Chapter 42, Restaurant Opening (3)

Later in the evening the four masters that Li Jian invited came one after the other. They were in the same place as always but with different intentions. The first person to arrive was old man Lan. He was dressed in a white robe  embroidered with gold thread, his hair was slicked back neatly. His eyes seemed to be staring right through the people sitting around him.  A look of superiority was written all over his face like a brand. It almost seemed to be saying 'don't mess with me.'  After arriving, he was welcomed by Li Jain who was waiting for them at the gate. 

"Welcome, Boss Lan to my humble resident." Li Jain welcomed Boss Lan warmly.

"You don't need to be so formal with me, I'm not your boss."  Old man Lan said coldly in his harsh tone. 

"There's no need to be on guard, my restaurant won't be a threat to yours." Li Jain assured, trying to placate old man Lan. 

"Boy, you haven't changed." Old man Lan chuckled lightly. "Am I the first one to arrive?"

"Yes." Li Jian responded. "The others will be here soon. Do you wanna go in?"

"No need, Let's wait for them here. The kid Wu has a strang temper."  He chuckled and patted Li Jain on his shoulder.  "The place you have here is nice."   He looked around appreciatively. The colorful flowers  and greenery added an aura of happiness around them. It gave off a feeling of warmth and happiness.

"Thanks, the children love it very much. Would you like to wait for the others in the pavilion? I have prepared tea."   Li Jian offered, gesturing towards a stone bench on one side of the pavilion.

"That'd be great." Lan said while nodding. 

Li Jain led old man Lan to the left pavilion where there was a stone table with chairs   arranged in a circle. There was also a flower arrangement on the table that contained some beautiful blue flowers and yellowish red roses.  

Once they were seated, Li Jain took out the tea and  poured each of their cups. Then he placed a small plate with a piece of fresh lemon cake and two pieces of dried fruit. 

Old man Lan took his tea cup and drank a mouthful without much thought. When he swallowed the tea his eyebrows knit together, his eyes lit up  and he smiled with satisfaction. Li Jian could see from the corner of his eye that old man Lan was looking at him expectantly. "This... this tea, where did you get it from? " Old man Lan asked, his interest obviously piqued. 

"I made it. This tea isn't rare, it's a green tea made from camellia plants.I mixed it up with some spirit grass to enchant the taste." Li Jian told him honestly, a hint of pride evident in his voice. 

"Really? Can you sell me the recipes? I'll triple the price. Just tell me how much." Old man Lan leaned forward excitedly. "I know lots of tea masters and they're not worth nothing."

Li Jain was  surprised by this request. He only brought the tea out as a refreshment and never thought old man Lan wanted to buy his recipes, but then again, old man Lan is a businessman. What to expect?: "If you're interested, we can discuss it later."

"Discuss what later? How enchanting is this tea? I could hear your voice from outside the gate, old man Lan." said Boss Wu as he walked towards them. He wore a light green robe decorated with silver threads, his hair was slicked back neatly and his eyes were full of suspicion. He eyed Old man Lan suspiciously. He then sat down next to Li Jain. 

"Boss Wu is here, welcome. We were waiting for you and the others to arrive." Li Jain greeted him politely.

Boss Wu nodded at Li Jain warmly and turned to old man Lan furiously: "I knew you'd come early, old man Lan. Come before anyone else did, so you could grab all the good things." Boss Wu sneered and glared at old man Lan.

Old man Lan laughed heartily in response: "What are you talking about boss Wu? I am an honest old man. Don't slander my name like that."

Boss Wu laughed. "Honest old man? Is that what you call yourself now? If you're honest, then I don't think anyone else could be called underhanded."  Boss Wu said angrily.

"With so much anger you're bearing, when did this old man ever cheated you?"  Old man Lan asked with a laugh. His gaze turned to boss Wu with a teasing smile.

"Green spiritual tea? This old man would like some as well." Old man Ling's voice sounded at the door as he walked in.  Ling had a big smile on his face as if he just won something.  He wore dark robes embellished with golden threads and a hat made of bamboo.    

"Who is him?" Boss Wu asked

"He's the old man with the broken talisman shop alongside the road." Old man Lan answered

Ling shook his head enthusiastically: "You people don't have eyes for good things. What do you know? That shop will last for a hundred years to come."  He grinned widely.

"You're fooling yourself, old man. Be careful not to be buried underneath it one day." Boss Wu retorted.

Old man Ling ignores them and turns to Li Jain: "Kid, where's the tea these guys were talking about. This old man would like to try some." 

Li Jain poured everyone another cup of tea.   After drinking a mouthful, their expressions were no different from old man Lan. They all had one thought and that is to get the recipe as well.

"This tea is refreshing. This old man would like the recipe as well. I will double the amount given by this Lan guy." Old man Ling offers his price, making old man Lan frown in irritation.

"Seeing how everyone is so eager for this tea, this master couldn't help being interested as well." The Yan family patriarch said as he descended from the sky into the courtyard.

Everyone was taken aback by his arrival, except for Li Jain who'd invited him. "Welcome master Yan to my humble residence. I didn't expect you to come."

"I don't want to regret the most important thing in my life, so I came to have a look. This master has nothing to do anyway." Master Yan stated casually.

"Now that everyone is here, please follow me in." Li Jain said, gesturing towards the door to his restaurant. Everyone stood up and proceeded inside. As they walked through the door, the first thing they noticed was the richly carved and painted interior.  

The interior design of Li Jain Spiritual Restaurant is truly awe-inspiring. As soon as you step inside, you're transported to a world of tranquility and peace. The entire restaurant is designed to give you a sense of calm and relaxation, from the beautiful artwork on the walls to the soft lighting throughout the space.

The color scheme is predominantly white, with touches of gold and green, which gives it a very sophisticated and elegant feel. The walls are adorned with stunning murals depicting scenes from nature, and intricate carvings on the wooden accents provide an added layer of detail and texture.

The seating area is arranged to offer privacy and comfort, with each table being separated by a curtain to give a sense of intimacy and seclusion. You can choose to sit on the floor on comfortable cushions or on chairs for regular seating if you prefer.

The four masters sit in the regular sitting area. "The restaurant will be fully open tomorrow. Today, I have three dishes and a wine to present to you as a free trial."  Li Jian announced while they looked at him curiously. 

Nevertheless, he started serving the dishes, the first was a dragon blood fry rice with spiritual vegetables, the meat was a level four red horn wolf. A spiritual dish filled with spiritual ingredients. Once the golden rice with colorful vegetables was served,  every member of the crew inhaled deeply, savoring its unique flavor. Although they hadn't started eating yet, the appearance of the rice already sent the aroma of heaven to greet each of their nostrils.

"Please help yourselves," Li Jain  offered them with a smile.

They look at each other, then look back at the tasty looking food and reach forward. The moment the spoon entered their mouth, an  explosion of pure flavor erupted into their taste buds. The smell, the taste... it all became their new favorite sensation. Even the sound of the forks clinking against their plates was music to their ears. The whole time they felt like floating on clouds. And to top it off, they ate every single bite of the rice. 

They'd never tasted anything like this. Even Master Yan, who'd traveled through various regions and lands and tasted many dishes, couldn't compare to the delicacy Li Jain's restaurant gave. 

At first, they admit that the food was out of this world. Suddenly, the spiritual energy in their body became active as if it had been  injected and stimulated. Cold sweat appeared on their forehead, and even their hands began trembling. In their excitement they almost dropped their chopsticks.

The spiritual energy inside their bodies was so powerful that even Li Jain was shocked. It's the feeling of having a breakthrough. Old man Ling and Boss Wu had an instant breakthrough, while old man Lan and Master Yan felt their meridians opening, and their energy was flowing at an incredible speed. All in all, everyone had gained the greatest experience of their lives.  

"This... how is this possible?!" They questioned at the same time. Their thoughts all raced in their heads, trying to make sense of what was happening.

Li Jain looks at the results and smiles; "Now that the master has experienced the  benefits of my fried rice, there's no need to bring the other dishes."

"You sneaking brat. How much are the other dishes? I'll take one order of each." Master Lan made his offer immediately after seeing how the others were still stuck in disbelief. He's a rich man, money is no problem to him.