Chapter 38: Did Chen Yun Hit Someone?

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“It looks like there’s no need to search for the electric bike skill book anymore—even if I find it, I won’t be able to learn it,” Chen Yun shook his head and walked out of the bookstore.

He hadn’t gone far when the aroma of cooked meat wafted over. Looking up, he spotted a deli on the roadside, marked by the system as a “Fine Cuisine Shop.” Outside, a counter was arrayed with all sorts of delicacies.

Chen Yun wandered over for a closer look. At the center of the counter was a large bowl of braised beef that immediately caught his eye.

“Secret Recipe Braised Beef: Green-tier cooked food. Use to gain +120 HP, +100 MP, and, for 60 minutes, +20 Strength, +15 Constitution.”

My goodness!

This beef is insanely good!

The stats alone are worth a dozen level-ups!

Chen Yun’s interest was piqued. He glanced at the busy shopkeeper and checked his stats.

“NPC: Advanced Chef Li Yi. Level: ? Attack: ? ...”

No wonder—the man’s an advanced chef, which explains the green-tier food. It seems advanced chefs can only make foods that grant temporary stat boosts, but master chefs can create dishes with permanent bonuses. The difference is huge; no wonder master chefs are so rare. But why, after all the dishes I’ve cooked, have I not made a single one with even a temporary bonus? Is that privilege reserved for advanced chefs alone?

Unable to figure it out, Chen Yun stopped dwelling on the issue and asked, “Boss, how much for your braised beef?”

The shopkeeper looked up from his work, instantly animated by the prospect of a sale. “Eighty copper coins per jin.”

What?

Chen Yun was stunned. Eighty copper per jin? Is he robbing people?

“Boss, don’t you think that’s a bit steep? It’s just braised beef. I’m a chef myself—the restaurant sells braised beef for forty copper a jin. Why’s yours double the price? Doesn’t it hurt to gouge your customers like this?” Chen Yun protested indignantly.

“Hey now, young man, mind your words,” the shopkeeper retorted, displeased. “Restaurant beef can’t compare to mine. This is a secret family recipe, passed down through generations. I’m not bragging—fifty jin a day sell out in under three hours! If you think it’s expensive, you can try this…” He brought out a bowl of obviously ordinary braised beef. “This is the regular kind, forty copper a jin.”

Chen Yun glanced at it and immediately understood.

“Ordinary Braised Beef: White-tier cooked food. Use to gain +30 HP, +20 MP.”

“Boss, how much of your secret recipe beef do you have left? I’ll take it all!”

You must be joking. With beef this good—restoring HP and MP, boosting Strength and Constitution—I’m buying out the whole store!

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The shopkeeper looked at Chen Yun in surprise. “You want it all? I still have over forty jin. Do you have that kind of money?”

Without a word, Chen Yun pulled out five gold coins and set them on the counter.

The shopkeeper’s eyes widened in shock.

Well, well, this kid’s filthy rich. Five gold coins—that’s fifty thousand copper!

“I want to pre-order six hundred jin of this braised beef. I’ll pay up front!” Chen Yun thought to himself that he couldn’t come back every day for beef, so he might as well put in a standing order and have the shopkeeper prepare it in advance.

“Six hundred jin?” The shopkeeper was dumbfounded. “We don’t do wholesale here.”

“I’m not reselling; it’s all for me,” Chen Yun replied. “Just tell me when you’ll have it ready.”

The shopkeeper was speechless. Never in his career had someone ordered six hundred jin of braised beef for personal consumption. Aren’t you afraid of getting mad cow disease?

He glanced at the five gleaming gold coins, then gritted his teeth and said, “Alright, give me three days. I promise to have it all ready for you. Just come pick it up then.”

“Deal. I’ll be back in three days, but let’s be clear: if you cut corners or shortchange me, I won’t buy it!” Chen Yun made sure to lay down the rules in case the shopkeeper tried any tricks.

“Don’t worry. The Fang Family Deli has operated for generations with an ironclad reputation. If, when you come back, you find even a hint of cheating, the entire six hundred jin is yours for free!”

“That’s all I needed to hear. Oh, and give me three jin to eat right now.” Chen Yun remembered he hadn’t eaten yet. Even though he was now digitized and wouldn’t die as long as his HP wasn’t zero, he still kept the habit of eating—especially now, with extra HP and MP bars. No more worries about throwing up food!

Just for fun... The shopkeeper was speechless. Having money really made a difference. The secret recipe beef he couldn’t bear to eat himself was being devoured as a snack. Comparisons are truly infuriating.

After eating the secret recipe beef, Chen Yun felt significantly stronger. His already quick bicycle sped up even more under his feet.

“That’s right—don’t I have a super acceleration skill? Let’s give it a try.” Suddenly remembering that his one-gold-coin toy bike came with a skill, he silently intoned, “Super Acceleration!”

Instantly, the bike’s wheels spun like wild horses. Wind roared in his ears as the bicycle’s speed doubled in the blink of an eye, rivaling that of a professional racing bike!

Suddenly, someone darted in front of the bike with lightning speed, throwing themselves onto the ground in front of Chen Yun.

Chen Yun was nearly scared out of his wits. He wrenched the brakes with both hands, his heart in his throat.

Crap, did I just run someone over?

Cold sweat broke out all over him at the thought.

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Chen Yun quickly jumped off the bike. Lying in front was a woman, her entire body sprawled on the ground so that her face was hidden and any injuries were impossible to discern. Only her clothing indicated she was female.

Carefully, Chen Yun approached and asked, “Are you alright?”

The woman lay motionless, silent. On this crowded street, a large group of people quickly gathered around.

“What happened? Why so many people?”

“I don’t know, but it looks like someone got hit.”

“What? Someone was hit? By a bike?”

“Why not? Bikes can hit people too, you know.”

“Look at that bike—definitely belongs to some rich kid. People like that disgust me.”

“What are you waiting for? Call an ambulance!”

“Not just an ambulance, call the police too. That kid needs to be locked up and taught a lesson. If someone died, he should be sent to juvenile detention.”

Chen Yun ignored the crowd’s chatter and squatted down, gently shaking the woman. As he did, a line of text appeared above her head.

“NPC? Occupation? Attack? ...”

Chen Yun was startled. Why was her name and occupation hidden? This was a first for him.

“Are you alright? Can you say something?”

“Alright? You’ve got to be kidding! You’ve left me in this state—how could I be alright? I’m telling you, if you don’t settle this today, you’ll never hear the end of it from me!” The woman slowly raised her head, her face covered in dust and hair hanging wildly about, making Chen Yun jump in fright.

“Look at what you’ve done! My back’s twisted, my leg’s broken, my arm’s injured, and I can’t move my neck. What do you intend to do about it? Where are your parents? Get them here, now!” the woman demanded, undaunted.

Chen Yun was taken aback. Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen someone with a twisted back, broken leg, injured arm, and stiff neck still so energetic. Are you sure you were actually hit?