After closing the shop door, Lin Yan stepped aside and motioned for Zhu Zhuqing to enter.
As Zhu Zhuqing looked at the enormous space inside the hall, shock appeared on her face.
This little shop held a whole world within!
Lin Yan took in her expression, a trace of smugness appearing on his face as well.
To outsiders, this shop was nothing more than a small storefront.
But this shop had come from the system. It was a Soul Beast Cultivation Shop.
It offered the full range of soul beast cultivation, including breeding, rearing, and all kinds of follow-up services.
Soul beast cultivation required an enormous area, so the system had naturally furnished it to the standard specifications of a Cultivation Room.
The building seemed to be just one small room, but it contained folded space.
Never mind housing Zhu Zhuqing and her daughter-even several hundred more people could fit, since this place could accommodate large-scale soul beast breeding.
That was also what shocked Zhu Zhuqing. Inside was a vast courtyard, complete with pavilions, terraces, and waterside gazebos. Was this really the same shop from a moment ago?
Zhu Zhuqing's reverence for Lin Yan grew even deeper, and she became cautious in everything she did.
Still, she also felt very safe inside this shop.
How could a shop with the means to fold space like this possibly lack strength?
Besides, the owner had carried himself with calm confidence from beginning to end, putting people at ease.
Holding her well-behaved daughter's hand, Zhu Zhuqing politely asked in a soft voice:
"Boss, would I be imposing too much by staying here tonight?"
Hearing this, Lin Yan did not stand on ceremony in the slightest:
"Yes. You're already imposing on me."
"Ah, well!"
Zhu Zhuqing was instantly at a loss for words. Her expression stiffened slightly before her cheeks flushed red.
She had not expected Lin Yan to play a card so far outside the usual routine, killing the conversation outright.
She opened her mouth, but could not manage a complete sentence for a long while, utterly embarrassed.
To ease the awkwardness, Zhu Zhuqing hurriedly changed the subject and asked softly:
"Boss, do you have anything to eat here?"
"No," Lin Yan answered bluntly.
Zhu Zhuqing froze again, then continued:
"Then you must have ingredients, at least?"
"I have ingredients."
"Do you know how to cook?" Zhu Zhuqing asked instinctively.
You want me to cook for you, too? But he did not say it aloud.
Lin Yan quickly realized that, however unfamiliar she might be with social niceties, Zhu Zhuqing could not possibly be asking him to cook.
Lin Yan's eyes immediately lit up:
"Can you cook?"
He had not eaten all day and was indeed very hungry.
"Of course." Zhu Zhuqing nodded gently, finally having found something she could do.
"Although I've lived at home all these years, I was no different from an orphan. I had to handle my own food, clothing, shelter, and travel, so I developed excellent cooking skills along the way."
"Not bad, not bad. When you're drifting through the world, extra skills never weigh you down. Having a specialty in cooking gives you something worth showing off," Lin Yan complimented her.
"Then, boss, may I borrow your kitchen? I'll make a meal for my daughter and myself."
Hearing that, Lin Yan raised an eyebrow and asked mildly:
"What about me?"
Zhu Zhuqing paused, then asked in confusion:
"Boss, do you need to eat too?"
"I'm human too. Naturally, I need three meals a day," Lin Yan said evenly.
Filled with curiosity, Zhu Zhuqing could not help asking:
"Then why do you keep wearing a mask?"
"To maintain a sense of mystery."
"Then will you take it off when you eat later?"
"No. This mask is specially made. It'll move with my mouth.
"Also, I won't be sharing a table with you. Remember that."
"Understood." A little disappointment showed on Zhu Zhuqing's face. It was a pity she would not get to see what Lin Yan looked like.
"Consider tonight's dinner the rent for your stay.
"Get to work. Call me when it's ready."
After sending Zhu Zhuqing off to the kitchen, the courtyard instantly fell quiet, and Lin Yan finally had a chance to settle down and sort through the entire day's earnings.
He had taken two orders today. Ning Rongrong's customized package totaled twenty million Gold Soul Coins, of which ten million had already arrived in advance. The rest would arrive tomorrow.
The exclusive credit limit initially made available by the system was twenty-five million Gold Soul Coins. That temporary credit had been completely used up, with nothing left.
Today's total turnover was twenty million from Ning Rongrong and 14.42 million from Zhu Zhuqing, bringing the total to a whopping 34.42 million Gold Soul Coins.
Of that, the twenty-five million in temporary credit provided by the system could be deducted as a benefit. That portion did not need to be repaid; once used, it was used.
He had completed these two deals by putting up only seven million more, yet today's net profit was 27.42 million.
He had made an absolute killing!
And of that 27.42 million, aside from Zhu Zhuqing's extra 2.42 million, he could bring in a total of twenty-five million.
With those funds, he could take another big order.
Only with money in his pocket could he feel some confidence.
Half of that twenty-five million would come when the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect settled its remaining balance in full tomorrow, while the other half would require him to collect the debt in person.
For Zhu Zhuqing's ten-million credit allowance, she could have chosen the normal one-year term. Ning Rongrong had chosen three days, while she had gone straight for one day, without installments, borrowing for just one night. Tomorrow was the final repayment date.
Zhu Zhuqing's move was ruthless indeed. He had no objection to people exploiting the rules. After all, he was the beneficiary, and getting the money back quickly helped him.
Zhu Zhuqing would vent the fury in her heart, while he would get his money quickly and enjoy the thrill of a satisfying battle. Just thinking about it excited him.
But by doing this, Zhu Zhuqing would be locking herself into a fight to the death with the entire Zhu Family. He had no idea where she would go afterward.
Still, by normal logic, she had been doomed to die anyway, because no one else knew the plot like he did, or knew that the protagonist would give her an immortal herb that would raise her soul power by seven or eight levels in one leap, making up for her disadvantage in age.
By an ordinary person's reasoning, she was certain to die, so there was nothing wrong with Zhu Zhuqing smashing an already cracked pot. It was entirely reasonable.
Besides, if his own parents and elder sister had abused him for more than a decade, drilling into him every day that he was certain to die in the future, making him live in fear every day, it would already have been heaven's blessing if he had not turned dark.
If it were him, the first thing he would do after gaining power would be to slaughter the entire Zhu Family.
Merely taking back the share that should have been hers and exacting a little revenge already counted as considerable mercy.
But none of that had anything to do with him. He only cared about his own interests.
Tomorrow, his shop, along with him, would become famous throughout the Star Luo Empire and officially enter the sight of the entire Douluo Continent.
When that happened, it would be another astronomical sum's worth of advertising.
This was a perfect advertisement, one that could promote his little cultivation shop across the entire continent.
He was rather looking forward to it!
He really wished time would jump straight to tomorrow so he could test just what the system was capable of.
His thoughts settled.
An enticing aroma drifted out of the kitchen, and Lin Yan discovered to his surprise that he had already spent an hour lost in thought. Sure enough, once someone sank into fantasies, time passed quickly.
It smelled incredible!
All the ingredients in this kitchen had been provided by the system: high-grade cultivation ingredients used to raise top-tier soul beasts, suited to the world of the Douluo Continent.
As such, these ingredients were mostly high-grade soul beast meat, along with some Spirit Fruit and Spirit Vegetables.
Under Zhu Zhuqing's careful cooking, their aroma filled the air and their colors looked fresh and appetizing, offering color, fragrance, and flavor in equal measure.
It was also Lin Yan's first time smelling such an enticing aroma, and his appetite immediately stirred.
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