Chapter 17: A Fox’s Diary of Downfall and Reality-Check Ginger Scallion Chicken

Lin Xiao realized something odd had been happening to his state of mind lately.

Ever since he was forced to work at Taotie Delicacies, his days had followed a strict pattern: during the day, he was a bundle of nerves, learning to cook under Yun Tao’s watchful eye, always bracing for the moment he might go from being a chef to ingredient, clocking in felt like marching to his doom. By night, he’d lie awake in the top bunk above Tai Sui, sweating bullets at the thought that he could end up cursed and die mid-sleep.

Time passed, and to his surprise, he was still alive.

Not just alive—he was thriving?

Every morning, he’d wake to find Taxue perched at his bedside, using its soft little paw pads to nuzzle him awake in the gentlest “alarm clock” service imaginable. Slipping out of his room carefully, his first sight of the day was often the small boss, Yun Tao, wiping his horns clean with a tiny towel while wearing ridiculously adorable bunny pajamas.

As soon as Yun Tao saw him, his eyes would light up, and he’d chirp sweetly, “Good morning, Brother Lin Xiao!”

Lin Xiao would mentally remind himself: This is a Taotie. A Taotie! A notoriously vicious monster! But his traitorous lips had a mind of their own, stretching into a smile as he answered, “Good morning, TaoTao.”

After the little boss left, Lin Xiao would snap out of it, horrified by his own behavior. He resolved to not let the endless stream of “big brother” charm disarm him any further. He was still prey in a predator’s lair, and letting his guard down would surely leave him as nothing more than bones.

With that determined mindset, he’d make it through the morning’s work. Then came the employee meal.

Now that Yun Tao had more free time, he was throwing himself into making the staff meals extra special, serving up something different every day.

Today’s lunch? Pork tripe and chicken soup. The milky-white broth smelled of pepper and the deep, earthy richness of ginseng.

Lin Xiao was handed a generously filled bowl. He took one sip, and his fox ears shot straight up. No wonder the ginseng tasted so potent—it was his century-old treasure ginseng! He’d spent over two hundred years painstakingly collecting that tiny stash, saving it to enhance his cultivation.

But then, disaster struck, and the entire stash ended up in Yun Tao’s pocket.

He thought it was all gone for good. Yet here it was—he could tell from the flavor that this soup wasn’t just using his ginseng but had been enhanced with the small boss’s special ingredients and cooked with the flames of a Tai Sui. The result amplified the ginseng’s properties by at least tenfold, making it even more valuable than what he’d originally handed over.

Wait. Wasn’t Taotie supposed to be famously territorial about food? Why was he sharing something so precious?

Lin Xiao cautiously waited, fully expecting Yun Tao to reveal some ulterior motive. Maybe it was an attempt to win him over? Fine. He’d accept that.

Instead, Yun Tao brightly declared, “Drink up! This soup was specially made by me and Suisui for you and Brother Fenghe. It’s good for you!”

Suisui, already onto his second bowl, chimed in, “If you’re slow, there won’t be any left.”

Lin Xiao: !!

He buried his face in the bowl and gulped down the soup.

The pork tripe was delightfully crisp and chewy, the chicken meat tender and flavorful, and the broth, steeped in the ginseng’s essence, was so delicious he felt like crying. Each sip sent waves of spiritual energy surging into his body, effortlessly fueling his cultivation. If he’d tried consuming the ginseng on his own, it would’ve taken ages to achieve even a fraction of this effect.

Between the heavenly staff meals and the unrelenting charm of Yun Tao, Lin Xiao found himself slowly but surely succumbing to the comforts of Taotie Delicacies. At the same time, his good looks and easygoing personality earned him the adoration of everyone on Shanhai Street. The aunties and uncles there were so invested in his “love life” that at least three of them tried setting him up with someone daily.

Bit by bit, Lin Xiao began to think, Maybe sticking around Shanhai Street isn’t so bad after all.

One day, after another incredible staff meal, Lin Xiao finished his shift, sipped on some milk gifted by a coworker, and sat down at his desk to write a letter.

“Master, I hope this letter finds you well.

You once taught me that there’s always someone better out there and that I should keep a low profile when walking among humans. After some trials and tribulations, I’ve finally come to understand your wisdom.

I’ve quit my job with a 500,000-yuan annual salary. I’m now apprenticing at a small restaurant, learning an entirely new way of cultivation—and making rapid progress! I’m confident that it won’t be long before I master it…”

Deep in the mountains, Lin Xiao’s reclusive master read the letter, scratched his fluffy head, and uttered a soul-deep, “Huh?”

Meanwhile, with the system offline, Yun Tao had taken matters into his own hands, exploring every self-service feature he could. Unable to draw cards, he poured his funds into upgrading his farmland.

Using his earnings, he exchanged them for Shanhai Coins and expanded his measly 0.0015 acres of spiritual land to a much more impressive 0.015 acres. Yun Fenghe, when not resting on the land, helped out by planting vegetables. Recently, they’d harvested batches of zhuyu and ping grass, all of which had gone straight into Yun Tao’s cooking pot.

After upgrading the field, Yun Tao angrily muttered, “Useless system, always dragging me down when I’m trying to get things done.”

A small, pitiful voice suddenly piped up, “Host, I heard that!”

Yun Tao’s ears perked up. “Oh, so you do know how to come back?”

The system weakly defended itself. “Host, your progress has been so exceptional—and you’re such a rare, natural-born ‘lucky draw’ winner—that I had to go back to the main system for emergency upgrades. I nearly got scrapped in the process! It was a life-or-death situation…”

The more it rambled, the more dramatic its tone became. Yun Tao could almost picture a performance happening. He thought it sounded suspiciously like Old Pu’s big yellow dog—the one that always dug holes and disappeared on escapades, only to come home yelping about its innocence.

“Oh, right,” Yun Tao remembered. “Turns out the ‘foreign friend’ on a skateboard who took Yao Yao out last time was actually a Samoyed.”

He turned back to the system. “So, how much did you upgrade?”

“Two percent!” the system declared proudly.

Yun Tao felt like he was staring at a peacock—a balding one with only two sad tail feathers, strutting around like it owned the place.

“Wow, so impressive,” Yun Tao deadpanned. “Can you get back to work now?”

“Processing your rewards now!” the system chirped.

[Task complete. Rewards delivered.

Level up to Level 3 (0/600 Shanhai Points).

New Shanhai resource unlocked: Guanguan!]

The moment Yun Tao heard the upgrade notification, his eyes lit up.

Guanguan chickens! Meat! He’d finally unlocked a meat-based ingredient!

Abandoning his squabble with the system, he immediately dove into the Shanhai Marketplace to check the pricing.

Shanhai Ingredient: Guanguan
Origin: Qingqiu Mountain Farm
Grade: SR
Effect: Clears the mind
Price: 5 Shanhai Coins per bird

Phew, the newbie protection period was still in place, so the price was reasonable. Guanguan is a spiritual bird native to Qingqiu Mountain, known for its squawking that sounds like people arguing. Its appearance resembles a pheasant, but Yun Tao liked to call it “Guanguan Chicken.” These birds had a parrot-like knack for mimicry, with some capable of imitating various languages—mainly used for one purpose: arguing.

This creature was practically born to bicker, earning it the title of Shanhai’s King of Quarrels.

Though its meat was incredibly tender and flavorful, the racket it made was unbearable—its insults were downright foul! Yun Tao craved it but couldn’t stand the noise, so he’d only eaten it a few times all year. Luckily, the Guanguan Chicken sold on the Shanhai Marketplace came pre-processed, sparing him the auditory assault.

Just thinking about the taste made Yun Tao’s stomach growl. “System, fix the kitchen right now!”

[Beginning kitchen repairs.
Silent renovation mode.
Estimated time: two hours.]

Tomorrow was their first official rest day since opening the shop—perfect timing for upgrades.

“Yes,” Yun Tao confirmed, quickly washing his hands and delegating the remaining tasks to his brothers before dashing off to the kitchen like the wind.

The kitchen door was tightly shut, sealed with the system’s energy. Only Yun Tao could see the progress bar on the door, and no sound leaked from inside.

Finally, something he’d been looking forward to was happening. He couldn’t help but let a smile creep onto his face.

The system, noticing his previous card pool browsing, chimed in, “Host, would you like to draw a card?”

Yun Tao narrowed his eyes. “You’re not planning to vanish again, are you?”

“Not anytime soon,” the system admitted honestly.

After a moment of thought, Yun Tao replied, “I’ll save up for one more draw. I really want to experience a triple draw.”

“Understood.”

Yun Tao wanted to stick around and check the renovation results, but soon his usual sleepiness hit him like a wave. Tears welled up in his eyes as he yawned uncontrollably, and he was promptly carried upstairs by Tai Sui to sleep.

The next morning, he shot awake, bolted downstairs without even washing his face, and flung open the kitchen door—

“Wow!”

The kitchen was completely transformed. The interior had been redesigned, black-tech materials were installed, and all old equipment had been repaired and polished. Not a speck of dust could be found anywhere.

Yun Tao was thrilled. He immediately splurged 200 Shanhai Coins on an advanced cleaning system. This intelligent system could be programmed to clean up to 200 square meters, meaning every corner of Taotie Delicacies’ premises would now be spotless, round the clock.

As a cherry on top, the Shanhai Marketplace recognized Yun Tao as a premium client and gifted him a new ventilation system and kitchen air conditioning. They really knew how to build customer loyalty.

Upstairs, Tai Sui’s half-asleep voice drifted down, “I could hear you yelling ‘wow’ from up here. What’s all the fuss—” He froze mid-sentence, his eyes widening to the size of coins. “Holy crap!”

Hearing the commotion, Yun Fenghe joined in. “Whoa!”

Even Lin Xiao chimed in, “Whoa!!!”

Overnight, without making a sound, the kitchen had undergone a total makeover. Yun Fenghe, knowing about the mysterious system, wasn’t surprised, but Tai Sui and the Lin Xiao were left in awe.

Tai Sui: He’s definitely hiding his true power.

Lin Xiao: So, this is the legendary magic of a gluttonous beast?!

Yun Tao posted a new announcement:

[Kitchen renovations at Taotie Delicacies are now complete! After our rest day, the food stall setup will be retired. Moving forward, we’ll shift entirely to dine-in service (excluding breakfast).]

Not long after, the system updated with a new task:

[Level 3 Mission: After the rest day, launch a signature Guanguan dish and sell at least 100 orders within two days.
Reward: 300 Shanhai Points, 300 Shanhai Coins, 1 Shanhai Voucher.
Penalty: Serve as a 24-hour volunteer in a random dimension.]

This seemed to be the standard challenge for unlocking new ingredients. Having completed a similar task before, Yun Tao wasn’t too worried. Tilting his head, he mused, “You know, if it weren’t for the money, I’d kind of like to fail just once—sounds fun to visit another dimension and eat. Maybe you should punish me sometime?”

System: …?

This is the first time anyone’s ever made that request.

Yun Tao had already been planning to introduce a scallion-ginger chicken dish, and now that he had the chicken and scallions, it was the perfect opportunity.

He bought three Guanguan Chickens to test the recipe and simultaneously used the session as a teaching demo for Tai Sui and Lin Xiao

“I’m only showing this once,” Yun Tao said, directing Lin Xiao to clean the ingredients.

Guanguan Chicken had firm meat and a smooth, delicate skin that exuded a faint spiritual aura. Washing it only intensified the fragrance. Lin Xiao’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he followed Yun Tao’s instructions, handling the chicken as if it were a precious artifact. For a foodie like him, it practically was.

The chicken was blanched in boiling water, then soaked in ice water to tighten the skin and lock in the juices. Once deboned and shredded into bite-sized pieces, the meat was drizzled with scallion-ginger sauce. The aroma of scallions melded with the chicken’s deep, rich flavor, filling the room with a tantalizing scent.

Yun Tao raised an eyebrow. “Brother Lin Xiao, you’ve got some talent!”

A quick learner with precise execution—this guy might be a natural-born chicken connoisseur.

Lin Xiao’s stomach growled in agreement, the hunger tugging at his nerves. “Can we eat now?”

“Ding—” The rice cooker beeped, signaling the rice was ready. Yun Tao grinned. “Dig in!”

Three plates of scallion-ginger Guanguan Chicken hit the table, paired with steaming bowls of white rice.

Ignoring the heat, Lin Xiao grabbed a piece of chicken and popped it into his mouth, yelping from the burn. But once the flavor hit, he didn’t care—he devoured it whole. As the spiritual energy danced on his tongue, he went in for a second bite, his wide eyes glistening.

“TaoTao, I want to work here for life!”

Where else could he find a job with meals this good?

“Sure,” Yun Tao teased, “but you’ll have to pass a three-month probation period first. If you do well, you’ll get proper pay. Deal?”

Lin Xiao froze. “You’ve forgiven me?”

Yun Tao blinked innocently. “I was never mad to begin with.”

He’d just viewed Lin Xiao as food delivery on legs, that’s all.

Guanguan Chicken’s “clear mind” effect made it impossible to lie—Lin Xiao knew Yun Tao was telling the truth. Tears welled up in his eyes. “I’ll do my best!”

Switching to problem-solving mode, Lin Xiao offered a suggestion. “We should give the scallion-ginger chicken a catchy name—something tied to its effect. Like ‘Worry-Free Scallion Noodles,’ for example.”

“Good idea,” Yun Tao agreed, mulling it over. “Since it clears the mind, let’s call it Reality-Check Ginger Scallion Chicken, sponsored by Guanguan.”

Lin Xiao gave him a thumbs-up. “That’s perfect!”

He could already imagine this dish helping people see through scams, cut their losses, and even snap out of delusions. A real lifesaver.