Chen Xu returned to the kitchen and summoned the Food Cauldron Celestial Book.
This ancient bamboo scroll emitted a mysterious glow before his eyes.
Messages like [Like +1][+1] kept popping up, infusing this ancient and mysterious object with an indescribable sense of enchanting fantasy.
Chen Xu quickly understood the various abilities of the Food Cauldron Celestial Book.
First, his talents were threefold:
[1. As long as I am praised by diners, I can become stronger]
[2. I can see food attributes]
[3. The food I make always tastes better]
The Food Cauldron Celestial Book also showed his current culinary skills:
[Skill: Mortal Level Culinary Skill LV2 Proficient (39/100)]
[Gourmet Recipes: None]
[Hint: 1. Every 10 likes from diners will increase your Qi Blood by 1;
2. Accumulate 100 likes to unlock Essence Element Pass and Divine Soul Pass;
3. Accumulate 1000 likes to unlock the Food God Cultivation Technique Scroll.]
[Fireworks Value: 16] (You earn 1 point of Fireworks Value for each like)
Chen Xu immediately checked what the Fireworks Value could be used for.
In the void, the bamboo scroll unfolded to the left, and then a hazy gray-white icon appeared on one of the bamboo strips.
Chen Xu understood that this was the [Fire and Smoke Kitchen].
The Fire and Smoke Kitchen does not exist in reality but in the void, which can be accessed by consuming Fireworks Value.
In the Fire and Smoke Kitchen, Chen Xu can practice his culinary skills or unlock and learn various magical Gourmet Recipes through Fireworks Value.
This is a complete Food God system!
Seeing this, Chen Xu felt a complex mix of emotions and didn't know whether to be happy or to sigh.
After studying hard for ten years, the imperial examination system never appeared, but the Food God system did.
Could it be that from now on, he has to switch careers and become a cook?
If he could become a deity, becoming a cook wouldn't be bad at all.
But...
Thinking of the mouse demon at home, this mysterious world, and his own "bad luck following," Chen Xu felt that switching directly to being a cook before growing up might not be a good idea.
An official position is like a large tiger skin. With his talent of growing stronger with more compliments, it's hard to escape the mortal world of Fire and Smoke. If he can use an official position as cover, perhaps it would actually make things more convenient.
In the neighboring courtyard, the grandfather and grandson kept exclaiming how delicious the food was, but Chen Xu's [likes] didn't increase.
Upon opening the Food Cauldron Celestial Book, Chen Xu naturally understood the key to it.
Mortals have limited Essence Qi, and thus the number of likes they can give Chen Xu is also limited.
Though liking Chen Xu doesn't directly reduce their Essence Qi, what his talent captures is a mysterious substance naturally dissipated, yet the limit is here.
Taking the Lai family grandfather and grandson as an example, the daily limit for each is 5 points, with the total limit for a single person being 100 points.
This means even if Chen Xu keeps feeding the neighboring grandson's family with various methods each day to coax likes out of them, the most they can provide is 200 likes cumulatively.
But if the targets were switched to the mouse demon, each mouse demon could provide Chen Xu with up to 20 likes per day, with a total limit of 400 likes each!
Chen Xu discovered another peculiar ability of the Food Cauldron Celestial Book.
Through the Food Cauldron Celestial Book, it seemed he could vaguely discern the preliminary life level of each diner who had liked him.
Though this discernment was still somewhat vague, and Chen Xu couldn't even understand—
How many types of demons are there in this world, and how are cultivation realms classified?
If humans cultivate, what directions are there?
Such questions remained unclear and mysterious.
Yet his mindset today differed vastly from yesterday.
He gained a whole new understanding of this mysterious world and deeper reflections on his path ahead.
Chen Xu ate a bowl of porridge and consumed three egg pancakes.
He found that the white porridge he cooked had a natural sweetness even without adding any sugar, salt, or side dishes.
The egg pancakes were the same, possessing an extraordinary salty flavor and freshness.
It truly embodied the statement [the food I make always tastes better].
As Chen Xu ate, he gave himself a compliment: "Delicious, truly tasty!"
Then he awkwardly realized that the Food Cauldron Celestial Book didn't respond at all.
Ahem, liking himself dashed any dream of perpetual motion through self-sufficiency.
"Knock knock knock!"
Suddenly, the gate of Chen Xu's courtyard was knocked on.
A familiar voice came: "Brother Chen, are you there?"
Chen Xu was initially surprised, then showed delight, stood up, and said, "It is Brother Mu Xian. Please wait a moment."
He opened the door with the help of his cane and beheld the visitor wearing a Cloud Ascending Scarf and a Lake Silk Robe, a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes with an impressive demeanor.
Indeed, it was his best classmate, Lin Qi.
Lin Qi, courtesy name Mu Xian, among friends, they referred to each other by their courtesy names.
As for Chen Xu, he was not yet twenty, so he hadn't taken a courtesy name yet.
Lin Qi first looked Chen Xu up and down, seeing his complexion rosy and spirited, not at all like someone recovering from illness, rather one who had just taken a miraculous tonic.
This was naturally the effect of Qi Blood +1.
Lin Qi's face immediately showed surprise, then joyfully said, "This is great, seeing Brother Chen in such spirits today, half of my worries are eased."
Chen Xu invited him into the courtyard and asked him to sit in the kitchen.
To entertain guests in the kitchen was the helplessness of a poor family; the small courtyard had only two rooms, a bedroom, and a kitchen, so usually, guests were entertained in the kitchen.
Lin Qi was a person of kind nature, never despising a classmate's poverty. He sat with Chen Xu at the small table in the kitchen, accepting the porridge and egg pancake handed over by Chen Xu without decline, took a sip of porridge and praised, "What good porridge! Such a simple bowl of white porridge, yet so clear and delicious!"
He took a bite of the egg pancake, eyes lit up, praised again, "What a good pancake! Appearing so ordinary, yet so savory and flavorful, with limitless taste."
[Like +1]
[Like +1]
[Like +1]
A string of likes popped up, and it didn't stop there.
Lin Qi sipped the porridge and took a bite of the pancake, repeating this several times, then closed his eyes slightly, sighed, "White porridge and egg pancake, without any addition, surpasses countless delicacies."
[Like +1]
"A humble abode without adornment, but accompanied by rich chapters of beauty."
[Like +1]
"Until today, seeing Brother Chen with a porridge and a pancake, content and satisfied, simple meals yet unworried, this humble brother understands why you are called the White Clothes of Yunjiang, incomparable elegance!"
[Like +1]
[Like +1]
"It is precisely the unburdened state, returning to truth, that is great wisdom! The world in a pot, the five flavors of life, Brother Chen, it seems you have realized!"
[Like +1]
Having said that, Lin Qi stood up and gave Chen Xu a long bow, "Thank you, Brother Chen, for teaching me with a porridge and a pancake!"
[Like +1]
Chen Xu was dumbfounded.
Is this what a scholar is like?
Gasp, terrifying indeed!
Lin Qi gave Chen Xu 9 likes all at once. Chen Xu stole a glance at the Food Cauldron Celestial Book, realizing that Lin Qi's daily like limit was actually 10 points.
All are mortals, so why does Lin Qi have a like limit of 10 points?
Chen Xu steadied the fluctuating emotions within him, quickly stood up to support Lin Qi's hand offering the bow, and said, "Brother, please do not do this, it is humbling your little brother!"
Lin Qi just said, "Brother Chen is so inspiring and touching, please do not be modest."
Then he laughed heartily, "Besides, what is wrong with me appreciating this delicacy?"
[Like +1]
He laughed, so Chen Xu also chuckled freely.
Both sat down again, the Fireworks Value on the Food Cauldron Celestial Book accumulated to: [26].
Unknowingly, Chen Xu's Qi Blood increased by another point.
He only felt a warm stream flowing through his body, his whole person full of spirit, no longer feeling the weakness of breathlessness as in previous days.
The Mouse Demon had previously said his "breath was gloomy and sullen," but now Chen Xu only felt warmth with every breath.
Even the usual pain in his right leg had slightly eased.
Chen Xu sat by the simple small table, his eyes shining brightly.
Lin Qi chatted with him for a while and suddenly asked, "Is tomorrow Brother Chen's birthday?"
Birthday?
Chen Xu paused for a moment before reacting, "Yes, by tomorrow, your little brother will have wasted another year in vain."
Lin Qi disagreed, "What do you mean wasted? Every birthday is worth celebrating. Tomorrow, this humble brother must come to celebrate the virtuous brother's birthday!"
He continued, "But virtuous brother's leg injury is a big problem after all. I have been searching for a renowned doctor these days and have found one. There is no time to lose, virtuous brother should go with me now to treat the leg injury properly."
Chen Xu pondered slightly, considering whether to agree, when suddenly he heard a distant crackling sound and the "squeaking" of mice again.
"Hey, this scholar is not a good person. He carries a heavy evil air, be sure not to go out with him."
Squeak, squeak squeak squeak—
One after another, sharp and piercing to the soul.