Ye Zhizhou was stuck on Level 50 of the mission.
"Annihilate the insectoid vice-captain in the Stone Forest Wilderness, reclaim the stolen village supplies, return the supplies to the villagers, obtain the villagers' gratitude, and cook a plate of spicy rabbit chunks."
Stone Forest Wilderness? He opened the world map and found the location. To his surprise, it was a level 60 dungeon that required a five-player party, and he had just reached level 60. After reaching level 50, the experience gained from quests no longer granted him one level per quest. In other words, he couldn't solo this dungeon at his current level.
He pondered for a moment, then opened the trading post to search for "Thunderbolt Rabbit Meat," but found no results.
"Friendship reminder: Quest rewards cannot be bought or sold."
Did he really have to tackle that darn dungeon? But he needed five people, and at best, he could only gather two... He wondered if that GM guy had a way to solo this level 60 dungeon.
He checked his friend list, but GM Lu's name was grayed out, indicating he was offline. He tentatively messaged a few other GMs, only to receive a series of standardized responses.
Ye Zhizhou was furious. They had promised to help with any problems, and now they were nowhere to be found. Scammers!
Players who were closely following the quest's progress noticed his predicament and started spamming the chat.
"I Love Crawfish: Pro! Enable the friend function. That level 60 dungeon is easy; I can carry you!"
"Flower Eyes: Add me, Pro. I'll make you look good and help you complete the quest without stopping!"
"Monday Lazy: Ye Zhizhou, add me. I can solo it for you."
"Angel's Wings: Ah, Xing Baobao! Xing Baobao, how are you online? Weren't you supposed to be in a fragrance competition? Xing Baobao, I love you!"
"Wealthy, My Bride: Another brainless person with a bad attitude! Ye Zhizhou, add me, and I'll bring my guildmates to help you with the dungeon."
Ye Zhizhou glanced at the time and realized it was still early. After considering it for a moment, he sent a friend request to Wealthy, My Bride, along with a private message.
Ten minutes later, a rough-looking guy holding a large knife appeared before him, accompanied by two men and one woman.
"Don't worry, Ye Zhizhou, our guild is strong enough to clear most dungeons in this game. We guarantee you'll complete the quest painlessly!"
"That's really kind of you." Ye Zhizhou had a favorable first impression of him and greeted him and his companions with a smile. He then added, somewhat embarrassed, "I don't have anything valuable on me to thank you. If you don't mind, you can have the rabbit meat I'll cook after completing the quest. It comes with a buff."
Wealthy, the big brother, wiped his knife and waved his hand dismissively. "No need to be so polite. We're helping you, but it's also for our own benefit. Jing Shu, that unscrupulous merchant, uses exclusive food with buffs as a gimmick and sells it at high prices. The result? After eating, you end up with negative effects. I don't know how many of our comrades she has fooled. It's really frustrating! Those top-ranked players who hang around her are brainwashed, too. Take that Xia Meizi, for example. She was definitely wronged, but no one believes her. It's infuriating!"
Ye Zhizhou was intrigued. "How can you be so sure that Xia Meizi was wronged?"
"It's quite a story. My wife is a cook, and she's quite picky about food. Out of curiosity, she tried making a few dishes following the leaked recipes, and then she compared them to what Jing Shu's restaurant was selling. She found issues with those recipes!" Wealthy spoke with a more relaxed expression when talking about his wife. Then, his face darkened again as he continued, "But those guys on the forums didn't believe my wife. They insisted that she had poor cooking skills. Ridiculous! They are all brainless! That crooked merchant said that it's because Xia Meizi was the first to awaken her cooking skills that her dishes had buffs. This ridiculous reason actually had believers! I asked the GM, and there's no such feature in the game! Players would rather believe a merchant's words than the GM's. They're all getting too carried away with the game."
Ye Zhizhou realized that someone had already questioned the situation. The next dungeon run and quest progress went smoothly. After completing the quest, he gave the pot of rabbit meat he cooked to Wealthy's bride, as promised. The next quest also required another dungeon run, and Wealthy and his friends, who had tasted his cooking, eagerly led him to the next destination.
Four hours later, he reached Level 55 of the quest, and it was getting late. Ye Zhizhou thanked Wealthy and his companions, then logged off contentedly.
Once out of the game, he walked to his desk, turned on his computer, and carefully read through the posts on the game forum that had once leaked the gossip about the recipes. He found Wealthy's wife's post and, with a few clicks, bumped the long-buried thread back to the front page.
When he woke up, the game forum was in chaos. The incident of the leaked recipes, which had originally been orchestrated by Jing Shu, was gaining attention again. A great player had used the recipes disclosed by Ye Zhizhou to recreate the authentic dishes and posted them all online!
The thread initially received criticism when it was first bumped to the front page, but as awakened chefs in the game attempted the recipes and confirmed that they indeed came with buffs, the tide turned dramatically.
"Big Show: I followed the genuine recipe provided by the pro and made the Double Prosperity Dragon, and it really gives a buff! Those who said the pro was lying and that you can't make it according to his recipe, go practice your cooking skills! If you strictly follow the pro's recipe, the final product absolutely has buffs! If you can't achieve that, it's because of your own skill problems!"
"Hehe: So, was Xia Meizi really wronged back then? These leaked recipes are all fake, right? Jing Shu's crying and pleading on the forums couldn't all have been lies, right?"
"Angel's Wings: Impossible! My dear Jing Shu wouldn't deceive anyone! Back then, Xia Meizi blatantly stole my dear Jing Shu's recipe and leaked it to the public. She couldn't even properly leak a recipe, and you blame my dear baby? Unbelievable!"
Wife, I Love You: Making mistakes on over a dozen recipes in a row, and those mistakes are all minor and hard to notice. Is the person leaking the recipes really that dumb? Braindead fans, it's time to recharge your IQ.
... →Si→Tu→Net→
Watching Drama Every Day: I remember back then when Xia Meizi came to the forum to plead her innocence. But how did those haters attack her? They were just jealous that Jing Shu, the goddess, could make money. Jealous that she had so many male fans. They had malicious intentions. They're not human. Haha, in real life, she's a rich young lady. Jealous of what? Also, those so-called "gods" who actually team up to defend a woman, it's mind-boggling. What's so great about these so-called gods with no brains and no shame? They're just blindly following her.
Hehe: When you mention it, I remember too. Those haters really had filthy mouths. I heard that Jing Shu even posted a thread saying she doesn't blame Xia Meizi, blah blah blah, but she deleted it after posting. Haha, those brainless fans even praised Jing Shu for being kind-hearted.
Little Journalist: Timidly raises hand, I have screenshots of that old thread.
Curiosity Kills the Cat: Is no one going to spill the beans on the story of Jing Shu and her seven "good brothers"? Please, experienced drivers, take care of the newcomers! We need gossip!
Braindead, Take Meds: Jing Shu used to like showing up on the forum, pretending to be a good person, and giving back to her fans. Why isn't she appearing now? Jing Shu, come out, let's confront and argue!
...
Bang!
Jun Shu Jing slammed her mouse.
Comments kept scrolling, and the tide had completely turned towards Xia Meizi. She stared at the recipes that had been recreated, her vision darkening. Who was it? Who? Wasn't it the enhancements caused by the secret ingredients she added? Why could these people create attribute dishes just by following the real recipes? Why!
Could it be... Could it be that the appearance of these attribute enhancements wasn't because of the secret ingredients, but because of the Imperial Feast? The thought struck her, and she felt a cold sweat forming on her forehead. She was anxious and frustrated. She had always believed that the enhancements were caused by the secret ingredients, so when she sabotaged Xia Meizi, she only made minor changes to the recipes before releasing them... If she had known that the enhancements had nothing to do with the secret ingredients, how could she have been so foolish as to publicly reveal such crucial recipes!
Her phone suddenly rang, and she picked it up to see that it was a call from Qi Xing. Her eyes flickered with panic. She took several deep breaths before answering the call. "Hello, Qi Xing, why are you calling me at this hour? Are you done with your work?"
"Shu Jing, what's going on with that online post? Did you really frame Little Xia back then?" Qi Xing's tone was unusually serious, and his words were especially intense. "Back then, Little Xia defended herself, saying she didn't leak the recipes, but you insisted that she did. You even swore that the leaked recipes were the real ones, and you only showed them to Little Xia. I chose to believe you at the time. Now you're giving me this result? You actually lied to me?"
"I didn't..." Jun Shu Jing bit her lip, softened her voice, and lowered her tone, saying, "I don't know why it turned out like this. My recipes were indeed shown only to her... Qi Xing, these recipes were a legacy left by my mother. How could I use them to lie and deceive people..."
There was silence on the other end of the phone, and then it was abruptly hung up.
She angrily threw her phone aside and glared at the computer screen with a sinister look in her eyes, clenching her fists. "Don't let me find out who's scheming against me from behind, or else..."
Turning off the game forum, Ye Zhizhou went downstairs and found Fu Xia, who was making snacks in the kitchen. He used his phone to bring up the post and showed it to her, asking, "What really happened back then?"
Fu Xia took the phone with a puzzled expression, scrolled through the post, and for a moment, her expression went blank. Then, she chuckled helplessly and whispered, "What else could it be? It's all because I was too foolish. Back then, I was leveling up outside the city, and I met Jun Shu Jing. I helped her out when I saw she couldn't handle the monsters. After that, she latched onto me, saying she was a casual player and how difficult leveling up was for her. I felt sorry for her, so I played with her and even considered her a good friend... But it turns out, it was all a lie. Through me, she got to know Qi Xing and, after getting close to him, she used a few recipes to sow discord between me and Qi Xing. Then she faked her own death, framed me, and forced me to quit the game."
Ye Zhizhou suspected that the original plot had some issues, but he didn't expect the reality to be almost completely opposite to the information in the plot. He confirmed, "Jun Shu Jing got to know Qi Xing through you? She approached you first?"
"Yeah." When mentioning Qi Xing, Fu Xia's eyes dimmed, and she said, "After being wronged, I immediately told Qi Xing the truth. But he chose to believe Jun Shu Jing, whom he had only known for a few months... It's really ironic."
Ye Zhizhou patted her shoulder soothingly and said, "Don't be too upset; he's just not thinking straight." Her cooking had been ruined by the female lead, so she needed some therapy.
After returning to his room, he followed the progress of the post for a while and then took out his phone to call Qi Xing. He invited him out for dinner, citing that he wanted to discuss Fu Xia's past experiences of being bullied in the game. On the other end of the phone, Qi Xing remained silent for a moment but eventually agreed to the invitation.
Although he was curious about the feeling of pulling up seven flags together, it seemed like finding a breakthrough point was a good choice for now.
At 7:30 in the evening, the well-groomed Qi Xing pushed open the door of Fu Yuan's private room right on time. Ye Zhizhou looked him up and down, pointed to the clearly separated dishes on the table, and said, "On the left are the signature Imperial Feast dishes from Junzi Ge, and on the right are the new dishes from my restaurant, Fu Yuan. Come, try them."
Qi Xing, who had thought he would be criticized and scolded, was momentarily stunned. He walked over to the opposite side of the table, took a seat, and hesitated for a moment before saying directly, "Mr. Fu, if Little Xia was really wronged back then, I apologize. You don't have to... Shu Jing is Shu Jing, and Junzi Ge is Junzi Ge. You don't have to..."
"You don't have to what? Weren't you helping Jun Shu Jing suppress the Fu family not long ago? Also, what do you mean 'if'? Little Xia was clearly wronged back then." Ye Zhizhou quickly realized Qi Xing's intention to side with and protect Jun Shu Jing, and his expression turned colder. He directly handed over the information he had found in the afternoon and said coolly, "When Little Xia was bullied, I wasn't playing the game, so I didn't know about these things. If I had known, I would have broken your legs a long time ago. As for that Jun Shu Jing, her mind is twisted beyond belief. I've never seen anything like it in my life."
Qi Xing was visibly taken aback by his words, and he frowned, looking at Ye Zhizhou.
"Can you guess what I discovered after triggering the Saint-level mission?" Ye Zhizhou gestured towards the dishes on the table, smiling. "Give it a try, even if it's just for the sake of your beloved Jun Shu Jing."
Qi Xing hesitated for a few seconds, then reluctantly sat down and picked up his chopsticks to reach for the dishes from Junzi Ge.
Seeing this, Ye Zhizhou raised an eyebrow and said leisurely, "The Lotus Seed Tofu, it contains three types of insect poison. After eating it, do you feel a clear and refreshing sensation in your brain?"
Qi Xing's chewing paused, and he furrowed his brows. "Insect poison? What do you mean?"
Without answering, Ye Zhizhou pushed a plate of his own dishes over and said, "Take another bite of this, and after you've finished, I'll explain what I mean."
Qi Xing looked at him warily, hesitated for a moment, and then picked up a bite to eat. After a few seconds, his expression became somewhat unpleasant.
Ye Zhizhou chuckled softly, got up, took out a set of grinding tools and a few Nine-Clear Dew Pills, and ground them slowly in front of Qi Xing's eyes. Then, he sprinkled the powder bit by bit into the dishes from Junzi Ge, saying, "This pill I have is called the Nine-Clear Dew Pill. I had it specially made to counteract the insect poison in Junzi Ge's dishes. Just now, I added it to the dishes from Fu Yuan as well. Do you feel more clear-headed now?"
Qi Xing stared at Ye Zhizhou's hand as he sprinkled the powder, his face dark, but he remained silent.
Ye Zhizhou pushed the Lotus Seed Tofu with the Nine-Clear Dew Powder over again and also a plate of Junzi Ge's dishes without any added substances. He continued, "Perhaps you made an error in your judgment earlier. You can reevaluate it now."
"No need." Qi Xing was particularly sensitive to fragrances, and after eating the dishes from Fu Yuan earlier, he had already noticed that something was wrong with the aroma of Junzi Ge's dishes. Besides, he had been experiencing a hazy sensation in his mind recently, as if something was clouding his thoughts. The momentary haziness had disappeared now, and his dulled sense of smell had returned.
He looked up at Ye Zhizhou, sincerely apologized, and then took the documents that he had previously pushed away.
[The probability of Qi Xing falling in love with the protagonist has decreased to 50%. Please try harder, Host.]
Ten minutes later, after reading the documents in silence for a long time, Qi Xing let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair with a self-deprecating smile. "I can't believe I fell for such a trick..."
[The probability of Qi Xing falling in love with the protagonist has decreased to 20%. Please try harder, Host.]
Ye Zhizhou sat back in his chair, his demeanor softening. "Now, can we have a proper conversation?"
Qi Xing looked at him, feeling dejected, and nodded.