Spirit Herb Beast Meat Meal

As soon as Chen Gequn and Feng Yuelan entered, a man in his early forties hurried over to greet them. He led them to their seats, took the small gift Chen Gequn had brought, and set it on the table.

"Brother Chen, Yuelan, you're here. I'll have the food served right away. Come, sit down."

"Look at you. We're all family here. No need to be so polite."

Chen Gequn sat down at the dining table.

Feng Yuelan added, "That's right, Qidong. If you keep treating us like guests, Gequn and I will feel bad about eating here for free."

The man stopped what he was doing. He was Lu Qingchan's father, Lu Qidong.

Lu Qidong's face filled with emotion. "Don't say that, Yuelan. 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 leave the military just as his career was taking off.

"Whenever I think about it, I still feel guilty. I cost Brother Chen a promising future."

Chen Gequn waved a hand. "Enough. Let's not bring up the past. Sit down."

"All right, everyone, sit!" Lu Qidong nodded repeatedly.

Once seated, Chen Gequn noticed the beautiful young woman behind Lu Qidong.

"You're here too?" he said.

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

"Brother Chen." Xu Yunyan nodded slightly.

Lu Qidong said, "Chen Lie, Yaoyao, sit down too. I've had mild supplements added to today's dishes. They're excellent for raising blood qi.

"Yaoyao, your Blood Qi Value hasn't reached one yet, has it? Don't eat too much. If your body can't digest the energy in the food, it'll do you more harm than good."

Chen Xingyao sat down and scoffed. "I'm not the only one whose Blood Qi Value is below one. Isn't Chen Lie the same?"

Beside her, Feng Yuelan immediately scolded her under her breath.

Lu Qidong laughed without saying anything, but privately he began to have doubts.

Chen Lie is already in his final year of high school, yet his Blood Qi Value still hasn't passed one. His aptitude is ordinary. The gap between him and my daughter is huge, and her standards are high. Could she really take an interest in him?

Am I trying to force a match that doesn't fit?

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

"Oh, well..."

Before Lu Qidong could continue, Xu Yunyan interrupted. "Come now. Qidong told you this was just a little get-together between our families for Qingchan's birthday. Who else would be coming? I'll go call her in."

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

Outside the private room, Xu Yunyan came up behind Lu Qingchan. She bent slightly and said softly, "Qingchan, don't stand out here. Come inside with me."

"But Brother Yuan Hao isn't here yet. Go in first, Mom. I'll wait a little longer. He should be here any moment," Lu Qingchan said.

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

"That's impossible. He promised he'd come celebrate my birthday." Lu Qingchan shook her head.

Xu Yunyan sighed. "Silly girl. Yuan Hao is a member of the Provincial Youth Genius Group, a Grandmaster Seed. He'd train twenty-five hours a day if he could. How could he have that much time to spend with you?"

"But he promised me," Lu Qingchan said.

"He can't help it. Competition within the Provincial Youth Genius Group is fierce. Fall even a little behind, and it's hard to catch up because everyone else is working just as hard.

"Yuan Hao sent me a message just now. The province has invited a renowned teacher to lecture the Genius Group. Opportunities like that are rare, so he definitely can't make it today."

"Then... all right."

Disappointment weighed on Lu Qingchan's voice.

"Don't be discouraged. You've only just turned seventeen. You're still young.

"When I get the chance, I'll persuade your father to apologize to your uncle and the others. Then you can return to the Lu Family. You have excellent aptitude already. With the family's resources and a little more effort of your own, you might make it into the Provincial Youth Genius Group within a year," Xu Yunyan said.

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

"Then come inside with me."

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

The moment Lu Qingchan entered, Feng Yuelan rose, hurried over, and drew her close.

"Qingchan, there you are. Come sit beside me."

Lu Qingchan could only follow Feng Yuelan quietly to the table.

"Qidong, have them serve the food," Xu Yunyan said.

"All right." Lu Qidong nodded and went to arrange it.

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

"Chen Lie, Yaoyao, that's nearly everything. Go ahead and eat," Lu Qidong said, looking over the spread.

Chen Lie wasted no time. He pulled a platter in front of himself and dug in.

As soon as he swallowed his first bite, warmth spread through his stomach and out to every part of his body.

Chen Lie was secretly startled. That single bite contains more nutrients than all the Nutrient Solution and Nutrient Bread I've had combined!

At that thought, Chen Lie picked up his bowl and chopsticks and began devouring the food.

"Wait, Chen Lie!" Lu Qidong suddenly said. "The dishes toward the center have much stronger supplements added. Someone with a Blood Qi Value below one can't digest them. You and Yaoyao should eat the dishes around the outside."

Chen Lie paused, then said, "It's fine. I've been training more lately. I should be able to digest them."

With the Mystic Body Tempering Technique from the Central Galactic Empire, Chen Lie could digest and absorb anything that wasn't so powerful it would make his body burst the moment he ate it. It would not harm him, either.

"Well... all right."

With Chen Lie insisting, Lu Qidong could only nod and let it go.

A short while later, a hotel server brought in a small plate of crimson food.

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

At the sight of the crimson dish, Xu Yunyan promptly directed the server to place it before Lu Qingchan.

Feng Yuelan was shocked when she saw it. "Qingchan's Blood Qi Value has risen that quickly? She's already eating Spirit Herb Beast Meat Meals?"

Xu Yunyan smiled. "She's worked hard. As her parents, there's only so much we can do, but we certainly can't let her lack resources for martial arts training."

A Spirit Herb Beast Meat Meal?

Hearing the name of the dish, Chen Lie immediately gained a rough idea of Lu Qingchan's Blood Qi Value.

A Spirit Herb Beast Meat Meal was made from a spirit herb at least fifty years old, the choicest flesh of an exotic beast, and various supplements.

One meal could cost anywhere from over a hundred thousand to a million Star Dollars or more. The price depended on the spirit herb and supplements used as its main ingredients.

The rarer the herbs and supplements, the more expensive the meal.

Even an ordinary martial artist would find a Spirit Herb Beast Meat Meal immensely nourishing, let alone someone still in the Blood-Qi Stage.

That alone showed how high Lu Qingchan's Blood Qi Value had climbed.

No wonder Lu Qingchan had paid him no attention in his previous life. With such a vast gap between their Blood Qi Values, it would have been a miracle if she had taken an interest in him.

Chen Lie turned the matter over in his mind.

Feng Yuelan glanced at Lu Qingchan, then at Chen Lie, and finally gave a soft sigh. "Qingchan, it's been ages since you visited us. Come by when you have time. You could also give Chen Lie and Yaoyao some pointers on their martial arts training. Your Blood Qi Value has risen so quickly—share your experience with them."

Lu Qingchan nodded slightly. "Of course. I will when I have time."

Feng Yuelan nodded and said no more.

Chen Lie glanced across the table. The Spirit Herb Beast Meat Meal in front of Lu Qingchan would be extremely useful to him as well.

If he could eat that dish, it would surely do him more good than it would do Lu Qingchan.