Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, on Achieving the Great Golden Core

Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, on Achieving the Great Golden Core

"...Braised pork knuckle, sauerkraut, white sausage, Black Forest ham, German apple strudel..."

Li Bai stared at her, a little dazed. She rattled off the dishes with such fluency, without even glancing at the menu. Clearly, this girl was a devoted regular at the restaurant. Otherwise, she wouldn't know it so well.

Noticing Li Bai's peculiar gaze, Dong Keyan smiled bashfully. "I like German food, so I come here a lot. Don't worry, I can finish all of this, and I won't even gain weight."

"Impressive!"

Li Bai had to give her a thumbs-up. Nearly eighty percent of the dishes she'd ordered were meat, and it was obvious she planned to feast to her heart's content.

It was hard not to envy someone who could eat so much and still keep such a slim figure.

After ordering, Dong Keyan pushed the untouched menu over to Li Bai. "If there's anything you like, order some for yourself too. The braised pork knuckle is a single serving, so I suggest you get one as well."

"Sure!"

Taking her advice, Li Bai ordered a few more dishes.

Soon, their table was piled high with plates, a sumptuous feast fit for a banquet. The other diners nearby kept glancing over, looking both surprised and doubtful. More than a few of them were probably wondering whether the two of them could finish it all.

The golden-brown, crispy pork knuckle weighed at least two or three pounds, but Dong Keyan tore into it without batting an eye, like a ferocious carnivore.

Only after the plate held nothing but bones did she give a satisfied sigh. "That was delicious!"

"You really like German food?"

Watching her enjoy the meal so heartily had given Li Bai an appetite too. He cut into the smoked pork knuckle in front of him with his knife and fork. There was something deeply satisfying about having a mouthful of meat.

"Of course. I love Germany!"

Dong Keyan made no secret of being a Germanophile.

"Is it because of the food?"

Li Bai could more or less guess why a carnivore would be drawn to Germany. It was a good point in its favor.

With meat making up eighty percent of its diet, Germany was a paradise for meat lovers. Chinese civil servants were forbidden to drink, while German civil servants were forbidden to eat meat—that said it all.

When it came to sausage, Germany was the only Western country that could rival China's five-thousand-year culinary heritage. It had at least 1,500 varieties. How could you not be impressed?

As for pasta and pizza, those were rubbish, weren't they?

"That's only one reason!"

Perhaps he'd hit a nerve. Dong Keyan covered her mouth and giggled. "I also like Bavaria's castles, the Black Forest, and the Alpine scenery, so I'm planning to move to Germany. If we end up together, I hope you'll come with me. I earn quite a bit each month, but I'd like you to earn more too. After all, it's the Eurozone, and the cost of living isn't low. Ideally, you'd be making a million every minute."

Huh?

Her sudden, direct approach caught Li Bai off guard. A million every minute? Why not just go rob a bank?

Ding dong! A text-message alert sounded. He looked down.

One million yuan had been deposited into his bank account.

Li Bai looked up in alarm. Could this girl be some ancient, mighty cultivator whose words came true? She'd said a million, and now there was a million.

Terrifying!

"What's wrong?"

Dong Keyan noticed his strange expression.

"N-nothing. Why don't you find a German man?"

Li Bai quickly changed the subject. He assumed the sudden transfer notification was a scam message. Who would send that much money to a stranger for no reason? If there was a problem, the police could come and find him.

He couldn't understand it. If she liked Germany so much, why not marry a German? Why insist on bringing a husband along?

"Although I like German culture, architecture, scenery, and food, that doesn't mean I want to marry a white German." Dong Keyan stated her preferences quite frankly, then thought for a moment and added, "Besides, all the Germans I know love saying 'bastard!' It's so impolite."

Anyone would find it unbearable to hear "bastard" every other word. What was that, if not the same as constantly saying "NMD" and "TMD"?

Li Bai had a master's degree, and modern experimental psychology had originated in Germany. He'd read plenty of German-language materials in the original, so he knew a little German. With a helpless expression, he said, "I don't think it's 'bastard.' It's 'Wunderbar.' In Chinese, that means 'very good' or 'excellent.' It's the same as 'wonderful' in English."

With the convenient exchange of information in modern times, the pronunciation and meaning of many new words had become almost identical across different languages. European and American languages were increasingly like regional dialects. Take the word "family," for example: in English it was pronounced "family," and in German it was "Familie." They were practically the same.

That was why many Europeans and Americans could easily learn two or three languages besides their own, or even more.

It was like Chinese people knowing both the Shanghai and Northeastern dialects. You didn't need to take a separate language course for that.

Dong Keyan was dumbfounded. She blinked her long eyelashes, and after a long pause, finally spoke again.

"You're not lying to me?"

"Of course not!"

Li Bai nodded firmly.

"Ah! How embarrassing! I've made such a fool of myself!"

The carnivorous girl covered her face, overcome with misery.

"It's not that bad, is it?"

Plenty of people couldn't tell "bastard" from "Wunderbar." It was nothing to be embarrassed about.

"I'm a livestream host. I said in front of all those viewers that Germans love saying 'bastard.' Now I'm doomed, doomed!"

Dong Keyan felt like hanging herself right then and there. She'd exposed her ignorance in front of the whole country and embarrassed herself all the way overseas. A whole lot of people were probably laughing at her behind their screens.

"Didn't you say you wanted to settle in Germany? Haven't you learned German?"

Li Bai found it strange. Surely a German-obsessed girl who wanted to move there would learn German first.

Dong Keyan's fair face flushed crimson. Stammering, she said, "Foreign languages are too hard. I studied German for ages, but I just couldn't learn it."

On her trips to Germany, she'd spent a fortune hiring local guides and interpreters, or joined tour groups. Otherwise, she would have gotten lost on her own. She wouldn't have dared travel independently.

She kept saying she wanted to move to Germany, yet she couldn't even speak German. It was ridiculous.

"Thailand's pretty nice too. You can speak Chinese in a lot of places, and Thai people are especially polite. When they see you, they say, 'Charge it to my card!'"

Li Bai had joined a hospital-organized tour of Thailand. He'd visited Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Rai, and Chiang Mai, and had a good impression of them.

Even if she didn't want to stay in China, there was no need to move all the way to Europe. It would be so inconvenient to visit family during the holidays.

Pfft!

Dong Keyan had still been fretting over her gaffe as a livestream host, but at last she couldn't help laughing. What kind of country greeted you by offering to pay with their card?

She laughed for a while, then her expression changed and her laughter abruptly stopped. She clutched her lower abdomen, her whole body trembling.

"What's wrong?"

Li Bai noticed that something seemed off with Dong Keyan.

"My gallstones—th-they're acting up! I forgot my medicine!" Dong Keyan's face had gone pale, and beads of cold sweat appeared on her brow. She groaned, "Y-you're a doctor. Think of something, quick!"

Although it was their first time meeting, neither of them was completely unfamiliar with the other's basic circumstances.

Dong Keyan knew Li Bai was a doctor. Now that she was in agony, she couldn't afford to be picky. She could only hope he'd find a way to help.

"I'm a psychiatrist!"

Li Bai was dumbfounded. Gallstones were the specialty of a hepatobiliary or gastroenterology doctor. A psychiatrist had no business treating them.

"I'm dying! I'm dying! Hurry up! I can't take it anymore. Do anything you can—just make the pain stop!"

A meat lover and gallstones were truly a doomed couple. Dong Keyan had gone deathly pale and was in unbearable pain.

The chance to gorge herself at Tuman Restaurant had made her completely forget she had a pile of stones in her gallbladder.

The other diners noticed something was wrong with Li Bai and Dong Keyan, and a waiter started over to check on them.

"F-fine!"

Li Bai had been thrown in at the deep end. He shook his head and said helplessly, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, on achieving the Great Golden Core!"

It was a kind of psychological victory, he supposed: using willpower to overcome the body.

Most psychiatric medications acted directly on the brain. Who would dare prescribe those recklessly? And even if he wanted to, there was nowhere to get any. Hypnosis might help her forget the pain temporarily.

But this beautiful livestream host had gone on a date and eaten with him. What was the point of hypnotizing her? Could they still have a good time together after that?

What? The joke had come out of nowhere, and Dong Keyan, who had been in agony, was caught completely off guard. She stared at Li Bai, dumbfounded.

What was he talking about?

!!!

G-Golden Core!?

For a moment, she forgot the violent spasms and accompanying pain caused by a gallstone blocking her bile duct. She wanted to laugh, but couldn't, and the struggle only made her feel worse.

"This is all I know how to do!"

Li Bai spread his hands helplessly. Besides running his mouth, he had no other tricks.

Dong Keyan rolled her eyes. Another wave of pain hit, sending her back into agony. Struggling, she said, "Take me to the hospital."

The psychological trick had worked, but for less than five seconds before it fell apart.

There was no doubt about it: the livestream host had been completely KO'd by the psychiatrist.

"All right!"

Li Bai had no choice but to see it through. He called over a waiter. "The bill, please. Charge it to my card!"

What a headache. Thai people really were something!