Long Jun sat there, listening to the Rat Demon's thin voice, feeling a chill suddenly run up his spine.
Lin Qi had evil energy and wasn't a good person?
Long Jun maintained a calm exterior while his mind raced.
Assuming his current [Bad Luck Curse] was indeed caused by someone with ill intentions, then according to the Rat Demon, could the person harming him be none other than Lin Qi standing before him?
After years as classmates, Long Jun was actually unwilling to think badly of his good friend based only on a few demon words, but regardless, being cautious now wouldn't be wrong.
Long Jun's thoughts flashed rapidly, and his face immediately showed a bitter expression. He sighed and said: "Brother Muxian, though the person you mentioned is a famous doctor, with my leg injury as it is, can even a famous doctor cure it?
Let me tell you, the greatest cruelty in the world is to receive hope, only to lose it in an instant. Even if you laugh at me for being a coward, I won't go see about this leg injury today."
"This..." Lin Qi could never have imagined that Long Jun would use such a reason to refuse him, and was momentarily speechless.
A moment later, he found his voice again and hurriedly persuaded: "Why do you torture yourself like this? That famous doctor is a northern recluse, rarely seen under normal circumstances, and he won't stay in Jichuan County for long. If you miss today, it will be difficult to see him again!"
Long Jun just shook his head, his expression resolute, with a demeanor of profound despair, saying lightly: "Brother Muxian need not persuade me further. If I miss this chance, it must be my fate."
Fate!
When had Long Jun ever been someone who willingly submitted to fate?
As he said these words, he was carefully observing Lin Qi's expression changes without being obvious.
The anxiety, helplessness, and even anger on Lin Qi's face all seemed very real and reasonable.
"Brother Long truly won't go?"
"I won't go!"
"Even if it means your future prospects are ruined, with no chance to turn things around, you still won't go?"
"I won't go."
"What if I knock you out and take you there?"
"Brother Lin is joking."
"You... sigh! Long Jun, you really are...!"
Lin Qi rose angrily and strode out of the kitchen.
His footsteps were initially urgent and heavy, then gradually slowed, until finally they stopped at the courtyard gate.
Lin Qi stood with his back to Long Jun, his silhouette seemingly filled with helplessness and desolation.
All these mannerisms could almost be called flawless.
But was he truly without flaws?
No, the subtle changes in a person's demeanor are very difficult to control.
Just now when Lin Qi mentioned wanting to knock Long Jun out, his eyeballs reddened, and his gaze suddenly deepened. The hint of desire in them was almost identical to Granny Lai's eyes when she mentioned egg pancakes!
In that instant, a line from this morning's dream flashed through Long Jun's mind: "Don't envy the sheep, its bones will rot."
Horror crawled through his chest as Long Jun gripped his cane tightly. He slowly stood up to follow Lin Qi to the courtyard gate, determined to play his part fully.
Lin Qi turned around, and the two scholars' eyes met as the early spring cold wind suddenly swept through the courtyard.
Just as the atmosphere took a sharp turn for the worse, Long Jun suddenly raised his hand and pushed open the courtyard gate with a bang, gesturing outward.
"Brother Lin, let me see you off. Please!"
Squeak—
At the same time, the eastern neighbor's gate suddenly opened a crack.
Long Jun's noisy door opening had startled Granny Lai, who always liked to pry into others' business!
Granny Lai's graying head peeked out from the door crack, her cloudy eyes flashing with curiosity as she looked over.
Lin Qi's expression immediately changed, showing a helpless smile: "Well, indeed nothing should be forced. Brother, please go back and take good care of yourself. I'll come visit you another day."
With that, he cupped his hands and strode away.
Granny Lai's eyeballs rolled curiously for a while until Lin Qi's figure completely disappeared from sight, then she asked Long Jun: "Scholar Long, was that your classmate? Looking at his silk clothes and jade ornaments, isn't he much wealthier than you?"
Long Jun gently exhaled, his palm gripping the cane soaked with sweat.
He had deliberately opened the door loudly to draw Granny Lai's curious gaze.
Lin Qi left immediately, either because he hadn't intended to break completely with Long Jun or because he was concerned about his reputation and social order, not daring to break completely at this time.
From either perspective, this corroborated that even if Lin Qi had some evil methods, they should be limited and not completely insurmountable.
Of course, while one could strategically despise the enemy, tactically one needed to respect the enemy.
Long Jun's heart was now enveloped by an intense sense of crisis. He immediately gave Granny Lai a few perfunctory replies, then closed the courtyard gate and hurried back to the kitchen.
He now possessed three talents, and the most core one at this moment was: [I can become stronger whenever customers praise my food]!
The Food Cauldron Scripture prompted:
[1. For every 10 likes collected from customers, your Blood Qi will +1]
[2. When accumulated likes reach 100, you can unlock the Essence Gate and Spirit Gate]
[3. When accumulated likes reach 1000, you can unlock the Food God Cultivation Method scroll]
Long Jun decided he needed to immediately expand his customer base. Short-term goal: collect 100 likes immediately!
In the kitchen, Long Jun pondered what he should do next while cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks on the small table.
There was still a small half pot of white porridge left, but all the egg pancakes were gone. Long Jun simply took out all the eggs and flour in the kitchen and fried thirty more pancakes.
He took out the bowl the Rat Demon had used last night and specifically filled it with porridge, set aside five egg pancakes, then cut the remaining twenty-five egg pancakes into small pieces and put them in a basket.
With the basket covered with a steamer cloth, Long Jun carried it out of Peace Alley.
He walked slowly with his cane, and when he reached South Market Street, he lifted the steamer cloth and distributed the egg pancakes to the street vendors.
He started with the tofu seller at the entrance of the street.
Rong Si Niang, with her slanted phoenix eyes, spoke crisply with some of the spunk of a marketplace woman: "Oh, what's this? The scholar from Peace Alley isn't studying anymore? Planning to switch to being a chef?"
Others laughed, but Long Jun's expression remained unchanged as he made up a story: "The sages say that the five flavors in a cauldron are like the five flavors of life, and that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.
I'm too stupid to understand deeply, so I thought of a simple method: why not use the smoke and fire of human life to interpret the five flavors of life.
Miss Rong, please try it. If you think this egg pancake tastes good, just exchange a small piece of tofu with me. If you think it doesn't taste good, then consider this egg pancake my gift to you."
As soon as he spoke, he started with "the sages say," immediately impressing everyone.
People at this time still respected scholars, saying that "all professions are inferior, only studying is superior." Ordinary people couldn't see further ahead and only knew to revere scholarly achievement.
Originally, with Long Jun's lame leg and down-and-out appearance, carrying a basket to distribute food to people on the street would inevitably invite contempt.
But as soon as he opened his mouth with two "famous sayings," who would dare to look down on him casually?
Rong Si Niang certainly wouldn't dare. She hurriedly wiped her calloused hands on her apron and carefully picked up a piece of egg pancake to eat.
Then her eyes widened.
"How-how can it be so delicious?"
[Like +1]
Rong Si Niang's face was full of disbelief as she blurted out: "Heavens, it's even better than the pancake that my dead husband secretly stole from his mother's pot for me ten years ago!"