Chapter 781: Group's Beloved Young Patriarch

As the three were chatting enthusiastically, a large group of dark figures slowly ascended the stairs.

The three immediately fell silent. Other diners also looked towards them in surprise, feeling the ambient temperature drop as the group approached... In an instant, the entire restaurant became eerily quiet.

In this atmosphere, the nearby waitstaff hesitated to approach. Eventually, a man who appeared to be a manager respectfully asked, "Gentlemen, how may I help you...?"

"We need two large round tables," one of the men in black stated unequivocally.

"Certainly, please follow me!"

Led by the waitstaff, the large group marched to a big round table not far from Chen Ling and the others, but did not sit down. Instead, they all turned to look at their Young Master, as if awaiting a command.

"Please, have a seat," the Young Master said softly, "you're scaring the other guests."

*Clatter—* Everyone quickly took their seats. Only a few figures, too tall or too large to sit on chairs, stood obediently behind the Young Master, like an imposing wall.

"Take our order," one of the men in black said in a deep voice. As the waiter quickly handed him a menu, the man in black glanced at it before tossing it directly onto the table. "Bring us one of everything."

"Excuse me?"

"Everything on the menu, one portion of each."

To the waiter's astonished gaze, the man seemed to recall something, "Do you have king crab here? Bring us a portion."

"Sir, all the other dishes are fine... but we've sold out of king crab for today."

"Sold out?" The man in black's voice seemed displeased. Instantly, the ambient temperature dropped again, making the waiter shiver from the cold!

The man in black snorted coldly, just as he was about to press further, a series of unusual sounds came from the back. Dining carts were being wheeled out from the restaurant's kitchen, with magnificent and enormous king crab shells displayed on elegant ice pedestals. Thick crab legs were meticulously cut open and piled in clusters, and bowls of steamed crab roe custard were stacked high like mountains, embodying the word "luxury" to its fullest!

One, two, three... nine, ten, eleven, twelve! Twelve smiling waiters, twelve dining carts, and twelve king crabs that captured the attention of every guest in the restaurant, thus, to the astonished gazes of Chen Ling and Spade 9, completely surrounded their table.

"Sir, your king crab," the waiter said to Chen Ling. At this moment, the entire restaurant fell silent.

"How many did you order??" Chen Ling glared fiercely at Jian Changsheng.

"F-four per person?" Jian Changsheng, sensing the unusual atmosphere, replied softly, "There were only twelve in total, and I thought four per person would be just right... so I ordered them all."

Chen Ling was speechless.

The appearance of these king crabs immediately shifted everyone's attention from the Esoteric Buddhists to the three of them, and Chen Ling could clearly feel that the people at the two large round tables next to them were already looking at him strangely.

Although Chen Ling wished he could beat Jian Changsheng on the spot, since things had come to this, he certainly couldn't act out in front of everyone... Keeping a poker face, he calmly said, "Understood. You can leave the crabs here."

The large group of waiters then dispersed, leaving only pairs of fervent eyes continuously staring at Chen Ling and the other two.

Extravagance and ostentation were never Chen Ling's nature. Unfortunately, he had a teammate who enjoyed causing trouble, turning him into the center of attention with just twelve king crabs... With his extensive experience as a director and his understanding of story structure, Chen Ling could already envision the plot's next development:

The Esoteric Buddhists from the distant Xuanyu Realm, seeing their Young Master's king crab "stolen" by others, would fly into a rage, considering Chen Ling's group easy targets, and actively provoke a confrontation. To their surprise, Chen Ling and his two companions would reveal their hidden strengths, clash head-on, and eventually engage in a major fight that would shock everyone... The conflict between the two sides would escalate, leading to a life-and-death struggle only when the Star Trials began...

Just as Chen Ling silently placed his hand on the gun hilt in his sleeve, the Young Master among the group blinked in surprise, and spoke with a mix of wonder and envy: "They're eating so much... Won't it upset their stomachs?"

Chen Ling was baffled.

The men in black stared at the king crabs, which were practically piled into a mountain, as if they were about to snatch them away. But upon hearing the Young Master's casual remark, their intimidating aura immediately dissipated.

"...Young Master, are you sure you don't want to eat?"

"My stomach is sensitive to cold."

To the helpless gazes of the many men in black, they gave up on seizing the king crabs from Chen Ling's table. Not long after, plate after plate of exquisite ingredients on dining carts were brought and arranged on their round tables.

"Young Master, if your stomach is sensitive to cold, drink more of this wolfberry black chicken soup to nourish your body." "Young Master, this double-skin milk looks very good, let me feed you a bite..." "Young Master, you should eat more meat. I'll get you a chicken leg; take your time eating it, and I'll get you another when you're done..." "Eat more, Young Master, just small bites. If people see you, they'll think we can't afford food in the Xuanyu Realm... Make sure you're full, alright?" "Oh, Young Master, use a big spoon for soup, a big spoon! Don't just sip it little by little..."

A bustling crowd of people surrounded the Young Master, placing dishes from the table into his bowl, which soon piled up into a high mountain. An unaware observer might have thought the Young Master was about to starve to death.

The Young Master seemed accustomed to this, taking a bite here and a bite there with his chopsticks, slowly and deliberately... Although Chen Ling and the others couldn't clearly see his face, they could sense his distress and helplessness.

"This Young Master of the Esoteric Sect is quite interesting..." Jian Changsheng remarked with interest, while gnawing on a crab leg. "What is this? The Xuanyu Realm's 'group pet'?"

"Rumor has it he's a pampered young master, and this is probably his first time traveling far from home." Spade 9, seeing the crisis resolved, naturally began to scoop crab roe custard with a spoon. "He has a very powerful older brother, so he normally doesn't need to show his face... Even the Twilight Society doesn't have much information on him."

"A powerful older brother? Has he also come to the Tianshu Realm?"

"No, he can't."

Spade 9 glanced at the Young Master's busy eating figure, and slowly spoke, "His brother... is currently in the Wuji Realm, one of the five Arbiters who betrayed humanity."