Seeing the expression on Tuoba Xi's face shift from shock to resolve, the curve of Hu Liena's lips grew even more pronounced.
It worked!
She swiftly exchanged a knowing glance with Yan and Xie Yue beside her.
Mischievous smiles glittered in all three of their eyes.
The operation was a resounding success!
Just then.
The plain curtain to the kitchen was gently lifted, and a figure walked out at an unhurried pace.
It was Lin Feng.
He carried a wooden tray in his hands, bearing several dishes so exquisite they seemed otherworldly—the very ones Spirit Kite Douluo had just ordered.
As soon as he stepped out, his seemingly languid eyes swept casually across the restaurant.
When his gaze passed over Hu Liena and the others, then the elderly man beside them whose aura was so steady and deep, it paused for an instant—so briefly it was almost imperceptible.
Oh?
Lin Feng chuckled inwardly, the slightest hint of a lift touching his brows.
Not bad.
Those three little rascals were getting better at their jobs.
They'd managed to bring another top-tier leek to his restaurant so quickly... a Title Douluo-grade one, no less.
Of course, while he was delighted inside, outwardly he remained as untroubled as ever, calm and composed.
Lin Feng walked steadily straight to Spirit Kite Douluo's table.
As he approached, the already overbearing aroma intensified tenfold. It seemed to take solid form, rushing into Spirit Kite Douluo's nostrils until she could hardly keep from losing control right there.
With fluid, effortless movements, he set each dish from the tray before Spirit Kite Douluo.
"Please enjoy."
His voice was soft, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears. It seemed to possess the magic to make his words come true, instantly calming the restless hearts around him.
With such delicacies before her, how could Spirit Kite Douluo care about a dignified elder's bearing and decorum?
She pulled the plate of "Phoenix Marrow Hundred-Ingredient Dry Noodles" in front of her, picked up her chopsticks, wound a generous clump of enticing, fragrant noodles around them, and eagerly brought it to her mouth.
The instant the noodles touched her tongue—
An indescribable, exquisite savoriness exploded at the center of her taste buds like the birth of the universe!
The springy noodles seemed alive, bouncing between her teeth.
And the rich sauce contained a hundred flavors, each impossible to distinguish yet perfectly blended. They came in layer after layer, each wave more powerful than the last, washing over her soul!
"Mmm—!"
Spirit Kite Douluo's eyes flew open, her face filled with an almost foolish rapture and astonishment.
She felt the Soul Power at level ninety-three inside her surge and cheer beneath the impact of that domineering essence of food!
She picked up a translucent, wing-shaped piece of "Thousand-Tribulation Nirvana Feather Pastry."
She took a gentle bite.
"Crunch—"
The crisp outer shell broke apart, and the pure, scorching energy inside erupted like a volcano, filling her limbs and every inch of her body!
At last, she tasted the "Ice-Flame Vermilion Bird Wings."
The extreme sensation of icy cold and blazing heat intertwined, nearly bringing tears to her eyes.
Delicious!
The word "delicious" couldn't begin to describe it!
This was a miracle! A blessing!
Spirit Kite Douluo raised her head. Her disheveled, pretty face was now brimming with a satisfaction and gratitude she had never felt before. She even forgot to glance at Lin Feng.
Her gaze went straight to Chrysanthemum Douluo, seated not far away, and she gave him a completely sincere thumbs-up.
"Yue Guan!"
Her voice trembled and rasped with the afterglow of tasting a peerless delicacy.
"Well done!"
"I forgive you! No, I thank you! Wrecking my things was so worth it!"
Witnessing this downright surreal scene, Tuoba Xi's astonishment had already reached its peak.
He could no longer hold back.
"Let's order!"
Tuoba Xi took a deep breath, trying to act like a worldly elder, and spoke with grand confidence.
"Children, order whatever you want. Grandpa Tuoba's paying today!"
Seeing that he was about to order everything on the menu, Xie Yue, who had been silent until now, finally stepped forward.
He leaned close to Tuoba Xi's ear, his expression more solemn than ever.
"Elder Tuoba, this place..."
Whatever Xie Yue told him, Tuoba Xi's eyes instantly widened.
He stared at Xie Yue in disbelief, then reflexively turned his gaze toward Magic Bear, who was eating with tears streaming down his face and belching between bites.
There really were only two or three empty plates on Magic Bear's table.
How could a level-ninety-four Power Attack System Title Douluo have such a "dainty" appetite?
"Ahem."
Tuoba Xi drew back his hand and cleared his throat awkwardly, scrambling to save face.
"In that case, this old man will order portions fit for an ordinary person..."
"As for you little rascals... since you can't order anything else today, I'll treat you another time."
Just as Tuoba Xi was studying the menu with forced composure, Magic Bear at the next table finally came back to his senses after experiencing that sublime taste.
He let out a long breath, and even it carried an enticing meaty fragrance.
He carefully set down his bowl and chopsticks, handling them as gently as if they were priceless treasures.
Then he stood, wiped his mouth, and completely ignored Tuoba Xi and the others, though they were fellow elders, as he walked straight toward the languid figure behind the counter.
Every step he took was steady beyond measure.
His rugged face was now filled with reverence and ingratiation. There wasn't the slightest trace of a Title Douluo's ferocity left.
"Senior."
Magic Bear stopped before Lin Feng, his back bending unconsciously. Even his voice trembled with a hint of fawning.
"This junior heard that you don't accept gold cards, so... I specially prepared cash for you."
As he spoke, he carefully took a heavy money pouch from his Storage Soul Tool and held it out in both hands.
He looked less like he was paying for a meal and more like he was making an offering!
He placed the pouch on the counter with utmost care and solemnity, afraid that even the slightest sound might disturb the senior's peace.
"Thirty-eight thousand Gold Soul Coins. Please take a look, Senior."
Lin Feng didn't even lift his eyelids. The Gold Soul Coins, enough to drive any Soul Master mad, seemed to him like nothing more than useless metal.
He merely gave a soft "Mm."
The next second, the money pouch vanished from the counter.
The whole process was so effortless it was like brushing away a speck of dust.
Magic Bear's heart tightened at the sight. He grew even more respectful, not daring to draw a breath too loudly.
And in Lin Feng's mind, the system's voice rang out right on time.
[Ding! Spending: 38,000 Gold Soul Coins.] [System evaluation: This stupid bear is fairly savvy. He barely qualifies as a high-quality leek, so he can receive a decent reward.] [Random reward: Fifty-Thousand-Year Soul Bone—Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's Right Arm External Soul Bone!] [Host reward: 3,800 Gourmet Points.]
Even Lin Feng's heart gave a sudden leap.
Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear!
And the rarest kind of External Soul Bone, at that!
Had this lousy system changed its ways today? It had actually produced such a top-tier prize!
But outwardly, he remained as unfathomable as a still well, even lazily yawning.
Everyone's eyes were fixed firmly on him.
Tuoba Xi in particular was eager to see just how "great" the great opportunity Hu Liena and the others had mentioned really was!
Lin Feng parted his thin lips. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears.
"Your luck is pretty good."
Magic Bear's heart leapt into his throat!
Lin Feng drawled, "Your reward is... a Soul Bone."