Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 302 Return to the city
Qiantang Water Palace, Yunlong Palace.

A strange beast that was three to five meters tall and long was lying on the jade couch, anxiously waiting for its meal.

The beast has a very strange appearance, with goat horns, a human face, tiger teeth, wolf claws, an ox body and a unicorn tail. If it were just that, it would be worthy of the word "divine and majestic". But what is horrifying is that the beast has two mouths, one is slightly smaller and located on the neck, and the other is very large and located at the front of the chest and abdomen, leading directly to the stomach and intestines.

The ninth son of the dragon, Taotie.

The stove fire was rising in front of Ao Ling, and the huge iron pot weighing dozens of kilograms was turned upside down in her hands as if it were nothing.

Luofu and Tuomo were sitting at a round table drinking tea and playing chess, and from time to time they cast their eyes towards the huge water curtain in the center of the hall.

What is presented on the water curtain is the star map of the Qiantang waters jointly outlined by the Guanglu Temple and the White Tiger Guards.

"Brother, open your mouth."

Ao Ling had prepared two dishes without knowing when. She came to Taotie and patted the huge mouth under his armpit with her delicate hand.

Controlled by appetite, Taotie, who was temporarily unconscious, shrank noticeably when he smelled the scent on Ao Ling. A feeling of fear and uneasiness spread out from him, causing the temperature in the hall to rise a few degrees.

But then it growled, still unable to suppress the endless hunger in its stomach, and opened its mouth obediently.

“[Braised pork ribs with bitter bamboo shoots], fills the stomach and nourishes the body.”

Ao Ling poured the [True Taste] in his left hand into the giant mouth. Before Taotie could taste anything, he poured the cold dish in his right hand into it at lightning speed.

“【Cold Andrographis Sautéed】, clears the mind and strengthens the soul.”

After eating two pieces of the True Taste Pills, the extreme bitterness instantly woke Ao Tao, who was controlled by his appetite, up. He frantically swallowed the remaining bitterness with saliva in his mouth, and praised Ao Ling.

"Little sister, your control over the pill beetle is becoming more and more amazing, but have you mastered it completely?"

"Brother, you have a keen eye. You have gained some enlightenment recently and have improved a lot."

Ao Ling thought of the half plant of [Longjing Green], and lowered her beautiful eyes: "If I can find a few [Spring and Autumn Cicada], [Cosmic Locust], [Mountain and River Borer] and other exotic insects, [Wall Borer Flavor] might be worth a try."

(The [Wanwuwei] here is a legendary dish)
"The mountains and seas are vast, and the nine realms are boundless. After my brother finishes this journey, I will definitely accompany my little sister to explore the heavens and earth to taste the flavors, in order to reach the realm of the immortal chef."

Ao Tao lowered his head slightly, and turned back into a human form, returning to the appearance of that elegant gentleman.

"Since you are so sure, that's the best."

Hearing the confidence overflowing from Ao Tao's words, Ao Ling forced a smile and turned to look at Tuo Mo and Luo Fu, who were apparently playing chess but were actually listening to the gossip.

"General Tu, have you collected all the 100 kinds of fresh seafood that we were going to collect these days?"

"Miss, we have collected more than 60 kinds of herbs, but because there are too few fresh herbs in the well, there are even fewer that can reach the Xuan Bing grade, so I am discussing with the hermit to see if we can find some more substitutes."

When Tuo Mo heard the question, he immediately jumped up and reported his recent achievements to Ao Ling in a deep voice.

"What fresh fish did you find?"

Ao Ling was thinking about the recipe details of [Bai Wei Peng] and suddenly asked.

"【One-legged golden toad】, 【Bloodworm】, 【Fighting spike】, 【Green scorpion】, 【Chan torreya algae】."

As soon as Tuo Mo thought about it, he named eight or nine, which was almost half of the twenty required by the recipe.

"Have the Well Dragon Kings of the four nearby states been informed?"

"The decrees have been delivered, but most of the Well Dragon Kings are not very advanced in Taoism and have not even reached the Xuan Bing rank, let alone having qualified Well Freshmen under their rule."

Thinking of those men who had returned from the sewers and wells, Tuo Mo couldn't help but complain.

"In that case, then we have no choice but to go to Lin'an Prefecture again."

Ao Ling looked at the huge water curtain in the hall, on which the silver-white Qiantang River dotted with stars was very beautiful.

"Brother, please accompany me this time. The human race is powerful and has made great efforts to help me. It has shown enough sincerity. I should come to thank you."

"My little sister, you are right. Humans are my father's clan. I should meet with the chief official of Yangzhou to discuss the matter of the wandering dragon."

Ao Tao nodded. His father was a scholar in the Tang Dynasty, so he was naturally very friendly to the human race.

"Would you like to go with me, hermit?"

Ao Ling smiled at Luo Fu, but no one knew what he was thinking.

"Since Young Master has taken action, Luo Fu will naturally go with him. Princess, there is no need to ask any more questions."

Luofu, who was sitting cross-legged on the cushion, opened his eyes, his face calm and without any emotion.

"It's better to do it today than to wait for a day. Let's do it today. The journey is not short. I think by the time we arrive, most of these future spirit chefs will have returned to Lin'an. Then."

Ao Tao's heart was filled with the purest appetite: "Let me also taste the flavors of the Nine Provinces and Eighteen Lands, and see how they are different from Jingchu and Yunmeng!"
-
The next morning.

Yangzhou Prefecture, Lin'an Prefecture.

As the most prosperous capital city in Yangzhou, the most imposing mansion in this city is neither the residence of a duke, a prince, a governor's office, or a merchant's house, but the joint seat of the four departments and six bureaus.

Although the four departments and six bureaus of Yangzhou Prefecture were very rich, they still did not dare to adopt the regulations of the Guanglu Temple. They just did their best in terms of floor space and decoration, which was much more magnificent than the Liu Mansion, which was a duke for generations.

Outside the corner gate at the southeast corner of the Wild Hunting Bureau, Qin Huai and Cha Xiaodao arrived exhausted. Looking at the morning market in front of them, they couldn't help feeling a little hungry.

"Hu Bing! Hu Bing with mutton and chili!"

"Tofu pudding for sale! Hot, fresh tofu pudding!"

"Fried whitebait! Three cents each, big portion, enough to fill you up!"

"."

Most of the people who come in and out of the Wild Hunting Bureau are capable people, who are definitely richer than ordinary people. Moreover, under the leadership of a certain Sicheng, the Wild Hunting Bureau has become a place of eating and drinking, and almost all of them are big eaters. Small vendors seize the opportunity and come up with new and innovative things in this corner street. There are at least dozens of breakfast stalls alone.

When Qin Huai and Cha Xiaodao had leisurely eaten from one end to the other and had filled their stomachs half full, they happened to meet the clerk who opened the door to welcome guests into the hunting hall.

"Little brother, let me ask you, is Liu Sicheng here?"

Qin Huai took out a few copper coins and stuffed them into the clerk's hand, then raised his chin towards the wild hall not far away.

"Brother Hutou, you are here. The Minister of the Ministry of Justice went out for a drink yesterday. I am afraid it will take another half an hour for him to come to the bureau. If you are in a hurry to find him, you can go to his house to pay a visit."

When the clerk saw that it was Qin Huai who was asking the question, he quickly put away the copper coins and responded respectfully.

"I understand. Go ahead and get busy."

Qin Huai nodded, took Cha Xiaodao and walked south.

Not long after, a huge complex of pavilions and palaces located on the eastern foot of Phoenix Mountain appeared in front of the two of them.

The Liu Mansion looked quite ordinary in design, far inferior to the prosperous Chang'an that Qin Huai had seen. However, as a private residence of an official, it was already majestic and magnificent.

It is surrounded by tall city walls and four city gates. The city tower is covered with blue glazed tiles and the gate is decorated with red lacquer and gold-coated copper nails. It looks like a small fortress.

"My goodness, I will believe you if you tell me that Fatty has private soldiers at home."

Cha Xiaodao looked at the city wall that was more than ten meters high and couldn't help but smack his lips in amazement.

"After all, he is the commander-in-chief in charge of the military and political affairs of a state. It is normal for him to have some subordinates." Qin Huai was not too surprised. He just looked at the large crossbows flashing with cold light in the four-cornered arrow towers, and couldn't help but wonder in his heart.

"In the heart of the Central Plains, it looks like a wartime layout, but the people around here are used to it. Could it be that there is also a gate between the two worlds here?"

Not long after they lamented, the two of them strolled to the gate of the mansion and ran into guards holding spears and wearing fish-scale soft armor.

"Stop! Tell us your purpose!"

"Hello, brother. I am the second-class hunting officer of the Wild Hunting Bureau. After I have finished escorting the contestants of the Spiritual Chef Competition, I am returning to Lin'an to report to Liu Sicheng."

Qin Huai and Cha Xiaodao both took out tokens from their pockets and showed them to the guards in front of them.

"Wait a moment, I will go and inform the young master."

The soldier only glanced at the token, then looked at Qin Huai's dress, bowed slightly, and entered Liu's mansion through the side door.

After waiting for about a cup of tea, Qin Huai saw the highly recognizable and impactful ball of flesh squeeze out from the side door and greet the two of them.

"Huzi, Chadi, you two came back quickly this time."

"Thanks to Fatty, we were able to get a warship from Yushan. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to sail downstream right after the feast and get back to Lin'an in the middle of the night."

Cha Xiaodao chuckled and placed the food he had just bought at the morning market in front of Liu Gengyang.

"Is this Wang Er's bean curd roll? His pickled vegetables are delicious. I'll put more next time."

"The tofu pudding made by Aunt Fan is delicious, but it can't be left to cool down. This distance is not close, and it is still hot. What a blessing."

Seeing that Liu Gengyang was about to hold a snack appreciation meeting at the Southeast Corner Gate morning market based on the food in front of him, Qin Huai hurriedly coughed lightly and took the initiative to start the conversation.

"Brother, you have lived in Lin'an for a long time, aren't you curious about what we saw and heard during this trip to Wenyan?"

"What's so interesting about Wenyan Qujiang? The endless drizzle, the endless fish, and the whirlpools that never disappear."

Liu Gengyang bit off most of the mutton pie in one bite, still mumbling something: "If it were up to me, the hunters should have plowed the Wenyan a few more times, and the Xingli Army should have no choice but to let Jiang's evil spirits, no matter how many and how fierce they are, be reincarnated."

"Ghosts are scary, but in my opinion, some people's minds are even more sinister and vicious than these ghosts."

Seeing that Liu Gengyang's interest had been aroused, Qin Huai briefly recounted the deeds of Ge Laodao, who practiced the evil method of creating animals.

"The dark culinary world? [Black Lotus Master]?"

After hearing these two key words, Liu Gengyang put down the bun in his hand and looked at Qin Huai with a serious expression: "Huzi, have you collected the evidence?"

"Yes, the charred remains of the beast-creating monster are still in the [fresh cage]."

Qin Huai patted the gray-white jade bamboo box behind him.

"Let's go back to the government office first."

The three of them chatted all the way and unknowingly arrived at the door of the Wild Hunting Bureau.

"This is the whip used to perform the evil method of creating animals, and the only remnant of the Lotus Slave."

[Broken whip]

Quality: Ruined

Category: Foreign matter

By whipping for a long time, the animals can be made to obey orders. (Now ineffective)

Note: Humans are also animals, so why can’t they be tamed?

[Heart-Eating Lotus Seeds]: This is a great earthly medicine nurtured with the life-long essence of warriors in the [Xinggang Realm]. It could have been used as a condiment for [Heavenly Feast] dishes, but because it consumes a large amount of essence, it can only be used for [Daoist Feast] dishes.

If consumed alone, it can shorten one's lifespan by five years, and increase the awakening degree of poison inheritance by 10%, and the awakening degree of any other inheritance by 5%.

Note: If you have not practiced the relevant poison skills or codes, and have not inherited the poison attribute, you will be forced to gain the [Poison Damage] status after consuming it.

[Heart-eating lotus seed] is an egg-shaped sphere like a black jade crystal, and it feels burning when you touch it.

Liu Gengyang carefully examined the half-remaining [Livestock Whip] and [Heart-Eating Lotus Seed], then took out two jade boxes of the same shape with coiled dragon patterns on them, and carefully placed the two in them.

"Huzi, this is a serious matter. We have to go see Zhen Shaoqing and the Grand Commander first. You two are witnesses, so you have to go with me."

Qin Huai and Cha Xiaodao looked at each other and said, "Of course, we came back and went straight to your house to find you, just for this matter."

"Well, follow me."

Liu Gengyang walked out of the government office, called a confidant from outside the door, took off the fish bag from his waist and threw it to him: "Go and ask to see the Grand Commander, and invite the Guanglu Temple to the temporary government office."

"promise."

After delivering the message, Liu Gengyang took Qin Huai and Cha Xiaodao through the maze-like joint administrative center and arrived at the temporary government office of Guanglu Temple located in the Imperial Wine Storehouse.

"Go away, why are you still checking the token? I've been here every day these days. Can you find a third great man as handsome as me in the whole Lin'an Prefecture?"

Seeing that the White Tiger Guards guarding the government office were unkind, Liu Gengyang stopped Qin Huai and the other two, checked their credentials, then immediately puffed out his belly and walked in with the jade box between his legs.

[White Tiger Guard] didn't care about him. Just as Liu Gengyang said, there was indeed no third meatball as round as him in the entire Lin'an Prefecture.

"Dark cuisine. [Black Lotus Master]."

Zhen Xian twirled his beard and stared at the [Heart-Eating Lotus Seed] in front of him, as if he was recalling something.

"He's just a clown, nothing to worry about."

Zhen Xian put down the [Whip] in his hand, and didn't seem to take the trivial matter of making an animal to heart.

Liu Gengyang offered a cup of fragrant tea and asked curiously, "Uncle Zhen, who is this [Black Lotus Master]?"

Seeing that Liu Gengyang asked the key question, Qin Huai and Cha Xiaodao unconsciously pricked up their ears, afraid of missing a word.

"Have you ever heard of Southern Shaolin Suxinzhai, where there is a dragon chef, Master Menglian, who is famous for his vegetarian dishes?"

Zhen Xian sighed: "This [Black Lotus Great Master] is a former fellow disciple of Master Meng Lian! It's a pity that something happened when he went to the Mountain and Sea Realm to look for food. When he reappeared, he had mastered a set of evil cooking skills that harmed others and benefited himself."

"Later, he was wanted by the imperial court for his grave sins and crimes. There has been no news for a long time. I thought he had already gone deep into the mountains and seas and died. But I didn't expect that he just disappeared, changed his appearance, and is still practicing in the dark, harming people."

"Zi Qi, how about I go back to the capital in person?"

"Not appropriate. Send a message to Ling Guang and let her [Suzakuyu Detective] investigate carefully before taking action."

Zhen Xian closed the lids of the two jade boxes and looked up at Qin Huai and the other man who were sitting upright.

"You have made great contributions this time, do you have anything to ask for?"

Qin Huai glanced at Cha Xiaodao, then looked at Zhen Xian who was looking at him with interest, and took the initiative to speak.

"If Master Zhen doesn't mind the trouble, I would like to ask you to personally cook a dish for us."

(End of this chapter)