066 Guesthouse VIP Client

After swallowing an entire pot of fish maw, Chen Jue found even his burps carried a fishy stench. Left with no choice, he went out to seek advice from the guesthouse auntie. She explained that fish maw should be soaked for a long time before stewing, with frequent changes of water to remove the odor. When stewing, the lid should be left open, and generous amounts of yellow wine and rock sugar should be added, along with a piece of old ginger to dispel cold and eliminate the fishiness.

During the process, yellow wine should be replenished as needed—ideally, pour in more than half a bottle and treat it as water. Use large chunks of rock sugar, adding several pieces to suppress the smell; these are tried-and-true secrets from the island’s fishermen. Of course, if Chen Jue had bought old fish maw, which lacks the fishy odor, he wouldn’t need to go to such lengths. But old fish maw is in high demand, and even that bucktoothed shop owner had none in stock, selling it at exorbitant prices if he did.

After hearing this, Chen Jue slapped his thigh in sudden realization. That morning, he’d followed an online tutorial, adding only a bit of cooking wine and sugar, so no wonder the fishiness remained. He resolved to buy a few bottles of yellow wine and some old ginger next time in town. After exchanging greetings with the guesthouse auntie and agreeing to join dinner that evening, he transferred a thousand to her payment code for groceries for the next few days, then returned to his villa for a nap.

Having practiced all morning, he felt fatigued and went upstairs to sleep until half past two in the afternoon. After getting up, he washed his face with cold water to banish the drowsiness, then went downstairs to practice the Twelve Forms of the Tendon-Changing Classic, invigorating his blood and easing fatigue, before continuing to grind proficiency in the Thirteen Guardians Iron Body technique.

With the support of the Shaolin Bronze Man, progress in this internal-external hard style was swift, though still required time and effort. Fortunately, reaching higher levels in this technique also accumulated free attribute points, and stimulated modest growth in strength, agility, and constitution—a truly multifaceted benefit.

…

He glanced at the television in the living room, which was playing the second episode of last night’s secret realm documentary, this time featuring the Amazon rainforest. Chen Jue practiced his skills while absorbing the knowledge from the documentary, spending a fulfilling afternoon.

When it was time for dinner, the guesthouse auntie came to call him. Chen Jue wiped the sweat from his body and hurried over to join the meal.

Dinner was sumptuous: crab, small yellow croaker, mantis shrimp, homemade dried fish, and several savory and vegetable dishes, just as the guesthouse uncle had boasted—delicious, rivaling any restaurant, and the lively conversation made the atmosphere distinct from eating alone.

Chen Jue devoured four large bowls of rice in one go, nearly emptying the rice cooker, and polished off every dish on the table. His hearty appetite drew praise from the elderly couple, seasoned by countless guests, who marveled at his robust build and lack of pickiness.

After the meal, he strolled along the beach; with summer vacation just ended, there were few tourists—a scattered handful at most. Listening to the rhythm of the waves and gazing at the majestic scene where the dark blue sky met the distant sea, Chen Jue felt utterly relaxed and free.

His days revolved around practice, regular meals, and sleep. That morning, he’d made a tidy sum from a seabed venture, so finances were no concern for now, and his worries seemed washed away by the waves.

Letting his mind wander, he waited for his stomach to settle, then returned to his villa, changed into swim trunks and a diving mask, and slipped into the rocky coast under cover of darkness.

He dove more than forty meters deep into the pitch-black night sea, searching bit by bit until he found the stone sphere he’d lost nearby during the day.

He began his nightly practice, the proficiency in the Taiji Fist stance already at 1562 out of 2000—just a couple days more and this level three skill would break through again.

Energized, his pores sealed, warm currents coursed through his body, his skin attuned to the undertows below. With his constitution improved by the day’s Iron Body training, he could hold his breath even longer.

He practiced underwater for more than twenty minutes before surfacing with the stone sphere, crawling back onto the rocks.

Stashing the stone sphere in the familiar crevice, he ran back to the villa for a shower, rest, and a soak in hot water for his feet, all while continuing to watch the natural world documentary.

The third episode featured the icy Antarctic continent, with penguins, walruses, whales, and other marvels. What caught Chen Jue’s attention most was the Antarctic krill.

The documentary explained that these shrimp have astonishing reproductive power: females enter their spawning season in spring, producing four to six batches of eggs, with tens of thousands in a single batch. This keeps their population mass constantly in the tens of billions of tons.

Chen Jue mentally compared this number to the total mass of humanity and realized the difference was staggering, prompting him to exclaim, “Even more productive than the sows on the old collective farm!”

…

After soaking his feet and practicing the Tendon-Changing Classic to relieve fatigue and restore some energy, Chen Jue resumed grinding proficiency in the Thirteen Guardians Iron Body technique.

He practiced until ten at night, exhausted, before a quick rinse and finally climbing into bed to rest.

The next day he woke as usual before six. Years of training had instilled a powerful biological clock, enhanced further by the perfected Child’s Skill “One Breath, Dawning Sun” state. No matter how tired he’d been from the previous night’s practice, he always woke refreshed, his spirits high.

He went out to the rocky coast to practice diving again for over ten minutes. Morning stamina was less than at night, likely because his stomach was empty; at most, he could hold his breath underwater for seventeen or eighteen minutes while fasting.

After coming ashore and wiping himself down, he saw the guesthouse auntie already busy preparing breakfast and asked if he could join.

The auntie welcomed him warmly—after all, Chen Jue had paid a month’s rent, over twenty thousand, making him a VIP guest. He’d also sent a thousand for groceries, and last night’s dinner surely hadn’t finished all the food.

Breakfast was a coarse rice noodle common in Wen City, locally called slippery rice noodle, delicious and refreshing, served with two fried eggs, some green cabbage, a sprinkling of dried shrimp, and a ladle of meat broth cooked in a pressure cooker, reminiscent of glutinous rice porridge—utterly savory.

Regrettably, there were no large chunks of stewed ribs like those sold in dim sum shops; after all his training, Chen Jue’s craving for meat was especially strong. Still, this bowl of noodles from his childhood memories made him extremely happy.

He hadn’t finished his bowl when the guesthouse uncle returned from the morning market with unwelcome news.

“Ah Jue, the fishmongers at the market say a typhoon is coming in a few days!”

“Do you still want to keep staying here?”