Microscopic Vision, Lotus Flower Wisdom-Enhancing Soup

At midnight, Song Yan knelt before Lin Yuan, recounting every action Lin Qi had taken before his death in meticulous detail.

In the brazier before the mourning hall, paper money burned with a faint glow.

Lin Yuan suddenly grabbed a nearby vase and smashed it down on Song Yan's head.

He cursed, "Scoundrel, you fool! Why didn't you tell me clearly sooner!"

Song Yan struck his head against the ground with a "bang," weeping uncontrollably.

In Ping'an Alley, the distant sounds of firefighting had completely subsided, and the world seemed to have fallen back into the quiet stillness of the night.

Chen Xu tidied up all his complicated feelings, extinguished the oil lamp on his desk, and then, in the darkness, opened the Cauldron Scripture to check his latest gains.

[Total Likes: 863]

[Free Attribute Points: 23]

[Firework Value: 409]

A harvest!

"[I cook demons with raging fire, and the world calls it spectacular]" had directly earned Chen Xu 96 likes.

This seemed less than what Old Madam Lai earned from selling one batch of pancakes, but as Chen Xu watched the "[+1+1]" notifications continue to pop up on the Scripture panel, he could foresee that once this matter spread, the likes he would receive would undoubtedly continue to increase.

The long-term effect of such legendary events was far greater than simply cooking a few meals and selling a few food items.

Chen Xu suddenly had an idea; it seemed he had found a new path.

However, whether it was in life or in his endeavors, one shouldn't bite off more than they can chew. No matter how many paths there were, he should proceed steadily and grasp what was within his reach first.

He continued to review his gains, noting three peculiar items worth attention.

[Evil Thought Bead], [One Tael of Joy, Three Parts Melancholy], [Heart Fire Divine Lotus, one fen].

The first two needed no further mention; the main point was that Chen Xu had found a way to obtain more [One Tael of Joy, Three Parts Melancholy].

He surmised that obtaining such peculiar items was related to Chen Xu's "slaying of evil."

As for the [Heart Fire Divine Lotus, one fen], its effects surprised Chen Xu.

Using it as the main ingredient to brew [Lotus Flower Wisdom-Enhancing Soup] would greatly enhance a person's memory and slightly improve their comprehension after consumption.

Chen Xu's memory was already quite good. After grasping the practical application of Spirit, he had reached a state of near-photographic memory.

However, this near-photographic memory was often instantaneous.

In other words, he could remember everything at once, but he would still forget things later. He needed to review things multiple times to truly remember something firmly.

But what if his memory could be enhanced again?

And comprehension! The enhancement of comprehension was even more valuable than memory!

Chen Xu immediately spent 100 Firework Value to enter the Embers Kitchen.

He spent 80 Firework Value to unlock Lotus Flower Wisdom-Enhancing Soup and another 160 Firework Value to unlock Wood Chopping Level 2.

At this point, he only had 69 points of Firework Value left.

Despite the apparent harvest, Firework Value was perpetually scarce, and he couldn't even afford Fire Control Level 2, which was a pity.

The latter half of the night passed without incident, and he slept until dawn.

Chen Xu diligently practiced in the Embers Kitchen, resting when he was tired and consuming the [Lotus Flower Wisdom-Enhancing Soup] he had carefully brewed.

The supplementary ingredients for this dish only required Jade Dew Spring Water and japonica rice. Chen Xu quickly made it after unlocking it.

Only after exhausting all twelve hours in the Embers Kitchen did he return to reality and fall asleep in the quiet night.

The next day, Chen Xu woke up feeling refreshed and invigorated, especially feeling a surge of strength in his arms and clarity in his mind.

Although his three core attributes had not increased by even a single point, he felt that he was countless times stronger than he had been the night before.

The flow of Vitality within his body was like a bright light, clearly perceptible to his senses.

His eyesight had also become even more terrifying. Under the eaves, a spider was spinning its web, and with an inadvertent glance, Chen Xu instantly saw every texture on the spider's body.

Including the fine short hairs, every fragile joint in its segmented legs, and even the part where the spider produced silk, Chen Xu could see it all clearly.

Perhaps, instead of "seeing" with his naked eyes, it was more like he was combining his eyesight with Spirit to perform a subtle perception.

This was Wood Chopping Level 2: Microscopic Vision!

Wood Chopping Level 1 focused on the transport of Vitality, while Wood Chopping Level 2 focused on the perception of minute details.

To perceive minute details and see the weaknesses in the wood was the only way to achieve the greatest results with the least effort.

It was like the butcher dissecting an ox; wood chopping was the same.

[Wood Chopping Level 2 (21/1000)]

Chen Xu was in an excellent mood. Wood Chopping Level 2, even just the introductory stage, gave him a wonderful sense of control.

An increase in strength always brought a sense of security.

Now that everything was ready, he just needed to gather 1000 likes to max out his three core attributes and achieve perfect foundation building!

Chen Xu was very happy and, at the same time, didn't slack off. After washing up, he immediately went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

In the kitchen, the food he had deliberately left from last night was gone, and a small item had appeared on the counter again.

[Worry-Dispelling Grass, consuming it can make living beings feel happy for ten breaths. Side effect: diners will have a stronger urge to express themselves within a quarter of an hour. Can be made into Worry-Dispelling Fruit Tea with hawthorn and crabapple.]

This was the Rat Demon's reward.

Chen Xu found it very interesting. He put the branch of Worry-Dispelling Grass, which looked no different from withered grass, into his sleeve, and in reality, he seized the opportunity to send it into Embers Kitchen.

Then, he quickly made a large pot of breakfast, still the simple Five-Color Porridge and Egg Pancakes.

He didn't use meat because he had used all the meat yesterday, and Chen Xu hadn't had time to replenish it at the market.

Besides, due to last night's events, Chen Xu didn't want to eat meat or make meat dishes for about two to three days.

As soon as the aroma of his breakfast wafted out, Granny Lai came looking for him.

First, she settled the copper coins from selling the meat and scallion pancakes yesterday, totaling one hundred wen, of which fifteen wen was her commission.

In addition, there were the pancakes this morning, which Chen Xu had also asked Granny Lai to sell.

Granny Lai happily took the items and left with her basket, leaving Chen Xu with a string of praises. Little Shi Tou next door was also constantly praising, "So fragrant, so fragrant! The eggs smell good, the porridge and pancakes smell good, I want to eat them!"

[Praise +1 +1 +1...]

A great start, very good.

After Chen Xu sent Granny Lai off and quickly ate something himself, he went to South Market Street to buy a large batch of ingredients again.

This time, he mainly wanted to buy auxiliary materials for various spiritual foods, such as red beans, red rice, and red ginseng needed for [Five Reds Blood Nourishing Soup], and leeches, centipedes, and ticks needed for [Mud Pellet].

He had already obtained the qualification to unlock several spiritual food recipes, but he hadn't had time to buy or make most of them.

One reason was the lack of Firework Value, and the second was the shortage of auxiliary materials.

Chen Xu bought all the auxiliary materials he could on South Market Street in one go. For those not available on South Market Street, Chen Xu went to the pharmacy to buy them.

In addition, he bought many common ingredients and seasonings, which he planned to store in Embers Kitchen for emergencies.

After a period of tidying up, Chen Xu filled all three tiers of the storage shelves in Embers Kitchen to the brim.

He worked diligently in his room, planning Embers Kitchen with his mind from afar. Just as he was feeling pleased, the courtyard gate was knocked again.

It turned out to be a servant from the Lin family coming to deliver an obituary. The steward-like person wore mourning attire on his head and said to Chen Xu with a face full of grief, "My Eldest Young Master has decided to hold a wake for the Second Young Master for seven days and perform several Buddhist rituals.

From tomorrow, we will receive condolences from friends and relatives. Please do not forget to pay your respects to our Second Young Master, Young Master Chen."