Delicacies

A quarter of an hour later.

From afar, Cheng Buzheng spotted a luxurious restaurant. Three enormous gold-lettered characters, "Liuxian Restaurant," adorned its signboard. The establishment occupied an area a hundred zhang across, boasted six stories, and was the most luxurious restaurant in town.

The restaurant's doors stood open, with the occasional small group of customers coming and going.

According to the local gossip, the restaurant hadn't originally been called Liuxian Restaurant. But one day, an immortal had descended and dined there. When the owner heard about it, he was overjoyed and had a new signboard made overnight.

That was how tales of Liuxian Restaurant gradually spread through town, told in such vivid detail that they seemed almost real.

When Cheng Buzheng had first heard the story, he couldn't help admiring the owner's business savvy. Tales of immortals, demons, and monsters were always popular among the people, and the restaurant owner had somehow learned to ride a trend without anyone teaching him.

Now that he thought about it, there was a good chance those rumors were true. He couldn't believe the restaurant owner would dare make a joke at an immortal's expense.

An immortal's wrath was more than a little restaurant owner could bear.

Cheng Buzheng glanced at the three gold-lettered characters, then strode straight toward the restaurant.

As soon as he stepped into the main hall, Xiao Er hurried over, bent at the waist, and greeted him with a smile.

"Sir, would you like to order one of our signature dishes?"

Xiao Er knew that this young man in coarse clothes was almost certainly not going to order a signature dish, but the words still slipped out. After all, he earned a commission every time he persuaded a customer to order one.

The phrase had practically become his catchphrase.

Cheng Buzheng looked at Xiao Er and seemed to see his past self, his back bent under the weight of making a living. How alike they were.

"Where's the Young Master?"

Xiao Er stared at him in surprise. He hadn't expected this gentle-looking young man to know the Young Master. He silently wondered about it.

He envied him, but showed none of it on his face.

Xiao Er quickly put on a professional, fake smile and extended his right hand. "The Young Master is dining in Fortune Hall on the third floor. Please, follow me."

Guided by Xiao Er, Cheng Buzheng reached Fortune Hall on the third floor. The purplewood doors were shut, their surface carved with elegant patterns. Having finished showing him the way, Xiao Er took his leave and went back downstairs.

Cheng Buzheng pushed open the purplewood doors. Inside the private room, a massive round table stood in the center. The four walls were clad in precious wood, carved with all sorts of patterns.

The room looked both grand and elegant.

A slender young man in a white robe sat beside the table. He had a handsome, refined face, but his thin lips spoiled his gentle appearance, lending him a touch of sharpness instead.

This was Cheng Buzheng's new friend, the eldest son of the Qian family, Qian Zhe.

"Buzheng, look what I've got!" Qian Zhe said, his face lighting up as he pointed across the room.

Cheng Buzheng looked at the solid-wood table, which was laden with all kinds of dishes, including the signature fare Xiao Er had mentioned: Dragon Fighting Tiger, Immortal's Aftertaste, and Three-Roll Dragon Meat.

Suddenly,

his heart stirred. At the center of all the dishes sat a huge platter bearing a lobster nearly a meter long. He couldn't tell what species it was.

He had never seen a lobster this enormous. It had to be some kind of monster—or else it couldn't be far from becoming one.

Seeing the lobster's bright red shell, Cheng Buzheng swallowed hard and forced himself to look away. He smiled at Qian Zhe.

"That beast is enormous! Where did you find it? You've really surprised me."

Qian Zhe seemed pleased by Cheng Buzheng's reaction. When he'd first laid eyes on such a giant, he'd been just as astonished. Lobsters he saw in everyday life were no bigger than his palm; when had he ever seen one this huge?

"If you hadn't told me where to find it, how would I have known the world held such a delicacy?

You know I love good food. I, Qian Zhe, have decided you're a friend for life!"

Cheng Buzheng smiled faintly.

"Young Master Qian, this beast needs to be dipped in sauce to bring out its full flavor. Otherwise, it'd be a waste. I'll go prepare some."

"No need. I've already got it ready!"

Qian Zhe waved his hand, then lifted the top of a pair of white porcelain bowls stacked together. Inside was the sauce he'd mentioned.

Cheng Buzheng hurried over, divided the sauce between the two bowls, then picked up a pair of scissors from the side and went to the giant lobster. With a firm snip, he cut off one of its front claws at the joint.

"Young Master Qian, try it. I guarantee it'll be delicious!"

Cheng Buzheng cut a slit into the shell. Inside, white, tender, translucent meat with clear striations was revealed.

A fresh, savory aroma wafted from the glistening meat. Cheng Buzheng then placed the giant lobster's claw on the plate in front of Young Master Qian.

"I knew you wouldn't dare trick me!" Qian Zhe dipped the meat in the sauce and chewed. His eyes lit up, and he laughed.

"This really is a taste fit for the heavens! How did you come up with this? You really know how to eat!

Come on, eat with me. There's no way I can finish a lobster this huge by myself!"

Cheng Buzheng smiled.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony.

This is my first time eating something this huge, too. The ones I used to eat were only palm-sized, with hardly any meat.

Young Master Qian, you really have pull!"

Afterward, he wrote down the whole process and every detail for making spicy stir-fried crayfish, then handed the notes to Qian Zhe.

Laughter and cheerful conversation filled Fortune Hall. With Cheng Buzheng deliberately flattering him, the young master thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

After eating and drinking his fill,

Young Master Qian lounged halfway back in his grand chair and spoke slowly to Cheng Buzheng.

"You know Liuxian Restaurant belongs to my old man. You've given me the secret to such a delicacy—practically handed me a money tree.

Buzheng, whatever you need, just ask."

Though Qian Zhe spoke generously, Cheng Buzheng knew it was only polite talk. He knew what kind of person Qian Zhe really was.

He wasn't some callow boy who didn't understand a thing.

Cheng Buzheng had already made his calculations. He spoke unhurriedly.

"Young Master Qian, we're friends. If you talk like that, it's as if you don't consider me a friend!"

As he spoke, he put on a displeased expression.

It was nothing more than a psychological ploy: a strategic retreat to advance. He had deliberately buttered Qian Zhe up earlier, and he had his own status to consider.

At this point, Qian Zhe certainly wouldn't turn on him. After all, the young master was only fifteen or sixteen. He hadn't yet grown into a hard-hearted, ruthless man.

And sure enough—

"Your big brother was wrong. If you run into trouble, tell me. I've got a little influence in town!"

Qian Zhe said with complete sincerity, though he didn't mean much by it. A small favor was no trouble at all, but if it was something difficult, he wouldn't be able to help.

He also thought highly of the young man. He knew that the boy was the town physician's most prized Medicine Boy—though in truth, he was more like a disciple.

From what Qian Zhe had learned, the young man's medical skills were already seven or eight parts as good as the physician at Bairen Hall.

In the future, his skills would surely surpass his master's. Otherwise, Qian Zhe wouldn't bother befriending a mere Medicine Boy.

He wasn't that cheap.

Qian Zhe's mind raced with schemes.

Cheng Buzheng knew full well what Qian Zhe was calculating. Otherwise, how could his own plan have succeeded?

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