"Huh? My age?"
The head chef looked at Gao Shang in bewilderment.
"What else? What did you think I was asking?"
Gao Shang rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"Young master, I'm twenty-four this year."
"Twenty-four..."
Gao Shang nodded lightly.
If he remembered correctly, food-type Soul Masters who reached Titled Douluo before forty had a chance of gaining the God of Food's recognition.
Although her Martial Soul was unusual, strictly speaking, it really could only be classified as food-type. With Gao Shang's support, she might well have a chance.
However, it was still too early to talk about that.
Gao Shang dropped the subject and asked instead:
"You served the Star Luo Imperial Family before, didn't you? Why did you come to the Heaven Dou Empire and hide your identity?"
Only after saying that did he remember he had missed something.
"Right, I haven't asked your name yet."
"Young master, my name is Shangguan Yun. I did once work as an imperial chef in the Star Luo Imperial Palace."
At the mention of this, Shangguan Yun's expression immediately darkened.
"I went there for the imperial family's ingredients in the first place."
"Who knew that, just a few days after I arrived, one of the imperial consorts would ask me to make a dish called Snow Drifting over a Volcano?"
"Snow Drifting over a Volcano?"
Gao Shang raised his teacup and took a sip of water.
"That name... I think I've heard it somewhere."
"It's just tomatoes sprinkled with white sugar."
The more Shangguan Yun spoke, the angrier she became.
"But she insisted I make an actual volcano that could erupt, with snow drifting down from above."
"If I couldn't make it, she would have me killed."
"Pfft..."
Gao Shang nearly spat out his mouthful of water.
Were the royals that unhinged?
Or was the Star Luo Imperial Family under too much pressure?
She really just said whatever she dreamed up.
"So you used a Soul Bone to change your appearance and escaped here?"
"Yes."
Shangguan Yun nodded.
"When I arrived in Nuoding City, I happened to meet the manager of the Fortune and Prosperity Pavilion. When he heard I was a chef, he hired me."
"My cooking skills contributed quite a bit to the Fortune and Prosperity Pavilion's growth over the years."
Speaking of cooking finally restored her confidence.
Gao Shang gave her a sympathetic look, set down his teacup, and pointed at the ingredients on the table.
"All right, now that we've cleared that up, let's start the assessment."
"Yes, young master."
Without wasting any words, Shangguan Yun sent the cloud of smoke in her hand straight toward a white, cylindrical piece of meat.
Just a few seconds later, she spoke:
"This is the fresh adductor muscle of a shellfish. It's suited to quick stir-frying or pan-searing, and can also be eaten raw."
"Above all, avoid prolonged stewing or deep-frying. Heating it for more than two and a half minutes will ruin its texture."
Gao Shang nodded, signaling for her to continue.
"This is from a kind of chicken..."
Once she started discussing ingredients, even Shangguan Yun's tone became much brisker.
From suitable preparation methods to things to avoid while cooking, she explained them all.
Before long, she had covered all thirty-six ingredients.
Although there were some discrepancies with the system's descriptions, she had covered essentially all the most important points.
After listening, Gao Shang nodded, quite satisfied with the result.
"Not bad. You passed. These ingredients are yours, too."
With a master chef like her around, he would only have to give the word whenever he wanted something to eat.
Although Hong Hua had been working hard all along, cooking skills were not something one could develop in a day or two.
She was still better at fighting than cooking.
"Wonderful! Thank you, young master!"
At his approval, Shangguan Yun immediately beamed with joy. Her gaze returned to the table, her eyes practically glowing green.
Earlier, she could only identify them. Now they were all hers.
"It's nothing."
Gao Shang waved a hand, then spent another fifteen thousand Gold Soul Coins to buy a ring from the shop and handed it over.
"Right, take this too. It'll make storing ingredients easier."
"A ring?"
Shangguan Yun looked at the ring, then at Gao Shang, and took half a step back, at a loss.
"Young master, I..."
"What are you thinking?"
Gao Shang cut her off.
"This is a Storage Soul Tool specifically for food. The temperature inside is low, so it keeps ingredients fresh longer."
"Oh, a Storage Soul Tool..."
Shangguan Yun hurriedly accepted it and scratched her head awkwardly.
"I thought... Ahem, thank you, young master."
Mentally exhausted, Gao Shang rubbed his forehead, gave her some more ingredients for tonight's dinner, then waved for her to go settle in.
Judging by her appearance, her mind had probably already run off with those ingredients. Anything else he said would be wasted breath.
She was a Soul Ancestor, after all, yet she could no longer even tell whether the ring gave off Soul Power fluctuations.
"All right, go settle in first."
"Yes, young master."
This time, Shangguan Yun said nothing more. She quickly put away the ingredients and followed the maid waiting at the door to the room prepared for her.
Once the two had left, Gao Shang looked at Hong Hua, who had remained beside him.
With a wave of his hand, two more rings appeared on the stone table.
These two had no cooling function, but their storage spaces were larger. They were also Level 4 Soul Tools and cost the same as the previous one.
"Hong Hua, these are for you and Wang Tianyuan."
"Boss, I can't accept this. We're only..."
"Don't be so quick to refuse."
Gao Shang motioned for her to hear him out.
"I'll have quite a few things for you to handle later. Without a Storage Soul Tool, it'll be a hassle. You can't expect me to take care of everything myself whenever something comes up."
"Well..."
Hong Hua glanced at the rings on the table. Seeing that Gao Shang had no intention of taking them back, she could only accept them.
"All right. Boss, if there's anything you need me to do, just say the word."
She and her husband had only been working for Gao Shang for so long, yet they had already received so many benefits one after another.
At this rate, they would probably really have to spend the rest of their lives here to repay his kindness.
Unaware of her thoughts, Gao Shang rubbed his own ring, considered briefly, and said:
"Two things."
"First, pick a suitable spot on the main street. I'm planning to build a restaurant."
"Don't be afraid to spend money. It doesn't have to be the best location, but the site must be large."
"Second, ask the residents near our residence whether we can buy their houses. I want to expand the estate a little more."
After hearing him out, Hong Hua did not immediately agree.
"Boss, finding a site for the restaurant shouldn't be a problem. As long as the price is right, those merchants won't turn their noses up at Gold Soul Coins."
"But expanding the estate probably won't be so easy."
"How so?"
Gao Shang looked at her.
"Our neighbors are all nobles and Soul Masters. Some of them don't need the money. They'd also consider selling their houses a loss of face, so they might not agree."
Hong Hua paused, then continued:
"Besides, if we really bought all the surrounding residences, our estate would probably cover more land than the city lord's residence."
"The city lord might object, too."
Hong Hua's words sent Gao Shang into thought.
He had only thought that offering enough money would secure a deal, forgetting that these people valued face as well as money.
Especially when it came to ancestral homes, they would not agree to sell simply for a few more Gold Soul Coins.
"You have a point."
Gao Shang nodded.
"Then handle the restaurant first. We'll discuss the houses later."
Gao Shang was not someone who insisted on having his own way. Since Hong Hua had explained the difficulties, there was no need to make her run into a wall right now.
Once he was strong enough, he could go talk to those people about life and ideals.
Perhaps someone would grow sick of their current boring life and voluntarily sell their house, wanting to try their luck in a big city.