Chen Muxue saw that Lin Qing and his party hadn't caught up, so she started leisurely winding her way back.
No choice, after all, the town only has that one tavern; the rest are snack stalls.
And logically speaking, no one would be waiting in place, right?
Humming a tune and swaying along, Chen Muxue casually spent two coins to buy a basket to hold bamboo shoots.
I wonder if these bamboo shoots transformed by Wood Spirit Root and Water Spirit Root will have a unique flavor.
She swayed her way into the tavern, and the waiter took one glance at Chen Muxue and immediately waved her away as if shooing flies: "Shoo, shoo, we don't accept bamboo shoots here, we have fixed suppliers."
Chen Muxue was momentarily stunned, then smiled amicably and said: "I'm not here to sell bamboo shoots, call your shopkeeper, I have something to discuss with him."
The waiter eyed Chen Muxue again before chuckling: "Miss, if you're not here to eat, you should leave, we're quite busy here."
Chen Muxue glanced at her attire. The dress made of fine cloth was plain and unadorned, and the outfit was quite old; coupled with the mud and water stains from the earlier fight, she admittedly looked rather battered.
Although this waiter judged her by appearances, one should still reason with logic.
Chen Muxue took down the iron pot from her back and hefted it: "Little brother, think carefully, this pot isn't just for show when slammed down."
The iron pot cooperatively sparkled with a glint.
The waiter saw Chen Muxue holding such a thick iron pot but inexplicably felt as if she was holding a flyswatter, so he involuntarily stepped back two paces.
"Hehe, negotiation is key... I'll just go get the shopkeeper!" The waiter nodded and bowed as he retreated hurriedly.
At the moment, the shopkeeper was upstairs welcoming a distinguished guest.
"Immortal, please come this way! Your arrival truly brings glory to our humble establishment!"
Cen Lizhui, dressed in the iconic white attire of the Immortal Sect, had one hand behind his back, exuding meticulousness and precision. Even while walking in this plain little tavern, he gave the impression of strolling through the elegant corridors of the Immortal Palace.
As he sat down gracefully, the unremarkable partition suddenly transformed into a picturesque scene.
The shopkeeper swallowed hard, hesitating to breathe.
What is happening today? First, disciples from the Liuyun Sect, and now a bigwig from the Immortal Sect!
What kind of wind brought someone from the Immortal Sect to this utterly ordinary little tavern?
Although aware that in this world, there are quite a few cultivators like the Sixth Elder from the Liuyun Sect who pursue cuisine, but...
He was well aware of the flavor of his own dishes; he was not delusional about their quality!
The partition was simple; saying "partition," it was really just a screen used to create a simple separation.
Through the screen's hollow patterns, Cen Lizhui precisely saw Chen Muxue waiting downstairs, and he nodded in satisfaction: "This spot is nice."
If I can't sneak a bite at the Qian Ding Sect, I'll eat openly here.
His gaze fixed on the basket with a lid placed on the table by Chen Muxue.
"Is that so... Haha! Look, this is our signature dish..." The shopkeeper cautiously presented an aged bamboo book.
"Shopkeeper, there's a young lady downstairs looking for you." The waiter found the shopkeeper at this precise moment.
The shopkeeper stifled the impulse to smack the waiter on the head and whispered through clenched teeth: "Can't you see who's sitting here?"
The waiter glanced carefully, shivered slightly: "This..."
"Since someone's looking, don't keep them waiting."
Cen Lizhui looked at the bamboo book menu with disdain flashing in his eyes.
Ugh, it's aged, how many hands have touched this?
He intended to mask his emotions with tea, but when bringing the cup close, he hesitated.
A film of oil floated on the tea...
Cen Lizhui silently placed the tea cup down, gazing downstairs where there weren't too many guests, but it certainly wasn't empty.
Perhaps it's because the whole town has only this one tavern.
The shopkeeper hadn't expected Cen Lizhui to say that. He paused, then glanced at the young woman downstairs.
Though she wore simple fabric clothes, her mannerisms and bearing were definitely not cultivated in an ordinary family.
"With substantial forgiveness, the humble one will attend to downstairs matters now." The shopkeeper grinned as he made his exit.
Just as Chen Muxue was growing impatient, she finally saw the waiter coming out with a big-bellied man following; she immediately knew this was the shopkeeper.
"May I ask, miss, why do you seek me?" The shopkeeper bowed respectfully.
Chen Muxue got straight to the point: "Shopkeeper, this is pickled radish made by me, try it."
With that, she opened the basket's lid, revealing pickled radish strips intertwined in the bowl, resembling layers of white jade adorned with ruby-like chili slices. As she uncovered the lid, a sweet and sour aroma wafted forth.
"Achoo!" The shopkeeper was caught off guard and sneezed.
Perhaps the aroma spread a bit too quickly.
Chen Muxue glanced over and laughed, scratching her head: "Spilled some of the pickling liquid, sorry."
Typically, as it was just liquid, the flavor wouldn't disperse so readily.
But during the earlier fight, sugar-vinegar liquid splattered everywhere, spreading out the area and speeding up evaporation.
Generally, sugar-vinegar water isn't added when plating, but Chen Muxue worried that leaving the radish dry for long would oxidize and affect its appearance. With a bad look, you can't fetch a good price.
The shopkeeper rubbed his nose: "Miss, what do you mean by this?"
"Oh, oh, look at my radish, it's bright and white. Smell it, my radish, so sweet and sour..." Chen Muxue cleared her throat, "Absolutely delicious, I'll sell you the recipe, okay?"
At this, the shopkeeper's expression shifted somewhat: "Oh? Then I should really try it."
He picked up a strip of radish and bit into it with a crunch. As the delightful crisp texture and sweet-sour flavor opened up his taste buds, he gulped it down quickly, suddenly wanting a bite of hearty meat.
"Excellent, excellent!" The shopkeeper exclaimed repeatedly, "Miss, your culinary skills are impressive, I've never had anything like these pickles."
Traditional pickles are typically salty and sour, requiring a pairing like porridge, else the salt attacks the heart directly. Yet these pickled radishes are refreshingly sweet and sour, so even those favoring bolder flavors can simply snack on them.
Chen Muxue had already observed the dishes customers were eating earlier. She thought, there's plenty more they've never tried.
Sigh, only the people here are easy to please; heavy oil is good cuisine, not much skillful use of condiments, let alone picky with timing and knife skills.
"Miss, since you're selling a recipe, let's give you a fair price." The shopkeeper's peripheral sight caught someone, a flicker in his eye, "Five hundred coins, how about it?"
"Five hundred coins? Are you looking for a fight?" Chen Muxue frowned.
"Hey, you can't say that, miss. Look around, there isn't another tavern like ours. It's not easy running this place, are you selling or not?"
Before Chen Muxue could speak, a burly, greasy man approached: "You're selling a recipe as a young lady, huh?"
The man used his oily, dark hand directly to grab a strip of pickled radish and took a bite: "Pfft! What's this sour taste, even five hundred coins is too much!"