Please Grant Me Fame Across the World

Yunjiang Prefecture, Cui Clan's secondary residence.

After Cui Yunqi regained consciousness, the first thing he did was kneel before his father, Cui Heng, to beg for forgiveness.

"Father, your son has failed your expectations. I beg you to punish me!"

Cui Heng said, "I know the general details of what happened in the Bamboo Grove. But I don't want to hear it from others. I only want to hear it from you."

"Father!" Cui Yunqi's head shot up. His face was deathly pale, and cold sweat streamed down his cheeks.

Everything he had experienced in the Star Array had become a massive shadow for the current Cui Yunqi.

He had finally struggled awake after being unconscious for two days. Forcing him to recall and recount it now was no different than torturing his pride.

Cui Yunqi couldn't answer. He didn't want to say a single word.

But Cui Heng's authority was ultimately profound. Despite Cui Yunqi's reluctance, under his father's deep gaze, he gritted his teeth and slowly began, "I, I entered the array that day. I didn't pay attention to the person behind me at first. I didn't expect this person, this person..."

Before he could finish, he remembered the scene at Moon Lake where the scholar in plain clothes had lightly stepped forward, crossing the chasm that he himself couldn't overcome.

A sudden sweetness filled Cui Yunqi's throat. He couldn't hold back any longer and spurted out another mouthful of blood.

"Father..."

Cui Yunqi was filled with dread. He even rushed forward, trying to wipe away the blood on the ground.

But he heard a sigh, and a hand reached out to steady him.

Cui Heng bent down and said in a tone of gentleness Cui Yunqi had never heard before, "Yunqi, your life has been too smooth. You've never known what setbacks are. Now that you've encountered a little trouble, you're already so unbearable.

What will you do in the future?"

Cui Yunqi looked up blankly. He was being comforted, but for some reason, his heart felt even more panicked.

"Father, I..."

"You don't need to blame yourself. This is only human nature. Those in the world who are not affected by victory or defeat are ultimately a very small minority. Most of these people have already seen through worldly fame and fortune, earthly love and hate, and possess the state of mind of sages. Yunqi, can you do that?"

"I, Father, your son cannot," Cui Yunqi said shamefully.

"It's alright if you can't, because your father here cannot either."

Cui Yunqi was stunned again.

"Of course, even if one cannot completely see through things, one also cannot be completely controlled by emotions. Those who are trapped by their emotions will eventually lose themselves and become slaves to their emotions. Yunqi, are you willing to be like that?"

Cui Yunqi immediately said, "Your son absolutely will not be!"

"Then tell me now, what do you want to do?"

"What?" Cui Yunqi couldn't react again.

Cui Heng asked, "You were defeated, and defeated by a scholar from a poor family. Do you... want to kill this person?"

"Kill him? No!" Cui Yunqi blurted out, then paused in surprise.

After a moment, he pondered, "Father, if I were to take revenge by killing someone just because I lost once, then I'm afraid my entire life would stop here. Even if I killed him, who would I have truly won against?"

Cui Heng smiled, "Since you don't want to kill him, do you want to win him back fairly?"

"I..." Cui Yunqi hesitated.

He had lost some confidence in himself. Chen Xu had become his inner demon.

Cui Heng shook his head and sighed, "You are young after all. Such minor matters have already caused you so much distress. Yunqi, you naturally resent being defeated by a rustic villager, but what if the one who defeated you was a world-renowned celebrity or a noble scholar?"

"World-renowned?"

Cui Yunqi murmured the words again. His dull eyes lifted. At first, there was a hint of confusion, then a glimmer of light hesitantly, bit by bit, began to emerge from them.

He seemed to have thought of something, and a strange expression gradually appeared on his face.

In the morning, Chen Xu made crispy layered pancakes. The dough had been prepared the night before he slept, so all he had to do in the morning was bake them, making the process incredibly fast.

His Fire Control technique was now at Level 1 Completion. Applying this skill to controlling the heat under the stove was simply masterful and extremely convenient.

As a result, the layered pancakes he baked were exceptionally crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, fragrant and delicious.

With just one bite, the layers practically crumbled, and even the sound of the crispy skin colliding seemed to carry a fragrance.

While controlling the heat and baking the pancakes, Chen Xu also felt his cultivation experience from the God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll slowly increasing.

Although this increase was very subtle, even after baking a hundred pancakes, his Heavenly Book panel hadn't registered a single noticeable experience point, Chen Xu could clearly feel that something was different.

This difference was something Chen Xu hadn't experienced before the success of his Three Essences Foundation Establishment and the formal cultivation of the God of Cookery Cultivation Scroll.

It seemed that not only could making spiritual food enhance his cultivation inspiration, but making ordinary food could too.

It was just that the inspiration bonus from cooking ordinary food was not as obvious as making spiritual food.

However, if done consistently, it was also a good form of cultivation.

Chen Xu therefore gained more patience and a more serious attitude towards cooking.

During this time, Chen Xu also heard the chirping conversation between the little mouse A Shi and Ninth Master.

The little mouse's voice was lively and agile, like a sprite accompanying the stove fire, adding a lot of fun for Chen Xu.

"Ninth Master, the scholar's flatbreads are even more fragrant than before. A Shi's tongue is about to fall off from the delicious smell, squeak squeak..."

[Like +1 +1...]

Having two Rat Demons hidden in his home surprisingly gave Chen Xu a feeling of peaceful tranquility. It was truly peculiar.

After finishing his morning chores, Wang Mochuan and Xu Wenyuan arrived one after another to find Chen Xu.

Wang Mochuan had also brought servants and a carriage, so the three of them ended up sharing one carriage to the Lin residence.

During the journey, Chen Xu naturally took out his own layered flatbreads for the two to eat.

Wang Mochuan's daily like limit was 30 points, while Xu Wenyuan's was only 10. However, even a mosquito's leg is still meat, and it shouldn't be missed if possible.

Still, getting the two to speak words of praise continuously wasn't easy; it required Chen Xu to guide the conversation.

Inside the carriage, Wang Mochuan couldn't help but laugh and say, "It's clear that Brother Chen is truly dedicated and earnest in the culinary arts. Your skill today surpasses yesterday's. Brother Chen's cooking is excellent, and his scholarship is even better. Such progress is truly inspiring. Why don't I offer you some tuition fees, Brother Chen, and you can teach me how to cook?"

Chen Xu replied, "Then I'll really teach. Brother Wang, will you really learn?"

He seemed to be serious, and Wang Mochuan couldn't help but be taken aback.

Afterward, their eyes met, and hearty laughter erupted from the carriage.

Wang Mochuan burst into laughter. Of the three in the carriage, only Xu Wenyuan quietly nibbled on the crisp pastry, occasionally casting envious glances at Chen Xu and the other man.

Suddenly, Chen Xu asked, "Brother Xu, is it delicious?"

Xu Wenyuan immediately sat up straight and hastily said, "Delicious, delicious, extremely delicious."

Chen Xu looked at him, and Wang Mochuan looked at him as well.

Then the three of them burst into laughter together.

The laughter inside the carriage gradually subsided only when they arrived outside the Lin residence.

After all, they were there to offer condolences to a fellow student. What reason would there be to laugh in front of their memorial hall?

The three alighted from the carriage with solemn expressions, Xu Wenyuan's face particularly etched with grief.

However, the commotion within the Lin residence seemed somewhat unusual.