Going Out for a Stroll, Only to Be Followed

"Welcome, how many in your party?"

As Chen Ze and Zhao Ling'er stepped into Tongfu Restaurant, a waiter immediately hurried over to greet them.

It was only after the waiter finished his greeting that he noticed Zhao Ling'er by Chen Ze's side.

The moment his eyes fell upon her face, he was completely captivated.

The Zhao Ling'er before him was so exquisite that even the female disciples of the Qingyun Sect likely couldn't compare to her.

He had never seen such a pure-looking girl; she was practically a little fairy.

He thought to himself that if he ever hoped to find a girl like her, it would surely be impossible in this lifetime—he'd just have to hope for a better reincarnation in the next!

If only he could cultivate immortality.

Chen Ze had already noticed the waiter's gaze, and he didn't need to guess to know that the man had been entranced by Zhao Ling'er's beauty.

"Ahem!" Chen Ze coughed twice and said indifferently, "Two."

The waiter finally realized he had been staring, but fortunately, the two guests didn't seem to mind.

He quickly said, "Would you like to sit upstairs or downstairs, guests?"

"There are seats upstairs?" The last time Chen Ze came to Tongfu Restaurant, it was only to pay back a debt, so he hadn't paid any attention to the layout.

"Yes, sir. The upstairs area consists entirely of private rooms."

"Oh!" Chen Ze mused, "Then we'll just sit downstairs."

"Very well, please follow me."

With that, the waiter led Chen Ze and Zhao Ling'er to a table on the first floor.

Following behind the waiter, Chen Ze took a look around the current Tongfu Restaurant.

"I never expected the service at Tongfu Restaurant to have improved so much."

In the past, the waiters here had a habit of judging people by their clothes.

Still, Ling'er's appearance is a bit too striking, Chen Ze thought to himself. I'll have to be more careful in the future to avoid unwanted attention.

"Please have a seat, guests. Take a look at what you'd like to eat."

"Do you have a menu?"

"Yes, I'll get it for you right away."

The waiter immediately handed over a menu.

Chen Ze passed it to Zhao Ling'er, "Take a look and see if there's anything you'd like."

"Master, you decide," the doppelganger Zhao Ling'er replied; she didn't actually need to eat.

The taste of food was of no importance to her.

After scanning the menu, Chen Ze didn't know what to order, mostly because the dish names were too flowery and he couldn't tell what they actually were.

Deciding to keep it simple, Chen Ze handed the menu back to the waiter, "There are only two of us, just bring us two or three of your signature dishes."

"Understood, please wait a moment."

With that, the waiter went off to arrange the meal.

Chen Ze observed the other diners in the restaurant; those eating on the first floor were mostly in groups of two or three.

Some tables were occupied by ordinary people, while others held cultivators, though none seemed to have high cultivation levels.

A short while later, the waiter returned, "The dishes are all set, sir. Would you like some wine? The spirits at our Tongfu Restaurant are quite famous here in Wannan City."

"Heh, no need."

Chen Ze felt annoyed at the mention of alcohol. In his previous life, he would have a drink or two when he had nothing to do.

But in this life, the original owner had literally drunk himself to death right here in this very restaurant, and had even left him with a mountain of debt.

As for alcohol, he would just have to wait until his next life to drink it!

Not long after, the waiter began bringing the dishes to the table.

Chen Ze took a look and was relieved; the waiter hadn't tried to overcharge them despite being asked for signature dishes.

"The order is complete, please enjoy your meal."

"Mm," Chen Ze nodded in acknowledgment.

"Master, these dishes don't seem as tasty as the ones Ling'er makes."

Although Zhao Ling'er didn't need to eat, she could still discern the flavor of the food—otherwise, how could she cook for Chen Ze?

"That goes without saying; these meals naturally can't compare to your cooking."

Chen Ze's remark was a compliment to both Zhao Ling'er and himself.

After all, one had to consider who had taught Zhao Ling'er how to cook.

"Just eat a little; we didn't come out primarily to dine. It's just been too long since I've been out, so the main goal is to walk around."

"Yes, Master."

Although the taste of the food couldn't compare to what Zhao Ling'er made, it was still edible; otherwise, Tongfu Restaurant wouldn't have been able to stay in business.

"Waiter, check, please."

"Coming, sir! That will be ten taels of silver in total."

"Not bad, not expensive." Chen Ze said, pulling out ten taels of silver and placing them on the table.

Afterward, he walked out of the restaurant with Zhao Ling'er.

"Take care, sir, and please come again!"

The waiter stood at the entrance to see Chen Ze off, but his gaze lingered on Zhao Ling'er's retreating figure.

"Truly beautiful."

Just then, the sound of someone settling a bill came from inside the restaurant. "Waiter, check, please. Keep the change."

"Hey, thank you, sir!"

The waiter hurried to collect the silver from the table, the extra money including a tip for himself.

"Master, it seems the Ye Family is running Tongfu Restaurant quite well since they took it over."

"In such a prime location, even a casual shop would do decent business. As long as they aren't intentionally gouging customers, they can keep it running."

"That's true. The Ye Family's businesses in Wannan City are all legitimate; it's hard to imagine they would be involved in such sordid affairs."

"Master, by doing this, the Ye Family is truly earning both money and a good reputation."

"That is exactly what makes the Ye Family terrifying. They don't show their hand, yet they secretly control Wannan City, like an invisible giant hand manipulating everything from behind the scenes."

At this moment, Zhao Ling'er suddenly said, "Master, it seems someone is following us."

"Mm, I noticed a while ago. They probably saw that we haven't revealed our cultivation levels and got some wicked ideas."

Chen Ze, of course, wouldn't tell Zhao Ling'er that it was her appearance that had attracted the followers.

After all, he had created Zhao Ling'er's appearance himself, and she looked exactly like Fairy Sister.

Back at Tongfu Restaurant, Chen Ze had already noticed several malicious gazes constantly fixed on his doppelganger, Zhao Ling'er.

"Don't worry about them; they're just three at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer."

"Understood."

Chen Ze didn't take the people following them to heart at all and continued to stroll around as he pleased.

However, after wandering for an entire day, he hadn't found a single thing that caught his eye; everything was just items he could easily buy at the Myriad Things Shop.

Originally, Chen Ze had hoped to unearth some treasures at the stalls of the wandering cultivators, but unfortunately, he found nothing.

"Let's go, time to head back! There's nothing worth looking at."

"Understood." The doppelganger Zhao Ling'er also felt there was no point in staying; she was already satisfied with the hairpin Chen Ze had bought her.

Chen Ze didn't lead Zhao Ling'er toward the mansion where he was currently staying, but instead headed toward the residential area where he had previously rented a house.

Since someone was harboring ill intentions toward them, he naturally needed to resolve the issue.

Near the City Lord's Mansion, there were too many members of the Patrol Team, making it inconvenient to take action.

The residential area was different; the Patrol Team rarely came by, and as long as he acted quickly, it wouldn't matter if they did show up.