Chapter 16: Miraculous Cuisine (Fourth Update, Monthly Ticket Bonus)
Su Xiao draped his shirt over his shoulder, took out a map, confirmed his direction, and left the clearing.
He was going to eat, but it wasn't just about food. He was also looking for someone, a master hidden in Water Seven. Of course, whether this master was real or not was for him to judge on his own.
Half an hour later, Su Xiao arrived at the eastern side of Water Seven. By a wide waterway, a small boat was moored at the shore.
This boat wasn't used for going out to sea; it was a small restaurant built on the vessel.
Inside the boat's canopy was a low dining table that could seat at most three people. At one end of the table were cooking utensils, with pots, pans, bowls, and dishes neatly arranged.
There were no customers on the small boat. An old man, skinny as a rail, was leaning against the bow, snoring loudly, drool dripping from his mouth. The old man was at most one meter twenty tall, with limbs like twigs, a face full of wrinkles, two age spots, white hair and beard, and only a few sparse teeth remaining.
The old man slept soundly, clutching an empty wine bottle in his hand, seemingly without a care. Yet, for some reason, Su Xiao felt hesitant to approach.
This old man was like a lion in its twilight years. Though aged, its residual might remained.
Su Xiao stepped onto the boat, sat down at the dining table, and didn't wake the old man.
After about ten minutes, the scrawny old man seemed to have trouble breathing, choked on some saliva, and woke up with a cough.
The old man opened his eyes groggily and instinctively raised the wine bottle to drink, but it was already empty.
"Hm?" The old man looked at Su Xiao with sleepy eyes.
"We don't serve customers at noon. Come back in the evening."
The old man seemed uninterested in cooking and closed his eyes to go back to sleep.
"I heard there's a chef here with superb culinary skills who also loves to drink. I specially brought a bottle of fine liquor as payment for the meal."
Su Xiao took out a bottle of liquor. On it were three gleaming golden characters: 'Wu Liang Ye'!
The old man saw the liquor in Su Xiao's hand and shook his head. He had never seen this kind of alcohol before, but he had heard of or tasted all the world's fine liquors.
"Come back in the evening..."
The old man stopped mid-sentence. Su Xiao had already opened the bottle of Wu Liang Ye, and the unique mellow aroma of baijiu wafted out.
Compared to the alcohols of the pirate world, baijiu's brewing method was more unique and refined, making its fragrance richer and more enticing.
"What... what kind of liquor is this?"
The old man swallowed his saliva, stood up with some difficulty, and hobbled over to Su Xiao with a cane, trembling.
Seeing the old man's steps, Su Xiao felt a bit embarrassed. The old man hadn't taken more than a few steps before his two withered, twig-like legs seemed like they might break at any moment.
"Let me have a taste, and I'll cook you a meal shortly."
Su Xiao handed over the Wu Liang Ye. The old man took it with trembling hands, tilted his head back, and took a large gulp.
As the baijiu went down his throat, the old man's face immediately flushed red, and his eyes widened.
"Gulp."
The old man swallowed the large mouthful of baijiu and let out a long, satisfied burp.
"What a strong liquor."
The old man's body swayed a bit. That single gulp had to be at least half the bottle.
With a thud, the old man collapsed to the ground, letting out even snoring sounds. Miraculously, the bottle's mouth was pointing upward. Su Xiao was speechless. The old man had gotten himself drunk.
He didn't bother with the old man. His gaze shifted to two photos inside the boat's canopy. One was a picture of a sea surface, and the other was a group photo of two people.
In the group photo, a man with an afro was locking a yellow-haired youth in a headlock. The yellow-haired youth was struggling in protest, with a scratch on his face, as if he had just been in a fight.
In this photo, the man with the afro was the old man on the boat, and the yellow-haired youth was named Zeff, a pirate.
Red-Leg Zeff had once sailed the Grand Line for a year. Later, for unknown reasons, he left the Grand Line and got out unscathed. His strength was unknown, but he was definitely not weak.
In the original story, Sanji had once come to this restaurant boat. In this old man's words, Zeff, who had been a pirate, was just a brat.
Based on Su Xiao's estimation, this old man's strength in his youth might not have been lower than that of a pirate with a bounty over one hundred million Berries, and he might even have been stronger. The reason was the photo of the sea.
If he wasn't mistaken, the sea in the photo was 'ALL BLUE,' the dream sea of all chefs!
Of course, this was just Su Xiao's guess. If he was right, this old man's identity was definitely not simple. It wasn't impossible that he even mastered both types of Haki.
After waiting for about an hour, the old man slowly woke up.
"Getting old, can't hold my liquor anymore."
The old man shook his head. Aside from the smell of alcohol on his breath, there was nothing unusual. His physique seemed frail, but in reality, it wasn't weak.
The old man tottered over to the stove, picked up a kitchen knife with trembling hands, and began to cook.
Su Xiao wasn't very interested in cooking. As long as the food wasn't unpalatable, that was fine. He didn't plan to delve into culinary arts.
A few minutes later, a steaming plate of seafood noodles was placed in front of Su Xiao.
"I won't drink your liquor for nothing. Give it a try."
The old man hobbled back to the bow, took small sips of the Wu Liang Ye, and wore a look of enjoyment. This fine liquor from Earth quickly won over the drunkard.
Su Xiao was also a bit hungry. He picked up some seafood with his fork and put it in his mouth. Three seconds later, he was stunned.
He had always thought that 'so delicious it explodes' was an exaggerated expression, but this seafood noodles truly was explosively delicious. It was the most delicious food he had ever eaten, bar none.
"Hahaha, my cooking's not bad, right? Do you have any more of this liquor?"
Su Xiao shook his head. He couldn't rush negotiations with this old man.
"A pity." The old man said nothing more. Su Xiao quickly finished the seafood noodles, feeling unsatisfied, and stood up to leave.
"Kid, your purpose for coming here isn't just for the food, is it?"
Su Xiao paused mid-step and turned his head to look at the old man.
"I'm a swordsman."
Leaving this cryptic remark, Su Xiao turned to leave.
The old man licked his lips, tasting the slightly spicy liquor, also feeling a bit unsatisfied.
"Kid!"
The old man called out loudly. Su Xiao turned back, puzzled.
"When training in physical techniques, pay attention to the key points, and don't be impatient. You're too hasty. Your ankle is injured, isn't it? Come to me tonight, and I'll make you a medicinal meal."
Su Xiao felt a secret delight but kept his expression neutral.
"Thank you for the advice."
Su Xiao took out another bottle of Wu Liang Ye and placed it on the gunwale.
"Didn't you say there was none left?" The old man looked at Su Xiao thoughtfully.
The old man grinned.
"This kind of liquor is very rare. I got it by chance, only a few bottles."
The old man didn't suspect anything. He had never seen this kind of liquor before.
"Come by often from now on."
"Mm."
Su Xiao turned and left. He was now certain that this old man was no ordinary person.
Su Xiao spent the entire afternoon practicing Shave. With the old man's warning, he rested for a while after every two hours of practice.
At five-thirty in the evening, Su Xiao arrived at the old man's restaurant boat as promised.
The old man was cooking a pot of thick soup. Seeing Su Xiao arrive, he ladled out a large bowl of the soup.
"Give it a try."
A large bowl of thick soup was placed in front of Su Xiao. He vaguely saw mushrooms and several medicinal herbs in the soup.
He picked up the bowl and took a sip. The taste wasn't great, slightly bitter, but it wasn't poisonous.
After drinking the soup in a few gulps, Su Xiao let out a long breath. Just then, a notification from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[Hunter has consumed 'Secret Medicinal Cuisine Dish.' Max Health +10 points. Physique attribute slightly increased. Due to insufficient 1 point, it cannot be displayed in personal information. This item only provides a physical boost on the first consumption.]
A warmth spread in his stomach. Su Xiao felt a sense of comfort throughout his body. The soreness in his ankles from practicing Shave had eased somewhat.
"My medicinal cuisine isn't bad, is it? Back in the day, even Golden Lion and Roger would come to my restaurant to eat, all for the medicinal cuisine."
The old man seemed to have seen through Su Xiao's purpose.
"I really like that liquor of yours. Come to my place every night, and I'll make you medicinal cuisine. In return, one bottle of that liquor."
Su Xiao didn't mind being seen through. Rather than putting on a fake show of goodwill, it was better to choose mutual benefit. The attitude he had shown at noon was: give him benefits, and he would provide good liquor. With a Charm attribute of 5, no plot character would help him voluntarily. Su Xiao's greatest strength was his self-awareness.
He took out a bottle of 'Moutai' and handed it to the old man. Even now, he didn't know the old man's name, so he simply called him the Medicinal Cuisine Old Man.
He had no interest in the old man's name or background. As long as he knew that the old man had once been very strong and could make medicinal cuisine, that was enough.
"Burp~, not bad. Although it's different from that liquor at noon, each has its own character."
The Medicinal Cuisine Old Man took a sip of the Moutai and was very satisfied. Su Xiao was also very satisfied. The fatigue from a day of training was completely swept away after drinking the medicinal cuisine.
There were still three days until the Straw Hat Pirates landed on the island. Su Xiao had to reap benefits as quickly as possible, at least to initially master 'Shave.' With the help of the Medicinal Cuisine Old Man, this wasn't too difficult.
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