Chapter 187 - 186: Reopening of the Spiritual Tavern (1)

Chapter 187: Chapter 186: Reopening of the Spiritual Tavern (1)

Li Jain placed the pastry boxes on the stone table and said gently, "It is alright. You already had dinner, that’s good enough. Don’t worry, it’s Daddy who’s making a big deal out of nothing."

Li Zhang’s face changed immediately. This was not good. Father’s tone was wrong. Why is he blaming himself now? He looked to his oldest brother for help, but Li Yujian just shrugged.

"How about you guys cook a dish tomorrow and make it up to your father?" Liu Xiong said, coming to the rescue.

The children looked as if their fallen sky had arisen. They quickly made promises about tomorrow.

Li Jain looked at the children surrounding him. They were all anxious.

Li Yujian, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up: "Father, the brothers didn’t forget you because they don’t care. It’s just that we are used to you taking care of everything. But from now on, we would learn to think of Father too." He added: "In fact, tomorrow, I’ll also cook something delicious for father.

Li Yuhan looked at him and said unconvincingly: "How about you leave the cooking to us, you and fourth brother can just stay out of cooking activities. It would be best if you never think about it again."

Li Jingxuan over his mouth with his hand and laughed: "Brother Han is dealing with the root of the problem."

Li Jingsheng rolled his eyes: "Don’t you think that’s a little extreme?"

"There’s an easy solution, you can eat the food they prepared. If you’re still alive after a few hours, we won’t bother them about cooking again." Li Jingxuan sneered.

Li Jingsheng frowned: "Don’t go too far!"

"You think that’s going too far? You haven’t seen anything yet."

The children’s chatter filled the courtyard, although their attempt to comfort their sad father turned into another argument, the concern was still there.

Li Jain felt a little embarrassed and was at a loss. He was a thousand year old fruit that suddenly transformed into an adult human. Before he came to this world, he had no interactions with children. He himself has never been a child. All he knows is that; as their father, he’s responsible for their wellbeing. That includes having enough to eat and wear, good shelter and protection.

He wasn’t really hungry to make them cook for him. He just thought of it as another way of bonding with them. That’s why he was a little down when he realized he was overthinking, but he still loved his kids.

Sometimes, Liu Xiong feels like Li Jain was no different from a child, mostly in the way he expresses his emotions. But he knows that it isn’t appropriate to compare his future wife to that of a child.

Tonight was a long night for the children. They finally realize how exhausting it is to comfort someone. And their father was always patient when it comes to comforting them and making them feel better. They couldn’t help thinking how tiring it must have been for him.

...

The next morning, Li Jain woke up early, prepared breakfast and returned to District Seven alone.

Liu Xiong wanted to accompany him, but Li Jain asked him to stay home and take the children to school. The birthday banquet was successful, and several guests were sending visiting cards to Li Jain.

Li Jain on the other hand is busy with his restaurant opening so he declined most of them. The weekend went by quickly and a new week began.

By the time Li Jain reached District Seven, Sun Qiao was already waiting at the abandoned restaurant with several groups of workers.

There were carpenters, stoneworkers, painters, and two old craftsmen. Several large carts of materials were parked outside, and workers had already begun clearing dust from the entrance.

"Master Li," Sun Qiao greeted quickly as soon as he saw Li Jain: "Everyone is here."

Li Jain nodded and stepped inside. The building looked even older in the morning light.

Dust floated in the air, cracks showed more clearly on the walls, and the empty front hall carried a faint loneliness from being abandoned too long.

Li Jain stood in the center of the hall and looked around. The design he has was the final result after combining the children’s specific ideas. It looks a bit similar to the Spiritual Tavern.

Li Jain turned to the workers: "The old layout can remain, but the atmosphere must change."

The head craftsman asked: "What style does Master Li want?"

Li Jain thought for a moment:

"Warm, clean, elegant, and comfortable. Not too flashy. The front should welcome guests, but the inner areas must feel peaceful. The kitchen must be large and easy to move through. The guest areas must have good privacy. The back residence must be suitable for children to live in."

The head craftsman nodded while recording.

Li Jain continued: "All old formations will be removed. I will replace them myself."

Several formation apprentices looked up in surprise.

Sun Qiao quickly coughed: "Master Li is skilled in formations."

The apprentices lowered their heads again.

Li Jain did not care about their reactions. He took out the design blueprint and handed it to one of them. He then walked through the hall, pointing out places that needed adjustment. Walls, Windows, old tiles, Broken carvings. Just like that, the first renovation sounds began to echo through the abandoned building.

Knock.

Knock.

Scrape.

Crash.

The former restaurant, silent for so long, finally became lively again. People passing outside soon noticed the movement.

"Is someone renovating that old restaurant?"

"It has been abandoned for so long. Who bought it?"

"I heard a wealthy young master purchased it yesterday."

"No, not just a wealthy young master. Someone said it was Li Jain who once own the Spiritual Tavern in Qingyang Town."

"Where’s that? What Spiritual Tavern?"

"The one from Qingyang Town?"

"Yes. The one whose spiritual food can help cultivators break through."

"Really? Spiritual Tavern is opening in District Seven?"

"Many people have been talking about this for so long, I also want to try the food. Maybe, I might experience a breakthrough, too."

"Ha, wishful thinking. You better take pills, I don’t believe such magical food exists."

"All you guys know how to do is doubt. I bet once the Spiritual Tavern opens, you’re going to be one of those in line. And by then, you’ll pretend not to remember what you just said."

The news spread faster than dust in the wind. By noon, nearby shops had already heard about it. By afternoon, customers in Golden Spirit Pavilion were discussing it while eating. It wasn’t pleasant to the shopkeeper’s ear though. And by evening, several merchant families had sent people to ask around.

The abandoned restaurant that most people had ignored for months suddenly became the center of attention. Some people were curious, while some were excited and some were simply cautious.

Most spiritual food restaurant owners felt threatened and were already thinking about how to make trouble.

Some cultivators who had heard of Spiritual Tavern’s old reputation immediately began calculating how many spirit stones they should prepare.

And in the middle of all those rumors, Li Jain stood inside the half-cleared hall, sleeves rolled slightly, calmly drawing the first layer of a new formation onto the floor.

He did not know how far the news had already spread. Even if he knew, he wouldn’t care much. Once he entered the Divine Power stage, only a few would dare to mess with him.

The kitchen will be ready soon.

The workers were very efficient. And if everything went smoothly, Spiritual Tavern would reopen in only a few days.

Somewhere far away from South River City, Fu Seng, in his beast form, was giving Zhou Lifen a ride.

"Should we pick up the others?" Fu Seng asked

Zhou Lifen thought for a moment and shook his head: "No, they have their own method of transportation. Besides, the Master will be very pleased when we’re the first to arrive."

"Ok, I will go faster then." Fu Seng’s eyes sparkle with motivation.

"Sure, but don’t tire yourself out." Zhou Lifen said tenderly.

Fu Seng: "I’m sure the master will be very happy with your advancement."

"It’s all thanks to you. We need to work harder." Zhou Lifen responded with a rare smile.

The two continue their journey at full speed. For some reason, there was a bit of ambitious air around them. Unlike before they departed, they seem to have gotten very close.