Emperor’s Domination

Qing Shi felt that Li Qiye was being out of line. The old man had a restaurant specialized in chicken soup. Why would Li Qiye demand duck soup made in such a strange manner? How utterly ridiculous.

"Customer, just try our chicken soup. It has been passed down for generations and the taste won't let you down." The old man laughed.

Li Qiye grabbed a pair of bamboo chopsticks and stared at the old man: "Duck soup only."

Qing Shi was at a loss for words. Was Li Qiye only here to cause trouble?

"How about we go to another restaurant?" Qing Shi kindly suggested, feeling bad for the owner.

The old man didn't become angry and repeated: "Customer, we really don't have duck soup here, just try our chicken soup once, the broth will…"

"I don't want chicken soup, duck only. Hurry up and bring me a bowl." Li Qiye suddenly placed the chopsticks on the table again.

The old man looked down and noticed the natural manner of the placement. They suddenly became a unique diagram, ready to leap up.

His expression changed as he staggered backward and became frozen. He hurriedly took a deep breath and composed himself. He then picked up the chopsticks and placed them back into the container. He bowed and smiled: "Okay, duck soup it is, coming right up."

"Three-year-old duck, gentle fire, tile pot, and stone water." Li Qiye reminded.

'For sure, I'll get it done right away." The jovial old man returned to the kitchen.

The sudden change in attitude took Qing Shi off guard. He didn't know why the owner changed his mind.

This was clearly a place for chicken soup yet Li Qiye came asking for duck soup - clearly the plot of a troublemaker.

Of course, Qing Shi didn't notice the diagram earlier since the old men took them away with haste.

"Young Master, why do you want some duck soup so bad?" Qing Shi asked while the kitchen sounded busy.

The circumstances showed that Li Qiye came with a purpose, albeit a confusing one.

Li Qiye only smiled and closed his eyes, seemingly resting. Qing Shi had no choice but to think about it himself with a focus on the old man and the restaurant.

A restaurant like this was common in Ancestral City. After all, the city has been around for millions of years. A generational place like this wasn't out of place.

The issue was, what was in this place that warranted Li Qiye's attention and time? It would be reasonable if Li Qiye came for the chicken soup of this place. However, he wanted duck soup. This issue remained inscrutable for Qing Shi.

They were the only guests currently present in this restaurant. This particular alley was rather crowded with plenty of people coming and going.

Qing Shi watched them walking by but no one came in despite the incredible aroma coming from the kitchen. It was as if they couldn't see the restaurant at all - truly a bizarre feeling.

He shuddered, thinking that they might have entered a haunted restaurant only visible to them.

He didn't believe in ghosts but just the thought still frightened him. He couldn't help staring at Li Qiye.

Unfortunately, the guy didn't look worried at all. His eyes were still shut.

After a while, a stronger aroma came. Qing Shi immediately knew that it was duck-based since it was different from the prior one. He couldn't quite pinpoint the fine details. Nonetheless, he gulped several times because of overflowing saliva.

He thought that it was strange for a chicken soup place to be so good at making duck soup as well. The aroma was definitely on the same level.

"Here, here." The old man brought out a pot of hot soup and laughed: "As fresh as can be, made exactly as you ordered, Customer. Please try." He then poured two bowls for the customers.

Qing Shi couldn't hold back and immediately drank the bowl without caring about his image. The aroma was simply irresistible.

He drank several bowls in the blink of an eye and looked up to see that Li Qiye was taking his time with elegant sips.

This embarrassed Qing Shi so he also slowed down.

Meanwhile, the old man stood to the side with a smile. Of course, his focus was on Li Qiye, not Qing Shi. It seemed that Li Qiye's enjoyment was the highest praise for his cooking skills.

"May I have another?" Qing Shi had no idea how many bowls he had drunk and still wanted more despite his belly being filled.

This was definitely the best duck soup he had ever drunk in his life. No, the best dish he ever had the pleasure of tasting.

In the past, he had tried countless exotic delicacies. Alas, the dragon liver and phoenix bladder paled in comparison.

He actually needed to slow down because Li Qiye was taking his time. Meanwhile, the old man patiently watched with a smile.

"Customer, what do you think about this soup?" He finally asked after Li Qiye was nearly finished.

"Not bad. You made chicken soup your whole life but your duck soup is good too." Li Qiye said.

"Haha, thank you. I had no choice but to do my best to fulfill your request." The old man laughed.

"This duck isn't bad either. In the past, I knew this dead duck that lived for a long time. It's very skinny and its bones are probably tough, but I'm sure it'll make an amazing duck soup too." Li Qiye smiled.

Qing Shi had no idea what the hell Li Qiye was talking about.

"Haha, Sir, I don't know which duck you're referring to." The old man smiled wryly.

"Understandable since you haven't actually seen the real thing." Li Qiye smiled: "I've been wanting to catch it since the older the duck, the better the broth, right?"

"I don't know much about this." The old man responded.

"It's okay, I won't make it difficult for you." Li Qiye shook his head: "Telling you to find a living dead duck is too tough given the circumstances. The duck soup today was perfectly fine."

"Yes, thank you for your benevolence. I'm truly blessed." The old man heaved a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Qing Shi's confusion only grew.