After transmigrating, I made a name for myself through my culinary skills.

It rained yesterday, and the air was particularly fresh. The disciples continued to work with the villagers, and they also helped repair the cowshed that had been attacked by the black snake. The days that followed were peaceful.

Several days passed in this manner, and the spring plowing finally came to an end. With only one day left before returning to the sect, Elder Shanqiu allowed them to go out and have fun on their own, which made the disciples, who were not usually allowed to go down the mountain, very happy.

That morning, Ye Lan was packing his things. He planned to take Li Qing and her younger sister to buy clothes. The two little ones had lost their parents and had grown taller, so their clothes were a bit too short.

Ye Lan also grew up relying on social assistance, and he thought he could help in any way he could.

Li Qing's voice came from outside the door. It turned out that Jiang Ning and the others had come to visit. They were going to the town market together today. Ye Lan did not refuse, as it would be quite troublesome for him to take care of two children by himself.

The group flew on their swords for a while and soon arrived at the market. Looking at the bustling crowd ahead, Ye Lan's curiosity was piqued.

There were many vendors in front, some pushing carts selling wontons, others selling noodles, and still others setting up stalls on the ground selling vegetables—you name it, they had it.

"I'm finally able to see the common people! Come on, I'll treat you to a meal." Jiang Nan's eyes lit up as he looked at the food stalls. He had deliberately skipped breakfast to try what the local cuisine was like and whether it would be better than the food in the sect.

"Drunken Immortal Pavilion, this is it!"

Jiang Nan led the group into a restaurant that looked quite nice – Zui Xian Ge, which was bustling with business.

Ye Lan smiled and shook her head. This person never forgets to eat, no matter where he goes.

"Oh my, it's such an honor to have you here today! Please come in, gentlemen. Would you like a private room?" The innkeeper greeted them warmly as soon as they entered.

These men, dressed in the robes of the Green Mountain Sect, had a formidable presence despite having two children with them. The Green Mountain Sect had an excellent reputation in their area, having helped them slay demons and protect the people for many years. Given that they were wealthy and respected disciples of a sect, the shopkeeper was naturally very welcoming.

"I want the best private room, and bring out all your signature dishes, with plenty of meat, the more the better." Jiang Nan had taken enough money from her mother on this trip to cultivate, so she was very generous.

"Alright, please come this way, sir."

The innkeeper led the way, taking them to a private room on the second floor.

"Sir, this is our best private room at Zuixian Pavilion. You can even see the scenery outside from here." The innkeeper said as he poured tea for them, and after finishing, he gently closed the door behind him.

The private room was indeed very spacious. Ye Lan walked to the window and could see a river flowing slowly, with a bridge in the distance where people were coming and going. The riverbank was lined with willow trees, which swayed in the spring breeze. Flowers were planted in front of the houses on both sides, and red lanterns hung on both sides of the gate. Judging from their color, they must have been hung up just this year for the Chinese New Year, and they swayed gently in the wind.

It was the first time Ye Lan had seen such a view, and he found it incredibly beautiful. Since there were no cell phones available, he could only record it with his eyes and store the beauty in his mind.

Soon the waiter brought them the dishes: "Gentlemen, these two cold dishes are a gift from our manager. Please enjoy them first. The hot dishes will be served shortly."

"What are these?" Jiang Nan frowned as he looked at the two dishes in front of him; he wanted to eat meat.

"These are white jade, jadeite, and red jade beads," the waiter introduced them. "Sir, please try them first; the hot dishes will be served soon."

The waiter was a newcomer from the countryside and didn't know who these gentlemen were, but since the innkeeper had said to treat them well, he couldn't afford to offend them.

Jiang Nan waved him away and told everyone to start eating, as he was starving.

Ye Lan glanced at it; the white jade and emerald were like scrambled cucumbers, and the red jade beads were like jujubes, which smelled like drunken jujubes.

He first picked up the drunken dates. The dates had fully absorbed the flavors of rock sugar and rice wine, and tasted sweet but not too cloying. The aroma of the wine was also very strong. Not bad, I'd give it an 8 out of 10. The smashed cucumber was crisp but not flavorful enough, so I'd give it a 5 out of 10.

Ye Lan tasted the food while mentally rating it, but Jiang Ning and the others were unaware of his thoughts.

"You two should just eat the cucumbers. These red dates have a wine taste, and they're not good for your health." After tasting them himself, Ye Lan used clean chopsticks to serve the two children some food. He remembered the headmaster saying when he was a child that drinking alcohol would stunt his growth.

Just as we finished our cold dishes, the waiter knocked on the door to bring out the hot dishes.

"These are the Hundred-Cut Phoenix, Sweet and Sour Pork, Eight-Treasure Gourd Duck, and Shaoxing Wine Stewed Deer. Next up are the Flaming Drunken Goose, Phoenix Tail Shark Fin, Spicy Rabbit Leg, and Evergreen Vegetables," the waiter introduced as he served the dishes. "This is the sauce to accompany the Hundred-Cut Phoenix. Please try it first, sir."

The waiter left immediately after serving the first four dishes, without any hesitation.

The "Hundred-Cut Phoenix" is essentially white-cut chicken. The chicken meat is very tender, but since the group had eaten chickens imbued with spiritual energy before, they weren't particularly impressed. However, Ye Lan was somewhat interested in the soy sauce; she could ask the waiter later if it was purchased from outside.

Ye Lan was very interested in the Eight Treasure Gourd Duck in front of her. The Eight Treasure Gourd Duck is like a gourd. It is made from a whole duck. The whole duck is deboned while keeping the skin intact. Then it is stuffed with eight kinds of fillings and shaped into a gourd. It is first steamed and then fried. The process is very complicated and requires a high level of skill from the chef.

The reddish-brown skin looks very appetizing. The duck skin is crispy, and when you cut open the duck's belly, the aroma of ingredients such as ham and glutinous rice wafts out. A small bowl of filling is served, and the taste is savory, fresh, and delicious, which has been well received by everyone.

Huadiao stewed venison was something Ye Lan had never tried before, and this was her first time trying it since arriving here. This dish uses high-quality Huadiao wine to stew the venison until it is tender and soft. The rich aroma of the wine covers up the gamey smell of the venison, making it very tender and even more fragrant than beef or mutton.

Compared to the previous two dishes, the sweet and sour pork seemed ordinary, but the two little ones loved it; the sweet and sour flavor is something they would generally prefer at their age.

After we finished the first four dishes, the next four dishes were served.

This time, two people came to serve the dishes together. One of the dishes had a stove burning underneath it, which was the most popular dish at Zuixian Pavilion: Flaming Drunken Goose. After the waiter finished serving the dish, he poured fine rice wine over the goose, and the other person took a tinderbox and lit it on the goose. The goose burst into flames, which lasted for a full two minutes before going out. Everyone except Ye Lan watched in amazement.

After the rice wine is burned, the aroma of meat becomes stronger, but the wine flavor diminishes. The goose meat tastes thick, fresh, and savory.

Ye Lan roughly understood why this restaurant was called Zui Xian Ge (Drunken Immortal Pavilion). Several dishes were made with wine, and people would get drunk even without drinking alcohol. Moreover, the manager had served them a pot of fine Shaoxing wine.

Spicy rabbit legs and shark fin soup were very familiar to Ye Lan, as they were both Sichuan dishes. The shark fin soup was clear and very flavorful, but the spicy rabbit legs were not prepared well and had a slightly gamey taste.

Overall, the meal was quite good. Jiang Nan felt like he had opened the door to a new world. When paying the bill, he bought two catties of drunken dates and two jugs of Shaoxing wine from the shopkeeper. He said he would eat the drunken dates on the way back. Who knows how much he disliked that they were vegetarian?

Before leaving, Ye Lan asked the shopkeeper where he bought the sauce that went with the Hundred-Cut Phoenix.

"To be honest, we buy our sauce from Jiangxiangfang on East Street. That shop is quite expensive, and only our restaurant uses it for our customers."

The shopkeeper's words were true. Jiangxiangfang is a century-old shop. As its reputation grows, its prices also increase. Nowadays, only wealthy people would buy such seasoning sauces from them. Only expensive dishes like those at Zuixiange are willing to use them for their customers.

After thanking the shopkeeper, the group arrived at the legendary sauce shop. The shop was small, and they were greeted by a pretty woman.

"Madam, what kind of sauces do you sell here?" Ye Lan asked proactively.

The old lady turned around and handed him two bottles of sauce. "This is soy sauce, and the other bottle is vinegar."

Ye Lan opened it and took a look. The sauce was reddish-brown and relatively clear. It was the same sauce they had used at Zuixian Pavilion. The vinegar had a rich sour taste. Both of them were more fragrant than the ones he had used in the kitchen before.

"Do you have any darker soy sauce, or a very thick soy sauce?" Ye Lan asked again, as he was looking for dark soy sauce and oyster sauce.

The proprietress turned around and handed him two more bottles. Holding one of them, she said, "This thick sauce was transported from Haicheng. It's not brewed by us, so it's more expensive."

Ye Lan counted the money he had on him. He hadn't spent a single penny since receiving it. He had bought four kinds of sauces and still had enough to buy clothes for Li Qing and the others, so he took out his money and gave it to the shopkeeper.

And so, Ye Lan bought the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and oyster sauce he wanted. Although he felt a little heartbroken, he knew he could get the money again next month, and if he missed this opportunity, he didn't know when he would be able to go down the mountain again.

The group then planned to continue eating and shopping, and went to buy clothes for Li Qing. However, as soon as they went out, they saw a fight breaking out. A group of people were surrounding a disciple in blue robes, and the disciple was gradually losing ground.

Ye Lan and the others stood there without intending to help. After all, there are always people more capable than themselves, and they wouldn't provoke others for no reason.

"Are these people disciples of the Medicine Clan?" Su Bo asked. They had seen the Medicine Clan disciples before when the martial arts tournament was held at the Green Mountain Sect, and they were wearing the same clothes as this group.

"Hmm." Jiang Ning nodded. He had never liked the Medicine Clan. They could save lives, but they preferred to use poison.

Ye Lan remained silent, watching their fighting moves. Suddenly, one of the disciples fired a hidden weapon, but the disciple in blue noticed it quickly and dodged it.

"Nangong Yue, if you don't come back with us, don't blame me for being ruthless!" the leading disciple shouted to the fellow Daoist in blue. "If you come back with us, your master might spare your life."

"Heh, going back with you will only make you die faster. Enough with the nonsense." With that, he launched an attack, shooting hidden weapons at the people in front of him.