When Xu Mu heard the man mention his boss, a look of surprise crossed his face. “May I ask who your boss is?”
At first, he had assumed it was Tushan Rui. Since they were on the territory of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, Tushan Rui would certainly know what had happened. After the incident earlier, it made perfect sense that she would send someone to bring them into the ruins.
However, the term “boss” proved that this person was not from the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan.
“Our boss opened a pill shop here, right around the corner up ahead.”
The middle-aged man smiled.
“If I don’t go, there shouldn’t be any problem, right?” Xu Mu asked as he ate a piece of beef.
“Of course not. The boss specifically instructed me that if you didn’t want to come, I wasn’t to force you.”
The middle-aged man nodded.
“Your attitude is pretty good. Then wait a little while. We’ll come over after we finish eating.”
Xu Mu gestured toward the food on the table, adding politely, “Would you like something to eat?”
Crash!
The instant Ying Weiyang heard this, she pulled several plates of roast chicken toward herself.
“You’re quite protective of your food.”
Xu Mu smiled and lightly tapped Ying Weiyang on the head.
“You bought these for me.”
As she spoke, Ying Weiyang stuffed another piece of meat into her mouth.
“Heh, no thanks. I’ll wait outside.”
The middle-aged man smiled, declined, and turned to leave.
Xu Mu took another sip of wine, wondering who the other party could be.
As he was thinking, he suddenly noticed Ying Weiyang reaching over with her chopsticks to pick up the beef on his side.
“Holy crap!”
Only then did Xu Mu realize that, aside from the heads and tails, the five roast chickens had already been reduced to skeletons.
“What’s wrong? You put that plate of meat in the middle. Wasn’t it for all of us to share?”
Ying Weiyang looked completely innocent.
Staring into those golden eyes, Xu Mu said sternly, “Ying Weiyang, are you lying to me?”
“No! What would I lie to you about?”
Ying Weiyang shook her head vigorously.
“You said earlier that you were eating so much to replenish your body quickly. But now that you’ve recovered, how can you still eat this much?” Xu Mu demanded. “Were you deliberately deceiving me so I’d keep feeding you? Is this actually how much you normally eat?”
“No, it isn’t. My body has recovered, but I can still store the energy. Once I eat my fill, I won’t feel hungry for several months.”
Ying Weiyang lowered her head pitifully. “Don’t send me away. I won’t eat so much from now on.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to send you away.”
Xu Mu pushed the beef on his plate toward Ying Weiyang. “Go ahead and eat.”
[Favorability +20]
Ying Weiyang’s eyes reddened slightly. “Xu Mu, you’re so good to me.”
Xu Mu merely gave a simple smile. He had only been saying it to tease her. How could he possibly drive Ying Weiyang away?
They had only known each other for such a short time, yet her filial piety value toward him had already reached Level 8.
Of course, Xu Mu also knew that she was in a state of amnesia right now. If she recovered her memories in the future, she would surely change.
After Ying Weiyang finished eating, Xu Mu left the restaurant with her.
The middle-aged man had been waiting outside the entire time. When he saw Xu Mu come out, he smiled and asked, “Can we go now?”
“Lead the way.”
Xu Mu followed the middle-aged man.
The man had said the shop was around the corner, but this street was a main road. They walked for a full two kilometers before finally seeing the pill shop.
Xu Mu had already used his perception to scout ahead. When he saw the old man inside, he immediately understood.
So it was him.
They entered the shop.
Behind the counter stood a tall cabinet covered with countless square drawers, much like those in a traditional Chinese medicine shop.
Each drawer was labeled with the grade of the pills inside and their uses.
As for the bearded, crew-cut old man, he was none other than Cang Zhongyi, Master of Tantai Quan and the leader of the Jiao rebels.
Xu Mu had never expected him to be hiding in the royal city of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan. But it made sense. Qingqiu itself contained territory belonging to the Jiao Clan.
“Senior, I didn’t expect to find you here.”
Xu Mu and Ying Weiyang walked into the pill shop together.
“Heh, I didn’t expect you to come here either.”
Cang Zhongyi pointed toward a wooden staircase nearby. “Let’s go upstairs and talk.”
Xu Mu nodded and walked toward the staircase with Ying Weiyang.
The middle-aged man from before sat down behind the counter.
On the second floor, inside a room.
This was a place for resting. A wooden bed stood in the corner.
Cang Zhongyi gestured for Xu Mu and Ying Weiyang to sit at the table. Then he took a thermos of hot water from the side and poured it into a teapot.
“Senior, you went to the trouble of summoning me here. What is it about?”
Xu Mu used his perception to inspect the room and confirmed that Cang Zhongyi had made no hostile move.
“I saw your battle just now.”
Cang Zhongyi smiled. “I have a technique that allows me to see what is happening in distant places.”
He sat down at the table and poured tea for Xu Mu and Ying Weiyang.
“Heh, Senior, you really are impressive.”
Xu Mu gave him a thumbs-up. “I noticed an expert like Tushan Ju, yet I failed to notice you.”
“Perhaps I was simply farther away.”
Cang Zhongyi poured himself a cup of tea as well. “You and Tantai Quan are close, so I won’t beat around the bush. I hope you’ll join us.”
Previously, Cang Zhongyi had believed that a top-tier alchemist like Xu Mu should remain hidden in the shadows. Xu Mu did not need to do anything else; he only had to continuously provide them with pills.
But now, Cang Zhongyi had changed his mind.
Xu Mu’s strength was simply too formidable. He was only at the mid Transcendent Realm, yet he had already managed to kill a third-stage World-Breaking expert.
What would happen once he entered the World-Breaking Realm?
“Senior, what exactly would I be joining you to do?”
After learning that Cang Zhongyi had witnessed his battle, Xu Mu had already guessed most of the answer.
“Fight alongside us and overthrow the current Jiao King.”
As he spoke, Cang Zhongyi’s eyes burned with fervor. “I trust your character, and I can give you my word: if you choose to join us, I’ll prioritize you when distributing any natural treasures we obtain. I’ll help you reach the World-Breaking Realm in the shortest time possible.”
If Xu Mu reached the World-Breaking Realm, he would become a tremendous asset to the Jiao Clan.
“Senior, I’m sorry, but I need to return and discuss this with my master before making a decision.”
Xu Mu certainly could not agree on the spot. “As you know, this matter is extremely serious. It could even cost me my life.”
“Very well. I respect your decision. Everything comes down to benefits. At present, I don’t have much to offer. The only promise I can make is that you’ll receive priority when it comes to any natural treasures we acquire.”
Cang Zhongyi paused, then continued, “I can also persuade Tantai Quan to marry you.”
“Heh, that is indeed a tempting offer. Let me go back and think about it.”
Xu Mu gave an awkward smile.
…
The two of them returned to their lodging.
Ying Weiyang voiced the question that had been troubling her. “Who was he talking about marrying you? You said it was tempting. Do you like women who marry you? Would I do?”
“That depends on fate.”
As Xu Mu spoke, he suddenly noticed her beginning to take off her dress.
“What are you doing?”
“Going to sleep.”
Ying Weiyang rolled her eyes at Xu Mu.
Xu Mu felt that he needed to give her a lesson in basic biology.
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
