Chapter 12: Upgrade

Chen Daguang, unaware of the situation, thought there might be danger again. He immediately became alert, scanning his surroundings, and quietly asked Qin Qing, “Master, what are we doing here?”

“There’s still a winter melon dish missing. I’m waiting for the winter melon.”

Winter melon, once cut, will rot and go to waste if not eaten all at once. Even if that Daoist priest occasionally cooked for himself, he would surely cook it all.

A few volunteers exchanged glances. Daoist Wutun indeed added a dish in the kitchen today, and it was a last-minute addition.

They had been helping inside, so they knew. How did this pilgrim from outside know? And how did she know it was winter melon? Was her nose that sharp, to know from standing here? Or perhaps she was a guest invited by Master Wutun?

Just as they were thinking, another volunteer came out from behind, wearing heat-resistant gloves, carrying a stainless steel square basin, and loudly warning, “Hot soup, coming through!”

When he placed it on the serving counter, Chen Daguang looked closely and indeed, it was winter melon.

The winter melon was cut into thick slices, not like stir-fried or stewed, and had some broth. To be honest, the presentation was not great; it was plain white.

For this dish, in a school cafeteria, they might at least sprinkle some green onions. In a Daoist temple, sorry, monastics do not eat the five pungent vegetables.

Qin Qing still went straight for it, placing her tray in front of the winter melon dish: “No other dishes, just fill it with winter melon, thank you.”

Chen Daguang followed, but he also got some stir-fried tofu.

Qin Qing eagerly found a seat and began to taste the masterpiece from a 90-point Skill master.

Delicious!!!

The System Panel rating had never been wrong.

It was important to know that Qin Qing had always disliked large vegetables like winter melon, radish, and pumpkin, either finding them to have a strange taste or no taste at all.

But today’s winter melon, she not only could eat it but also found it delicious.

Was this winter melon? No, after passing through the master’s hands, it had undergone a qualitative change.

The winter melon was cut thicker than a chopstick tip, in large slices half a palm long, yet when lifted, it was almost transparent. Such large slices, seemingly on the verge of falling apart, melted in the mouth, yet they miraculously held together during cooking.

It was impossible to tell what seasonings were added, but it was intensely fragrant and flavorful upon tasting.

Chen Daguang held his tray, sitting opposite Qin Qing, and after taking a bite, he sighed softly, “It seems this is Daoist Wutun’s craftsmanship. No wonder you, Master, specifically waited for it.”

He was merely marveling at being able to taste Daoist Wutun’s craftsmanship, but he wasn’t surprised that Qin Qing knew this beforehand. On the contrary, he took it for granted, thinking, “She’s a master, so anything is possible for her to calculate.”

“Daoist Wutun?”

Qin Qing, of course, knew that Daoist priest’s Daoist name was Wutun. She even knew his secular name. However, from Chen Daguang’s tone, there seemed to be more to it. She was too lazy to check her logs and chose to ask directly.

Chen Daguang lowered his voice and said, “Daoist Wutun’s vegetarian cooking skills are very famous, but his reputation is limited to within the temple. I also heard it from others. The Daoist priest is the junior brother of the abbot, Daoist Wuxiang, and holds a relatively high seniority in the temple. He currently manages the Dining Hall. His skills are excellent. The year before last, before the Dragon Boat Festival, when I came to worship the God of Wealth and donate merits, I was fortunate enough to eat the zongzi he made. They were truly delicious. Occasionally, dishes he makes also appear in the Dining Hall, but ordinary people wouldn’t know which dish he made.”

After speaking, he began to flatter Qin Qing again, saying that she had keen insight and that he was fortunate to benefit from her, allowing him to precisely enjoy Daoist Wutun’s craftsmanship and so on.

Chen Shuhan glanced at his father, signaling him to look at the sign on the wall of the Dining Hall reminding people to keep quiet.

Chen Daguang: “I know, I know, aren’t I speaking quietly?”

Chen Shuhan lowered his head and silently ate his meal.

Given Chen Daguang’s physique, he was clearly a foodie. Even when eating vegetarian food, he could eat two servings. When he went for his second serving, he, like Qin Qing, only asked for winter melon.

That basin of winter melon was truly unremarkable in appearance. Aside from their table repeatedly adding more, it didn’t receive the favor of other diners. Seeing that there was still a lot left in the basin, Qin Qing asked if she could pack it up. She wanted to take some back for her Old Comrade Qin and Ms. Wang to try.

The volunteer said that the temple advocated conservation and environmental protection and did not have disposable meal boxes. If she brought her own bowl, they could pack it for her.

Qin Qing naturally didn’t have one. She decided to bring a bento box tomorrow. She hoped that Daoist Wutun would still be craving and cook something special tomorrow.

After lunch, they left.

Mumu, who should have been guarding the entrance of the cafeteria, was gone. She wasn’t afraid of it getting lost; the little fellow was smart. She just sat on a bench under the corridor and waited.

Chen Daguang had insisted on driving her home, and the father and son had driven their car to the temple parking lot. Qin Qing refused; she didn’t want others to know where she lived.

He also said he wanted to wait for the dog with her. On such a hot day, how could she make someone sit with her in the sun?

Seeing her insistence, Chen Daguang had to give up, saying he would take his son to the God of Wealth Hall to offer incense and thank the God of Wealth.

“It must be my sincere worship over the years that has deeply moved him. He even allowed me to meet you, Master, at my most critical moment. Otherwise, how could I have such good fortune?” Chen Daguang patted his protruding belly with great emotion. He spoke with genuine sincerity.

He clearly thought so and said he would go and donate more money to the Merit Box in the God of Wealth Hall.

Qin Qing really wanted to say, “Why not donate it all to me?” After all, her relationship with the God of Wealth wasn’t that good, probably like the connection between Songhua River and Songhua egg.

She held back from saying it.

She herself was engaging in charlatan activities by leveraging the feudal superstition radiation range of Baiyun Temple. It was reasonable for the Daoist temple to get a share of the profits.

“Master, we’re leaving now. We’ll visit you again next time.” Chen Daguang left, looking back every few steps.

Not long after, she heard other guests leaving the cafeteria gossiping as they walked: “I heard someone just donated 100,000 yuan to the Merit Box in the God of Wealth Hall. What’s wrong with doing something else with that 100,000?”

Another person also sighed: “Exactly, if I had that 100,000 yuan, why would I come to worship the God of Wealth?”

Qin Qing: “…”

Oh my, it still hurt a bit. Baiyun Temple’s share was too high, wasn’t it? It was actually a 50/50 split.

And it was passive income, without knowing anything… She was a little envious.

Waiting idly was boring, so Qin Qing decided to do something else to distract herself. She spent about ten minutes writing a short article and uploaded it to Xiaohongshu(Similar to TikTok). Qin Qing had an account dedicated to documenting food explorations, with a few hundred followers. She updated irregularly, only sharing when she truly ate something delicious. She had been writing intermittently for several years during her studies, and all her posts amounted to only about twenty.

She also posted about the beef noodles she ate outside the Police Station last time, which received over a dozen comments. They were all people who went to check it out based on her clues, and they were all positive reviews.

Some even said that eating outside the Police Station made them feel extra secure, and the noodles tasted even better.

She uploaded today’s record.

[Taste Bud Adventure] Can winter melon be this delicious? Baiyun Temple Dining Hall tells you the answer!

Qin Qing was very satisfied with this title.

However, this time she wrote a bit more in the main text. It was roughly about how she was strolling outside the temple and saw a Daoist priest carrying a winter melon with one hand, thinking his arm strength was extraordinary and he must have something special. Then she heard her companion say that he was Daoist Wutun, the master of vegetarian cooking at Baiyun Temple, and described in detail what made him a master (paraphrasing Chen Daguang’s storytelling about Wutun). So she decided to try her luck at the Dining Hall, and as a result, she encountered him, and after one bite, she was amazed!

In short, she described this experience like Alice falling into the rabbit hole and having an adventure. Exclamation points were everywhere.

After all, it was truly delicious. Delicious things must be shared to double the enjoyment.

After posting, she didn’t bother with it anymore. Netizens wouldn’t find it immediately anyway.

After waiting for another ten minutes, a flash of orange suddenly shot out from an unknown corner, followed by a black and white blur.

Looking closely, it was her Mumu chasing that annoying Big Orange.

In an instant, the two small figures darted across the courtyard in front of the Dining Hall, chasing each other in another direction.

Qin Qing was worried that Mumu might be too rough and cause a cat’s death, so she followed in that direction.

The two little ones were much faster than her. When she caught up, she found they were heading towards the Three Pure Ones Hall, where the incense was burning profusely.

Big Orange Cat darted into the main entrance of the Three Pure Ones Hall, while Mumu’s short legs were blocked by the high threshold at the temple entrance and couldn’t get through. It ran around in front of the hall, panting with its tongue out. When it saw Qin Qing, it whined and whimpered, seemingly trying to tell her something.

Mumu seemed to dislike the smell of burning incense and candles, constantly wiping its nose with its paws.

She walked to the front of the hall and looked inside. The statues of the Three Pure Ones inside were majestic and solemn.

Everyone had gone to eat, so there was no one else inside the main hall.

That Big Orange stood on the futon in front of the deity statue, looking up with its fluffy, round, fat head, meowing plaintively at the statue. Its meows had a warbling, high-pitched, whiny tone.

What was it doing?

Qin Qing was curious and glanced at Big Orange’s System Panel, immediately speechless.

It had been annoying Mumu, which was why Mumu chased and bit it. Now, it was tired of running and didn’t want to run anymore, so it came to the Three Pure Ones Hall to complain. It was complaining that an evil dog from outside was bullying their beloved pet cat on the Three Pure Ones’ territory.

The cat was so wronged, the cat was about to cry, the cat was already crying.

The cat complained not only to one, but it complained to each of the Three Pure Ones’ statues in the hall.

If the Three Pure Ones were truly divine, one wondered what Yuanshi Tianzun (The Celestial Venerable of the Primordial Beginning), Lingbao Tianzun (The Celestial Venerable of Numinous Treasure), and Daode Tianzun (The Celestial Venerable of Dao and Virtue) would feel seeing their own cat making false accusations. Did they know what their cat was like outside?

Oh, the cat’s ownership was self-proclaimed; it was still unknown if the Three Pure Ones agreed it was their cat. Anyway, the high-pitched, whiny, green tea cat was refusing to leave the futon.

What was this called?

A pampered cat from a noble family, bullying dogs by flaunting its power?

Alas, when it came to charlatan families, how could this fake superstitious practitioner compare to the Three Pure Ones?

Qin Qing found it amusing. She patted the dog, who was still wiping its nose with its paw: “Let’s go, poor little thing with no background or backing. That pampered cat won’t come out.”

Mumu barked loudly and unwillingly towards the inside.

The high-pitched Big Orange’s fat visibly trembled twice.

Its furry body moved half an inch closer to the Three Pure Ones statues.

Qin Qing: “…”

Why bother? So timid, yet so weak and loves to play.

Suddenly, the high-pitched voice cracked, letting out a shrill howl.

From under the incense table in front of the Three Pure Ones statues, a well-proportioned Tabby cat emerged, swinging its white-gloved, bamboo-like paws at the prone Big Orange.

The reason it hit the cat was that Big Orange’s complaining had woken it up from its nap under the incense table.

Daring to disturb a cat’s peaceful sleep, unbearable!

Big Orange sprang up in pain, only to be pressed down again by Tabby.

Big Orange darted left and right inside the hall, but it could not escape Tabby’s attack range.

Orange cat fur flew everywhere.

Tabby was as fast as a grey-brown lightning bolt, with explosive combat power.

Finally, Tabby stopped its paws.

Big Orange escaped to heaven. It darted out of the main hall at a speed completely inconsistent with its body size, heading towards the bushes outside.

Mumu seemed to understand the drama unfolding in the hall. It rested its front paws on the threshold of the main hall, watching the show, with a smile on its dog face. When Big Orange darted out, it even bared its teeth to scare Big Orange.

After Tabby beat up the noise maker, it no longer slept. It lightly jumped out of the temple door, ignoring the human and dog watching the fight. It gracefully lowered its front paws and stretched, then sat obediently in a sunny spot at the temple entrance, circling itself with its tail, licking its paws, and washing its face.

The scene was peaceful and serene, a stark contrast to the violent cat of a few minutes ago.

Qin Qing: “…”

She didn’t quite understand the culture of the cat world; it seemed very complex.

Cats wouldn’t care what human bipeds thought, just as Qin Qing had forgotten that she had encountered Liang Jinguo, the domineering CEO, today.

Today must not have been a happy day for Liang Jinguo.

Not only did he fail to ascertain Qin Qing’s true nature, but he was also outmaneuvered, making the mystery even more complex. Not to mention the experience of being squeezed among so many tourists who had just climbed the mountain… He changed into his spare clothes as soon as he got into the car, then slowly exhaled.

After recovering, he instructed his assistant: “Go find out if there’s been a fraud case recently solved in the city, within the last two days. The victim or the person who reported it is a furniture boss named Chen something-guang whom I’ve met before.”
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Xiaohongshu (also called RED or Little Red Book) is a Chinese app that combines social media and e-commerce. Users share lifestyle content—like fashion, beauty, and travel—and can buy products directly through the app. It’s especially popular with young women in China and is now gaining global users, especially as an alternative to TikTok.

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The Three Pure Ones (三清) are the top gods in Taoism:

1. Yuanshi Tianzun – Source of the universe.

2. Lingbao Tianzun – Manages order and laws.

3. Daode Tianzun (Laozi) – Teaches the Tao and virtue.
They represent the Tao in creation, structure, and guidance.