Chapter 10

The only unlocked recipe in her cooking log was ‘Minced Meat Soup. Xie Mengyun pulled out three batches of shredded monkey meat and began tossing them into the boiling water piece by piece.  

‘Well, the meat’s already shredded, no need to mince it further… right?’

The aroma of cooked meat soon wafted through the air, making her stomach growl in anticipation. Eagerly, she started adding seasonings to the broth.  

In front of her was a stream, while behind stretched a sunset-drenched peach grove. Delicate pink petals drifted down, some even landing in her pot. Xie Mengyun found this amusing, so she decided to pluck a large handful of blossoms and toss them into the soup.

 

【System】: Congratulations, player Liushui Raoshazhou, for inventing a new recipe! Reward: EXP 100. Please name your new dish.  

 

Xie Mengyun: “……” Wasn’t I just making minced meat soup?  

Xie Mengyun was pleasantly surprised. Although 100 experience points would barely make a dent in her experience bar, as a lazy young woman whose greatest culinary skill in real life was making instant noodles in a rice cooker and whose most practiced skill was ordering takeout, this marked her first-ever breakthrough in cooking!  

 

【System】: Please enter the new recipe’s name.  

“Peach Blossom Golden Thread Soup.”

【System】: Name set to “Peach Blossom Golden Thread Soup.”

Confirm: Yes/No?

“Yes.”

 

Xie Mengyun extinguished the fire and ladled a bowl for herself, her hunger level had reached 86.

The soup was filled with pale meat shreds, while the once-lovely peach blossoms had lost all their luster after cooking, fading into a murky purplish-red that resembled clumps of soggy paste floating in water.  

The broth emitted an ominous reddish glow.

Xie Mengyun suddenly felt that her stomach was not so desperately in need of food.

Perhaps her internal struggle took too long because her hunger level silently ticked up one more point to 87.

She knew all too well: the nearest wandering merchant was a twenty-minute trek away, and cutting through the peach grove would likely leave her shredded by monkey monsters.  

—I made this dish myself, so I have to eat it even if I have to cry while doing it.

Xie•Novice Chef•Mengyun lifted the bowl and gulped down a large mouthful.  

The broth tasted bizarrely rich, the hot liquid sliding down her throat to soothe her hunger, bringing its creator warmth, and—

 

【System】: Player Liushui Raoshazhou has entered an abnormal state. Forced reduction of taste simulation to 20%.

【System】: Player Liushui Raoshazhou has ingested toxic substances. All attributes reduced by 15% for 15 minutes (non-stackable).  

 

Out of humanitarian considerations, the game will forcibly adjust settings during extreme situations, such as disabling pain perception when it exceeds subjective tolerance thresholds. Similarly, the senses of smell, sight, and taste can also be lowered.

Xie Mengyun clutched her throat and collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face. She understood now—truly, deeply understood. Though she’d only taken one small sip of that soup, it contained profound life lessons. Lessons hidden in every shred of meat, every clump of mushy peach blossoms, every salt-laden drop of broth:  

First, one should never waste food. Abandoning the steamed buns that had faithfully accompanied her through the Novice village was a sin.  

Second, while the game might not simulate food poisoning, it could absolutely simulate disgusting flavors.  

Third, just because the system recognizes a new recipe doesn’t mean it’s edible, it might just be an abomination beyond mortal comprehension TAT.  

As time passed, the previously defeated monkey monsters began respawning. Their chattering grew louder until a bold golden-furred one darted from the peach grove, lunging at Xie Mengyun by the stream.  

She barely gripped her Dragon Spring Sword when the monster suddenly froze. Three feet away, its beady eyes locked onto the soup pot with pure terror. After a pitiful whimper, it scrambled back into the trees on all fours.

“…Holy crap.” Xie Mengyun’s tears streamed in the wind. Never could she have imagined that on her very first day in the game, her culinary skills would create a safe zone in the wilderness, one so terrifying even NPC monsters dared not approach!  

“…Holy crap!”

…

Same year, same month, same day, same hour—a different location.

In the eastern district of Luoyang City, at the headquarters of the Great River Eastward guild, guild leader Qì Tūn Huányǔ looked livid as he slammed his fist onto the redwood coffee table in front of him, sending teacups and bowls rattling.  

Elder Huālālā de Gēshēng(Clattering Song), seeing his superior’s fury, remained calm and silent, quietly patting himself on the back—thankfully, I had the foresight to replace all the glassware in the meeting room with cheap, durable wooden items during the last renovation.  

“Has that guy ‘Yún Fēiyáng’ gone crazy?” Qì Tūn Huányǔ ground his teeth. “Even though the Sǎnrén Alliance has numbers, their higher-ups have never been able to mobilize them effectively. How dare he pick a fight with Great River Eastward?”

Huālālā de Gēshēng’s thoughts differed from Qì Tūn Huányǔ’s. If Yún Fēiyáng had been closely tied to his guild, dealing with him would have been easier. After all, the monk may run away, but the temple won’t. But now, with Yún Fēiyáng acting alone, if he truly wanted to oppose Great River Eastward, he could easily adopt guerrilla tactics: he could retreat when the enemy advance, harass when the enemy stops, attack when the enemy is tired, and chase when the enemy retreats…

Aiya, he couldn’t think about it anymore. The more he analyzed it, the more he felt like he was the villain T_T.

“How about we put a bounty on him across the whole server?” Qì Tūn Huányǔ asked.  

Another elder, ‘Wǔlíng Pénghāo(Wǔlíng Weeds), replied, “Though Yún Fēiyáng leads a guild, he’s always been more of a lone wolf. His qinggong is exceptional, ordinary disciples wouldn’t stand a chance. Even with a bounty, it’d be of little use.”

Qì Tūn Huányǔ calmed slightly. “At the very least, we need to make a statement…”

“A bounty can be issued to the entire server through the ‘Kunxu Palace’, starting at a minimum of 1,000 gold,” Wǔlíng Pénghāo replied. “But if no one manages to take down Yún Fēiyáng, the bounty will just linger indefinitely and our ‘statement’ would turn into a joke.” 

The second-largest guild in the game going all out against a single player, yet failing to do anything about him? In the eyes of the spectators, it’d be like slapping Great River Eastward across the face—twice.

Qì Tūn Huányǔ, a rich second-generation heir in the real world, had a temper but wasn’t completely reckless. He knew Wǔlíng Pénghāo’s reasoning was sound and sighed. “You’ve got a point…” 

“This conflict doesn’t have to be a big deal, it can stay small if we let it,” Huālālā de Gēshēng finally spoke up. “When has there ever been a day in gaming without random drama like this? Our guild is massive. If we obsess over every little grudge, we’ll never get anywhere. Right now, tensions are high, but who knows what new scandal will pop up in a few days? No one’s going to keep fixating on this forever.”

The two elders of Great River Eastward, Huālālā de Gēshēng and Wǔlíng Pénghāo, were both real-life friends of Qì Tūn Huányǔ. After being persuaded by the two in turn, Qì Tūn Huányǔ finally relented and decided to handle the matter with a low-profile approach.  

Just then—  

“Guild Leader, Elders, Yānlǒng Xīshā requests entry to the meeting room. Should we let her in?”  

Huālālā de Gēshēng: “…”  

Wǔlíng Pénghāo: “…”  

Qì Tūn Huányǔ: “…”  

A brief silence fell over the meeting room.  

Finally, Wǔlíng Pénghāo spoke with difficulty: “Guild Leader… that young lady of yours…”

Qì Tūn Huányǔ looked somewhat dejected. “Shāshā is my uncle’s daughter, she just graduated high school and wanted to spend her summer vacation playing games. As you know, according to the game company’s announcement, the exchange system between R-currency and in-game gold will open next month.” He paused, then added, “My uncle promised to invest a sum of money into the game.”  

Huālālā de Gēshēng asked, “How much?” 

Qì Tūn Huányǔ hesitated for three seconds before quietly stating a number.  

 

Private Message channel:

【PM】 Wuling Weeds to you: “Gēshēng, are you still firm in your stance?”

【PM】 You to Wuling Weeds: “My stance of bending the knee for money has never wavered!”  

【PM】 Wuling Weeds to you: “Damn it!”

 

Yānlǒng Xīshā stormed into the meeting room with furious strides, stomping her feet angrily: “Cousin! That Yún Fēiyáng—”

Qì Tūn Huányǔ quickly interjected, “We were just discussing this matter.”

The four ‘Black Swan Knights’ also followed her in; their bodyguard mission had not been canceled.

Tuānyuān Yuānyuán stepped forward and abruptly bowed deeply: “Guild Leader, honorable Elders, today’s incident where Miss Yānlǒng Xīshā lost levels was entirely due to our inadequate protection.”

Pink Jelly turned her head away, refusing to take responsibility for this mess.

‘Black Swan Knight’ watched his companion, his facial muscles twitching slightly. He always considered himself sufficiently adaptable to be considered talented in gang politics, but now realized he still had much to learn. ==

White Sunflower kept his gaze fixed on the floor before him – he still wasn’t one for words.  

Wǔlíng Pénghāo and Huālālā de Gēshēng exchanged glances, then looked at their beleaguered guild leader struggling to pacify his cousin. They both sighed inwardly, realizing their earlier plan for damage control was no longer feasible.  

“Let’s start by contacting Sanren Alliance’s Xiǎo Qiáo Liúshuǐ,” Huālālā de Gēshēng suggested.  

Qì Tūn Huányǔ nodded in agreement.  

Yānlǒng Xīshā, however, remained indignant: “Even if they apologize now, it’s too late! This matter won’t be settled so easily!”  

Xiǎo Qiáo Liúshuǐ was one of Sanren Alliance’s elders and a founding member of the guild, with even more seniority than Yún Fēiyáng himself.  

Yún Fēiyáng had always been a lone wolf by nature. While he occasionally took up causes for guild members on impulse, he mostly kept to himself and largely stayed out of guild affairs. Originally, he hadn’t even been a member of the Sanren Alliance – he’d been recruited as outside help during a guild upgrade mission. Later, when the original guild leader became too busy to log in regularly, they’d casually promoted Yún Fēiyáng to guild leader instead.  

“Xiǎo Qiáo Liúshuǐ replied,” Huālālā de Gēshēng said, opening his communicator with a slightly odd expression.  

Wǔlíng Pénghāo leaned over to look—  

 

【PM】 Xiǎo Qiáo Liúshuǐ to you: Sorry, I don’t actually have Yún Fēiyáng on my friends list [Smile].  

 

Yānlǒng Xīshā’s voice was getting a bit shrill. “How could an elder not have the guild leader on their friends list? Does he think we’re all idiots?”

“To be fair, the Sanren Alliance is… unique. Xiǎo Qiáo Liúshuǐ and Yún Fēiyáng have a rather indifferent relationship, he’s unlikely to take the fall for him,” Wǔlíng Pénghāo stated matter-of-factly.  

Biting her lip, Yānlǒng Xīshā switched tactics, adopting a pitiful tone: “Cousin, are you really going to just stand by while Great River Eastward becomes laughingstock on the forums?”  

Wǔlíng Pénghāo and Huālālā de Gēshēng simultaneously felt a sinking feeling in their chests.  

Having been friends with Qì Tūn Huányǔ for years, they knew his temperament all too well. Among all the flaws of this silver-spoon heir, his biggest weakness was his pride…

“Of course not.” Qì Tūn Huányǔ’s response carried an air of domineering finality.  

Tuānyuān Yuānyuán seized the chance to brownnose: “Brilliant decision, Guild Leader!” 

“Huh?” Wǔlíng Pénghāo raised an eyebrow. Prompted by Yānlǒng Xīshā’s words, he switched from his communicator to check the forums, only to find all Great River Eastward-related posts had vanished from the front page. “Did someone hire a PR team?”  

“I was negotiating prices for that, but we hadn’t settled yet,” Huālālā de Gēshēng replied.  

Upon closer inspection, Wǔlíng Pénghāo quickly realized why the scandal had faded so abruptly. A far more explosive topic now dominated the forum’s first three pages:  

 

—《SUPREME MARTIAL ARTS FINALLY APPEARS. SCREW, YOU, GAME, DEVS!》