This immortal was clearly ordinary, yet he was unusually confident.

In order to allow Zheng Zhuang to participate in the poetry gathering three days later, Chen Chui went to Peach Blossom Courtyard again that day.

"Haha, what's wrong with the Imperial Advisor?" Zheng Zhuang couldn't help but chuckle.

"Ahem... Fellow Daoist Zheng, we're practically acquaintances, aren't we? This formation... is it......"

Chen Chui found it difficult to speak, because he had sensed something was wrong as soon as he stepped into the formation, and there were many changes compared to before.

He was caught off guard and suffered another ordeal, so he looked quite disheveled.

"A formation? Doesn't the Imperial Advisor know how to bypass it?" Zheng Zhuang asked, somewhat puzzled.

Seeing that Zheng Zhuang's expression didn't seem feigned, Chen Chui couldn't tell whether he genuinely didn't know or was pretending, so he simply let it go:

"Next time you change the formation, please inform me. Let's get down to business. I have already discussed it with His Majesty. There will be a poetry gathering at Quliang Academy in three days. His Majesty will be there. If you are free, you are welcome to come and meet him."

Zheng Zhuang was a little puzzled. He hadn't paid any attention to the formation after setting it up, but he had accidentally discovered that Qin Qianqian had a talent for formations, so he casually gave her a few pointers.

Could it be that the little girl did something wrong?

Zheng Zhuang shook his head inwardly, deciding to ask the little girl properly when she returned, and put this matter aside for now.

Because they were finally able to see the person in the painting, Xiu'er's wish was finally fulfilled.

During the years he spent in the ancient tomb, Xiu'er was his only companion. Even though he had never considered her a real person, he had long regarded her as family.

Zheng Zhuang quickly nodded in agreement: "Of course, it's alright, I will definitely keep the appointment on time!"

“However…” Chen Chui suddenly hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"But what? Is there some difficulty?" Zheng Zhuang asked anxiously.

Chen Chui suppressed his smugness, fearing that Zheng Dao would not take the bait, and paused before saying, "Actually, it's nothing. Fellow Daoist Zheng probably knows that Her Majesty's status is special. It would be inappropriate for her to meet a strange man in public. Moreover, Fellow Daoist Zheng..."

"Moreover, Zheng's appearance is too handsome, which is bound to attract a lot of attention." Zheng Zhuang nodded in deep agreement.

Chen Chui couldn't help but twitch his lips. He originally wanted to say that this would bring unnecessary trouble to Zheng Zhuang, but he didn't expect Zheng Zhuang to say something like that.

However, he couldn't refute it, so he went along with it, saying, "That's right! So we need a suitable opportunity. Recently, the delegation from the Kingdom of Xuri visited, and in three days, there will be a poetry gathering at Quliang Academy. If Fellow Daoist Zheng can show off his skills at the poetry gathering, and then Dean Meng can introduce him, then everything will fall into place naturally."

"A poetry gathering?" Zheng Zhuang's eyes lit up immediately. As everyone knows, this is the perfect place for the protagonist in a novel to show off! He could put on a show with just a poem about peach blossoms, let alone all the classic poems from his previous life that he had in his mind.

The sword of the primordial spirit in Zheng Zhuang's sea of ​​consciousness trembled slightly. Zheng Zhuang understood immediately, and Dongfang Wuming also wanted to show off.

So Zheng Zhuang did not hesitate and quickly agreed: "That's great. I have always wanted to exchange ideas with the scholars and talents of Cangzhou."

Chen Chui was overjoyed. He had thought it would take a lot of persuasion to convince Zheng Zhuang, but he didn't expect Zheng Zhuang to agree so easily.

"I learned from Mengchang that you, my friend, have composed a poem about peach blossoms?"

"It was just a joke, nothing to mention." Zheng Zhuang smiled reservedly, a folding fan suddenly appearing in his hand. He then gently opened it and handed it to Chen Chui, but he couldn't hide the smug look in his eyes.

He had given the folding fan he had given to the chubby Kongming last time. How could a scholar be without a folding fan? So he came back and made another one.

After silently reading the entire poem, Chen Chui looked at Zheng Zhuang in utter shock. He didn't understand poetry very well, but he could still sense that this poem was indeed extraordinary.

After experiencing those torments in the illusion array, Chen Chui always felt that Zheng Zhuang was a kindred spirit, but he never expected that Zheng Zhuang would have such poetic talent.

It's like two thugs trying to harass a woman at the same time, and one of them just says, "Little lady, have some fun with your brother!"

Another option would be: "On this auspicious day, with such a beautiful scene, I would like to recite poetry and admire the moon with you, Miss, and discuss our ideals in life."

This is the difference!

"Fellow Daoist Zheng is truly talented. He will surely shine at the poetry gathering, letting the people of the Rising Sun Kingdom know the prowess of the Cangyue scholars!" Chen Chui flattered.

"What does this have to do with the Kingdom of Rising Sun?" Zheng Zhuang asked.

"Does Fellow Daoist Zheng not know yet? The delegation from the Rising Sun Kingdom went to the academy to challenge them, defeated many students, and even claimed that our Azure Moon Kingdom has no one to rely on. It is truly infuriating! Fortunately, Fellow Daoist Zheng's peach blossom poem suppressed them. Therefore, I would like to ask Fellow Daoist to give it his all at the poetry gathering. If you can win, His Majesty will definitely look at you with new eyes."

Chen Chui explained with a smile, finally revealing his purpose.

Zheng Zhuang nodded thoughtfully. He could tell from Chen Chui's words that he wanted him to compete in poetry with the Kingdom of Xuri.

His purpose in going to the poetry gathering was to meet Empress Cangyue and, incidentally, show off, so it didn't conflict with Chen Chui's purpose, and agreeing to it wouldn't be a problem.

He couldn't help but feel a little regretful. While it was enjoyable to deliberately show off like that, it was ultimately a poor choice, and he would have to make a note of that in his little notebook later.

Having achieved his goal, Chen Chui didn't linger any longer and hurriedly took his leave, as he needed to go back and clean his wounds, which were more severe than the last time.

……

Qin Qianqian now considers herself a maid in Zhengzhuang. Because she gets tired of eating the same dishes all the time, she needs to come up with some new ideas for cooking. So when she has free time, she goes to Peach Blossom Pavilion to practice her cooking skills.

She was naturally intelligent, and because she was a cultivator, she learned very quickly, and before long she had surpassed her teacher.

Because she frequented the restaurant, Qin Qianqian gradually became familiar with everyone.

"Miss Qianqian is truly amazing! Even if I practiced for another ten years, I still couldn't achieve such knife skills. Look at how she cut these potato shreds, it's simply... What are you planning to do today?"

In the kitchen of Peach Blossom Restaurant, a middle-aged fat man watched Qin Qianqian's nimble movements and was full of praise, but he couldn't find the right words for a moment, so he could only give her a thumbs up.

Qin Qianqian's lips curled up slightly; she had indeed put a lot of effort into her cooking skills.

The cooking methods in this world are much simpler than in Zheng Zhuang's previous life. Sometimes, when Zheng Zhuang misses some of the dishes from his previous life, he will try to make them.

But not long after, Zheng Zhuang realized that he was now a boss and couldn't do these things himself. So he told Qin Qianqian his ideas and asked the girl to do it for him.

Qin Qianqian skillfully poured the oil into the pan and said with a smile, "Master Wu, you flatter me. The young master said this dish is called 'Dry-fried Shredded Potatoes'."

"Hey! The owner is really something else. I've never heard of this method before, but it tastes amazing. Our Peach Blossom Restaurant has been coming up with a lot of new dishes lately, and the customers are all raving about them!" said Chef Wu.

Master Wu's real name is Wu Dashao. He was originally the head chef of this restaurant. After the restaurant was bought by Zheng Zhuang, all the staff stayed because of the generous offer.

He witnessed the changes in the restaurant firsthand. Previously, the restaurant had only a mediocre business, and most of its customers were peddlers and laborers. But after it changed owners and was renamed "Peach Blossom Restaurant," things became very different.

Especially after they launched "Peach Blossom Wine," just thinking about that taste makes Wu Dashao's mouth water, but unfortunately, it's too expensive.

Even at the internal price, it would be enough to make him feel the pinch.

Qin Qianqian would occasionally bring him a small pot of food to satisfy his craving, so when the little girl asked to learn how to cook, he didn't hold back at all.

What he didn't expect was that the little girl was too amazing, and before long she started teaching him how to cook.

Every day, many people come to admire the peach blossoms, and Peach Blossom Pavilion is an excellent viewpoint, so business is booming.

So much so that now you need to book in advance to get a seat, and the place is frequented mostly by scholars, officials and dignitaries.

The wages of the restaurant staff kept increasing, and Wu Dashao couldn't help but feel overjoyed whenever he thought about it.

Therefore, whenever Qin Qianqian created a new dish, he would humbly seek her advice in order to continuously improve his culinary skills.

"This is nothing, young master is very capable! Did you remember all the steps just now?" Qin Qianqian put the prepared shredded potatoes into a food box and said to Wu Dashao.

"I've remembered everything! Is Miss Qianqian going back?"

"I...I'll sit for a while longer."

Wu Dashao found it strange. In the past, this Qianqian girl was always in a hurry. She would go back immediately after cooking, but no one could stop her from staying if she wanted to. They even hoped that she would stay.

Firstly, it's because I can continue to discuss cooking with her, and secondly, with her here, the guys under her are more motivated to work. After all, with a pretty girl around, these guys unconsciously want to show off and even compete for work.

Of course, these young men had little chance. Wu Dashao learned a secret from Zheng Huiwan: this Qianqian girl was not only the master's maid, but also owned the restaurant.

Qin Qianqian didn't want to go back immediately for a simple reason: when she went out, she saw Chen Chui and knew that he had come to talk to Zheng Zhuang about the woman in the painting again, so she adjusted the formation without hesitation.

The old man is very bad!

If I go back so soon and run into him, and the young master suddenly asks about it, I won't know how to explain myself.

Peach Blossom Pavilion has a great location; in addition to seeing peach blossoms, you can also see the alley leading to the entrance.

Not long after, Chen Chui's disheveled figure appeared at the alley entrance.

Qin Qianqian smiled smugly, then happily left Peach Blossom Pavilion with the food box in her hand.