Xu Yu

"Why were there so few people eating here? Was it because of the prices?"

Shen Nuonuo sat on a stool, looking over the decorations in the private room.

"Yes."

Lin Wei answered softly.

"Have you never considered lowering the prices?"

Shen Nuonuo also felt that it was a little too expensive.

The meal they had ordered probably cost at least a thousand Gold Soul Coins.

"The ingredients we use are expensive to begin with. Hundred-year and thousand-year soul beasts aren't cheap. After labor and processing costs are deducted, we don't earn much at all. We're only barely managing to keep the place open."

"The cost of hiring a five-ring Food System Spirit Master is very high. What we offer is already considered quite low. If this weren't the owner's shop, he would probably have left long ago."

Lin Wei's voice was filled with helplessness.

"Was there a middleman taking a cut?" Qian Renxue suddenly asked.

Shen Nuonuo looked at her Little Xue in surprise.

She didn't seem to have taught her that phrase.

"Yes, Your Highness. Since we have no backing in Spirit City, everyone wants to squeeze us for a share. They've raised the prices of everything considerably. If we didn't have to pay rent, we would have gone bankrupt long ago."

Lin Wei answered respectfully.

"Then Auntie Lin Wei, if you couldn't keep going, why didn't you come to Spirit Hall for help?"

Qian Renxue looked somewhat confused.

"People of our status can't meet anyone important in Spirit Hall. Besides, True Flavor Pavilion's business could barely still be maintained, so we didn't want to trouble Spirit Hall."

Lin Wei spoke honestly, without hiding anything.

"It's fine. From now on, Spirit Hall will provide your supply channels, so you won't need to worry about these problems anymore."

Shen Nuonuo smiled faintly.

Spirit Hall would naturally offer its own people the best options, and the prices would be more affordable as well.

"Thank you."

Lin Wei thanked her sincerely.

She was also afraid that the shop would go bankrupt in her hands, and she did not have much money left.

"May I meet this chef?"

Shen Nuonuo was truly curious about this master chef.

"Of course. I'll call him in." Lin Wei turned and hurried off again to fetch him.

A short while later.

Lin Wei returned with a male chef.

The chef wore a neat chef's uniform and had short black hair. His eyes were deep, and his brows carried an air of determination. He seemed a little excited. He was around five foot nine, with a well-proportioned build. Though not particularly tall or imposing, he gave off an approachable feeling.

Shen Nuonuo had an unusual focus. She noticed that the chef's fingers were long and nimble, nothing like those of someone who cooked often.

"This is the head chef who anchors True Flavor Pavilion, Xu Yin. He's already forty-seven or forty-eight years old." Lin Wei introduced him to everyone.

On the way over, she had already told Xu Yin about their identities.

"Greetings, Young Master, Miss, Miss Ya Wen, and the two Elders."

Xu Yin solemnly bowed to them, though more precisely, to Qian Renxue.

"No need for such formalities." Ya Wen waved her hand.

"Chef Xu, what is your martial soul?"

Shen Nuonuo could barely wait to ask.

"My martial soul is Hundred Changes Seasoning." Xu Yin looked somewhat embarrassed.

"That's quite good. It's very practical," Shen Nuonuo said sincerely.

That martial soul is really great. He's a talent.

Life needed to have flavor to be enjoyable.

Ya Wen's face darkened. What was Nono talking about?!

Xu Yin's face flushed at the praise. He was rather shy. "Thank you for the compliment, Miss."

"Then can I work for Spirit Hall in the future?"

Shen Nuonuo froze. Why had he said that? Did he no longer want to stay at this shop?

"Chef Xu, you're not staying here anymore? Then what will we do?"

Lin Wei immediately grew anxious upon hearing Xu Yin's words.

Her cooking skills were not enough to support True Flavor Pavilion.

"Lin Wei, didn't you say that True Flavor Pavilion has joined Spirit Hall? Doesn't that make us people of Spirit Hall?"

Xu Yin looked equally confused by the question.

"Uh, what we mean is that you can continue serving as the head chef here. Spirit Hall will improve your compensation. If you have any conditions, you can bring them up as well."

Seeing that Xu Yin had misunderstood, Shen Nuonuo directly explained it for Lin Wei.

Xu Yin fell silent.

"Would you prefer to work in Spirit Hall, or perhaps stay by the Young Master's side?"

Ya Wen seemed to have guessed what he was thinking.

Xu Yin nodded.

The only reason he had remained at True Flavor Pavilion all this time was because Lin Jing had once saved his life, and now her descendant had appeared.

Besides, considering everything, this place was far inferior to Spirit Hall.

He was selfish too.

He also had to consider his children.

If he could secure a position in Spirit Hall, then after his children awakened their martial souls, they could directly enroll in Spirit Hall Academy instead of attending some ordinary academy.

Spirit Hall took excellent care of the children of public employees, granting them preferential treatment in every respect.

Seeing this, how could Lin Wei not understand what he meant? She sighed, but she did not intend to force him.

With Spirit Hall's funding, she could hire chefs as well, though they would certainly not compare to Xu Yin.

"Then how about this? Before we recruit and train a new chef, Chef Xu can remain here. Once everything is operating smoothly, he can come work for Spirit Hall. How does that sound?"

"Miss Lin, you needn't worry either. Spirit Hall also has Food System Spirit Masters, though their ranks are a little lower. If they are willing, their positions can be reassigned."

Shen Nuonuo came up with this compromise.

"I'll listen to Miss." Chef Xu Yin agreed without hesitation.

Lin Wei was also quite satisfied with this arrangement.

"Miss, Young Master, Miss Ya Wen, it's getting late. How about..."

Ghostly Douluo saw that the matter had basically been settled.

"Alright. Someone will come tomorrow to handle the arrangements here," Ya Wen said gently.

Shen Nuonuo was very happy.

This trip had yielded quite a lot.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

Ghostly Douluo's voice was low.

When the door opened, they saw a little boy peeking inside at the people in the room.

"Little Yu, come in quickly."

"This boy is my son, Xu Yu. He's still young and doesn't know any better."

When Xu Yin saw his son arrive, he hurriedly explained.

Shen Nuonuo took a closer look. The boy was quite cute.

He was a little shorter than Qian Renxue, with fair, rosy skin and jet-black hair. His features closely resembled his father's.

Huh, this boy is called Xu Yu? I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before.

I remember now. In the future, he'll represent Spirit Hall in the Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament. His talent is only slightly worse than the Golden Generation's, but reaching a cultivation level close to Soul King at just over twenty is already quite impressive.

What was his martial soul again? I forgot. I only remember that he was a support-type Spirit Master.

Shen Nuonuo truly could not remember the name of his martial soul.

Still, this boy had good talent.

In Douluo Continent, for a support-type Spirit Master to cultivate to nearly five rings at around twenty years old already counted as exceptionally gifted.