C6 The Water Cabbage in the Fantasy World

The portly gatekeeper raised an eyebrow. "Ah, I see you're quite the connoisseur. This kind of information isn't known to just anyone."

"Absolutely!" The chubby man's face beamed with pride, as though he himself was the proprietor of these establishments. "These shops all belong to the same owner. It's not only in Yunlan City. Look across half of Central State, and you'll find our chain stores in every major city!"

"And that's not all," the rotund man leaned in with a conspiratorial air. "Our boss is also a warrior at the Great Sage Stage!"

"They say the boss practices the Taotie Dao, which is essentially the Great Dao of Gluttony. It might sound laughable, this path of cultivation, but he's reached the Great Sage Stage with it! It's truly one of the wonders of the world!"

Shen Jun couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this. The mastermind behind these shops had to be his own disciple, Old Forty, Van Tong!

There was no doubt about it!

Shen Jun vividly recalled the day he found Van Tong, an eleven or twelve-year-old boy already tipping the scales at nearly two hundred kilograms.

The process of taking him on as a disciple was laughably straightforward. Shen Jun whipped up a couple of his favorite Sichuan dishes from his past life, and the young boy was utterly convinced, clinging to his leg and swearing fealty as his disciple. In doing so, Shen Jun had also mastered the highest level of culinary skills.

Once officially under his tutelage, Van Tong was relentless in his requests for delectable dishes. When Shen Jun imparted the cultivation method that centered on 'eating' to him, the boy wept bitterly, his ample flesh quivering like jelly.

In his own words:

"From now on, I'm going to be a rice bucket, the strongest rice bucket under the heavens!"

Van Tong, once ashamed of being called a rice bucket, now wore the title with pride after meeting Shen Jun.

Yet, during the time when Shen Jun's lifespan was dwindling, this same young man who had embraced the path of 'eating' was so consumed with worry that he went several days and nights without a bite, visibly losing weight.

Finally, Shen Jun had to snap him out of it with a slap.

"Starving yourself? Is that what a Great Sage does? Or do you plan to join your master on the journey to the afterlife?!"

"Van Tong, never forget this: 'The people regard food as their heaven.' The Dao of Food isn't some deviant or evil path. It's the most legitimate and overlooked path to ascension in the world!"

The memory of that day was crystal clear in Shen Jun's mind. He would have never imagined that the once pudgy kid could turn "eating" into a burgeoning chain of restaurants, and on such a grand scale at that.

Following the directions given by the security guard, Shen Jun swiftly located the renowned "God Call Steakhouse"! Gazing at the flamboyant calligraphy on the sign, Shen Jun couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

Putting everything else aside, the nearly 100-meter-long line snaking from the entrance was reminiscent of the bustling eateries from his past life.

Just then, a waiter dressed in a sharp uniform emerged, bellowing, "Table 38 for large parties and table 135 for small parties, please come inside now!"

What? They even had a numbering system?

Shen Jun couldn't contain his laughter. Clearly, he had taken all those past conversations to heart. Applying such sophisticated business strategies from Earth, it would be hard not to succeed!

Suddenly, a thin man with a sneaky look approached stealthily. "Sir, with your distinguished attire, queuing up with the crowd hardly seems fitting for someone of your stature," he began with a slick compliment before asking, "Sir, how many are in your dining party?"

"Just myself," Shen Jun replied, eyeing him suspiciously. Surely, this world hadn't developed such a profession as well?

"What a stroke of luck!" the man exclaimed, slapping his thigh and producing a ticket with a grin. "You see, I just happen to have a ticket for small table number 140, and it's about to be called. What do you say, sir?"

A scalper, indeed!

Shen Jun burst into laughter, not bothering with further conversation. He pulled out ten gold coins and handed them over. "Is this enough?"

"More than enough, more than enough! Enjoy your meal, my lord!" The scalper beamed, his smile so wide it seemed his face might split. Ten gold coins were enough to support a family of three for two years.

Indeed, some might call it taking advantage of the situation... Ah, but truly, hard work does pay off!

In no time at all, Shen Jun stepped into the restaurant. The interior boasted a heavy fantasy world aesthetic, yet the arrangement of tables and the spatial divisions carried an essence of Earth. After perusing the menu, Shen Jun felt a twinge of disappointment.

The menu featured mostly local dishes from Central State, none of which were particularly eye-catching except for two: the Divine Hoo Beef and an unusual dish called Boiled Cabbage.

What astonished Shen Jun most was not the dish's name, but its exorbitant price.

The dish was priced at the sky-high cost of a mid-grade Spirit Stone!

A single mid-grade Spirit Stone could be exchanged for a hundred low-grade Spirit Stones, and each low-grade Spirit Stone was worth a full hundred gold coins!

Considering that ten gold coins could sustain a family of three for two years, the ten thousand gold coin price tag on this dish was staggering!

At such a price, it was unaffordable not just for the average person, but for many cultivators as well.

Intriguing.

Shen Jun's lips quirked up in amusement as he signaled to the waiter, "Waiter, I'll have the Boiled Cabbage!"

The waiter blinked in surprise before asking incredulously, "Are you certain you want the Boiled Cabbage? Wouldn't you like to look over the menu again?"

He subtly gestured towards the dish's hefty price tag.

It wasn't that he doubted Shen Jun's means.

Rather, the dish was so pricey that he was concerned the customer might have misread the price and could potentially cause a scene after the meal.

"Positive, bring it out," Shen Jun said confidently, snapping the menu shut. "I'm quite curious to see what kind of dish warrants such an exorbitant price."

The waiter nodded in agreement, then added cautiously, "Sir, our establishment requires payment before serving the meal. We appreciate your understanding."

He bowed slightly, a hint of apology in his gesture.

Shen Jun mused to himself, was Van Tong so worried about diners skipping out on the bill that he had to implement such an absurd policy?

Without further ado, Shen Jun handed over a mid-grade Spirit Stone. After all, it was all loot he had collected from tomb raiders, so spending it didn't bother him in the slightest.

The waiter accepted the Spirit Stone with utmost respect and scurried off to the kitchen.

In just seven or eight minutes, amid the astonished stares of the other patrons, a gleaming golden pot was presented.

"Here is the Boiled Cabbage you ordered," the manager said, taking the pot from the waiter and placing it respectfully before Shen Jun.

"Enjoy your meal."