After the little interlude, Yang Qing enjoyed his soup dishes with great relish. The soups were well worth their high prices. They were each masterfully crafted, with no single ingredient being overwhelmed. Each of their respective flavors and properties was perfectly brought working in a natural symphony with the rest of the ingredients.

Even though Yang Qing wasn't as close with the staff of the Celestial Herb Garden as he was with the Thousands Flavor Restaurant, he did know a few things here and there from the few times he frequented the place over the years and a few gossips provided here and there by the faithful Mao Yunru. Of the soups they ate, some were made by a blue-grade alchemist, and based on the effects of the soup, Yang Qing guessed they were teetering toward the middle grade, which explained the prices.

In terms of ability, in as much as he didn't want to admit it, the soup had a higher quality and impact than the oolong tea made by Jiang Fu, but that gap would likely be bridged after Jiang Fu completes his breakthrough to the palace realm.

Yang Qing savored every soup, along with the spring rolls that were also beautifully made. As for the young inquisitor, at first, he was a little reserved even if he was encouraged to loosen up and enjoy the meal. Even Yang Qing, despite his shamelessness and voracious appetite, those first few minutes he was completely reserved and a little bit afraid if he was being completely honest.

The fear and the reservation came from knowing the prices of those soups. Even if he had been sponsored and was told he could eat all he could, some part of him worried,

What if, what if he was made to pay the bill and it was some ruse? How much would it cost him?

The terror he got by that thought paralyzed him to the point of being wary of the soups, and he had done what the inquisitor had done which was go for the cold leek soup first, which from the array presented, was the most affordable one.However, that paralyzing thought lasted only up until he finished the cold leek soup. Every time he took a sip, a thought would be planted in his mind, like a bewitching voice trying to enthrall his mind.

If the cold leek soup despite its price is this good, what about the rest? Just try one, just one more, surely you can afford one more..

That one more turned into two more and before he knew it, he had sampled the entire soup dishes of the restaurant, and at that point, it was too late to worry about it.

The same scenario was happening with the young inquisitor. He had been nursing his cold leek soup at the start that it would make one think he was sipping a bowl of lava, but slowly by slowly unbeknownst to him, his pace had been gradually increasing with every sip and before he knew it, he had emptied his bowl and was now in a dilemma and eventually, he fell to the same voice his predecessors had fallen to. Many had fallen to it, and he wouldn't be the last.

Yang Qing bowed his head and said a silent prayer for him. Depending on how deep the addiction becomes, the young inquisitor may end up spending his entire earnings in the place for the foreseeable future and be forever welcomed into the halls of the paupers until he can reach a level where he can comfortably afford the meals without pinching his pockets.

After finishing his prayer, Yang Qing looked at the entrance as if he was expecting someone, but soon shook his head.

"It seems they're not around today.."thought Yang Qing as he took the last sip of his last soup dish which was vermilion phoenix soup, true to its name, it was a firey one, which was why he saved it for last, and it was also the most expensive as it went for 4 high-grade spirit stones because of the amount of precious ingredients it used, such as the vermilion fruit.

Once done, Yang Qing comfortably paid his bill, which came to a whopping 24 high-grade spirit stones. To the current him, such an amount wasn't even worth consideration, but back then when he was just starting out, earning a mere 80 high-grade spirit stones, 120 if he performed well, paying a bill of 24 high-grade spirit stones in a single sitting would have left him grieving for weeks, probably even succumb to a few heart demons while he was at it.

But right now, he was unfazed, he was even tempted to pay their membership offer which was for an annual fee of 700 high-grade spirit stones, they would never have to pay for a single meal at the restaurant, and there were even soups that were not on the regular menu, that were reserved for those members. The regulars like the palace realm employees and the domain judges at the next table over were likely celestial members.

Yang Qing took only a few seconds to debate the whole thing, before vanity, gluttony, and his weak will gave in. After paying for his meal, he informed the staff member of his intention to be a celestial member. The staff joyously and dutifully led him to a secluded room which was the supervisor's room.

The supervisor was in there. It was a middle-aged man, with a slender build, auburn hair tied in a daoist top knot, and pristine black robes with crane and cloud embroidery. His aura was like that of a vivacious but ancient oak tree, and he was in the middle stages of the palace realm.

He courteously greeted Yang Qing, whilst also throwing a few compliments his way on his bearing and presence, which Yang Qing ate up, even if he knew, he was just being softened up for his purse strings. Even if that was so, he still enjoyed the praise, he was a man of simple pleasures after all, and it wasn't like those stones would praise him.

Yang Qing as a seasoned bootlicker, reciprocated in kind, after all, even though he didn't mind losing his spirit stones if bootlicking could give him a discount, he might as well do it. Again he was a simple man, who led a simple life and didn't like any of the extravagance of the nouveau riche.

After their little dance, Yang Qing forked out 3,420 high-grade spirit stones which would cater to his membership for the next five years. He had tried all he could to haggle to 3,400 but the supervisor proved a formidable foe. He was given a card made of purple amethyst vinewood that had golden calligraphy with his name on it, a masterful handiwork of the supervisor.

Yang Qing was grinning from ear to ear as he held the card. All he could think of was of how he would 'humbly and innocently' pull it out in front of Kang Huilang when he came out of his seclusion. He could only imagine the deep sense of satisfaction that would come out of it.

Yang Qing had assumed the card was given for vain purposes since the staff as cultivators were endowed with a sharp memory. There was no need for a card for them to remember who had membership and who didn't or when the membership was expiring. He had assumed the card was given for face and was surprised when the supervisor told him he could use it outside of the Order at various restaurants and even treasure houses they had a cooperative relationship with. With the card, they would receive discounts, and all sorts of special privileges because of it.

Yang Qing's level to which he was ecstatic was through the moon. He refined the card while inserting a sliver of his spiritual sense into it which revealed the names of 17 establishments the card could be used at. His gleeful expression grew wider when he saw that 7 of the establishments were restaurants and one was even from the White Baobab Kingdom.

Yang Qing profusely thanked the supervisor as he was leaving. He had only chosen the membership on a whim to annoy Kang Huilang and he was also curious about the special privilege soup list, but he didn't expect to gain more from it.

Yang Qing whistled a joyous tune as he was leaving while he thought it seemed like his luck had truly shifted for the better.