Chapter 243: Two Chefs Working Together

Although it wasn’t yet summer, as soon as one stepped into the kitchen, a wave of heat mixed with the smell of smoke and dishes rushed at them, making it hard to adjust quickly.
People were coming and going in the kitchen, with chefs frantically cooking while shouting orders from time to time. Assistants would then bring in ingredients or pre-prepared seasonings. At the entrance, servers came in and out, nodding briefly to Lin Dong, the owner, before hurrying off with their trays.
“Qiao Tianhao, hand over to Jiang Kui once you’re done cooking, then get out!” Lin Dong shouted. The chefs and assistants turned to glance at him briefly before resuming their work. They already knew why the usually gentle owner liked to scold Qiao Tianhao in particular and were getting used to it.
Back in the courtyard, after sitting on a stone bench for a while, a disheveled figure staggered over.
“O-Owner, did you call for me?” Qiao Tianhao panted, wiping his forehead with his sleeve, clearly exhausted both physically and mentally.
“Stop acting. Tell me, what good deeds have you done these past few days?” Lin Dong sneered. It was such a short distance—even Ma Chun, with his thug background, could run there without breaking a sweat. If Qiao Tianhao, a martial artist at the eighth level of the Agile Phase, couldn’t handle it, then he wasn’t worth much as a warrior.
Qiao Tianhao swallowed hard, wiping his hands on his clean apron. Looking at Lin Dong nervously, he said in a low voice, “Owner, you already know?”
Had he really done something bad?
Lin Dong was speechless. He had just joked around, but unexpectedly, he actually tricked the kid. Suppressing his surprise, Lin Dong’s expression darkened slightly. “Speak up! What punishment do you want?”
“Owner, I really don’t want to!” Qiao Tianhao said with a sad face. “That guy Jiang Kui snores so loudly. I’ve been trying my best to endure it. If I can tolerate his snoring for almost two months, that’s already amazing.”
Lin Dong was both amused and exasperated. So the trouble was because of Jiang Kui’s snoring.
Back in Xilan City, Lin’s Inn only had one backyard, and Lin Dong had indeed heard Jiang Kui’s snoring before. Even through five rooms apart, his rhythmic snoring could still be heard.
Now, with one head chef and another senior chef, Jiang Kui, Qiao Tianhao, and Ma Chun were all highly respected figures in the inn. There were many rooms in the courtyard, so each of them had their own room. But… Lin Dong vaguely remembered that the rooms of Jiang Kui and the others were arranged from left to right according to their status, with Jiang Kui seemingly living in the middle.

Slamming the table hard, Lin Dong said sternly, “Ma Chun can tolerate it—why can’t you?”
“That’s different!” Qiao Tianhao said with a gloomy face. “Manager Ma just covers his head with a blanket, which makes breathing a bit difficult, and no one can hear him even if he shouts. I practice cultivation every night. If I cover my head like Ma Chun and have trouble breathing, it hinders my ability to absorb external spiritual energy.”
“How can I tolerate that in Xilan City?” Lin Dong sneered. “If you can’t calm your own mind, you blame others for being too noisy. Do you think I don’t know that disciples from major sects deliberately create thunderous noises to strengthen their concentration during cultivation?”
“Th-this…” Qiao Tianhao had an idea and quickly said, “With my talent, how can I compare to the shop owner or those from major sects? With lower talent, I need to be more focused during cultivation, so of course I can’t tolerate such noise.”
Lin Dong grinned. Good excuse. He’d mention it to Yun Lan later—maybe that would dissuade her from trying to create arrays to assist his cultivation.
“Shop owner, please spare me this time! I promise…” Qiao Tianhao swore. “I promise I’ll never sneak into Jiang Kui’s room again to block his nose with stinky socks. If I can’t keep my promise, let me share a room with him forever.”
“That’s a good idea,” Lin Dong nodded slowly. “With time, you’ll get used to it.”
Qiao Tianhao’s legs turned weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.
“Shop owner, please forgive me… I’m willing to accept punishment.”
“Punishment? Alright!”
Lin Dong stood up, took out benches one by one from the mobile cabinet and placed them on the table. Under Qiao Tianhao’s horrified gaze, he stopped after the fifth bench.
Picking up one bench, Lin Dong gestured at Qiao Tianhao. “Come here and see if your spine is hard.”
Qiao Tianhao was terrified, wanting to speak but not daring to. His legs felt like they were weighed down by tons of iron. It took him nearly fifteen minutes to reach Lin Dong.
With a glance, Lin Dong signaled, and Qiao Tianhao turned shakily, his back seizing up.
“S-shop owner, I still have to cook later… Please be gentle…”
“You still have to cook?”
“Yes, yes! I still have to cook,” Qiao Tianhao said, as if grasping at a lifeline, nodding frantically. “Jiang Kui alone can’t handle all those spiritual materials and beasts, and the other cooks aren’t good enough. You’re right to punish me, but I’m worried it’ll affect the inn’s business.”

“Well then…” Lin Dong had little interest in those who could offer no resistance to abuse. Hearing this, he pretended to ponder and said, “Since it all started because of Jiang Kui, then find a way to make him forgive you!”
Qiao Tianhao was overjoyed. He knew Jiang Kui’s temper all too well—he was a kind-hearted man, and getting him to forgive someone would be as simple as saying a few words.
“Also…” Lin Dong’s words made Qiao Tianhao’s relieved heart hang in suspense again. “Find time to teach Jiang Kui how to cultivate. I’ll check his progress in a month. If I’m not satisfied, you know the consequences.”
“Teach him to cultivate?” Qiao Tianhao’s expression darkened as he asked cautiously, “What level should he reach in a month?”
“The level that satisfies me,” Lin Dong replied leisurely.
Qiao Tianhao nodded helplessly.
“Anything else…” Lin Dong looked at Qiao Tianhao meaningfully, his gaze sending chills down Qiao’s spine.
“Owner, is there… anything else?” Qiao Tianhao was at his wits’ end. He had only stuffed a few stinky socks in there—there was no real impact on Jiang Kui, who still slept soundly as ever. Why so many punishments?
Lin Dong took out two pairs of green and blue fruits from the mobile counter and placed them on the table, tapping the surface lightly with his index finger.
Qiao Tianhao couldn’t help but swallow hard, staring fixedly at Lin Dong’s lips, as if they might utter something earth-shattering with each movement.
“One pair is for Jiang Kui. He’s just starting out and might not be able to control the rapidly increasing spiritual energy. Find a way to help him refine it.” Lin Dong picked up one green fruit and one blue fruit, holding them slightly apart.
Qiao Tianhao nodded repeatedly, still staring unblinkingly at Lin Dong’s lips.
“As for the other pair, I’m not sure if it should be given to you,” Lin Dong said indifferently.
Qiao Tianhao was on the verge of crying with joy. He nodded and shook his head alternately, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Lin Dong said leisurely, “If you can help Jiang Kui grow stronger and urge him to practice hard, with his loud voice, even without any spiritual skills, just channeling spiritual energy into his throat would be enough to overwhelm anyone. If he can learn to focus his voice on a single point, its power will be terrifyingly strong. Add in your surprisingly fast hands, and if you perform well, I’ll find a way to give you a set of skills to speed things up. The two of you standing in the kitchen will be unbeatable.”

“That’s right, that’s right…” Qiao Tianhao nodded eagerly. “The shop owner is wise and insightful, able to recognize talent. That guy Jiang Kui—if he can really learn to direct his voice at someone, he could shake even those in the Mental Focus stage during the Agile Phase. When facing enemies, I’ll take the lead, and once he shouts to stun them, I guarantee I can turn them into skeletons in the blink of an eye.”
“That’s why I’m wondering whether I should give you the Blue-Green Fruit,” Lin Dong said slowly. “Firstly, it assumes Jiang Kui can direct his voice at one person; otherwise, his own people would fall down too, making it impossible for him to cooperate with you. Even if I give you the Blue-Green Fruit and try every means to provide you with an advanced spiritual technique, your strength might improve a bit, but it won’t be of much use to me.”
“Don’t worry, shop owner!” Qiao Tianhao patted his chest confidently. “To direct sound to a specific place, all you need is to concentrate spiritual energy in one point. I promise to urge Jiang Kui to practice every day, and success will come sooner or later.”
Lin Dong remained silent for a while before saying, “Secondly, you know about the situation between Jiang Kui and Wen Ying, right?”
“I’ve heard the staff mention it,” Qiao Tianhao nodded, not quite understanding Lin Dong’s meaning, so he didn’t dare speak rashly, fearing he might lose the precious opportunity ahead—opportunity that included an advanced spiritual technique as well.
“It’s been almost a year, yet they’ve only managed to meet and chat,” Lin Dong said helplessly. “If Wen Ying really has feelings for Jiang Kui, given her age, Wen Wangzhong should have discussed their relationship with me by now. So…”
“Are you worried that they won’t get together, and Jiang Kui might take drastic measures?” Qiao Tianhao asked, eyes wide.
“That’s not it. I’m afraid he’ll become depressed,” Lin Dong shook his head. Jiang Kui already regarded Wen Ying as a goddess and never dared think of marrying her. If she really married someone else, it should still be within his tolerance. But the problem is, if his goddess marries someone else, he’d likely be depressed for at least three to five years, and then… lose motivation. Who knows, he might open a noodle stall right across from Wen Ying’s house and spend his days watching her from afar, ending his life in loneliness.
“Don’t worry, shop owner!” After hesitating for a moment, Qiao Tianhao, for the sake of the Blue-Green Fruit and greater future guidance from Lin Dong, clenched his teeth and pounded his chest. “Starting today, he and I will be brothers who eat at the same table and sleep in the same bed. Without a wife, we still have each other. If such a day comes, no matter how hard-hit he is, he won’t abandon me and go off into the wilderness to live like a wild man.”

“Are you sure?” Lin Dong stared intently. Jiang Kui had suffered discrimination many times because of his loud voice since childhood. If Qiao Tianhao could truly treat him as a brother, it would indeed ease a lot of his pain.
Qiao Tianhao said seriously, “Jiang Kui is just a bit loud and not very good-looking. But he has a good temper, is loyal, and doesn’t have any vices. I have a pretty good impression of him.”
“Remember what you said, or I’ll make you spit out ten times or even a hundred times more spiritual materials.”
Lin Dong took out a Wanhong Fruit from the mobile cabinet and placed it among Qiao Tianhao’s Qinglan Fruits, trying to correct his bad habit of bullying others when they showed respect. After spending time together, he actually had a fairly good impression of Qiao Tianhao.
Qiao Tianhao was overjoyed—once again, misfortune turned into fortune for him.