Upon learning that they faced the prospect of imprisonment and even execution, sheer terror gripped their hearts.
Eldest Child Zhang found himself momentarily dumbfounded, and he hastily knelt down, pleading for clemency. He cried out incessantly, beseeching, "Crown Prince Consort, Your Excellency, please show mercy this time! My family's actions were shortsighted. We couldn't bear to witness the prosperity of the b.u.t.terfly Pavilion, and in our envy, we hatched this preposterous plan to deceive them."
"We never intended to incur the displeasure of His Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince Consort!" Eldest Child Zhang declared in a panic.
Shopkeeper Wu's eyes blazed with anger, his veins pulsating. How could anyone seek to destroy the b.u.t.terfly Pavilion simply because it was flouris.h.i.+ng and sought to slander it? It was primarily due to the b.u.t.terfly Pavilion's unparalleled success.
Especially after Qiao Mu introduced the sacred rice and spiritually enriched fruits and vegetables, the b.u.t.terfly Pavilion's popularity soared to new heights. The original prices for the b.u.t.terfly Pavilion's dishes were already steep, but the introduction of the holy rice and spirit-infused cuisine raised the costs to staggering levels, inciting envy from neighboring eateries.
In reality, it wasn't solely Boss Zhang's family that had dispatched individuals to the b.u.t.terfly Pavilion inquiring about the truth. Numerous nearby restaurants had sent their agents to clandestinely investigate.
However, the findings were remarkably consistent.
The b.u.t.terfly Pavilion's newly offered dishes, whether it was the Holy Rice or the specially crafted spirit-infused food, were all in limited supply. There were instances where customers nearly came to blows over a plate of Holy Rice.
This phenomenon was undoubtedly peculiar. While the b.u.t.terfly Pavilion had previously enjoyed a thriving business, it had never achieved such unprecedented popularity.
However, the agents dispatched by the restaurant owners failed to uncover any leads.
In the end, a sympathetic insider took pity on them and spilled the beans.
As it turned out, not long ago, a cultivator in the seventh-level of the spiritual realm had dined at the b.u.t.terfly Pavilion, indulging in an exceedingly expensive meal featuring Holy Rice.
Remarkably, on the very night of his return, he advanced a level in his cultivation. Overwhelmed with excitement, he couldn't contain his elation and shared the news with his family and friends.
This tale quickly spread like wildfire, taking on a mystical quality. At this point, everyone knew that the Holy Rice from the b.u.t.terfly Pavilion possessed remarkable cultivation benefits.
The reason behind this was that the cultivator in question had been stuck in the seventh-level of the spiritual realm for countless years. He had resigned himself to the notion that he might never break through this stage in his lifetime.
Yet, unexpectedly, he had made that breakthrough, sparking tremendous jubilation and expanding his understanding of the endless possibilities in the realm of cultivation. He had come to realize that the path of cultivation held boundless potential, where one could never predict what might occur in the next moment. This sudden revelation had transformed his seemingly stagnant life into one filled with newfound hope and excitement.
This individual believed that perhaps his cultivation realm could ascend even further, and he was prepared to spare no expense in purchasing more Holy Rice from Shopkeeper Hu.
However… Shopkeeper Hu, with a helpless gesture, conveyed that even money couldn't secure this rare commodity.
You see, the sacred rice provided by Qiao Mu had been just enough to serve a party of over thirty people, and it had been consumed long ago.
Therefore, the final few bowls of Holy Rice had been auctioned off at exorbitant prices.
30,000 for a bowl of Holy Rice, or so they thought, but in reality, it went for a staggering 180,000 per bowl…
Once the proprietors of neighboring eateries got wind of this news, they couldn't contain their outrage.
What sort of astronomical price was this for Holy Rice? A small restaurant couldn't even make 180,000 in profit in a year!
This was inconceivable. It was supposed to be a specially crafted product!
It felt nothing short of a heist!