Hongyun Restaurant

Chu Feng killed two black goats, one fat pig, and ten chickens in total.

From being clumsy at first to later becoming comparable to Butcher Ding dissecting an ox, every saber stroke flowed like drifting clouds and running water. Before the livestock could even sense the pain, they had already gone west.

Chu Feng used six months of his lifespan to improve his slaughtering skills, naming them Butcher Ding's Ox-Dissecting Saber Technique.

Sharpening the saber does not delay chopping firewood. Only with greater efficiency could he plunder more lifespan.

But after Chu Feng upgraded his slaughtering skill, he realized something was wrong.

Even in this flourishing age of martial arts, martial artists were ultimately still a minority. Being able to consume two sheep and one huge fat pig already counted as a contribution from Hongyun Restaurant's booming business.

If he wanted to achieve lifespan freedom through the restaurant's business, he still had a long way to go.

But he had no other channels at present, so he could only keep working for now and accumulate bit by bit.

After working until nightfall, Chu Feng lay on the large bunk shared by six or seven people.

The smells of sweat and stinky feet mixed with the room's mustiness, forming an extraordinarily strange odor.

Combined with the unending snores beside him, it kept him from falling asleep for a long time.

Still, thinking of what he had gained improved Chu Feng's mood considerably, and he checked his panel.

[Name: Chu Feng.]

[ cultivation: Late Stage Marrow Tempering.]

[Plundered Lifespan: 2 years and six months!]

[Techniques: Dark Gold Marrow Polishing Technique perfected, Breaking Edge Saber Technique perfected, Savage Ox Muscle Tempering Art perfected, Butcher Ding's Ox-Dissecting Saber Technique at Great Accomplishment.]

Looking at the pitiful lifespan displayed, Chu Feng nevertheless revealed a happy smile. He had confirmed a new way to collect lifespan.

Something worth celebrating—his future was promising!

"Big Brother Chu, you haven't slept yet?"

Beside Chu Feng was the shop assistant who had originally driven him away.

After seeing Chu Feng's superb slaughtering skills, he had become thoroughly convinced and had kept looking for a chance to mend their relationship.

"Mm. I'm thinking about some things and can't sleep." Chu Feng answered casually.

"Big Brother Chu, I just became a waiter. I was offensive before, so I hope you won't take it to heart."

After spending two days together, Chen Shi Tou finally realized that he had judged Chu Feng by his appearance. This older brother before him was a capable man.

"Shi Tou, do you want to become a butcher?"

Chu Feng saw through Chen Shi Tou's little scheme at a glance and asked him directly.

The boy was a shop assistant, yet instead of staying in the main hall, he had run to the kitchen seven or eight times. If Chu Feng could not see through the boy's thoughts, then his two lifetimes of experience would have been wasted.

"I do. I dream of it."

Anyone could work as a shop assistant, but a butcher with superb technique was not something just anyone could become.

He had never seen such an advanced slaughtering method that could make livestock die without feeling anything.

It filled him with yearning!

"Sure. I'll teach you tomorrow." Chu Feng smiled.

He was not overflowing with kindness, nor was he trying to fit into the restaurant.

It was because after the livestock were slaughtered, their various parts still had to be broken down, which greatly affected his efficiency.

If someone helped him handle the later breakdown process, he could free up more time to cultivate.

Even with lifespan that could accelerate his cultivation, he could not slack off. Little streams would eventually converge into a vast ocean.

At dawn, the eastern sky gradually took on the pale color of a fish's belly, and Hongyun Restaurant also began its day's operations.

"Master, wash your face first and wake yourself up."

Chen Shi Tou carried a wooden basin of water and looked at Chu Feng with utter sincerity.

The rising sunlight shone into the basin. Ripples shimmered, transforming into circles of fine golden scales.

After getting dressed, Chu Feng glanced around, reached into the basin to wash up, and asked casually:

"Where is everyone?"

Chen Shi Tou thoughtfully handed him a towel and said, "They've all gone to work. The proprietor went to the morning market to buy supplies and hasn't returned yet, so I thought I'd let Master sleep a little longer."

Then he nervously pursed his lips and asked anxiously, "Master, was what you said last night true?"

He was afraid that Chu Feng had only been teasing him when he agreed to teach him the night before. That would turn great joy into great sorrow.

"Of course. Why would I have nothing better to do than deceive you?" Chu Feng smiled.

"Master, please accept three bows from your disciple!" Chen Shi Tou excitedly knelt on the ground and knocked his head three times with resounding thuds.

"Get up. I'm not one for so many tedious formalities..." Chu Feng smiled as he helped Chen Shi Tou to his feet.

After they finished washing up, Chen Shi Tou showed Chu Feng around.

The restaurant had no customers so early in the morning. Everyone was preparing, tidying the tables, chairs, and stools, cleaning, and so on.

Before long, the proprietor returned from the morning market with twelve chickens, seven or eight fish, and three black goats.

Seeing them, Chu Feng lost interest in continuing the tour and immediately returned to the kitchen to slaughter the livestock.

[Slaughtered two black goats, plundered one year and six months of lifespan.]

[Slaughtered ten wild mountain chickens, plundered ten months of lifespan.]

If not for those few fish—the famous chef required them to be killed and cooked fresh—Chu Feng would not have spared them either!

Today's workload was much lighter than the previous two days, and Chu Feng finished quickly.

"That is all? It's not satisfying!"

Chu Feng put down his slaughtering saber, stretched, and sighed in boredom.

Beside him, Chen Shi Tou said, "Master, you slaughtered too fiercely these past two days. There is still plenty of meat from yesterday that hasn't been used up."

Chu Feng was speechless. This was not a modern slaughterhouse, after all. The restaurant's ability to consume so much meat was already thanks to the large number of martial artists here.

"Master Li, I've finished my work, so I'll take my leave first."

Chu Feng greeted a broad and portly old man of around fifty.

Li Zhenshan did not reply. Instead, he picked up the precious Celadon Glazed Cup beside him and took a light sip of tea.

Chu Feng had seen this kind of porcelain at the Fang residence. It was fired with precious jade mixed into the glaze, whose color resembled "the place where rain has passed and the clouds part to reveal a clear sky." It was extraordinarily difficult to fire, with fewer than one piece surviving out of a hundred.

Such precious porcelain was carefully treasured even by the Fang family, yet this chef used it to drink tea. It was truly rare.

No, chefs who drank tea in this era were rare in themselves.

Seeing that the other party did not speak, Chu Feng merely smiled and left with Chen Shi Tou.

Once they left the kitchen, Chen Shi Tou could not help complaining, "That Li Zhenshan is far too arrogant, isn't he? He actually ignored Master."

"Don't concern yourself with other people. Respect is earned for yourself. When you become strong enough, others will naturally respect you."

Chu Feng force-fed Chen Shi Tou a hearty bowl of chicken soup. People in his previous life had heard those words until their ears were callused.

But after Chen Shi Tou heard them, it was as if enlightenment had been poured over his head. He seemed to have discovered his goal in life.

Chen Shi Tou had once wanted to take Li Zhenshan as his master, but had been harshly rejected, leaving him with a psychological shadow whenever he saw the man.

Now, Chu Feng's words struck him like a shot of stimulant, and he declared with surging fighting spirit, "I understand, Master. I'll study slaughtering properly and won't embarrass you."

Chu Feng smiled and nodded. Having a sensible disciple was quite satisfying.

As they walked and chatted, Chu Feng learned that Chen Shi Tou was actually the proprietor's nephew.

No wonder the boy could switch positions just by saying so. It turned out he had this connection.

When they reached the main hall, they saw the proprietor fiddling with an abacus and tallying up the previous day's income and expenses.

Seeing Chu Feng arrive, he looked up and greeted him. "Master Chu, your skills truly are superb. You finished the work in such a short time."

"Thank you for taking me in, Proprietor. How could I slack off?" Chu Feng bowed in return.

The proprietor stroked his beard and smiled. "Yesterday, Shi Tou told me you were going to teach him the Art of Slaughter, but I didn't dare believe it."

"Shi Tou is clever and quick-witted, and I took a deep liking to him at first sight. The Art of Slaughter is only a minor path. It is good enough as long as he is willing to learn." Chu Feng replied with a smile.

"Good, good. Master Chu truly is noble and high-minded." The proprietor was overjoyed.

After all, Chu Feng was a stranger from out of town and might leave at any time.

But Chen Shi Tou was his own nephew. If he could learn that miraculous slaughtering technique, it would be an excellent thing.

In his excitement, the proprietor took three taels of broken silver from the counter and said, "Master Chu, since you are willing to teach my good-for-nothing nephew, take this money as his tuition. I hope you won't find it lacking."

Chu Feng accepted it without hesitation.

Just then, a man covered in foul odors and dressed in tattered clothes shouted from outside the door.

"Manager Chen, is yesterday's slop from your esteemed restaurant still there?"

Chu Feng assumed he was someone who collected leftover food from restaurants and paid him little attention.

However, when he looked over, he suddenly noticed that the man walked with a limp, and his figure seemed vaguely familiar.

Only after observing carefully did Chu Feng realize that this man was Lin Da Niu, the person he had been looking for.

Chu Feng was utterly shocked. After all, the Lin Da Niu he knew would never come to this restaurant to collect slop, nor was he a cripple.

Without revealing anything, Chu Feng did not hurry forward to speak with him. Instead, he looked toward Chen Shi Tou and asked,

"What is this man's background? Why is he a cripple?"