Tang Hao breathed a satisfied sigh of relief once the final spirit stone was prised out.
He lowered his head and looked at the stone that rested in his palm.
This batch of spirit stones was different from the two he had picked up the last time.
The two spirit stones he found near Dragonrock Village were round in shape. One of them was like an egg, while the other was like a marble. The stone in his hand was diamond-shaped, as though a jeweler had worked on it.
Its size was almost as big as the egg-shaped spirit stone.
Tang Hao could not stop grinning.
His cultivation base would increase greatly. He might even complete the State of Qi Channeling.
He kept the spirit stone in his pocket dimension and his eyes fell on the green bronze coffin.
There was no movement from the coffin.
Tang Hao hesitated for a while, then pushed the lid of the coffin slightly open.
He was shocked when he saw what was inside.
A corpse was laid in the coffin. His body was twisted, and his hands were lifted with the fingers opened wide. The face was sunken and rotted like a mummy.
It looked as though the corpse had been struggling and was suddenly frozen.
Tang Hao examined closely and found out that the corpse was truly dead.
He thought for a while and guessed that the corpse must have been kept alive by the spirit stones through some heretical sorcery spell. Perhaps one day it might wake up.
Without the spirit stones, the corpse was truly dead.
“I’m sorry! I’ll put your spirit stones to good use!” Tang Hao mumbled. He threw a ball of fire from his hands and reduced the corpse into ashes.
He went around the cavern and took everything that he could carry, including the bronze tree, which he dismantled and kept in his pocket dimension.
All of those items were antiques worth a lot of money.
He clapped his hands in satisfaction and left the place.
The sky was bright when he resurfaced again. Tang Hao rested next to the pond while he waited for his clothes to dry. After that, he left the place.
He found his car where he had parked it and drove it back to Provincial City.
It was about two o’clock in the afternoon when he returned to Provincial City. He did not bother with attending classes but instead stayed in his apartment to absorb the spirit stones.
He had been taking the Liquid of Spiritual Condensation to grow his cultivation base. However, progress had been slow. He could feel his cultivation base growing in leaps and bounds when he absorbed the spirit stones. It was hard to describe the euphoria he felt.
By the next morning, he had fully absorbed three spirit stones and his cultivation base had increased greatly.
He stood up and felt that his body was incredibly energized. He had never felt so good before.
Happily, he picked up his backpack and went to the university.
“Brother Hao!”
Cao Fei and the others crowded around him as he stepped into the classroom. They were eager to find out the story behind the beautiful lady that picked him up.
Tang Hao rolled his eyes and made up a story about her.
He received a phone call from President Ling at noon.
President Ling looked for him to update him on the collaboration. They talked about starting a restaurant business the last time they were in Imperial Kitchen.
President Ling had called him a few days ago to discuss the details.
“The proposal is ready, Tang Hao. Come look for me if you’re back in Provincial City. If the details are confirmed, then we can proceed with signing the contract.” Ling Wei’s sweet voice was heard over the phone.
“I’m already in Provincial City. I’m at the university now!”
“Oh! Are you free now? I’ll come and pick you up.” Ling Wei sounded ecstatic.
“Don’t! Please don’t!” Tang Hao said urgently.
The students of Z University were still talking about the incident before. Fortunately, no one knew that it was him. He would rather not have rumors start again.
Ling Wei burst out laughing when she heard that.
She pretended to be angry. “So many people dream to be in the same car as me, but you don’t want to!”
Tang Hao laughed awkwardly. “So are we meeting now?”
“Yup! I happen to be free. We’ll meet at Imperial Kitchen then! I’ve already discussed it with Master Chef Ding two days ago. He says that if we start the company, he’ll shut down Imperial Kitchen and join us.”
Tang Hao was shocked when he heard that. He could not believe it.
A culinary expert like Master Chef Ding was willing to close down his established restaurant and join them?
“Why, don’t you believe me?” Ling Wei said smugly, “I’ve spent a long time convincing him. He was finally persuaded.”
“You’re amazing!” Tang Hao exclaimed.
A person as famous as Master Chef Ding was in no need of money and fame. It was incredible that Ling Wei managed to persuade him.
Ling Wei smiled and spoke sheepishly, “Actually… I told him that if he joins us, you will teach him how to recreate that dish.”
Tang Hao was shocked. Then, he laughed drily.
The crucial ingredient in the snake stew was the white cobra meat. Without that, he could not possibly recreate the extreme deliciousness.
However, he could still pass other techniques to Master Chef Ding].
Master Chef Ding should be happy to learn how to incorporate medicinal herbs into his cooking.
“Is that inappropriate?” Ling Wei asked sheepishly.
“No! It’s good news that we can get Master Chef Ding to join us. We’re halfway to succeeding before the company even starts,” Tang Hao said.
Ling Wei breathed a sigh of relief.
After ending the call, Tang Hao immediately rushed to Imperial Kitchen.
Master Chef Ding and the other chefs were sitting in the restaurant.
Imperial Kitchen was not open for business in the daytime. That was why there were no customers.
Ling Wei was there too. She lifted her head when Tang Hao walked in.
“Hey, Little Brother! Long time no see!” Master Chef Ding and the other chefs stood up when they saw Tang Hao. They were incredibly excited.
“Little Brother, I’ve tried to recreate your medicinal recipes, but why isn’t the taste the same? The effects aren’t as amazing either!” Master Ding said. He sounded frustrated.
“There’s a secret behind it!” Tang Hao said with a smile. “I’ll discuss some matters with President Ling first, then I’ll tell you my secret.”
After that, Tang Hao went to sit at Ling Wei’s table.
“Here’s the business plan and the contract. Take a look!”
Ling Wei pushed two documents in front of Tang Hao.
Tang Hao first picked up the contract and carefully read it.
He had read enough business documents to understand it. He read through it and saw that there were no problems.
Ling Wei’s Tai An Group would supply the finances and handle the operations, while he had to come up with the recipes and medicinal prescriptions.
“No problem! I’ll sign it!” Tang Hao nodded.
Then, he looked at the business plan.
“Magical Kitchen? Not bad…” Tang Hao nodded when he saw the name of the restaurant.
He carefully read through it and placed the business plan on the table. “There’s no problem. We’ll sign the contract today!”
Ling Wei handed a pen to Tang Hao.
Tang Hao signed the contract without hesitation. Then, Ling Wei also signed it and stamped it with Tai An Group’s seal.
