"Gentlemen, this is our most famous Black Tortoise Soup. Anyone who dines with us simply must order a bowl. Everyone who has tasted this soup, without exception, praises it endlessly!"

The one serving the soup was the same young waiter who had led Zhang Yang and the others to the private room upstairs. He carried the blue-and-white porcelain bowl and placed it precisely in the center of the dining table.

He had specifically taken this bowl from the food runners, delivering it personally to the Dragon Soaring Hall where Zhang Yang and his group were seated. His motive was simple: Zhang Yang and the others arrived in luxury cars; they were clearly wealthy young masters. If he could serve these young masters well, even a small tip would mean a substantial sum to him, someone who earned only a few hundred yuan a month.

After all, that’s how it always went in books and on television, wasn't it?

This young waiter hadn't much formal schooling; he mostly enjoyed reading novels or watching films, which is how he recognized that the cars Zhang Yang’s party drove were beyond the means of ordinary families. He carried the restaurant's most acclaimed soup with delight. After placing it on the table, he didn't rush off. Instead, he took a step back and stood silently to the side, eagerly anticipating the performance once the guests tasted the soup.

He had absolute confidence in his restaurant’s signature final dish. He was certain Zhang Yang and the others would rave about it, perhaps even tossing him a tip!

However, in the Dragon Soaring Hall, Wang Chen, Su Zhantao, Li Ya, and Hu Tao had already drunk quite a bit. Of the four, only Hu Tao, relying on his stronger constitution, was somewhat more lucid and managed a simple "thank you" when he saw the waiter present the soup.

"Let me have a sip of this soup to sober up; we’ll keep fighting!"

Wang Chen, who had consumed the most, seemed to clear his head slightly upon seeing the soup arrive. He stood up unsteadily, scooped himself a bowl, and without regard for the heat, downed it in one gulp as if it were hard liquor!

"Delicious!"

Having finished the bowl, Wang Chen’s previously hazy eyes suddenly flared with intense light. He stared fixedly at the large tureen of soup, his mouth agape, drool escaping as he muttered incessantly, "Delicious, delicious," while his hands were already busy scooping another bowl!

"Is it really that good?"

Mi Xue and Xiao Xiao, being women with smaller appetites and having abstained from alcohol, were full long ago. But seeing Wang Chen's reaction, Mi Xue found her appetite piqued. She stood up, first serving a bowl for Zhang Yang, then one for herself, and finally, making sure to serve a bowl for Xiao Xiao as well.

"Sister Mi Xue, I really can't eat another bite, I don't need any!"

Seeing Mi Xue ladle soup for her, Xiao Xiao quickly shook her head. No matter how delicious the soup tasted, she truly couldn't manage another drop.

Su Zhantao saw Mi Xue serving Zhang Yang. With the alcohol surging, he abruptly slammed the table, letting out a loud, mournful sigh: "If only my Yang Ling were here, no one would be serving me soup!"

"Here, here, I’ll serve you. You can have another drink with Zhang Yang. Look at him; he’s the only one who’s still perfectly clear-headed, like nothing happened!"

Li Ya staggered to his feet, reaching for the ladle to scoop a bowl for Su Zhantao as well.

Only Hu Tao was genuinely drowsy, leaning back in his chair, quietly trying to sleep off the effects of the alcohol.

The group had completely forgotten the young waiter who had brought the soup. Seeing that these young masters were too engrossed to pay him any mind, the waiter felt a pang of disappointment. Since there was nothing more for him to do, he prepared to slip out the door.

"Wait, there's something wrong with this soup!"

Just as the young waiter pushed the door open to leave, a sharp exclamation rang out from behind him!

"Don't drink any more!"

With a sharp command, the waiter spun around just in time to see a dark shadow flash past his eyes. In an instant, the soup freshly ladled in front of Li Ya, Su Zhantao, Wang Chen, Xiao Xiao, and Mi Xue was violently overturned onto the table, splashing soup everywhere. Zhang Yang, meanwhile, had clamped a single empty plate over the large tureen on the table with one hand!

Clearly, the person who had just spoken about the soup being problematic was Zhang Yang!

"Sir, what is wrong with our soup!"

Although the young waiter dared not offend this group of young elites, hearing someone claim there was an issue with their most famous and signature dish, he felt compelled to object.

Zhang Yang frowned deeply. With his current strength—the mid-stage of the Fourth Level of Inner Force, combined with his Great Perfection cultivation—the small amount of alcohol he’d consumed meant nothing. However, this bowl of soup had indeed given Zhang Yang a clear taste of trouble!

The soup wasn't poisoned, nor did it taste bad; quite the opposite—the soup was intensely savory, incredibly delicious!

Zhang Yang had taken only one sip before spitting it out. He then immediately rose and knocked over every bowl of soup that had been served to the others.

"Zhang Yang, what are you doing?"

Of the group, only Wang Chen had finished a whole bowl and knew how incredibly tasty the soup was, so he was thoroughly displeased that Zhang Yang had pulled the tureen toward himself, as if denying others a taste.

"Wang Chen, there is something wrong with this soup!"

Zhang Yang frowned, offering a brief explanation to Wang Chen, then fixed his gaze on the young waiter and demanded, "What ingredients did you use in this soup!"

"What's wrong with this soup? This soup is called Black Tortoise Soup—it’s turtle stew. Our boss personally brews this soup every evening, and the chefs just reheat it the next day."

As Zhang Yang spoke, he casually exerted a tiny bit of Inner Force. The young waiter, speaking angrily, uttered those words, but his eyes instantly glazed over, and he began to obediently reveal everything he knew.

"What’s the problem? It’s so delicious! Give it to me if you’re not drinking it!"

Wang Chen seemed possessed. He stood up and reached for the tureen Zhang Yang had pulled closer to himself.

"Wang Chen!"

Zhang Yang seized Wang Chen’s reaching hand with one palm and snapped coldly, channeling a burst of Inner Force into Wang Chen’s body. The determined Wang Chen instantly went limp, collapsing back into his chair.

Su Zhantao, Hu Tao, and Li Ya watched Zhang Yang with profound confusion, unable to fathom his actions.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

Wuying and Shandian, the two little creatures, seeing Zhang Yang’s strong opposition to drinking the soup, crouched down and tasted a couple of drops of the soup spilled on the table. Immediately, both creatures gagged as if to vomit, then scrambled onto Zhang Yang's shoulders, chirping wildly—they too had detected the issue with the soup!

"Get your boss here!"

Zhang Yang said to the young waiter, his face grim.

The young waiter shivered and snapped back to awareness. Hearing Zhang Yang demand the boss, he grew frantic and pleaded, "Sir, what is wrong with our soup? Can you please explain? You must know that any regular customer who comes to our restaurant orders this soup! People have offered triple the price for a bowl, but our boss has a rule: only one bowl per table, and once the pot is empty, that's it. If we sold more, our restaurant would be rich!"

"Go call your boss. I will speak with him personally!"

Zhang Yang knew the young waiter in front of him was completely clueless; talking to him further was pointless, so he insisted on summoning the manager.

The waiter had no choice but to turn and leave. He pushed open the private room door and shouted loudly.

"Boss! The guests in the Dragon Soaring Hall are dissatisfied; they demand you come over!"

While waiting for the restaurant owner to arrive, the relatively more sober Hu Tao, slurring his words, asked Zhang Yang with great confusion, "Z-Zhang brother, what was wrong with that soup, what was it?"

"Do you know why that soup was so incredibly savory and delicious?" Zhang Yang looked down at the tureen in front of him, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and asked in a deep voice.

"Why?" Hu Tao wouldn't know even if he were completely sober, let alone in his current state, with his brain practically paralyzed by alcohol.

"Yes, Zhang Yang, what’s the issue with the soup?"

Mi Xue and Xiao Xiao were equally bewildered. They hadn't touched their bowls; Zhang Yang had already slammed them onto the table.

"There must be poppy seed husks in the seasoning of this soup!"

Zhang Yang looked at Mi Xue and replied, word by word.

"Poppy seed husks?"

Mi Xue blinked. She knew what poppies were, but poppy seed husks—could they really be used as a seasoning?

Zhang Yang sighed. In this era, very few people had discovered that poppy seed husks could be used to enhance the flavor of broths, making them richer and more delicious, leading to addiction.

Before Zhang Yang’s rebirth, there had been news reports about this—a hot pot restaurant that used poppy seed husks as seasoning. Initially, it boomed, driving neighboring hot pot shops out of business. Later, the jealous owner of a nearby establishment maliciously reported him. But when the police arrived and searched the kitchen, they discovered the poppy seed husks, exposing the seasoning method, and the restaurant was immediately shut down.

The process of extracting opium involves making incisions on the unripe poppy fruit to squeeze out the sap, which is then collected after drying—this is the earliest method of opium production. Using poppy seed husks as a seasoning is fundamentally similar to soaking opium in water.

Of course, in some regions, there is a practice of drinking water infused with poppy seed husks, known as poppy seed husk tea. Its active components are essentially no different from opium; they contain alkaloids. In the context of later opium production, the relationship between poppy seed husks and opium is akin to that between an orange and Vitamin C—the former is the raw material containing the latter.

Using poppy seed husks as a seasoning in soups or hot pot dishes creates a potential for latent addiction and severe health hazards.

Adding poppy seed husks to food products is an absolutely prohibited and illegal act!