I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Outside Baiweizhai, the place was bustling with activity and filled with the sounds of people.

A long line snaked out from the store entrance.

The monks in line included elderly men with white hair and beards, as well as energetic young disciples.

There were both wandering cultivators covered in dust and weary from their travels, and members of small, well-dressed families as well.

Everyone wore expressions of anticipation, whispering among themselves as they shared their knowledge and guesses about the new dishes at "Baiweizhai," creating a lively and harmonious atmosphere.

The shop was brightly lit, and the staff worked quickly and efficiently packing, collecting cash, and attracting customers, with the crisp sound of abacus beads clicking.

The satisfied sighs and laughter of diners mingled together, faintly emanating from the air, adding to the lively atmosphere.

The bustling scene and booming business are even more impressive than when "Baiweizhai" first opened and became an instant sensation!

This contrasted sharply with the deserted state of the Zhou family's taverns, which had opened today, and the waiters leaning against the doors yawning.

The gloom on Zhou Wanhai's face froze instantly, then was replaced by a surge of astonishment, bewilderment, and a hint of barely perceptible panic.

His pupils contracted slightly as he stared intently at the surging crowd in front of Baiweizhai, his mind buzzing.

The Lin family... how could that be?

How could they possibly have such a large supply of spirit beast meat?

Didn't the Zhou family completely cut off their supply of cubs and use their network of connections to block other possible procurement channels?!

They should have run out of goods to sell long ago, and their shops should be deserted!

What on earth is going on with this incredibly lively scene?!

Just as he was in shock and bewildered, Wan Dafu beside him had already recovered from his initial shock.

Seeing Zhou Wanhai's incredulous and stunned expression, she felt a mix of anger at being betrayed and pleasure at seeing the Zhou family suffer a setback.

He stepped forward coldly, almost touching Zhou Wanhai's ear, his voice filled with undisguised sarcasm and questioning:

"Manager Zhou, Steward Zhou! Is this the ingenious plan your Zhou family meticulously devised? Is this what you so confidently claimed, 'The Lin family will soon have nothing left to sell'?"

He pointed to the long, bustling queue in front of Baiweizhai.

He then pointed towards the direction of the Zhou family's deserted shops in the distance, each word like a nail hardened with ice:

"They talk a good game, but behind your back they're scheming like crazy!"

"And now? Your Zhou family's secretly run tavern is deserted, while the Lin family's business is booming! Zhou Wanhai, what explanation do you have now?!"

Zhou Wanhai's face swelled from the barrage of questions. He opened his mouth, but found his throat dry and couldn't utter a single word.

He was also filled with great doubt and unease, unable to understand why things had taken such a sharp turn for the worse.

Just then, a voice, tinged with both familiarity and surprise, broke in:

"Hey, Lao Zhou! You're here too?"

Li Yunqing, who was originally in the middle of the queue and was a member of the Li family who made talismans, caught sight of Zhou Wanhai and his eyes lit up.

Forget about queuing, a playful smile on his face, he quickly approached.

The undercurrent of business rivalry between the Zhou and Lin families over "snacks to go with drinks" may have escaped the notice of the lowly cultivators.

But for these well-informed Foundation Establishment families, it was no secret.

Li Yunqing already had some reservations about some of the Zhou family's domineering behavior.

Seeing Zhou Wanhai looking so dejected, standing in front of Baiweizhai "observing" his opponent's grand spectacle, how could they possibly let go of this opportunity to watch the joke unfold?

"It seems..." Li Yunqing's gaze shifted between Zhou Wanhai's unpleasant expression and the bustling Baiweizhai restaurant not far away, and he drew out his words.

"It seems that the carefully planned series of moves by your Zhou family isn't working quite well?"

Looking at the increasingly deep confusion, disbelief, and even bewilderment on Zhou Wanhai's face.

Li Yunqing's heart skipped a beat, and a genuine look of suspicion appeared on her face:

"Brother Zhou, you...you don't really know nothing about it, do you? You're just letting your subordinates do this?"

Upon hearing this, Wan Dafu, who was standing nearby, also snorted coldly, crossed his arms, and glanced sideways at Zhou Wanhai, wanting to see what kind of explanation this Zhou family member could give.

Faced with the two men's clearly questioning and scrutinizing gazes, Zhou Wanhai's face flashed with a barely perceptible hint of embarrassment and annoyance.

Just as Li Yunqing had guessed, he had indeed been somewhat negligent lately.

Over the past two weeks, the Zhou family's series of combined actions have shown remarkable results.

The number of customers at Linjia Baiweizhai has visibly decreased, while the new restaurants opened by several affiliated forces are booming.

This led him to believe that the plan was progressing smoothly and that the Lin family was already trapped.

A touch of smugness and his recent busyness with other matters made him lower his guard.

These past few days, he has even been somewhat indulging in pleasure and has not continued to follow up on the specific movements of the Lin family.

To this day, I hear that the business of my newly opened pub is far below expectations.

He then realized something was wrong and rushed over to check.

Upon learning that the root cause was that "Baiweizhai" was still thriving and even stronger than before, they discovered that the restaurant was still doing well.

That's why he rushed over in a hurry to find out what was going on.

Seeing Zhou Wanhai's undeniable embarrassment and confusion, Li Yunqing shook her head speechlessly.

She was also well aware of her "old friend's" tendency to be overconfident and neglect details.

He stopped being mysterious and directly revealed the reason:

"Brother Zhou, no offense, but while your Zhou family has partnered with several restaurants to launch new snacks to go with drinks, the Lin family hasn't been idle either!"

"Baiweizhai has quietly completed a major overhaul of its menu! They're no longer selling the same spiritual dishes as before!"

He pointed to the crowd in line and continued:

"As for the taste, everyone who has tried it says that it is more delicate and delicious than before, with a richer aroma."

"The key is that the ingredients themselves contain a purer and gentler spiritual energy, and even... it is said that they have some additional effects such as nourishing the meridians and replenishing qi and blood! It was through word of mouth that this has led to the current situation."

After a pause, Li Yunqing pointed to a newly expanded area on the side of Baiweizhai, which was clearly a recent addition, where a small line of people was also waiting:

"As for why there are so many people today?"

"Look, did you see that? Baiweizhai has not only upgraded its appetizers, but also added a new spiritual cuisine window. It's a new spiritual cuisine dish that the Lin family has introduced today, and most people have come here for this novelty!"

Zhou Wanhai looked up abruptly and noticed that there was indeed a brand-new storefront next to Baiweizhai, brightly lit, connected to the main store yet operating independently.

His heart sank little by little.

But his doubts remained unresolved.

Where did the Lin family get so much spirit beast meat? They clearly cut off the supply!

A terrible thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

The thought sent a chill down his spine, and his face instantly turned extremely ugly.

Without saying a word, he turned around and walked heavily to the end of the long queue at the entrance of Baiweizhai, where he joined the line.

Seeing this, Li Yunqing, who had only come to try it out, shook his head and followed, rejoining the queue.

Although he wanted to see the Zhou family make a fool of themselves, he was even more eager to personally taste the new dishes of Baiweizhai, which were rumored to be miraculous.

Wan Dafu took a deep breath, suppressing his anger and dissatisfaction with the Zhou family.

Things have come to this point, and getting angry won't help. The Zhou family's strength and influence are undeniable; he can't really turn against them.

Right now, the key is to figure out exactly how Baiweizhai managed to turn the tide.

He followed behind the group with a gloomy face.

The line moved forward slowly, and soon it was the turn of the three.

Behind the counter, the shopkeeper, Wang Yanduan, still wore his usual warm yet measured smile.

He introduced the newly launched appetizers to each guest in detail and made appropriate recommendations for several kinds of spirit wines brewed by the Lin family.

The smile on his face was genuine.

The recent booming business, especially today's "auspicious" opening day of Zhou's new store, has brought a surge in customers, keeping him and his staff highly motivated.

When his gaze fell on Zhou Wanhai's face, he was slightly taken aback.

He clearly recognized this member of the Zhou family, but his professionalism allowed him to quickly regain his composure, his smile remaining unchanged.

"Guest, what would you like to order today? We have several new dishes on the menu, as well as some special spiritual cuisine. Would you like to try them?"

Zhou Wanhai did not answer immediately; his gaze was fixed on the samples displayed on the jade plates on the counter.

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator who has been running a spirit beast industry for many years, his perception is far more acute than that of ordinary people.

It was the vibrant, pure, and serene spiritual energy emanating from those tempting, fragrant chunks of meat that was far more intense than that of ingredients like the "White Jade Pearl Chicken."

This almost confirmed his ominous premonition.

His throat was a little dry, and his voice was slightly hoarse: "Give me one of everything...."

"Alright! Please come in and have a seat. We'll bring it up right away!" Wang Yanduan said with a smile, directing the waiter.

Zhou Wanhai walked heavily into the hall.

As soon as he stepped inside, he was bombarded with the chatter of various diners, leaving him almost no room to escape reality.

"Old Wang, you really weren't lying to me! This new appetizer from Baiweizhai is absolutely amazing!" A middle-aged cultivator exclaimed loudly to his companion, spittle flying everywhere.

"This spirit duck meat is more than twice as delicate as before, it melts in your mouth and leaves a lingering fragrance! Compared to this, the stuff from places like Yingxianju is simply tasteless!"

At another table, an elderly monk with a slightly weathered face was savoring the chicken in his mouth with his eyes closed, a look of near ecstasy on his face.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, his eyes filled with surprise:

"Excellent! This chicken...it actually has a slight effect of warming and nourishing the meridians! Some of the old injuries I sustained years ago are now feeling somewhat relieved! Wonderful, truly wonderful!"

Not far away, a burly cultivator, clearly focused on body refinement, had several empty plates piled up in front of him.

He was tearing into a newly served plate of spirit pig meat, his face flushed, and he exclaimed in a deep, resonant voice:

"That's great! The energy and blood contained in this meat are even better than the body-refining pills I used to take, and it's gentler too! What kind of miserable life have I been living before? From now on, I'll stick with this place!"

These unreserved praises were like resounding slaps to Zhou Wanhai's face.

He felt that every step he took was extremely difficult. Finally, he found an empty seat near the body-refining cultivator and sat down, his whole body stiff.

Soon, the waiter brought him several exquisitely arranged and fragrant new-style appetizers.

Zhou Wanhai stared at the glossy, reddish-brown, finely textured chunk of meat, his fingers trembling slightly uncontrollably.

He took a deep breath, as if making a decision, and slowly picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of dish that looked like chicken, and put it in his mouth.

Bite down gently with your teeth.

Instantly, the ultimate freshness and indescribable richness explode on the tip of your tongue!

The meat is incredibly tender; it melts in your mouth with almost no chewing required, becoming a warm, smooth sensation that slides down your throat.

Following closely behind was spiritual energy that was far purer, gentler, and easier to absorb than any of the Zhou family's meat-based spirit beasts.

And a hint of the earthy essence that nourishes the body and restores life.

"Buzz—!"

Zhou Wanhai felt a roar in his head, and his vision went black. He almost fell off the stool!

The taste, the texture, the spiritual quality, and the subtle, implied effects all proclaimed a cruel truth to him:

The Lin family had already secretly cultivated their own breed of flesh-eating spirit beasts.

Moreover, the breeds they cultivated, in terms of lineage, quality, and potential value, completely surpassed the breeds that the Zhou family was proud of and had been developing and cultivating for decades, such as the White Jade Pearl Chicken and the Green-headed Duck!