Chen Xiao, Bei Yu Xian, Canghai Chengkong, and Li Changqi were dressed more flashily than one another, all garish colors and loud finery. They had none of the transcendent air that cultivators were supposed to possess.
Chen Xiao wore a white robe, but that did little to offset the jingling heap of extravagant ornaments hanging from him. Even the folding fan in his hand was edged with gold.
The four strode down the street with an imposing air. All but Chen Xiao had five or six attendants trailing behind them, putting on airs like foxes borrowing the might of a tiger.
Of these four dandies, Chen Xiao had originally been the weakest cultivator, only at the Qi Refining Realm. The others might have been wastrels, but they had been raised on pills, and their cultivation had been forcibly boosted to the Golden Core Realm.
Though many powerful cultivators had come to Moon-Gazing City at this time, some with formidable backing, these wastrels knew nothing about any of that.
They had heard that the city had been unsettled lately, but what did that have to do with them? Since ancient times, a mighty dragon had never crushed a local snake. The outsiders understood that if they wanted to learn what was really happening in Moon-Gazing City, they still had to rely on the locals. For now, they couldn't afford to offend them.
Heavenly Abode was one of the Nangong Family's largest businesses, renowned across a thousand li around Moon-Gazing City. Once cultivators reached the Golden Core Realm, they could enter the Grain Avoidance Realm, sustaining themselves by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth instead of eating.
But for any living being, eating was a pleasure, a habit. Besides, in the Immortal World, many grand restaurants prepared their dishes with precious medicinal herbs and even the flesh of powerful demon beasts. These foods contained abundant spiritual energy and greatly benefited cultivators' progress.
So in the Immortal World, even those who had attained immortality didn't abstain from food and drink. After all, cultivating the Dao was a pursuit of the Heavenly Way, but it was also meant to make life more comfortable. No one wanted to make things difficult for themselves.
Immortals, in fact, knew how to enjoy life.
Heavenly Abode was famous for a thousand li around, and customers came and went every day. Naturally, it held an important place among the Nangong Family's businesses. More importantly, it was an excellent source of information. Countless cultivators from all over the Immortal World passed through its doors, and useful news could naturally be gleaned from their conversations.
That day, Moon-Gazing City's four great pests—er, Four Great Talents—arrived at Heavenly Abode together. The manager nearly collapsed on the spot. Chen Xiao had spent more than enough time eating, drinking, and causing trouble there lately. He had complained to the family about it more than once, but Nangong Shenhe had only smiled and paid it no mind.
Heavenly Abode was only a restaurant. Though it brought in enormous profits, it was nothing when set against the entire Nangong Family. Nangong Shenhe's branch had left the family and quietly established itself in Moon-Gazing City not to make Heavenly Mystery Stones, but for Mingyu Mountain outside the city.
What was more, the family was already preparing to move against the Chen Clan. Once the plan was carried out, the Chen Clan would become the Nangong Family's puppet. There was no need to make a fuss over one Chen Xiao.
Whatever Chen Xiao ate now, they could make him spit it all back out later.
But Heavenly Abode's manager knew nothing about any of that. Whenever Chen Xiao came by, the man wore a long face. The boy was a glutton who could eat a mountain's worth in one sitting.
He always ordered the most expensive dishes and the tastiest food. Then, after eating, he would simply say, "Send the bill to the City Lord's Mansion," and walk away without a backward glance.
Go to the City Lord's Mansion to collect? The manager had enough sense to know that the young master would send him packing without a second thought.
Now, when the manager saw Chen Xiao arrive with a whole group, he nearly closed up shop on the spot.
It was midday, and Heavenly Abode was packed with customers.
"Young Master Three, should we clear the place out?"
Seeing the busy restaurant and the first floor filled with diners, Li Changqi raised his brows.
Everyone knew that Chen Xiao and the Nangong Family were at odds. The other three didn't mind causing the family a little trouble.
"Clear the place out? What for?" Chen Xiao curled his lip. Normally, if his young master temper took hold, he might well have driven all the customers out and made sure they never dared set foot in Heavenly Abode again.
But Heavenly Abode was crawling with all sorts of people. Some of them were beyond even Chen Xiao's reach. Kicking them out would slight the Nangong Family, but the resulting grudge would land on their own heads.
"Watch this."
Chen Xiao folded his gold-trimmed fan and strode into Heavenly Abode. The moment the waiter saw him, he hurriedly put away his bitter expression and pasted on a fawning smile.
"Young Master Three, you're here..."
The waiter, who was at the Nascent Soul Realm, bowed and scraped to Chen Xiao. But before he could say another word, Chen Xiao pushed him aside.
Chen Xiao clasped his hands and called out, "Senior cultivators and respected elders, please accept my greetings!"
The moment he finished speaking, the first-floor hall fell silent. Everyone stared at him, baffled. Even some of the cultivators on the second and third floors had noticed him and sent out their divine senses to examine him.
Most of the people at Heavenly Abode were outsiders. On their first day in the city, they had heard all about Moon-Gazing City's infamous dandies. Now that they were seeing one in person, he certainly lived up to his reputation.
"Today, my brothers have emerged from seclusion. I took it upon myself to reserve all of Heavenly Abode and host a feast to welcome them!"
"Oh? Third Young Master Chen, are you planning to kick us all out?" A young man in one corner of the first-floor hall, just as arrogant and overbearing as the others, couldn't help speaking in a mocking tone.
"What an odd thing to say, brother!" Chen Xiao replied with a solemn expression. He knew the young man had powerful backing, but his own expression remained unchanged. "As the saying goes, joy shared is joy doubled. I may be foolish, but I know better than to be unreasonable. I'm hosting the feast today to welcome my brothers, but I have no intention of spoiling anyone's enjoyment. Whatever the respected seniors and elders spend here today, I'll cover it all!"
Having said his piece, Chen Xiao paid no further attention to the crowd and headed for the stairs with Bei Yu Xian and the others.
At the counter, the manager's eyes rolled back, and he fainted dead away.
The mood throughout Heavenly Abode paused for a moment, then grew lively. The restaurant was an expensive place. Though most of the customers came from powerful backgrounds, they still couldn't afford to indulge themselves here without restraint.
Now that someone had offered to pay, why would they hold back? Some were already loudly declaring that the rumors had been wrong. The City Lord's Mansion's Third Young Master wasn't a wastrel at all—he was a generous, righteous young man. His cultivation might be a little weak, but that was beside the point.
Besides, Chen Xiao had chosen his words cleverly. He wasn't here to hand out charity; he was simply hosting a banquet to celebrate his brothers emerging from seclusion, and the other guests had happened to be there. How could they refuse when a man was celebrating his friends' success in cultivation?
"In that case, we'll gladly accept your generous offer!" the arrogant young man from earlier said with a hearty laugh.
Meanwhile, the members of the Nangong Family present could only suffer in silence. This wasn't Chen Xiao paying for everyone; he was offering someone else's flowers as a gift. He'd said all the right things, but in the end, wasn't it the Nangong Family's Heavenly Mystery Stones that would pay for the feast?
When had anyone ever seen Chen Xiao pay for a meal?
Cultivators did as they pleased. Since Chen Xiao had offered to treat them, they certainly wouldn't hold back. This one meal might well eat Heavenly Abode right out of business.