After a period of meticulous care, many of the herbs in the medicinal garden had undergone a dramatic transformation. Zhao Yuan planned to harvest some of them and, along with the Snake Meat and Snake Gallbladder he had obtained in Jiantai Village, bring them to the owner of Lakefront House.
If the owner was truly a Cultivator from the Tripod Sect, Zhao Yuan could give him these ingredients and herbs to cook into a pot of medicated cuisine.
Medicated cuisine prepared by a Tripod Sect Cultivator was beyond compare to the ordinary kind. It could not only extract the full essence of the ingredients and herbs but also use special methods to induce a qualitative change, thereby generating Qi.
For ordinary people, eating such a meal could strengthen the body and prolong life. For Cultivators, it could bring a great boost to their Cultivation!
One could say that the medicated cuisine of the Tripod Sect was just as exceptional as the Elixir Pills refined by the Elixir Sect.
Upon entering the medicinal herb garden, Zhao Yuan didn't immediately start harvesting. Instead, he first took a walk around.
Even though he hadn't had time to tend to the garden for the past few days, the herbs, aided by the Five Elements Formation, were still growing vigorously. They were on a completely different level compared to before!
Zhao Yuan nodded in satisfaction before he began. He picked some nourishing medicinal herbs like Ginseng, Dong Quai, and Centennial Solomon, placing them into his Storage Ring Space.
He was the only one who tended to the medicinal garden. As long as he didn't completely clear it out, no one would notice if a few herbs were missing.
As he was leaving the medicinal garden, Zhao Yuan ran into the White Cat.
Now, with Ma Guotao's permission, the White Cat could not only be kept openly in the dorm, but could also wander around campus. It could sleep in any classroom it pleased, and the "two-legged beasts" were not only forbidden from shooing it away but also had to serve his lordship with the best food and drink.
In fact, the White Cat had become the animal celebrity of West Hua Medical University. Everyone knew it was Zhao Yuan's cat and that it had once saved the lives of both Zhao Yuan and Ma Guotao.
How could such an intelligent and adorable cat not be loved? It was just that the White Cat had a rather cold and aloof personality. Apart from Zhao Yuan and a few of his close friends, it was impossible for anyone else to pet it.
The White Cat was dozing under a tree. Hearing Zhao Yuan's footsteps, its eyes snapped open. It swiftly leaped onto his shoulder, clinging there and refusing to budge.
Zhao Yuan didn't shoo it away. 'If it wants to follow, then let it,' he thought. 'After all, it's very intelligent and will only be a help, not a hindrance.'
After leaving the university gates, Zhao Yuan hailed a taxi. By the time he arrived at Lakefront House, the sky had grown dark, and it was time for dinner.
This was precisely Lakefront House's busiest time of day.
As Zhao Yuan got out of the car and stepped into Lakefront House, a pretty young woman in a cheongsam came up to greet him. She asked with a smile, "Good evening, sir. Do you have a reservation?"
Zhao Yuan answered, "I'm not here to eat. I'm looking for your owner."
He had already found out that the mysterious head chef was also the owner of the restaurant.
The young woman said politely, "I'm very sorry, sir, but our owner doesn't usually meet with guests."
"I know the rules." Zhao Yuan reached into his pocket. Under the cover of his clothes, he opened his Storage Ring Space and took out a piece of snake tail, only about the length of his little finger, and handed it to the young woman.
"What's this?" The young woman was taken aback, not understanding what Zhao Yuan meant.
Zhao Yuan said, "Give this piece of snake tail to your owner. I believe that after he sees it, he'll be interested in meeting me."
"Well..." After a moment's hesitation, the young woman said, "Please have a seat here for a moment. I'll take this piece of snake tail to the head chef for you."
"Alright, thank you." Zhao Yuan smiled his thanks, then turned, found a stool, and sat down to wait.
The young woman turned and headed deeper into Lakefront House, walking quickly towards the kitchen.
Halfway there, a woman who looked like a supervisor spotted her. Frowning, she called out, "Weiwei, why aren't you at the door greeting guests? Where are you running off to?"
The young woman named Weiwei stopped in her tracks and answered fearfully, "Sister Su, a guest at the door said he wants to see the owner. He gave me something to show him."
Among the supervisors at Lakefront House, this one was known for being the fiercest and most difficult to get along with. The slightest thing the servers did to displease her would immediately earn them a vicious scolding. And her tongue-lashings were as nasty as they came. Every single server at Lakefront House had been berated by her to the point of tears.
"See the owner?" Supervisor Su's brow furrowed. She snorted coldly. "As if our owner is someone just anyone can see!" Then she asked, "You said he gave you something for the owner? What is it?"
"It's this." Weiwei quickly handed the small piece of snake tail to Supervisor Su.
Supervisor Su examined it from every angle, then asked in confusion, "What is this thing? It looks a bit like a tail."
Weiwei answered honestly, "Yes, it's a tail. A snake's tail."
"What? A snake's tail?" Supervisor Su's face immediately twisted in disgust. She threw the tail on the floor and snapped, "Are you an idiot? How could you possibly give something like this to the owner? That's enough. Go back and tell that person at the door that our owner is very busy and has no time to see him."
"Lie? But... that's not right, is it?" Weiwei mumbled.
Seeing Weiwei dare to question her, Supervisor Su's face darkened. "What's not right about it?" she said coldly. "I've seen plenty of people like him. They grab some random ingredient and try to pass it off as something top-tier. Garbage like this belongs in the trash. How could you even think of bothering the owner with it?"
With that, she took a tissue from her pocket, used it to pick the snake tail off the floor, and tossed it into a nearby trash can. After wiping her hands, she glared at Weiwei and barked, "What are you still standing there for? Trying to slack off? Get back to the entrance and greet guests."
"Yes, ma'am." Weiwei felt incredibly wronged but didn't dare argue with Supervisor Su. She could only return to the entrance and repeat the supervisor's words to Zhao Yuan: "Our owner has no time to see you."
"No time to see me?" Zhao Yuan was taken aback. 'Did I guess wrong? Is the owner of Lakefront House not a Tripod Sect Cultivator, but just some ordinary, arrogant chef?'
If he were a successor to the Tripod Sect, he couldn't have missed the profound qualities of that snake tail.
Since the man wasn't a Tripod Sect Cultivator, there was no need for Zhao Yuan to waste any more time. He stood up and said, "Alright. My apologies for being presumptuous. But thank you for delivering the item and the message for me."
Weiwei's face flushed red. She waved her hands, not daring to accept his thanks.
Just as Zhao Yuan was leaving Lakefront House, someone burst out of the kitchen.
The man was very large, but his movements were remarkably nimble and agile. His speed was astonishingly fast—just like a leopard!
Well... a big, fat leopard.