In the end, Ling Yuan did not leave.

Zhao Xing was happily cooking in the kitchen.

A little oil in the iron wok, then the sliced cured fish went in, sizzling as it slow-fried over a low flame.

Before long, the entire main hall was filled with the fragrance of fried fish. Mixed into this aroma was a faint, exotic stink, which only made it more enticing.

Many of the guests were swallowing their saliva in anticipation.

One of the more impatient guests poked his head into the kitchen. “Boss Zhao, what’s for dinner tonight? Do I smell fried fish?”

Zhao Xing turned with a smile. “You’ve got a sharp nose. Tonight we’re having salted fish and eggplant clay pot. I also bought some meat buns for the kids. They’re all homemade from the village, and they taste great.”

The guest happily retreated to explain to the others. The main hall instantly became more cheerful, with all the guests smiling as they waited for dinner.

Zhao Xing never had a menu here. The guests ate whatever he made, and he charged them what he thought was fair.

The guests were surprisingly okay with this arrangement; it had a casual, at-home feel. Of course, it helped that the food was genuinely delicious.

Ling Yuan sat alone in a corner of the hall.

No one could ignore him, but no one dared to approach him either. Everyone felt that although this young man didn’t look very old, he had an inexplicably powerful presence.

He watched as the guests joked around with Zhao Xing.

He saw a few children run to the kitchen, wailing that they were hungry, only to be chased out by Zhao Xing wielding a spatula, giggling as they ran back to their parents.

He saw someone ask if others wanted water, then run to get a tea tray and pour for everyone, including themselves, as if they were in their own home.

Ling Yuan watched this scene quietly. He could, of course, recognize that the tea set on that tray was also a system item. Something that would be priceless in this world was just left there casually for anyone to use.

And the new owner of the Myriad Realms Guesthouse was diligently stewing salted fish in the kitchen, still finding the time to shout out, “The water is in that green thermos! It’s mountain spring water, it’s good.”

The guests laughed and said they knew. “It’s not our first day here, we know the drill! Hurry up with the food, Boss Zhao, I’m so hungry my stomach is touching my back. We skipped lunch when we went to town today, just waiting for this meal!”

Zhao Xing mumbled something in response, it was unclear what.

Ling Yuan lowered his gaze slightly. He remembered other owners of the Myriad Realms Guesthouse. After binding with the system, they had immediately become high and mighty. When dealing with guests from their own world, forget about bustling about for them, even their words were condescending.

But it made sense. Binding with the system did, in a way, give one the capital to transcend this world. As they acquired more and more items and deepened their connections with other worlds, how could they still see themselves as the same as these ordinary mortals?

He glanced at the kitchen. He just didn’t know how long this guesthouse owner could maintain his pure heart.

Over in the kitchen, Zhao Xing lifted the pot lid. A powerful fragrance exploded like a bomb. He picked out a piece of eggplant to taste. “Not bad, pretty close to how Grandpa used to make it.”

With that, he turned and shouted, “Dinner’s ready!”

Instantly, the guests in the main hall sprang into action. Some moved tables together, some got stools, some grabbed bowls and chopsticks. The group of children also spontaneously went to wash their hands.

It didn’t feel like eating at a restaurant, but more like a gathering of friends and family—lively and full of human warmth.

Once everyone had their bowls and chopsticks, Zhao Xing came out with the iron wok, plopped a spoonful of food into each person’s bowl, and handed them a steamed bun, just like he was feeding… well, something.

The guests had no complaints at all. They had been smelling the aroma of this salted fish all afternoon and were already craving it.

By the time the next person was served, the person before them was already eating, deliberately letting out sounds of praise:

“Whoa, this salted fish is so fragrant! I haven’t had fish this good in ages. The stuff you buy at the supermarket has none of this flavor!”

“Exactly! Tastes just like my mom’s. This is the stuff, hehe!”

This made the guests still waiting in line extremely anxious, their mouths nearly watering as they urged Zhao Xing to hurry up.

Zhao Xing scooped up a spoonful, and just as he was about to plop it down, he realized something wasn’t right with the sound. He looked up and had to laugh. “Professor Liao, why are you in line? You can’t eat salted fish with high blood pressure.”

Professor Liao sighed, thinking he shouldn’t have made a sound. “Not even one piece?”

Zhao Xing, exasperated, jiggled the ladle and scooped him a piece of tofu and two pieces of eggplant. “Just have a taste. You can have the meat buns later.”

Professor Liao walked away with his bowl, his retreating figure looking quite desolate.

Zhao Xing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

After staying here for a while, these guests were all acting like children.

Ling Yuan watched as he finished distributing the entire pot of salted fish and let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief, sinking further into his corner…

And then he saw Zhao Xing return to the kitchen with the empty pot, only to emerge again with a bowl of salted fish and eggplant clay pot.

The bowl was huge, bigger than his face. And the amount of fish in it was more than three other people’s portions combined. On top was a fish head, which Zhao Xing had specially saved.

With a beaming smile, holding the bowl of salted fish like the Statue of Liberty holding her torch, he walked over to Ling Yuan in a few strides. “This,” he said, “is all yours.”

His tone was full of pride.

He thought to himself: “System, did you see the tears in his eyes? He must be moved to death!”

The System said with difficulty, “As long as… you’re happy, Host.”

Ling Yuan had wanted to leave the moment he saw him coming with the bowl. He had restrained himself, and now he truly regretted it.

Zhao Xing was still persuading him. “Don’t be shy. You might not know it, but you helped me out a lot today. Eat up! If you want more, there’s more tomorrow.” With that, he shoved a pair of chopsticks into Ling Yuan’s hand.

Ling Yuan gripped the chopsticks, looked down, and met the eyes of the fish head in the bowl.

How could he not know? All this help was entirely… Sigh! Best not to say it!

Ling Yuan, the Lord of the Myriad Realms, the last dragon in all existence, in this shabby and unremarkable little guesthouse, solemnly began to eat his first meal in a thousand years.

After everyone had finished eating and left, the others were fine, but Ling Yuan’s movements seemed a bit slow. This meal had been a heavy burden on him.

He had Zhao Xing book him a room, saying he would stay the night, and then slowly walked upstairs.

As Zhao Xing was clearing the bowls, he wondered, “System, why isn’t he giving me any favorability points? He gave them just from seeing the salted fish before, but now that he’s eaten it, nothing? That’s not logical!”

“Host…” the System began. Have a heart!

Neither of them saw Ling Yuan’s steps on the stairs slow even further.

Then, 【Gu… Guest Ling… Ling Yuan’s Favorability +10!】

Zhao Xing was satisfied. “That’s more like it! But System, why are you stuttering? Is it time for an oil change?”

System: “…Thank you for your concern, Host. I’ll go get oiled right now.”

---

That night, Zhao Xing opened the guesthouse panel again.

【Host: Zhao Xing

Home World: Blue Star Realm

Guesthouse Name: Immortal’s Rest Inn

Guesthouse Level: 1 (Next level: 1178/5000)

System Price: 50 Yuan/Person

System Evaluation: Humble Home with a Brushwood Gate】

Zhao Xing was pleasantly surprised. “Huh? Over a thousand points already? Not bad!”

Doing a rough calculation, it seemed about right. Wang Fang’s group had eight people, each providing 20 reception points per day, for a total of 160 points a day.

Hou Ling and the editor-in-chief’s group of five had stayed one night, providing 100 points.

Ling Yuan had just arrived today, so his points hadn’t been settled yet, but Zhao Xing went to the backyard to feed the birds every day, which brought in at least eighty to a hundred points a day.

Zhao Xing did the math in his head. It had been three or four days since the upgrade, so the point total was more or less correct.

His starry eyes curved into a smile. “The momentum is good! Once the report from the Qingyang Daily comes out, we’ll definitely get another wave of guests. We’ll be able to level up again soon!”

This time, the System said with genuine sincerity, “You’re amazing, Host!”

---

Gao Jiajia was a teacher at Qingyang University. Both her parents had retired this year, and their spirits were a bit low.

She was worried and had been thinking about taking them on a trip. But work had been busy lately, and she hadn’t found the time.

She was starting to feel anxious. She couldn’t possibly wait until summer vacation; that was still months away.

Just then, she happened to see a news report shared by a classmate on her Moments. This classmate was a reporter and often shared news from his paper.

Gao Jiajia usually just scrolled past.

This time, however, she was captivated by the cover photo.

On the cover was a full-body shot of a young man, handsome enough to be a celebrity. His face was slightly turned, his long eyelashes casting a butterfly-wing-like shadow.

On the young man’s shoulder stood an unknown bird, entirely green except for a single spot of bright red on its beak. The little bird was affectionately rubbing its head against his chin.

Looking closer, she saw that the young man was surrounded by countless birds, including at his feet. The setting sun cast a golden silhouette around him and the birds, looking like a poster for a movie.

Gao Jiajia was a sucker for good looks. She was instantly drawn in by the photo and couldn’t help but click on it.

When she did, a large headline popped up: “Youth Starts Business for Love, Builds a Unique Guesthouse in the Countryside!”

Gao Jiajia was a little surprised. A guesthouse? She had thought the young man was involved in something like animal conservation.

As she read on, her expression grew even stranger. What? This guesthouse was built in a place with no tourist attractions? And the transportation was inconvenient? And the exterior was dilapidated?

Gao Jiajia frowned as she finished reading, then scrolled back up to the cover photo. Did this handsome guy trade his intelligence for his looks? she wondered.

But he really was handsome…

She continued to read… and gradually found herself drawn in.

This guesthouse actually seemed quite nice. Although the exterior was shabby, the wooden walls were said to emit a pleasant, woody fragrance; the guesthouse sign was said to be formed from a single, whole vine, which must have taken a lot of effort; and what’s more, the food at the guesthouse was said to be delicious…

Gao Jiajia was immediately tempted. Looking again, she saw that the address was right here in Qingyang City. Although it was in the suburbs, it was only a three or four-hour drive.

She made up her mind almost instantly. She will take her parents there this weekend!

After noting down the address and the guesthouse’s contact information, she closed the article page and saw the comments on the Moments post:

“Am I the only one who was drawn in by the handsome guy on the cover?”

“Whoa, this article is blowing up my feed. Is everyone here to see the handsome guy?”

“LMAO, have you guys read the article? This owner feeds the birds in his backyard every day, and they all know him now. They stand on his windowsill every morning to wake him up, hahaha! What kind of runaway Disney princess plot is this, hahaha!”

“The last part says the investigative reporters fought over the last bite of food. Is that true? Hahaha!”

“Friends who want to go, hurry up and make a reservation! I just called to book a room, and there aren’t many left. It seems there are only eight guest rooms in total…”

Seeing the last comment, Gao Jiajia’s heart tightened. Without even consulting her parents, she quickly called the owner’s number to make a reservation.

The first time she called, it didn’t go through. The second time, someone answered.

The owner’s voice was also very pleasant. When he heard she was booking for the weekend, he praised her for her good luck, saying there was only one room left for the weekend, though there were still vacancies on weekdays.

There were many guests like Gao Jiajia who had seen the report and were calling to book. And the news report, through everyone’s automatic sharing, was rapidly spreading through the social circles of Qingyang City locals.

Most people’s recommendations were along the lines of “Look! Handsome guy!” or “Look! Birds!”

Some less eloquent people would say “Look! Handsome guy and birds!” and would be scolded.

In the editorial office of the Qingyang Daily, Hou Ling and several colleagues were constantly monitoring the data.

“The article’s readership on Moments has exceeded fifty thousand! And it’s been less than 24 hours since it was published!”

“Website traffic is also increasing. Many people are finding our website through this report!”

“Chief Editor! I just got a call. Our print sales have also increased! It’s already higher than last month’s total sales!”

After this last sentence was said, the editorial office fell silent for a moment, then everyone burst into exclamations.

This was no small feat! It had actually driven up print sales!

In today’s era of rapid internet development, print media was on an inevitable decline. Almost every month, the data showed a decrease, a decrease, and another decrease.

This was why the Qingyang Daily was now focusing on online reporting. They were one of the lucky ones; as an old, established paper with support from relevant departments, they could still keep their print edition on life support.

Many other media outlets now only reported online, having ceased their print editions.

It was against this backdrop that the achievement of a single report boosting print sales was so remarkable.

One colleague joked, “Handsome guys save the world!”

Everyone laughed.

Joking aside, they all knew in their hearts that the report was popular not just because the cover was good-looking, but more fundamentally, because the content was very interesting.

Not that their writing was interesting, but that the guesthouse itself was very interesting.

A boss who fed birds every day, a guesthouse with no scenic spots, food that looked ordinary but tasted amazing…

This guesthouse had a very quirky sense of contrast, which was very appealing.

As they were laughing and joking, someone noticed that the editor-in-chief hadn’t been speaking and asked her about it.

The editor-in-chief came back to her senses and smiled. “I was thinking, could this report get us into the municipal TV station’s program?”

The editors all fell silent for a moment.

They all knew some inside information. This year, the municipal TV station was collaborating with other media outlets to produce a local human-interest program, which would then be promoted throughout the city.

The series of youth entrepreneurship reports they had been working on recently was aimed at this very program.

Hou Ling, being young, immediately stood up in excitement. “It definitely can! I’ll find a few local public accounts to promote it some more!” With that, he rushed out excitedly.

The others began to fantasize.

If they really were selected… then this guesthouse would be their savior!

---

Time quickly flew by to the weekend.

Gao Jiajia had already told her parents that they would go to Immortal’s Rest Village for a couple of days and stay at the guesthouse for the night.

Her parents verbally protested about spending money unnecessarily, but they had gotten up early and packed their things.

Gao Jiajia checked the route and drove her parents there herself.

On the way, a smile finally appeared on the old folks’ faces.

Father Gao said with a laugh, “I’ve been to Immortal’s Rest Village before, about twenty years ago. The road was much worse back then.”

Mother Gao was a little worried. “Jiajia, are there any scenic spots there? You haven’t been scammed, have you?”

Gao Jiajia said helplessly, “Didn’t I tell you it was reported by the Qingyang Daily? It’s a young man responding to the call for rural revitalization, who went back to his hometown village to open a guesthouse. The conditions are a bit basic, but it’s very unique. Besides, if it’s no good, we can just come back. We’re driving our own car, it’s not like anyone can stop us, right?”

Father Gao and mother had been grassroots workers their whole lives. The moment they heard it was a young person starting their own business, and for the sake of rural revitalization, they were immediately convinced.

They even lectured Gao Jiajia, “Then we must support him. It’s not easy for young people to start a business these days! When we get there, we should stay at least one night. It’s fine if the conditions are a bit basic. Don’t just talk about leaving at the drop of a hat!”

Gao Jiajia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. You’ve argued both sides of the case, Dad, she thought, nodding in agreement.

The car drove all the way to Immortal’s Rest Mountain.

The road became difficult, and the place was quite remote, but the family was mentally prepared.

Following the villagers’ directions, they arrived halfway up the mountain.

Gao Jiajia stopped in front of the small, dilapidated-looking building.

They had arrived at the Immortal’s Rest Inn.