I am Zhao Zhijing, a poor Taoist priest, and I have disciples all over the world.

Chapter 163 Tian Xingjian

In the next three days, Zhao Zhijing took Lu Qingdu to eat all over Tongguan.

Lu Qingdu was a little nervous at first, not knowing what his master was planning.

But when he ate the freshly made Tongguan Roujiamo, which was steaming, full of meaty aroma, and had a tender and juicy taste, he forgot everything.

The master and his disciple strolled and ate along the way. Lu Qingdu ate with relish and enjoyed it very much.

In addition to paying the bills, Zhao Zhijing also occasionally asked some questions about cooking.

For example, how to lock in every drop of soup when making soup dumplings; which part of the body to choose for making Dongpo pork; how to remove the mutton smell in mutton soup with steamed buns.

Every time this happened, Lu Qingdu would listen very carefully, and was more focused than when he was practicing martial arts.

If his answer gets a nod of affirmation from the master, he will naturally smile. If he sees the master shaking his head, he will think about it again and again, or even go directly to ask the store owner. In short, he must have a definite answer.

"as big as World, nothing is nonexistent."

That night, the master and his apprentice bought two bowls of tofu pudding on the roadside. Zhao Zhijing took a bite and sighed, "The tofu pudding we eat now is mainly salty and fresh, but when we go to Jiangnan and Guangdong and Guangxi, the taste becomes mainly sweet."

At this time, Lu Qingdu felt that the taste was a little bland. When he heard what his master said, he was surprised and said, "Mostly sweet? I really can't imagine what that would taste like."

“It’s much more than that.”

Zhao Zhijing went on to say, "If you go to the Bashu area, the locals love spicy food so much that even this bowl of tofu pudding must be added with three spoons of Sichuan peppercorns."

Lu Qingdu listened with longing. As early as when he was in Chongyang Palace, he heard people say that the land of Bashu was the land of abundance, "each dish has its own style and hundreds of dishes have hundreds of flavors", and it was especially famous for its spicy and fresh taste.

"If I can go there one day, I must learn how to make the two famous dishes, twice-cooked pork and garlic-mashed pork, and bring them back for my master and fellow apprentices to taste."

Thinking of this, Lu Qingdu was suddenly stunned. The idea that had been vaguely appearing in his mind for two days was finally confirmed at this moment.

"Master."

Zhao Zhijing waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, wait until Master takes you to eat at the last place in Tongguan tomorrow, and then we can talk in detail."

The next day, the master and the disciple left the inn where they were staying and once again came to the street in the city with the most pedestrians and all kinds of delicious food.

"Qing Du, after this meal we will go back to the mountain. Just like before, you can choose what to eat."

Lu Qingdu looked at the crowds of people in front of him, the noise rising and falling in his ears, and the occasional whiff of fragrance entering his nose. With unprecedented seriousness, he thought about all the Tongguan delicacies he had eaten.

"Master, I want to have another bowl of noodles with toppings."

Zhao Zhijing smiled and nodded. In fact, no matter what Lu Qingdu chose, the purpose of this trip to Tongguan had been achieved. But seeing that his apprentice could fully understand his intention, he was naturally very pleased.

The two of them came to the inconspicuous little shop in the north of the city again, and each of them had a bowl of noodles with toppings.

The taste of this vegetarian noodle, which lacks oil and salt, remains consistent, but Lu Qingdu was impressed and ate up all the noodles and soup, and did not ask for a second bowl.

"Qing Du, you are the first among all the brothers to pass the test."

On the way back to the mountain, Zhao Zhijing patted his disciple on the shoulder and said affirmatively: "From now on, whether you want to go down the mountain to travel or stay on the mountain, you can decide for yourself."

Lu Qingdu wiped the tears from his face. The Jade Maiden Peak was just like the bowl of noodles with toppings. No matter how far or how long he walked, it would always be there and would never change.

"Thank you, Master!" "I have decided. When the snow melts, I will head southwest to Sichuan to hone my cooking skills. I will definitely live up to Master's painstaking training!"

When the master and disciple returned to the mountain, it was as if the incident had never happened. Lu Qingdu also returned to normal and started swinging the spatula again, becoming the second senior brother of Zuowang Temple who did not allow anyone to mess with him in the kitchen.

In the following two months, Zhao Zhijing took almost everyone down the mountain alone.

Each session took some time, some lasting four or five days, and some only half a day. Some disciples, like Lu Qingdu, expressed their opinions at the time, while others hesitated and could not make a decision.

No matter what the situation was, Zhao Zhijing never rushed them. He just gave his disciples inspiration and let them think about it slowly.

Among them, Liu Qingxing still wanted to travel around the world as he said before, and to sharpen his Taoist heart through the various aspects of the world.

Xu Qinghao wants to be a hero and punish evil. He also wants to collect various minerals and make a famous sword for his master after returning to the mountain.

"Master, I want to taste all the fine wines in the world!"

"Master, many of the music scores written by our ancestors were lost due to wars. I hope to find and preserve them as much as possible."

"Master, there will be a war between Song and Mongolia, and I want to protect the country and the people."

"Master."

When the grass is flying in April, it is already a sunny day on earth.

The snow on Mount Hua has melted, and all things are reviving. In the blink of an eye, it is spring again. It has been a whole year since Master Zhao Zhijing and his disciples came to the Yunu Peak.

At this time, in the Sanqing Hall of Zuowang Temple, the master and his disciples were conducting morning lessons as usual.

What was slightly different from the past was that after this morning class, the first group of six disciples who were going down the mountain to travel had to say goodbye to their master and fellow disciples first.

The second disciple, Lu Qingdu, wants to go to Bashu to visit famous Sichuan chefs to expand his horizons and culinary skills;
The fifth disciple, Li Qingfeng, planned to go east back to his hometown to see the sea he had not seen for many years, and set sail;
The seventh disciple, Feng Qingyang, took his master's letter and went to join the army under the hero Guo Jing in Xiangyang.
The eighth disciple, Xu Qinghao, was going back to the south to pay respect to his father and find out the whereabouts of his former enemy.
The twelfth disciple Song Qingyun loves to visit famous mountains and rivers, and this time he wants to travel all over the mountains and rivers;
The fifteenth disciple, Xue Qingtian, was recommended by his master to work under the magistrate who had overthrown the prefect Ding Weizhong. He started as a minor official and pleaded for the people.

In addition, Liu Qingxing and Zhang Qingzhi were also going to go down the mountain, but there were still some matters to be dealt with in the temple, so they postponed their departure a little.

During the morning class, Zhao Zhijing had already patiently explained again all the matters that needed attention.

Weapons, clothes, pills, dry food, silver, everything needed for traveling in the world is available.

"If you encounter a strong enemy, fight if you can, run away if you can't. Don't be so stubborn as to risk your life with others."

"Where there is life, there is hope."

After the morning class, Zhao Zhijing and his disciples sent the six people to the mountain gate. The brothers said goodbye to each other reluctantly and took care of themselves.

"When you get to a certain place, if you really need help, you can also go to the local Beggars' Sect disciples and tell them the name of your master."

"Remember that the heaven is vigorous in movement, and the gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement; the earth is gentle, and the gentleman should be virtuous and bear all things."

"Go down the mountain and explore."

Zhao Zhijing waved his hand gently, smiled and said, "Don't forget to come back for the New Year."

(End of this chapter)