Qiu Zhan was chewing on a bite of egg fried rice, and the delicious flavor made his entire mouth tremble with delight.
“So good!”
He glanced at his teammates around the table, all of whom had blissful, satisfied expressions on their faces.
Then Qiu Zhan suddenly felt something shift within his body, and the look of astonishment on his face captured just how shocked he was.
As expected, his spiritual energy had indeed increased. The change was subtle, but he could clearly feel it!
“C-Captain…”
A slightly trembling voice came from one of his team.
It was the only woman in their squad, looking at him with disbelief written all over her face.
“What’s wrong, Yuanyuan?”
“Captain, I… I think the internal injury I’ve been dealing with is starting to heal!”
Qiu Zhan’s eyes lit up instantly, and joy spread across the faces of the rest of the team.
“Really?”
“Yes!”
“That’s great, truly great!”
Chen Yuan was the only woman in their squad. Three years ago, she had sustained a serious injury in a mission and had been left with a hidden internal wound. While others didn’t know, everyone in their team was aware of how much pain she’d been in all these years.
Qiu Zhan was overjoyed. No one wanted to see her get better more than he did—because back then, she had been injured saving him!
“Captain, this is amazing! Sister Yuan finally won’t have to suffer daily from the pain anymore!”
“Yeah!”
Feeling the sincerity and concern from her teammates, Chen Yuan’s heart warmed.
After calming down a bit, Qiu Zhan looked at her with concern.
“Yuanyuan, how do you feel now?”
“I feel so much better. This braised fish is just as magical as described. I think if I keep eating it a few more times, I’ll be fully healed in no time!”
“That’s great. From now on, we’ll come here every day!”
“Mhm! Definitely!”
After saying that, Qiu Zhan turned to look at the shop’s owner—who was eating slowly and leisurely nearby. His eyes now carried a newfound respect and gratitude.
A spiritual chef… truly extraordinary!
Suddenly, a loud and dramatic voice rang out:
“Wahaha! I finally broke through! Haha!”
Everyone turned to look.
It was one of the young teens from Xu Shaoyun’s group, jumping up from his seat and laughing madly to the heavens.
“Pfft, what’s the big deal? You just broke through to Open Meridian Stage 8, still weak as hell,” said another teen with a disdainful look.
“Cao Gou, you little—!”
“What? I’m already at Spirit Resonance. Wanna fight?”
“Ahem, ahem—” Xu Shaoyun coughed loudly to interrupt them.
He had noticed that Xiao Yu was now glaring coldly in their direction.
The two teens instantly sat down and shrank their necks, obediently behaving themselves.
Unlike the others, Ong Wuya wasn’t wolfing down his food. He chewed slowly and savored every bite.
“Sigh… such fine food, yet no good wine to pair it with. What a shame…”
Xiao Yu overheard Ong Wuya’s comment and couldn’t help but agree. He, too, had tried some local wines on this continent—but they all tasted like watered-down booze. Barely any alcohol taste at all.
He wasn’t sure if it was because the wine he’d bought was too cheap… or if that’s just how it was here. Either way, it was undrinkable.
“System, can I brew alcohol in the future?”
“Dear host, please complete tasks and level up! Once upgraded, you can unlock the Supermarket Building, where customers can purchase goods directly!”
Oh? So a supermarket might show up later on! If there’s a supermarket, does that mean other modern buildings could show up too?
Thinking of that, Xiao Yu let out a bitter laugh and sighed.
Looks like it’ll be a while before he can enjoy a proper drink…
But what he really hoped for right now was… another chef!
With more and more customers coming to the inn, he knew he’d be overwhelmed soon. What he truly wanted was to lie flat and be a lazy salted fish.
“Boss, thank you!”
A female voice broke through his thoughts.
Looking up, he saw a graceful female mercenary walking toward him.
“My name is Chen Yuan. Your spiritual cuisine helped ease an internal injury I’ve had for years. Thank you so much!”
Her eyes were filled with genuine gratitude. She had sought many doctors over the years, with no luck. The constant pain had made her life unbearable.
Xiao Yu casually waved it off.
“No need to thank me. This is a business—we’re open to everyone. The prices are clearly listed. You paid for the food, so it’s only fair you got something valuable in return.”
“Five spirit stones for a dish that heals internal injuries? That’s beyond worth it! And all the other spiritual meals are so cheap too! Can I come here to eat every day?”
Watching the girl get more and more excited, Xiao Yu couldn’t help but chuckle.
“As long as we’re open, you’re welcome any time. But if you want to eat, you’ll have to come during mealtimes.”
“Got it!”
At that moment, Qiu Zhan and the rest of the mercenary group walked over and bowed to Xiao Yu.
“Boss…”
“Mhm.”
“Thank you for healing Xiao Yuan’s injury. If there’s anything the Blood Battle Mercenary Corps can help with, just say the word!”
Xiao Yu was speechless. These people were seriously old-school.
Still, they meant well—he couldn’t just leave them hanging.
As for needing help? Eh… he didn’t have enemies, nor friends in danger. What would he need help with? Ask them to bring more customers to eat and stay at his inn? The system would probably call that cheating.
“Captain Qiu, no need to be so formal. Like I said, she got what she paid for. It’s just fair trade.”
“Boss, your generosity is admirable. A spiritual chef selling food for just a few spirit stones—it shows your true character!”
Xiao Yu didn’t want to keep chatting about this.
Typical leader—always so good with words.
“Alright, alright, don’t overthink it. I’m just a businessman. Everyone gets what they need.”
“Oh right—if you don’t know how to use the facilities upstairs, just ask Xiao Bai for help.”
With that, he left the restaurant.
“Captain, let’s go check out the upstairs too!”
“Alright.”
Ong Wuya noticed Xiao Yu leaving and followed after him.
“Boss, wait a moment!”
Xiao Yu turned around.
“Elder Ong, what’s the matter?”
“Boss, I’m heading out to find my old friend right now. I should be back in a few days. When I return… I’d like to ask for your help…”
Before he could finish, Xiao Yu raised a hand to stop him.
“Ong Lao, I said earlier—your friend’s injury might not be something I can heal right away. You need to be mentally prepared. Still, I believe the day will come. If you trust me, bring him here first. I’ll observe and see what I can do.”
“Of course I trust you, Boss! I’ll depart immediately and return as soon as I can!”
A spiritual chef—the only one in a hundred years! How could I not trust him?
Xiao Yu smiled and nodded, then walked back to his room.
Upstairs, some were cultivating, while others lounged on sofas downstairs.
“Brother Chen Mo, you’re saying there’ve been magical beast riots near the Wild Forest lately? Our academy just sent out teams for training there and didn’t see anything.”
Chen Mo stroked his chin.
“Magical beast riots aren’t unheard of, but lately things do seem unusual. Everyone should be careful. I only heard a little from my cousin—he works for the Demon Subjugation Bureau, so the info might be reliable.”
Xu Shaoyun nodded, taking it seriously. If the Demon Subjugation Bureau was involved—an elite force of the imperial court—then it couldn’t be a rumor without reason.
Just then, he noticed a member of the mercenary group coming downstairs.
“Brother Bai!”
“Oh, it’s you. What’s up?”
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