Chapter 521: Famous Chef of the World

Chapter 521: Famous Chef of the World

"Hmm?" Chen Xuanlu and Liu Yunzheng looked in the direction of the voice and saw Chu Liang smiling as he held out a jade box.

"Now that the Assembly of Immortal Sects is taking place, it's not easy to find precious medicine. Luckily, I set some aside, so you can have mine," Chu Liang explained. "Junior Brother Liu, with the competition happening tomorrow, we can't risk any delays."

The Mount Shu Sect and Profound Mind Sect were on friendly terms, which was why they addressed each other as senior and junior brothers.

The jade box emanated a powerful spiritual energy, suggesting that whatever was inside was far from ordinary.

"This..." Chen Xuanlu quickly rejected, "I can't accept this! It's not some ordinary thing; it's a precious medicine..."

Even though Liu Yunzheng wanted it badly, he clenched his jaw and refused to accept.

"Don't worry about it; I have more than enough set aside," Chu Liang said casually.

The nonchalant way he spoke left the members from the Profound Mind Sect in disbelief. Even if he had some saved up, it couldn't be much. Rare medicines weren't as plentiful as cabbages that could be stored away for winter.

They didn't know Chu Liang well enough. They only knew he was a top talent among the younger generation of the Mount Shu Sect, but they had no idea that he was the actual owner of the Red Cotton Peak.

Previously, Chu Liang had to pay extra for treasures of nature and rare medicines from different stores. However, the imperial shops had been set up and one of those shops managed by Chu Liang was a spirit medicine shop.

With his own supply chain in place for obtaining treasures of nature, he didn't need to buy spirit medicine from other places. He could source them directly from his shop at cost price, which made the process a lot easier.

As part of his many preparations for the Assembly of Immortal Sects, Chu Liang had made sure to gather plenty of spirit medicine.

Whatever they could think of, Chu Liang had certainly accumulated a far greater amount than the duo from the Profound Mind Sect could ever imagine.

Wang Xuanling remarked, "Our two sects have always supported each other, so it's only natural to help in times of need. There's really no reason to say no."

Hearing this, Chen Xuanlu finally took the jade box and said to his disciple, "Hurry up and thank your Senior Brother Chu."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Chu!" Liu Yunzheng exclaimed, visibly touched. He took the jade box and added, "I'll treat this medicine as a loan, and I promise to pay you back in the future."

Chu Liang smiled and nodded, choosing not to say anything further.

It was clear that Liu Yunzheng had a proud and noble heart, refusing to accept any favor without planning to give back.

In that moment, Chu Liang's stature soared in the eyes of the Profound Mind Sect members. Liu Yunzheng and the two male disciples, as well as the female disciple, looked at him with their eyes sparkling with admiration.

There was perhaps nothing more charming and carefree than the act of giving freely.

"Alright, you'd better take him back to get the medicine," Wang Xuanling advised. "We don't want his injury to get worse."

"Very well, we'll take our leave," Chen Xuanlu responded as he stood up.

Once the Profound Mind Sect members had left, Wang Xuanling turned to Chu Liang and said quietly, "Since the Profound Mind Sect is close to us, being generous is fine. However, it's better to be more frugal when dealing with outsiders."

The old man's face showed a hint of pain for Chu Liang, even if he wasn't the one spending the money.

Chu Liang was aware that Wang Xuanling, the grand peak master with the highest number of disciples in the Mount Shu Sect, had long been used to being frugal. He was always thinking of ways to ask the sect for more money to distribute to his disciples. He was someone who knew how to plan his finances.

So Chu Liang just smiled and said with a nod, "I understand."

In all honesty, Chu Liang was well aware of this. He didn't need the reminder from Wang Xuanling. Even though he had an ample supply of spirit stones now, he wasn't the type to waste them. Doing so would make him look like a fool, throwing his money away.

However, since the Profound Mind Sect was one of Mount Shu's few close allies near the capital, it felt right to extend them a helping hand.

After bidding farewell to the members of the Profound Mind Sect, Chu Liang looked around and suggested, "Shouldn't we find something to eat? It's not every day we're in the capital of Yu, so we ought to treat ourselves."

As he stood, Wang Xuanling said, "You young ones go ahead and explore. I'm going to rest."

It was clear the old man knew the younger members would feel uneasy with him present, especially Xu Ziyang, who was always so stiff and serious in front of his master.

After navigating through the bustling streets, they finally stood before the grand establishment adorned with a golden plaque, only to find the doors firmly shut.

"What's going on?" Chu Liang asked, frowning. "Why would they close during dinner time?"

"Ah..." Jiang Yuebai sighed softly, her disappointment evident. "I guess we'll have to come another time."

Seeing her expression, Chu Liang quickly added, "Let me ask."

With that, he stepped forward and knocked on the restaurant door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Before long, a waiter appeared, his demeanor apologetic. "I'm sorry, young master, but we're closed for today."

"But we've traveled a long way just to taste Master Chef Xue's renowned cooking. What happened today?" Chu Liang asked softly.

"Our master chef is currently dealing with something urgent and is unavailable. I'm truly sorry, young master; please come back another day," the waiter replied, preparing to close the door.

Just then, a voice called out from behind them, "Young Hero Chu?"

Chu Liang turned to see a group of officials from the Imperial Supervisory Bureau, and the one leading them was someone he recognized.

"Seal-Holding Official Chen," he called out.

This man was none other than the seal-holding official that Chu Liang had paid generously to help him acquire a rare treasure of nature.

When Seal-Holding Official Chen spotted Chu Liang, his face lit up with a warm smile.

"Thank goodness the officials from the Imperial Supervisory Bureau have arrived!" the waiter exclaimed as he quickly greeted them.

"Hmm?" Chu Liang turned to Seal-Holding Official Chen, asking, "Is something wrong here?"

Given the involvement of the Imperial Supervisory Bureau, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something peculiar had occurred. He hoped nothing unfortunate had happened to Master Chef Xue.

Seal-Holding Official Chen glanced around before replying, "Since you're not really an outsider, why don't you come inside with us?"

Guided by the waiter, the group stepped into the restaurant and headed up to the second floor.

As they made their way through the bustling restaurant, Chen revealed that while Master Chef Xue was safe, his treasured knife had gone missing.

The Famous Yipin Knife, which held the 102nd spot in the Catalog of the Mortal World's Ten Thousand Treasures, had been stolen from the restaurant the night before.

Upon reaching the second floor, Chu Liang finally laid eyes on the famous chef.

Xue Yipin was a big, sturdy man who looked very kind. However, the weight of worry hung heavily on his face at this moment.

Behind him stood seven or eight men, some middle-aged and others younger, who appeared to be his disciples.

On the table in front of them lay an open box.

"Seal-Holding Official Chen! You're finally here!" Xue Yipin exclaimed as he stood up to greet the members of the Imperial Supervisory Bureau.

"Master Xue, what happened?" Seal-Holding Official Chen asked urgently.

With a sigh, Xue Yipin explained, "My knife is too sharp to be stored in an enchanted tool. Every night, I keep it in this box, and my disciples take turns guarding it.

"But last night, somehow, the knife vanished without a trace!"

Seal-Holding Official Chen glanced at the knife box, and Chu Liang moved in closer as well. "Hmm?"

Chu Liang's nose twitched as he caught a faint but familiar scent.