A few days after the meeting with Sui Ling, Yi Xian finally received the full amount of the fund agreed during the negotiation. With the money secured, Yi Xian is able to continue his aggressive business expansion.
Yi Xian buys 10 more restaurant locations throughout North Gate City, covering the proximity of almost every residential areas. Yi Xian even include a restaurant location at the most premium central commercial area. He managed to secure the location with Sui Ling's help. The property at the central commercial park is not available for purchase with just money. Certain level of political influence is required to secure the agreement of the people in power.As a newcomer, Yi Xian has practically zero influence in the merchant circle at the central commercial area.
Moreover, Yi Xian has to keep his identity a secret for his own safety. Business in this fantastical world is even worse than the back dealings on earth. All kind of magical means can be done to the rival through cultivation. Yes, the law is fair and the investigation means of the Merchant League are even more fantastic than most parties on the cultivation world. However, the Merchant League will not be able to prevent the crime before it happened.
Like people said, 'the sword of law and justice is far while the blade of crime is close'.
So, the best decision is to keep his identity a secret. Even before this, many companies have been trying to find about his identity.
It is also very fortunate that Sui Ling's cold ice princess persona is very unfriendly and unapproachable for most people in the North Gate City. She is currently the only confirm person to know the real identity of the owner of the Chicken Palace. However, all attempts to get the information from her received a silent response. Sui Ling only repeated the confidentiality clause of the Merchant League charter coldly to those people.
Sui Ling is proven to be a very good shield. She is from an elite background. The hyenas of the commercial area were not able to pressure her into submission. These unscrupulous merchants were afraid of the Sui family and the Merchant League behind Sui Ling. When these giants of the Qian Capital are involved, business need to follow the fair rules of business. 'Lets the coins and connections do the talking.' Since Yi Xian only requires a small shop area for his restaurant location, Sui Ling easily acquired the best spot at the most prime location.
Moreover, some of the VIPs in the city have been waiting very eagerly for a Chicken Palace restaurant opening a location that can cater to their standard. Since the opening of Chicken Palace, these VIPs have been fans of the fried chicken. However, since the locations of the Chicken Palace restaurants generally being too close to the common residents, the people of their stature were unable buy the food in person. Moreover, most of the eat the fast food secretly due to the current reputation of being the food for the commoners.
When these people heard about Sui Ling looking around for a premium location at the commercial area for the Chicken Palace, they quitely work behind the scene to vacate a great location for the Chicken Palace restaurant. With the reputation of the premium restaurant, Children Palace will no longer be a brand for the lower class.
This will be the location for the most luxurious modern fried chicken restaurant to serve the VIP customers.
While Chicken Palace are able to serve most of the citizens in the city, many VIPs chose to buy from resellers working through the big restaurants. The service is too limited due to the Chicken Palace's policy of limiting the order. The VIPs like the food to be served on a big table in excess. They wanted for the long table at the restaurant to be filled with fried chicken sets. These restaurants had to send several runners to line up to buy enough order to complete the requirements.
Chicken Palace restaurants have received direct orders from these restaurants but it was not possible with their service capacity at the time. The premium Chicken Palace restaurant will include the catering services for the VIP customers and events at big restaurants. However, to celebrate the establishment of a premium restaurant, it is not enough to offer the same menu. Yi Xian had been thinking that the opening of the premium restaurant is an opportunity to introduce new menu to Chicken Palace.
Yi Xian was having too many thing to handle at this moment. So, he decided to ask for the help of another person.
"Big sister Yun Xie, can I ask you something?"
Yi Xian was alone in his office when he said that but as soon as he finished asking, someone replied,
"Do you need anything Xian?"
From the shadow at the corner of the room, a woman in black suddenly appears. Her face is covered with a veil but anyone who saw he will feel a deadly charm of a femme fatale. She carries the elegance of a sheathed blade. However, as soon as she face Yi Xian, her eyes sparkle with some bright glint.
The woman is called Mo Yun Xie. She was the rank 6 cultivator that Yi Xian managed to hire as a bodyguard. While their relationship started out as a business deal as well as to pay for the favour of his ancestors, being in contact for over a year has made them closer. Well, not really. It was the second role that Yi Xian gave to her that made her likes him.
"How was the the crispy chicken burger that Aunt Su was working on? Did she completes it?"
"It was very delicious."
Mo Yun Xie tries to speak plainly but Yi Xian can clearly see the smile from her eyes.
Yi Xian suspected that his bodyguard is a foodie since a year ago. He was able to catch her fidgeting unnaturally every time he went to Aunt Su for food. To be fair, the smell of Aunt Su's cooking is very irresistible. So, Yi Xian invited her to join him eating once. Tempted by the food, she absentmindedly appeared and took as seat and start eating the food at the table. The sight of her eating was something to behold.
Yi Xian finally understand the why mukbang streams can be so popular back on earth. The sight of a good looking people eating so deliciously can be so entertaining. She was so preoccupied in savoring the food that she lost track of her surrounding. The contrast from her usual cold manner only made a more interesting spectacle.
That was also the first time Yi Xian saw her real face. She was like the face of a perfect sculpture of a goddess. She seemed to be in her early twenties but cultivators always look younger than they look. She was already exuding a deadly charm with face veiled but the unveiled image certain fit the term beauty that caused the fall of a dynasty. Yi Xian was so shocked that such a beauty exist in this world. She was too stunning.
When Mo Yun Xie noticed that Yi Xian was staring at like a fool at the time, she quickly realized her blunder. Sha was not supposed to show her face to any man except her husband and her family. It was the food's devilish temptation that caused her to lose her mind and forgot about the taboo. She could only kill Yi Xian to salvage the situation!
"...you saw my face!"
As she said that, the room turn cold. A strong killing intend instantly fill the room.
Mo Yun Xie was not joking, she was seriously intending to kill her employer just because he saw her face.
The chilling killing intent instantly woke Yi Xian from his absentminded staring. The mukbang show was about to turn into a horror crime scene starring himself as a murder victim. His mind was turning so fast to think of an idea to get himself out of the predicament.
He quickly remembered his suspicion that Mo Yun Xie was a foodie. Her action previously certainly fit a foodie. So he quickly said,
"There are more dishes that I have not shown you!"
The word 'dishes' quickly stopped the woman her killing motion. Her knife was already an inch from Yi Xian's neck. She suddenly appeared behind Yi Xian with a stabbing motion.
'She was serious. I couldn't catch her movement at all. This world is really dangerous. Everyone is a some kind of murderous psychopaths. Why can't they start think by talking!' Yi Xian thought to himself with cold sweat.
This otherworldly beauty behind just tried to murder him just because something as minor as seeing her face! Is it a sin to see someone beautiful?
"Ms. Mo, why don't you lower that blade first. We can first talk about this." Yi Xian tried to speak calmly but everyone in the room can hear the nervousness in his voice.
"Yes miss. Please spare young master Yi, this old woman is not sure how young master offended you but please spare him. You can take my life instead!"
Aunt Su so shocked by the scene. This young lady who was eating her food so deliciously suddenly turned into a frightening assassin. She had heard about her being a bodyguard but she had suddenly turned against the young master. It was too sudden that she didn't know what to do.
Mo Yun Xie didn't move. She kept still with her blade still an inch from Yi Xian's neck. She looked a bit indecisive.
"...but he still saw my face. I need to kill him since it's the law of my family."
She seemed reluctant to back down. Before she hardened he will Yi Xian quickly asked her,
"Can you speak about it. Why do you need to kill me for seeing your face?"
"According to the law of my family, no man can see a maiden face before her wedding except for her family."
With that said, she tightened her grip on her blade. Killing intent started flooding the room again. However before the blade can take the like of poor Yi Xian who was like a lamb to be slaughtered,
"We can easily solve this issue! You don't need to kill me! I can also show you more food you never taste before! I guarantee that you can never find the dishes except from me!"
Yi Xian spout these lines faster that he ever spoken before. He never knew he had the talent to speak lines as fast as a rapper. Maybe he should try rapping sometime.His mind begun to wonder aimlessly to take his mind off a bit from the stressful situation.
"..what kind of dishe-.. I-I mean, what way do you think so that I don't have to kill you?"
'It looks like she took the bait. This murderous demon is really a foodie! Now I just need to draggle a lot more carrots. That's right! I still need a food taster! Let's try this!' Yi Xian thought quickly to get himself out of the mire.
"I can be your younger brother! So you can be my big sister! That way we are family and you don't need to kill anyone! What's more you still have the contract to protect me! It's not honorable to break the contract! I will also hire you as my food taster!"
Mo Yun Xie silently thought about Yi Xian's solution. Certainly, it wouldn't be a taboo if Yi Xian was her younger brother. Killing him was to guard the family's honor but killing a contractor was also very dishonorable. Taking him him as a younger brother seemed like a win-win situation for this matter. Moreover the food taster position was the proposal that sealed the deal. The foodie just couldn't resist when she thought back to Aunt Su's food she just tasted.
"Alright then! So from now on you are my little brother! I will call you Xian or little Xian. You must always respect me as big sister Yun Xie but you must never tell this incident to anyone or big sister will be forced to kill both you and Aunt Su. While you may be my younger brother now, other people from my family will not understand. So, keep this a secret. Aunt Su, the food is delicious! Thank you and I look forward for more!" After saying that, she quickly melded back into the shadow and disappeared.
As if a lie, the atmosphere of the room turned calm.
"Young master, is everything alright now?"
Aunt Su looked shaken but she seemed relieved that we managed to avoid death.
"I guess it's fine now. I will have to count on Aunt's cooking to save my life now. Please live a long life, Aunt."
"I have to keep this old life going for young master's sake. Please take care of me young master." Aunt Su smiled a bit. After serving the Yi family for her whole life, this was time when someone appreciate herself so much that their life depended on her.
Since then, there were two more people who became close to the recluse Mo Yun Xie. Yi Xian was her new younger brother while Aunt Su was her favorite cook. In fact, she had become even closer to Aunt Su treated her like a mother figure. Food was really a door to the heart especially a foodie s stomach.
"Do you think the burger is suitable for the premium restaurant? How was the research on the salad dressing? Did Aunt Su managed to create it?"
"It was completed last week. The only problem is the source for the eggs. The people in Qian Kingdom do not regularly consume eggs. It is too wasteful to eat eggs compared to raising them as chicken for meat."
Unlike on earth, the breed of chicken on this world do not lay eggs daily. There was no such thing eggs production farms here. At least there was until Yi Xian transmigrated.
One of the thing Yi Xian asked for Uncle Su before going to the North Gate City was to look for eggs laying chickens. He asked Uncle Su to look for chickens that lay the most eggs frequently and to keep breeding them. It had been over a year and a half since then. Based on his communication with Uncle Su, there had been some results
"Tell Aunt Su to pack her stuff. We are going back to the Yi family home. She has not seen her husband for a long time now."