Long Jun returned to the kitchen and summoned the Food Cauldron Scripture.
The ancient bamboo scroll emitted a mysterious light before his eyes.
Notifications like [Like +1] [+1] kept popping out from it, giving this ancient and mysterious object a peculiar, dreamlike quality.
Long Jun quickly understood the various abilities provided by the Food Cauldron Scripture.
First, he had three personal talents:
[1. I Can Become Stronger When Praised by Diners]
[2. I Can See Food Entries]
[3. My Food Always Tastes Better]
The Food Cauldron Scripture also displayed his current cooking skill:
[Skill: Ordinary Cooking LV2 Proficient (39/100)]
[Food God Recipes: None]
[Note: 1.For every 10 likes collected from diners, your Blood Qi +1;
2.When accumulated likes reach 100, you can unlock the Essence Gate and Spirit Gate;
3.When accumulated likes reach 1000, you can unlock the Food God Cultivation Method Scroll.]
[Cooking Value: 16] (Each like gained accumulates 1 Cooking Value)
Long Jun immediately checked what the Cooking Value could be used for.
In the void, the bamboo scroll expanded to the left, and then a hazy gray-white icon appeared on one of the bamboo strips.
Long Jun understood—this was the [Cooking Kitchen].
The Cooking Kitchen wasn't in reality but in the void, accessible by consuming Cooking Value.
In the Cooking Kitchen, Long Jun could practice cooking and also unlock and learn Food God Recipes with various magical effects using Cooking Value.
This was a complete Food God system!
Upon seeing this, Long Jun's emotions were complex, and he didn't know whether to be happy or sigh.
After ten years of diligent study, the imperial examination system hadn't come, but the Food God system had arrived.
Did this mean that from now on, he would change careers to become a chef?
If he could become a god or immortal, becoming a chef wouldn't be so bad.
But...
Long Jun thought of the Rat Demon in his home, this mysterious world, and his own [Plagued by Misfortune], and felt that directly changing careers to become a chef might not be a good idea before he grew stronger.
An official position was like a huge tiger skin—a powerful protection. His talent was to become stronger when praised by diners, which meant he couldn't leave the world of cooking and humanity. If he could have an official position as cover, perhaps his actions would be more convenient.
The grandmother and grandson next door kept saying "delicious, delicious," but the [Likes] on Long Jun's side had stopped increasing.
After opening the Food Cauldron Scripture, Long Jun naturally understood its principles.
Ordinary people had limited essence and qi, so the number of likes they could give Long Jun was also limited.
Although their likes didn't directly deplete their essence and qi—what Long Jun's talent captured was some naturally dissipating mysterious substance—the upper limit was still there.
Taking the Lai family as an example, each person had a daily limit of 5 likes, with a total upper limit of 100 likes per person.
This meant that even if Long Jun fed the neighboring grandmother and grandson different foods every day to coax them into giving him likes, these two people could at most provide Long Jun with 200 likes over time, no more.
But if he fed the Rat Demons instead, each of those two Rat Demons could provide Long Jun with up to 20 likes per day, with an individual total limit of 400 likes!
Long Jun discovered another strange ability of the Food Cauldron Scripture.
Through it, he seemed able to discern the approximate life level of each diner who had given him a like.
Although this discernment was still somewhat vague, and Long Jun couldn't understand clearly—
How many types of demons existed in this world, and how were cultivation levels classified?
If humans cultivated, what directions could they take?
Various questions remained hazy and mysterious.
But his mood today was very different from yesterday.
He had gained a completely new understanding of this mysterious world and deeper thoughts about his future path.
Long Jun ate a bowl of porridge and three egg pancakes.
He discovered that even without adding any sugar, salt, or side dishes, the white porridge he cooked had a natural sweetness.
The egg pancakes were the same, with an especially savory and delicious taste.
This truly lived up to [My Food Always Tastes Better].
As Long Jun ate, he gave himself a like: "Delicious, truly tasty!"
Then he awkwardly discovered that the Food Cauldron Scripture showed no response.
Ahem, it seemed the dream of creating a perpetual motion machine by giving himself likes had been shattered.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Suddenly, someone knocked on Long Jun's courtyard gate.
A familiar voice came through: "Brother Long, are you in, Brother Long?"
Long Jun was startled at first, then his face showed delight as he stood up and said: "It's Brother Muxian, please wait a moment, Brother Muxian."
He opened the door with his crutch and saw a man wearing a high scholar's cap and a lake silk robe, with a square face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and an impressive bearing.
It was indeed his closest classmate, Lin Qi.
Lin Qi, courtesy name Muxian—close friends addressed each other by their courtesy names.
As for Long Jun, he hadn't yet reached twenty years of age, so he hadn't taken a courtesy name.
Lin Qi first looked Long Jun up and down and saw that his complexion was rosy and his spirit vibrant—how could he look like someone recovering from illness? He looked more like someone who had just taken a powerful tonic.
This was, of course, the effect of Blood Qi +1.
Lin Qi's face immediately showed surprise, then he said happily: "Wonderful! Seeing Brother Long's vitality today, half of my worries are gone."
Long Jun welcomed him into the courtyard and invited him to sit in the kitchen.
Receiving guests in the kitchen was inevitable for a poor household. The small courtyard had only two rooms total—one bedroom and one kitchen—so guests were typically received in the kitchen.
Lin Qi was a person of warm character and never looked down on his poor classmates. He sat down with Long Jun at the small kitchen table and accepted the white porridge and egg pancakes Long Jun offered without refusing. After taking a sip of porridge, he praised: "Excellent porridge! A simple bowl of white porridge, yet so sweet and delicious!"
Then he took a bite of the egg pancake, his eyes brightened, and he praised again: "Excellent pancake! Such an ordinary-looking egg pancake, yet so savory, salty, and endlessly flavorful."
[Like +1]
[Like +1]
[Like +1]
A series of likes appeared, and that wasn't all.
Lin Qi took a sip of porridge and a bite of pancake, repeating this several times, then slightly closed his eyes and sighed: "White porridge and egg pancakes, without adding anything, yet they surpass countless delicacies."
[Like +1]
"A humble room and cold window, without any decoration, yet adorned with brocade and splendid chapters."
[Like +1]
"Today, seeing Brother Long's porridge and pancake, content and at ease, plain food, unhurried—now I understand why Brother Long is called the White Robe of Yunjiang, an extraordinary talent!"
[Like +1]
[Like +1]
"It's precisely being unburdened by material things, returning to simplicity—that is great wisdom! The world in a pot, the five flavors of life—Brother Long, it seems you have truly awakened."
[Like +1]
After speaking, Lin Qi stood up and gave Long Jun a deep bow: "Thank you, Brother Long, for teaching me with a bowl of porridge and a pancake!"
[Like +1]
Long Jun was dumbfounded.
Is this what scholars were like?
My goodness, how terrifying!
Lin Qi had given Long Jun 9 likes in one go. Long Jun secretly glanced at the Food Cauldron Scripture and discovered that Lin Qi's daily like limit was actually 10.
They were both ordinary people, so why did Lin Qi have a like limit of 10?
Long Jun steadied his fluctuating emotions and quickly rose to stop Lin Qi's bow: "Brother, please don't do this, you're overwhelming me!"
Lin Qi simply said: "Brother Long makes me feel ashamed and moved, please don't be modest."
Then with a hearty laugh: "Besides, what's wrong with me showing respect for this delicious food?"
[Like +1]
Since he was laughing, Long Jun also laughed easily.
The two sat down again facing each other. On the Food Cauldron Scripture, the accumulated Cooking Value had reached: [26].
And without realizing it, Long Jun's Blood Qi had increased by another point.
He felt a warm flow surging through his body, his spirits were high, and he no longer had that weakness from the past few days that left him breathless.
The Rat Demon had previously said he had a [dark and gloomy aura], but now Long Jun felt only warmth in his breath.
Even the usual pain in his injured right leg had lessened somewhat.
Long Jun sat at the simple table, his eyes shining brilliantly.
After chatting idly with him for a while, Lin Qi suddenly asked: "Is tomorrow Brother Long's birthday?"
Birthday?
Long Jun was stunned for a moment before responding: "Yes, by tomorrow, I will have wasted another year."
Lin Qi disapproved: "What do you mean 'wasted'? Every birthday is worth celebrating. Tomorrow I must come to celebrate my worthy brother's birthday!"
He continued: "But your leg injury remains a major problem. These days I've been searching around and found a famous doctor. We shouldn't delay—come with me now, and let's properly treat that leg injury."
Long Jun pondered briefly, considering whether to agree, when suddenly he heard "squeaking" sounds from some distant crack again.
"Aiya, this scholar is not a good person. He has heavy evil energy around him—absolutely don't go out with him."
Squeak, squeak squeak—
One after another, sharp and thin, piercing to the heart.