Chapter 53; The Calm before the Storm!

In the dense forest near Qingyuan town, a thick, dark mist gathered, shrouding the area in a frightening way. The sunlight struggled to penetrate through the dense fog, casting an ominous shadow over the surroundings. A group of formidable demons stood guard at the entrance of a hidden cave, their sinister presence palpable.

Deep within the heart of the cave, the demon elder sat in deep meditation. His eyes, closed for what seemed like an eternity, suddenly snapped open, revealing a fiery glow that mirrored the intensity of his malevolence. A wicked smile curled upon his lips as he had found what he had been seeking.

"That's it," he whispered, his voice dripping with a sinister tone. "I want that power."

One of the demons felt the awakening of his master and quickly made his way into the cave. Bowing respectfully, he spoke, "Congratulations, master, on finding your vessel."

Only an empty shell was meditating in the cave before. The demon's elder soul was detached from his physical form. His soul had drifted through the streets, unseen by mortal eyes, as he searched for the perfect host to possess.

He had been in this town and other towns, unfortunately, he wasn't able to find a suitable person and time was running out. At the same time, his power was limited and his soul couldn't get too fat away from his body.

He began to run out of patience when he thought he wouldn't find anyone compatible body to possessed. Luckily, he stom across the crowd gathering at the gate of Spiritual Tavern.

Curiosity took over and he waited along with them, only to witness a remarkable awakening. Once he possesses that child, all power will be his.

The demon elder gaze fell upon his loyal servant, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of anticipation and hunger. "This body will soon deteriorate," he replied, his voice laced with impatience. "The sooner I capture another vessel, the better. We shall pay a visit to the Spiritual Tavern tomorrow."

"Yes, master," the demon guard acknowledged, he was happy that his master finally found his vessel.

He bowed again before retreating.

....

Back at the Spiritual Tavern;

Li Jain cleaned Li Yujian up and took him to bed. Decided to wait until Yujian wakes up before checking him. Meanwhile, it was about time to open the restaurant.

Because Li Jain was busy with his son's condition, he didn't pay attention to what was happening outside. So when he realized people were fighting at the gate, he was speechless and couldn't react for a while.

Why are they fighting? Isn't the restaurant just opening later than usual?

After a few seconds of contemplation, realization hit him. The people outside might have thought he obtained a treasure, considering how much commotion they cause.

"Bai Lian, tell Zhou Lifen to open the gate. The restaurant is now open." Li Jain instructed

"Yes, master." Bai Lian answered and headed outside at a normal pace as if nothing was going on. He was surprised when he saw the chaotic battle outside. It was a little hard to believe that people could actually fight so recklessly for no reason.

"Zhou Lifen, master said you should open the gate. The restaurant is now open." Bai Lian shouted.

"Ok!" Zhou Lifen replied and withdrew his sword before stepping aside and opening the gate to let the customers in.

The customers that were fighting to death just to enter were speechless when the gate suddenly opened for them. Some of them couldn't wait to go to the backyard but they were stopped and redirected to the restaurant.

"Boss Li, you can't keep the treasure all to yourself. At least let us know what it is." As soon as Li Jain walked into the restaurant, an anxious old man couldn't wait to ask.

"Yes, that amount of Spiritual energy is something I've never seen in this small town before." Said another person.

"Was it a spiritual weapon? If it was, then it should be at a Devine level ." A woman exclaimed and even looked around with hope in her eyes.

Everyone was excitedly talking and waiting to see what kind of treasures fall into the hands of Li Jain. Li Jain felt his stomach knotting up. He didn't like being on the receiving end of everyone' expectations. "You will be disappointed if I tell you." Li Jain said. "It's best not to get your hopes up."

When everyone hears this, they become even more excited. Thinking that their guests were right and Li Jain might have found a Divine weapon. "There's no need to be polite, Boss Li. Just tell us what it is."

Li Jain sighed heavily and thought that he could do nothing to dissuade these people from thinking that he had found a heavenly treasure. So he quickly made up a reasonable excuse and said, "I did find something remarkable but it's not like what everyone said..." He hesitated for a moment.

"I was fortunate enough to come across the blood lotus fruit a few days ago. I know it'll be impossible for me to keep, therefore, I decided to make it into a drink this morning; but the process was a bit troublesome and I ended up causing such commotion."

Everyone was disappointed when they heard that the item they were so eager to see was not the treasure they hoped to find. But the blood lotus fruit is also a legendary item. It has nothing to do with regular lotus, just that it has a similar shape to a lotus and accompanied by its red color, it was named blood lotus fruit. Rumor has it that this fruit is able to increase lifespan.

The fruit juice contained some sort of unique medicinal properties, such as increasing longevity or prolonging life. No one knows exactly how useful it truly is. After all, only cultivators from higher continent has ever encountered the blood lotus fruit. Since this fruit was very rare and expensive, people are willing to pay any price for it. If word spread out, the owner might not be able to keep it.

"Boss Li, are you sure it's the blood lotus fruit?" Another customer asked. "This kind of rarity isn't common anywhere else. If it really is... name your price. I'll pay anything for it.

"Old man Bai, you can't do this. If Boss Li has the blood lotus fruit, I also need a share. My grandfather is reaching his limit and this is something we have been searching for for years, maybe decades. How can I give up now?!" An elder in a blue robe complained.

"If it turns out to be the blood lotus fruit, then that's great. But my family needs it more than you guys. After all, there are three elders in my family that are almost at their end." Another man stood out and shouted.

The customers started to argue among themselves. Even though this is the first time they are encountering a blood lotus fruit, most of them already knew that the fruit is extremely precious and rare. Their elders also mentioned it once or twice. Therefore; they all want to try their luck and obtain it.

Li Jain watches helplessly as everyone fights for what he doesn't have and clears his throat. "This is why I plan to make a blood lotus fruit wine. This way, everyone would have a share." He added.

The people thought it was fair and agreed to wait. They also asked how long it would take for the wine to ferment and Li Jain told them to wait about a month. Now everyone has calmed down and is discussing their future plans with each other while eating lunch.

Li Jain went back to his room feeling a little guilty. He had encountered the blood lotus fruit twice, but that was in his previous life. He doesn't even know whether it exists in this world.

Once he climbed the stairs, he was Li Juanxin standing at the door with his fox in his arms. He heard the discussion in the restaurant and was looking at him with a burning gaze filled with admiration. "Daddy, the blood lotus fruit sounds amazing. Do you really have it?"

Li Jain felt troubled and his guilty conscience increased tenfold when he saw his son's expression. "Not...yet?" His response was hesitant and even sounded like a question rather than a response.

Li Juanxin head drop; "So you lied to them." He mumbled bitterly.

"Well, not technically a lie. I don't have it now doesn't mean I won't have it later. Didn't you hear I told them to come next month?" Li Jain tried to justify himself.

"So you know where it grows?" Li Juanxin's eyes brighten again.

Li Jain rubs his son's hair lovingly, "Yes, it's just that the fruit is not ripe yet. Daddy doesn't tell lies." He said reassuringly.

"I know. Don't forget to take me with you when the blood lotus fruit is ripe." Li Juanxin replied cheerily and ran off with his fox in one hand.

Now that everything was settled, Li Jain started to think of a way of getting hold of the blood lotus fruit. When raising children, one really has to serve as a good example... sigh...