It's just cooking a dish, how did it become the main character in a game?

Chapter 100 The Fragrance Pavilion

Seeing Liao Yudie suddenly become serious, Nan Xu smiled slightly: "Miss Yudie, you flatter me. I was just doing what I was supposed to do."

"Hmph, it's rare for me to thank you like this, so don't bother with any more refusals. Just accept it honestly." Liao Yudie curled the corners of her mouth.

As she spoke, she glared arrogantly at Lü Shaojiang, who was fast asleep on the ground, and said cheerfully, "This guy actually dared to choke me and kick me around! Hmph, now look what he's got, he'll be executed in the autumn!"

Liao Changfeng also smiled with relief and cupped his hands in greeting to Nan Xu, saying, "Brother Nan, if it weren't for you today, Yu Die would probably be in danger."

"As the Book of Rites says, 'It is impolite not to reciprocate.' If Brother Nan needs anything, please don't hesitate to tell us."

"My father is the prefect of Yangzhou. Although he is not a very high-ranking official, he can still mobilize some resources."

"If you don't mind, I would like to invite you to stay at our residence for a few days, so that I can show you some hospitality."

Nan Xu heard a "ding" sound indicating the task completion notification and smiled, "Since Brother Changfeng is so kind to invite me, then I will accept."

Then, he pulled a letter from his food pouch: "It's quite a coincidence that I passed through Zhenjiang this time because Lord Ding Baozhen gave me a letter of introduction, asking me to find Liao Hong, the prefect of Yangzhou, to attend a grand autumn food festival. Could it be—"

Liao Changfeng was taken aback upon hearing this, then overjoyed, exclaimed, "That's right, it's my father! I never imagined we would have such a connection!"

Nan Xu smiled slightly. In fact, he had wondered a long time ago whether the brother and sister were related to the Yangzhou prefect he was looking for, since the surname Liao was relatively rare.

However, he couldn't very well pull out his letter of introduction and ask directly, as that would be a bit too ostentatious.

Although the Yangzhou prefect was not as high-ranking as Ding Baozhen, he was often handpicked and trusted by the emperor, highly valued by him, and could even meet with the emperor frequently, making his position extremely prestigious.

Using Prefect Zhao as an example, although the Prefects of Huizhou and Yangzhou were both prefects, their statuses were worlds apart. In Huizhou, the local gentry held deep-rooted power, and wealth mostly flowed into the hands of wealthy and powerful families. Not only was the prefectural treasury nearly empty, but the prefect was also easily sidelined.

However, Yangzhou controlled the national canal transport, and its tax revenue accounted for a large proportion of the national treasury, resulting in a full treasury. Therefore, the prefect of Yangzhou often found it easy to achieve political success, and their future prospects were bright.

In that case, it seems I might actually be able to ask this Yangzhou prefect to help me collect some things I need.

Nan Xu pondered for a moment, then temporarily put the matter out of his mind.

The cooked duck won't fly away, so you can think about what kind of thank-you gift you want later.

For him right now, dealing with Lü Shaojiang is the more pressing issue.

So Nan Xu squatted down, took off Lü Shaojiang's weapon and food bag, and began rummaging through the bag.

"Brother Nan, what's going on here??" Liao Changfeng asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Although it's difficult for him to wake up without sleeping for half a day or a whole day, and your acupoints have been sealed, we still need to take some precautions," Nan Xu explained.

Then, he muttered to himself, "Perfect timing, I'm also a little curious about his identity—"

Soon, he touched a metal plaque with uneven textured patterns, which felt slightly cool to the touch.

Nan Xu took it out. The metal plaque was completely black, with gilded patterns carved on it and the three large characters "Jue Xiang Lou" engraved on it.

"This is----!"

Upon seeing this, Liao Changfeng's expression changed drastically, clearly recognizing the origin of the sign.

"Juexiang Tower—was it as expected?"

Nan Xu did not show any surprise. In his opinion, it would be strange if a Dark Hunter of this strength appeared nearby and was not from Juexiang Tower.

Normally, a Dark Hunter who has reached the fifth rank in martial arts should go to those secret treasure lands deep in the mountains and wilderness to obtain rare ingredients of higher grade.

Whether you find the ingredients yourself or lie in wait nearby to kill and rob, the harvest will be much higher than in this area.

Although this place is also in the wild, it is relatively close to Zhenjiang, and the most valuable ingredient that can be found here is the fifth-grade bear paw of this bear demon.

Therefore, Lü Shaojiang's presence here likely indicates that he has something else to attend to.

The Dark Hunters are unrestrained and act solely on their whims. If there is any force that can command them, it is only the Fragrance Pavilion.

Juexianglou is a large and mysterious organization that intermediaries people involved in the dark world of hunting. It has set up hidden contact points throughout Daxuan and, like an assassin organization, accepts and issues commissions, attracting a large number of people involved in the dark world to join.

Here, "deliciousness" is the currency that can be exchanged for everything.

Whether you want to know top-secret information, buy contraband that can't be bought on the market, or want someone to die a violent death, as long as you can provide delicious dishes or rare ingredients, Juexianglou can do it for you.

Lu Shaojiang's arrival near Zhenjiang was likely to complete Juexianglou's mission or to make contact with the liaison point.

"I never imagined I'd encounter someone from Juexianglou so early in this life—"

Nan Xu pondered for a moment, his brows furrowing slightly.

In the previous life, the villainous organization Juexianglou only gradually emerged and appeared in the players' field of vision in the later stages of version 1.0; before that, it had kept a low profile.

After much thought, he could only attribute it to his bad luck, which was that he happened to run into the people from Juexianglou on a mission.

Nan Xu didn't dwell on the matter too much and continued to reach into the food bag.

"Since he's from Juexianglou, he should be carrying—this!"

He took out a series of small porcelain bottles from his food bag and neatly stacked them on the ground.

Then, he uncorked one of the small gray bottles.

【Drunken Soul Powder】

[Type: Poison]

[Rank: Secret, Grade 5]

[Description: A potent, powdered anesthetic poison, dark yellow in color. When dissolved in alcohol, it instantly dissolves, causing rapid drowsiness and muscle relaxation. Those poisoned will fall into a state of drunken stupor, as if their soul has vanished; hence, it is called the "Drunken Soul Powder."]

Nan Xu then took out a wine pot from Lü Shaojiang's food pouch, added the Drunken Soul Powder to the wine, and forced Lü Shaojiang to drink it.

After doing all this, he carefully put away Lü Shaojiang's food pouch, used his inner energy to shake off the powder in his hand, and said with a smile, "Alright everyone, he definitely won't wake up for at least a few days now. We can go."

"this----"

Liao Changfeng was dumbfounded by Nan Xu's actions.

After a long pause, he bowed respectfully, saying, "No wonder Brother Nan dares to venture out alone at such a young age; your experience in the martial world is truly abundant. I, Changfeng, am ashamed of my own inferiority!"

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