Chapter 49: Unexpected Friendship and Seeds of Enterprise

Over the following weeks, Yu Liang and Lin Meihua fell into an unexpected pattern.

They met regularly, sometimes at the small tea room behind the pavilion, other times at various establishments scattered throughout Jade City where conversations could unfold without interruption.

For Yu Liang, who had spent years as a handyman disciple with only Old Chen, Wei Feng, and more recently Xiao Fei as genuine companions, the experience was surprisingly pleasant. Lin Meihua listened when he spoke, challenged his ideas without dismissing them, and shared her own observations with a directness he found refreshing.

Yu Liang found himself paying more attention to her than he had expected. She was composed without seeming distant, confident without needing to prove anything, and there was a quiet sincerity in the way she spoke.

Even when she asked personal questions, it never felt intrusive. There was no obvious motive behind her curiosity, she simply seemed interested. For someone who had spent so much time dealing with hidden intentions, that simplicity was unexpectedly refreshing.

It was then that Yu Liang realized this was the first friendship he had formed that wasn’t born from necessity or proximity.

One such afternoon they sat in a second floor tea house overlooking one of Jade City’s main markets. The window offered a clear view of the street below.

Yu Liang watched the scene quietly, his tea growing cold in his hands.

"You’re thinking about something," Lin Meihua said, her voice drawing his attention back.

He smiled slightly. "I have an idea. I have thought about it for some time now, but I needed to refine it before talking to anyone about it."

Her eyes brightened with interest. "What kind of idea?"

"A restaurant." He set his cup down and leaned forward slightly. "Specifically, a high end spiritual cuisine establishment."

Lin Meihua tilted her head. "There are already several in Jade City and some are quite successful."

"I know. But they all fall into the same two categories." Yu Liang gestured toward the window. "Either they serve cheap, tasteless food that barely qualifies as spiritual cuisine, or they’re prohibitively expensive and exclusive places where only Foundation Establishment realm cultivators and above can afford to dine regularly."

"And you see a gap between those extremes?"

"Exactly." His voice carried quiet conviction. "The current market fails to serve the majority of cultivators. Low level cultivators, disciples, outer sect members, independent cultivators, who are trying to advance their realms and in between that they need spiritual food sometimes to clear themselves up or just to enjoy a bit of progress in their cultivation. But they can’t afford the quality establishments. So they settle for mediocrity."

Lin Meihua was listening intently now, genuine interest taking over.

"What I’m proposing," Yu Liang continued, "is a restaurant that offers true quality spiritual cuisine at prices that don’t require you to spend all of your savings. Not cheap, but accessible and more importantly, I want it to be an experience like somewhere that treats these cultivators with the same respect as a Core Formation cultivator."

He paused, meeting her gaze. "Quality and Experience. Those are the foundations."

"This... could actually work." Lin Meihua’s eyes brightened as she considered his idea. "Most restaurants are competing for wealthy cultivators and powerful guests, while hardly anyone pays attention to the lower level cultivators. There are far more of them."

She fell silent for a moment, thinking rapidly.

"My family has suppliers that will help with spirit beast meat, spiritual herb farms, also connections with cultivation sects that produce specialized ingredients. We could source quality materials at reasonable prices."

Then her expression grew more serious.

"But Yu Liang, you need to understand something. That day at the pavilion, when you spent nine hundred million stones it was impressive. Steward Le still talks about it. But in the eyes of truly powerful families, established sects, major merchant houses, that’s... just a pocket change."

Yu Liang said nothing, letting her continue.

"The great families spend that much monthly just maintaining their core disciples cultivation experience. Major sects allocate billions annually for resources. There are merchants who move hundreds of millions in a single trade deal without blinking." Her voice was gentle but firm. "What I’m saying is, if you want to enter this market and really compete with then you need to be prepared for enormous investment. And possibly significant losses before you could see any return."

She hesitated, then asked carefully, "How much capital do you actually have access to?"

Even though she knew about his background, she still wanted to confirm whether he had a backup plan or if he was genuinely allowed to spend this much.

Yu Liang picked up his tea, taking a slow sip while considering his response. When he spoke, his tone was casual, almost offhand.

"Enough that nine hundred million isn’t something I need to think twice about. Even booking the Mystic Pavilion for another month or two wouldn’t put much of a dent in what I have."

He set the cup down and met her eyes.

"Enough that starting a restaurant wouldn’t be a problem. Even a high-end one with good ingredients and proper formations is well within my budget. And if it takes some time to make a profit, that’s fine too."

Lin Meihua’s breath caught slightly. She had suspected he had substantial resources, but the casual way he spoke about such sums suggested something far beyond what she had imagined.

"You mean it?" she whispered. "I know you’re rich, but what I really mean is that you don’t have any pressure about spending this much and ready to start?"

She still wanted to confirm it once again. If the idea succeeded, the sheer number of low level cultivators they would need to serve meant they would have to invest an enormous amount of money into the business.

As she had seen enough businesses grow to know that sometimes success could require even greater spending than failure.

And as a businesswoman, double checking something this important was simply common sense.

"I am." Yu Liang replied.

She sat back, and for the first time since Yu Liang had known her, she looked genuinely stunned. Then, slowly, a smile spread across her face.

"You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?"

Yu Liang shrugged. "I just spend when I think it’s worth it."

"Wroth it, huh." She laughed with that same unguarded sound she had come to appreciate. "Most people would call spending hundreds of millions on a single business venture reckless."

"Only if it fails."

Her laughter faded into something more thoughtful.

"That’s cool. Your confidence. Your way of going for something all out." She leaned in towards him. "Okay then. I’m interested. Very interested."

"Interested in what, exactly?"

"A partnership," she said, in a more straightforward tone with no nonsense. "My family resources along with your money and ideas. We’ll set up the restaurant together, equal investment, equal control, and equal profits."

Yu Liang considered this carefully. A partnership meant sharing control, sharing information, and potentially revealing more about his resources than he prefer. But in return it also meant access to Lin Meihua’s expertise, her family’s established networks, and her understanding of the market.

"Let’s start small," he suggested. "Just one restaurant. We’ll get the concept right, build a reputation, and see how people respond. Then we can grow from that point."

"One restaurant first," Lin Meihua agreed. "Let’s see how it goes before we think about opening another."

"Let’s keep it to ourselves for now. Your family doesn’t have to get involved yet, and you can always use your contacts if necessary. I’ll take care of the money and we’ll make all decisions together."

She nodded thoughtfully. "And so you want us to keep it among ourselves for the time being. Like building it ourselves before getting other people involved."

"Exactly."

Lin Meihua observed him for some time before extending her hand across the table to him.

"I accept those terms. Partners?"

Yu Liang shook her hand. "Partners."

Her hand was soft and delicate, yet her grip was firm and confident. As she let go of his hand, a little smile crept onto her lips again.

Then They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing logistics such as potential locations, initial menu concepts, the kind of atmosphere they wanted to create. Yu Liang deliberately kept his larger plans vague, not mentioning the possibility of multiple locations or eventual expansion beyond Jade City.

Lin Meihua noticed the omissions but didn’t press. She understood that trust was built gradually, and he was already trusting her with more than most people would.

When they finally left the tea house, the sun had begun to set. They walked together through the evening streets, the conversation flowing easily between business planning and casual observation.

"This is going to work," Lin Meihua said as they reached the intersection where their paths diverged. "I have a good feeling about this."

Yu Liang nodded. "I believe it will."

"I’ll start reaching out to suppliers tomorrow. We’ll need to move quickly if we want to open it within three months."

"Agreed. We’ll scout locations starting tomorrow."

She smiled once more before turning toward the pavilion district.

He watched her disappear into the crowd before turning toward the Moonlight Inn. They had agreed on the partnership, but there was still a long way to go.

For now, he would focus on getting everything ready and see how far this would lead him.