Of course, while the millet porridge was much tastier than usual and surprised Leah Ling a little, she didn’t think much of it. After drinking two fragrant spoonfuls, she picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of side dish.
Crunch, crunch!
She had just taken a bite when she couldn’t help but show another look of surprise—because the usually ordinary side dish was suddenly exceptionally delicious.
Instinctively, she glanced at Song Yan, who was busy serving rice and dishes to a group of senior and junior sisters. She found it strange—how did Second Fool’s cooking suddenly become so good overnight?
Before she knew it, she’d finished a whole bowl of millet porridge, but Leah Ling still felt unsatisfied. At the same time, she could hear exclamations and chatter all around about how tasty breakfast was today.
After a moment’s thought, Leah Ling brought her wooden bowl to the serving window and said to Song Yan, “Second Fool, can you give me another bowl of millet porridge?”
“Sure!” Song Yan picked up the ladle and scooped another serving into Leah Ling’s bowl.
“Thanks.”
Leah Ling smiled at Song Yan and walked back with her millet porridge. But after only a few steps, she suddenly turned and asked, “Second Fool, why is your millet porridge and side dish so delicious today?”
“Really?” Song Yan pretended to look confused. “I made it the same way I always do!”
“Really?”
A strange look flashed in Leah Ling’s eyes, but she didn’t say anything more and returned to her seat with her bowl.
Normally, there would be plenty of breakfast left over every day after Second Fool cooked, but today there was nothing—all the food was gone, not a scrap left.
Every Jade Maiden Sect disciple who tasted breakfast today ate more than usual, and quite a few even packed some to take away.
Seeing that breakfast was finished off, Song Yan was quite satisfied.
His plan to join the Jade Maiden Sect had taken its first small step.
After breakfast, Song Yan locked the canteen doors and headed down the mountain.
About twenty li below Jade Maiden Peak, there’s a small town where the sect buys all its supplies.
At the spirit beast stable, Song Yan led out a beast that looked part cow, part horse—an Oxhorse. It had the strength of a cow and the speed of a horse, classed as a first-tier spirit beast. The Jade Maiden Sect assigned it to Second Fool for his supply trips, both as transport and bodyguard. After all, Second Fool had only trained in some ordinary martial arts, and without a master’s guidance, it had taken him over ten years just to reach mid-Postnatal stage.
The technique he practiced had been given to him by Yunyan.
“Let’s go!”
Song Yan swung onto the Oxhorse’s back. With a gentle squeeze of his legs, the beast broke into a run, its sturdy limbs carrying him swiftly down the mountain.
A quarter of an hour later, Song Yan rode the Oxhorse into Cloudflower Town.
The town was medium-sized, with a population of just over twenty thousand.
The Oxhorse was intelligent—it didn’t need a lead and always followed Song Yan closely. The townsfolk were used to it, since this little immortal master came to buy supplies with his spirit beast every few days.
Although this was a cultivation world, not everyone was a cultivator. In fact, most people were just ordinary folk.
So even though Second Fool was only a canteen worker at the Jade Maiden Sect, the townspeople still looked at him with envy and respect, calling him ‘little immortal master.’ Many even tried to use his connections to get their daughters into the sect.
Unfortunately, Second Fool was too honest and never accepted any gifts or favors that people tried to give him.
“Little immortal master, my vegetables are extra fresh—buy from me, I’ll give you a twenty percent discount!”
“Little immortal master, my vegetables are even fresher than his—I’ll give you thirty percent off!”
“Little immortal master, look at my fish—big and fat! Buy one and I’ll give you another for free!”
As soon as Song Yan entered the market, all the vegetable and meat vendors excitedly started pitching their goods to him, their eyes practically gleaming green.
But after merging with Second Fool’s memories, Song Yan now knew these vendors were all scammers. The old Second Fool had been ripped off countless times, yet still thought they were good people.
“How much for a jin of these greens?”
Song Yan walked up to a middle-aged vendor’s stall and pointed at a head of greens to ask.
“Little immortal master, I usually sell them at two taels of silver per jin, but for you, I’ll make it one tael per jin!” The vendor said kindly. In the past, Second Fool would have refused the discount and bought the greens at two taels per jin instead.
But now that Song Yan was in charge, even though he didn’t care about money, he wasn’t about to let himself be played for a fool.
His face suddenly turned cold as he stared at the vendor. “Did you grow these greens in gold? Two taels per jin?”
Seeing Song Yan’s sudden change of expression, the vendor’s face also changed. He was puzzled—how did this fool suddenly get so sharp?
“Little immortal master, you really know how to joke. This is just the normal price! If you don’t believe me, ask around the market—everyone charges the same!” the vendor insisted stubbornly.
"Heh!"
Song Yan gave a disdainful smile. Nearly every vendor in this market had ripped him off before, and whenever he showed up, their eyes lit up—they saw him as a walking payday.
Ordinary greens only cost three or four wen per jin, and a thousand wen equals one tael of silver. This middle-aged vendor asking two taels per jin was jacking up the price hundreds of times over.
Hearing Song Yan’s laugh, the vendor sensed trouble and forced a smile: “Little immortal master, how about I go even lower—nine hundred wen per jin?”
Song Yan sneered and shook his head, then fixed the vendor with a contemptuous look: “Who gave you the nerve to try and cheat me? Selling something worth a few wen per jin for two taels of silver?”
The old Second Fool was cheated, but it was the Jade Maiden Sect’s money that got wasted. The sect didn’t care much about worldly cash, but they weren’t stupid. Naturally, they assumed Second Fool was embezzling their silver.
That’s why the female steward in charge of chores always treated him coldly.
So why hadn’t she replaced him, even though she believed he was skimming money?
First, because it was hard to find anyone else to work in the canteen.
Second, because Second Fool was brought back by Lena Ling—he was considered Lena’s person. Offending the top third-generation disciple over some mundane silver just wasn’t worth it.
So that’s why Faye Ling, the steward, hadn’t acted against Second Fool.
Song Yan had never embezzled money, but everyone thought he had. He wasn’t about to carry that blame—if he wanted to join the Jade Maiden Sect, he had to change their impression of him.
So anyone who’d cheated Second Fool out of money before would have to pay it back, to improve his reputation with Faye Ling.
When Song Yan revealed the real price of greens, the vendor’s face changed completely, but he still protested: “Little immortal master, you’re wronging me—I wouldn’t dare cheat you!”