"Understood, Emperor. Please wait a moment."
As Ye Ling gave the order, Tian Zhu quickly responded and began to thoroughly investigate the Tian Yi Financial Group.
Ye Ling had been back for some time, and Tian Zhu's control over the Tian Yi Financial Group had deepened, even penetrating the prominent families behind the conglomerate.
Ye Ling's assets now numbered in the trillions.
Even the Jiang family of Jiangcheng was qualified to be a member of the Red Dust Pavilion. As a world-class financial group, Tian Yi Financial Group was several tiers above the Jiang Corporation. Its members likely included members of the Red Dust Pavilion.
"Xiao Ling, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll make you lunch right away."
While Ye Ling was contacting Tian Zhu, Ye Qin was not idle. She had already tied on an apron, pulled her hair into a ponytail, and smiled at Ye Ling.
Hearing Ye Qin's words, Ye Ling was momentarily lost before saying, "That would be great. I haven't tasted Auntie's cooking in years."
Ye Qin's culinary skills were renowned throughout Jiangcheng. She was once recognized as one of the top chefs in Jiangcheng's culinary world.
The dishes Ye Qin cooked had a flavor that made one forget everything after just one bite.
In the past, Ye Ling often brought Ye You here to share meals. Even after spending sixty thousand years in the Eastern Xuan Continent, tasting exotic delicacies and rare beasts, he still couldn't forget the taste of Ye Qin's cooking.
"You play in the living room for a while. I'm going to cook."
"Okay."
Watching Ye Qin's active figure in the kitchen, Ye Ling felt a wave of nostalgia for the past.
He wished he could return to those days, but time would not stand still.
In fact, when Ye Ling returned from the Eastern Xuan Continent, he had already prepared himself for drastic changes, even the possibility of humanity's extinction.
When he discovered that sixty thousand years in the Eastern Xuan Continent equated to only six years on Earth, the joy he felt was immeasurable.
Even though every day he spent on Earth would bring about immense changes in the forces of the Eastern Xuan Continent, potentially even the decline of the Demon Palace, he still did not wish to return.
Earth was his root.
Not long after, Tian Zhu's voice echoed in Ye Ling's mind again, "Emperor, it has been confirmed. Three of the five families behind the Tian Yi Financial Group have members in the Red Dust Pavilion. One of these families is located in Kyoto, China."
"However, I've discovered that the Red Dust Pavilion platform is quite unique. Each member has a special login verification method, and the Red Dust Pavilion strictly controls the information obtained by its members. I'm afraid that without soul searching, we won't be able to easily obtain their information."
Ye Ling said calmly, "No need for soul searching. Find a member of the Red Dust Pavilion in China and give me all their identity information and login credentials. Also, send me a drop of their blood. I will personally log into the Red Dust Pavilion."
"Remember, do not let any wind leak out about this matter, nor let that member discover that you've taken their information. The Red Dust Pavilion behind it is not simple, and we need to proceed with caution."
"Your subordinate understands. Emperor, please wait."
Tian Zhu went silent again.
During this time, Ye Ling inquired about the work status of his other divine weapons. The forces controlled by the various divine weapons covered almost all sectors on Earth. They had also incorporated over a dozen high-ranking officials from foreign governments and controlled many martial arts families.
Economy, politics, military, immortal martial arts...
Ye Ling's influence was steadily penetrating all major global sectors.
"Xiao Ling, time to eat!"
As the aroma of food wafted into the living room, Ye Qin's gentle call reached Ye Ling's ears.
"Coming."
Ye Ling withdrew his thoughts, put everything aside, and enjoyed a pleasant lunch with Ye Qin.
"Auntie's cooking has improved even more."
After lunch, Ye Ling did not hesitate to praise Ye Qin's culinary skills.
Although Ye Qin's cooking was far from that of the chefs who had dedicated thousands or even tens of thousands of years to their craft in the Eastern Xuan Continent, the unique flavor of Ye Qin's dishes touched Ye Ling the most.
"Alas... how could it improve? My cooking skills have reached a bottleneck over the years. There are more and more skilled chefs, and our Feng Jiu Lou's reputation is gradually declining. It's a worry..."
Ye Qin propped her face with her hands, looking at the empty plates on the table with a worried expression.
Hearing Ye Qin's words, Ye Ling smiled slightly. He placed his hands under the table, took out a recipe book written by the foremost chef of the Eastern Xuan Continent from his spatial ring.
Ye Ling, based on his understanding, replaced the ingredients from the Eastern Xuan Continent with those found on Earth. He then presented it to Ye Qin, saying, "Auntie, I met a master chef during my travels over the years. This is a recipe book he spent his entire life researching. Would you like to study it?"
Ye Ling was also a seasoned gourmand. Although his cooking skills were not top-tier compared to those in the Eastern Xuan Continent, he possessed a deep understanding and mastery of food.
Even if the Earth ingredients he substituted caused the dishes to be one or half a notch lower in flavor, the recipe book, meticulously compiled by the foremost chef of the Eastern Xuan Continent, contained dishes that could drive even immortal and divine emperors into a frenzy. Even with a slight overall decline in the recipe's quality, it was still guaranteed to be a global sensation.
"A recipe book?"
Seeing the worn book in Ye Ling's hand, Ye Qin picked it up with a look of suspicion, not holding much hope for the recipe book Ye Ling had given her.
Her culinary skills had reached a plateau, and a mere recipe book wouldn't solve the problem.
However, the moment Ye Qin opened the first page, she was completely captivated by the ingenious ideas within.
"Egg fried rice can be made like this... My heavens! Who wrote this, a culinary god?"
Ye Qin exclaimed, flipping through the recipe book frantically. Each dish used techniques she had never heard of. Just by looking at the recipes, she could imagine how delicious the finished dishes would be!
She believed that mastering even a single dish from this book would be enough to make her a world-class chef and open a restaurant that would become famous across the land!
After flipping through the entire recipe book, Ye Qin closed it solemnly and asked Ye Ling with a serious expression, "Xiao Ling, can this recipe book be shared?"
As a chef, she was acutely aware of the value of this recipe book.
It was something that chefs worldwide would covet, and it was priceless.
Such a treasure could not be easily shared.
Ye Ling smiled and said, "Don't worry, Auntie. I once helped that master chef, and this recipe book was his gift to me. He said I could do as I pleased with it. If you study it, you can call him 'Master' when you meet him in the future."
"How can I, with my meager culinary skills, shamelessly call myself his disciple? However, this recipe book is something I can learn from. Xiao Ling, you've been a great help!"
Ye Qin cherished the recipe book in her hands. She was confident that with this book, she could build a dominant enterprise in the global catering industry!
"As long as you like it, Auntie," Ye Ling said with a smile.
"No! I must study this. Xiao Ling, entertain yourself for a while."
Ye Qin, unable to contain her excitement, clutched the recipe book and retreated to the study, beginning to learn with ravenous hunger.
Watching his aunt's engrossed demeanor, Ye Ling chuckled, then waved his hand to send the dishes on the table into the kitchen. He used his spiritual energy to clean them, neatly placed them back in the cupboard, and then entered Lin Yu's bedroom, sitting down in front of the computer.
Ye Ling's expression turned serious, and he said softly, "Tian Zhu, are the preparations complete?"
"Emperor, everything is ready."