TGCFNM -Chapter 143 True Cooking

Wan Sanjin received the carriage from Steward Zhu. He looked over the supplies and, after calculating the time, nodded. “This should be enough.”

Steward Zhu tilted his head and peeked inside. “If you’re returning to Sishui County, going back the same way should be more than sufficient.”

Wan Sanjin chuckled lightly and gave a nonchalant wave. “Yes, more than enough.”

“Young Master, Elder Master thinks that having the invitation is still useful. The Divine Water seems to be a type of medicine. It may not bring the dead back to life, but it can save someone from a serious injury,” Steward Zhu said.

Wan Sanjin finally understood. “No wonder my brother wanted to return the invitation. So the Divine Water is that useful.”

Steward Zhu nodded solemnly. “Extremely useful.”

“That must make it very valuable,” Wan Sanjin asked.

Steward Zhu replied, “…If Master were to sell it, the Wan family would definitely offer a suitable price.”

Wan Sanjin signaled that he understood, then helped Zhang Dong, Xiao Hua, and the others carry the items. At the same time, he hitched the horse Steward Zhu had brought, so their big carriage could now be pulled by two horses.

Once all the items were loaded, Chu Ling waited and waved happily at Steward Zhu before they departed.

Steward Zhu looked at the carriage without horses and then glanced at the dozen or so people sprawled haphazardly inside. After a brief moment of confusion, he found Chu Xiong and, with a kind smile, said, “Look, your brothers here also need to see the doctor in the city. Why not take the carriage and follow me?”

Chu Ling unfolded the route map Wan Sanjin had drawn and pointed to a spot. “It should take about three to four days to reach Linzhou from here. We’ll travel today, stay overnight at a post station, and depart early the next morning.”

Zhang Dong nodded and set off with the carriage.

“Master, my elder brother said the Divine Water is medicine. Even for serious injuries, it can save a life,” Wan Sanjin said.

Chu Ling recalled when she had just arrived: she had performed bloodletting on herself to treat her illness and had fainted. If Aunt Su hadn’t helped with acupuncture afterward, she might have died again.

The Divine Medicine that Aunt Su had made her dig up at that time, one pill a day, had helped her recover very quickly. She wondered how it compared to the Divine Water.

Looking at Bai Su, Chu Ling pondered.

Bai Su crossed her arms proudly. “My Divine Medicine requires eighteen types of herbs. One ingredient alone, the Ice Lotus Seed, takes thirty years to cultivate, and that’s only one of them.”

Cui Xi, holding Wangcai beside her, said, “Miss, one pill a day, it really would cost about ten thousand gold.”

Chu Ling: “…” She really had spent a lot.

Bai Su smiled and asked, “How many pills of Divine Medicine remain?”

Chu Ling took out her carefully preserved pills, poured them out, counted, and with a wretched expression said, “Only four pills remain. These are life-saving Divine Medicines.”

Wan Sanjin leaned over to look. “The aroma of these pills is so strong.”

Chu Ling put the pills back. “Master Wan, the Divine Water, we absolutely must get it.”

Su He looked at Chu Ling. “Master, can we only get one bottle per invitation? Can we steal some?”

Chu Ling hesitated. “It doesn’t say we can’t steal, right?”

Wan Sanjin, full of ambition, said, “Then we’ll steal. Let’s get six bottles — one for each of us, and leave one for Qingyu.”

Chu Ling patted Wan Sanjin’s shoulder in disdain. “And what about your elder brother?”

“Then seven bottles,” Wan Sanjin said.

Bai Su was almost angered by them. “Seven bottles? If it weren’t for your exceptional internal skill methods and your greatly improved inner power, you couldn’t handle even these petty thieves with just your current techniques.”

Chu Ling’s eyes twitched as she smiled foolishly at Bai Su.

Bai Su looked helpless. “Once we reach the post station, we’ll stop for a day. I’ll teach each of you a set of techniques tailored to your abilities. You can’t embarrass yourselves too much.”

Chu Ling cleared her throat and, looking at the group generously, said, “Once we rest at the post station for a day, I’ll teach each of you a set of techniques. I guarantee you’ll dominate everywhere.”

Su He glanced at Wan Sanjin anxiously. “What do we do? Sanjin still hasn’t mastered lightness skills.”

Chu Ling smirked. “Once Zhang Dong has learned all his martial arts, if Master Wan still can’t master lightness skills, he won’t even be as fast as Zhuifeng. Isn’t Zhuifeng faster than him?”

Wan Sanjin: “…”

Ouch. That hurt!

After a long, swift ride that lasted most of the day, the group gradually came to a stop.

Zhang Dong untied the horses and led them to graze and rest for a while. Chu Ling and the others found a patch of open ground and set up a cooking pot.

Xiao Hua worked efficiently, and soon the pot began bubbling, filling the air with a rich aroma.

Su He placed some flatbreads by the fire to toast.

Chu Ling sat by the fire and chuckled. “Looks like we’re really having a field cookout.”

Wan Sanjin stretched lazily with satisfaction. “The mountains and rivers here are so beautiful, so peaceful, and no one’s bothering us. This is truly delightful.”

“Not necessarily,” Su He said with a serious expression. “Our news—wasn’t it sold for twenty taels?”

Wan Sanjin suddenly felt a twinge of regret. “Had I known, I wouldn’t have returned the knives. Now we don’t have any handy weapons with us.”

Xiao Hua prodded the firewood with his fire-starter stick, then held it up and said, “At least my fire stick is useful—it can be a weapon and a fire starter.”

Chu Ling shook his head. “Once we reach Linzhou, everyone should be equipped with proper weapons…”

“Master!”

From a distance came Zhang Dong’s shout. Xiao Hua immediately grabbed her fire stick and dashed over.

Chu Ling and the others followed closely. When they arrived, they saw Zhang Dong holding two horses by the riverbank. On the opposite side stood two men in fine brocade, accompanied by five guards.

Seeing this formation, Chu Ling felt a surge of displeasure, and her expression turned icy.

One of the men nudged his horse forward a step, looking down at Chu Ling from above.

“Master, you?” The man smiled. “I’ve taken a fancy to your horse. Name your price—I want to take it.”

“Do you have an official rank?” Chu Ling asked.

The man shook his head. “Not yet, naturally.”

Chu Ling nodded. “Good, then I can relax.” Without another word, she stepped forward, grabbed the man’s leg, and yanked him down to the riverbank.

The man froze for a moment, then asked in disbelief, “Do you… know who I am?”

Chu Ling grabbed the man by the collar. “I don’t know who you are, but I have an official rank. If you can call your elders to pressure me, I’ll let you go. If not… I won’t be polite.”

The man laughed angrily. “I am…”

“Bang—”

Chu Ling didn’t wait for him to finish and punched him squarely.

The man clutched his nose in shock as blood gushed out.

“Someone! Help!” he yelled.

“Help with what?” Chu Ling kicked him. “Go see for yourself—everyone’s down.”

The man turned his head, shocked, and scrambled to his feet. “You… you can’t kill me! I, I am… I belong to the Shangguan family!”

“Still want my horse?” Chu Ling asked.

“N-no, I don’t,” the man said, trembling with fear.