Venerable Demon Chef

Chapter 561: Chapter 558: The Black Shop

Mo Qi paid no mind to the North District crowd’s mutterings. He added with a light chuckle, "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. The restaurant is only open for three sessions a day. As for which three... that depends on my mood."

As the crowd stared at him like he was an idiot, Mo Qi continued, "Alright, I now declare Uncle Niu’s Kitchen God restaurant officially open!"

As his words fell, the people from the North District exchanged glances.

In contrast, the Demon Sect, led by Xiao Zhengheng, erupted in wild cheers and applause.

"Brother Mo... oh, no, I should be calling you Shopkeeper Mo from now on. Congratulations! This is just a little something from me. Please accept it."

Xiao Zhengheng stepped forward with a congratulatory gift, and Mo Qi accepted it without ceremony.

"Brother Xiao, you’re too kind. Please, come in."

Mo Qi personally welcomed Xiao Zhengheng into the restaurant, leaving the rest to Xiao Zhang.

Xiao Zhang placed a silver pillar at the restaurant entrance. He looked at the crowd and said, "Form a line. Follow the rules, one at a time."

The North District crowd remained unmoved. After all, most of them were just here to observe.

The Demon Sect was another story. The moment Xiao Zhang finished speaking, a large group of powerful experts had already lined up in front of the silver pillar.

With Xiao Zhengheng’s endorsement and their own Young Master acting as a receptionist, what was there to worry about?

Stalk after stalk of Immortal Level Spirit Medicine was tossed into the golden light on the pillar’s upper section, and one by one, the powerful members of the Demon Sect entered the restaurant.

When the number of patrons reached three hundred, an energy barrier automatically rose at the entrance, blocking anyone else from coming in.

Xiao Zhang yawned at the sight. "Alright, you’ve all seen the rules for entry and how the process works. I need to go in and help. Don’t even think about trying any tricks, or the consequences will be severe."

With that warning, Xiao Zhang turned and walked into the restaurant, not sparing the crowd another glance.

The members of the Demon Sect naturally wouldn’t dare to disobey, so they all waited obediently in line.

The people from the North District weren’t so relaxed.

They had all come to see if Mo Qi’s restaurant could really, as he claimed, cure intractable illnesses.

But they couldn’t even get in the door. How were they supposed to observe anything?

’Are we supposed to ask the Demon Sect for information?’

Not only would it be a huge loss of face, but it was also obvious to anyone with eyes that the Demon Sect and Mo Qi were in this together.

"What do we do?"

In the crowd, Qin Hai, He Jincheng, Feng Gong, and Gu Weitian gathered together, their brows furrowed in clear dissatisfaction with the situation.

"What else can we do? ’Nothing ventured, nothing gained’," Feng Gong said coldly.

The other three remained silent for a long moment before they all nodded.

’There are some things you have to do yourself to be sure. A few stalks of Immortal Level Spirit Medicine isn’t a price that will break the bank.’

They weren’t the only four who thought this way, and soon, members of the North District Envoy Hall started appearing in the line.

"Looking at this line, our turn won’t come today," He Jincheng suggested. "Why don’t we have our subordinates hold our spots, and we’ll come back when we’re near the front?"

"No rush." Feng Gong shook his head. "Let’s wait for the first group to come out before we decide."

"You want to get information from the Demon Sect?" Gu Weitian asked in surprise.

"And why not?" Feng Gong shot him a glance. "How can you hope to achieve great things if you lack even this much magnanimity?"

Gu Weitian faltered, then snorted coldly and looked away.

Feng Gong continued, "First-hand information is crucial for us. Think about it. If Mo Qi really has the ability to turn decay into marvel, and the Demon Sect begins to use it on a large scale, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

The expressions on Gu Weitian and the other two changed drastically. Feng Gong’s reminder made them finally grasp the gravity of the situation.

’Why do we in the North District, and the other three major districts, treat the Demon Sect with such hostility?’

’Besides their radical and cruel Cultivation Techniques, the most important reason is their overwhelming power, which poses a severe threat to the balance among the five major districts.’

’And that’s with more than half of their members suffering all sorts of accidents during their Demon Skill cultivation.’

’If Mo Qi were to heal all of them, how terrifying would the Demon Sect’s power become?!’

’This is no longer just a personal feud with Mo Qi. This is about the competitive survival of the five major districts, and it could even influence the power dynamics among the Five Great Holy Lands in the Immortal Realm.’

"So, what’s your plan?" Qin Hai asked.

Feng Gong pondered for a moment. "We’ll kill him with a borrowed knife!"

As he spoke, Feng Gong sent a voice transmission to the other three, whispering a few words.

The three’s eyes lit up.

"Brilliant! This way, not only will that brat Mo Qi be finished, but the Demon Sect will take a huge hit too."

"Don’t get excited. Let’s get clear information first."

...

Two hours later, the three hundred patrons filed out of the restaurant.

Everyone waiting outside focused their gazes on them.

The expressions on these three hundred people were all remarkably similar.

A mixture of shock, pain from the expense, satisfaction, and a touch of melancholy.

"How was it?"

Before the North District crowd could ask, the Demon Sect members were the first to question their own.

The three hundred people exchanged glances, unsure where to begin.

They would never forget what they had experienced inside the restaurant.

The astronomical price of the food, the astronomical service fees, the astronomical cost of custom orders.

And yet... there was also the flavor that justified the price, the effects that made it all worthwhile, and an actual value that far surpassed what they had paid!

"Hurry up and say something! What was it like?"

The three hundred all glanced at the North District crowd. Then, one man stepped forward and deliberately announced, "A scam! It’s a giant scam!"

"Everyone, let me tell you, not only is the food inside nothing special, but the prices are also deadly. Dishes start at ten Immortal Level Spirit Medicines, with the average being thirty to forty stalks."

"And that’s just for the regular section! The elite section is even more outrageous—you have to bring your own ingredients, and the service fee is one hundred Immortal Level Spirit Medicines."

"Don’t even get me started on the VIP section. I couldn’t afford it, anyway."

"I’m out of here. This place is a total clip joint!"

While saying this, the man smacked his lips and swallowed his saliva, then silently got back in line at the very end.

The remaining two hundred ninety-nine people were stunned for a moment, but then they all started to chime in.

"Yeah, yeah, it’s too expensive, the food is terrible, it’s a clip joint!"

"Definitely a clip joint!"

"Such a rip-off! My life’s savings were only enough for a single dish. That’s all I have to say, I’m leaving."

Though they said this, not a single one of the two hundred-plus people actually left. Instead, with a perfect, unspoken understanding, they all went to the back of the line to wait again.

The others: "..."

"Didn’t you just say you were leaving?" someone from the North District couldn’t help but ask.

"What’s it to you? Can’t I wait for someone?"

"That’s right! My legs are attached to me, so I’ll stand here if I feel like it. What business is it of you damn hypocrites?"

"Yeah, that’s right!"

The North District crowd: "..."

The North District crowd was utterly bewildered. What on earth were these Demons up to?

How could they possibly know that the three hundred patrons were deliberately bad-mouthing the restaurant to make the North District crowd suspicious and discourage them from lining up?

That way, the North District wouldn’t be competing with them for spots, allowing the Demon Sect to claim a larger share.