"Gambling fight?" Lin Xin was surprised, "What’s that?"
"It seems the guest isn’t aware, there’s been an event these past few days. The boss declared that whoever can fully discern how many spices are in our at soup, the restaurant will waive all the food and drink expenses for that person today, under the condition that no takeaways are allowed, and it’s limited to one person,"
the attendant explained.
Lin Xin looked around and, sure enough, saw many people gathered around the center of the restaurant in front of him, where voices could be intermittently heard. Every so often, the surrounding crowd would burst into cheers. It was very lively.
As for the rest of the ground floor, those who were attracted by the commotion and got hungry would simply buy so of the cheaper sweet wine and soup dumplings right there.
Lin Xin had quite a bit of admiration for this restaurant’s owner; such marketing tactics were really impressive in this era. On the surface, it was about rewarding custors, but in reality, it was drawing in more popularity, raising the establishnt’s profile, and even making a tidy profit from the increase in foot traffic.
Not one to join the hubbub, he found a table on the side, sat down, and gestured for the attendant to co over and take his order.
"We have signature dishes such as lamb with Chinese yam and mushroom soup, mixed vegetables, dewy sheep’s stomach, fiery delights, special sauce deep-fried pork, year-round springti, crispy blossom baskets, hand-grabbed lamb, and fish-flavored eggplant..."
the attendant listed off a string of dishes all at once.
Lin Xin, sowhat impatient, waved his hand and said,
"Give two servings of ho-style stir-fries, one serving of the signature mushroom soup, and two jin of rice."
"All right!" The attendant didn’t waste words and went off to make the arrangents.
Having just sat down, Lin Xin found himself idly observing his surroundings. In fact, he was quite the foodie. Back in Peacock City, he followed the sa pattern: first find a place to stay, then look for all kinds of food in the vicinity. After so many years at the Manor, it had been the sa, except that all sorts of delicacies were brought to him, saving him the trip.
Now that he was out on his own, his cravings had kicked in again.
The dishes arrived: a plate of stir-fried green peppers with pork, a plate of spicy tofu, and a thick, white, lanolin-rich, mutton-flavored broth.
He started off with a full bowl, slowly blew on it to cool it, and took a sip.
The taste was delicious, with a hint of mild milkiness, aty saltiness, along with so unnaable spices, all combining into a rich and unctuous unique flavor.
"Good!"
He couldn’t help but praise. Having just co out from the Underworld feeling tired in body and mind, enjoying a good al was the best way to relax.
Feeling peckish, Lin Xin began to eat open-heartedly.
He ate from noon until afternoon, ordering more dishes as they were emptied, repeatedly; he didn’t keep count of how many tis he had done so.
By evening, when most people in the restaurant had dispersed and the event had ended, only a few drunken patrons remained, arm wrestling and gambling on drinks. The rest were just a few scattered tables of guests eating slowly.
Having eaten until now, Lin Xin also noticed in a corner of the restaurant a middle-aged man dressed like a scholar sitting at a table by himself, eating voraciously, just like him.
However, despite clearly enjoying the delicious dishes, he had a pained expression on his face, as if he was enduring great agony.
Lin Xin took notice of him because, since the end of the morning event, this man, along with Lin Xin himself, were the only two guests in the restaurant who were continuously eating without stopping.
While Lin Xin was observing the man, the man had long been aware of Lin Xin.
As both of them continued eating and assessing each other, neither of them spoke a word.
As the restaurant cleared out and even the last drunkards stumbled out,
only the two of them remained.
Lin Xin could feel that his strong constitution allowed his stomach to digest food very quickly, which was why no matter how much he ate, his belly didn’t bulge.
In the end, the waiters on the floor were all making faces, impatiently waiting for these two diners to finish.
"Hey, brother over there, with all you’ve eaten, doesn’t your stomach feel full?" the middle-aged man dressed like a scholar couldn’t help but ask Lin Xin, seeing he had eaten so much yet appeared unaffected.
"Not full. I plan to keep eating here until I’ve had my fill," Lin Xin replied casually. His physical condition, by now, couldn’t really be considered human anymore. Even among cultivators, it was unlikely anyone could match his formidable nature. There were hardly any Body Refinent Techniques in the great Underworld lands; they were all either Divine Skills or Qi Cultivation. Even among demons, they naturally possessed strong physical constitutions without any specific corresponding techniques.
"Eat until you’re sick of it?" The man was montarily taken aback, "That’s an interesting idea!"
He gave a thumbs up, "I’ve only been here for a few days and already know that Drunken Flower Shade introduces a new dish every month. To date, there have been two hundred forty-two different dishes. If you aim to fully tire of the nu... it seems rather..."
Curious, he looked at his own table full of food, then back at Lin Xin, who had just finished eating again and was ordering another portion of dishes and a few more jin of rice, he was sowhat astounded. The attendant, with a pained face, went to the kitchen to fetch the order, and Lin Xin finally paused his eating.
"Brother, your talent really is exceptional..." The man thought for a mont but couldn’t co up with a suitable phrase, so he just blurted out a common platitude.
"Oh, it’s nothing. Aren’t you holding on just as well?" Lin Xin replied with a casual smile. After a feast, he felt much more relaxed. No longer did he feel as tense as when he had first arrived.
"Holding on, yes, that’s true." The man clapped his hand to his palm, "That word is indeed vivid and compelling."
"However..." He raised his head and chuckled wryly, "I’m about to reach my limit eating like this."
"Why push yourself?" Lin Xin wondered, "If you’re full, just rest. Shelter, food, clothing, and transportation - they’re best when they’re just right. Why do you speak as if you need to endure?"
The man’s face was full of distress.
"Finally a free al, if I don’t eat my fill in one go, wouldn’t that be too wasteful?...."
Lin Xin was speechless. To go to such lengths for a free al, this man was certainly a character.
Amidst the conversation, the waiter who had gone to the kitchen ran out with a pained smile.
"Honored guest, I’m sorry... but we cannot serve more dishes...."
"What? Are you suggesting that I can’t pay the bill?" Lin Xin furrowed his brows.
"Of course not! It’s just... it’s just...." The waiter stamred helplessly.
"Just what? Are we out of ingredients?" Lin Xin frowned.
"It’s the kitchen... the chefs, they’ve stopped working.... The head chef says he’s going ho to rest, he can’t take it anymore...." the waiter finally said with a wry smile.
"......."
"Hahaha!!! My good sir, you truly are an extraordinary character!" The man on the side burst into laughter, but then he paused and asked curiously, "Why even bother with the bill? Aren’t you eating for free because of the promotion?"
Lin Xin hadn’t spoken yet, but the waiter couldn’t help himself.
"Not at all! This honored guest is paying out of pocket, but even so, it’s not possible anymore... He has eaten all our at and produce ant for three days’ supply, in total that’s two pigs, one cow, thirteen sheep, five chickens, along with two hundred catties of vegetables, and a thousand catties of rice..."
"..." The scholar was instantly stunned.
A thousand catties of rice.....
A thousand catties of rice.....
Thousand catties of rice....
Rice.....
Rice.....
Rice....
The waiter’s words seed to echo endlessly in the tavern, while the remaining waiters and the scholar all had a dazed expression on their faces.
Lin Xin also looked bewildered.
He himself hadn’t realized he had eaten so much.
A thousand catties of rice... not to ntion the two pigs, one cow, and thirteen sheep that ca before, all adding up to probably a thousand catties of at.
And two hundred catties of vegetables, not to even ntion the soup that hadn’t been counted.
The tavern fell silent.
Lin Xin touched his belly, feeling only half-full.
Looking up, he saw all eyes were fixed on him, and a middle-aged man dressed like a shopkeeper swallowed nervously, cautiously descending the stairs, gazing at him as if he’d seen a ghost.
"My friend, you truly are... truly are... a legendary glutton! In heaven and on earth, no one can compare to you!" the scholar struggled for a mont, finally squeezing out these words.
"Uh... isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration...?" Lin Xin said awkwardly.
"Do you still have the appetite to eat?" It seed the scholar was now interested, "How about we share a few drinks together?"
Lin Xin saw that he had an air of decency, appearing sowhat pedantic, but in reality, he was free-spirited and hearty. He nodded in agreent.
The two n simply had the waiter join their tables. Without any dishes left, two jars of fine nourishing herbal rice wine were brought out, the tavern’s flagship Drunken Flower Shade.
After a bowl of wine, warmth spread through their bodies.
The two n started to chat about everything under the sun.
"Though you look young, I’m sure I am older, so let take the liberty of calling you ’junior brother.’ I didn’t expect to et such a unique individual like you when coming to Kunlin—it must be fate," the man introduced himself as Mr. Fang.
"You flatter , elder brother," Lin Xin didn’t argue over seniority and simply smiled in response.
He had originally co out to eat and drink to relieve his mood, but unexpectedly he t this remarkable character. This fellow had stuck around from morning to night for a free feast, resting and eating again—it was quite the effort.
"I’m not one for formality. In life, I’ve never been one to stand on ceremony," Mr. Fang lifted his cup and swirled it, clinking it with Lin Xin’s and drinking it down in one gulp.
"Today, I feel a connection with you at first sight. From afar, I couldn’t tell, but now up close, I can’t help but feel inclined to share a few words with you."
"What words?" Lin Xin poured wine for them both, curious as well.
"Don’t take it wrong if I speak frankly. Where my heart leads, I follow. That’s the kind of person I am—why should I care whether others like it or not?" Mr. Fang exuded a breath of wine, spread his legs apart, rolled up his sleeves, and assud a bold posture.
"You truly have a free spirit, elder brother", Lin Xin said softly with a smile.
"Junior brother, I see you shrouded in gloom and your vital energy is weak. I fear you’ve overexhausted your yang, and your life span is not long." He started with life-threatening words; in all the complexity, the summary was: You’re not long for this world.
Lin Xin shook his head, but his heart skipped a beat.
"Fate is hard to co by, nothing can be done."
"Fate is predestined, yet it is not the only thing," the other drank a sip from his cup. "To change it, one needs great willpower, great fate."
"What is great willpower?" Lin Xin had a vague sense that the man was unfathomable and after pondering for a while, he slowly uttered. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to vote for it at Qidian (qidian) with recomndation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian to read.)
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