Chapter 68: Return and Revelations

Yu Liang stepped through Heaven’s Table’s main entrance and paused, taking in the transformation.

The building hed left a quite a time ago had been a single three story structure. Now it sprawled across half the street, with interconnected dining halls visible through open archways.

The original building served as the central hub, but two additional structures flanked it on either side, their facades matching perfectly with the original design.

Customers filled every visible table. Waitresses moved efficiently between sections, carrying trays of steaming dishes. The soft notes of a music drifted from somewhere on the second floor, accompanied by noise of conversation and the occasional laugh.

"Yu Liang!"

Lin Meihua appeared from a side corridor, her expression changing from surprise to genuine delight. She walked quickly toward him.

"You’re back already?" she said, glancing over him. "I thought you’d be in seclusion for another month or two."

"The breakthrough went smoothly." Yu Liang smiled faintly. "Faster than I anticipated."

"How much faster?" Her tone carried personal curiosity now. "Most cultivators need at least two months to consolidate each layer of Qi Condensation."

’His talent really rivals to those geniuses, then perhaps it isn’t that strange. For them, breaking through each layer is often much easier. But that doesn’t mean they simply rush through it. Some spend even more time refining themselves further, preparing for ’that’ stage which they truly want to reach.

"I had plenty of resources to work with, and your pavilion’s pills helped a lot." Yu Liang replied.

Lin Meihua laughed, a bright, genuine sound that drew glances from nearby staff.

"My pavilion’s pills. Yes, I’m sure that’s the only reason." Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Not the fact that you purchased enough materials to support a cultivators cultivation for years."

Yu Liang smiled a little wider. He had missed this, the way she joked with him and always had something to say.

"The expansion," he said, gesturing toward the changes around them. "You’ve done quite a bit since I was last here."

"About halfway done." Pride showed in her voice as she led him through the main hall. "Three buildings are already running, and two more are being worked on. We’re serving around eight hundred customers a day now. When you left, it was only three hundred."

They walked through an archway into what had once been a closed tea house. The interior had been completely redesigned, with high ceilings, simple but elegant furnishings, and the same warm feel as the original location. Every table was occupied, while people constantly moved in and out of the kitchen.

"Not only completed," Yu Liang observed. "Already running at full capacity."

"We had no choice." Lin Meihua sighed. "The demand was just too much. Customers were waiting for hours to get a table. We finished the first building three weeks ago and opened it right away. The second one followed two weeks later."

She led him upstairs to the administrative floor. Her office was larger than before, but still modestly furnished, with wide windows overlooking the main street. Once she closed the door behind them, the noise from below faded into a distant murmur.

"Tea?" she offered.

"Please."

Lin Meihua prepared the tea herself, her movements were still as graceful as ever. She poured two cups and sat across from him at a small table near the window.

The afternoon light fell across her hair. Yu Liang couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked, though there was a slight tiredness in her eyes. She didn’t look exhausted, just worn out from having so much to deal with lately.

"Managing everything alone must have been difficult," he said gently.

"I had Master Chen and the staff." She sipped her tea. "But yes, there were... challenges."

They fell quiet for a moment. Lin Meihua turned her cup slowly in her hands, looking like she was trying to decide how to bring something up.

Yu Liang noticed her hesitation.

"Just say it," he said. "What’s on your mind?"

She looked at him for a moment before putting down her cup.

"We’re operating at a loss."

Yu Liang remained calm. "How much?"

"Very significant." She frowned slightly. "Not taking the Six Billion Mid Grade Spiritual Stones. But the running costs are much higher than we expected. The ingredients, staff wages, and the formations for temperature to preservation all add up more than we estimated. We’re spending more than we’re making."

She pulled out a ledger and opened it to a marked page.

"We’re losing approximately twenty million mid grade stones monthly."

The number sat between them. Two Hundred Forty Million annually. Enough to bankrupt most families within a year.

Yu Liang smiled.

Looking at him smile Lin Meihua blinked. "Did you... hear what I said?"

"Twenty million monthly losses. Yes."

"And you’re smiling...?"

"Because twenty million is manageable." His tone was genuinely unconcerned. "Even if we were losing five hundred million monthly, I still might not reconsider our pricing structure. And this level? It’s acceptable."

"Acceptable?" Lin Meihua stared at him. "Yu Liang, we’re spending far more than we’re earning."

"I know."

She fell silent for a moment, looking at him.

Then she sighed. "You really don’t care about the money, do you?"

Yu Liang only smiled.

Lin Meihua shook her head. "The way you spent at the pavilion, bought the entire street, and set the salaries without even blinking..." She looked at him again. "Where did you get all that money just who are you?"

Yu Liang met her gaze and smiled. "Someone who believes quality matters more than immediate profit. Someone who can afford to build something worthwhile without worrying about monthly balance sheets."

"But—"

"Trust me, Meihua." He used her given name naturally, and her breath caught slightly. "The restaurant will be fine. Continue operating exactly as we planned. Don’t compromise on ingredients or service. The finances are my concern, not yours."

Lin Meihua frowned. She still looked concerned.

"Are you sure? I don’t want the restaurant running into trouble later because we’re spending more than we need to."

Yu Liang nodded. "I’m sure. The losses aren’t a problem."

"I don’t understand you," she said finally. "But I’m beginning to think that’s intentional."

"Perhaps."

They finished their tea while talking and laughing, the afternoon slowly giving way to evening. After a short silence, Lin Meihua spoke again.

"I’m glad you’re back. Managing everything alone was... lonelier than I expected."

Yu Liang smiled. "I’m glad to be back."

He paused, then added with a grin, "Besides, who said they weren’t alone? Master Chen and the others seems to there for help."

Lin Meihua gave him a look. "That’s not the same."

She quickly stood up and moved towards the door, reached for the handle, then paused.

"There’s one more thing you should know," she said, her tone becoming serious. "Something happened three days ago. An incident involving one of our staff members."

Yu Liang’s expression sharpened. "What kind of incident?"

She opened the door, and the mood in the office changed almost immediately. The warmth from their conversation was gone, replaced by a tense silence.

"It’s better if Master Chen explains directly. He’s been waiting to speak with you since the attack."

"Attack?"

Lin Meihua’s face was grave now. "Someone tried to kill Wan Jing, one of our chief chef."