Lei Hui, the only son of Lord Tai, surprisingly yielded to the manager of Wanxian Restaurant and accepted compensation from Sister Zhao, which included 10,000 low-grade crystals and three mid-grade talismans. This compensation, announced by Lord Chixiao, was delivered to Zhang Guodong under the escort of the enforcement team less than half a quarter of an hour later.
Ten thousand low-grade crystals—what a huge sum! And three mid-grade Azure Thunder Talismans—that's even more precious. Mid-grade, or even rarer, level-two talismans—these are things you can't necessarily buy even with crystals; it's a matter of luck.
After being reminded by the little devil, Zhang Guodong immediately went down to accept the compensation. He then warmly invited the group of about ten law enforcement disciples and one deacon disciple to enjoy the dishes and wines of Wanxian Restaurant.
After some polite refusals, the guests sat down without ceremony. They were the first group of customers at Wanxian Restaurant, even though their meal was free. The little devil directed Wei Yan and the other women to bring out dishes and wine regularly, which delighted these special guests.
The disciple congratulated Zhang Guodong, saying, "Manager Zhang is a good businessman; your business will surely prosper in the future!"
"I hope you all will spread the word and make Wanxian Restaurant more popular. After the meal, I'll give each of you a complimentary pot of fine wine. Enjoy!" Zhang Guodong said insincerely and walked away.
There were about ten people, seated at two tables. Each table had four meat dishes, four vegetable dishes, and a soup, with each person also having a pot of wine. If you included the crystal stones, it would cost nearly a hundred low-grade crystal stones. Although Huang Song and the others had vindicated the Wanxian Restaurant, the customers were still hesitant, and the negative impact was still there. These enforcement disciples, on the other hand, benefited greatly from having their meal free.
"Xiao Hu, come up here. Wei Yan will be in charge of this floor for now. Hmm? Where's that little girl Li Jing?" Zhang Guodong walked to the counter and said to Xiao Hu and Wei Yan.
But after sweeping, it seemed that one person was missing from the front hall.
Wei Yan frowned and said, "Manager, Li Jing said she has a stomachache and is in the backyard. Should I go and call her?"
Zhang Guodong was surprised for a moment, then waved his hand: "There aren't many guests today. Since you're not feeling well, then forget it!"
"By the way, take this communication talisman. The daily management of the restaurant will be handled by you and me. If there's anything you can't handle in the future, just send me a message!"
Wei Yan was overjoyed—a communication talisman! The head manager had casually given her one. You see, since they were taken in as menial laborers, they'd received nothing but a soul seed and a low-level cultivation method; this communication talisman was worth several crystals.
"Thank you, Manager!"
Seeing the envious looks on her companion's face, Wei Yan felt that following Wanxian Restaurant should lead to a bright future. She put away the communication talisman belonging to Xi Jiangzi.
Zhang Guodong wouldn't let others' enthusiasm be dampened; he might as well make a few empty promises.
"Work hard, everyone has a chance to win rewards—crystals, talismans, even storage bags! Whoever performs well will be rewarded handsomely by Wanxian Restaurant!"
After saying that, ignoring everyone's excitement, Zhang Guodong and the little devil went up to the fifth floor. This fifth floor has now become Zhang Guodong's private room, although it is currently empty, just a quiet and deserted place.
"As the second-in-command, you're expected to dress up. These things are temporarily on loan to you. If you behave well, they'll be yours later." Zhang Guodong took out a purple storage bag, a communication talisman, and thirty low-grade crystals, and tossed them to the ghost.
Zhang Guodong was initially reluctant to temporarily borrow the little devil's intermediate storage bag. However, considering that he had nowhere to put the crystals he had collected, he simply gave up a purple storage bag instead of the black one.
The little devil's oath of loyalty is quite reliable, to be honest.
"Brother Zhang, I'll definitely do my best!" The little devil was overjoyed. A purple storage bag! That's something only top experts possess, and now he actually had one too.
Zhang Guodong laughed too. "That kid is Wanxian Restaurant's cash cow. Whether we can make money in the future depends on him."
"Well, I'll wait and see. You can go and greet the guests now!"
Zhang Guodong wasn't good at winning over his subordinates, but he did know how to offer small favors and give them hope.
After the little devil went downstairs, Zhang Guodong calmed down. Although the opening of Wanxian Restaurant hadn't gone smoothly, he firmly believed it would be a huge success in the future. He didn't believe anyone could grow better vegetables and seafood than Taoyuan. With the small spirit-gathering array on the first floor of Taoyuan, the spiritual energy around Shanhe Peak was extremely dense, indirectly affecting the concentration of spiritual energy in the outer layers. Originally, the outermost layer had ten times the spiritual energy, but now it was at least ten times. Plus, with the little devil as the unique chef, the business was bound to succeed.
My thoughts shifted.
"Those three rogue cultivators really helped Wanxian Restaurant a lot this time. We must win them over." After clearing Wanxian Restaurant's name, the three rogue cultivators who couldn't stand Lei Hui's arrogance declined Zhang Guodong's invitation to drink at Wanxian Restaurant and instead made an appointment after the trade fair.
However, the three of them exchanged communication tokens with Zhang Guodong, so they could contact each other at any time.
Thinking about it now, it makes sense. All three of them were hated by Lei Hui, and if they went to Wanxian Restaurant for drinks again, it would be even more conspicuous. So they politely declined Zhang Guodong's offer, but expressed their desire to befriend him.
For independent cultivators, especially those with limited backing, establishing connections with powerful factions is a significant achievement. Zhang Guodong's ability to spend lavishly on the Wanxian Wine Shop suggests he must have powerful backing. Furthermore, his ability to cause Lei Hui, the young master, financial ruin and loss of face demonstrates his formidable strength.
This fits the characteristics of a powerful force. The three are willing to befriend each other. Zhang Guodong was quite pleased after confirming this.
Just then, a white light flew out of the storage bag and floated in front of Zhang Guodong. It was a communication talisman.
Who would send me a message at this time?
Zhang Guodong glanced at the communication talisman with a puzzled look; it was a message from Liu Meigui. They also learned of Zhang Guodong's identity—he had become the owner of the only restaurant in the Southwest Market—a fact that greatly surprised Liu Meigui and the others. Therefore, this message served two purposes: first, to congratulate him, and second, to invite Zhang Guodong to visit the trade fair together the next day.
This can be seen as a way for Liu Meigui and her group to deepen their relationship with Zhang Guodong. Clearly, Zhang Guodong's financial resources far exceeded their expectations. And financial resources sometimes represent power; some of their initial disdain for Zhang Guodong vanished instantly, replaced by attempts to curry favor and win him over.
Zhang Guodong smiled slightly, thought for a moment, and replied, "Sister Rose, please thank everyone for me. The fact that we were able to open a restaurant in Fang City this time is actually thanks to my master's strong support. Tomorrow night, I plan to..."
"He who eats another's food is bound to him; he who takes another's gift is bound to him." Zhang Guodong had nothing of value, but he was able to exchange it for some connections, which was a great gain.
Rose Liu immediately agreed.
"Thump thump thump!"
Just then, footsteps came from downstairs, and the little devil came upstairs looking flustered.
"Brother Zhang, something bad has happened! Lei Hui and his men are here again!" the kid said immediately.
A dozen or so law enforcement disciples and the deacon disciple were enjoying their meal. They had initially thought the food and drinks at the Wanxian Restaurant were just ordinary, but to their surprise, even before the dishes were served, they sensed the rich spiritual energy emanating from them—something they could only find in restaurants in the Plant Cultivation Realm!
This greatly surprised them, and they were somewhat impatient.
Before all the dishes were even served, everyone eagerly picked up their small wine jugs and began to sip. It's easy to imagine that the wine, brewed in a region rich in spiritual energy, was far more enjoyable than the food itself.
Their trip was worthwhile!
Just as they were enjoying their meal, an unexpected guest arrived. It was Lei Hui, accompanied by his two servants who had narrowly escaped death.
The group of law enforcement disciples were furious. This was clearly a challenge to their authority! What, they've come looking for trouble again, seeing that we're still here?
So even though they knew Lei Hui was not someone to be trifled with, otherwise they might face retaliation once they left Southwest Fang City, they couldn't help but turn pale.
Furthermore, they are now eating and drinking what Zhang Guodong provides without spending a penny, so Lei Hui's arrival seems to be a slap in their face.
"Young Master Lei, what brings you here? Lord Chixiao has said that he hopes Young Master Lei can do business peacefully in the Southwest region, rather than causing trouble again, otherwise..." The steward leading the group sneered.
With Lord Chixiao's precious sword at his side, he felt emboldened. While Lord Leitai and the others were indeed in awe of him, Lord Chixiao was also a formidable expert, no less so than Leitai.
To everyone's surprise, Lei Hui's face darkened for a moment, then he suddenly burst into laughter, saying, "Are you the only ones allowed to come here to eat, drink, and spend money, but others aren't allowed to come? It would be unreasonable for me, Lei Hui, not to pay a visit to the opening of Wanxian Restaurant."
"Bring out your best dishes and drinks. Young Master Lei has plenty of crystals!" One of the servants, probably seething with anger, shouted at the brat who looked like he was facing a formidable enemy.
He mistook the little devil for a restaurant.
Upon seeing Lei Hui preparing to spend crystals, the steward frowned, snorted, and sat down after a moment's thought. Thus, they couldn't interfere. In truth, they didn't want to have anything to do with this young master Lei.
The young man was quick-witted and immediately said, "Please wait a moment, sir. Eight dishes and a soup, along with three jugs of bayberry wine, will be served!"
The back kitchen was well-prepared, ensuring the dishes remained fresh and warm for a considerable time, allowing them to be served immediately. After the young imp and two beautiful waitresses brought the food and wine, they immediately announced, "Thirty-three low-grade crystals in total!"
When Gui Yi mentioned it, he was a little uneasy, but to his surprise, the other servant snorted and took out all thirty-three low-grade crystals without making things difficult for him.
But who is Lei Hui? He was previously an enemy of Wanxian Restaurant, yet now he's coming to patronize their establishment. The little devil sensed that Lei Hui must have a conspiracy. After accepting the crystals, he immediately went upstairs to report to Zhang Guodong.
"Let's go down and see what Young Master Lei is up to," Zhang Guodong said, narrowing his eyes. Lei Hun was definitely not a good person, but he wasn't stupid enough to cause trouble at Wanxian Restaurant after only being warned and punished by him in the Southwest Imitation Market.
Regardless of his purpose, Zhang Guodong wanted to meet with this young master Lei; he couldn't let down the reputation of Wanxian Restaurant.
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