The restaurant was called the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. The name was rather tacky, but the decor was quite elegant.
Its flying eaves and intricate brackets, carved beams and painted rafters, together with the two large red lanterns hanging at the entrance, bathed the front of the building in light.
When Qian Renxue went inside, Hu Liena and Qin Chuan had just been led upstairs to the second floor by a waiter.
"How many in your party, honored guest?" another waiter greeted her warmly.
"One." Qian Renxue's voice was cool. "Give me a private room. Somewhere quiet."
"Right away! This way, please!"
The waiter led Qian Renxue upstairs and along a corridor lined with calligraphy and paintings. Her ears twitched slightly as she caught the sound of voices coming from one of the private rooms.
"...Brother Chuan, sit wherever you like. Make yourself at home." It was Hu Liena's voice.
"Okay, okay." A man's voice, slightly reserved.
Qian Renxue paused and said to the waiter, "I'll take the room next to that one."
"Ah? Honored guest, Room 68 doesn't get very good light..."
"This one." Qian Renxue cut him off, leaving no room for argument. She took a Silver Soul Coin from her clothes and slipped it into his hand.
The waiter's eyes lit up, and he immediately changed his tune. "Right away! Please come in! Room 68 is quiet and elegant, perfect for a guest of your taste!"
After the waiter left, Qian Renxue pushed the door open and closed it behind her.
The private room was small, with an Eight Immortals table, several rosewood chairs, and a landscape painting on the wall that evoked a desolate mood.
Qian Renxue didn't sit down. Instead, she walked straight to the wall adjoining the next room.
The wall was made of wood and covered with a thick layer of wallpaper. The soundproofing was quite good, but for a Soul Saint like Qian Renxue, it was as good as nothing.
She gently pressed her ear to the wall and listened closely.
In the room next door, Hu Liena and Qin Chuan seemed to have just sat down.
"Hey, Nana, you're really too kind. This is the first time since I came to Douluo Continent that a girl has treated me to a meal." Qin Chuan sounded a little embarrassed.
Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow. Came to Douluo Continent? What a strange way to put it.
"Hmm? You came to Douluo Continent?" Hu Liena seemed to sense something odd, too, and pressed him.
"Oh, I meant that this is the first time a girl has treated me to a meal since I came to do business here at Spirit Academy. And one as beautiful as you, too." Qin Chuan quickly corrected himself, his tone carrying a hint of flattery.
Hu Liena seemed amused by him and let out a laugh like silver bells. "Brother Chuan, you really know how to talk. I just think you're handsome and friendly. I especially like the dolls in your shop."
On the other side of the wall, Qian Renxue nearly rolled her eyes.
Handsome? With that utterly ordinary face?
Friendly? How could someone running a claw machine shop make a living if he wasn't friendly?
When had Hu Liena's taste gotten so bad?
"Haha, really?" Qin Chuan gave an awkward laugh. "Well, I have to admit, I feel a little guilty. You only won a cheap little doll from my shop, and now you're treating me to such a big meal. Eating here must cost quite a lot, right?"
A cold voice rang out in Hu Liena's mind at that moment.
[ Ding! Congratulations, Player Hu Liena. You have received a small amount of favor from the Shopkeeper. Membership experience +1. Current membership experience: 1/10.]
Hu Liena was delighted, but she put even more enthusiasm into her reply. "It's not much, just a dozen or so Gold Soul Coins. Don't worry about it, Brother Chuan. It's my treat today. Order whatever you like!"
"A dozen... a dozen or so Gold Soul Coins?" Qin Chuan's voice cracked. "Nana, didn't you order too much? There are only two of us. It'd be such a waste if we couldn't finish it. How about... we cancel half?"
"It's fine, it's fine! This is the first time I've treated you to a meal, Brother Chuan. I can't be stingy!" Hu Liena declared boldly.
Next door, Qian Renxue furrowed her brows.
A dozen or so Gold Soul Coins meant nothing to her. But spending that much just for one meal, and treating a man she had only just met?
"Nana, you're being so kind that I'm almost overwhelmed." Qin Chuan sounded hesitant. "Just tell me. Is there something you need my help with?"
Here it comes.
Qian Renxue's heart stirred. Were they finally getting to the point?
She was curious, too, about what Hu Liena was after after going to all this trouble.
But Hu Liena's reply left her dumbfounded.
"No, there's nothing. I just feel like Brother Chuan and I hit it off, so I wanted to treat you to a meal and make a friend. That's all." Hu Liena sounded utterly sincere.
Qian Renxue: "..."
She felt as if her intelligence had been insulted.
Just treating him to a meal? Making a friend?
Hu Liena, did you think you could fool me as if I were a three-year-old?
Just then, someone knocked on the private room door, and the waiter began bringing in the dishes.
Qian Renxue could only be patient and keep listening.
She had ordered two simple dishes and a pot of green tea as well. As she listened to the commotion next door, she rapidly analyzed the situation.
Hu Liena's strange behavior had to be connected to that claw machine shop.
And the man called Qin Chuan was the key to unraveling the whole mystery. Who was he, really?
A man who could make a woman as proud as Hu Liena lower herself and take the initiative to curry favor with him.
Could he be an unparalleled expert, concealing his true abilities?
Qian Renxue shook her head, rejecting the idea.
The pure "ordinary person" aura about Qin Chuan was unmistakable. He could barely walk steadily. There was no faking that. She trusted her own senses.
Could he be the heir to some hidden sect, or someone who held a shocking secret?
Qian Renxue thought that was quite possible.
She decided that no matter what, she would get to the bottom of this man's background tonight.
Even if... she had to use some special methods.
A cold glint flashed in Qian Renxue's eyes.
Dish after dish was carried in, and soon the Eight Immortals table was full.
Although Qian Renxue couldn't see the food, just smelling the aroma drifting over from next door was enough to tell her that the meal was worth a fortune.
One dish was Dragon Whisker Phoenix Tail Shrimp, made with the meat of a Hundred-Year Soul Beast called the Golden Thread Lobster and the tender shoots of a thousand-year-old spirit plant, Phoenix Tail Grass. It was steamed and said to nourish the meridians and stabilize Soul Power.
Another was Fire Cloud Qilin Meat, made from the tenderloin of a draconic Soul Beast called the Fire Qilin. Marinated in dozens of spices and slow-roasted over a low flame, the meat was tender and practically melted in the mouth. It could greatly replenish one's blood and vitality.
Then there was the Azure Wave Myriad Spirit Soup, made with several rare marine Soul Beasts and spirit herbs. Simmered for forty-nine two-hour periods, it was emerald green and extraordinarily delicious.
Every one of these dishes was expensive. An ordinary Soul Master might not get to eat them even once in a year.
Hu Liena had really spared no expense today.
"Wow... that smells amazing!" Qin Chuan's voice was full of wonder.
Qian Renxue could picture his uncultured expression, and a mocking smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"Here, Brother Chuan, try this Dragon Whisker Phoenix Tail Shrimp." Hu Liena eagerly served Qin Chuan a piece with her chopsticks.
Qin Chuan seemed overwhelmed by the attention and thanked her repeatedly.
Qian Renxue heard him chew, followed by a sigh of satisfaction.
"Delicious! It's so delicious! The shrimp is springy and tender, with a faint, fresh fragrance. It's better than any shrimp I've ever had!"
"If you like it, have some more." Hu Liena's voice was full of laughter.
Qin Chuan had already started devouring the food.
He really seemed hungry, or perhaps the delicious food had truly won him over.
Qian Renxue could hear him eating heartily, the clink of chopsticks against bowls and plates, and his satisfied exclamations every now and then.
"This meat is delicious, too! Rich but not greasy, and the spices are just right!"
"This soup... what kind of divine soup is this? It makes my whole body feel warm. It's so soothing!"
Next door, Qian Renxue's brows furrowed tighter and tighter as she listened. Was this man really just a glutton?
Had Hu Liena spent all that money just to treat a glutton to a meal?