Chapter 22 - Great Fortune, Tonight We Feast on Chicken

At five in the afternoon, Liu Peng arrived at Su Mu's home once again.

He had snatched a dining reservation for 5:30 PM through the app, and since they wouldn't wait for latecomers, it was necessary to head over early—even waiting at the restaurant's entrance was preferable to losing the reservation due to tardiness.

The trio left the residential community, hopped into a ride-share, and made a beeline for Da Fu Rong Restaurant.

No sooner had they stepped out of the car than someone approached them: "Need a dining reservation? I've got slots for all times, starting as low as ten thousand yuan..."

What a scene! Even scalpers had gotten wind of the restaurant's booming business!

And to think that they had the nerve to charge ten thousand yuan just for a reservation—what a rip-off! Compared to them, Su Mu was practically a saint, not at all a profiteer.

"No need, we have one," Liu Peng waved his hand, indicating the scalper should stop bothering them.

Unexpectedly, after hearing Liu Peng's response, the scalper leaned in even closer, "Willing to sell your reservation? I'll give you three thousand for it."

Su Mu said, "Three thousand to buy, selling for ten thousand? That's quite the markup."

The scalper defended himself with a brazen attitude, "I'm taking on a huge risk here. If I can't sell it before the dining slot, I'm left with a total loss." He continued to pester Liu Peng to sell his reservation.

"Not selling! I'm here to enjoy the spiritual cuisine. If I sell, what would I eat?"

Seeing Liu Peng's firm stance, the scalper could only walk away, disgruntled.

At the entrance of the restaurant, a server was verifying dining reservations.

Liu Peng pulled up the QR code for the reservation on his phone and showed it to the server for scanning.

The server said, "We currently have no vacant tables. You'll have to wait a bit. We'll arrange seating in the order of the times on the reservations as soon as a table becomes available."

It seemed the restaurant's business was even more thriving than they had imagined, and Su Mu's group wouldn't be able to be seated precisely at 5:30 PM.

It was frustrating, but there was no choice but to wait.

After all, this was the only place that had hired an alchemical cuisine master, offering dishes tailored for those undergoing the examination for cultivation.

Other establishments either lacked alchemical cuisine cultivators of such high caliber or didn't offer specialized spiritual cuisine for the exam.

No competition meant they rightfully earned their reputation for being awesome.

Just like Su Mu's earlier success selling the special effect qi refining pills...

Now it was their turn to experience what it felt like to be at the mercy of a monopoly.

Fortunately, they didn't run into any classmates; otherwise, they would have surely been teased about their current predicament.

It wasn't until 7:30 PM that Su Mu and the others were finally called. They followed the server to their table and took their seats.

"What would you like to have?" the server asked, placing a tablet on the table.

The electronic menu on the tablet not only displayed detailed information for each dish but also allowed for direct ordering.

Su Mu and Su Ye made no move to take the tablet. Since Liu Peng was treating, it was naturally up to him to order.

Liu Peng didn't reach for the tablet either. He had already done his research online and said directly, "We want chicken—the kind you've advertised with three heads, six eyes, six legs, and three wings."

"Do you mean the Shangfu Chicken?" the server inquired.

"Exactly, that's the one," Liu Peng nodded repeatedly.

Su Mu discreetly took out his phone and searched for Shangfu online, curious about what sort of creature it was that bore such a unique appearance.

Su Ye, noticing his action, took the initiative to explain, "Shangfu is a type of spiritual bird, recorded in the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas1'. It is said that eating this animal can prevent one from feeling tired and enhance their spirit manifold."

She had been confined at home due to illness, passing the time by watching TV, surfing the internet, and reading books. She had read the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas', albeit an illustrated translated version.

The server first complimented her, "Little sister, you are quite knowledgeable," and then provided a further introduction: "After our restaurant's alchemical cuisine master prepares the Shangfu, it has the effect of boosting energy, memory, and comprehension. And these benefits can last about a week. Looking at the three of you, it appears you're here to take part in the examination for cultivation, right? Consuming Shangfu now would cover the entire period of the examination, offering substantial help. These past two days, our hottest selling spiritual cuisines are related to Shangfu."

Su Mu understood.

The spiritual cuisine made with Shangfu was like an attribute enhancement BUFF, boosting various attributes that were closely related to the examination for cultivation, naturally making it a hot item.

The price was certainly not cheap.

Upon inquiry, it turned out that a single spiritual cuisine dish prepared with Shangfu cost tens of thousands of yuan.

If this had been before, Liu Peng absolutely could not afford such an expense.

But now things were different; affording this expensive meal was not a problem at all.

Liu Peng ordered a spicy Bang Bang Shangfu Chicken, which was the restaurant's recommended spiritual cuisine for those taking the cultivation examination, and then he selected a few regular dishes.

Even the regular dishes here were pricey.

As the server explained, this was because they used top-quality ingredients, and the cooks were not ordinary chefs but alchemical cuisine chefs trained by institutions like New Oriental. While they might not be on par with alchemical cuisine cultivators, they were much better than average chefs. The dishes they prepared were not only delicious but also had various health benefits.

The dinner Liu Peng treated them to cost him over seventy thousand yuan.

Of this amount, the Bang Bang Shangfu Chicken was the priciest at sixty-six thousand yuan!

This made Su Mu inwardly sigh with regret once more; if only he knew how to prepare spiritual cuisine, it would be a true path to wealth, even more lucrative than selling special effect qi refining pills.

After Liu Peng finished ordering, the server took the tablet and said, "Our alchemical cuisine master is about to slaughter a fresh Shangfu chicken. If you are interested, you can observe the process."

This was a feature of their restaurant. Although they did not kill to order, they allowed customers to see the ingredients that would be served on their plates, ensuring authenticity. After all, with so much money spent, no one wanted to eat fake or stale spiritual birds or beasts.

Su Mu and the others were very interested.

They had only ever read about or seen Shangfu chickens in books, on TV, or online, and had never seen the real thing. Promptly, they followed the server to a large window.

On the other side of the window was the restaurant's kitchen.

Many people were gathered in front of the window, much like visitors in a zoo or aquarium.

Su Mu and his companions found a spot and stood still, curiously peering into the kitchen through the window.

A massive iron cage was placed directly in front of the display window, containing a Shangfu Chicken standing over half a meter tall. Its three heads, adorned with vibrant feathers, pecked incessantly at the iron bars, emitting chilling 'clangs' that sparked dazzling lights.

It was clear that the cage imprisoning the Shangfu Chicken was inscribed with a runic formation. Otherwise, the bird would have likely broken the cage and escaped by now. Incidents of Shangfu Chickens pecking through cars and burglar-proof doors and windows were not uncommon near the breeding farms.

An alchemical cuisine master, clad in a chef's uniform and wielding a kitchen knife, approached the cage.

The Shangfu Chicken, sensing the killing intent radiating from the man, bristled with feathers standing on end.

As the alchemical cuisine master opened the cage, the bird's six legs pushed off simultaneously, rocketing out like a shell. Its three glinting beaks, six razor-sharp claws, and three hefty wings all bombarded the master in a unified assault.

The intensity and power of the onslaught caused the crowd watching through the display window to involuntarily step back, gasping in alarm.

Yet, the alchemical cuisine master remained calm.

He swung his knife with lightning speed; the crowd couldn't even track the blade's trajectory before the Shangfu Chicken's three necks were severed.

With a swift motion of his left hand, he caught the necks before the blood could spill and carried the bird to an iron tray prepared nearby.

Only then did the chicken blood begin to flow.

After a few twitches, the Shangfu Chicken lay still.

"Awesome!" Liu Peng exclaimed excitedly.

Many others around him shared his excitement.

The scene they had just witnessed made them feel as though they were watching a master at work.

Despite the ease with which the alchemical cuisine master dealt with the Shangfu Chicken, everyone understood that if they were to face one themselves, even a domestically bred one, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Forget about eating the chicken; they'd be lucky not to be eaten by it.

Truly worthy of a cultivator!

Even an alchemical cuisine cultivator, specializing in life skills, was that awesome!

Su Mu, however, had a peculiar expression on his face.

He hadn't expected that simply watching a chicken being slaughtered could trigger a pay-to-win cheat, leading to a personal gain.

Footnote:

The Classic of Mountains and Seas(《山海经》): This ancient Chinese text, also known as "Shan Hai Jing," is a collection of legends, myths, and folklore mixed with descriptions of natural features and fantastical creatures. The origins of the text are shrouded in mystery, and it was compiled over a long period, possibly from the Warring States period to the Han Dynasty. It is not a geographical work in the modern sense but rather a compendium of mythological lore. The text's structure is divided into the "Classic of the Mountains" (山经) and the "Classic of the Seas" (海经), each detailing the mythic geography and divine inhabitants of the various regions of the ancient Chinese world.