Pure Foodie vs. Utilitarian Leek

Hearing this, Chrysanthemum Douluo froze on the spot, his entire being crashing like a system error.

The thousands of words he had meticulously prepared—from the shocking reveal of the eighty-thousand-year soul bone to the miraculous recovery of the Extraordinary Velvet Chrysanthemum, all the way to elevating Senior Lin's benevolent and peerless character—were all stuck in his throat, choked off by these three cold dish names.

No...

This script was all wrong!

The process wasn't supposed to go like this!

I haven't even started brainwashing you—ah, no, I haven't even started introducing the peerless opportunities here, so why have you already spent the money?!

Noticing the blank, ghost-struck expression on Chrysanthemum Douluo's face, Spirit Kite Douluo arched her phoenix brows and glared at him, her eyes filled with undisguised disdain.

"What are you looking at?"

"You smashed so many of my newly bought treasures, and I haven't even asked you for compensation yet!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo finally snapped back to reality and instinctively tried to initiate his backup plan, hurriedly saying, "Spirit Kite, you misunderstand. That's not what I meant. I wanted to say that the true value of Senior's place lies in those supreme opportunities..."

Before he could finish, Spirit Kite Douluo impatiently waved her hand to cut him off.

"Opportunities?"

Spirit Kite Douluo scoffed, her gaze as if she were looking at an ignorant child.

She extended a slender finger to tap the menu, then pointed at her still-rumbling stomach, stating with righteous confidence:

"Right now, my stomach is telling me it wants to eat!"

"That is the greatest opportunity at hand!"

"As for what you're talking about, we can discuss that after I'm full!"

These words were so pure, and so... reasonable.

Chrysanthemum Douluo opened his mouth, only to find he was completely speechless.

Yet, he refused to give up. Pointing at the astronomical prices on the menu, he reminded her, "But... these prices..."

"Expensive?"

Spirit Kite Douluo curled her lip as if she had heard the world's biggest joke.

"It's precisely because it's expensive that I'm ordering it!"

"What do you know? You get what you pay for! The fact that he can set these prices, and that he made that blockhead Demon Bear cry his eyes out, says everything!"

"For that, any amount of money is worth it!"

She paused, then added a final remark that completely shattered Chrysanthemum Douluo's last line of defense.

"Of course, it is a bit pricey, so this lady will just start with three dishes to get a taste. Is there a problem with that?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo: "..."

No problem.

The problem is with me.

Interesting.

Lying on his rocking chair, a glimmer of amusement quietly flickered in the depths of Lin Feng's eyes.

He had originally assumed that the customers coming to his place would all be the type like Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.

People whose minds were clouded by "lotteries" and "peerless opportunities."

People whose heads were filled only with thoughts of soul bones, immortal herbs, and the advancement of their cultivation.

Textbook examples of utilitarian leeks.

Simple, pure, and easy to harvest.

He hadn't expected to capture a brand-new variety today.

A... pure foodie.

Not for opportunities, not for rewards, but simply because she smelled the fragrance and saw the price, she decided this was supreme delicacy.

This kind of leek...

It seemed to have a bit more class than the ones before.

But just as Lin Feng was interestedly labeling his new leek, the cold and familiar sharp-tongued voice of the system arrived in his mind right on cue.

[Ding! Trash host, stop feeling so good about yourself and wipe that provincial look off your face.]

[This woman looks like a pure glutton right now and doesn't care about the price, but that's only because she hasn't seen the truly good stuff yet.]

[Human nature is greedy, host.]

The system's voice carried a trace of imperceptible mockery.

[Once she tastes the sweetness of the lottery and experiences that ultimate thrill of ascending to the heavens in a single step, having her destiny rewritten in an instant...]

[Do you think she'll turn into the same kind of loyal, old leek as those two at your feet?]

The corner of Lin Feng's mouth stiffened slightly.

That damn system's mouth was still as insufferable as ever.

But he had to admit, it might be right.

Human nature was inherently greedy.

In the face of opportunities that could defy the heavens and change one's fate, such as spirit bones and immortal herbs, the so-called "gluttonous" attribute was likely fragile and easily shattered.

But so what?

Lin Feng sneered inwardly.

Regardless of their motives—whether they were gluttonous leeks or greedy leeks—as long as they could be harvested and contribute points to him, they were good leeks.

As for the inner journeys of these leeks?

He couldn't be bothered to care.

Why think so much? You're just a broken system; do you really want to be a life coach?

Lin Feng retorted silently in his heart.

He composed his mind, and that lazy, indifferent expression returned to his face, as if all the mental activity from a moment ago had never occurred.

He slowly rose from his rocking chair, his movements devoid of any worldly aura, and spoke two words calmly toward Spirit Kite Douluo, and by extension, everyone present.

"Wait a moment."

As his voice fell, he turned and walked toward the kitchen, leaving the crowd with an inscrutable back.

Once Lin Feng's seemingly ordinary figure disappeared behind the kitchen curtain, Chrysanthemum Douluo moved with leisurely grace, walking straight to Ghost Douluo's side and sitting down right next to him.

The two were practically shoulder-to-shoulder, their heads leaned together as they whispered, their demeanor uncomfortably intimate.

"Ugh—"

At the next table, Demon Bear Douluo, who was clutching a large bowl and eating until tears streamed down his face, happened to catch this scene, and his stomach immediately churned.

The peerless delicacy in his mouth was almost forced back up by this eyesore of a sight.

These two old things really didn't treat anyone else as outsiders!

He hurriedly closed his eyes, though he didn't dare stop the chewing motion of his mouth, frantically chanting in his heart.

I can't see! I can't see! As long as I eat fast enough, no one can affect my meal!

Jingle—

The crisp sound of the wind chime at the restaurant entrance rang out once more.

The three members of the Golden Generation were bustling in, full of anticipation, surrounding an elderly man with a kind face and an extraordinary bearing.

The newcomer was none other than Holy Dragon Douluo, Tuoba Xi.

The moment he stepped through the door, Tuoba Xi's footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

An overbearing, peerless fragrance, as if possessing a life of its own, instantly drilled into his nasal cavity, violently washing over his limbs and bones!

So fragrant!

Just by smelling this scent, Tuoba Xi felt the spirit power within his body begin to stir, and a thunderous rumble erupted from his stomach.

No wonder these little ones were so gluttonous!

He chuckled inwardly, his eyes filled with indulgence for the younger generation, and then he raised his gaze to look around the shop.

However, the next second, the smile on Tuoba Xi's face froze completely.

What was he seeing?

Demon Bear Douluo, known for his fiery temper and thick skin, was currently sitting with his eyes closed, clutching a bowl larger than his own face, wolfing down food while tears streamed down his face, emitting unintelligible whimpers.

In that state, where was there any trace of a Title Douluo's dignity!

His gaze shifted.

He saw the only female elder in the Elder Hall, Spirit Kite Douluo!

At this moment, her hair was disheveled, her clothes were stained with dust, and there seemed to be traces of blood still lingering in her nostrils; her appearance was wretched to the extreme.

Yet, in those beautiful eyes of hers, there was not a hint of anger, only a desire bordering on obsession, fixed firmly on the direction of the kitchen.

This... what kind of situation was this?!

Tuoba Xi felt his brain was no longer sufficient to process this.

And what made his scalp tingle the most...

Were Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo in the corner!

These two top-tier, most famous Title Douluos of the Elder Hall were currently... currently acting like no one else was around, being all lovey-dovey and whispering to each other?

Tuoba Xi's pupils suffered an earthquake of the eighth magnitude at this moment.

Behind him, Hu Liena's eyes lit up instantly upon seeing the intimate interaction between Chrysanthemum and Ghost, and she covered her mouth tightly to keep herself from letting out a strange shriek.