After leaving his teacher's residence, Lin Chen went to the back kitchen to see Steward Zhang.
Steward Zhang agreed very readily, and even joked that when Lin Chen came to the canteen to get meat in the future, he'd give him a bit extra, treating him as one of their own.
Steward Zhang was also aware of the fact that Lin Chen's strength had reached four hundred jin.
As the steward of the Martial Hall, any movement or news within the hall would reach him at the first possible moment.
The current Lin Chen had the potential to cultivate refined qi within two years.
And with suspicions that Instructor Yu had given Lin Chen special treatment, Steward Zhang was even more inclined to build a good relationship with him.
After taking his leave of Steward Zhang, Lin Chen walked out of the canteen. On his way back to the dormitory, he ran into Zhao Jingchuan and the other four.
Seeing the five of them, Lin Chen主动 stepped aside.
"Junior Brother Lin, today is a rest day. I'm inviting everyone to my family's restaurant for a meal. Junior Brother Lin, why don't you come along as well?"
Lin Chen hadn't expected Zhao Jingchuan to take the initiative to greet him. After pondering for a moment, he agreed. "Then this junior brother will accept without ceremony."
A free meal was an opportunity that couldn't be missed.
Lu Yongfeng and the others looked at Zhao Jingchuan with some confusion. They didn't understand why Zhao Jingchuan would invite Lin Chen along. Even though Lin Chen's strength had reached four hundred jin, there was still quite a gap compared to them.
However, since Zhao Jingchuan was hosting today, they couldn't really say anything.
The group walked out of the Martial Hall gates. Along the way, they ran into several other students. When those students saw Lin Chen walking together with these five, they all cast strange looks their way.
Clearly, in the minds of the Martial Hall students, the thought was the same.
Although Lin Chen had shocked them today, there was still a noticeable gap between him and the five led by Lu Yongfeng.
Lin Chen silently walked at the back of the group, listening to Zhao Jingchuan and the others talk about martial halls in the county city. He couldn't really join the conversation.
He could only sigh inwardly—this was the gap!
While most students were striving to refine qi within two years, these people were already considering which martial hall in the county city to choose.
Cheng Ying's target was the Seven Stars Martial Hall, while Xu Botao was more inclined toward the Zhenyue Martial Hall. The two discussed which martial hall was stronger, with the others occasionally chiming in with their own opinions.
Lin Chen listened quietly. No one mentioned him; it was as if everyone had completely ignored his presence. He didn't mind at all—his purpose was simply to get a free meal. Moreover, from their conversation, he gained quite a bit of useful information.
The Seven Stars Martial Hall that Cheng Ying wanted to join was most famous for its Seven Stars Fist, while the Zhenyue Martial Hall that Xu Botao favored was strongest in body-tempering techniques.
After a quarter of an hour, the group arrived at the entrance of the Zhao Family Restaurant.
Zhao Dongyang was standing at the door. Seeing his son arrive with the group, he smiled warmly and said, "Jingchuan, these must be your fellow senior and junior brothers."
This dinner gathering had been arranged at his instruction, and he was well aware of the family backgrounds of these youths.
Lu Yongfeng, the young master of the Lu Family Apothecary; Cheng Ying, the young master of the Cheng Family Cloth Shop…
In business, what mattered most was connections.
Lu Yongfeng and the others introduced themselves again, calling him Uncle Zhao or Uncle.
"Uncle Zhao, this junior is Lin Chen."
"Virtuous Nephew Lin!"
After Lin Chen introduced himself, a hint of confusion appeared in Zhao Dongyang's eyes. Jingchuan had never mentioned a student named "Lin Chen" before.
However, as a businessman, Zhao Dongyang showed nothing on his face. With a warm smile, he led everyone into the restaurant and straight up to a private room on the second floor.
Inside the private room, six cold dishes were already laid out on the table.
Braised beef in sauce, fennel beans, fermented fish, pickled century eggs, chilled malantou, and a plate of pastries Lin Chen didn't recognize.
Good grief!
Just the cold dishes alone were more abundant than the food at his own home.
Having come to this world for almost a year, this was Lin Chen's first time eating at a restaurant. In the original body's memories, the most delicious thing had been the tofu pudding from the tofu shop in town.
When the original body followed Lin Father to town to sell fish, Lin Father would always take him to the tofu shop, spend two wen on a bowl of tofu pudding. That tofu pudding, topped with lard and chopped scallions, fragrant and rich, had already been the most delicious food in the original body's memory.
After everyone sat down, the others didn't rush to pick up their chopsticks.
They weren't here for the cold dishes.
Lin Chen, on the other hand, didn't stand on ceremony and picked up his chopsticks to try some.
The taste was indeed good.
So it wasn't that this world lacked fine food—it was just that poor people couldn't afford it.
Not long after, a waiter brought in a large platter of meat. When the platter was set down, Lin Chen noticed Yan Dexing, seated nearby, swallow his saliva, while the others' gazes were also fixed on the dish.
"Yesterday, a hunter from Qingshan Village caught a black muntjac. I happened to be buying wild game there, so I bought it. This stuff replenishes qi and blood—eat more of it."
Hearing Zhao Dongyang's words and seeing Yan Dexing and the others swallow, Lin Chen understood immediately. This black muntjac meat was either exceptionally delicious or a great tonic—most likely the latter.
Since that was the case, he wouldn't hold back.
"Thank you, Uncle. Then I'll give it a try."
While the others were still a bit too self-conscious to start, Lin Chen was the first to move his chopsticks, placing a large piece of meat into his bowl.
To be honest, the black muntjac meat was quite chewy, with a lingering sweetness. Very quickly, Lin Chen felt warmth spreading through his abdomen.
That fast?
Lin Chen's eyebrow twitched slightly as he softly murmured in his heart, "Panel!"
[Name: Lin Chen]
[Profession: Martial Artist]
[Qi and Blood: 2008/3000]
[Fate: [Following the Natural Course]: In the first realm of martial arts, with perseverance and steady progress, advancement is unstoppable, with no bottlenecks.]
In just a few breaths, his qi and blood had increased by 5 points. This was the first time he had ever seen his qi and blood increase on the same day.
In the past, increases in qi and blood only appeared after waking up the next day.
Seeing him start eating, especially when Lin Chen went in for a second bite, Lu Yongfeng and the others stopped holding back as well. If they kept hesitating, there would be no black muntjac meat left.
Zhao Dongyang watched the youths devour the food with a smile, not surprised at all. Black muntjac meat was a powerful tonic—just this single platter was worth ten taels of silver, and even then, it wasn't always available.
"There's also soup made from black muntjac bones. Try it later as well. I won't disturb you youngsters any longer. Jingchuan, spend more time with your fellow brothers."
Zhao Dongyang knew that with an elder present, the youths wouldn't feel at ease talking. Without conversation, how could they grow closer?
Once the elder left, the atmosphere in the private room relaxed noticeably. Yan Dexing was about to say something, only to see Lin Chen scoop up another ladle of meat soup.
Once he moved, the others followed immediately. Soon, the room was filled with nothing but the sounds of eating.
No one wanted to end up without even a sip of soup.
"Junior Brother Lin, haven't you eaten at home?"
After the soup was finished, Yan Dexing finally found a chance to speak, his words filled with disdain.
"You senior brothers all know my family circumstances. Back home, we used to eat boiled stews—forget seasonings, my mother was even reluctant to use too much oil or salt. This is my first time eating such delicious food, so I lost my composure a bit."
Lin Chen answered with complete sincerity, leaving Yan Dexing unable to utter a single mocking remark afterward.
What?
Do you have no face, no dignity at all?
You just lay out your family's hardships so plainly?
Instead, the others were somewhat moved by Lin Chen's words.
They asked themselves—if they were in Lin Chen's place, they definitely wouldn't be able to say something like that so calmly.
"When Junior Brother Lin was helping out in the canteen back then, I already admired him greatly. To be honest, I don't think I could do what Junior Brother does."
Zhao Jingchuan sighed with emotion. Lu Yongfeng and the others nodded in agreement. If they were Lin Chen, asking them to serve food in the canteen—especially in front of familiar students—they truly wouldn't be able to swallow that loss of dignity.
"My family is poor. This was the only way to exchange for the canteen's beef."
Lin Chen spoke earnestly, without concealment. In the next moment, he stood up and cupped his fists toward the others. "Precisely because my family is poor, I can't afford to give up any opportunity to increase my qi and blood. If there was any discourtesy today, this junior brother apologizes to all of you senior brothers."
Before anyone could respond, he continued, "Being able to eat a meal like this in my lifetime is already more than enough. I won't dare disturb you senior brothers any longer. This junior brother will take his leave. Senior Brother Zhao, thank you for the meal!"
Lin Chen left naturally, but the fleeting look of loss in his eyes at the moment he turned around was still caught by Lu Yongfeng and the others.
The private room fell silent.
After a few breaths, Zhao Jingchuan sighed again. "Junior Brother Lin really has it hard. Who knows how much unseen hardship he endured to increase his strength to four hundred jin."
"Martial cultivation has never been easy. What Junior Brother Lin faced today is no different from the gap between us and those family scions in the county city," Xu Botao nodded, deeply resonating.
Seeing everyone's gazes finally fall on him, Yan Dexing looked helpless. "I… I just said one sentence to him. I didn't mean anything else."
Yan Dexing was extremely depressed—utterly depressed.
How did these people end up blaming him? He hadn't even said anything particularly harsh.
Walking out of the private room, the corners of Lin Chen's mouth lifted slightly.
Kid, trying to play mind games with me? Senior Brother Yan, you're still a bit too green.
Do you know what's called sincerity as a finishing move?
I only showed a tiny bit. If I really went all out, you'd probably wake up in the middle of the night and slap yourself, muttering, "I really deserve it."