Chapter 17: Cousin’s Talent

After the business discussion was over, the roasted lamb was served. The shop assistant began to introduce the eating methods and characteristics of the roasted lamb.

“Life must have a sense of ceremony. Now, we are going to hold a lamb opening ceremony. Let’s invite the most honorable guest to take a knife and cut the back of the lamb, indicating that he is wholeheartedly devoted to his friends.”

“Let’s invite another guest to make a vertical cut on the back, forming a cross, symbolizing that everything is perfect.”

“The last guest can insert a knife into the ribs on both sides of the lamb, symbolizing that he would do anything for his friends.”

It had to be said that the restaurant was very sincere. Seeing that Ning Shi and the other two were friends, they specially designed a lamb opening ceremony for the three of them.

Then, the shop assistant introduced the seven steps of eating the lamb.

“Dear guests, please put on gloves. First, pull off a piece of tenderloin in the middle of the back of the lamb. This is the most tender part of the lamb…”

Ning Shi and the other two followed the shop assistant’s introduction and ate until their mouths were full of oil. It had to be said that the roasted lamb in West Mountain Pavilion was really superb, charred on the outside and tender on the inside. The taste was fresh and fragrant.

No wonder the place was so remotely located, yet it was still full of patrons every day.

The three of them drove here and could not drink alcohol. The iced Coke was also very satisfying.

After the shop assistant left, Yang Yunzhi grabbed a piece of lamb chop and took a bite. He said, “Have you bought the awakening potion? Damn it, I didn’t expect that there was still the possibility of becoming a transcendent powerhouse in my lifetime.”

Chen Wei shook his head. “I don’t have the money. I’ll buy it after the company pays out the dividends. It’s just a thought. We’re almost 30 years old, so the probability of awakening isn’t high.”

Yang Yunzhi picked up the Coke on the table and drank it in one gulp. “The company is developing at a high speed. I won’t pay out the dividends for now. I’ll lend you 500,000 yuan first.”.

“A few days ago, my father found the crux of the problem through the guidance of an expert. He settled the market situation and my family’s clothing trade reopened. I’m rich again.”

Ning Shi, who was holding a large lamb leg, asked, “Who did your parents offend?”

“They didn’t offend anyone. It was because of a gemstone. My mother accidentally bought a gemstone. This gemstone was originally reserved by a second-generation official. In order to get one, he used his connections, so my family’s factory was closed down by the Marketing Bureau.”

“After my mother sold the gemstone to the second-generation official, the factory resumed work.”

Gemstone? Ning Shi’s heart skipped a beat. He could not help but think of the reason why his aunt was assassinated. She also bought a gemstone by accident.

It seemed that it was very likely that the A-level spiritual crystal was mixed in a batch of gemstones and was sold to the market as ordinary gemstones by the merchants.

Since the second-generation official was involved, it should not be someone from the Pantheon of Gods. The A-level spiritual crystal was indeed tempting. There were other forces participating in the competition.

“Do you remember which shop your mother bought her gemstone from?”

“My mother always bought her jewellery from Zhou Liufu Jewellery Donglin flagship store. This gemstone was also bought from this store. What’s wrong, Shitou? Did you find anything wrong with it?”

The issue with the A-level spiritual crystal was a little dangerous. Ning Shi did not want his friends to get involved, so he chose to hide it.

“It’s nothing. I’m just asking. I don’t need to buy the awakening potion. I’m an awakener myself.”

“What?!”

“F*ck!”

Chen Wei and Yang Yunzhi stood up in excitement at the same time. They were genuinely happy for Ning Shi.

“Shitou, as expected of you, genius!”

“That’s right. We are going to hug your thighs in the future. By the way, what’s your special ability?”

Seeing the exaggerated reactions of the two, Ning Shi hurriedly calmed them down. “The most ordinary strength-type special ability.”

The basic information about the awakener had already been made public by the country. Many people already knew the talent level of the awakener.

They also knew that the strength-type awakener were the ones with the least prospects. Up until now, no strength-type awakener had broken through to Tier 3.

“Being strength-type awakeners are already pretty good. At the very least, their physical fitness has greatly increased. It’s said that if they don’t seek death, the awakeners can generally live past a hundred years old.”

“I reckon that none of us can become awakeners.”

Yang Yunzhi and Chen Wei’s reactions represented the mentality of most adults. Being able to become an awakener was already a big prize. As for what abilities they had, they did not have the conditions to pick and choose.

It was good to have friends. The three of them ate and drank, and time flew by quickly.

Before leaving, Ning Shi took out the fruit wine recipe that he had prepared in advance.

“This recipe can make very delicious fruit wine. The alcohol content is very low. You can try to promote it. Maybe it will become another main product in the shop.”

Yang Yunzhi did not stand on ceremony. He put away the recipe so that he can go back to do research.

Ning Shi drove back to his uncle’s house. It was already 10 o’clock at night. The villa was crowded with people, and it was very lively.

In the living room, his uncle sat on a mahogany chair and made tea for everyone.

Seven or eight people sat around the tea table.

The most eye-catching one was a Taoist priest in his thirties. He had sword-shaped eyebrows and starry eyes. His long hair was tied up in a bun. He wore a green Taoist robe and held a white horsetail whisk in his hand. He looked like a celestial being.

Behind him stood two teenagers dressed as Taoist boys. These two did not sit down. They stood straight, giving off the aura of a Taoist priest.

Zhu Daniu’s face was ashen as he sat far away on the sofa.

Seeing that Ning Shi had returned, his uncle hurriedly greeted him, “Xiao Shi, quickly come and greet Priest Qin. Priest Qin is an expert from the White Cloud Temple. His cultivation has reached Tier 6 awakener.”

Ning Shi felt a sense of pretense from Priest Qin. He felt a little disgusted and lightly cupped his fists.

“Greetings, Priest Qin.”

Priest Qin picked up his teacup and took a sip. He glanced at Ning Shi with a hint of disdain in his eyes.

“Is this Yuwei’s cousin? He is just a low-level strength-type awakener. He is of no importance. Mr Wang, with me around, I can ensure the safety of your entire family.”

Uncle didn’t expect Priest Qin to be so straightforward. For a moment, he felt a little awkward.

Wang Yuwei, who was beside Priest Qin, didn’t hear the ridicule in his master’s mouth. He excitedly said to Ning Shi, “Cousin, I have become an awakener! After testing, my ability is a lightning-type special ability, my awakener’s aptitude is A-level!”

Wang Yuwei was only 15 years old and had the temperament of a youth. He could not help but want to share such a big surprise with others.

“Did you know, Cousin? In our entire school, I’m the only one with an A-level aptitude. My ability is an extremely rare lightning-type special ability. The entire school is in an uproar!”

“Priest Qin Lingyun happened to pass by the school and wanted to take me in as his disciple on the spot. He’s a Tier 6 awakener and an expert even more powerful than Captain Zhu. With him around, the threat of the Pantheon of Gods would not be of concern anymore.”

“The priest and my teachers came to my house to congratulate me!”

Ning Shi and his cousin were about ten years apart. The two of them did not get along much and their relationship was average. However, he was still very happy that his cousin had outstanding talent.

He patted his cousin’s head and said, “Congratulations, Xiao Wei. Talent doesn’t mean everything. You have to be careful of arrogance and rashness and cultivate hard.”

Ning Shi’s original intention was to encourage his cousin, but Qin Lingyun sneered.

“Talent determines everything. As a strength-type awakener, you should have a deep understanding of this. If it weren’t for Yuwei’s sake, I wouldn’t have said anything to you.”

Ning Shi rolled his eyes at Qin Lingyun’s lofty behavior.

“You don’t have to worry about what kind of talent I have. You look like a decent person, but you don’t have any compassion at all. You sit and drink tea while the Taoist boys standing behind you help put on an act for you. Is it interesting?”

“Besides, my cousin hasn’t agreed to be your disciple, has he?”

Ning Shi said to his uncle, “Uncle, you have to think carefully. The White Cloud Temple is a non-governmental organization. You don’t even know its origin. Do you want Younger Cousin to be the disciple of this Taoist priest?”

His uncle was stubborn to begin with, and he was a man of his word. When he heard Ning Shi question Priest Qin, he slammed the table.

“Xiao Shi, Priest Qin is a senior expert. He cured your grandmother’s leg disease as soon as he came. It’s a great fortune for Xiao Wei to be his disciple. This matter has been decided. I will invite my good friends to hold an apprenticeship banquet the day after tomorrow.”

Wang Zhiguo seemed to realize that his words were too heavy. He sighed and said, “Xiao Shi, I know that you are a strength-type awakener. Your ability is not up to par, so you have some misunderstandings about Priest Qin.”

“Uncle felt that whether you are an ordinary person or an awakener, you have to find your place. If you are not strong enough, you have to learn to restrain your temper.”

“A strength-type awakener can also shine.”

Ning Shi shook his head. He had already said what he needed to say. Since his uncle was stubborn, he did not try to persuade him anymore.

“Don’t worry, uncle. You are just an ordinary person. Do you still want to comfort an awakener like me? Come and say this to me after you awaken.”

Wang Zhiguo: “…”

Ning Shi didn’t want to see Qin Lingyun’s smug face, so he went straight to his room.

He didn’t have any plans to move away from his uncle’s house for the time being. He still hadn’t figured out the matter of the A-level spiritual crystal.

After a while, a commotion could be heard from the hall on the first floor. It was Ning Shi’s mother, Wang Yan, lecturing her younger brother outside.

“It’s not up to you to decide how my son is. Wang Zhiguo, your wings have hardened. Back then, when you were demobilized and couldn’t afford to eat, who was the one who raised you for a year!”

Faced with his elder sister’s reprimand, Wang Zhiguo didn’t dare to retort. His face was in a sorry state, and the scene was once awkward. Qin Lingyun and the others took their leave first.

“Priest, today’s reception was not good. The day after tomorrow at 10 a.m. is a good day. I will arrange a banquet at the Pearl Restaurant and let Xiao Wei pay respects to you as your master. I wonder if White Cloud Temple has any special requirements for the ceremony.”

Qin Lingyun held the horsetail whisk and said indifferently, “Taoists stress on being spontaneous. Everything should be simple. I will invite my senior brother, Priest Qing Yun, to be my witness the day after tomorrow.”

After saying that, the group left.

Ning Shi was not concerned about what was happening outside. He looked at the game and the system hack had been farming monsters for two days. He had only accumulated 80,000 experience points which was still far from 640,000 experience points.

The main reason was that the experience points provided by the intermediate magical beasts became less and less after he reached a higher level.

At this rate, he would need to hack for another 14 days to level up. The speed was too slow.

He had to get A-level spiritual crystals as soon as possible and update the game system. Perhaps there would be a faster way to level up after the system update.