Cloud Come Inn.
The food and wine arrived quickly.
I had to admit, once you paid enough, the service really was different.
Steamed mei fish, braised bear paw, and a jug of twenty-year-old Daughter's Red.
The aroma was irresistible.
Ye Xuan lifted the wine jug and poured himself a cup.
The amber wine rippled in the cup, reflecting his slightly weathered face after the disguise.
He picked up a piece of fish and put it into his mouth.
It was fresh, tender, smooth, and melted on his tongue.
"Good stuff."
Ye Xuan praised it, but his gaze passed through the crack in the window and settled on the bustling street below.
Zhang Xiaofan and Zeng Shushu had already blended into the crowd.
The two youths were entirely different: one excitedly pointing here and there, while the other wore a deeply troubled expression and clutched that shriveled money pouch tightly in his hand.
Ye Xuan shook his head.
In this world, even cultivators had to eat and spend money.
A single penny could bring a hero to his knees. The ancients truly had not deceived him.
Zeng Shushu was a rich second-generation heir with a literal mine at home, so naturally he did not understand the hardships of ordinary people.
As for poor little Zhang Xiaofan, this one meal would probably empty half of his entire fortune.
"Junior Brother, Senior Brother is tempering your state of mind."
Ye Xuan took a leisurely sip of wine. The spicy liquid rolled down his throat, warming his entire body.
"Only those who endure the bitterest hardship can rise above others."
His appetite and thirst satisfied.
Ye Xuan sat cross-legged on the bed, but did not immediately rest.
He closed his eyes, and the cultivation method of the Tai Chi Xuan Qing Dao slowly circulated