33: Yang Junlong's predicament

Before even entering the kitchen, a pungent smell wafted out, making her mood even worse.

Approaching to take a look, she saw black water boiling in the pot, with thick bubbles occasionally swelling and bursting.

She hurriedly checked the pot she was stewing; fortunately, it hadn't been affected.

Seeing that the pot of chicken soup Su Chen was supposed to drink was fine, she turned back to criticize Wang Xiaoting:

"Are you sure you followed my steps to make this chicken soup?"

"Of course, but... but I just tasted it and thought it was bland, so I took the liberty of adding 'two handfuls' of seasoning."

Looking at the thick, blackened broth, Xia Weiyu really couldn't imagine how much those two handfuls were:

"Are you sure that was just two handfuls? It feels like you added all the seasoning in."

Seeing that Xia Weiyu didn't believe her, Wang Xiaoting gestured:

"Really, just two handfuls of salt, then two handfuls of soy sauce, and two handfuls of MSG—well, there wasn't that much MSG, so just one and a half handfuls."

Handfuls? Is that a dialect?

"Xiaoting, what kind of tool is this 'handful' you're talking about?"

"Handful, as in one handful, two handfuls."

Since the pot of chicken soup was already ruined, Wang Xiaoting simply demonstrated by pouring a full handful of salt into her palm and then sprinkling it into the pot.

Watching this, Xia Weiyu fell into deep thought:

"Who... who did you learn this from?"

"The neighbor Asan! I saw their chefs cook like that, sprinkling seasoning into the pot and not forgetting to rinse their hands in the pot as well.

But the soup was a bit hot, so I didn't do that last step; maybe that's why it turned out like this.

Anyway, I saw the food they made was selling like crazy, and every time I watch them cook, I get a real appetite. Since I had the chance, I tried it out.

Sorry, I didn't follow your steps and made the chicken soup a bit too strong."

"Your 'strong' is an understatement."

Looking at the pot of chicken soup and remembering the handful of salt Wang Xiaoting just added...

She knew it was beyond saving.

At this moment, she was once again glad she had been cautious and stewed a pot for Su Chen herself; otherwise, if he ate this, he might never recover.

With a bitter laugh, she took off her coat and began putting on an apron:

"There's still some time, so I'll teach you again. Dump the soup and rinse this Black-boned Chicken; I think it can still be salvaged.

I'll stew it again in a moment; you watch and take notes in your notebook.

After this, follow my instructions exactly. You are not allowed to add seasonings according to your own ideas anymore."

"Alright, I'll watch how you stew it."

Xia Weiyu washed the pot and put on fresh water to heat, while she tidied the cutting board to prepare the ingredients.

"Weiyu, do you really not need a hand? It's inconvenient with only one arm."

"It's fine, I've long since gotten used to it. Practice makes perfect."

...Inside the hospital ward, the warm sunlight shone in, feeling indescribably comfortable. Su Chen stretched and rolled over to continue watching a movie.

"This is quite leisurely."

But I can't help it, even if I want to Cultivate.

With this Heaven-Seizing Fate-Altering Cultivation Technique, I only need to throw in Spirit Stones and Experience Cards to automatically Cultivate. My strength grows on its own, so I don't have to worry about training.

My Ability proficiency for the Fire Element, Thunder Element, and Water Element is also at 100%, making me invincible below the Fifth Rank.

As long as my strength increases and my spiritual power is sufficient, I can handle the Sixth Rank or Seventh Rank just the same.

As for equipment and weapons, I'll rely on the lottery. It's given me a lot of gear; I'll save up some more lottery tickets and try to pull a god-tier item.

A gun or a sword or something, and ideally a matching Cultivation Technique.

Otherwise, having a Divine Artifact without a Cultivation Technique and not knowing how to use it would be embarrassing.

To achieve this, I can only count on Xia Weiyu. By staying with her and grinding favorability points, I can take another step forward on the path to invincibility.

I suppose this counts as saving the world.

After all, if the Empress is left alone and allowed to blacken in the future, it would truly be the apocalypse.

After two days together, Xia Weiyu's meticulous daily care had benefited him greatly.

With every need attended to, just a few words to make her laugh would result in a 100-draw pack being credited.

lottery tickets: 2834.61

Lottery Wheel: Purple Quality

In just two days of being together, eating the food Xia Weiyu made and earning over a thousand more lottery tickets, he was about to break three thousand.

He was a big step closer to his goal of 10,000 draws.

At this rate, the small goal of 10,000 draws could be achieved before the assessment is over.

His phone rang; it was a video call from Yang Junlong.

His hair was a mess, and he looked like he hadn't fully woken up yet.

"Boss!"

"Boss, I went back and checked; there's no one named Xia Jue at the school, and there are no other students named Xia Weiyu either.

I also checked several schools near the university town; those two names aren't there."

"You're quite efficient. Thanks for the hard work."

"I wouldn't dare slack off on something you ordered, Boss. Besides, it was just running an errand, no big deal.

Boss, do you really not need a few more days of rest? Isn't going on a mission tomorrow a bit too soon?"

"It's fine. Weiyu was worried, so I agreed to stay in the hospital for three days.

Actually, I could have gone back on missions yesterday. Go to the Mission Bureau in a bit, pick out a few d-rank missions, and I'll choose one."

"Boss, another spatial fissure appeared last night. The difficulty is B-rank; are you going?"

Su Chen refused. After all, doing a B-rank mission meant dealing with mutated beasts; while the pay wasn't bad, was it as high as the rewards for being with the Empress?

There was no comparison. Besides, he was busy helping the Empress complete her assessment; he didn't have time to waste.

B-rank difficulty wasn't a major disaster; they could handle it, and one more First Rank like him wouldn't make a difference.

Yang Junlong breathed a small sigh of relief upon hearing Su Chen's rejection; after all, his own injuries hadn't fully healed, and he didn't want to take risks.

With the New Year approaching, he didn't want to push himself so hard.

He'd rather steadily do a few simple missions, grind some achievements, and go home to rest for a few days without any injuries.

He only mentioned it because he happened to see it, mainly to see what Su Chen thought; he himself didn't really want to go, at least not while he was still recovering.

"Then Boss, I'll head over in a bit, pick a few suitable ones, and we can all discuss it.

As for the teammates this time... do we need to find a new one and replace Wang Xiaoting?

Keeping her around is honestly useless; her ability is completely worthless, and her combat power is pitifully weak."

"No need. It's fine to bring her along for this kind of mission; she can also be a companion for Xia Weiyu to talk to."

Su Chen felt something was off:

"Why do you suddenly want to replace her? Did you two have a conflict?"

"Not exactly a conflict, it's just that I don't know what's gotten into this girl lately. She's become obsessed with cooking and makes me food every day."

Su Chen asked, "Isn't that good? You get to enjoy some good food."

Yang Junlong complained:

"It would be good if it were edible, but the things she makes can't be eaten!

How should I describe it... it smells better than shit.

I'm not exaggerating. Never mind the day before yesterday, let's just talk about yesterday.

That Braised Pork she made for me—she said she wanted to give it a Stinky Tofu vibe, where it smells bad but tastes good.

Well, it smelled bad and it tasted bad too. One bite was slimy and stuck to my teeth, and it even burned my throat when I swallowed it..."