[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-book-of-strange-tales":3,"chapter-the-book-of-strange-tales-the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-57":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Book of Strange Tales",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2317337,4532,"Chapter 57: No! Master, you","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-57",57,"\u003Cp>Still under the tree in the courtyard, a long wooden table assembled from planks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two large basins sat in the center, filled to the brim with pugai noodles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thud!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bell rang, and a group of senior brothers walked over, laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, brother, we’ve been smelling the meat aroma for ages! Did you steal Master’s pickled meat to cook?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That meat was brought by pilgrims who came to burn incense and gave it to Master—Master hardly ever dares to eat it himself. If you cook it badly, you’ll get scolded!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, you’re too careless! Don’t you think we’ve all been eyeing those pieces of meat? It’s all because Master’s stingy—he won’t spend much effort on ‘eating,’ won’t let us have any. If he’d just let us cook it into rice, whether porridge or plain, wouldn’t it add some saltiness?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s already cooked…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I say we should’ve cooked it long ago!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone sat down laughing, their chatter never ceasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when he looked down, he saw the pugai noodles were wide and thin—clearly different from the usual rice and dishes they cooked. The broth held pickled meat, bamboo shoots, and chicken mushrooms—flavors he could imagine, and the distinct aroma of chicken mushrooms rose clearly; he was instantly surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several senior brothers weren’t good at cooking, but they’d eaten well before. Besides, in this age, most people were just glad to be full—few knew how to cook well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, they could tell tonight’s dinner was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s this called?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pugai noodles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tsk! Brother can cook noodles too…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just simple things.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they spoke, Lin Jue had already served each of them a bowl with the little sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the senior brothers picked up their chopsticks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eat, eat…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, it was Elder Cloud Crane who spoke first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the senior brothers and sister lowered their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They picked up a thin, wide slab of noodle, soaked in broth, steaming hot, and brought it to their lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first bite—beyond the heat—brought the salty-savory taste of pickled meat and bamboo shoots, then the unique fragrance of chicken mushrooms. After chewing a few times, they were astonished by the noodle’s perfect texture: soft yet chewy, smooth yet resilient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without doubt, this was a flavor never tasted in the monastery, and even in the nearby mountains below, such a dish was rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of all, it was truly delicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After just one bite, all fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue didn’t look at them—he kept serving a bowl for his pet fox, using the special bowl made for it by the fifth senior brother, placing it on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fox glanced at him, then obediently bent its head to eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This little thing never turned up its nose—it ate whatever was given.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after the first bite, it froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its eyes widened instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It tilted its head, disbelieving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Took another bite—eyes widened again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue found it amusing and chuckled, finally looking up—and saw everyone at the table staring at him, stunned. Their expressions weren’t as exaggerated as the fox’s, but close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Why aren’t you eating?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone lowered their heads again, and a chorus of slurping filled the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, at the monastery gate, thin mist lingered among the pine trees, and the mountain carried a chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young Daoist stood holding a donkey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind still echoed with last night’s words—after everyone had eaten, not a drop of broth left, as if only then had they found the leisure to speak:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, weren’t you a scholar before coming up the mountain? Why do you seem more like a cook?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, if you’re this good at cooking, why didn’t you say so sooner? Now I have no side dishes to go with my wine every day!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lin Jue, since you’re so good at cooking, you may use the pickled meat. But the monastery seems out of ingredients—tomorrow, take a few taels of silver from the treasury and go down the mountain to buy more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No! Master, you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that morning, he made them another bowl of pugai noodles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that Lin Jue couldn’t cook other things—he simply had made only one dish they’d tasted, and they’d been awestruck, demanding it again and again; he couldn’t refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After breakfast, he stood at the monastery gate early, beside the monastery’s only donkey, its back laden with two square bamboo baskets, and beside him stood the little sister, with a little fox at her feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, where did you learn pugai noodles?” the little sister asked, worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Learned it at home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“B-Brother, can you cook other things too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little sister stood silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while, the seventh senior brother stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yishan was remote; the nearest market was dozens of li away, and today wasn’t market day—it only happened once a month. They had to go to the county seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The county seat was nearly a hundred li distant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Distance aside, the entire route was mountain paths, especially near Yishan—deep grass, dense forest, treacherous roads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Round trip would take at least two days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue and the little sister were both young; Master naturally assigned one of the senior brothers to accompany them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seventh senior brother was the youngest among them, around twenty-four or twenty-five, specializing in illusion arts. When Lin Jue and the little sister first arrived, he’d performed for them often. He loved traveling and knew the road to the county well; he got along easily with both.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three had already begun descending the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s hurry—we must reach the city before nightfall, or the gates will close. If you get tired, don’t push yourself—the donkey can carry you a ways.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior brother, no need to worry. Since we came up the mountain, we’ve chopped wood daily, running up and down, sometimes shuttling between Immortal Source Monastery—we’ve trained hard. Besides, we’ve begun cultivation; this nearly hundred-li journey is nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his personal estimation, a li in this world was shorter than the li he remembered. Nearly a hundred li was probably less than forty kilometers—a strong walker could cover it from dawn to dusk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even merchants and porters, struggling to survive, carried loads and made the journey—much less young, strong, empty-handed people like them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior brother, don’t worry—I run up the mountain every day to repair the path, I’m already in shape!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little sister had become a qualified laborer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seventh senior brother chuckled, patting the donkey’s back: “Brother Donkey, you’ve got another hard day ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He and the donkey walked at the front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little sister walked in the middle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue placed his firewood axe in the donkey’s bamboo baskets, leaned on his staff as a walking stick, and brought up the rear. The little fox trotted in small steps, pausing and moving, its position shifting constantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seventh senior brother wasn’t dull—he talked as they walked, describing the mountain scenery: how it looked on sunny days, in rain and mist, which spirits lived in the mountains, which ones he’d visited, which brooks were good for catching crabs, which for fish—he knew them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even beyond Yishan’s borders, toward the county seat, he could name every village and every river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From morning to noon, to afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From leaf-strewn mountain paths to village trails, then to wide imperial roads, the number of travelers increased—caravan teams with horses and mules, peddlers with shoulder poles and carts—gradually growing lively. This was a stark contrast to the quiet solitude of Fuxiu Monastery, as if entering another world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the twilight glow, a city emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re here,” the seventh senior brother said. “Yixian is the prefectural seat—a sizable city.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yixian...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, what do you want to buy? This trip, you’re the senior—decide everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s see first—it’s almost night, probably few shops are still open.” Lin Jue thought. “First, check how many stores remain open in the city.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whatever you say!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seventh senior brother walked ahead toward the city gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few guards with spears stood at the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seventh senior brother approached, pulled a folded document from his sleeve, turned to point at Lin Jue and the little sister, explained their origin, and said they were coming to buy supplies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guards glanced at the seventh senior brother, then at the mule and the two youths, and their gaze settled on the little fox at Lin Jue’s feet—by now, the fox was clearly identifiable. Given the many strange legends about foxes in the folk, the guard frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after glancing at the unusual credential, the fox accompanying a Daoist seemed proof enough of the Daoist’s extraordinary nature; the doubt lasted only a moment, then turned to respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Daoists, please enter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All three bowed thanks and walked through the gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You two might not know,” the seventh senior brother said, “the court issues two types of credentials: one is a single sheet of paper, given to ordinary monks and Daoists to prove identity; the other is a folded booklet. If you hold this kind, it means your monastery has real spiritual power—at least when it was issued.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So that’s how it is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he had already passed through the archway, and the streets of the city came into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just past the city gate lay the main road, lined mostly with Huizhou-style buildings of white walls and blue tiles, their eaves staggered. It was dusk now; the white walls glowed pale gold, the blue tiles caught a glimmer of light, and the street still held many pedestrians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some vendors were preparing to leave the city, some shopkeepers were closing their doors, others still shouted their wares, and people walked the streets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the growing commerce in recent years, this city remained quite prosperous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior sister opened wide curious eyes, constantly glancing at the roadside shops and inns, locking gazes with every passing mule or donkey, and studying the vendors walking by and the children running in the distance—only when she spotted vendors selling snacks did she deliberately look away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little fox was much the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lin Jue found it, the creature was so tiny it remembered almost nothing but Fuxiang Peak and the Daoist priests; to it, this was an entirely new world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dogs lined the street, all staring at it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet whether from ignorance of dogs or something else—legend said even fox spirits feared dogs—the little fox stretched its neck to stare them down, then continued its tiny steps to keep pace with Lin Jue.\u003C\u002Fp>",1761,"2026-06-20T14:45:35.226Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cbbc3bd3c98d11783414420fff7a73fdd38a71ecda2046e2ab7c28a4327d6b6b","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-58","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-56",608,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-book-of-strange-tales-cover.jpg"]