If you die, I will be able to inherit your cultivation.

Zhou Ming strode through the hanging flower gate and walked along the covered walkway toward the inner courtyard, his mind still racing.

As soon as the young lady returned, she summoned him. The maid said that he had a very enjoyable breakfast that morning.

It doesn't seem like they're here to interrogate me; there must be something else going on. But what could it be?

The kitchen at Haitangyuan was busy until late last night.

Upon hearing that the young lady had returned, Liu Sandao rolled up his sleeves and stood in front of the stove without saying a word.

I heard Zhou Ming mention some new dishes a couple of days ago, and he's been thinking about how to make them lately.

The young lady's return to the manor finally gave her the chance to show her true abilities.

I carefully selected some ingredients from the warehouse and spent the whole night experimenting and trying out three new dishes.

One dish is braised silver carp head, made with live fish caught fresh from the Yuyang River in the early morning. The fish meat is deboned and then braised with tofu and bamboo shoots, resulting in a white and flavorful soup.

One dish is honey-glazed ham. The ham is made from the fattest and leanest piece, which is steamed with honey and osmanthus for two hours. It is then sliced ​​thinly and arranged on a snow-white porcelain plate, with amber-colored honey slowly dripping down the ham's texture.

Another dish is jadeite shumai, with the dough rolled so thin it's translucent, and the filling made with freshly picked shepherd's purse and river shrimp. After steaming, each one lies in the steamer, emerald green and glistening.

From selecting the ingredients to the knife skills to controlling the heat, Liu Sandao personally handled all three dishes, not allowing anyone else to touch them.

Before dawn this morning, he packed three dishes into a food box and had his maid deliver them to the inner courtyard gate.

Su Mingyue's inner courtyard was the deepest part of the Begonia Garden, and male stewards like Zhou Ming were not usually allowed to enter.

But today, the young lady specifically summoned him, so he followed the maid who delivered the message through the corridor and into the small flower hall in the inner courtyard.

The flower hall wasn't large, but it was decorated with exquisite detail, and a rosewood embroidery frame stood under the window.

A landscape scroll hangs on the wall, and in the corner, a celadon incense burner is burning agarwood, the smoke rising straight up and slowly dissipating in the air.

Su Mingyue sat at the rosewood table in the center of the flower hall, with three open food boxes in front of her. She had only touched each dish a few times.

Zhou Ming glanced around quickly out of the corner of his eye, took three or four bites of the braised silver carp head, ate two slices of honey-glazed ham, and was missing one jadeite shumai.

Considering Su Mingyue's usual appetite, this "clean plate rate" is already quite generous to the kitchen.

Liu Sandao really hit the jackpot this time.

"Zhou Ming," Su Mingyue said, her voice low.

"Your Excellency is here." Zhou Ming quickly stepped forward and bowed.

"Liu Sandao said that you were the one who suggested these three new dishes."

Zhou Ming bowed his head and replied, "Reporting to Miss, I only casually mentioned the method to Uncle Liu. The specific steps were entirely Uncle Liu's doing, and I dare not take credit for it."

"It's one thing for him to do well, it's another thing for you to think about it."

Su Mingyue gently raised her hand, and Chunlan, who was standing to the side, took out two silver ingots from her sleeve, each ingot weighing five taels.

"Here you go."

Zhou Ming took the silver with both hands, and his palms immediately felt heavy.

Ten taels, a full ten taels.

When he sneaked out of the Marquis's mansion to buy steamed buns and old clothes, he only spent less than half a tael of silver.

This reward was one-tenth of his entire savings, equivalent to several months' salary.

Zhou Ming tucked the silver into his pocket, the silver ingots pressed against his chest through his clothes, the cool texture making him feel incredibly happy.

Zhou Ming was almost brought to tears by his own pathetic state. A dignified cultivator at the tenth level of Qi Refining was moved to tears by a mere mortal who gave him ten taels of silver.

It's like his good-for-nothing mother opening the door for him; he's already home.

After silently mocking himself a few times, Zhou Ming finally spoke.

"Thank you for the generous gift, Miss!"

Just as he was about to bow and leave, Su Mingyue spoke again.

She moved a celadon teacup beside her half an inch to the side, tapped her index finger lightly on the table, as if she had suddenly remembered something:

"I heard from Dongmei that before you left, you told her strange and wonderful stories every day at the martial arts training ground."

Zhou Ming's back stiffened slightly, his mind racing as he considered how to respond to that question.

Before he could think of what to say, Su Mingyue continued:

"You finished talking about the empress who became empress last time. Dongmei later told me that you changed to a new one, talking about the desert, swordsmen, and something about slaying dragons."

She slightly raised her phoenix eyes, her gaze falling on him, her tone as calm as if she were discussing the weather.

"Let me tell you another one. This time, let me tell you a new one."

A weight was lifted off Zhou Ming's shoulders.

If the young lady wants to hear a story, it means she's in a good mood today.

He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, mentally going through all the novels and movies he had read in his previous life.

The story of the Empress has already been told, and the young lady specifically instructed, "Don't tell those treasonous stories anymore."

They also told some martial arts stories, but Dongmei listened halfway through and was distracted, clearly not yet truly hooked.

So, what's left? He needs to find something long enough, exciting enough, suitable for all ages, and that won't touch any sensitive red lines of this era.

Then five words suddenly popped into his mind—"The Legend of the Condor Heroes".

A story about a nation and its people, about the greatest heroes, is top-notch no matter where it's placed.

The key is that the story is long enough; the first part alone could keep him talking for a month or two.

Zhou Ming raised his head and cleared his throat.

"Young Miss, this time I'll tell you something different."

Zhou Mingqing cleared his throat and began to tell the story of that snowy night in Niujia Village.

Qiu Chuji arrived through the snow and met Guo Xiaotian and Yang Tiexin by chance at a wine shop at the village entrance. The three drank together and became friends.

When the wives of the Guo and Yang families were both pregnant, Qiu Chuji bestowed upon them the name "Jingkang".

Then the Jin army marched south, and Wanyan Honglie was rescued by Bao Xiruo, the wife of Yang Tiexin, but his lust for her beauty led to the Jin army massacring Niujia Village.

Guo Xiaotian died in battle, Yang Tiexin fell off a cliff and his fate is unknown, Bao Xiruo was tricked into the Prince's mansion, and Li Ping was kidnapped and taken north to wander in the desert.

The two children were born on the same day, but their fates diverged forever from that moment on.

When Su Mingyue heard Bao Xiruo weeping every night in the Prince's mansion over Yang Tiexin's old belongings, her fingers unconsciously tightened around the rim of her teacup.

She still had that calm expression on her face, but Zhou Ming noticed that her hand holding the teacup hadn't moved for a long time.

He went on to say that Guo Jing grew up in the desert, clumsy yet stubborn, and learned martial arts very slowly but never gave up.

When Guo Jing first entered the Central Plains, he met a little beggar in Zhangjiakou. He invited her to dinner, and the beggar ordered a whole table of dishes. Guo Jing, being simple-minded, paid for everything.

The little beggar suddenly took off his hat while eating, and his long, black hair cascaded down like a waterfall...

"Is it a girl?" Su Mingyue suddenly asked.

Zhou Ming nodded.

Su Mingyue didn't speak again, but her brow relaxed almost imperceptibly.