Lin Feng's yawn was halfway out when he forcibly swallowed it back down, nearly choking himself to death!
What the hell?!
Beneath his eyelids, Lin Feng's pupils shrank to the most dangerous pinpricks!
Outside the shop stood Ghost Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo, Spirit Kite Douluo, Tuoba Xi, Demon Bear Douluo... a row of familiar faces, lined up as neatly as the Terracotta Army on guard!
Their eyes and postures made them look like fanatics waiting for a divine decree!
Lin Feng's brain froze for a full three seconds.
The next instant, he let out a roar inside his head that could have turned his soul upside down.
[System! Get your damn ass out here!]
[What the hell is going on?! When did this bunch of leeks show up?!]
The system's electronic voice, tinged with a hint of delight, finally arrived.
[Ding! Trash host, watch your language.]
[This system detected that this devout bunch of leeks has been guarding you at the door for two hours and thirteen minutes.]
Two hours?!
Lin Feng felt his heart skip a beat.
[Then why didn't you wake me up?!]
The system replied in a matter-of-fact tone, with even a hint of disdain.
[Why would I wake you?]
[You are this system's host.]
[And they're just a bunch of leeks waiting to be harvested.]
[Is the sleep quality of a noble host somehow less important than a bunch of leeks' waiting time?]
Lin Feng was momentarily at a loss for words in the face of that crooked logic.
Just as he and the system were locked in an intense mental tug-of-war, the tiny, slightly lazy movement he made upon waking was sharply caught by Ghost Douluo, who had remained on the highest alert outside!
The figure hidden beneath Ghost Douluo's black robes jolted!
He immediately sent a silent warning to everyone behind him with his eyes, one filled with the utmost solemnity!
Senior... was about to awaken from his supreme cultivation!
In an instant!
Every Titled Douluo held their breath!
Without a word, they bent even lower, their postures growing more humble. Every face was filled with absolute devotion and fervor, as though they were about to witness a miracle!
They were waiting... for the awakening of a god!
Lin Feng forcibly suppressed the embarrassment that had nearly burst from his throat.
What kind of situation was this—getting caught oversleeping by a bunch of top-tier leeks?
If they found out that he, this "senior," had simply slept in, wouldn't the lofty image he'd worked so hard to maintain collapse in an instant?
No.
Absolutely not!
I'm not the one in the wrong. The world is.
In the blink of an eye, Lin Feng had found the perfect excuse for his behavior—one worthy of a god.
He slowly opened his half-lidded eyes.
There was none of the confusion of someone who had just woken up, nor the slightest surprise at being watched.
His gaze was still as a well, as though he had just returned from a dream that spanned the ages, carrying the detachment and weariness of one who had watched the passage of time from on high.
He didn't look at everyone. His indifferent gaze simply drifted over to the cold, shadowy figure at the front of the group outside.
"You all..."
Lin Feng's voice paused slightly, as though he felt a little helpless.
"...have come a little early."
Boom!!!
A simple sentence, yet it exploded in everyone's minds like a thunderclap!
Come early?
Did Senior mean...
That they, mere mortals, had interrupted his cultivation as he roamed the river of time and comprehended the truths of heaven and earth?!
A sin!
A terrible sin!
Ghost Douluo's heart, long as still as a well, gave a violent twitch!
A wave of fear and self-reproach welled up from the depths of his soul and flooded his gloomy face!
He lowered his head even further. His voice was hoarse, trembling with unprecedented reverence.
"Please forgive us, Senior!"
"We were foolish and failed to realize you were wandering the void. We disturbed your peaceful cultivation here!"
"We... deserve to die!"
Everyone behind him dropped to one knee in unison, their faces deathly pale as cold sweat instantly soaked through their backs.
Behind them, Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan, who had been beaten into a pig's head, didn't even dare lift their heads.
All three pressed their foreheads against the icy ground, their bodies trembling violently with fear. They wished they could dig a hole and bury themselves in it!
They were terrified that a casual glance from this god would leave them... annihilated in body and soul!
Lin Feng's mind was already churning like a raging sea!
What the hell?
I was just putting on an act. Isn't this reaction a little too much?!
Wandering the void...
I just overslept, damn it!
[Tsk, what a clueless little shrimp.]
The system's cold electronic voice rang accurately in his mind, tinged with disdain.
[This system told you long ago: this is a bunch of leeks with the highest level of self-cultivation.]
[You just have to harvest them. They'll sharpen their own sickles till they gleam, then lie down and let you cut them. Got it?]
[They can even fertilize themselves. This system is very pleased.]
Lin Feng's mouth twitched furiously in his mind.
This damn system had a vicious tongue, but its summary was... fucking brilliant.
His thoughts raced, but outwardly, he maintained that same detached air of one who looked down upon the ages.
In the end, he merely raised a hand slightly.
"Forget it."
"The ignorant are blameless."
That casually delivered sentence fell upon the crowd like a god's pardon.
"Thank you, Senior!"
The heart that had been lodged in Ghost Douluo's throat finally dropped back into his chest. Gratitude and lingering fear nearly overflowed from his voice.
The others were just as relieved. Their tense bodies relaxed, but they still didn't dare show the slightest slackness, maintaining their most humble postures.
"Come in."
"Today's business begins now."
At that, Ghost Douluo's withered hand still gripped Ghost Leopard Douluo firmly by the back of his collar.
He dragged along a Titled Douluo of rank ninety-four like a dead dog awaiting slaughter, then took a step forward.
"Thud!"
With no hint of mercy, Ghost Douluo shoved Ghost Leopard Douluo down onto both knees, making him kneel heavily before that languid figure!
The gesture was utterly resolute!
It was as if his actions were declaring that before Senior, you didn't even have the right to stand!
"Senior."
Ghost Douluo's hoarse voice rang through the silent shop, bearing an almost sacrificial devotion.
"This is Ghost Leopard."
"Yesterday, he was ignorant, blinded by the mundane world. He dared question your divine miracle and offend your heavenly majesty."
He turned his head slightly. His eyes, hidden in shadow, coldly glanced at Ghost Leopard Douluo, who was trembling beside him. His voice grew even more chilling.
"But today, he has seen the error of his ways and repented."
"This junior humbly begs... that Senior might, seeing that he has turned back from the wrong path, grant him a chance... to atone!"
When his words fell, the air in the entire restaurant seemed to freeze.
Everyone's heart was in their throats!
They all knew that the true reason anyone gained an opportunity at Maple Dye Pavilion was not simply because they had made a transaction.
It was a gift from Senior to mortals!
Every draw was a sacred ritual!
And the right to take part in that ritual depended entirely on Senior's whim!
Were you worthy of being "acknowledged" by Senior?
That was the key!
(Lin Feng: ???)
Ghost Leopard Douluo was quick to react. He immediately understood that Ghost Douluo was trying to help him.
He lowered his head deeply at once. "Senior, I know I was wrong. Please give me a chance! I'm willing to pay any price! Please show mercy, Senior!"