Jing Family Restaurant

Jing Family Restaurant stood on Wutong Street in the eastern part of Changfeng City.

Bookshops and workshops were clustered around Wutong Street. So while Jing Family Restaurant wasn't packed every day like the restaurants downtown, it still enjoyed a steady stream of guests.

But today was very different from usual. When Lu Mingyuan and Jing Zhi entered the restaurant, they saw that every seat was taken. Such a sight had been rare in recent years.

Normally, a crowd meant a restaurant would be noisy and chaotic.

Yet at that moment, the diners sat quietly in their chairs, craning their necks as they listened intently to the middle-aged man in a pale-blue scholar's robe at the center of the restaurant.

The man was the storyteller at Jing Family Restaurant. His surname was Song, and every day he came to the restaurant to tell amusing tales and legends, old stories such as The Three Heroes and Five Gallants and Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, or the latest news.

The storyteller was a real talent. He told his stories vividly and lifelike, and he even acted out the characters to stir up the crowd. Ever since he joined them, Jing Family Restaurant's business had quickly outstripped that of the other restaurants.

At its peak, Jing Family Restaurant was just like it was today: every day, it was filled with distinguished guests, with not a seat to spare.

But good times didn't last. Once Jing Family Restaurant became famous for its storytelling, the other restaurants grew jealous and followed suit. Before long, they had taken a bite out of its customer base.

Still, Jing Family Restaurant had the advantage of being first, a top-notch storyteller, and a solid reputation. Its business remained strong and continued to flourish.

By now, Jing Family Restaurant was renowned throughout Changfeng City.

Oh—by the way, it had actually been Lu Mingyuan's idea to hire a storyteller.

Lu Mingyuan had been only fourteen at the time, having just awakened his memories of his previous life. Jing Zhi, who was also fourteen, had already blossomed into a lovely young woman. Though she was still young and hadn't fully grown into her looks, she was already renowned in the surrounding area as a beauty in the making.

So even though Jing Zhi was known as Lu Mingyuan's fiancée, and the two of them were fond of each other, plenty of people still came to ask for her hand in marriage. It drove Lu Mingyuan up the wall.

As for Jing Zhi, she paid those people no mind and spent her days with Lu Mingyuan. He didn't take any of it seriously, either. Those people posed no threat to him.

But once, after a wealthy merchant surnamed Wang came to call, the Jing family didn't clearly reject him. That left Lu Mingyuan frantic.

They'd always turned those people down outright before. Why hadn't they this time?

Were they thinking of breaking off the engagement?

No way. How could he let someone else pluck the peach he'd raised himself?

After making sure Jing Zhi's feelings hadn't changed, Lu Mingyuan came up with a plan and hurried over to the Jing family. He appealed to the elder Jings, tugging at their heartstrings and reasoning with them. After talking for nearly a whole day, he finally persuaded them and settled the matter.

The next day, the Jing family announced that their eldest daughter, Jing Zhi, was engaged to Lu Mingyuan of the Lu family, and that the two would marry as soon as they came of age.

From then on, those annoying suitors stopped coming.

And it was around that time that Jing Family Restaurant hired a storyteller, setting it on the road to prosperity.

"Now, the giant and the giant lion fought back and forth for dozens of exchanges, yet neither could get the better of the other. Even when one broke through the other's energy shield, the other could quickly restore it."

"One time, after the giant lion's shield was broken again, it was about to dodge away and put up another shield. But who could have guessed that the giant lion would suddenly freeze in place? The opportunity would be gone in a flash. The giant seized its chance, put all its strength into a strike with the Tearing Divine Ability, and slashed at the lion's thigh."

"That strike nearly severed one of the giant lion's hind legs."

"Even then, the giant lion still hadn't reacted. The giant seized the moment and struck several more times, finally severing one of its legs. Then he stomped on the leg, its spiritual light already faint, and crushed it."

"Only after a moment did the giant lion slowly come to its senses. When it saw what had happened, it turned and ran. As it fled, an energy shield appeared around it again, and specks of starlight began to glimmer on the long horn atop its head."

"Just then, the giant caught up, wrapped in a layer of blue light. Another sword strike shattered the shield, and the giant lion froze again. The giant seized the chance to hack off its other hind leg, then stomped the severed limb into bloody pulp."

"Now the giant lion had only two legs left, and it could no longer run so fast. The ending was already clear."

"After several more exchanges, the giant slowly took the lion apart, bit by bit, until it vanished completely from the world."

"That was how the battle between our human race and the Starlight Lion Race unfolded at Two Worlds Pass. We wiped out all ten thousand Starlight Lions in the battle, and we didn't suffer a single scratch!"

After finishing his tale, the storyteller surnamed Song took the opportunity to drink some water and wet his throat, ready to move on to the next Demon Race—the Golden Toad Race.

Suddenly, an intense cheer erupted inside the restaurant.

"Victory! Victory! Victory to the human race!"

"Victory to the human race!"

"Victory to the human race!"

The cries boomed like thunder, surged like a rainbow, and rang with utter confidence.

Even Lu Mingyuan, sitting beside the counter, was caught up in the excitement and shouted along.

He knew that it was only thanks to the soldiers guarding the frontier that people like them could live and study in peace in the rear. Every Demon killed made the human race safer and stronger.

So this unprecedented victory truly deserved to be celebrated.

Lu Mingyuan had already guessed why the giant lion had suddenly stopped. If nothing unexpected had happened, it was because of his Mathematics Divine Ability. He just hadn't expected his ability to work in that way, nor that it would be used on the battlefield so soon. The events had taken place yesterday, and this was only the third day.

That was way too fast.

Thinking of that, Lu Mingyuan thought, No wonder the sales had been climbing by ten thousand at a time the night before last. So they'd been preparing to catch the Demon Race off guard.

Just then, someone in the crowd suddenly called out:

"Old Song, hurry up and tell us why the giant Starlight Lion suddenly stopped! It doesn't make sense..."

"I say, if we hadn't used some kind of trick to make the giant Starlight Lion stop, it would've slipped away with its Starlight Divine Escape. The Starlight Lions have always fought the hardest—and run the fastest."

"Exactly! If giant Starlight Lions were easy to beat, we'd have had them begging us to be their grandfathers long ago. How would it have taken this long?"

"I bet Old Song's trying to keep us in suspense again. Same old trick."

Old Song, the storyteller surnamed Song, remained unfazed by their complaints. He was used to this by now. Of course, he didn't dare push things too far. If someone threw a knife at him, he'd be in serious trouble.

"Everyone, don't rush. I promise I'll tell you today. For now, have some tea and snacks. Next, we'll hear about the Golden Toad Race's road to ruin."