Spirit Herb Beast Meat Meal

Chen Gequn and Feng Yuelan had barely entered when a man in his early forties hurried over to greet them, leading Chen Gexing and his wife to their seats. He took the small gift Chen Gexing had brought and set it on the table.

"Brother Chen, Sister-in-law, you're here. I'll have the dishes served right away. Come, sit down."

"Look at you. There are no outsiders here, so there's no need to be so polite."

As Chen Gequn spoke, he sat down at the dining table.

Feng Yuelan added, "Exactly, Qidong. If you keep treating us like strangers, Gexing and I will be too embarrassed to eat here for free."

Hearing this, the man paused. He was Lu Qingchan's father, Lu Qidong.

Lu Qidong's face was filled with regret. "What are you saying, Sister-in-law? If it hadn't been for me back then, would Brother Chen have injured both his legs? He certainly wouldn't have been forced to retire while his career was still on the rise.

"Over the years, whenever I think of it, I feel guilty. I was the one who ruined Brother Chen's bright future."

Chen Gequn waved a hand. "Enough. Don't bring up the past anymore. Sit down too."

"Alright, everyone sit, sit!" Lu Qidong nodded repeatedly.

Only after sitting down did Chen Gequn notice a beautiful young woman behind Lu Qidong.

He spoke up. "Sister-in-law is here too?"

The beautiful young woman was Lu Qingchan's mother, Xu Yunyan.

"Brother Chen." Xu Yunyan gave a slight nod.

Lu Qidong said, "Chen Lie, Yaoyao, sit down too. The dishes I arranged today have been supplemented with mild tonics, which will be very helpful for improving your Blood Qi.

"Yaoyao, your Blood Qi Value probably hasn't reached 1 yet, right? Remember not to overeat later. Otherwise, your body won't be able to digest the energy contained in the dishes, and that would do more harm than good."

After sitting down, Chen Xingyao gave a soft snort. "I'm not the only one whose Blood Qi Value hasn't reached 1. Isn't Chen Lie the same?"

Feng Yuelan immediately gave Chen Xingyao a quiet reprimand.

Lu Qidong laughed without saying anything, but he silently weighed things in his mind.

Chen Lie was already in his third year of high school, yet his Blood Qi Value had not even broken through 1. His aptitude was truly average. The gap between him and his daughter was far too wide. Besides, his daughter had high standards. Could she really take a liking to Chen Lie?

Could I be forcing a match that was never meant to be?

Feng Yuelan asked, "We're all inside now, so why is Qingchan still standing outside? Is she waiting for someone?"

"Oh, it's like this..."

Lu Qidong had just begun to speak when Xu Yunyan beside him interrupted, "Listen to you, Sister-in-law. Qidong already said this was just a small gathering between our two families for Qingchan's birthday. How could there be anyone else? I'll go call her in now."

With that, Xu Yunyan pushed open the door and walked out.

Outside the private room, Xu Yunyan went to Lu Qingchan's side, bent slightly, and said in a low voice, "Qingchan, don't stand out here. Come inside with me."

"But Brother Hao hasn't arrived yet. Mother, you go in first. I'll wait a little longer. Brother Hao should be here soon," Lu Qingchan said.

Xu Yunyan said, "Stop waiting. Yuan Hao isn't coming."

"That's impossible. Brother Hao promised that he would come celebrate my birthday," Lu Qingchan said, shaking her head.

Xu Yunyan shook her head and sighed. "Silly girl, Yuan Hao is a member of the Provincial Youth Genius Group, a Grandmaster Seed. He wishes he had twenty-five hours a day to cultivate. How could he have so much time to keep you company?"

"But he promised me," Lu Qingchan said.

"He can't help it either. There's fierce competition among the members of the Provincial Youth Genius Group. If you fall even slightly behind, it becomes difficult to catch up, because everyone else is working just as hard.

"Yuan Hao's side just sent me a message. The province invited a renowned teacher to give the Genius Group members a lecture. Such opportunities are rare, so Yuan Hao definitely won't be able to come today."

"Then... alright."

Lu Qingchan's tone was somewhat disappointed.

"Don't lose heart. You've only just turned seventeen, so you're still young.

"When Mother finds an opportunity, I'll persuade your father to go back and apologize to your uncle and the others. Then you can return to the Lu Family.

"You already have good aptitude. With the Lu Family's resources supporting you, and with a little more effort from yourself, you may not be unable to qualify for the Provincial Youth Genius Group within a year," Xu Yunyan said.

Lu Qingchan nodded gently. "Mm, I understand."

"Then come in with Mother."

Xu Yunyan took Lu Qingchan's hand and led her into the private room.

The moment Lu Qingchan entered, Feng Yuelan stood up and hurried over, pulling Lu Qingchan to her side.

"Qingchan is here. Come, sit beside Auntie."

Seeing this, Lu Qingchan could only silently follow Feng Yuelan to the table.

"Qidong, have the dishes served," Xu Yunyan said.

"Alright." Lu Qidong nodded and went to arrange it.

Before long, dish after dish brimming with rich nutrients was brought to the table.

"Chen Lie, Yaoyao, the dishes are almost all here. Hurry and eat," Lu Qidong said as he looked over the tableful of food.

Chen Lie did not stand on ceremony. He pulled a plate of food directly in front of himself and began eating.

The instant the first bite went down, he felt a wave of warmth bloom in his abdomen and spread through his limbs and bones.

Chen Lie was secretly startled. The nutrients contained in this single bite are actually greater than all the Nutrient Solution and Nutrient Bread I consumed before combined!

With that thought, Chen Lie immediately picked up his bowl and chopsticks, devouring the food on his plate in large mouthfuls.

"Wait, Chen Lie!" Lu Qidong suddenly said. "The dishes toward the center have been supplemented with a large amount of tonics. They aren't something people with a Blood Qi Value below 1 can digest. You and Yaoyao can eat the dishes around the outside."

Chen Lie paused slightly before saying, "It's fine. I've increased my training volume recently, so I should be able to digest it."

For Chen Lie, who possessed the Mystic Body Tempering Technique from the Central Galactic Empire, as long as something did not contain so much energy that it would make him explode to death the moment he swallowed it, he could digest and absorb it without any harm to his body.

"Then... alright."

Since Chen Lie had said so, Lu Qidong could only nod and let the matter go.

Not long after, a hotel server carried in a small plate of crimson-colored food.

"Put the Spirit Herb Beast Meat Meal over here."

When she saw the crimson dish being brought in, Xu Yunyan hurriedly directed the server to place it in front of Lu Qingchan.

Seeing the dish, Feng Yuelan was shocked. "Qingchan's Blood Qi Value has improved so quickly? She's already started eating Spirit Herb Beast Meat Meals?"

Xu Yunyan smiled. "The child has been striving hard. As parents, we may not be able to do much else, but we can't let her lack martial arts resources."

Spirit Herb Beast Meat Meal?

The moment Chen Lie heard the name of this dish, he gained a rough understanding of Lu Qingchan's Blood Qi Value.

A Spirit Herb Beast Meat Meal was a dish cooked with a spirit herb that was over fifty years old, the most refined flesh and blood of an Exotic Beast, and various tonics.

One serving of Spirit Herb Beast Meat Meal could cost anywhere from over a hundred thousand to over a million Star Dollars. The variation in price came from the differing spirit herbs and tonics used as its main ingredients.

The more precious the spirit herbs and tonics were, the more exorbitant the price of the Spirit Herb Beast Meat Meal became.

A Spirit Herb Beast Meat Meal was a powerful tonic even for an ordinary Martial Artist, let alone someone who was merely at the Blood-Qi Stage.

From this alone, one could see just how high Lu Qingchan's Blood Qi Value had become.

No wonder Lu Qingchan had never taken him seriously in his previous life. With such a vast gap in their Blood Qi Values, it would have been strange if Lu Qingchan had ever thought highly of him.

Chen Lie pondered this silently.

Feng Yuelan glanced at Lu Qingchan, then turned to Chen Lie, and finally sighed softly. "Qingchan, you haven't visited Auntie's home in a long time. Come by more often when you have time. And while you're at it, give Chen Lie and Yaoyao some guidance in their martial arts training. Your Blood Qi Value has risen so quickly, so share some of your experience with them."

Lu Qingchan nodded slightly. "Alright, Auntie. If I have time, I will."

Feng Yuelan nodded and said no more.

Chen Lie looked toward the dining table. The Spirit Herb Beast Meat Meal in front of Lu Qingchan would also be extremely useful to him.

If this dish were used on him, it would definitely be more effective than if it were used on Lu Qingchan.