.
Why isn't this little bastard back yet?
Out of sheer boredom, he began to look around the room. He didn't care at first, but when he took a proper look, his eyes went wide with shock.
...My god, are all of these...?!
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