The White Cat was full, but there was still a lot of Snake Meat left.
This Five-step Snake had cultivated Qi in its Snake Gallbladder, so its meat had to be extraordinary as well. It would be a real waste to just abandon it in the wild. Snake Meat was known to be highly nourishing, to say nothing of the meat from a snake that was on the verge of becoming a spirit!
Zhao Yuan suddenly thought of Lakefront House.
Fang Yi had once said that the head chef at Lakefront House was an eccentric man. He rarely cooked himself unless someone brought him rare and precious ingredients or herbs, at which point he would display his astonishing culinary skills.
Zhao Yuan had always been suspicious. 'Could the head chef of Lakefront House be a successor of the Tripod Cuisine School?'
If he really was, the meals he prepared would not only taste divine, but the essence within the ingredients and herbs would also be fully extracted. Eating them would grant a huge boost in Primordial Qi and improve one's strength!
'This Five-step Snake was on the verge of becoming a spirit; its meat should count as a precious ingredient, right? Not to mention, I have the Snake Gallbladder that contains Qi. If the head chef of Lakefront House really is a successor of the Tripod Cuisine School, he'll definitely be able to cook the Snake Meat and Snake Gallbladder to perfection. Even if I have to give him a share, it'll still be worth it.'
Zhao Yuan made up his mind in an instant. He would take the remaining Snake Meat to Lakefront House.
If the chef recognized its value, it would prove he was truly a successor of the Tripod Cuisine School. Then, not only would Zhao Yuan get to enjoy delicious food, but he would also have another way to advance his Cultivation.
Besides, this method of advancing his Cultivation was much easier than normal cultivating. It wouldn't involve any pain or suffering; in fact, it would be quite enjoyable. 'Increasing your strength just by eating delicious food—is there anything better in the world?'
'If the chef doesn't recognize its value, that's fine too. I know a thing or two about cooking myself. While I can't compare to a successor of the Tripod Cuisine School who can extract every bit of essence from the ingredients and herbs, I can still manage to cook up a pot of snake stew. Even if the effects are a bit weaker, it's better than nothing, right?'
With that thought, Zhao Yuan bent down, picked up the Snake Meat the White Cat had left behind, and placed it into his Storage Ring Space. Immediately after, he picked up the White Cat and headed down the slope toward Jiantai Village, continuing his search for the Golden Gourd based on the map.
However, he scoured Jiantai Village inside and out but couldn't find the location from the map. He only noticed that the village was extremely dusty. A slightly forceful step on the road would kick up a large cloud of dust, and he had no idea why.
Since he couldn't find it himself, he decided to ask for help. Holding the map, Zhao Yuan walked over to an old grandmother who was sunbathing at the entrance of her yard. He asked politely, "Hello, ma'am. Excuse me, do you know where the place drawn on this map is?"
Although the old woman was advanced in age, her eyes were sharp and her hearing was good; she was quite hale and hearty. After taking the map and glancing at it, she said, "It looks a little familiar. Let me think..."
Her daughter-in-law heard the voices at the gate and came out. Hearing that Zhao Yuan was asking for directions, she enthusiastically helped look at the map.
After a moment, the daughter-in-law said, "Isn't this the Ji Family Coal Mine!"
With her daughter-in-law's reminder, the old grandmother also recognized the map. She nodded and said, "That's right, it's the Ji Family Coal Mine!"
Zhao Yuan was delighted that asking for directions had actually paid off. He quickly asked, "The Ji Family Coal Mine? Where is that? I've been wandering around the village for a long time and couldn't find the place on the map."
The daughter-in-law couldn't help but laugh. "Of course you can't find it in the village, because the Ji Family Coal Mine isn't in the village. Just follow this road straight ahead. About a hundred meters past the village entrance, there's a fork that leads uphill. Follow that path to the end, and that's the Ji Family Coal Mine."
"Oh, so that's how it is. No wonder I couldn't find it in the village." Zhao Yuan finally understood. "Thank you both for the directions. I'll be going now. Goodbye."
"Such a polite young man," the old grandmother praised.
But the daughter-in-law called out to Zhao Yuan, asking, "Are you going to the Ji Family Coal Mine right now?"
"Yes," Zhao Yuan nodded.
The daughter-in-law said, "My husband works at the Ji Family Coal Mine. Could you do me a favor and take something to him?"
"No problem," Zhao Yuan agreed immediately.
The daughter-in-law turned and went back into the house. A moment later, she came out with a package of medicine containing penicillin capsules and some other drugs for coughing and wheezing.
"This is medicine I got for my husband from the township clinic. I was originally planning to deliver it myself, but since you're going to the Ji Family Coal Mine, this saves me a trip. I can use the spare time to tend to our private plot."
The daughter-in-law handed the medicine to Zhao Yuan, told him her husband's name, and thanked him repeatedly.
"Don't mention it; it was no trouble at all. If anything, I should be the one thanking you. Without your directions, I'd still be running around the village like a chicken with its head cut off."
Zhao Yuan took the medicine, said goodbye to the old grandmother and her daughter-in-law, and headed toward the Ji Family Coal Mine, following the route they had described.
Not long after leaving the village entrance, he indeed saw a path leading up the mountain.
Following the path for about twenty minutes, Zhao Yuan saw a coal mine. The air quality here was even worse than in Jiantai Village below! A thick layer of coal dust hung in the air, making it difficult to breathe.
'No wonder Jiantai Village is covered in a layer of black soot. This is the source!'
The Ji Family Coal Mine clearly wasn't following the regulations for dust prevention and suppression.
Zhao Yuan glanced at his map. Yes, the surrounding environment was exactly as depicted. And the location of the Golden Gourd was inside the Ji Family Coal Mine.
The entrance to the Ji Family Coal Mine wasn't large, just wide enough for a single large truck to pass through. The gate was wide open. After walking in, Zhao Yuan saw a group of coal miners sitting on the ground, resting.
Judging by the miners' haggard expressions, they had likely worked through the night in the mine shaft and had just been relieved for a break. Not only were their clothes dyed black, but their faces were as black as coal.
"Kid, who are you looking for?"
An older miner spotted Zhao Yuan and called out the question.
"I'm looking for Pan Ping. His family asked me to bring him some medicine," Zhao Yuan replied. The Pan Ping he mentioned was the son of the old grandmother he had just asked for directions.
"I'm Pan Ping." A middle-aged man of about forty stood up. His face was so covered in coal dust that you couldn't make out his features at all; only his teeth were white.
After taking the medicine from Zhao Yuan and thanking him, Pan Ping said with some curiosity, "You're not from our village, are you? I don't think I've ever seen you before."
"That's right, I'm not from Jiantai Village," Zhao Yuan nodded.
"Then what are you doing in our village?" Pan Ping asked, puzzled.
Although Nine Peaks Mountain was a tourist area, visitors rarely came to Jiantai Village. The reason was simple: the air quality here was even worse than in Rongcheng City. Who would come here for fun just to breathe in dust?
"I'm here looking for something." Zhao Yuan reached out his hand, retrieving a small gourd from his Storage Ring Space. He asked, "Sirs, have any of you seen a small gourd like this? I'm willing to pay for it."