Chapter 593: Song Nian
Just as he was about to move, Lana calmly raised a hand. "Don’t."
Mr. Crow ground his beak in frustration.
Although he was unwilling, he still obediently nodded and suppressed the urge to attack.
The next moment, Lana continued launching one mystic sphere after another.
Each glowing sphere struck Diana’s body with terrifying precision.
Every impact caused Diana’s ghostly aura to weaken further.
Soon, her entire body began convulsing violently.
Her limbs trembled uncontrollably while black ghostly energy leaked from every pore like smoke escaping from burning charcoal.
At that exact moment, Lana calmly spoke. "Now."
Mr. Crow’s eyes instantly lit up.
Without wasting even a second, he spread his wings.
A brilliant white radiance slowly gathered around his feathers.
It was the Purification Power.
More precisely, it was the purification power he temporarily borrowed from Lana through the unique spiritual bond they shared.
It was an incredibly peculiar ability.
Mr. Crow himself didn’t possess the power to heal others or purify evil spirits.
However, because of the special contract connecting his soul to Lana’s, he could temporarily draw upon a tiny portion of her Purification Power whenever she permitted it.
Unlike Lana’s mystic energy, which shone with a pale blue glow, this energy was dazzling white.
It possessed the ability to heal the living while simultaneously exorcising evil spirits.
Unfortunately, the amount Mr. Crow could borrow was extremely limited.
He couldn’t release it in large quantities. Each use consumed the borrowed energy completely.
In other words... it was practically a one-time attack. Because of that, he always used it with extreme caution.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!"
Diana let out a heart-wrenching scream. The ghostly aura surrounding her rapidly disintegrated.
Moments later... Tiny black ashes slowly floated into the air before disappearing completely.
The drone hovering nearby immediately activated its detection system.
A faint blue scanning light swept across Rosalinda’s body from head to toe.
Within seconds, the result appeared. No ghostly presence remained.
The drone immediately announced the outcome.
"Contestant Lana has successfully completed the challenge. Current ranking: First Place."
The reason was simple.
Lana had challenged a seven-hundred-year-old ghost.
Meanwhile, the remaining contestants had mostly selected ghosts between three hundred and four hundred years old.
A few particularly confident participants had challenged five-hundred-year-old ghosts.
However... not a single contestant had dared challenge a seven-hundred-year-old ghost.
Combined with the fact that Lana had completed her exorcism before everyone else, her first-place ranking was unquestionable.
Lana lazily stretched her body. "Finally. The second round is over."
She rubbed her stomach before smiling. "Let’s eat something. I’m hungry."
Hearing that, countless viewers watching the livestream couldn’t help but laugh.
"This girl, she’s seriously treating this competition like a vacation."
Unlike before, however... no one left her livestream.
Instead, even more viewers stayed. Everyone had become curious.
What exactly would she do next?
Sure enough... Lana didn’t disappoint them.
She casually walked through several bustling streets before eventually turning into a narrow alley.
Seeing her enter such an isolated place, countless viewers immediately began making wild guesses.
"Wait... Is she meeting someone?"
"Don’t tell me something suspicious is about to happen."
However, their guesses were completely wrong.
Lana simply pushed open the weathered wooden door of a tiny restaurant.
A soft ringing sound echoed as the old bell above the entrance swayed gently.
Inside, the small restaurant was simple and clean.
Several wooden tables showed signs of age, while steam slowly rose from a large pot behind the counter.
The comforting aroma of freshly cooked broth instantly filled the air.
Lana couldn’t help but chuckle. ’Old man... You truly have no idea what’s about to happen.’
In her previous life, after being thrown out of her home... there had been several days when she wandered around the city with nowhere to go.
She didn’t have enough money to rent a room.
Nor could she even afford a proper meal.
One evening, while desperately fleeing from a group of thugs chasing her through the streets, she had unknowingly run into this very alley.
By the time she reached the restaurant, despair had already begun swallowing her heart.
She remembered looking over her shoulder and seeing those thugs drawing closer with every passing second.
Just when she thought everything was over... the old man had quietly opened his restaurant door.
Without asking any questions, he pulled her inside. He even prepared a steaming bowl of noodles for her.
While placing it in front of her, he deliberately grumbled, "Your running is way too noisy."
He snorted before continuing,
"You were disturbing my customers. So I had no choice but to interfere."
Lana had known perfectly well that he was simply disguising his kindness behind harsh words.
She never exposed his intentions. For the next several days... he quietly allowed her to stay in the restaurant.
Every meal she ate came from his kitchen. He never once asked her to pay.
Eventually, Lana chose to leave on her own. She couldn’t continue burdening him forever.
Looking around the familiar shop once again, Lana couldn’t help but smile.
’Since everyone is watching me anyway... I’ll give your restaurant some free promotion.’
The moment she entered, the old man immediately looked toward her.
After a single glance, he concluded that this young woman probably came from a wealthy or influential family.
Just as he was about to politely turn her away... his gaze landed on the broadcasting drone floating behind her.
His brows knitted together. "Young lady. What’s going on here?"
Lana smiled warmly. "Sir, I’m currently participating in a live program."
She rubbed her stomach with an embarrassed smile. "But I’m starving."
She glanced around the cozy restaurant before continuing.
"When I saw your restaurant, I immediately felt that it was... warm."
Song Nian narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
’Warm? Is this young lady mocking my old shop... Or does she genuinely mean it?’
For a brief moment, he couldn’t understand her intentions. Eventually, he stopped overthinking.
After all... she was unintentionally advertising his restaurant for free. Why would he refuse such an opportunity?
More importantly... he desperately needed customers.
If business continued declining, his tiny restaurant would soon have no choice but to close permanently.
Without another word, Song Nian turned around and began cooking.
Soon, a bowl of steaming noodles was placed before Lana.
Just freshly made noodles, fragrant broth, chopped green onions, and a few carefully prepared toppings.
Song Nian quietly observed her.
He had fully expected this wealthy-looking young lady to wrinkle her nose in disgust... or perhaps complain that the meal looked too ordinary.
Instead, Lana picked up the chopsticks without hesitation. She took a bite.
The rich broth instantly spread across her tongue. Her eyes widened dramatically. "Wow..."
She happily took another mouthful.
"It’s so simple, yet unbelievably delicious. The broth tastes incredibly fresh. And every bite is so flavourful and juicy."
Watching her genuine reaction... Song Nian froze. He stared at Lana for several seconds before slowly nodding.
"It is."
A trace of pride appeared in his aged eyes. "It’s a special family recipe."
Hearing that, Lana raised an eyebrow. "A special family recipe?"
She thoughtfully looked at him before smiling playfully.
"From the taste... It honestly feels like you’re somehow related to a royal family."
She laughed immediately afterward, making it sound as though she were simply joking.
However, there was actually a hint of truth hidden within her words.
To her surprise, Song Nian slowly nodded. "Indeed. My ancestors were relatives of the imperial family."
This time... Lana deliberately widened her eyes in apparent shock.
"Really?"
She looked at him curiously.
"Then why are you running a small restaurant like this, Old Man?"
She glanced around the nearly empty shop.
"Logically speaking with cooking skills like yours, you should’ve become famous a long time ago."
Song Nian’s expression gradually darkened.
He quietly looked at Lana before speaking in a calm but distant voice.
"Young lady I don’t know why you’re so interested in me."
He lowered his gaze for a moment.
"But I don’t wish to drag you into my personal affairs. So... I’m not going to answer that question."
Lana rolled her eyes before looking at the old man with a mischievous grin.
"Old man, you’re taking this way too seriously."
She rested her chin on one hand while lazily twirling her chopsticks with the other.
"I’ve just finished a competition. I’m genuinely in need of something to relieve my stress."
She smiled brightly. "So come on... tell me some gossip."
The old man stared at her speechlessly. For a moment, he didn’t even know how to respond.
Meanwhile, the viewers watching the livestream instantly burst into laughter.
The scrolling comments flew across the screen like a flood.
"Hahaha! Why do I suddenly find her so relatable?"
"She literally wants gossip as stress relief. That’s exactly what I do after work!"
"I’ve seen plenty of arrogant celebrities, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone who’s both arrogant and ridiculously straightforward."
One particular comment quickly received thousands of likes.
"She’s not arrogant. She’s just brutally honest."