Ku Qi lowered his voice:
"You should know that I come from Changjue Village, right?"
Ding Huan nodded; he had heard this from Ku Qi’s brother, Ku Yue.
Ku Qi continued,
"My third aunt is married in Daye City, and she has a daughter named... Guan Pou."
Ding Huan was startled; he seemed to have heard the name Guan Pou somewhere before, but he couldn’t remember where.
"Guan Pou is known as the most beautiful woman in Daye City. Many people know of her. Have you heard about her, Mr. Ding?"
As he spoke, Ku Qi looked at Ding Huan.
Ding Huan suddenly realized and remembered hearing about this woman when he had first entered Daye City.
It was during those days spent around the street corners that he heard people talking about the most beautiful woman, Guan Pou.
"Of course, who doesn’t know about the most beautiful woman?"
Now that he remembered, Ding Huan naturally said he knew.
Ku Qi chuckled,
"Not only is Guan Pou the most beautiful woman in Daye City, but she also has quite good aptitude. Hence, the Young Sect Master of the Yanyue Sect took a fancy to her and made a special trip to seek her hand in marriage, which has been agreed upon.
This time, the Daoist Sects in Daye City are recruiting disciples, and the Yanyue Sect is also recruiting. Once the recruitment ends, Guan Pou will follow the Yanyue Sect into the Taoist Realm."
"What does this have to do with me entering the Taoist Realm?" asked Ding Huan, puzzled.
Ku Qi waved his hand,
"How can it not be related? Listen to me. Guan Pou has a unique hobby – she’s very particular about food and loves gourmet dishes.
However, the cooks from the Yanyue Sect didn’t accompany the Sect here for the disciple recruitment, so they have to temporarily hire a mortal chef in Daye City to be responsible for her meals along the journey."
Ding Huan understood what Ku Qi meant; he was suggesting that Ding Huan apply for the chef position. Carrying a pot on his back, he indeed seemed to fit the part of a chef.
Ku Qi was unaware of Ding Huan’s thoughts and continued in an even lower voice,
"Don’t think this is just trivial news. My second uncle is the village chief of Changjue Village, and he came here with me. Guan Pou is his niece; otherwise, I wouldn’t have known about this.
This hasn’t been made public; they’ve only notified some well-known chefs to apply. If you hurry now, you should make it in time. Of course, if your cooking doesn’t suit my cousin’s taste, then there’s nothing that can be done."
"Thank you, Brother Ku. May I ask where it is?" Ding Huan decided to give it a try.
Ku Qi said,
"It’s at Jin Mansion in Daye City. My uncle by marriage, Jin Shouping, is the Sheriff of Daye City. You can find it by asking just about anyone."
"Thank you, Brother Ku. Whether or not I can go to the Taoist Realm, I will remember this favor," said Ding Huan sincerely.
Ku Qi’s voice dropped even lower,
"Mr. Ding, I have a feeling you’re no ordinary person, which is why I heeded your words. Can you now tell me why one shouldn’t join the Dual Soul Sect?"
To tell the truth, Ku Qi had considered the Dual Soul Sect as his own goal before.
Ding Huan sensed that there was no one around and, in a very low voice, said,
"Brother Ku, whether what I tell you is true or false, forget it immediately after hearing it and never mention this matter again."
Ku Qi slapped his chest, "Rest assured, Mr. Ding, I promise not to blabber."
Ding Huan nodded,
"I also heard from a friend that the Dual Soul Sect recruits top-tier genius disciples, and it’s very likely for the elders of the Sect to take over their bodies."
After saying that, without waiting for Ku Qi’s response, Ding Huan swiftly left with Lao Liu.
Ku Qi stood there stunned.
Body-snatching, body-snatching...
His complexion suddenly turned pale as he felt Ding Huan’s words held truth.
A newcomer, no matter how talented, couldn’t possibly become an elder-level being after just one year of cultivation.
Ding Huan’s words made sense; the elders were originally that powerful but needed new bodies to continue advancing their cultivation as their original bodies aged.
"Brother, I’m going to check out the Dual Soul Sect. Maybe I can join them," said Ku Yue as he came over and slapped Ku Qi on the shoulder, causing Ku Qi, who was already frightened, to shudder.
His temperament was more impulsive than Ku Qi’s, and although his aptitude was also quite good, he had not yet chosen which Sect to join.
Ku Qi regained his composure and barked, "You are not allowed; you can only be in the same Sect as me."
"Ah..." Ku Yue was shocked by Ku Qi’s overreaction and then said in confusion,
"But brother, we agreed before that we wouldn’t interfere with each other when choosing Sects."
Ku Qi said coldly,
"I’ve changed my mind now; you must listen to me."
Ku Yue’s face soured slightly as it was the family teaching that if the parents were absent, listening to the eldest brother was imperative.
...
Jin Mansion was easy to find; Ding Huan just asked one person and arrived outside Jin Mansion.
Ding Huan could hardly imagine that the residence of a mere Sheriff could be so large.
His Divine Will swept over it, and the whole Jin Mansion covered at least dozens of acres.
In the incredibly valuable land of Daye City, what kind of power could occupy such an expansive space?
Ding Huan felt he arrived quite timely; within his Divine Will, there were already eleven individuals dressed as chefs waiting in a large hall.
"Who are you looking for?" A steward looked questioningly at Ding Huan standing before him.
It was indeed Ding Huan’s outfit that was somewhat peculiar, carrying a large bag and followed by a monkey.
Ding Huan clasped his fists, "I’m here to apply for the young lady’s chef position."
Applying as a chef?
The steward’s mouth curled into a smirk of derision,
"Are you sure you’re here to apply as a chef?"
Ding Huan felt something wasn’t quite right; his Divine Will had detected that there were more than a dozen people waiting inside the mansion.
From his observation through his Divine Will, among these people, five or six were carrying kitchen utensils, obviously here to apply for the chef position too.
Why did the house servant give him such a strange look when he came to apply for a chef position?
"That’s right, I am here to apply for the chef position," Ding Huan affirmed.
"Put your stuff down and get lost," the house servant commanded, reaching for the tiger-head knife leaning to one side and grabbing it in his hand.
Ding Huan laughed in exasperation.
If they were not going to allow him to apply, that was one thing, but to leave behind his belongings? Did this mean that unless he relinquished his possessions, they would kill him?
"Since you don’t need a chef, then forget it," Ding Huan said as he turned to leave.
"What, you think you can come and go as you please?" The house servant actually blocked Ding Huan’s way.
He then seemed to press something.
In just a short time, Ding Huan saw about a dozen house servants rush over, with a man wearing a steward’s uniform leading them, apparently a steward.
"Manager Chong, this guy heard some news from who-knows-where and actually came to apply for a chef position."
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Seeing the steward-like figure approaching, the house servant quickly stepped forward to report.
"Kid, tell us who gave you the information. Then break one of your legs yourself, and I’ll let you live."
The steward grinned wickedly as he approached Ding Huan.
Ding Huan furrowed his brows, something wasn’t right.
He had some connections with Ku Qi and there were no conflicts of interest between them; Ku Qi had no reason to harm him.
"Well, if you won’t tell us, you have no choice," the steward said, gesturing with his hand.
The dozen or so house servants surrounding Ding Huan closed in, ready to act at the steward’s command.
Ding Huan’s Divine Will scanned a veiled woman passing by in the courtyard not far from the gate; despite her veil, his Divine Will was not obstructed.
Such a beautiful woman. Apart from Xinyue, whose beauty was restored, he hadn’t seen any woman more beautiful than the one before him.
This must be Guan Pou, the one looking to recruit a chef.
Thinking this, Ding Huan raised his voice and said:
"I came here to apply for the chef position. If you won’t let me in, that’s fine, I’ll leave, but what are you trying to do? Do you also want to kill me?"
Ding Huan made sure his voice carried to the woman’s ears as he spoke loudly.
He felt that things were not as the steward was making them appear.
"Seize him!" Seeing that Ding Huan was not only unyielding but dared to speak back so boldly infuriated the steward.
A bunch of house servants drew their weapons, and Ding Huan could only sigh. He decided to kill a swath of them and then leave Daye City.
"Who dares to make a move?" A cool voice rang out.
Everyone turned and saw a young girl standing at the entrance of the courtyard, her face covered by a sheer scarf.
Without needing to see her face, just by looking at her graceful figure, all the house servants knew that the young mistress of the mansion had arrived.
"Young Mistress..." The color drained from the steward’s face.
He could not comprehend why the young mistress would appear here.
The young mistress hardly ever walked out of the courtyard alone, and considering that she was about to leave the Mortal World, she didn’t even leave her room most of the time.
Yet today, not only had the young mistress come out, but she had also stepped beyond the courtyard.
"What is happening?" Guan Pou asked with a chilly tone.
"This person’s origins are unclear, acting suspiciously at the entrance of Jin Mansion. I was preparing to seize him and then hand him over to the City Guard."
The steward hastily explained.
He only hoped that Ding Huan would be intimidated by now and would not speak up to elaborate.
Ding Huan had more gumption than the steward thought, as he stepped forward and said with a fist salute:
"A friend told me that Jin Mansion was hiring a chef. I thought my cooking skills were decent, so I came to try my luck.
Once here, the house servant told me they weren’t hiring chefs, so I decided to leave. To my surprise, they wouldn’t let me leave, and they wanted to break my legs and also take my bag."
"Is that so?" Guan Pou calmly looked at the steward.
Cold sweat broke out on the steward’s forehead, and after muttering incoherently for a while, he could not utter a single word.
"It seems to be true then," Guan Pou stated, her tone still calm.
The steward fell to his knees with a thud:
"Young Mistress, please spare my life. I was blinded by foolishness, thinking none of these foreign chefs were skilled enough, so I didn’t want to waste your time by allowing them into the mansion."
Guan Pou paid no attention to the steward, instead she spoke directly to Ding Huan:
"Since you’re here for the chef assessment, you should enter now. The assessment is about to start."
Ding Huan responded with a fist salute:
"Thank you, young mistress."
With that, he and Lao Liu entered Jin Mansion without any hesitation.
This was linked to whether he could enter the Taoist Realm or not; he wasn’t going to act courteously.
Although Ding Huan had entered the mansion, his Divine Will remained outside. He wanted to see how Guan Pou would handle this group of house servants.
"Are these people under your supervision?" Guan Pou asked calmly.
The steward quickly responded:
"Yes, I made a mistake, young mistress. I assure you..."
Before the steward could finish his sentence, Guan Pou waved her hand and with a calm voice commanded:
"Check how many people he has around him still in the mansion, including these here, and kill them all."
"Yes," a sudden voice responded, as a man with a murderous aura appeared before the steward.
By then, Guan Pou had already entered the courtyard.
Ding Huan watched, his mind jarred by the woman’s decisiveness to kill.
Clearly, the steward had been abusing his position, selling the chef recruitment slots for his own gain.
Once Guan Pou caught him, she didn’t bother to ask further questions, opting to eliminate them all outright.