Chapter 61: A Waiter Who Doesn’t Dream of Becoming an Alchemy Grandmaster Is No Good Waiter

The earth-shaking battle at the Liuyun Sword Sect already felt like a story from another age.

Si Chen traveled with Heishan, Chifeng, and Red Bean, drifting along at a leisurely pace with no fixed destination — going wherever their feet took them.

Their journey was simple and joyful: seek out the most celebrated local cuisine, then eat to their hearts' content.

Heishan had completely fallen in love with this "cooked food" lifestyle. His greatest daily pleasure was pondering what to eat next.

Chifeng was not as boisterous as Heishan, yet whenever he tasted something delicious, the light that flickered in his eyes was impossible to fake.

Life was carefree and comfortable.

But gradually, they began to notice something was off.

At first, it was only the occasional Cultivator who, upon spotting them from a distance, would fall silent as a cicada in winter, eyes darting away.

Later, whenever they entered a more populated town, the crowds around them would instinctively grow quiet wherever they went — even parting to make way.

The gazes that followed them were filled with curiosity, and even… reverence.

One day, Si Chen was in a sizable cultivation market, hoping to ask around about the best food destinations nearby.

He spotted a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator ahead who was about to leave, and naturally stepped forward, politely cupping his hands in greeting:

"Fellow Daoist, please hold a moment."

The Cultivator had been in a hurry, and a flicker of annoyance crossed his face at being stopped — but the moment he got a clear look at Si Chen's features, his legs began to tremble and his face drained of color in an instant.

"S-Senior Si!"

His voice cracked. He hurriedly bowed low, posture deeply deferential. "What instructions does Senior have for me?"

Si Chen blinked. He was certain he had never met this person before.

"You know me?"

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator bowed even lower, his tone growing more reverent still. "Senior jests. In today's Eastern Region Cultivation World, who… who does not know Senior…"

After careful inquiry, the group finally understood what was going on.

It turned out that news of the battle at the Liuyun Sword Sect had somehow spread far and wide.

It had even been confirmed by the Qingxuan Rankings. Though the Dragon's Fall had caused a stir at the time, his ranking there had still been relatively low.

But this time, he had directly slain Fang Yong of the Late Nascent Soul Stage and, for good measure, leveled the main peak of the Liuyun Sword Sect. The achievement was simply too staggering.

The Qingxuan Rankings had elevated Si Chen's position in one fell swoop — all the way to third place!

They had even thoughtfully included a portrait.

It was worth noting that aside from Si Chen, this anomaly, every single one of the top ten on the Qingxuan Rankings was at the Nascent Soul Stage — without exception.

"Holy shit!" Heishan scratched his big head and grumbled. "That damn Qingxuan Rankings sure has good ears! There weren't any other living people around at the time, were there?"

The Cultivator flinched in fright.

Si Chen waved a hand to signal Heishan not to scare the man. He was indifferent to the ranking itself, but this "celebrity" treatment was becoming a bit of a nuisance.

He kept his tone as gentle as he could. "Don't be nervous. We're just asking — where's the best food to be found around here?"

The Cultivator's expression turned a little strange. He stole a glance at Si Chen, then immediately lowered his head again.

Are you kidding me? This was the man who had solo-killed a Late Nascent Soul Stage powerhouse! Who knew what kind of temper he had? Who knew what strange tastes he might have? How could anyone not be nervous? How could anyone not be nervous?

He screamed inwardly, yet his mouth remained perfectly respectful. "In-in reply to Senior — if it is fine cuisine you seek, Senior might consider a visit to Danding City."

"Danding City?"

It sounded like a place for Alchemy, but what did that have to do with food? Still, Si Chen thanked him all the same.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator looked as though he had been granted a pardon, repeated "I dare not" several times, and practically ran away.

"Sounds like a place that sells medicinal pills. What good food could there be?" Heishan scratched his head, looking skeptical.

Chifeng swished his rear end. "We won't know until we go. If someone recommended it, there must be something special about it."

Si Chen nodded, his curiosity piqued.

And so the group adjusted their course and headed toward Danding City.

Along the way, Heishan kept chattering on about what exactly the Qingxuan Rankings were and how they had managed to put his brother in third place.

"If you ask this old bear, brother, you're definitely number one! Those guys don't know a damn thing!"

* * *

Several days later, a magnificent great city appeared on the horizon.

Danding City — as its name suggested — was a vast city renowned for the art of Alchemy.

Its walls soared high, and even before drawing near, a distinctive fragrance drifted over on the wind: a blend of countless herbal scents mingled with the faint warmth of cooking fires.

Once inside the city, the aroma grew even richer — yet it was not unpleasant at all. On the contrary, it was invigorating.

It was nothing like the scene they had imagined, with alchemy furnaces everywhere and everyone debating cultivation theory.

Danding City was alive with noise and bustle, its streets packed with traffic. Shops lined both sides of every road.

There were traditional pill shops bearing signs like "Hundred Herbs Pavilion" and "Spirit Elixir Workshop," but far more numerous were restaurants and eateries of every variety!

Many restaurants even had large cauldrons set up at their entrances, where servers processed spirit materials right in front of passersby — stir-frying, braising, their techniques nimble and practiced, aromas wafting in all directions.

Even Red Bean on Si Chen's shoulder craned her little head with curiosity, looking left and right.

"Hey! This place is something else!" Heishan inhaled deeply, his eyes lighting up. "It smells better than anywhere else we've been!"

They strolled along the main street, taking in the variety of signs, and soon found themselves spoiled for choice.

While they were still deliberating, a young waiter emerged from a nearby restaurant called "Lingshan Pavilion" — a lively establishment by the look of it. He wore a plain short jacket, a white towel draped over one shoulder, and was briskly seeing off a table of guests.

He turned and spotted Si Chen's group lingering at the entrance — particularly Si Chen, whose bearing was exceptional, and the two burly figures behind him who looked like trouble at a glance. The waiter's eyes lit up. Far from being intimidated, he immediately rushed over with warm enthusiasm.

"Well now! You fine guests look unfamiliar — first time in our Danding City, I'd wager?"

The young waiter was about sixteen or seventeen, with a clever smile on his face and an exceptionally nimble tongue.

"Looking at your bearing, your presence — you're clearly no ordinary folk! Especially this young master here — standing right there, wow! It's as if the Spiritual Energy of the whole street has grown three parts richer!"

"And these two big brothers behind — wow! That aura, that build — clearly Body Cultivators of great power, blood and vitality surging like dragons!"

"And this one… er, this magnificently divine little bird — those feathers! Those eyes! Clearly no Mortal grade creature — undoubtedly a divine bird unique in all of heaven and earth!"

The string of compliments poured out like beans tumbling from a bamboo tube — rapid-fire, not a single one repeated.

Si Chen hadn't said a word yet, but Heishan was already delighted. He puffed out his solid chest. "Kid, you've got good eyes!"

Even Red Bean was won over, puffing up her little chest proudly and letting out a chirp.

"You flatter us, honored guests!"

As he spoke, he nimbly ushered the group inside, arranged a quiet window-side table for them, flipped the towel back over his shoulder — all in one fluid motion.

"What would you like to eat?"

"We have steamed Arctic cod — the flesh is fresh and sweet, melting on the tongue."

"We have braised snow-plain tender beef — succulent and rich in vital blood energy."

"And we have our head chef's signature dish: 'Hundred Herb Slow-Stewed Spirit Chicken' — prepared with eighty-one varieties of warming spirit herbs, simmered over a low flame for twenty-four hours. The flavor is so divine, even immortals would lose their footing!"

Heishan's mouth was practically watering. He waved a big hand. "Stop, stop reading — it all sounds delicious!"

Si Chen's interest was piqued by the vivid descriptions. He settled into his seat. "It sounds like you know a great deal about both cooking and spirit materials?"

"Know a great deal? That's an understatement!"

Wang Yan's eyes lit up at that. He flipped the towel back over his shoulder, as if he had found a kindred spirit. "To be honest with you, young master, my name is Wang Yan. I may only be a waiter, but I have never given up on my dream of becoming a great Alchemy Grandmaster!"

Heishan nearly spat out the complimentary tea he had just gulped down. "What? You? An Alchemy Grandmaster?"

"Big brother, you can't say it like that!"

Wang Yan was not the least bit embarrassed. Instead, he straightened his back with pride. "I believe that cooking and Alchemy are fundamentally two sides of the same coin!"

He grew more and more animated, and began gesturing enthusiastically. "Think about it — Alchemy sounds mysterious, doesn't it?"

"But when you break it down, isn't it just taking different 'ingredients' — those spirit herbs and spirit medicines —"

"applying the right 'heat' — that's fire control —"

"following a 'recipe' — well, a pill formula —"

"and then stir-frying them into a… ah, no — refining them into a furnace of 'miraculous spirit pills' that boost cultivation and cure ailments?"

"The order in which you add ingredients can't be wrong, and the heat control is the most critical part of all! Too well-done won't do, and undercooked is even worse! Isn't that exactly the same principle as opening a furnace to refine pills?"

His "cooking-as-Alchemy" theory — or rather, his unique perspective — left the two demons completely dumbfounded.

Si Chen, however, found it both novel and entertaining. He nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "A very interesting idea."

Receiving that approval, Wang Yan grew even more excited. "Young master, you understand me! So I say — a waiter who doesn't dream of becoming an Alchemist is no good waiter!"

"Once I've saved up enough money and bought a pill furnace and my first batch of spirit herbs, I'll definitely be able to refine supreme-grade spirit pills!"

"When that day comes, I'll invite you all to try them for free — as test sub— ah, pfft, as tasters!"