Divine Tang Era

Chapter 165 Too Nourishing, Caused Nosebleed

At noon, light snow was falling over Jingning City, and the air was bitterly cold, but inside Xu Dan's hot pot restaurant, the scene was bustling and lively.

His invited guests have been arriving one after another, including Wang Shouyi, a Taoist boy from Donglai Palace; Meng Du from Meng Family Steamed Bun Shop; Kuang Kui, who sets up a stall at the market; Xue Diao and Xue Bao'er, relatives of Master Xue; the fellow disciples from Mo Family Martial Arts School; and He Rong from across the street. Gradually, the shop became crowded with people.

Looking at the people in the shop, Xu Dan sighed with emotion. He hadn't expected to meet so many people in such a short time since arriving in Jingning.

The hot pot was already on the table, with various dishes laid out. The stove was hot, and the thick meat bone soup was bubbling and boiling. Before even picking up their chopsticks, everyone was already drooling.

Seeing that everything was ready, Xu Dan stood up and said, "Everyone, you've come to my shop today for only one purpose: to eat. Eat as much as you want, however you like."

"Okay!" everyone agreed.

Ge Rong chuckled and joked, "Don't be so polite with him, everyone. I saw him hauling loads of rice, flour, and cooking oil home. If we don't eat more, how long will it take him to finish it? Are we going to let it grow moldy in the house?"

"Then we won't stand on ceremony," everyone laughed.

"Make yourselves at home, everyone. Come on, let me tell you how to eat it."

Xu Dan began his demonstration: "First, pour the vegetables into the pot, then dip the meat in to blanch it. Generally, three dips are enough; too fast and the meat will be raw, too slow and it will be tough. Take it out and dip it in my personally prepared sauce. The taste is absolutely amazing; everyone who has tried it raves about it. Of course, if you find blanching each piece too troublesome, you can pour it all in, but you must take it out immediately, otherwise it will become tough, and tough meat won't taste good. That's all for now, everyone, let's eat!"

Everyone was already incredibly hungry, and after hearing the news, they couldn't wait to start eating.

Some people carefully picked up slices of meat and scalded them one by one; others poured all the meat into the pot; some ate too quickly and scalded themselves, crying out in pain, which made everyone laugh.

They were all young and vigorous men with enormous appetites, and they consumed the beast meat very quickly.

Xu Dan told Chi Lei'er to add two large plates to each table, and to add more if needed. "If anyone wants rice or meat patties, just say so. We've steamed rice and made meat patties over there, so there's plenty. Today, we're all about one thing: eating. Eat as much as you want, eat until your bellies are round and full. Don't leave until you're stuffed. And don't worry about eating me out of house and home. Last time when the monsters attacked the city, I bought a huge amount of meat when the county government was selling it. You couldn't possibly eat it all even if you burst your stomachs."

"I hadn't even thought of it until you mentioned it. Now that you've brought it up, I regret not buying some back then. Now, if I want to kill monsters again, I have to go to a faraway place to find them. It's exhausting," Kuang Kui complained.

"The monsters in the vicinity have probably all been killed, so it will be difficult to find them," He Rong said.

"It's not just the monsters; after everyone wiped them out, even the ghosts are gone. Now, finding treasure is even more difficult," said a disciple of the Mo Clan Martial Arts School.

"Never mind that for now, eating is the most important thing. Xu Dan's hot pot is really delicious," Liu Xuan said.

"Of course, I can even taste the ginseng in it," Wan Zhen said.

"And there's cordyceps too," He Rong added.

"This hot pot is incredibly nourishing!" Fan Meng exclaimed.

"Hey, why are you bleeding from your nose?" Wang Shouyi, sitting opposite Wanzhen, stared wide-eyed.

"Really?" Wan Zhen wiped his nose, and blood was indeed flowing out. "Holy crap, what happened?"

"Everyone, please be careful."

At this moment, Lu Shizong stood up and said, "The broth in the hot pot is made from animal bones, and ginseng and goji berries are also added."

Cordyceps, red dates, and other medicinal herbs are already nourishing. Add to that the monster meat served today, and it's even more potent. So please eat in moderation, within your limits, and don't overdo it, or you might get a nosebleed. But a nosebleed isn't a big deal; it's just that your blood and energy are too abundant. Go outside and practice some boxing or go for a run to burn off some of that energy, and you'll be fine soon.

Upon hearing this, Wan Zhen immediately put down his chopsticks and ran outside to practice his boxing.

Once there's a first one, there's bound to be a second.

The hot pot tasted so good that most people didn't realize it while eating, but when they saw someone else getting a nosebleed, they were shocked to find their blood surging. They immediately stopped eating and went outside to practice their martial arts.

"Huh, how come you're alright?" Xu Dan looked at He Rong with a puzzled expression.

This guy is skinny and weak, and he ate so much animal meat. Logically speaking, he shouldn't be completely unharmed.

"What could possibly happen to me? I've practiced martial arts before, you know." He Rong glanced at Xu Dan disdainfully, then retaliated by picking up a large piece of meat and stuffing it into his mouth. He figured he should eat as much as he could when it was free.

Jingning is located in a remote border region. The people are simple and kind, but their customs are somewhat fierce.

After all, this place is right next to the wilderness, and you often have to face ghosts and foreign tribes. If you don't know some kung fu, you really can't do business well.

He Rong ate a few more bites, then suddenly felt a cool sensation in his nose. He touched it and found it covered in blood. He immediately ran outside to practice his boxing, just like the others before him, to expend his energy. Xu Dan had already noticed the blood, but seeing his stubbornness, he remained silent.

At this time, those who remained in the restaurant eating hot pot were all people with higher cultivation levels; those with lower cultivation levels had all gone outside to enjoy the wind and snow and practice their martial arts.

Little Magpie was originally watching the commotion inside the shop, but now that she saw a large group of people practicing boxing outside, she ran over to join in and practiced boxing with everyone. A group of teenagers plus a tiny little girl—this combination was rather amusing.

People nearby saw so many people practicing boxing in the snow and gathered around to watch.

Someone asked curiously, "Why are you practicing boxing here?"

"I ate too much hot pot, so my blood and energy were too high. I came out to practice some boxing to burn off some of that energy, otherwise I would have gotten a nosebleed," Liu Xuan explained.

"What kind of hot pot?" someone else asked.

"It's a stove that uses charcoal to cook food, and it tastes really good. Once the Gongzu Hot Pot restaurant opens, you can go and try it and you'll see. Anyway, it's not expensive," Liu Xuan explained.

Xu Dan's store hasn't even opened yet, but his good friends are already helping to promote it. I wonder if he should thank them or not after hearing this.

Just then, the signboard that had been ordered yesterday arrived, and He Rong rushed in to ask, "Grandpa, the signboard has arrived, where should we hang it?"

"Let's leave it for now, we'll deal with it when we have time," Xu Dan waved his hand.

"What are you putting up? There are so many people here, when are you going to put it up? Never mind, we'll help you." After saying that, He Rong ran out again. He didn't go to practice his boxing, but went back to the general store to get tools, and together with the people who were practicing boxing, they put the sign up.

Xu Dan went outside and glanced at them. One by one, they were all covered in blood, some with blood dripping from their noses, others with bloodstains on their faces. The group was a mess, all working together to hang the sign, which ended up getting stained with blood too. It seemed they needed to wash it off; otherwise, blood on a new shop sign was considered unlucky.

He couldn't be bothered with them and let them do whatever they wanted.

Xu Dan turned and went back into the restaurant to continue eating hot pot with the remaining people. Everyone had almost finished eating and was only casually picking at their food. Xu Dan then asked Lu Shizong, "Senior brother, what do you think of my hot pot?"

"It's good, the taste is excellent, especially at this time of year, the business is sure to be good." Lu Shizong gave a fair evaluation.

"So how much do you think would be appropriate to sell this pot for?" Xu Dan asked again.

"I'm not too sure about that, but when you sell it, you can calculate the cost first, then add the profit, and that should be about right," Lu Shizong replied.

"Grandpa, the signboard is up. Come out and see if it's suitable," He Rong called from outside.

Xu Dan walked out and stood at the store entrance looking up. Several huge signs reading "Xu Gongzu Hot Pot Restaurant" were prominently displayed on the signboard.

The signboard hangs right above the shop entrance, perfectly positioned.

"Great, everyone, thank you for your hard work. Let's go inside and continue eating."

Xu Dan waved and led everyone into the store, but everyone was already full and had no room for anything else.

Wan Zhen said, "I'm not eating anymore, or I'll get a nosebleed again. Your hot pot is great, you could say it's the best food for this time of year."

"That's right, that's right. I'll definitely bring some people over to try it someday. I guarantee they'll be able to swallow their tongues," Fan Meng said.

"Then I should bring some people to try it out. I've never seen this before, and I'm sure everyone will find it novel," Wan Zhen added.

"Grandmaster, how much is your hot pot? If it's cheap, it's more cost-effective than taking pills," Liu Xuan said.

"I'm really worried about this. I don't know what price to set," Xu Dan said, scratching his head.

"You've got both medicinal herbs and demon beast meat, so it can't be too cheap. By the way, are you using only demon beast meat, or do you also have some regular beast meat?" He Rong asked.

"Currently, I have more monster meat than ordinary beast meat," Xu Dan honestly replied.

"Then let's sell monster meat first. We can sell monster meat at a higher price," He Rong said.

"If it's monster meat, a pot of it would cost at least five taels of silver, with extra meat at an additional price." Liu Xuan's family owns a restaurant, so they know all about these things.

"Five taels is too little, at least six taels. It's more expensive than cooking monster meat yourself, but cheaper than taking pills. Everyone will definitely be happy to come and eat." He Rong was also in business and knew how to price things reasonably.

"Hmm, six liang is indeed quite good." Liu Xuan thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"Six taels is acceptable." Wan Zhen also felt that the price was good.

Xu Dan never expected that the pricing issue that had troubled him for so long would be resolved so easily. Good thing, it saves him the trouble.

Most people had other things to do in the afternoon, so they said goodbye and left after finishing their meal. Surprisingly, they all gave gifts as they left. Xu Dan declined, but they were forced to accept them and he was even teased for not accepting gifts when he opened a shop, saying it would make him a laughingstock.

After seeing off the guests one by one, only Xue Diao and Xue Bao'er remained in the shop. The two sat there practicing their martial arts, circulating the surging qi and blood within their bodies.

Xue Diao and Xue Bao'er are different from the others.

The relationship between Mo's Martial Arts School and Xu Dan was, at best, a monetary transaction: I pay you money, you teach me, nothing more. There was hardly any real emotional connection. The others were more like familiar friends. But Master Xue was Xu Dan's true master, the one he formally became a disciple of.

Although Master Xue did not take on any disciples, he passed on the Xue family's secret archery techniques to him, so even if he wasn't the successor, he was still a successor.

When he goes out in the future, people will recognize his archery skills and will regard him as a descendant of the Xue family.

As disciples and clansmen of Master Xue, Xue Diao and Xue Bao'er are naturally closer to Xu Dan than others.

Most importantly, the three legendary tales of the Xue family that Xu Dan had previously told made the Xue family famous throughout the land. This favor was no small matter; otherwise, Master Xue would not have passed on the Xue family's secrets to him.

"How is it? Is the hot pot delicious today?" Xu Dan asked the two of them.

"It's delicious! I've never seen such a novel way of eating in Chang'an. If you opened a shop in Chang'an, it would definitely be a hit," Xue Bao'er said.

"Then I'll open another one, and let all of Chang'an know about my hot pot restaurant," Xu Dan said with great enthusiasm.

"By the time you get there, hot pot restaurants will probably be all over Chang'an. In the capital, for one thing, if there's anything new or delicious, someone will bring it over immediately. Your hot pot will definitely be brought to Chang'an within a month, or even sooner. The advantage of this hot pot is its novelty; to put it bluntly, it's just freshly cooked food, and many people can make it after seeing it once."

"It's alright. Even if there are 10,000 stores, so what? Each store has different skills and flavors. Opening more stores will give everyone more choices."

Before Xu Dan traveled through time, hot pot restaurants were as common as hairs on a cow in Sichuan, yet their businesses were still thriving.

After chatting for a few minutes, Xue Diao took out two long arrows from his storage bag and handed them to Xu Dan: "Bao'er and I bought these at the market. You said you bought several last time, so this makes a complete set."

"My original intention was to invite you all over for a meal and to have some fun, but I didn't expect you all to bring gifts. I feel so embarrassed."

"It's fine not to give them as a gift at other times, but how can you not give them as a gift when you're hosting a dinner party? Everyone will feel uncomfortable."

"Yes, when you open a shop, you must accept gifts when you entertain guests, for good luck," Xue Bao'er added from the side.

"Alright, I'll accept them then." Xu Dan then put the two long arrows away.

Xue Diao then took out a long arrow, its shaft and arrowhead both pure white, like mutton-fat jade. Xu Dan had never seen such an exquisite arrow before and looked at Xue Diao with puzzlement, wondering why he had taken it out.

"This is a congratulatory gift from Master Xue," Xue Diao said, handing over the arrow.

"Why is Master Xue getting involved? He's just opening a small shop, why is he giving gifts?" Xu Dan said helplessly.

"You'll have to tell Master Xue yourself; we're just delivering it on your behalf. Alright, we should be going now."

"Won't you stay a little longer?"

"No."

Xu Dan saw the two off, then suddenly remembered that he hadn't treated Master Xue to hot pot yet. After all, they were master and disciple, and Master Xue had taught him so many skills; it wouldn't be appropriate to do this. If others knew, they would say he didn't know how to respect his teacher. So he quickly said to Xue Diao, "Go back and tell Master Xue not to cook dinner; I'll bring hot pot over for us to eat together."

"Okay." Xue Diao nodded and turned to leave.

After watching the two leave, Xu Dan turned and went back to the shop. Yun Niang and Rui Wu Ni were already packing up, and Xiao Que'er followed behind them, helping out, though it was unclear whether she was genuinely helping or just making things worse. Chi Lei'er was also cleaning in the kitchen.

Xu Dan had already told them yesterday that today he was only treating them to a meal and wouldn't be open for business.

So after cleaning up, he closed the shop to prevent anyone from seeing the sign and coming in to eat.