"My name is Lin Feng. I'm just an ordinary restaurant owner."
Chrysanthemum Douluo's eye twitched nonstop when he heard this.
Ordinary?
An ordinary restaurant owner?
You call that ordinary?
Chrysanthemum Douluo ranted inwardly.
Though this senior was powerful and generous, he seemed to enjoy joking around.
If he counted as an ordinary restaurant owner, then what did that make a Titled Douluo like him?
Trash?
Chrysanthemum Douluo shuddered at the memory of being so overwhelmed that he couldn't even summon his Martial Soul.
"Elder Ju, what do we do now?"
Only when Yan asked quietly beside him did Chrysanthemum Douluo come back to his senses.
He rubbed his still-swollen belly and remembered the sight of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum disappearing right before his eyes. It gnawed at him like a cat scratching.
"What else can we do? Senior Lin has closed up. We can't just stand here like fools."
As he spoke, Chrysanthemum Douluo cautiously glanced at the tightly shut restaurant door.
If that mysterious Senior Lin found them loitering outside annoying and punished him again, he'd really be done for.
"Come on, let's go. Hurry up and get out of here," Chrysanthemum Douluo urged. "We don't want to displease Senior Lin."
The four of them had only taken a few steps when Chrysanthemum Douluo suddenly stopped.
He realized that the three of them had witnessed every embarrassing thing he'd done in front of Lin Feng, and it sat badly with him.
From trying to dine and dash to being forced to his knees, then stuffing himself like a pufferfish, he'd completely disgraced a Titled Douluo.
"Ahem!" Chrysanthemum Douluo cleared his throat, recovering some of his dignity. "By the way, you three little ones have done a great service this time."
"Hm?" The three members of the Golden Generation all turned to look at Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Chrysanthemum Douluo smiled. "Who was the first to discover this miraculous restaurant? Who immediately returned to Spirit Hall to report it?"
Yan scratched his head. "That would be us, of course!"
"Exactly!" Chrysanthemum Douluo nodded, delicately brushing his chin with his pinky.
"Although my experience today... ahem... had a few bumps along the way, there's no denying that you discovered an enormous opportunity for Spirit Hall!"
The three of them lit up.
That was right!
They'd been so stunned by Senior Lin's power that they'd forgotten they'd earned credit for this.
"Elder Ju, you mean..."
"First-class merit!" Chrysanthemum Douluo declared decisively. "I'll report this to His Holiness the Pope myself and request rewards for the three of you!"
As he spoke, Chrysanthemum Douluo pulled three gold cards from his Storage Soul Tool. "But His Holiness the Pope is still in seclusion, so until then, I'll give you a little something more tangible."
The three gold cards gleamed enticingly in the moonlight. Each one clearly bore the words "Two Hundred Thousand."
"Holy crap!" Yan's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Elder Ju, is this..."
"Two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins!" Chrysanthemum Douluo swept his hand grandly through the air. "One each. Consider it a personal reward from me!"
"Grandpa Ju, this is too much..."
Hu Liena's little hands trembled, but she snatched up her card faster than anyone else.
Snap!
The gold card vanished into her Storage Soul Tool.
Xie Yue and Yan were the same. Their mouths offered polite protests, but their hands didn't hesitate in the slightest.
Yan was even more over the top. He pressed the card to his cheek and rubbed it against his face. "The feel, the texture—this is what two hundred thousand feels like!"
Watching their money-grubbing faces, Chrysanthemum Douluo's lips twitched.
It wasn't that they were greedy. It was just that Gold Soul Coins were exactly what they needed most right now.
Now that Maple Dye Pavilion had appeared, dining and drawing prizes was the fastest way to grow stronger!
It was practically a hundred times faster than cultivating on their own!
But all of that depended on having enough Gold Soul Coins to spend at Maple Dye Pavilion.
The Golden Generation's little nest eggs would be enough for them to eat there for a short while.
But if they kept it up for long, they'd be in real trouble.
Besides, the stronger they became, the more expensive the dishes would be.
The two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins Chrysanthemum Douluo had rewarded them with would keep them from worrying about money for quite a while at their current level!
"Alright, alright, you little money-grubbers."
Chrysanthemum Douluo's smile faded, and his gaze sharpened again.
"Tomorrow, I'll tell the other elders about Maple Dye Pavilion and invite them to dine there."
Hu Liena and the others immediately brightened at Chrysanthemum Douluo's words.
This was a wonderful opportunity!
Weren't all the elders of Spirit Hall powerful Titled Douluos?
If they all became regulars at Maple Dye Pavilion, wouldn't Spirit Hall's overall strength skyrocket in a short time?
Just imagine: a group of Titled Douluos in the nineties going to a restaurant every day, then all breaking through to level ninety-nine by drawing prizes...
The thought was so beautiful it was almost impossible to imagine!
Xie Yue rubbed his hands excitedly. "By then, Spirit Hall's strength will reach unimaginable heights. Even if the Upper Three Sects joined forces with the two great empires, they still wouldn't be a match for Spirit Hall!"
Just then, Yan suddenly thought of something and cautiously asked,
"Elder Ju, I have a question..."
"What is it?"
Yan scratched his head, looking a little uneasy. "What if the other elders, like you, refuse to believe it until they've hit a brick wall?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Chrysanthemum Douluo's face darkened.
He glared viciously at Yan. If looks could kill, Yan would have been hacked to pieces by now.
Under that glare, Yan immediately shut his mouth.
Why did his big mouth always get him into trouble?
Fortunately, Chrysanthemum Douluo didn't actually hold it against him.
"Don't worry. I'll explain everything to them, of course."
As he said this, his expression turned stern.
"Also, there's one very important matter." Chrysanthemum Douluo lowered his voice, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
The three youngsters sensed the change in the atmosphere and grew serious as well.
"Elder Ju, we're listening!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo looked around to make sure no one else was nearby, then leaned toward the three of them.
"What happened at Maple Dye Pavilion today—especially certain... things I did—must never get out!"
"Especially... especially anything that happened after Senior Lin Feng showed his strength. Not a single word can leave this room!"
At that, Chrysanthemum Douluo's face turned green.
A dignified level-ninety-five Titled Douluo and elder of Spirit Hall had made a complete fool of himself in a little restaurant.
If word got out, how could he ever show his face in Spirit Hall again?
The three of them froze for a moment, then immediately understood what Chrysanthemum Douluo meant.
So those two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins were supposedly a personal reward, but were actually hush money!
Yan's expression turned complicated. "Elder Ju, you mean..."
Before he could finish, Xie Yue jabbed him hard in the ribs with his elbow, then feigned confusion.
"Elder Ju, your behavior at the restaurant? What behavior? I don't remember anything."
Hu Liena blinked innocently. "That's right. I can't remember either. I only remember you dining elegantly and winning the grand prize."
Only then did straightforward Yan finally catch on. "Elder Ju, you were very dignified today. What could possibly have been improper?"
Hearing them say that, the gloom on Chrysanthemum Douluo's face finally lifted a little.
"Good, you're quick learners. Here, another hundred thousand each."