Chapter 95: The First Meeting

Xu Qianghua did not think much about this as he led Huang Xinyi, who had recovered most of her energy, toward the arena's exit.

As they did, they saw the crowd of citizens gathering at the exit, but they still left a line in the middle for them to use to leave the area.

He knew they would be popular, as this was the first time for many of them to see anyone try this challenge after the death of the last City Lord.

As soon as they reached the exit, the citizens all cheered, much like they would for athletes in the old world after a significant victory.

But this time, it was different. The citizens were celebrating the challenger as if she became the City Lord, which meant the city now had a powerful cultivator protecting it from evil cultivators and wild beasts.

As they passed the crowd, a well-dressed man approached them with a smile.

"Hello, dear gentleman and lady. My name is Zhang Wei, and I own the Golden Lotus, the most famous restaurant in Jingzhong," Zhang Wei said with a slight bow and a warm smile.

"Hello, Mr. Zhang. What can we do for you?" Huang Xinyi asked, smiling back.

"I would like to invite you to my restaurant and offer you a meal as a treat for succeeding in the first challenge," he said.

"Oh?" Xu Qianghua, standing beside Huang Xinyi, said to himself as he looked deeply at Zhang Wei before continuing. "Is that okay?"

"Of course," Zhang Wei replied. "After all, it is not every day that I meet someone who could defeat the Sentinel in such an amazing way."

He then looked at Huang Xinyi with respect and admiration. "You are truly strong, and I am sure you will make a good City Lord."

"Thank you," Huang Xinyi responded with a smile.

Xu Qianghua and Huang Xinyi then followed Zhang Wei's lead as they entered the Golden Lotus.

The restaurant was a nine-story pagoda, the tallest building in this city. According to Zhang Wei, each floor was divided into smaller private rooms after the third floor, with each level having one less room than the one below, but it became more luxurious as you went higher.

Inside, the Golden Lotus had traditional decor with wooden furniture and lanterns. It served authentic dishes from the city made from fresh, local ingredients. The restaurant had a warm atmosphere, perfect for both casual and special meals.

The dishes were delicious, and they could feel the spiritual energy filling their bodies with strength and nourishing their bones and spirits as they ate.

Soon, they finished all the dishes and were about to pay, but Zhang Wei refused.

Instead, he handed them a special token and explained that the private room had been specifically reserved for them and their family to be used exclusively by them from now on.

This gave them a good opinion of Zhang Wei. Xu Qianghua even asked Liu Meiying to help Zhang Wei out after her Chamber of Commerce became powerful enough.

As they left the restaurant, they thanked Zhang Wei one final time, but before they could do anything, a Shadow member appeared next to Xu Qianghua and whispered in his ear.

At first, Xu Qianghua did not show any expression when the Shadow member arrived, as he had sensed her coming a few seconds before she appeared.

But then, as he heard what she had to say, his expression slowly shifted toward confusion and bafflement.

"Master, Lady Meiying and the ladies found out about you summoning two beautiful ladies and are wondering what they are to you and when you will introduce them to them," the Shadow member said.

Xu Qianghua's mouth twitched as he thought of the ladies' expressions when they heard about him summoning two beautiful women.

He knew that the ladies would find out, but he did not expect them to find out so soon.

But he was not worried; they were just concerned about him and nothing else, as they did not know Huang Xinyi and Yan Yuehun's personalities.

"Okay, go tell them that we will soon meet them at the mansion, and also inform Yan Yuehun to meet us there," he said to the Shadow member, who nodded and then vanished.

"Anything wrong?" Huang Xinyi asked as she saw the Shadow member disappear.

She could tell this was a special skill as the Shadow member's Cultivation Realm was lower than hers.

"It is not something bad, as yours and Yan Yuehun's arrival was not planned, so some of my family members are curious about both of you and would like to meet," he said.

He did not show any expression as he had already planned for them to meet with the other ladies after finishing the first trial.