Food gives me an entry, I will be invincible if I stay alive

Chapter 333 A Visitor from Afar, Delighted to Hear the Way

That evening, Chen Xu's heart was filled with emotion.

He always had a strong premonition that something big was about to happen, and this premonition prompted him to break through to the Golden Core realm before the provincial examination.

This also accelerated the generation of his inspiration, enabling him to write fluently and powerfully in the provincial examination, with his pen creating a scene of purple smoke rising into the sky and literary talent running rampant.

Now, the provincial examinations seem to have come to an end.

But the real test seems to have only just begun.

Without delay, Chen Xu had dinner with the two little demons and then immediately returned to his room.

He assigned tasks to the two little demons, asking them to guard the house and protect the Dharma.

Wei Yuan and A Shi both seriously agreed.

After returning to his room, Chen Xu immediately focused his attention on the kitchen.

He wanted to try refining the Leaping Dragon Pill immediately.

The biggest problem that had previously prevented him from making this elixir—certain key auxiliary materials—he has now obtained.

For example: Deer Cry to Resolve Blood!

Although the list of successful candidates has not yet been posted, Chen Xu's title as the top scholar is already a foregone conclusion.

In the examination hall, the Heavenly Bell once rang for him. Within the literary world, the transformation of his literary spirit is now nearing its end.

He is now the top scholar in the provincial examination of Tiannan Province, and he can freely use his own blood as an auxiliary material to refine the Leaping Dragon Pill.

However, he has not yet obtained the other key ingredient for the Leap Dragon Pill, [Tears of the Literary Sea Ink Pool].

Chen Xu had also considered where this item might have come from.

Is it about catching a classmate and beating them up?
Or should I invite a friend and ask them to be moved?
Or, why not just find a way to have a good cry?
But Chen Xu wasn't really sure if he could really get the [Tears of the Literary Sea and Ink Pond] just by crying his heart out.
After all, this item requires tears to be produced in an inkwell, not the tears of a real person in reality.

Chen Xu hesitated briefly because of this.

He was just about to try to move himself and build up his tears when he suddenly heard a knocking sound at the courtyard gate.

The knocking was rhythmic and measured, sounding very restrained and polite.

Immediately afterwards, a familiar voice rang out; it was Cui Yunqi speaking with great excitement, yet with a forced restraint.

He called out from outside the door, "Brother Chen, I, Cui Yunqi, have taken the liberty of visiting you. If you have the time to chat, please just give me a brief reply."

If Brother Chen is inconvenienced by anything, there's no need to respond. I will leave in a quarter of an hour.

It turns out that when Chen Xu went to the Cui family to deliver the manuscript of "The Miraculous Journey of Heaven and Earth," although he only came and left quickly, he still left his mark.

While overseeing the printing of "The Miraculous Journey of Heaven and Earth," Cui Fu secretly investigated the unusual events throughout the city.

He knew Chen Xu better than others, so he didn't inquire about where the strange student had come to rent a place, but instead inquired about where the unusual aroma of food had been coming from.

In this way, they discovered Xinrongfang in the south of the city and, through further investigation, figured out where Chen Xu lived.

Although he knew where Chen Xu lived, Cui Fu did not dare to send anyone over to disturb him.

On the contrary, he had to secretly keep the news under wraps so as not to disturb Chen Xu's peace and quiet.

This continued until the exam ended and Cui Yunqi returned home from the exam hall, at which point Cui Fu informed him of the news.

How could Cui Yunqi possibly restrain himself?
He hurriedly ate a few nourishing and blood-tonifying pills, then quickly washed and rested before rushing towards Chen Xu.

He hadn't actually had time to find out the specific content of Chen Xu's article yet, since although the Cui family had a strong family background, they ultimately failed to gain access to the central power structure of Dali.

Cui Yunqi was still far from being knowledgeable enough; under the current circumstances, he had no way of knowing the true secrets of the imperial court. Currently, apart from the very core group, according to the rules, Chen Xu's essay would only be posted and publicized after the results of the provincial examination were announced.

Even though Cui Yunqi couldn't see the contents of Chen Xu's article, he still had many intense emotions he wanted to express.

He knocked on the door carefully and cautiously, then waited anxiously outside.

A few breaths, which should have passed in the blink of an eye, seemed to Cui Yunqi as if a very long time had gone by.

He was so nervous that he was almost in a daze when he heard a voice from inside the door: "Brother Cui, please come in. It is a great pleasure to have a good friend visit. How could I refuse him?"

The courtyard gate creaked open.

Cui Yunqi looked up and saw Chen Xu standing in front of the door with a smile.

A gentle breeze caresses the face, the setting sun casts its slanting rays, and the old friend's demeanor remains as before, yet seems entirely different.

Truly like a towering mountain, the moonlight shining in a cold palace, illuminating the world, ethereal as a celestial being.

Cui Yunqi suddenly felt ashamed of himself.

But then he thought of Chen Xu's article that produced purple smoke, and he also thought of how he and Chen Xu had once been rivals, and how he had bet on Chen Xu's success in the imperial examinations at the four major gambling dens.

And now, all of this proves that Cui Yunqi's judgment was correct.

Cui Yunqi's mood suddenly soared again.

It wasn't until Chen Xu invited him inside that the two sat facing each other under the pomegranate tree in the courtyard.

Chen Xu waved his hand and placed spirit wine and a fruit platter on the table.

Cui Yunqi picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp, praising the fine wine. He then moistened his throat and began to speak with excitement:

"Brother Chen, do you know that during the nine days of our examination, at least several hundred or even a thousand dragon bone waterwheels were erected in the Pingyang Prefecture area?"

Now, not only in Pingyang Prefecture, but throughout the seven prefectures of Tiannan, the method of making the dragon bone waterwheel has spread.

In Yunjiang Prefecture, our Cui family also built dragon-bone waterwheels wherever possible.

Thanks to this waterwheel, irrigation of the farmland is timely, and the planting season has not been delayed this year. And to be precise, it's not just this year; for many years to come, we don't think our planting season will be delayed!
This is an immense achievement, Brother Chen, I...I..."

He got so emotional at this point that he became speechless for a moment.

Cui Yunqi was originally an eloquent and persuasive person, so how could he have imagined that he would be speechless one day?
Chen Xu remained calm. Although he was pleasantly surprised, he simply raised his glass and said, "Thank you for informing me, Brother Cui."

He poured Cui Yunqi another glass of wine and gestured for Cui Yunqi to clink glasses.

Cui Yunqi was suddenly flattered and quickly raised his wine glass to clink with Chen Xu's.

Boom!
The crisp sound of glasses clinking rang out. Filled with emotion, Cui Yunqi recalled the past and couldn't help but say:
"Brother Chen, the encounters in this world are truly wondrous. I used to be arrogant and conceited, looking around with self-satisfaction, as if I were the only one who could stand in the world, but in reality, I was like a frog in a well looking at the sky."

Humans are confined to a small world; no matter how proud they are, it's all just a dream, illusory and laughable, so what's the point?

Now, thanks to my acquaintance with Brother Chen, I have stepped out of that small well. Although I clearly recognize my own insignificance and can no longer be complacent, I have also clearly seen a much wider world and a broader horizon.

"To witness this vast expanse of sky and earth, my life has not been in vain."

Having said that, Cui Yunqi could no longer contain the intense emotions surging within him.

He felt a lump in his throat, tilted his head back slightly, and two lines of clear tears streamed down his face.

Seeing Cui Yunqi shed tears, Chen Xu suddenly opened the Heavenly Book of the Food Cauldron beside him.

(End of this chapter)