With the terms set, Lei Feng turned around and walked towards the hall's exit.
He had a light spring in his step and was humming a cheerful, tuneless song, leaving the other two members of the Shui family standing in a state of bewilderment.
The moment the doors closed behind him, Shui Mei'er spun to face her mother.
"Mother, why?" she asked as she tried to make sense of what was happening. "Why give him such a difficult condition and not throw him out directly? You know that something like this is basically impossible."
"That vagrant? Worthy of my Lin'er, the phoenix of my family?" Lin Meiying defended herself aggressively. "He was the one who accepted the challenge without questioning, showing that he didn't understand the immensity of the heavens."
"He will probably wander the city for a few weeks, realize his foolishness, and disappear forever! Our obligation will be fulfilled without us having to dirty our hands! It is for the best."
Shui Jian sighed wearily, rubbing his temples. "I hope you are right, Meiying. I just hope Father doesn't cause trouble for us over this when he comes out of his seclusion."
The mention of her grandfather again confirmed Shui Mei'er's suspicions. Her mother had given this strange man a path, however impossible. Her father was worried about her grandfather's reaction.
"Lei Feng... just who are you to make father worry about grandpa on this matter?" She thought to herself.
There was a secret here, a reason they couldn't simply dismiss him, and she swore to herself that she would find out what it was.
---------------
Meanwhile, Lei Feng stepped out of the Shui Estate's main gates and into the bustling city street. He was in an excellent mood. In his mind, the matter was settled.
In his mind, he already had a beautiful, top-class fiancée waiting for him, and it was just a matter of time.
He thought about the wager for a moment. "Royal coins? I have no idea what those are," he mused to himself. "But earning them shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
Just then, his stomach let out a loud rumble. He suddenly remembered the stories his masters used to tell him about the world below, stories filled with descriptions of delicious "cooked food."
Forgetting all about money and marriage contracts, his mind fixed on a new, more urgent priority.
He looked around at the bustling streets, his eyes wide with a new kind of excitement.
He was hungry, and it was time to find a good meal.
Lei Feng made his way along the busy streets of Azure Dragon City, wandering around and looking for a good place to eat.
Soon, his eyes landed on a grand, multi-storied building from which a steady stream of people in luxurious clothing could be seen going in and out.
The sign above the entrance was carved from a single piece of jade: "Phoenix Pavilion."
"Hey," Lei Feng said, stopping a random passerby who was also looking at the restaurant with a longing expression. "Why are there so many people visiting this place? Is the food here that good?"
"Brother, you are new here, right?" the man asked with a friendly smile.
"I am, but how did you know?"
"That is because this place, the Phoenix Pavilion, is the most luxurious restaurant in the entirety of Azure Dragon City. If this restaurant is ranked second, I am afraid that no other restaurant would dare to claim to be the first," the man explained with a hint of reverence.
"That great? Have you eaten here?" Lei Feng asked, his curiosity piqued.
The man let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Heh. Of course not. Commoners like you and I can only dream about entering this place. Though you see many people here, all of them are bigshots. How can they allow people like us to have a meal there?"
"Then how do you know that this place is the best? What if it was in fact dogshit?" Lei Feng countered, unimpressed.
"Hush!! Speak slowly," the man immediately whispered, grabbing Lei Feng's arm and looking around nervously. After confirming that no one had overheard their conversation, he continued in a low voice.
"Just because I have not eaten here doesn't mean that others haven't. The Phoenix Pavilion was recently featured by the Gourmet Sage, Master Lian. He personally awarded this place with the 'Five-Star Jade Chopsticks' award, comparing it favorably to the top restaurants in the Imperial Capital, Dragon's Zenith."
He looked at Lei Feng seriously. "Do you still think that a place praised by the Gourmet Sage himself can be bad?"
With that, the man gave a polite nod and hurried away, leaving Lei Feng to his own thoughts.
'Gourmet Sage Master Lian? Should I try this place out?'
Lei Feng looked at the grand entrance once again and walked a little closer. Just then, a waiter opened the door for a departing guest, and a wave of aroma wafted out.
Lei Feng's nose twitched. The smell was rich, but it was a greasy, cloying richness. It was the smell of old oil mixed with overpowering spices, a combination designed to overwhelm the senses rather than please them.
To his refined palate, trained on the purest spiritual fruits of the mountain, it smelled unhealthy and artificial.
He turned away in disgust. 'That 'Gourmet Sage' must have a broken nose, or he was paid a hefty bribe,' Lei Feng thought to himself with a scoff.
'Even a child could tell this stuff is garbage.'