Chapter 202: Carnic Polyporus

　　Su Ningxue was deeply worried.

　　"Dad, let's not eat this casually. What if something goes wrong after we eat it!"

　　Su Liguo patted her on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry. This is exactly why I invited Boss Lu here! If we haven't figured out whether this too-sui meat is real or fake, and if it is safe for consumption, how could I dare to let your mother and grandmother take it?"

　　"That's right, with Boss Lu here! Dad is very considerate!" Su Ningxue instantly relaxed and smiled sweetly, hugging her father's shoulders.

　　"This Ganoderma Hall is specially used for serving too-sui meat. When you sit in this room, there is only one dish, and I had to pull a lot of strings to get a seat." Su Liguo took a slight breath.

　　"In a bit, we will have to rely on Boss Lu."

　　"Chairman Su, to be honest, I have never seen genuine too-sui either, so I can't guarantee to distinguish the real from the fake," Lu Fei said frankly.

　　Stories like those of receiving dream instructions are easy to fabricate, and Lu Fei did not quite believe them. So-called carnitonic polyporus is merely a means to attract pilgrims.

　　"It's okay. Whatever Boss Lu finds, just tell us. There's no need for any formality between us," Su Liguo smiled and waved his hand.

　　Everyone was filled with curiosity.

　　After waiting for about an hour, the young Taoist priest slowly walked in, carrying a large tureen.

　　"Here is the Ling Shou Soup, please enjoy it at your leisure."

　　After setting the bowls and dishes, the young Taoist priest withdrew.

　　The name sounds quite pleasant, though.

　　Everyone exchanged glances.

　　Lu Fei lifted the lid, revealing a faint, pleasant aroma that wafted out.

　　When they looked inside, all four of them were somewhat taken aback.

　　In this large soup bowl, only four thin slices of meat floated, with no other ingredients or garnishes at all.

　　It looked like a clear broth with just a few slices of meat, and the meat was so scarce and thinly sliced that it was nearly transparent.

　　"This knife skill is even better than that of a beef noodle chef! Are you afraid there won't be any left to sell after cutting it?" Hu Zi couldn't help but say.

　　He thought the beef slices in the noodles were already thin enough, but he didn't expect there to be even thinner ones.

　　Lu Fei shook his head and said, "It's said that the meat lingzhi is inexhaustible. Even if you cut off more than half, it will grow back after a while."

　　"Such a highly nutritious thing should not be eaten too much," Su Liguo said steadily. "Moreover, this kind of thing values its original flavor the most; extra side dishes are superfluous."

　　Then, he looked at Lu Fei: "Of course, this is based on the assumption that the meat lingzhi is real. Manager Lu, how about it?"

　　"Hold on a moment."

　　Lu Fei picked up the chopsticks and took out a thin slice of meat, examining it carefully.

　　The meat slice was thin and translucent, not as fragrant as the moon gazing eel, but with a faint aroma.

　　It did not smell like meat, but more like the fragrance of wood or mushrooms.

　　The remaining three people watched Lu Fei nervously, waiting for his answer.

　　"There's no sign of yin energy, and the meat doesn't have any strange odor..." Lu Fei murmured, suddenly noticing the slice of meat wriggle slightly.

　　Startled, he thought he might be seeing things and narrowed his eyes to observe further.

　　After a moment, the meat slice moved again.

　　The movement was barely perceptible; if it weren't for Lu Fei's magical powers enhancing his senses, he likely wouldn't have noticed it.

　　"This meat is alive!"

　　Lu Fei put the meat slice back into the soup bowl.

　　"What, alive?!" The father and daughter, Su Liguos, were shocked beyond belief.

　　"I know that flesh reishi is alive, but how can this meat slice still be alive after being cooked?"

　　Su Liguo composed himself, narrowed his eyes, and tried to look closely, but could see nothing out of the ordinary.

　　Lu Fei took his phone and recorded a video of the meat slice, then played it in slow motion.

　　"Wow! It's really alive!"

　　Now, everyone could see it clearly.

　　"This is so miraculous, could it be that it's really a flesh lingzhi?" Su Liguo said excitedly.

　　"Mr. Su, I can't be certain either. My opinion is that we shouldn't eat it, as it is a living thing, and who knows what might happen if we consume it," Lu Fei said cautiously.

　　"That's right, after all, it's an unknown thing. Even if it is a treasure from legend, we should be cautious."

　　Su Liguo pondered for a moment, nodded slightly, and showed a slightly disappointed expression.

　　"Then how should we handle this piece of meat? Lingyun Temple has a rule that the flesh lingzhi cannot be taken away."

　　"I went through a lot of trouble to get a reservation here, and if we just leave it like this, they might be unhappy knowing that I didn't even take a bite."

　　Lu Fei looked at the piece of meat floating in the bowl and said, "If Mr. Su doesn't mind, I'll take this piece of meat with me. I'll find someone to help identify it, and if it turns out to be a real flesh lingzhi, we can come back and eat it later."

　　"That's a great idea, thank you, Manager Lu!" Su Liguo was delighted.

　　He donated a large sum of incense money to the Lingyun Temple in exchange for this opportunity to eat the spirit ganoderma, and he would probably have to donate again if he were to come in the future.

　　However, money was not an issue for him. As long as he could confirm that the spirit ganoderma here truly had the effect of prolonging life, it would be worth any amount of money.

　　Lu Fei then found a plastic bag to put the four thin slices of meat into. As for the remaining soup in the bowl, he poured it into the shrubbery when no one was looking outside.

　　Then, everyone sat for another ten minutes, pretending to have finished the Spirit Longevity Soup, and got ready to leave.

　　"Laymen, is the Spirit Longevity Soup to your satisfaction?" The young monk came over to see them off.

　　"Very satisfactory, thank you very much." Su Liguo replied with a smile, showing no sign of anything unusual on his face.

　　"My master instructed that you should not eat meat within a month after taking the Spirit Longevity Soup. Please remember this, laymen," the young monk added.

　　Su Ningxue couldn't help but ask, "Why can't we eat meat?"

　　"Ordinary meat contains the bloody qi, which may affect the spiritual energy of the Spirit Longevity Soup," the young monk explained.

　　"Is that so?" Su Ningxue clearly did not believe it and wanted to say more, but her father pressed down on her shoulder.

　　"Understood, thank you, Daoist. We will be careful." Su Liguo nodded at the young Taoist priest and led everyone out.

　　The young Taoist priest bowed slightly and entered the room to tidy up.

　　"I think this Taoist is very odd. That so-called rou lingzhi must be problematic. It's a good thing we didn't eat it," Su Ningxue whispered, holding onto her father's arm.

　　"Xiaoxue, don't jump to conclusions. Let's wait for Manager Lu to have someone appraise it and we'll know for sure," Su Liguo said calmly to his daughter.

　　Everyone walked out along the corridor.

　　Lu Fei suddenly felt his backpack move, and the small black dog emerged again, nimbly jumping to the ground.

　　"Little fella, what are you up to now?"

　　The small black dog sniffed around, as if it had detected something, and ran straight in one direction.

　　"Hey, don't run off!"

　　Lu Fei quickly excused himself to Su Liguo and his daughter and went to chase after the small black dog.

　　The little guy scampered quickly on its four short legs, darting through the courtyard all the way to the back of the Taoist temple, where a quiet house stood.

　　"What are you running for?"

　　Lu Fei caught up with it and scooped it up in one hand.

　　It wagged its small tail vigorously, glancing at the window of the house from time to time, as if trying to indicate something.

　　"What have you found this time?"

　　Lu Fei knew that this little creature had extraordinary spiritual senses. He looked around and, seeing no one, cautiously approached the window and peered inside.

　　The room was very dim, and against one wall stood a large water vat.

　　There seemed to be something moving in the vat, making a faint splashing sound.

　　"This room isn't a kitchen. What's a water vat doing here? Keeping fish?"