There's something wrong with me

Chapter 179 'Layer by Layer'

In the blink of an eye, more than a month has passed.

The guesthouse didn't advertise anything.

But after several guests tasted it, they praised it highly.

The news that the inn in the suburbs had delicious food gradually spread throughout the neighborhood.

The most obvious change is that the usual 20 or 30 tables of guests have increased to over 100.

"Hello, shopkeeper! Is Brother Zhang cooking today?"

"Oh? Brother Li, you're here too? You're here to try Chef Zhang's dishes as well?"

It happened on that afternoon, a month later.

The familiar guests chatted while waiting for their food.

Some are even regulars who wish they could come every day.

There are even people living here.

But it cannot be denied that they are all wealthy people.

Otherwise, who would specifically stay in an inn to eat?

However, several bosses and wealthy men wanted to invite Zhang Feng to work as their cook.

Zhang Feng declined all of these invitations.

Furthermore, since the shopkeeper's nephew was one of General Hang's men, these people did not act rashly out of shame and anger.

However, the shopkeeper's nephew did not come during this period.

Judging from the situation, it seems it wasn't his turn to 'go out and exchange money'.

Zhang Feng also thought it was a good idea, as it would allow him to cultivate his skills while waiting.

Three more days passed.

The inn's business is getting better and better.

Today, it's already 9 PM, and most people here should be home sleeping.

But at this time, the inn was still packed with people.

Although it hasn't been expanded yet, there are only sixteen tables (including the tables and chairs that have recently been added outside the inn).

However, this bustling scene also indirectly confirms the saying that "food is the first necessity of the people," which is a popular saying in every era.

This includes setting up extra displays outside, which is also a way to test sales figures first.

If the city officials want to investigate, just pay a fine and they'll collect it.

With the shopkeeper's nephew's status and the shopkeeper's knowledge of these soldiers, the punishment wouldn't be too severe.

But regarding the land grant, money alone isn't enough; his nephew also needs to come in person.

Because these officers and shopkeepers were all insignificant people, how could they possibly discuss matters related to 'land'?

Zhang Feng also witnessed how difficult things were these days, inexplicably so.

He also felt that even if his nephew came, it wouldn't be enough face for him.

However, the inn has also made a lot of money during this period.

Aside from daily expenses and fines, there were 150 silver dollars.

Zhang Feng himself lost 120 silver dollars.

Even though the shopkeeper was very stingy and reluctant to part with the money, treating it like cutting off pieces of flesh, he was also shrewd enough to know who had helped him earn the money.

If the allocation is not handled well and Zhang Feng leaves, then he will be nothing.

In addition, Zhang Feng would occasionally make empty promises to him when the inn closed at midnight, saying that after the expansion, he might be able to earn 150 silver dollars a day.

Even if he's just lying down, he can earn fifty a day.

Then there are no other problems, and now only the most crucial one remains.

That means how do we protect our money?
That's what he's thinking about now.

Will more people see him making money and then try to take advantage of him?

As a result, the inn gained a few more brave and daring waiters.

This gave the shopkeeper a greater sense of security.

Then, fifty days later, on the night of the same day.

Eleven o'clock.

back kitchen.

While stir-frying a meat dish, Zhang Feng pondered the issue of talismans.

I would occasionally pick up a few more pieces of meat to taste, to make sure they were cooked through, and also to fill my stomach.

There was no shortage of food during this period.

In addition, his physical constitution was already at 120, and he had opened five spiritual senses.

Even with more and more customers, I don't feel busy.

Cooking and preparing meals are now done instinctively and naturally, without interfering with my cultivation and research.

The only problem is that the earth spike is about to be fully understood, but that nephew still hasn't arrived.

This gave Zhang Feng a few more ideas.

After all, the original plan was to use his nephew's connections to go to General Hang's mansion from a 'peaceful perspective' to find more secret manuals.

But my nephew hasn't come yet.

If we wait a while longer, we won't need to be peaceful anymore; we can go directly to their door.

Although they still gave money when they were supposed to, and maintained a friendly atmosphere.

However, if you have your own strength as a safety net, you don't need to make such roundabout and careful plans.

However, now that the research on the Earth element is almost complete, new talismans need to be added to the project research.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Feng decided to go and see the two Taoist priests first to see if they had any more talismans.

In the past two months, Zhang Feng had visited them several times, but mainly for treatment, and had not asked about the talismans.

Then, let's go find the Taoist priest first.

……

The next day, before dawn.

The winter wind is like a knife.

Alone on the dark dirt road leading into the city.

Zhang Feng kept looking at the roadside as he walked.

Swah—

In less than a second, a sharp spike about one meter long and ten centimeters in diameter appeared over there.

This is Zhang Feng's technique of using structure to stimulate.

If it weren't for the structure, it would only be 70-80 centimeters long, and the diameter would be reduced to 7-8 centimeters, and it would be a bit more brittle.

This is a ground spike that was 'forced' out of spiritual energy.

There's a clear difference between unorthodox methods and the regular army.

My previous attempts at self-improvement were just unorthodox methods.

The structure is that of a regular army.

It's like when I used spiritual energy to force things, which was like splashing a bucket of water on someone.

Now it can condense into a water gun, making it even more lethal.

But whether they're self-taught or from the mainstream, they all benefit from knowledge in areas like geology.

Furthermore, with the support of the basic structural formula, the power of the spells is even greater.

In particular, Zhang Feng, through analogy, felt that he should be able to use the 'Water Spike' technique.

This is thanks to the Ocean World, where I'm in contact with water every day and play in it.

Their control over water far surpasses that of other elements.

In particular, Zhang Feng had another idea: if he could unleash his Water Spikes, then the formulas for the other 'various thorns' should be similar to those for the Earth element.

Although different categories can lead to relative changes in structural points.

However, Zhang Feng also felt that the overall structure remained unchanged, and the basic core principle was 'a stable, circular structure in a linear fashion'.

A line, drawn in one breath by Tu Ci.

The circle is its shape, similar to a circle, but with slightly concave sides, forming a strange symbol.

The 'line' and 'circle' are the basic structures of the soil spikes.

Based on this general structure, Zhang Feng is currently working backwards to deduce the principle of the 'detailed internal structure' of spunlace.

Of course, it would be even better if you had a standard 'water thorn talisman'.

The parsing speed will be further accelerated.

……

Come to the city.

Before dawn, as winter sets in, street vendors are already calling out their wares.

"Steamed buns~"

"Matches and cigarettes~"

There were vendors pushing carts, and others with small signs hanging around their necks.

But more often, they carried their loads on shoulder poles, with small steamers hanging from both ends, like containers for steaming buns, from which steam billowed out.

"Brother Zhang!"

As Zhang Feng walked along, he was looking around.

A middle-aged man in a suit who was sitting in a chartered car next to Zhang Feng asked the driver to stop and then said to Zhang Feng warmly, "Where are you going? I'll give you a ride!"

"No need, Manager Zhou." Zhang Feng cupped his hands in greeting. He was a regular customer at the inn and had even given him a 'tip' before.

In his words, this is popular in the West and Hong Kong.

"Thank you for the courtesy." Manager Zhou, dressed in a well-fitting Western-style suit, skillfully rose and returned the courtesy with perfect precision.

But Zhang Feng felt something was off about it.

Upon further reflection, I realized...

His movements were so standard and retro, perfectly blending into the era around him, but his clothes were too conspicuous.

I shook my head in my heart.

After bidding farewell to the wealthy man, Zhang Feng headed straight for the 'slums' in the north of the city.

When we arrived here...

The smell of decay and rot was several levels worse than the complex Kowloon Walled City.

Even though it's winter now, the smell is still very strong.

Because there was a corpse by the wall not far away.

Zhang Feng glanced at him and, based on his condition, determined that the cause of death was hunger and cold the previous night.

People passing by ignored them and went about their business.

It seems quite cold, but compared to the post-apocalyptic world or the martial arts world...

This is so much better.

In the apocalypse, Zhang Feng saw some people who, upon discovering normal corpses, treated them as food reserves.

Seriously, if someone were to fight over a corpse right now...

Zhang Feng also thought it was normal.

Because of these dozen or so life experiences.

Zhang Feng already felt that he was no longer normal.

That's what I was thinking about.

Zhang Feng suddenly realized that he really needed to suppress his inner demons, otherwise he would sometimes have extreme thoughts, resembling the oppressive feeling of the apocalypse.

So once you've learned everything about this world, you need to relax a bit.

If we do the math again, the next world we step into will be a new world of growth.

Let's decide where to go for now.

Composing himself, Zhang Feng arrived at a small house in a narrow alley.

Ta-ta-ta—

I knocked on the door a few times.

Although outsiders couldn't hear anything, Zhang Feng's exceptional hearing allowed him to hear faint footsteps coming from inside the house.

Then the person who came in avoided the door crack and pressed himself against an inconspicuous crack in the wall to examine himself.

Zhang Feng looked towards the crack in the wall and said, "Fellow Daoist, it's me."

"Brother Tao!"

The visitor was a Taoist priest, and when he saw that it was Zhang Feng, he quickly opened the door.

Zhang Feng didn't say much and walked straight into the small house.

Pad-

After the Taoist closed the door, he quickly followed.

When they arrived at the side room, the Taoist senior brother was getting up from the bed.

He's more agile now.

"Brother Dao, you've arrived." He spoke haltingly.

"Hmm." Zhang Feng nodded slightly, then stepped forward to take his pulse. "The inn has been quite busy lately, and I haven't seen Fellow Daoist Lin for more than ten days."

Zhang Feng withdrew his hand from taking the pulse. "The test results show no problems. The blood and qi in the body are flowing much better, and the bones are gradually returning to their normal position."

How are you feeling during your recovery period? Have you experienced any disturbances in your vital energy?

"No." Fellow Daoist Lin said with gratitude and amazement, clasping his hands solemnly, "Brother Daoist, you are a master. When you treated my injuries, you not only cleared away my evil energy, but also cleared my meridians."

Such medical skills are unparalleled in the world!

"As long as he can be cured, that's fine." Zhang Feng spoke frankly. "Fellow Daoist Lin, I still need to go back to the inn in a while, so I'll just be frank about the purpose of my visit."

As Zhang Feng spoke, he took out their talisman, and to their astonishment, he produced ten more, even more detailed ones.
"The spiritual energy of your original talismans has dissipated."

However, I have been using your talisman-drawing techniques to copy ten more these days. You can use them for self-defense for now.

If that's not enough, I can draw a few more on the spot.

"This..." Fellow Daoist Lin stared blankly at the stack of talismans.

Because it would take his junior brother at least half a day to successfully draw a talisman.

But this fellow Taoist started by giving away ten cards?
And looking at the fluctuations of spiritual energy above, it was clear that ten paintings had been drawn in a short period of time.

Such skill, and such profound spiritual energy.

He had never heard of such a thing before.

"Brother Dao..." The Daoist stared at Zhang Feng's talisman and asked in shock, "You...you said you copied it? Could it be...you didn't know the art of talismans before?"

“Yes.” Zhang Feng nodded amidst their even more shocked gazes, and then said again, “This is the second reason I came to see you.”

Do you have any more talismans? If so, I'd like to make some more copies.

……

Two minutes later, I left from this side.

This time, the shot missed.

The two of them had no other spells or talismans.

That earth spike technique is their sect's trump card.

The rest of his techniques were similar to Zhang Feng's before; they all relied on spiritual energy to create them.

As for their sect, fifty years ago, it was considered a first-rate sect in the world.

But after some changes, only the two of them are left now.

However, there are some aspects of their rubbing methods that can be learned from.

now.

Zhang Feng walked towards the inn while looking at their sect's secret manual.

And according to their secret manual.

Zhang Feng further supplemented his knowledge of cultivation.

Ultimately, they are legitimate.

A school of thought that has been passed down for hundreds of years always has something to offer.

It contains many annotations for common problems encountered in cultivation.

For example, inner demons.

That's what they call it in their manuals too.

It also emphasized that inner demons have a profound impact on cultivation.

At best, it will affect the speed of cultivation; at worst, it may cause a person to become possessed by a demon, develop an extremely extreme personality, or experience spiritual energy conflicts that would completely destroy their cultivation, or even result in serious injury or death.

Looking at these things, Zhang Feng felt they were quite serious.

However, regarding the solution, a very interesting practice method was mentioned above.

That's 'fishing'.

This fishing isn't some kind of cultivation term; it's simply going to some pleasant places and fishing normally.

Zhang Feng found these things quite interesting.

Just thinking about those 'unknown fish,' never knowing what you'll catch with your next cast, seems to make you much happier.

really.

These major sects still have some 'cultivation methods'.

But before, although I knew how to fish, I never thought of this.

But now I know.

Then we can find an opportunity to give it a try.

……

Another half month has passed.

Something happy happened.

The shopkeeper's nephew has arrived.

This afternoon.

The backyard of the inn.

Zhang Feng also saw the shopkeeper's nephew, a short, stocky man in his early twenties.

The patient's physical condition is quite good, with a score of 17.

No wonder they are soldiers who eat and drink well, and live in a world full of spiritual energy; their physiques are easy to maintain.

Zhang Feng saw that he didn't have much martial arts skill; he just practiced occasionally and got there by chance.

"uncle!"

Although Zhang Feng was casually observing, he was nowhere near as good as Zhang Feng.

But he was in a hurry and quickly said to the shopkeeper, "What is it? Tell me quickly. We have a time limit for our round trip, and I need to get back as soon as possible."

"Yes..." The shopkeeper didn't waste any time and quickly told him about the land purchase and expansion.

After speaking quickly.

Faced with his nephew's disbelieving gaze, he solemnly introduced Zhang Feng and invited his nephew to try the dishes Zhang Feng had prepared.

During this time, he also took out the most recent account books and showed them to his nephew.

Then, my nephew also felt that he was about to make a fortune.

This land is definitely going to be bought.

"I'll go talk to our 'factory manager' first!"

He left quickly too.

The factory manager he referred to was the head of the copper coin factory, who was also his immediate superior.

This factory director was also a confidant of General Hang.

If he intervenes, many things will become minor issues.

……

night.

In a secluded factory.

"That's it……"

The nephew found the factory manager, who was in his forties, and told him everything about buying the land.

After he finished speaking, the nephew held up three fingers.

"Brother Peng! If this matter is handled well, my uncle said you'll get 30% of the profits!"

“Thirty percent…” Peng Ge stroked his beard and said, “To be honest, brother, I did hear a boss mention how delicious Chef Zhang’s cooking is.”

I never imagined he was your uncle's cook.

"Hehe, brother, you've heard of this place?" the nephew said with a smile. "What a coincidence! Well then, take a look at what you're saying about this place, brother?"

"land……"

Peng Ge is thinking.

To be honest, he really wanted to join.

Because of the shopkeeper, General Hang, his nephew, and him.

Although the four people look different, they share the same goal.

Especially when General Hang set an example.

This man in charge of the copper coin factory, Brother Peng, naturally had his eyes set on the future.

However, he always felt that 30% was too little.

But it was too big, and he felt it was inappropriate, after all, he and his nephew were brothers who ate from the same pot.

My nephew is a minor leader in a copper factory.

He shouldn't eat in such an unseemly manner.

"Brother Peng..." Seeing that Brother Peng hadn't spoken for a while, the nephew offered him a cigarette and lit it himself.

"What have you thought about it?"

"Oh~" Peng Ge nodded slowly, then slowly exhaled a smoke ring, looking like he was both agreeing and just being perfunctory.

This series of little actions made the nephew so anxious that he was almost scratching his head in frustration.

He watched as Peng Ge exhaled smoke for half a minute.

Faced with his brother's manipulation, the nephew couldn't sit still any longer and said, "We're brothers, just say what's on your mind, give me a straight answer..."

"Don't panic, don't rush." ​​Peng Ge took another puff of his cigarette. "The more we face this kind of decision, the more we need to stay calm."

As he spoke, he looked at his anxious nephew and said, "I'm not deliberately messing with you or keeping you hanging, but this is such a big deal, you have to let me think about it."

After all, I'm not very familiar with the land officials in the city, so if I'm going to process any land deeds, I'll inevitably have to bribe them.

Our boss often says, "Harmony brings wealth."

We really need to go to this key location with our guns.

Regardless of whether they'll relinquish the land, the big boss certainly won't let the two of us off the hook.

"Yes, yes..." The nephew chuckled awkwardly, but inwardly he cursed, 'What a nice way to put it, what big boss? What 'making connections'? You just want more money!'

Isn't giving you a share of the guesthouse's profits enough?
The inn hasn't even been expanded yet, and they're already trying to make a quick buck off their own people!
What a rotten person!

Do you really think I'm stupid? You expect me to be so cautious and greedy, focusing all your efforts on your own people?

The nephew thought bitterly, but a smile spread across his face as he said sincerely, "Don't worry, Brother Peng! I've taken care of the money you arranged!"

"Alright!" Brother Peng smiled. "I'll go out now and go to the city to ask how much land they want over there."

I'll give you a definite answer when I get back.

"We're family, of course I'll help!"

"Thank you, Brother Peng!" The nephew felt that the matter should be settled.

"By the way! Where's the inn?" Peng asked again. "I'll go check out that Chef Zhang first and find out what's going on with him."

(End of this chapter)