A New Rule and A Golden Meal

"System, I think I found a bug in the shop," Luo Chuan said, calling out to the system in his mind.

For a moment, there was silence. Just as Luo Chuan thought the system wasn't going to respond, its voice finally echoed in his head:

"Origin Mall has updated its rules. Reselling of products is now prohibited. Offenders will be permanently blacklisted."

Luo Chuan raised an eyebrow. "System."

"Yes, host?"

"I just found such a glaring loophole in your setup. Don't I get some kind of reward?"

It seemed like another perfect opportunity to exploit the system.

The system paused for a moment before replying, "Rewards were issued in advance last night."

Luo Chuan's face froze.

The cooking tutorial from yesterday was an advance reward, wasn't it?

"Cheapskate system!" Luo Chuan cursed inwardly.

"Warning: Negative comments about the system may result in deduction of rewards," the mechanical voice of the system interjected coldly.

Luo Chuan pursed his lips. So stingy!

He cleared his throat, addressing everyone in the shop. "Ahem, there's a new rule in Origin Mall."

Hearing his voice, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to him.

Luo Chuan's tone remained calm as he announced, "Reselling Origin Mall products is strictly prohibited. Anyone caught doing so will be blacklisted and permanently banned from purchasing any products."

With that, he grabbed the whiteboard from the wall and updated the rules, writing the new one in the bottom corner.

"I feel like the boss is targeting me, but I dare not say it aloud," whispered the student who had earlier proposed reselling spicy strips.

No one paid him any attention.

---

Under Gu Yunxi's guidance, the group continued exploring the shop. Many tried a bucket of instant noodles, their curiosity piqued by the mysterious "vitality spring water" from the hot water dispenser. Each sip and bite sparked waves of exclamations.

Meanwhile, the empty dew shelf remained unnoticed amidst all the excitement.

"Boss, the meal is ready!"

The clear, melodic voice of Yao Ziyan drifted down the stairs.

She appeared moments later, carrying two bowls of golden fried rice. Each grain of rice was perfectly plump and evenly coated with egg, as if glowing with a golden light.

A mouthwatering aroma filled the shop, making everyone pause. The students glanced at the instant noodles in their hands, suddenly feeling like they had made the wrong choice.

But what truly caught their attention was Yao Ziyan herself.

For those seeing her for the first time, her beauty left them stunned. Gu Yunxi and the others had mentioned a shop assistant, but their descriptions hadn't done her justice.

Luo Chuan stood and took a bowl of fried rice from Yao Ziyan.

"How does it taste?" she asked with a smile.

Luo Chuan took a bite. The flavor was exceptional, with a rich, savory taste and a strong aura permeating each grain. It was leagues above anything he'd eaten, even at the renowned Wind Immortal Tower.

He glanced at Yao Ziyan, surprised. "I didn't expect you to have such incredible talent in cooking."

Swallowing his bite, he gave her an approving nod. "It's delicious."

A bright smile spread across Yao Ziyan's face at his compliment. "Really?"

Meanwhile, the students stared longingly at the fried rice, comparing it to their instant noodles.

Murong Haitang clapped her hands and scolded, "What are you looking at? Eat your instant noodles!"

Reluctantly, they shifted their focus back to their own bowls. After all, Teacher Haitang wasn't someone they could afford to offend.

---

As he ate, Luo Chuan asked casually, "Did you go out this morning?"

Yao Ziyan nodded. "Yes. I noticed the kitchen ingredients weren't particularly good, so I went to the Nine Stars Mountain Range."

Luo Chuan chuckled inwardly. Yao Ziyan was probably the first person to ever critique ingredients provided by the system.

"So, what ingredients did you find?" he asked.

Yao Ziyan smiled mischievously and gestured toward the fried rice in his bowl. "The eggs used for that. I found a bird with Phoenix blood on the outskirts of the Nine Stars Mountain Range. It laid the egg I brought back."

What she didn't mention was that the Phoenix-blooded bird hadn't exactly offered the egg willingly. Under the pressure of a Eminence-level monster like Yao Ziyan, it had laid the egg out of sheer terror to save its life.