That was why Linglong had been spending every spare moment with Hua Jian, hoping to win her favor and keep her from being poached.
She didn’t want to be separated from her beloved shimei, not even for a short while! That was Linglong’s current philosophy.
Having decided, the two returned to their rooms to grab their Storage Pouches, then notified the Hudaosi disciples on duty about their plans so the Venerables wouldn’t worry if they couldn’t be found.
With that, they left the Hudaosi and strolled the busy streets of Tianbei City.
It was only then that Linglong remembered to ask where they should go.
Hua Jian replied, “The busiest place, of course! The restaurant with the most customers definitely won’t taste bad!”
There weren’t any viral internet restaurants in this world. Any place that attracted a crowd had to be good.
“Look, that big restaurant up ahead looks nice!”
As dusk fell, the grand restaurant just a few steps away was brightly lit, with streams of happy customers coming and going—a good sign.
With a place so large and bustling, surely the food couldn’t be bad?
With that hope, Hua Jian and Linglong stepped into the restaurant and tried to book a private room, only to be told all rooms had been reserved.
“Ladies, I’m sorry, but we only have open hall seating available,” the lovely hostess at the counter bowed politely with an apologetic tone.
Hua Jian thought about it and realized it made sense—with business this good, private rooms were probably rarely free.
Sitting in the main hall wasn’t a problem.
Linglong didn’t mind either. She wasn’t the picky type.
They followed the hostess to a window seat, and Hua Jian picked up the menu and checked off every signature dish.
Since they were here, they might as well eat their fill.
This place mainly catered to cultivators below Ling King level.
Prices were a bit high, but nothing Hua Jian couldn’t handle.
Still, seeing the total at the end, Hua Jian winced a little inside.
A meal like this, and she’d be back to eating dirt again.
She hadn’t earned any extra cash lately, and her spending was high—her balance was completely upside down.
Thinking about what she’d been through lately, she could only sigh.
She’d finally managed to enter a Secret Realm, but the treasures she got were unsellable.
For her already-poor wallet, this was salt in the wound.
She just wanted to go to a normal Secret Realm, go wild, and snatch up every treasure in sight.
“What’s wrong? You seem a little unhappy.”
“I’m running out of money. Been spending without earning—my wallet’s empty.”
Hua Jian spread her hands, showing her unhappiness was simply about being broke.
No mysterious reasons, just a lack of money.
This practical reason left Linglong stunned. She instinctively reached for her Storage Pouch.
“Then let me treat you tonight?”
“Great!” Hua Jian accepted without hesitation, letting Linglong cover dinner.
Who cares about face—money’s what matters!
After Linglong’s offer, Hua Jian felt a bit better, but she knew things couldn’t go on like this.
She needed to find a way to make money.
“Linglong, do you know any quick ways to make money?”
That was a tough one for Linglong. She’d grown up pampered, with no idea how to make big money.
The only stories of overnight riches she’d heard all involved finding precious spiritual items in Secret Realms and selling them for a fortune.
Like the True Dragon Scale she’d gotten recently—selling it would set her up for life, but there was no way she’d sell something so valuable.
“Searching for treasures in Secret Realms. But if you found something really valuable, you probably wouldn’t sell it either, right?”
“True, in the end, it’s all about robbing others.” Hua Jian nodded in agreement.
She’d never sell anything major—just smaller loot and weapons.
So, now that she was broke, maybe she should hit up the Linlang Pavilion Secret Realm for some quick plunder!
“Is there a Linlang Pavilion Branch nearby? I could go make a little on the side—”
Smack!
Linglong’s hand chopped gently down on Hua Jian’s head, putting an end to her wild ideas.
Thinking about side jobs, huh? Was she not giving enough in payment?
“I’ll cover all your expenses for these days, and I’ll pay you a commission too. Why do you think you’re broke?”
Linglong’s words made Hua Jian tilt her head in confusion.
Linglong’s “I’m already supporting you” expression was beautiful, but she hadn’t actually given her any money.
“You haven’t given me any spirit stones!” Hua Jian stared, eyes wide.
The atmosphere turned awkward, lingering until the server brought their food and broke the silence.
Linglong looked evasive, mumbling softly, “I’ll go do the math later…”
She really hadn’t calculated how much she owed Hua Jian.
She’d always thought of sending Hua Jian back to the Jade Pool as soon as possible—once she became her shimei, everything else would sort itself out.
It was only when Hua Jian brought up payment that Linglong realized she’d never seriously considered the matter.
“Sigh, must be nice to be a rich young lady—never even bothers to do her accounts, just spends with her eyes closed.” Hua Jian popped a piece of grilled meat into her mouth with her chopsticks and complained as she chewed.
She didn’t suspect Linglong was trying to dodge payment—after all, the little dragon lady didn’t seem like someone short on cash.
Her commission wasn’t much, and what kind of Jade Pool Saintess would ruin her reputation over a trivial amount?
To her, Linglong simply forgot; she had no concept of money.
“Hey, this grilled meat is pretty good! Especially the seasoning—very exotic.”
After teasing Linglong, Hua Jian was quickly won over by the flavors of the restaurant.
No wonder business was booming—this place really had skill.
“Is it?”
“Try it yourself! Here, open up.” Hua Jian picked up a piece of meat and held it to Linglong’s mouth.
Linglong was surprised—Hua Jian was rarely so generous.
She obediently took the meat from Hua Jian’s chopsticks, watching Hua Jian carefully, and noticed her cheeks looked a little flushed.
She seemed a bit drunk, but other than the meat, Hua Jian hadn’t had any alcohol.
Linglong chewed, but didn’t taste any alcohol—just that the meat was indeed richer than most dishes.
That was strange…
As more and more dishes arrived, Hua Jian ate more and more. Finally, the quantity brought about a qualitative change.
She slumped over the table as if drunk, gazing hazily at Linglong.
“Linglong, there’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“Are you harboring evil intentions toward me?!” Hua Jian slapped the table, demanding loudly.
Linglong froze—only a truly drunk person would ask something like that.
“No,” she answered calmly.
Bringing Hua Jian back to the Jade Pool as her shimei could hardly be called “evil intentions.” It was for everyone’s good.
Besides, given Hua Jian’s state, nothing she said would make sense to her anyway.
Drunk people never made sense—except Linglong still couldn’t figure out why Hua Jian was in this state without any alcohol.
“Liar,” Hua Jian grumbled, resting her chin on her hand.
Linglong could only sigh—she really had been honest, so how could it be a lie?
Just as she was about to retort, a crash rang out nearby—someone had smashed a plate over another’s head.
“I’ve had enough of you!”
“You think I haven’t had enough of you?!”
Two well-dressed middle-aged cultivators had suddenly started brawling.
The commotion seemed to be a fuse, igniting the whole hall.
Instantly, pots, pans, and plates went flying.
People seemed to lose all inhibition, releasing every emotion they’d ever bottled up.
Most were throwing things at others, but a few couples were making out in the chaos as if nothing else mattered.
Some were even daring enough to start stripping.
“Something’s not right…” Linglong’s eyes grew unfocused for a moment, but then she snapped back.
She narrowed her eyes, pupils contracting, and spotted a trace of color in the air.
Taking a careful sniff, she picked up a familiar floral scent.
Was Hua Jian’s physique out of control? Linglong didn’t have time to think—she knew if she didn’t act, the scene would become unmanageable.
Those young couples might take things too far!
“Guests, please stop—” The restaurant staff tried to intervene, but with so many people in a frenzy, there was little they could do.
It was clear things weren’t normal. They couldn’t exactly go around knocking out their own customers.
The entire main hall was in chaos, and to make matters worse, the private rooms upstairs began to show signs of unrest.
It all started because someone curious opened a private room door to see what was happening below. That let the strange air in, and soon everyone upstairs was caught up as well.
The good news was they weren’t fighting—the bad news was that the upper-crust guests were now loudly airing all sorts of explosive grievances.
Seeing things spinning out of control, Linglong quickly contacted a shijie from the Hudaosi, asking for help managing the situation.
A whole restaurant full of crazed cultivators was definitely Hudaosi’s jurisdiction.
Upon receiving Linglong’s report, the Hudaosi reacted instantly—within minutes, a Ling Emperor and four Ling Kings arrived on the scene, using Smoke Spirit Rope to bind the deranged guests one by one.
The restaurant had to worry about its reputation, but the Hudaosi didn’t.
“What a circus. Whose place is this?” the Ling Emperor from the Hudaosi asked the Ling Kings.
“It seems to be run by Second Lord Chai. Never had problems before—today’s different,” one of the Ling Kings replied immediately.
Anyone could see something was wrong: every guest went mad at once, while the staff remained untouched. Could this be a conspiracy against the guests?
And the mastermind, possibly, was Second Lord Chai.
“Find him. Where’s this fragrance coming from? It’s odd.”
The Ling Emperor shixiong took a deep breath and caught the floral aroma too.
Linglong timidly raised her hand, and as the Ling Emperor’s gaze landed on her, she pointed to Hua Jian, who was leaning drunkenly on her shoulder.
The Ling Emperor frowned, moved closer, and the fragrance intensified.
“Linglong shimei, do you think this has something to do with her?”
Linglong nodded, then shook her head. “Maybe, but it’s probably not intentional.”
The restaurant had been fine until she and Hua Jian arrived.
The moment they entered, chaos broke out. Linglong couldn’t in good conscience deny Hua Jian’s involvement.
At the very least, Hua Jian’s natural fragrance had acted as a catalyst.
“Fair point. Anyway, let’s wait for someone from the Chai Clan. You two, go check the kitchen. If only the guests were affected, the problem is likely in the food.”
“Yes!”
The two Ling Kings hurried off, and soon returned carrying a small bag.
“Shixiong, we found a clue!”
Apparently, when they entered the kitchen, they caught the cooks guiltily tossing things into the fire.
The whole kitchen reeked of a dizzying aroma.
No need to guess—the cooks were definitely involved.
The two Ling Kings subdued them, put out the fire, and recovered some evidence.
“Well done.” The Ling Emperor nodded in satisfaction, feeling the case was close to solved.
But just then, the two Ling Kings began to act strangely, their emotions shifting like the crazed guests.
Fortunately, thanks to their self-control, they didn’t fully succumb.
“Shixiong, I really want to punch someone…” One Ling King’s eyes reddened.
“I want to fly a few laps outside…” The other felt the same.
The Ling Emperor’s expression was hard to describe.
With a wave, he bound his two junior brothers with Kun Ling Rope, then turned to Linglong.
“Linglong shimei, can you take Hua Jian back to the Hudaosi first?”
With Hua Jian present, he feared more of his disciples would succumb, one after another.
This suggestion matched Linglong’s wishes—she didn’t want Hua Jian to stay too long either.
Getting her back to the Hudaosi for the elders to examine her was the best move.
Carrying Hua Jian, Linglong left quickly.
The Ling Emperor then summoned a gale from outside, sweeping the floral scent from the building.
Without its source, the aroma quickly dissipated, and the affected guests began to return to normal.
Just then, the restaurant’s owner, Second Lord Chai, finally arrived.
Without ceremony, the Ling Emperor laid the evidence found in the kitchen before Second Lord Chai and coldly demanded,
“Explain yourself. What is this stuff—some contraband smuggled from Beijing?”
“This… Sir, you misunderstand. It’s just some Beijing spices, I swear it’s not contraband!”
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