Chapter 2371: This is a million immortal crystals!

The canteen was tightly shut; Tao Qian had received Bai Hua Xianzi's order this morning and brought people over from Thus English: Thus English: Dengtianxiancheng to clean up the mess.

At this moment, it was exactly the lunch mealtime; many diners who had rushed over, upon hearing that the canteen had also been looted, first fell silent for a while, then became filled with indignation.

Each one shouted loudly, insisting that this gang of villains must pay the price and be captured.

Among the many diners, there were no shortage of experts at the Ancient Immortal Realm level.

They hide out in this small town, ultimately just for a bite to eat.

As the canteen gradually spread to major cities, with the number of branches increasing, many diners also gradually discovered a pattern.

That is, the larger and more prosperous the city, the harder it is to get a meal, because there are too many people.

For example, the canteen in Thus English: Thus English: Dengtianxiancheng and the one here have completely different passenger flows.

What is the population of Thus English: Thus English: Dengtianxiancheng? At each mealtime, even if you delay just a moment, you might not get to eat.

But in this small town, the situation is much better; although there is still a chance of going hungry, there are indeed fewer people.

The main point is, aside from the quantity of dry rations supplied each meal varying, everything else—like taste and price—is exactly the same in any canteen of the Immortal Realm, with no difference at all.

This has caused many people to gather in these otherwise unremarkable small towns, just to be able to enjoy such a hot meal.

But now, the canteen has been robbed, the dry rations are gone, it must cease operations for rectification, the exact reopening time is undetermined, and notice will be given later.

This makes it hard for many to accept at all times.

These bandit cultivators are simply rebellious; looting their own treasury was bad enough, but now they dare to lay hands on the canteen as well.

If we don't kill them, what will happen in the future?

If they dare to loot the canteen today, tomorrow these bandit cultivators will dare to undertake world-destroying acts, completely overturning the Immortal Realm—what else could happen?

Therefore, many cultivators shouted loudly that they must capture this gang of bandits and absolutely cannot let them escape.

At the same time, someone has already notified their respective families and sects, mobilizing relevant channels to thoroughly investigate these bandit cultivators.

After a round of scolding, once it was confirmed that the canteen would indeed not reopen for this period, the many diners then left with unwilling expressions.

Yet within that unwillingness, it's unclear whether it's an illusion, but faintly there is also a hint of anticipation.

Logically, since the canteen has been looted and recently closed, there's nothing to eat, so what is there to look forward to?

Among them, one old and one young; the old man's cultivation is at the peak of the Ancient Immortal Realm, just one step away from breaking through to above the Ancient Immortal Realm to become a true hegemon of the Immortal Realm.

As for the youth, he also possesses extraordinary talent, is not old in age, but already has minor accomplishment in the Immortal King Realm, truly a Heavenly Pride caliber.

Both dress quite ordinarily, yet their aura cannot be concealed; their status is obviously not low.

At this moment, walking on the town's road, the youth had a look of wanting to speak but hesitating; seeing this, the old man casually said.

"Say what you want to say; why hesitate?"

Upon hearing that, the youth thought for a moment and finally asked.

"Master, the food of this canteen is indeed captivating, a treasure hard to find in the world, but now that the canteen has been looted, why must we expend effort to help them find the culprit, even mobilizing the entire sect's strength?"

The youth does not understand; clearly the canteen was looted, why would the master be so concerned?

If it were out of a desire to help, given the youth's understanding of the master, that would be impossible; our master is not that kind of person.

But why then?

Upon hearing that, the old man turned his head, glanced at the youth, drew a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, and spoke unhurriedly.

"Do you really think I am acting out of goodwill?"

"Then why is that?"

"If not goodwill, what else could it be? The canteen hasn't asked them for help, let alone promised any benefits."

"No benefit, no meaning—why is the master doing this?"

Facing the youth's confusion, the old man gave a light, sideways smile and said.

"Tell me, how much dry rations were lost in this canteen incident?"

"I don't know the exact number, but I just heard people say that tens of thousands are definitely involved."

"Then that's settled—one portion of dry rations costs ten thousand immortal crystals; ten thousand portions amount to how much? That's a huge sum of over a hundred million."

"Moreover, since the dry rations were looted by the bandit cultivators, it means whoever seizes them back gets to keep them; the canteen didn't say otherwise, which is a good thing because there's no need to return them to the original owner."

"Kid, if we could retrieve those ten thousand dry rations, how long would we thereafter not have to worry about this hot meal?"

"This………………………………"

Upon hearing the old man's words, the youth froze on the spot; after understanding the master's meaning, his eyes filled with surprise and joy.

So that's how it is.

He had never thought of this aspect before; now, hearing the master say this, he fully understood.

No wonder, just now at the canteen entrance, everyone was filled with righteous indignation and extremely concerned about the canteen's loss.

To the canteen staff, it was an indirect hint; originally, everyone was secretly calculating this in their hearts.

He also said, the canteen was looted, why is everyone so enthusiastic—could it really just be to form a good karmic connection?

But if the canteen ultimately refuses to acknowledge it, wouldn't that be a loss?

Now, after the master's reminder, the youth fully understood; it turns out that's how it feels.

Seeing the youth's expression of sudden realization, the old man laughed and said.

"Do you understand now?"

"Thank you, Master, for your instruction; the disciple is dull."

"Ha, it's fine; you just lack experience, this gang of bandit cultivators truly doesn't know death, daring to loot even the canteen, but we really owe them a lot."

"If it weren't for them, how could such a tremendous opportunity fall into my lap? These ten thousand dry rations—I will definitely consume them; this bunch of trash doesn't deserve to possess such a supreme treasure."

That day, within the town, many people were missing.

Originally bustling, the small town, within half a day, seemed to have become completely desolate.

However, to say it's desolate is somewhat inaccurate; it's only that it has returned to how it was at the beginning, before the canteen arrived.

On the street, no cultivators coming and going could be seen; only some people who had lived here generation after generation walked the street with suspicious looks.

That expression is as if to say now.

"Where are the people? After waking up, where did everyone go?"

These people are strange; last night it was still packed, how could everyone vanish overnight? Where did they go?

Could it be that something happened around the town that they don't know about?

No, that's not right; such a big matter, not even a whisper of news—how could that be possible?

Many cultivators are utterly confused.

And Tao Qian, ignoring these, after tallying the losses in the Canteen, then instructed the manager of this branch.

"Superior's orders: use all connections in the shop, even if exposed, must quickly ascertain the killer's identity and location; once confirmed, send word back, and the hall masters will handle it."

"Yes, I'll go do it right away."

Upon hearing that, the girl respectfully answered yes.