Hearing Chrysanthemum Douluo's question, the three nodded again and again. Yan even thumped his chest and promised, "Elder Ju, we swear on our Martial Souls that we haven't said a single false word!"
Seeing that the three didn't seem to be putting on an act, Chrysanthemum Douluo didn't believe them. Instead, his expression grew grave.
By now, he was certain that the three little ones had been confused by some kind of illusion.
Otherwise, they could never have said something so absurd.
Eat a meal, draw a prize, and level up?
Then there was no need for these Titled Douluos to train so hard. They could just report to a restaurant every day from now on!
More importantly, Hu Liena was Bibi Dong's direct disciple, and Yan and Xie Yue were also geniuses whom Spirit Hall had prioritized for cultivation.
Now they had actually been tricked by such a shoddy scheme. It was practically a slap in Spirit Hall's face!
"Hmph!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo snorted. He delicately touched his cheek with his orchid fingers, a chill in his enchanting face.
"Daring to play tricks in Spirit City, and to deceive people from Spirit Hall? You must be tired of living!"
He decided to meet this so-called "Divine Chef" in person. With a flick of his sleeve, he said, "I'd like to see what sort of divine person dares to play tricks in Spirit City!"
Although Hu Liena and the others hadn't suffered any real harm, in Yue Guan's eyes, this was still a provocation against Spirit Hall!
As an elder of Spirit Hall, Yue Guan naturally had to teach the other party a proper lesson!
With that, Chrysanthemum Douluo left the courtyard ahead of them. His figure was as graceful as flying blossoms, yet the murderous aura around him sent a chill down the spine.
Only the three little ones remained in the courtyard, staring at one another.
Their goal had indeed been to get Chrysanthemum Douluo to visit the shop, but they absolutely hadn't meant for him to go there looking ready to wreck the place!
Watching Chrysanthemum Douluo set off as if he meant to smash the shop, Hu Liena felt sick with worry.
She had only wanted the elder to verify their story and let Spirit Hall's higher-ups know about this tremendous opportunity. But now it looked as if he was heading out to take revenge.
"This is bad, this is bad! Elder Ju's going to wreck the place!" Yan grabbed his hair with both hands, close to tears.
"That senior is probably a Titled Douluo too. If Elder Ju goes over there like this, will he even come out ahead?" Xie Yue was just as anxious.
Of course, to them, whether Chrysanthemum Douluo got beaten up was a minor concern.
What mattered more was that if they angered that mysterious senior, how would they ever go back to eat and improve their strength?
Hu Liena's face turned pale. "Let's catch up! We have to explain everything before Elder Ju makes a move!"
The three hurried after him, praying as they ran that nothing would go wrong.
As a Titled Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo was naturally extremely fast.
But the commercial street was still some distance from Spirit Hall, and Hu Liena and the others had already lost a lot of time.
So by the time Chrysanthemum Douluo reached the commercial street, night had fallen.
Then, with his hands clasped behind his back, he strolled leisurely toward the end of the street the three had described, as if he were out for a casual walk.
But as he went, Chrysanthemum Douluo suddenly stopped and furrowed his brow.
As a Titled Douluo, his senses far surpassed those of ordinary people. Yet now he caught an extraordinarily enticing aroma.
It was unlike the smell of ordinary food. It seemed to reach straight into the depths of the soul, making him unable to resist searching for its source.
"What is that smell?" Yue Guan stroked his chin with a delicate, raised orchid finger, surprise flashing in his eyes.
He had sampled all kinds of rare delicacies, but never encountered such a distinctive aroma.
Could those three little ones have been telling the truth? Was there really such a miraculous restaurant?
No, this was more like an illusion!
Yue Guan quickly realized what was happening, and his expression turned stern.
An illusion capable of affecting a Titled Douluo's senses—whoever had cast it clearly had some real ability.
"You certainly have plenty of tricks up your sleeve." Yue Guan sneered and quickened his pace toward the source of the aroma.
Soon, he spotted the quaint little shop.
The three characters "Maple Dye Pavilion" stood out beneath the moonlight.
Chrysanthemum Douluo stood outside the shop and sized it up for a moment. Then he slowly raised one foot, ready to kick the door open.
As a Titled Douluo, he had more than enough confidence and strength to deal with any unexpected situation.
But just as he began to put force behind his foot, he heard a heart-wrenching roar from behind him:
"Spare the door!"
Yan's voice rang across the empty street, filled with more anxiety and terror than ever before.
He knew that if Chrysanthemum Douluo barged in like this, the consequences would be unthinkable!
At the very least, since they were the ones who had brought Chrysanthemum Douluo here, they'd never be able to eat at this place again!
The next second, Yan launched himself forward like a starving dog lunging for food, his whole body flying sideways.
Bang!
Yan slammed squarely into Chrysanthemum Douluo's leg, using his own body to block the kick.
Fortunately, Chrysanthemum Douluo withdrew eighty percent of his strength in time. Otherwise, Yan would have been finished on the spot.
Even so, the tremendous impact made Yan feel as if his internal organs were churning.
"Ugh..." Yan clutched his stomach, his face turning deathly pale. He nearly threw up all the noodles he'd eaten at the shop.
"What's gotten into you, boy?"
The sudden "attack" left Chrysanthemum Douluo bewildered. He pointed at Yan with his orchid fingers, glaring at him with irritation in his voice.
Right after that, Xie Yue and Hu Liena arrived too.
Ignoring Yan, who was twitching on the ground, Xie Yue darted in front of Chrysanthemum Douluo to stop him from trying to kick the door again.
His chest heaved, and beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks one after another. He was clearly exhausted.
But Xie Yue didn't even have time to wipe away the sweat. His voice cracked as he tried to stop the elder:
"Elder Ju, you... you absolutely can't just barge in like this! If you anger that senior, it'll be Spirit Hall's greatest loss!"
Hu Liena staggered over too, propping her little hands on her knees. Her face was as pale as paper.
She opened her mouth to speak, but could only gasp for breath. After a long while, she finally managed to squeeze out a few words: "Grandpa Ju... you... you really mustn't act rashly..."
As a Spirit-type Soul Master, Hu Liena's physique and stamina were much weaker than Xie Yue's and Yan's.
She had raced all the way from the shop to Spirit Hall, then dashed back without stopping to prevent Chrysanthemum Douluo from doing something irreversible.
The run had nearly turned such a charming beauty into a dead dog. If she hadn't been trying to preserve her last shred of dignity, Hu Liena would have happily collapsed right there on the ground.
Of course, the worst off was Yan.
He curled up on the ground, his face turning from green to white with pain.
He had the best stamina of them all, yet he'd been the first to reach the scene—and had taken a kick full force to stop Chrysanthemum Douluo's violent antics.
Now all he could do was twitch on the ground, rolling his eyes like a dead fish.
Chrysanthemum Douluo looked at the three of them in such a sorry state and furrowed his willow-like brows.
What on earth were these three brats up to?
Each of them looked even more terrified than if they'd seen the King of Hell.
"Have the three of you had your brains caught in a door?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo lightly tapped his temple with a finger, impatience clear in his voice.
"Even if that person really has some ability, what kind of trouble could they stir up in Spirit City?"