Five Flavors Chopsticks

Riding his electric scooter, Li Ye headed towards the address Huang Qingyi had sent him on his phone, his mind quietly calculating.

If he were to rely on the most basic bowl of beef noodles, he would need ten thousand bowls to complete his Blood Essence jump and step into the Dragon Gate.

That would only cost a hundred thousand yuan.

However, his own Training Method would strengthen this aspect. The better he ate, the faster he would train, increasing his progress by a fifth to a third.

If he ate even better, it might be halved.

Then the cost would be even less, perhaps only sixty to seventy thousand yuan.

That was much cheaper than the tuition fees at a martial arts school.

He couldn't hope for the Ironclad Boar at noon; that was a school special, not a particularly precious ingredient, and it tasted bad, so it wasn't available on the open market.

But he could find similar things and try them out to see how much they improved his stats, then make targeted preparations.

He still needed to experiment more to find the most cost-effective food.

Half an hour later, Li Ye arrived at the navigation destination.

It was an old building in the West District. The paint was peeling off the walls from the outside, and the words "Sanitation Bureau" were displayed above the entrance.

Li Ye twitched the corner of his mouth and sent a message to Huang Qingyi. Within three minutes, Huang Qingyi, covered in bandages, appeared at the entrance.

"I thought you were a police officer," Li Ye said.

"I have a position there too."

Huang Qingyi led Li Ye inside and said, "Directly under the Security Department, affiliated with the Police Department, stationed with the Military, and located at the Sanitation Bureau. I'm a member of Pest Control Brigade One under the Sanitation Bureau's parallel unit, the Pest Control Bureau."

Li Ye was stunned. "Do you get one salary or four?"

"Five. The Pest Control Bureau has its own salary."

Huang Qingyi grinned, revealing his teeth, and gestured to his bandages. "It's a high-risk job, so higher pay is normal. Let's go, our Bureau Chief wants to see you."

They took the elevator up to the third floor, and Huang Qingyi led Li Ye into the corridor.

Unlike the dilapidated exterior, the corridor was surprisingly clean. The floor tiles were made of some unknown stone, light-colored throughout. The lights were on even during the day, and there wasn't a single dark spot.

The entire third floor was spacious, with only a few offices, bearing the signs for Bureau Chief and Deputy Bureau Chief.

The two walked to the door marked "Bureau Chief's Office" and pushed it open.

"Bureau Chief, he's here!"

As Huang Qingyi spoke, Li Ye stepped into the office and first scanned his surroundings.

This wasn't the simple office of a government unit he remembered, nor was it a stylish one. Instead, it felt strange.

The first thing that caught his eye was a desk as large as a conference table. Its material seemed like flowing lava, with veins glowing red.

Behind the desk stood a display cabinet, not filled with books, but with strange items.

Unknown fist-sized crystals, ferocious beast claws, peculiar porcelain, and Li Ye even saw an irregularly shaped gold brick.

To the side was a sofa made of what looked like white fur. At the end of the sofa was a bear-like head, but its face was green and fanged.

On the sofa was a picture frame that took up half the wall. The photo showed a burly man with torn clothes revealing his muscular physique, holding a double-handed ghost-head saber, and stepping on a majestic beast, similar to the fur on the sofa.

It was the style of a nouveau riche.

A violent nouveau riche, at that.

"I want accurate data, not analysis, and you want me to analyze it!"

A gruff voice boomed from the front. The same burly man from the photo was sitting there, one foot resting on the table, leaning back in his chair, and cursing into his phone.

"What do I even pay you for! The data clerk can't figure it out and comes to me? Don't you know I've never passed general knowledge! I'm hanging up. You have three days to give me the conclusion!"

The burly man hung up, glanced at the opposite side, and put on a smile, gesturing to the chair opposite him. "You're here, have a seat!"

Huang Qingyi was about to sit down when the burly man immediately shouted, "You stand! That guy..."

"Li Ye," Li Ye said.

"Li Ye, you sit."

After Li Ye sat down, the burly man smiled and said, "My name is Pan Zhengyang, the Bureau Chief of the Pest Control Bureau."

As he spoke, he pulled out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, then subconsciously offered one to Li Ye. "Want one?"

Li Ye didn't stand on ceremony. After taking the cigarette, Pan Zhengyang immediately lit it for him, cupping his hand to shield the flame as it ignited.

The practiced action stunned Huang Qingyi.

Isn't he just a student?

Li Ye exhaled a puff of smoke, his brow raised. "This is good stuff."

His Blood Essence had actually increased, though only slightly. Li Ye noticed it.

At the normal rate, he estimated he could gain 0.001 Blood Essence from one cigarette.

That was comparable to half a bowl of beef noodles.

"The moment I saw you, I knew you smoked! Alright, I'll give you a carton!"

Pan Zhengyang let out a hearty laugh, opened his drawer, and tossed Li Ye a golden cigarette case with no markings.

Li Ye had smoked and drunk in his past life, and he hadn't broken the habit in this one. He'd have a drink sometimes at class reunions and light up a cigarette when he was stressed.

But he knew for a fact that cigarettes were only harmful to the human body and couldn't possibly increase Blood Essence. It was just that martial artists' physical condition made them less concerned about such minor harm.

However, he could discern the ingredients of this thing with his Authority.

His Authority over the Qi Devourer also granted him the power to analyze the composition of food he ingested.

Whatever the ingredients, whether they were fresh or not, and which seasonings were used—he could tell as long as he was willing.

Even if it was something he didn't recognize, the moment it touched his tongue, he would know what it was.

[Golden Spine Bloodline Tobacco Leaf], a special breed grown with demon blood. It had the effect of strengthening bones when smoked in the morning and strengthening essence when smoked at night.

It was indeed a good thing, but what he was smoking now seemed to be a defective product.

Before Li Ye could ponder further, Pan Zhengyang spoke up.

"Regarding yesterday's events, I first want to express my gratitude. Our analysts made a mistake in their assessment, mistaking the Five Plagues Ghost for a Filth Worm. If you hadn't identified it correctly at the time, things would have become very bad."

"How did you confirm it?" Li Ye was quite curious about their process.

"Ah, that's mainly thanks to our analysts. They specialize in handling abnormal situations and confirming the presence of demons. For example, with Zhao Dashui, who was possessed, the analysts found unusual mold spots on the garbage collected by the Sanitation Bureau. After an investigation, they traced it back to him, and then they mobilized."

Pan Zhengyang glared at Huang Qingyi. "For this incident, the relevant personnel will be reprimanded or punished as appropriate. I called you here, firstly, to meet you, who could identify the demon in time and take corresponding measures."

"Secondly, to give some reward to ordinary people. But it's best not to do such things again. No matter how good your knowledge is, it's useless without corresponding strength. You felt that pollution, didn't you? We don't advocate for ordinary people to confront demons. The first thing you should do when you encounter a demon is to call the police."

As he spoke, he glanced at Li Ye. "Preparatory Student?"

Li Ye nodded.

Pan Zhengyang opened his drawer and first pushed a card over. "After deliberation, the bureau will reward you with three thousand, I'll add another three thousand personally, and Huang Qingyi will contribute four thousand, making it ten thousand for you. The password is six 6s."

"And this..."

He took out another box and placed it on the table. "Originally, things like this should be handed in for redistribution. But since you saved Huang Qingyi's life and averted a disaster, I've decided to give this to you."

Inside the box lay a pair of chopsticks, entirely green, appearing to be made of jade.

Li Ye took the box and held the chopsticks. They were cool to the touch and didn't feel like jade but rather like wood.

Why would they give him a pair of chopsticks?

As if sensing Li Ye's confusion, Pan Zhengyang chuckled. "When some demons die, there's a very small chance they leave behind some essence. The ancient term for this was Magic Treasure, and it's called the same now."

He pointed at the chopsticks. "This Magic Treasure is called the 'Five Flavors Chopsticks.' It was left behind after the Five Plagues Ghost died. Eating with these makes even the most unpalatable food taste delicious. Most importantly, it can improve the quality of food, which is perfect for you, a Preparatory Student."

A good thing!

Li Ye's eyes lit up. He fiddled with the chopsticks again before carefully placing them back in the box and storing them.

It's perfect to go with my current Authority.

"Thank you, I really needed this," Li Ye said.

"You deserve it."

Pan Zhengyang chuckled. "Alright, that's all. I won't keep you any longer. Da Huang, see him out."

Li Ye didn't waste any time and stood up to leave, but then he suddenly thought of something and asked, "What are the requirements to join your organization?"

He needed to gain Authority by killing gods, but demons weren't easy to find, let alone demons that could be considered gods.

A place that specialized in dealing with demons—if he could join, it would mean he could come into contact with a large number of demons.

This was probably his best chance.

Besides, the benefits seemed good, and the idea of a stable position wasn't something he'd reject, as such things existed at the end of the universe.

"You want to serve your country?"

Pan Zhengyang nodded appreciatively. "Good attitude, but you can't join without practicing martial arts. The lowest rank for an analyst is One Dragon Gate. The pollution from demons is not something ordinary people can withstand; even looking at their files can cause pollution. Only those with Qi Circulation can enter."

"And for those of us who specialize in dealing with demons, the starting point is Six Dragon Gate. Study and practice hard. When you graduate from university, if you still want to fight demons, you can apply."

Li Ye nodded and said no more, turning to leave.

Huang Qingyi escorted Li Ye to the entrance. Li Ye paused and asked, "Are the Five Flavors Chopsticks very valuable?"

"Not cheap."

Huang Qingyi said, "It's best not to let anyone know. Practical Magic Treasures like this are not cheap. If you were to sell this, it wouldn't go for less than ten million. Not to mention improving food quality, just the fact that it makes food taste better would attract many wealthy gourmands."

Li Ye was also startled when he heard this.

He hadn't thought the item was cheap, but this price far exceeded his expectations.

They just gave it to him so casually?

Seeing the astonishment and question in Li Ye's eyes, Huang Qingyi smiled. "Of course, I'd be reluctant to part with it. This is the first Magic Treasure I've ever seen. If you hadn't essentially saved my life, I definitely wouldn't have agreed."

"But you don't need to worry too much. The Bureau Chief said it's yours now, so it's yours. Not many people recognize this thing. Feel free to use it with confidence. If any problems arise... you can come to me. Our position here still carries some authority."

Hearing this, Li Ye nodded and bid farewell to Huang Qingyi.

After seeing Li Ye off, Huang Qingyi returned to the Bureau Chief's office and asked, "Bureau Chief, Li Ye is just a student. Is it really okay to give him something so valuable?"

"You... I say you're smart, but you're also ignorant. I say you're stupid, but you still know how to indirectly remind me."

Pan Zhengyang rolled his eyes. "Once it's given to him, it's his. Whether he sells it or uses it himself doesn't matter. But if someone tries to force us, will our Sanitation Bureau just die?"

He said irritably, "A student? You were all injured dealing with a Five Plagues Ghost, and a mere student managed to kill it using a countermeasure. He's far more capable than you!"

Huang Qingyi shrank his neck. "That was a mistake."

Pan Zhengyang pointed at him and scolded, "A mistake, a mistake! One mistake leads to injury, a second mistake leads to death! It doesn't matter if you die, but if Demons cause disaster and the common people die, you'll be a sinner!"

"Besides, I saw his legs are strong, he walks like the wind yet his steps are firm. His Training Method must be quite advanced. With a Magic Treasure, he'll enter the martial path sooner or later. If he stays true to his original intentions, he might even become our colleague in the future."

Pan Zhengyang lit another cigarette, took half of it in one drag, and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

He stared at the swirling smoke and slowly said, "If I'm still alive then..."