Otherworldly Offer

An hour before Tao Shun's escape, he immersed himself in cultivation within a silent, dim room, where the only audible sound was the rhythm of his breath.

In the few days he had spent there, he hadn't heard anything from the outside, but suddenly, a loud bang resonated, causing him to stand up in shock.

He heard screams from the inner court disciples who guarded the cells. As footsteps approached his cell, he got into a fighting position, assuming he was the next target.

Knowing he couldn't confront an enemy capable of killing inner court disciples, Tao Shun braced himself for a fight, unwilling to die without a fight.

As Tao Shun heard the chaos outside his cell, the thought crossed his mind: 'Is the sect under attack?'

Tao Shun heard keys rattling, and as the door to his cell slowly creaked open, he swiftly launched a surprise attack at the intruder, only to find his fist caught within the person's palm.

Upon recognizing the intruder, Elder Bai, his face turned dark, and he asked in complete confusion, "Elder Bai! What's going on?!"

Elder Bai remained silent and handed him a pill, "This is a Power Burst Pill. It will raise your cultivation base by 3 whole levels for one minute. Go to the Flame Sword Sect and kill Tang Yun."

Tao Shun, still confused about the situation, questioned, "Tang Yun? What does he have to do with this? And I don't need a power burst pill to deal with a trash at the 1st Stage of the Fundamental Qi Realm."

Elder Bai retorted, "You're the trash. He's at the peak of the Fundamental Qi Realm, similar to you. But he may have broken through to the Mortal Qi Realm."

Tao Shun protested, "Impossible! He was at the 1st Stage just a few days ago! No one can possibly raise their cultivation that fast!"

Tao Shun refused to accept that Tang Yun, whom he deemed as trash, could surpass him in talent and cultivation base.

"He didn't raise his cultivation in that short of a time. Ever since he joined the sect, he was already at the peak of the Fundamental Qi Realm. He just used a technique to hide it from everyone," Elder Bai explained.

Tao Shun, despite everything Elder Bai had told him, still didn't believe it.

"We don't have much time; reinforcements are coming here. I'll cover for you while you search and kill Tang Yun. If you manage to, I'll protect you and personally take you under my wing," Elder Bai offered, presenting a tempting proposition for an outer court disciple like himself.

Tao Shun didn't doubt that Elder Bai would be able to cover for him, even after everything that happened here. Elder Bai was the third strongest within the sect, his influence just under that of the patriarch and matriarch.

Tao Shun bowed, "This disciple will kill that trash Tang Yun," he declared with eyes gleaming with determination.

Elder Bai grinned and used a martial technique, obliterating the wall behind Tao Shun. "Head towards the Flame Sword Sect," he commanded.

Tao Shun nodded and vanished into the shadows. A few minutes later, guards arrived and found Elder Bai on his knees, cradling the head of one of the deceased inner court disciples on his lap.

They bowed in respect, "We greet the Head Elder!"

Elder Bai gestured with his hand, signaling them to raise their heads. "Before he died, this inner court disciple informed me that Tao Shun used demonic arts to boost his cultivation to incredible levels. They managed to inflict some damage, but he overpowered them and escaped," Elder Bai explained, putting on a convincing act.

Elder Bai had promised to protect Tao Shun but did the opposite by throwing him under the bus.

"We will inform the patriarch right away!" One of the guards stated before they all disappeared.

Elder Bai adopted a stern expression after the guards departed. He rose to his feet and positioned himself before the breached wall, gazing into the moonlit sky. In a composed tone, he murmured, "Tang Yun, your misjudgment in crossing paths with me will cost you dearly – with your life."

In the present time, Tang Yun sat among five individuals, all too frightened to speak or partake in their meals.

"Please, share your names. I'm Tang Yun, but you may call me Yun," he said, attempting to lighten the mood, though the atmosphere only grew heavier.

"My name is Gong Song, the owner of this restaurant."

"I'm Quan De, a regular customer here."

"I'm Gong Yimu, Song's daughter."

"I'm Ying Min, a guest of Quan De."

"I'm Ying Jie, Min's sister and also a guest of Quan De."

"You two are twins? How incredible that must be," Tang Yun remarked, looking at Ying Min and Ying Jie.

"It has its moments," Ying Min replied with a faint smile, while Ying Jie nodded in agreement.

Tang Yun turned to Quan De and expressed his apology, "I seem to have intruded upon your table. As a gesture of goodwill, please allow me to cover the expenses for everyone's meal."

"It's truly an honor to serve you at our table, young master! There's no need to worry about the expenses," Quan De quickly declined, his face filled with sweat.

"Please, call me Yun. Despite being a cultivator, I appreciate the way mortals live. Cultivators often act like big babies, whining about trivial matters," Tang Yun said, surprising the others at the table.

It was beyond their imagination that a cultivator would genuinely appreciate the mortal way of life.

After he said that, they started to realize that Tang Yun stood apart from other cultivators. He never belittled or abused his power, consistently treating them with respect and talking as if he were one of them.

"Also, Mr. Gong, the food is truly exceptional!" Tang Yun exclaimed, genuinely surprised by the delightful flavors.

The food here surpass even those of the Primordial Realm, excluding Qi dishes.

"The taste presented in every dish owes its credit to my daughter, Yimu. She perfectly crafted all the recipes," Mr. Gong expressed with a smile directed towards his daughter.

"You possess remarkable cooking skills, Yimu. Your future spouse would undoubtedly take pride in having you as a wife," Tang Yun commended as he savored every last morsel on his plate.

"Thank you, Yun," Yimu expressed with a hint of embarrassment, her face reddening from both her father and Yun's compliments.

"Mr. Gong, if I may ask, with your daughter's cooking skills, why not open a restaurant within a city? This place is in the middle of nowhere; you'll hardly get any customers," Tang Yun expressed his curiosity.

"I once had a restaurant within Flame City operated by the Flame Sword Sect, but I got replaced by another place called Lotus Summit Pagoda. Since we were mortals and the owner of that place was a cultivator, we were pressured out," Mr. Gong explained with a bitter smile.

"What a fortuitous moment—I happen to be en route to the Flame Sword Sect. I'll be sure to speak highly of your restaurant," Tang Yun stated, evoking a smile from Mr. Gong.

"That would be greatly appreciated, Yun. Thank you." Mr. Gong expressed his gratitude.

Even though Mr. Gong was a mortal, he wasn't ignorant of the cultivator society. He understood that the Flame Sword Sect held significant influence in the western region, while the Jade Pill Sect, to which Tang Yun belonged, was just a mid-tier sect. He knew that they would not heed the words of an outer disciple from a sect beneath them.

Nevertheless, he still expressed gratitude as it marked the first instance of someone willing to extend help to them.

"How about this, to ensure such an event never happens again, I'll help you all become cultivators if you're interested," Tang Yun said, his expression serious.