Just as Yang Xiaolong was about to order, his fair-skinned face suddenly flushed red.
A strange energy surged through his body, spreading like wildfire from his chest down to his fingertips. His muscles tensed, his breath hitched, and his entire frame trembled as if something inside of him had been unlocked. His body glowed faintly, a shimmering aura pulsating around him, flickering between gold and red like embers catching wind.
Then, without warning—
"Burp~~"
The tavern fell dead silent.
The glow around Yang Xiaolong's body vanished instantly, like a candle snuffed out in the wind. His face returned to normal, though his expression did not.
His eyes—sharp, golden-brown—were wide, pupils dilated as if he had just witnessed the divine. His lips parted slightly, but his breath was unsteady, almost like he was struggling to process what had just happened.
Then he slowly turned his gaze toward Gazei.
It was a look that shouldn't belong to a noble warrior. It was too shaken, too raw, too desperate.
His voice trembled. "Tell… tell me…" He swallowed thickly, hands gripping the edge of the table as if grounding himself. "What ingredients… are inside your Pesto Flatbread with Inked Tofu?!"
Gazei blinked, looking at Lonfan.
Lonfan blinked, looking at Gazei.
Then she grinned, biting back a laugh as she leaned on her elbow. "Ayo, this kid soundin' real different now."
Gazei set his glass down, rubbing the back of his neck. "Man, you good?"
Yang Xiaolong slammed his hands onto the table, eyes blazing. "Good? Good?! You dare ask if I am good after serving me—serving me that?!"
Gazei raised an eyebrow. "Bruh. You the one who ordered it."
Lonfan snorted. "And inhaled it like a starving beast. I ain't never seen a noble fold that fast."
Yang Xiaolong ignored her, breathing heavily, as if he were one step away from losing all dignity. "This isn't normal food. It can't be! My Qi flow improved! My meridians feel—clearer. For weeks, I had been stuck at a bottleneck, unable to advance, and now—" He gestured at himself wildly. "I feel stronger! More refined! More—more—cultivated!"
"Neat." Gazei and Lonfan said.
Yang Xiaolong was not amused. "Do you two not understand the gravity of this situation?!" He jabbed a finger toward the kitchen. "This flatbread alone did something to my Qi that entire months of training and high-grade elixirs failed to do! Do you know what this means?"
Yang Xiaolong was a prodigy. A rising star of the Imperial City. The second son of a great general and one of the most promising young cultivators of his generation.
He had been raised on only the finest meals, consuming dishes prepared by renowned Imperial chefs and alchemists who infused their food with potent medicinal herbs. Every bite he had ever taken was meant to refine his Qi, enhance his meridians, and push him toward the next stage of cultivation.
And yet…
This had done more for him than anything he had ever eaten before.
The dish had refined his Qi flow, unlocked a stagnation he hadn't even realized had settled into his body. He had felt a sudden jump in his true energy—a breakthrough.
For over a month, he had been stuck. Training, cultivating, consuming rare pills and top-tier elixirs to no avail. He was so close to reaching third-grade Golden Qi (Lesser) but had been unable to push through the bottleneck.
But now—after a single meal—he could feel it.
His foundation was stronger. His energy flowed smoother. He wasn't at the breakthrough yet, but he was dangerously close.
This was… absurd.
Unbelievable.
And these two—these complete fools—were sitting there like this was normal.
Lonfan tilted her head, smirking. "I mean… it was just bread, cheese, and tofu, bro. You actin' like we fed you dragon meat or some shit." Was really a big deal?
Yang Xiaolong's eye twitched violently.
He took a deep breath, trying to regain some form of dignity. His noble upbringing wouldn't allow him to fully scream in disbelief, but the sheer weight of what he just realized left him physically shaking.
"Excuse me," he finally said, his voice still uneven. "I was… too agitated. However, I would still like to know the specifics of your ingredients." He placed his hands together, formally this time, though his eyes still burned with desperation. "If I am not mistaken, the tofu was not ordinary. Judging from the depth of flavor and residual Qi, it must have come from a high-grade beast. Perhaps a Deepwater Spirit Kelp?"
Lonfan snorted, setting her drink down. "Aight, Pretty Boy, listen up." She stretched her arms and leaned forward, looking way too amused at Yang Xiaolong's crisis. "You got a good tongue on you, I'll give you that. Inked Tofu comes from Deepwater Kelp Essence—and it was a bitch to get. Fuckin' octopus was annoying. We keep it stocked 'cause it works well with strong flavors."
Gazei nodded lazily, arms crossed over his broad chest. "Facts. We use it 'cause it soaks up marinades real good, got that silky texture, and gives a little umami hit when you pair it with something heavy like Spirit Dairy. Milking those ugly cows? Worse than any deep-sea monsters. Wife of mine."
Lonfan gave her husband the finger without missing a beat.
Yang Xiaolong struggled to breathe.
Deepwater Kelp Essence was a rare ingredient found only in the depths of spirit-infused lakes, places where sea beasts fought over territory for centuries. Its tofu variant was known for absorbing surrounding Qi, making it a delicacy that sect masters hoarded and high-ranking cultivators paid fortunes for.
And these two were casually using it for flatbread.
Yang Xiaolong stared, his brain short-circuiting. "Y-you're just… keeping it stocked? Like it's some common staple?!"
Lonfan grinned, clearly enjoying his mental breakdown.
"Yeah? Why wouldn't we? Oh yeah. The bread? Cloud Wheat, straight from the floating mountain fields northeast of the Dragon Fang Empire. That shit's been baskin' in high-altitude spirit winds for years, makes it fluffy but dense enough to hold flavor. "
Gazei scratched his chin. "Then we knead that up with Zephyr Olive Oil—comes from olives that only grow on wind-battered cliffs. Gives that light, breezy aftertaste. You ever eat somethin' and feel like you just inhaled fresh air? Yeah, that's this."
Yang Xiaolong's fingers twitched. He had heard of Zephyr Olive Oil. It was hard to find and make. The olives grew only on the Emerald Cliffs in the Western Highlands, where they were constantly battered by raging winds. The trees had to endure decades of relentless elemental storms just to bear fruit, and even then, the oil had to be extracted using special Qi-infused grinding techniques to preserve its properties.
This oil wasn't just some fancy cooking ingredient—sect alchemists used it in breath-enhancement pills to improve Qi circulation and lung capacity.
His grip tightened on his sleeve. "And the basil?"
Lonfan continued, eyes gleaming. "The Pesto's made from Phantom Basil, harvested from the Mist-Filled Valleys of the Eastern Wastes. That translucent herb shimmers like mist, and when crushed, it releases spirit essence that sharpens mental focus. You ever eat somethin' that makes your thoughts feel like a sharpened blade? That's this."
Yang Xiaolong's breath hitched. He had read about Phantom Basil—it was used in high-tier meditation incense for cultivators trying to refine their mental state. And these two were grinding it into sauce?
His knuckles whitened. "And the cheese?"
Gazei stretched, popping his neck. "That's Sky Wyvern Mozzarella, made from Storm Wyvern milk. Comes straight from the Storm Peak Range, far west past the Cloud Sea. The milk's got natural lightning Qi in it, so when we age it inside the bones of a dead Wyvern Elder, it gets that zesty, electric charge. Gives your nerves a little jolt, keeps your body reacting quicker."
Yang Xiaolong inhaled sharply. Sky Wyvern Mozzarella was a legendary ingredient, known to stimulate nerve response and enhance reaction speed. It was fought over by elite sects, used only in small portions for cultivation feasts.
He felt sick.
He was just now noticing the way his body felt lighter, his mind clearer than ever before. The lingering cool energy in his breath, the faint tingling in his fingers—the dish had infused him with more Qi than some spirit pills.
But then something clicked.
His breath shook. "You age it… in the bones of a Wyvern Elder?"
Gazei raised a brow. "Yeah? What about it?"
Yang Xiaolong's hands clenched. "Do you even know what a Wyvern Elder is?"
"Annoyin' lizards..." The couple answered remebring the fight. Way too fast just to age milk inside their bones. Lonfan got shocked by one. Lost all feeling in her legs for a month. "Tough bastards. Even a fresh corpse is dangerous if you don't handle it right. Can't crush them or slice them less they go boom."
Wyvern Elders were near-extinct or just plain hard to find. Their bones were considered priceless, used by the Imperial Court to craft the best of potions. The residual lightning Qi in their remains was so potent that even alchemy masters struggled to harness it properly.
And these absolute lunatics were using them to age cheese.
Yang Xiaolong's breath was uneven. His hands trembled slightly, the lingering effects of the Qi infusion still coursing through his body.
He had never felt this clear-headed, this sharp from a meal before.
He needed more.
Yang shot up from his seat, his robes rustling sharply. He turned on his heel, straightened his posture, and, with all the grace and authority of a noble warrior, announced:
"I will return tomorrow!"
Then, without another word, he strode out of the tavern, not bothering to look back.
The moment the door swung shut behind him, silence filled the room.
Gazei raised a brow. "Oh the fairy left." The man said forgetting to PC his mindset.
Lonfan took a slow sip of her drink, watching the door with a knowing smirk. "Babe, I think we just got our first regular. And maybe your first male simp. I think?"
As soon as Yang Xiaolong left, a golden notification flickered into existence in front of Gazei and Lonfan, hovering mid-air with a faint hum of energy.
[Well, well, well, look at you, big man. Mr. 'Nobody's Eatin' Our Food' out here settin' trends! First customer in three months—should I grab some confetti? Maybe a medal? No, wait, you probably want a parade. Too bad I don't do parades.]
Gazei blinked. "…You talkin' to me now?"
[What, surprised? Please, I've been waiting for this moment. I mean, three months of silence while you and your lovely wife sat here twiddling your thumbs? Painful. But hey, congrats! You finally beat the tutorial! The real game starts now.]
[From now on, you will have full access to a customizable menu!]
[New Features Unlocked:]
Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Linner, and Dinner menus are now available.
Full dish expansion unlocked: You may now add and remove dishes at will.
Ingredient Inventory Management: Allows automatic tracking of stocked ingredients and expiration warnings.
Advanced Kitchen Features: Additional cooking methods and equipment adjustments are now enabled.
Multi-Order Processing: You can now serve multiple customers at a time.
Recipe Development Mode: Experiment and create new high-tier dishes based on available ingredients.
Special Event Menu: Customize limited-time seasonal or holiday-themed menus.
Takeout & Delivery Services: Future unlock conditions apply.
[Expand your restaurant's reputation, serve more customers, and increase your Star Rank to unlock additional rewards!]