Drinking and Eating Without Speaking

"Of course I know that—I saw it with my own back then!"

As soon as these words left his mouth, Chang Er's eyes lit up. He knew this sweeper had to know something, but he hadn't expected him to have personally witnessed the events of that year. Even Jin Guang beside him pricked up his ears, suddenly interested.

No one dared bring up the Senior Disciple Brother's matter, and of course they didn't know what crime he'd actually committed. That's just how people were—the more you kept quiet, the more curious they grew.

"Daoist friend, hurry and tell us what you saw back then. We're both dying to know!"

"Mm, mm..."

Jin Guang was both curious and afraid of provoking their Master, but with Chang Er taking the lead, he simply nodded along without saying much. If the Master blamed anyone, Chang Er would bear the brunt—what was there to fear?

"Er... this... this..."

Xian Junyu put on a troubled, conflicted expression, hemming and hawing without spitting out a word. This drove Chang Er and the other mad with impatience.

"Daoist friend, just say it already! Don't tell me you're toying with us!" Chang Er demanded with a stern face. This stinking sweeper dared to keep them hanging—if he weren't the only source of information, he'd have taught the bastard a lesson already.

"Daoist friend, you misunderstand. It's not that I'm toying with you, but you know as well as I do that no one in the Jie Sect dares to mention the Senior Disciple Brother's matter..."

"And besides, look where we are, this..."

As he spoke, Xian Junyu glanced meaningfully at the palace within the Daoist Sanctuary, the implication clear. They were still inside the Master's Daoist Sanctuary—how could he dare speak of things no one else would mention here?

Chang Er followed his gaze to the Master's sanctuary and instantly caught on.

"I see. It seems I misjudged you, Daoist friend!"

"But that's no problem. Let's change the venue—we'll go to my Cave Dwelling and talk in detail. Let's go!"

With that, Chang Er led the sweeper and his Junior Brother Jin Guang, flying off toward his own Daoist Sanctuary. Thinking that distance would keep Master Tongtian from knowing, he couldn't have been more naive. If a Saint wanted to know, distance meant nothing.

Yet Chang Er, this mere Heavenly Immortal cultivator, clearly didn't grasp that truth.

Once they arrived at the Cave Dwelling and the three sat down, Chang Er looked at the sweeper before him with eager anticipation.

"Now can we discuss the Senior Disciple Brother's matter in detail?"

Seeing how impatient Chang Er was, Xian Junyu didn't launch straight into the story. Instead, he gave a light cough.

"Ahem... I've been talking so long my throat's dry. Daoist friend, don't you think..."

As he spoke, Xian Junyu glanced at the empty stone table before them. It was as if he were saying: I've been talking this whole time, followed you to your turf, and you can't even brew a cup of tea? Is that really proper?

Chang Er's mouth twitched at the words.

Tch! A stinking sweeper like you deserves tea? Who do you think you are?

But to get the information, he swallowed his pride. Besides, Junior Brother Jin Guang was here too—he could count it as hosting his junior brother, and the sweeper could have a cup as a handout. So Chang Er produced a tea set, fetched some spiritual spring water, and added the finest immortal tea he'd gathered from his travels across the Primordial, pouring a cup for each of them.

This tea he couldn't bear to drink himself—he usually saved it for honored guests. Today, that stinking sweeper was getting a bargain.

"Junior Brother, Daoist friend, please try it. This is an immortal tea I stumbled upon during my travels across the Primordial. Not only does it taste exquisite, but it also has the effect of enhancing cultivation—a rare treasure indeed!"

As he spoke, Chang Er's face showed clear pain.

Compared to Chang Er's anguish, Xian Junyu and Jin Guang's eyes lit up at the words.

It can enhance cultivation!

They both picked up their cups and drank. The first sip was a bit bitter, but the aftertaste was incomparably sweet—the flavor alone was indeed extraordinary. Xian Junyu carefully sensed it and confirmed it did have the effect of boosting cultivation. However, with his current Primordial Unity Golden Immortal cultivation, the increase was like a single drop of water falling into the ocean—not even a ripple stirred, utterly useless.

Still, even that single drop did enhance his cultivation slightly. Chang Er hadn't lied about that.

"It really did raise my cultivation a bit, though not very noticeably. No wonder it's called immortal tea. Senior Brother, this tea of yours is quite good!"

"Mm, indeed it's good. Calling it immortal tea is no exaggeration!"

Xian Junyu echoed Jin Guang's words, only saying it was decent without overpraising. To him, this tea was merely a pastime—nothing truly remarkable.

"Of course! If the tea weren't good, I wouldn't have brought it back!" As he spoke, Chang Er took a pained sip of his own tea, drinking with great care, unwilling to waste a single drop. Clearly, this tea was extremely precious to him.

Watching Chang Er's pathetic display, Xian Junyu was utterly speechless. A tea that boosted cultivation—was it really worth treasuring like this? Such tea, while not common, wasn't so rare as to warrant this level of fuss.

As far as he knew, there were plenty on Mount Kunlun—First Senior Uncle, Second Martial Uncle, and his Master each had their own patch of this kind of tea.

He really didn't see what was so precious about it.

"Ah, fellow Daoist, it's already this hour—drinking tea on empty stomachs, isn't that a bit..."

After downing the immortal tea, Xian Junyu set his sights on food again.

"That's right, Junior Disciple Brother, why not talk while we eat?"

Jin Guang chimed in too; he was just as curious whether Chang Er, having immortal tea, might also have immortal food.

This kind of cultivation-boosting item still had some effect on a minor Heavenly Immortal like him—not much, but better than nothing.

Chang Er initially wanted to refuse, but since his Junior Brother Jin Guang had also spoken up, as the senior disciple, he was very concerned about saving face.

So he couldn't very well turn them down.

He then walked into his Cave Dwelling and brought out a plate of Spiritual Fruits.

Compared to the immortal tea earlier, Chang Er clearly didn't care much for these Spiritual Fruits, which suggested they weren't as valuable as the tea.

"These are Shamu Fruits—they also have the effect of boosting cultivation. Though they can't compare to the immortal tea just now, they're still a rare Spiritual Fruit!"

"The Shamu Fruit's effects are inferior to the immortal tea, but its flavor is exceptionally delicious—more than enough to satisfy one's cravings!"

With those words, Chang Er pushed the large plate of Spiritual Fruits toward the two of them.

Xian Junyu and Jin Guang each picked up a Shamu Fruit and ate it, but neither showed much surprise.

The Shamu Fruit was indeed as Chang Er had said—its cultivation-boosting effect wasn't even half that of the immortal tea, probably only about twenty percent.

Twenty percent of the immortal tea's effect was practically nothing.

But just as Chang Er had claimed, although the Shamu Fruit's effects were mediocre, its taste was truly exquisite—far better than what Xian Junyu had eaten on Mount Kunlun.

"These Shamu Fruits—though their effects are ordinary, the flavor is extremely delicious. They're a fine choice for satisfying one's appetite!"

Despite a hint of disappointment, Jin Guang still gave his approval.

His senior disciple brother was very concerned about face; if he didn't flatter him a bit, who knew what trouble he'd stir up next.