“Kid?
What are you doing here?”
Li Tan shrugged his shoulders and pretended to be pitiful as he said, “It’s all because I offended the elder in charge of our discipline, so I was transferred here. Hey old man, what’s going on? Why are those people so afraid of you?”
“Tch, just a bunch of trash talking behind my back. Don’t worry about them.”
Zhang Zhenshan said somewhat unhappily, then lowered his head and blew into the stove, while giving an additional order, “You go ahead and cook the rice first.”
The task of assisting in the kitchen turned out to be even easier than imagined. It was basically done in less than an hour. Except for Zhang Zhenshan’s strange temper, Li Tan didn’t find anything particularly frightening about the place.
At nine in the morning, all the apprentice servants, whether their tasks were completed or not, gathered in the dining hall. Li Tan’s role was to serve them food, and then something strange happened.
In the two or three rows of line, the newly initiated apprentice servants were staring at him with curiosity, while the veteran apprentice servants were observing him very carefully, then looking quite strange.
What kind of reaction was this?
Did something have to happen for it to be considered normal?
Li Tan was so baffled by their stares. One by one, the people getting their food left, and finally it was Qiu Jue’s turn.
The little fat guy deliberately stood near the front and asked with obvious concern, “Nothing happened, right?
Are your hands and feet okay?”
Li Tan’s mouth twitched as he retorted, “What do you think?”
Qiu Jue scratched his head uncomfortably, “Hehe, seems like nothing serious.”
“Did you know something?
Tell me.”
Li Tan asked, feeling uneasy under the gazes of many people.
Qiu Jue looked left and right, then whispered even more quietly, as if afraid someone might overhear, right into Li Tan’s ear, “I’m not exactly sure either, but I heard a senior brother say that the cook has a very strange temper. Those who assist him often end up half-dead, and some unlucky ones even end up with broken arms and legs.”
Li Tan frowned, feeling something was off. Zhang Zhenshan’s temper was indeed a bit strange, but he didn’t seem like the kind of person Qiu Jue described.
“Hey, are you two lovebirds done talking? Hurry up!”
At this point, someone at the back started shouting. Qiu Jue quickly got his porridge and left. A little later, Xue Ying arrived.
Li Tan also asked her about Zhang Zhenshan. Xue Ying, equally worried, echoed Qiu Jue’s words and advised Li Tan to be careful.
It seemed the danger of assisting in the kitchen had already spread like wildfire. Although it might be a rumor, there’s no smoke without fire.
Li Tan recalled that Zhang Zhenshan was a grand elder yet was working as a chef here. This, combined with Zhang’s obvious discomfort when asked earlier that morning why assisting in the kitchen had such a bad reputation, made Li Tan realize that something must have happened to Zhang, forcing him to act this way.
To figure this out, there were currently two options: wait a while longer, and the “crippling” incidents would inevitably happen to him, or directly ask Zhang Zhenshan.
After much consideration, Li Tan decided it was better to ask directly.
After breakfast, Li Tan returned to the kitchen, where Zhang Zhenshan was sitting in front of the stove, lost in thought.
“Old man?
Senior?”
Li Tan called twice.
Zhang shifted his hips and answered unhappily, “I’m not deaf, I can hear you.”
Li Tan stood beside him, recounted what had just happened, and raised his questions.
Zhang Zhenshan’s mood changed rapidly from anger to sorrow, eventually sighing deeply, clearly feeling very down, as if recalling something.
Something had definitely happened to him. Li Tan cautiously asked, “Old man, what exactly happened to you?
If you don’t mind, tell me. Maybe I can help?”
Zhang Zhenshan shook his head, “I appreciate your kindness, but you can’t help me.”
“Why are you so sure I can’t help you?” Li Tan asked.
Zhang answered somewhat wearily, “My body has a problem. I keep losing my memory intermittently and fall into a somewhat frenzied state. Even the three-star alchemist summoned by the Three Emperors couldn’t do anything about it.”
“Can you tell me the specifics?
Maybe it’s related to your cultivation technique.”
“I’ve already considered that, but the result shows it has nothing to do with my cultivation technique. Since you’re so interested, I’ll tell you.”
Zhang Zhenshan then detailed his condition.
About a year ago, he suddenly started having problems. The first incident occurred during a cultivation session when he suddenly went berserk and nearly destroyed the training room. He remembered what happened afterward, but during the frenzied episode, he couldn’t recall anything, only feeling an intense urge to destroy.
Initially, he thought it was a case of a cultivation mishap, but after some time, he realized it wasn’t that simple. Even after stopping cultivation, the frenzied symptoms didn’t subside at all. Later, at great expense, a renowned three-star alchemist from the imperial capital of the Xia Dynasty was summoned.
The result was that the frenzied episodes were unrelated to a cultivation mishap, and there was no issue with his cultivation technique either. The exact cause was a mystery to the alchemist, who could offer no permanent cure. He left behind some calming pills, advising Zhang to reduce his cultivation time as much as possible. For personal reasons, Zhang decided to come here.
What followed was more or less as the apprentice servants described: he would often lose control, but thanks to the pills, he hadn’t done anything particularly extreme.
That was the general situation.
Li Tan was also puzzled after hearing this. He had never heard of such a condition before. If it was related to his cultivation technique, the three-star alchemist would certainly have considered that possibility and ruled it out.
But aside from the cultivation aspect, Li Tan couldn’t think of any other reason that could cause such frenzied episodes.
At this moment, Zhang Zhenshan suddenly stopped all his movements, his body slightly trembling, and his eyes turned fierce.
It was happening! Li Tan was startled and instinctively took half a step back, while Zhang grabbed a piece of wood from under his feet and threw it at him.
The speed wasn’t fast, just slightly quicker than a frenzied ordinary person, roughly equivalent to the middle stage of the Later Heaven Realm, somewhere between peak states. It seemed the effect of the pills given by the alchemist was quite strong.
Li Tan easily dodged the attack and then countered by subduing him. About half an incense stick’s time later, Zhang regained his composure, his silent demeanor very gloomy.
Li Tan hesitated for a moment and asked, “What kind of pills did that alchemist give you?”
Because of Li Tan’s status as a two-star alchemist, Zhang didn’t hide the truth, “Qingxin Powder.”
Qingxin Powder was a common third-grade pill, known for its calming effects, but its efficacy seemed far from this intense, capable of suppressing a master’s strength to this extent.
Li Tan sensed something was off, “Can I see the actual pill?”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage