At those words, Chen Ping's heart first leaped with joy.
"Hmm... hmm..."
Chen Ping hesitated for a long while without speaking. Xuan Zi grinned, assuming Chen Ping was simply too young to dare ask him for anything.
After all, the boy wasn't even a first-year student at Shrek yet. For an eleven- or twelve-year-old, being able to open his mouth and express what he wanted was already quite an accomplishment.
But Xuan Zi had fallen into the trap of habitual thinking.
Earlier, he had told Wang Yan that Chen Ping had fought and clawed his way through the Douluo Continent at such a young age, possessing both courage and a ruthless streak.
How could a boy like that be frightened into silence by a grubby old man?
Just because he had made the ingredients fly into his mouth while eating Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?
Chen Ping was actually wondering what price would be appropriate for fleecing Xuan Zi!
According to Chen Ping's original plan, he would sell this Buddha Jumps Over the Wall to wealthy senior boys Bei Bei knew and wealthy senior girls Tang Ya knew, charging fifty Gold Soul Coins per serving.
If he made it once a week, five servings at a time, Chen Ping could bring in a thousand Gold Soul Coins a month before expenses.
After paying Bei Bei and Tang Ya a hundred Gold Soul Coins each per month in referral fees and deducting his costs, he would still earn five or six hundred Gold Soul Coins a month.
The holiday lasted a month, and few Shrek students would stay on campus. Even if business was cut in half, earning a thousand Gold Soul Coins over two and a half months would be no problem.
That sum would be more than enough for Chen Ping to spend freely during his first year at Shrek. He could even go ahead and inject himself with some of the potions he had been reluctant to buy.
His rate of improvement was still too slow. Once he had money, he would definitely give himself a few good injections.
But that was the ideal outcome if he sold it to the school's senior students.
If he sold it to Xuan Zi, the price would be a different matter.
A stewed pheasant could indeed fetch a higher price from someone who needed to nourish their body, but no matter what, it could never command the price of a stewed phoenix.
Even if Xuan Zi was rich, how much could Chen Ping ask for?
Seventy Gold Soul Coins a serving?
A hundred Gold Soul Coins a serving?
That was essentially the ceiling. If he went any higher, Xuan Zi might still pay.
But not only Xuan Zi-even Wang Yan would probably brand him insatiably greedy in his heart.
Chen Ping would never drive his relationship with Xuan Zi into a dead end for such a paltry sum.
Xuan Zi might be unreliable, but he was still Shrek's future Sea God Pavilion Master.
For the sake of making a living, Chen Ping could occasionally be shortsighted and set aside long-term plans.
But once he had escaped the hardest struggle for survival, he needed to take a long view of his development.
Even doing this business at a loss would be better for Chen Ping than fleecing Xuan Zi once.
What Chen Ping was considering, however, was whether there might be a third option better than either of those two.
Glancing at his remaining Academic Genius Points-just a little over a thousand-Chen Ping made up his mind.
Stewed pheasant naturally couldn't fetch much, but if he could make stewed phoenix, that would command an entirely different price.
Quick, a thousand points! Help me work out a soul beast version of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall!
At Chen Ping's silent command, the Academic Genius Points in his account were instantly deducted, leaving only a pitiful handful.
"Xuan Zi, making Buddha Jumps Over the Wall for you would be easy enough. It's just that what you and Teacher Wang are eating now is only the most ordinary version."
Chen Ping revealed an enigmatic smile, took out a spoon, and drank a mouthful of broth. Its exquisite savor immediately made his eyes narrow.
What vibrant flavor!
Chen Ping marveled inwardly, gaining a little more confidence in what he was about to say.
"Actually, our Coiling Dragon Sect also has a secret recipe for Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. Its ingredients are completely different from those in the ordinary version. As for the flavor..."
Chen Ping paused. Seeing Xuan Zi's eyes light up, he knew the old man had taken the bait. With a soft chuckle, he continued, "Naturally, it rises to a whole new level!"
"Then there's nothing more to discuss. Naturally, I want this secret-recipe Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. A slightly higher price is no problem."
Xuan Zi immediately waved a broad hand, looking as though money was no object.
Chen Ping secretly rejoiced. Those were the very words he had been waiting for.
Without them, Chen Ping would have been too embarrassed to bring out the knife.
At once, Chen Ping put on an embarrassed expression. "Xuan Zi, you may not know this, but the ingredients for this secret-recipe Buddha Jumps Over the Wall aren't easy to gather. Everything it requires comes from soul beasts."
"The ingredients for this premium Buddha Jumps Over the Wall consist of ten delicacies and eight fresh treasures. Even the pork hock can't be an ordinary pork hock. It has to be..."
At this point, Chen Ping suddenly drew out his words. Not only Xuan Zi, but even Wang Yan pricked up his ears, curious to hear what came next.
Chen Ping's prolonged hesitation wasn't a deliberate attempt to keep them in suspense, however. The system simply hadn't finished working out the recipe for premium Buddha Jumps Over the Wall yet.
"It has to be..."
Chen Ping swayed his head, continuing to keep them guessing.
Only when the system rapidly finished working out the recipe did Chen Ping breathe an inward sigh of relief and say, "A hind hock from an Ironhide Savage Pig is the best choice."
"Besides that, we'll need eggs from a Five-Colored Phoenix Chicken, young King Sea Cucumbers..."
When he mentioned the King Sea Cucumbers, Chen Ping's tone suddenly shifted, sounding rather as though he were gritting his teeth.
Only after naming all eighteen rare ingredients did Chen Ping glance nervously at Xuan Zi.
He was genuinely afraid that the ingredients he had listed were too complicated, and that the old man would grit his teeth, give up on the premium Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, and settle for the ordinary version.
Then those thousand Academic Genius Points would have been spent for nothing.
But thinking that way truly meant underestimating Xuan Zi's title of Taotie Douluo.
Upon hearing that so many rarely seen soul beast ingredients could be gathered together to make a single dish, Xuan Zi nearly started drooling.
"Why should a youngster like you worry about the ingredients? Just leave everything to me."
"It's no easy task to spend so many days making only a few jars of this Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. Whatever compensation you need, just name it."
By then, Chen Ping no longer cared much about compensation. The money he wanted to earn was already all but in his hands.
That was right. The money he wanted to earn would actually come from the surplus ingredients used to make premium Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
As the saying went, if the cook didn't steal, the grain wouldn't grow.
As an ingredient for premium Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, an Ironhide Savage Pig's hind hock naturally offered supreme flavor. But who said its front hock wouldn't work too?
That little bastard Chen Ping had a heart as black as coal!
For every serving of premium Buddha Jumps Over the Wall he made for Xuan Zi, he could quietly scrape together enough extra ingredients to make another half serving or even a whole one.
These were eighteen different soul beast ingredients!
"Compensation..."
Chen Ping pondered for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "Could I be so bold as to ask you for permission to eat free at our academy's eighth serving window for a while?"
"Six months would be enough. I'd like to replenish my vitality so the other students don't leave me too far behind."
Hearing Chen Ping's condition, Xuan Zi and Wang Yan couldn't help exchanging a glance, clearly surprised.
Chen Ping's request was clever and showed a good sense of restraint.
Before you continue