After spending nearly three hours stuffing his face with food in the restaurant, Yuan was finally satisfied with his stomach, which was fully bloated at this moment, making him appear fatter than normal.
"Unbelievable… Brother Yuan's stomach is a true mystery. Not only can you consume monster cores and feel perfectly fine, but you can also eat enough food to feed ten whole families…" Xiao Hua stared at him with wide eyes.
"Hahaha… I don't usually eat so much, but for some season, when I swallow the food, it feels as though the food disappears before it even reaches my stomach." Yuan said. "And my Qi has increased significantly, too."
After consuming so much food, his Qi Experience has increased by 1 million, comparable to the Jade Frog's monster core.
"That's because of the food Brother Yuan ate. It's not ordinary food, but spiritual food, which is cooked from monsters and contains spiritual energy."
"Is that why it also tasted so good? Man, I should eat more of these so-called spiritual foods." Yuan said as he rubbed his stomach.
However, when the bill appeared sometime later, Yuan immediately regretted eating so much.
"500 gold coins?! That's nearly everything I have! Why the hell is it this expensive?! Did they miscalculate the bill?" Yuan exclaimed with a terrified expression.
"Brother Yuan… did you order the food without looking at the prices? Spiritual food is considered luxury food… of course it would be expensive… and you ate so much of it…" Xiao Hua said to him.
Yuan sighed and spoke, "If it's like this, I'd rather hunt and cook my own food."
"That's an option, too." Xiao Hua nodded. "After all, it's just cooked monster meat."
"Then it's decided! In order to save money, I shall learn how to cook spiritual food!"
And he continued, "By the way, are there any techniques that teach you how to cook?"
Xiao Hua nodded and said, "It'll cost you a few gold coins, but you can find these kinds of techniques in any Cultivator market."
"Great. Then let's go shopping again after this."
After paying the massive restaurant bill that depleted almost everything he's earned from selling the monster cores, Yuan and Xiao Hua returned to strolling in the streets.
Sometime later, they approached a store with a large sign that read 'Cultivator Essentials'.
"Welcome to Cultivator Essentials! How may I assist you, Young Master?" A pretty lady greeted him with a warm smile after noticing their presence.
"Hello. Do you sell cooking techniques in this place?" Yuan asked her.
"Cooking techniques, huh? Give me a moment to check."
The pretty lady then went to the back of the shop.
A few minutes later, she returned with three books in her hand.
"We have three cooking techniques. Pick whichever is to your liking."
"Hmm…" Yuan looked at the three techniques before him.
"Thousand Knife Techniques… Heavenly Fire Control… Senior Wu's Recipes..."
Yuan made a weird expression after reading the title of these three books. "Are they really cooking techniques? They look more like fighting techniques… And the last one… it's only a recipe book, right?"
The pretty lady behind the counter chuckled, and she said, "I can assure you that they are cooking techniques. If you aren't convinced, I can let you read a few pages for yourself."
"Really? Then excuse me..."
Yuan picked up the techniques and began reading them one at a time.
A few minutes later, a notification appeared.
«You have learned Thousand Knife Technique»
«Thousand Knife Technique»
«Rank: Mortal»
«Mastery Level: 1»
«Description: Consumes 100 Qi. Must wield a knife or dagger to activate. A common knife technique for chefs around the world.»
«You have learned Heavenly Fire Control»
«Heavenly Fire Control»
«Rank: Mortal»
«Mastery Level: 1»
«Description: Consumes 10 Qi per second. Allows you to control and adjust temperatures of regular fire with your spiritual energy.»
«You have read Senior Wu's Recipes»
«Your Cooking knowledge has increased significantly»
«You have learned Cooking Skill»
«Cooking Skill»
«Mastery Level: 1»
«You have learned new cooking recipes»
«You can now cook Tier 1 spiritual food»
"Uh…" Yuan did not mean to learn the techniques without paying, and he turned to look at the pretty lady with a worried face, but she appeared to be oblivious of what just happened.
"How much are these techniques, again?" he asked her with a shaky voice.
"Ten gold coins each!" she quickly responded with a bright smile.
"..."
Not wanting to feel like he'd just committed a robbery, Yuan decided to pay for these techniques even if it will cost him all of his remaining money.
"I will buy them…" He said in a sighing voice, before taking out 30 gold coins and placing it on the counter.
"Thank you very much for your purchase, Young Master!" The pretty lady immediately accepted his money with her face full of smiles.
After buying the three cooking techniques, Yuan and Xiao Hua left the shop.
"Haaa… I only have 10 gold coins left…" Yuan sighed deeply after taking a look into his empty wallet.
"Should Xiao Hua give you some money? After all, she made Brother Yuan pay for her own share of food in the restaurant." Xiao Hua said to him after seeing his saddened face.
"No, it's fine. You have already done enough for me. And it's about time for me to start helping you, even if it's as small as paying for your food..." Yuan said. "And if I really need money, I can just farm some more monster cores and sell them again."
"Don't mention it, Brother Yuan. It's only natural for Xiao Hua to assist you as your servant. It's her responsibility, after all."
Yuan showed a gentle smile on his face and said, "Thank you, Xiao Hua. But instead of a servant, you are like a little sister to me."
"Xiao Hua… Brother Yuan's little sister? Really?" she looked at him with sparkly eyes.
"That's right." Yuan nodded. "That's why you should stop calling yourself my servant."
Xiao Hua quickly nodded with a blissful smile on her face, "Okay! Then Xiao Hua will be Brother Yuan's little sister starting now!"