CHAPTER 445: CHAPTER 179: "LAYER BY LAYER HIGH

In the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed.

The guesthouse hadn’t done much in the way of promotion.

But after several guests tasted the food and praised it highly,

word of the delicious dishes at the guesthouse in the suburbs gradually spread around the vicinity.

The most obvious change was that the usual number of guests, around two or three dozen tables, had increased to over a hundred.

"The shopkeeper is doing well. Is little Zhang cooking today?"

"Oh? Brother Li, you’re here too? Are you also here to taste Chef Zhang’s dishes?"

It was one afternoon about a month later.

Familiar guests chatted while waiting for their meals.

Some were old acquaintances who wished they could come every day.

Some even stayed at the guesthouse.

But it’s undeniable that they were all wealthy people.

Otherwise, who would stay at a guesthouse just to eat?

However, a few bosses and gentlemen wanted to invite Zhang Feng to cook at their homes.

Regarding these invitations, Zhang Feng refused them all.

In addition, as the shopkeeper’s nephew worked under General Hang, these people didn’t dare to cause trouble.

Yet, during this time, the shopkeeper’s nephew hadn’t come by at all.

It seemed he hadn’t been assigned any ’outdoor money-earning’ tasks.

Zhang Feng thought it was good, allowing him to cultivate and wait patiently.

And so, another three days passed.

The guesthouse business continued to flourish.

Today, even though it was clearly nine o’clock at night when most people would be heading home to sleep,

the guesthouse was still packed with patrons.

Though there hadn’t been any expansion, there were only sixteen tables (including the recently added ones outside the guesthouse).

This bustling scene was a testament to the saying "food is the god of the people," popular in any era.

The extra setup outside was a preliminary test to see if it could increase revenue.

If the city officials came to inspect, a fine could be paid and the setup removed.

With the shopkeeper’s nephew’s identity and the shopkeeper’s acquaintance with these soldiers, the fines wouldn’t be too steep.

However, for applying for land, just having money wasn’t enough; the nephew had to come in person too.

Because these soldiers and the shopkeeper were minor figures, they couldn’t discuss ’land’ matters.

Zhang Feng realized how difficult it was to get anything done in these times, for no apparent reason.

He even thought that even if the nephew came, it might not be enough.

However, the guesthouse had earned a significant amount of money during this period.

After deducting daily expenses and fines, there were 150 silver dollars left.

Zhang Feng himself received 120 silver dollars.

Even though the shopkeeper was quite stingy and reluctant, as if each payment cut into him, his shrewdness told him it was Zhang Feng who earned him the money.

If he didn’t distribute it well and Zhang Feng left, then he would be nothing.

Moreover, every time the guesthouse closed at midnight, Zhang Feng would occasionally paint pie-in-the-sky scenarios for him, saying that if they expanded, they might earn 150 silver dollars daily.

He could earn fifty a day just lying around.

So, there were no other issues, leaving only the most crucial one.

How to safeguard the money?

He was considering whether more people would see his wealth and come to take advantage.

As a result, the guesthouse had hired a few more daring helpers.

This gave the shopkeeper a greater sense of security.

Another fifty nights later.

It was eleven o’clock.

In the kitchen.

Zhang Feng was stir-frying a meat dish while contemplating the talisman problem.

He occasionally picked up a piece of meat to taste, ensuring the proper heat and filling his stomach.

There was no shortage of food during this time.

Coupled with his constitution already at 120, having opened five spiritual thoughts,

despite the increasing number of guests, he didn’t feel busy.

Cooking was now second nature to him, not hindering his cultivation and research.

However, with the Earth Spike about to be thoroughly researched, the nephew still hadn’t come.

This sparked a few ideas in Zhang Feng.

Previously, he had thought of leveraging the nephew’s connections to approach General Hang in a ’peaceful manner’ to seek more manuals.

But since the nephew hadn’t arrived,

after more time passed, he wouldn’t need to remain peaceful and could approach directly.

Though payments would still be made, and things would be amiable,

with his strength as a safeguard, there was no need for such meticulous and cautious planning.

But now, with the Earth Attribute research nearly complete, he needed new talismans to add to the research projects.

Zhang Feng thought for a while and decided to visit those two daoists to see if they had more talismans.

During these nearly two months, Zhang Feng had sought them out a few times, but mainly for treatment, without asking about more talismans.

So, he decided to look for the daoists first.

...

The next day, before dawn.

The biting winter wind felt like a knife.

Walking alone on the dark, muddy road leading into town.

Zhang Feng hurried along while glancing at the roadside.

Shua—

In less than a second, there formed a sharp Earth Spike about a meter long and ten centimeters in diameter.

This was a spell Zhang Feng activated using structure.

If not using the structure, it would only be seventy to eighty centimeters long, with a reduced diameter of seven to eight centimeters, and would be more fragile.

This was an Earth Spike ’pinched’ from Spiritual Qi.

Quite like the difference between a guerrilla and regular army.

Previously, his ’pinching’ was guerrilla style.

Structure is regular army style.

It’s akin to initially splashing someone with a bucket of water,

but now being able to focus it like a water cannon, with increased lethality.

Regardless of guerrilla or regular army style, both benefit from geological knowledge.

And with the support of the basic structural formula, the power of the spell is greatly enhanced.

Especially as Zhang Feng applied his understanding analogously, he felt he should be able to perform ’Water Needle’.