Li Zhenshan saw that neither of their expressions looked fake, and only then did he stop pressing them.
He still wore an unpleasant expression, however. He walked into the quaint little courtyard beside Chu Feng's and slammed the door shut.
Chu Feng was surprised as well. He had never expected that the little courtyard he had chosen at random would be next door to this strange-tempered old man.
He shook his head and paid it no mind. After finally cleaning up the courtyard, he could hardly go through the trouble of moving again.
When everything was completely tidied up, the evening drumbeats sounded from outside the street.
Chu Feng knew that curfew had begun.
"Damn, curfew has started, and my mother is still waiting for me to go home for dinner!" Chen Shi Tou said anxiously.
Chu Feng smiled. "Stay here tonight and taste your master's cooking."
"All right. I hope Mother isn't too worried."
Going outside during curfew and getting caught was a serious crime, so Chen Shi Tou could only stay.
Chu Feng took the pork ribs he had prepared long ago from his bundle.
Cooks didn't steal, and grain merchants didn't accept grain.
Butchers went without saying—who had ever seen a butcher who was thin?
However, Chu Feng's appetite was enormous now, so he couldn't make too much of a fuss. He had only filched three jin and bought another five jin himself.
Chu Feng smiled. "Today, I'll let you see your master's culinary skills."
Chen Shi Tou wore a look of wonder. He had never imagined that Chu Feng could cook as well.
Chu Feng smiled. First, he marinated the pork ribs with various seasonings. Then he cracked an egg and crushed the steamed bun into crumbs.
He dipped the marinated ribs in the egg wash, coated them in the steamed-bun crumbs, and finally put them into the boiling oil.
The oil crackled as the ribs fried. Before long, an aroma that hooked the appetite wafted into their noses. The entire room filled with the fragrance of pan-fried pork ribs.
Chen Shi Tou drooled with hunger.
Pan-fried pork ribs were a dish evolved from Western cuisine in his previous life. In this world, no one had ever even seen anything like them.
No wonder even the restaurant's waiter couldn't stop himself from drooling.
Taking out the Huadiao wine he had filched, the two of them gathered around the pot and ate until their mouths gleamed with grease.
"Master, I never would have guessed you were a cook too. I think you're much better than Master Li."
Chen Shi Tou's little face was flushed, and he let out a hiccup with bleary, drunken eyes.
"If it's good, eat more. Stop with the idle chatter. And don't tell anyone outside that I know how to cook."
Chu Feng only wanted to keep a low profile. Showing off did not suit his current situation.
"Why not? I really do think you're much better than that arrogant Li Zhenshan." Chen Shi Tou looked utterly puzzled.
"Enough nonsense. If I tell you not to say it, then don't say it. Do you still want to learn from me?"
Chu Feng gave Chen Shi Tou a hard flick on the forehead.
"Oh, got it." Chen Shi Tou rubbed his head pitifully and did not dare argue anymore.
After Li Zhenshan returned home, he quickly finished the roast chicken in his hands, but half the wine still remained.
Drinking without any food left him feeling deeply uncomfortable.
Just then, he suddenly caught the enticing aroma of meat from next door.
He was instantly stunned. He knew more than a hundred dishes, and the delicacies he had tasted were too numerous to count.
Yet never had he encountered the aroma of a dish so captivating.
Unable to resist, he followed the fragrance over.
To his surprise, its source was next door—the little courtyard the butcher had just rented.
He had originally not wanted to have anything to do with him, but that mouthwatering aroma drew him onward until he could not help but push the door open.
When he found the door locked, he lightly tapped the ground. His plump body unexpectedly swept over the courtyard wall and landed inside as lightly as a flying swallow.
He happened to hear Chen Shi Tou's words. Li Zhenshan immediately flew into a towering rage.
Good for you, Chen Shi Tou!
Back then, you had fawned and groveled, hoping to take me as your master, and now you were slandering me behind my back!
At the thought, Li Zhenshan's breathing grew unsteady, exposing a flaw.
"Who's there?"
Chu Feng's ears twitched slightly, easily catching the faint disturbance.
His body shot out of the room like a gust of wind, and he saw Li Zhenshan standing there with a thoroughly dejected expression.
"So it's Master Li. Coming uninvited isn't exactly a good habit."
"If I hadn't come, I suppose I wouldn't have learned that someone was badmouthing me." Li Zhenshan was still somewhat haughty.
But as a cook, he desperately wanted to know what was behind that aroma.
"I've come all the way here myself. Aren't you going to invite me in for a seat?"
Li Zhenshan carried a wine pot in his hand. His nose twitched involuntarily as he looked toward the room where the aroma originated.
Seeing that the other man had no ill intentions, Chu Feng invited him inside.
Chen Shi Tou was still eating and sighing from time to time. "I think Master should be the head chef of Hongyun Restaurant. His techniques are superb and his cooking is extraordinary—he's far better than that icy old man Li..."
He was speaking excitedly when he turned around and saw Li Zhenshan standing right in front of him. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, then stammered,
"Master Li, I... I..."
Before he could finish, he fainted.
Chu Feng thought something had happened and hurriedly examined him.
"Don't panic. He only drank too much and passed out."
Li Zhenshan calmly found a place to sit, picked up a piece of pan-fried pork ribs with his chopsticks, and placed it in his mouth, savoring it carefully.
"Crisp on the outside and tender within. The crunchy crust and soft pork blend together perfectly. What a stroke of genius."
"It's merely a clever trick, nothing worth mentioning. It can't compare to your solid skills, Master Li."
"If a warrior who has perfected Flesh Tempering is nothing worth mentioning, then there is probably nothing in this world worth talking about." Li Zhenshan's words were astonishing.
Chu Feng's hand paused slightly as he reached for another rib.
"What makes you say that, Master Li?"
He was certain he had not revealed a single flaw. How had this man seen through him?
Li Zhenshan did not answer. Instead, he began discussing the realms of martial cultivation.
"Martial cultivation progresses through skin, flesh, sinews, and bones. Few people can train any of them to perfection. The so-called later stage merely means one has met the conditions for advancing to the next level."
"But if someone can train to the extreme, they can often display miraculous abilities. Take the Marrow Polishing Realm, for example. Most people can only cultivate ox hide, while those with exceptional talent can cultivate copper skin, which blades and swords cannot harm."
"Actually, there is another realm above that—the Kui Niu's Hide."
Seeing that Chu Feng seemed not to understand, Li Zhenshan explained:
"It is said that the Kui Niu was a divine beast from ancient times. It had only one leg, and its roar was like thunder. It possessed the toughest hide in the world. The ancient Heavenly Emperor led many mighty warriors in surrounding and killing the Kui Niu, then used its hide to make a drum. Striking the drum could send its sound ten thousand li and reduce enemies to dust. Its might was immense!"
"The Kui Niu's Hide is the ultimate level of the warrior's Marrow Polishing Realm. The hide returns to simplicity, no different from an ordinary person's at a glance, yet on closer inspection, lightning patterns can be seen flickering across it. Its defense is unparalleled, and no one at the same realm can break through it!"
Chu Feng would naturally never admit it. He smiled. "It sounds truly enviable, but unfortunately, I'm not at that level."
Li Zhenshan burst out laughing as he spoke and ate. By then, he had consumed more than half the meat in the pot.
"What I want to talk about isn't Marrow Polishing, but Flesh Tempering!"
"Just like the Marrow Polishing Realm, Flesh Tempering also has a level of perfection. That means tempering all 639 muscles in the body. Most warriors can only temper three hundred muscles, while the stronger ones reach their limit at four hundred. Five hundred makes one a favored child of heaven, someone every sect and Noble Family would treasure as a priceless gem."
"Tempering all 639 muscles is also called the Flesh Vajra. When erupting with full force, the muscles take on the form of a Vajra Mingwang, with furious brows, glaring eyes, and exposed fangs. The physical strength is terrifying, and the stamina is long and almost inexhaustible."
"What an incredible Flesh Vajra!" Chu Feng could not help praising it.
He had once been nothing more than a lowly servant of the Fang Family. This was the first time anyone had ever imparted such hidden knowledge of cultivation to him.
Li Zhenshan looked at Chu Feng with a smile that was not quite a smile.
"The Flesh Vajra possesses another special ability: absolute control over the muscles. With ultimate control over every muscle in the body, one can alter their form, disguise one's appearance, and change one's shape, leaving no flaw for anyone to detect."
"What happened at the Fang Family today—you were the one who did it, weren't you?"
"Master Li, you jest. If I were a Flesh Vajra, would I still fear the Fang Family? I would have shattered every restraint long ago."
Chu Feng still refused to admit it. You may have guessed it, but I won't admit anything.
There was just one thing Li Zhenshan had judged incorrectly: Chu Feng had tempered only 512 muscles, still quite a distance from 639.
It was only through Lifespan Deduction that he had gained mastery of the abilities of perfected Flesh Tempering ahead of time.
Before you continue