Southwestern Territory

The moment he finished speaking, a silver ingot appeared in his hand.

Shen Leyan weighed it in his palm. About ten taels. He set it back on the table. "I promised Sect Master Lu a free meal, so I won't take any money this time. But you'll have to come support my business more often—and it would be even better if you could get the sect's elders to visit the restaurant too."

Those elders all had impressive cultivation and had lived for ages. They were bound to have plenty of private savings stashed away. Why pass up a chance to fleece them?

With that, he turned and called toward the restaurant's kitchen.

"Come on! Bring the finest food and wine to private room number one—"

The Hot Pot broth and assorted dishes soon arrived. Once everything was on the table, Shen Leyan quietly edged toward the door, preparing to slip away.

He had barely taken two steps when Lu Yuanyi called him back.

"The restaurant has been busy. You probably haven't had lunch yet. Come sit down."

Shen Leyan gave a dry laugh. "I think I'll pass..."

"How is your Azure Shadow Profound Art coming along?"

Shen Leyan's thoughts twisted themselves into knots, but his body reacted before his mind could catch up, settling into the chair beside Lu Yuanyi.

"If mastering the Azure Shadow Profound Art is a hundred points, then I'm probably at... one point right now."

He had no foundation, so he had to cultivate Spiritual Power from scratch.

The corners of Lu Yuanyi's eyes tilted up slightly, a faint hint of teasing in his cool voice. "How modest of you."

"...That's called knowing my limits."

He had read far too many cultivation novels. Compared to spells that summoned nine layers of heavenly lightning or moved mountains and overturned seas at the drop of a hat, he wasn't even a tiny bug.

During the Immortal-Demon War, countless cultivators with immense Spiritual Power had died without a sound amid battles involving tens of thousands of people and demons.

Naturally, he wasn't about to grow smug and dream of being invincible just because he had acquired a decent cultivation art and practiced cultivating Spiritual Power for a few days.

Lu Yuanyi seemed to have asked only in passing and soon changed the subject.

"I remember you saying that you were an orphan, and that the Cloud Radiance Sect took you in when you were twelve... Do you still remember the eight characters of your birth date and time?"

Shen Leyan grew a little wary. In ancient times, those birth details weren't something you could casually give away, especially in the cultivation world.

The body he had transmigrated into should have been born in the same month, on the same day, and at the same hour as him.

Why is Lu Yuanyi suddenly asking about my birth details out of nowhere? Could I have some special constitution, like an extreme yin or extreme yang physique, that makes me suitable as a cultivation vessel for someone's dual cultivation?! ◝₍ᴑ̑ДO͝₎◞

"...Reading too many storybooks isn't good for you," Lu Yuanyi remarked mildly, seemingly out of nowhere. Then he continued in a low voice, "Elder Xuanji of the Nine Stars Pavilion said you might have an affinity for Divination through the Heavenly Dao. That's why I asked for your birth details."

The Nine Stars Pavilion? Wasn't that the place where he had seen strange phenomena from the sky when Senior Brother Zheng brought him back to his quarters by Sword Flight?

Shen Leyan let out a long breath of relief and gave him his birth details.

Then he watched curiously as Lu Yuanyi used Spiritual Power to arrange a complex fate chart on the table. Its twinkling points of starlight were connected by extremely fine threads, looking even denser and more intricate than a spiderweb.

So this is what people in ancient times called... fortune-telling? I wonder if wealth is in my destiny, and whether I can make money in peace and live out my days safely.

As for romance, I really haven't thought about what kind of person I want to be with. Maybe I should ask Sect Master Lu when I'll get married, whether my future spouse will be lively or quiet, and whether we'll have children—

Before he could decide how to ask, the fate chart on the table suddenly began to shake violently. The light upon it flickered a few times, as though struggling, then abruptly shattered into dust, leaving only scattered, glittering flecks of snow floating in the air.

Lu Yuanyi's brow furrowed slightly.

Shen Leyan's sharp eyes caught a fresh cut on the fingertip Lu Yuanyi had just used to arrange the fate chart. A bead of blood gathered there, strikingly conspicuous against his slender, jade-like hand.

"Uh..."

What am I supposed to say now? Reassure Lu Yuanyi that failing at fortune-telling isn't a big deal? After all, he's a sword cultivator, not someone who specializes in Divination. It's perfectly normal to fail, right?

That doesn't sound very polite. Maybe I should pretend I didn't see it?

Stiffly, and with truly terrible acting, Shen Leyan turned his face away and fished around in the bubbling Hot Pot with his chopsticks. He picked out a piece of demonic beast meat, hurriedly dropped it into his bowl, and began eating.

"Mmm... Delicious. Don't just sit there, Sect Master Lu. Eat!"

A little Spiritual Power circulated around the cut on Lu Yuanyi's fingertip, and it soon healed completely.

Lu Yuanyi gazed at him, his eyes deep and unreadable. Only after a moment did he lower his gaze and pick up his chopsticks.

Shen Leyan racked his brains for a way to ease the tension. "Sect Master Lu, why didn't Senior Brother Zheng come today?"

At first, he had assumed Zheng Ziheng was still at the Cicada Song Pavilion taking part in the discussions and had no time to come over, but now...

Lu Yuanyi said, "Most of the matters have been settled, but a few details still need arranging. Zi Heng stayed behind to handle them."

Translated into plain language, doesn't that mean you ran off to enjoy good food while leaving Senior Brother Zheng at the Cicada Song Pavilion to do your work for you?! How can you say that without even blushing...?

Grumbling inwardly, Shen Leyan murmured an "Oh" and planned to set aside some ingredients later so he could treat Senior Brother Zheng to a meal.

"You needn't think about saving food for Zi Heng. He'll be leaving the Cicada Song Pavilion this afternoon to take care of something in the Southwestern Territory."

This world was divided into nine territories. The Southwestern Territory had a hot, humid climate with frequent rain and vast forests and swamps. Supposedly, many cultivators there specialized in witchcraft, gu techniques, and deadly poisons.

For the moment, he had no time to wonder how Lu Yuanyi had guessed what he was thinking and pressed him for more details.

"Shouldn't the sects over there send people to deal with the demons in the Southwestern Territory? Why does the Cloud Radiance Sect have to..."

"He isn't going to slay demons. Certain precious herbs can only be found in the forests of the Southwestern Territory."

So he was going to gather herbs.

Shen Leyan nodded, his mind beginning to race.

The Southwestern Territory's climate should have been much like Yunnan's back in China, with plenty of fungi growing there. Travel in ancient times was far less convenient than in the modern world. Even by Sword Flight, a cultivator would take quite a while to reach the Southwestern Territory.

The Cloud Radiance Sect was in the north, and many people there probably had never tried the Southwestern Territory's specialties. If he went there to buy some dried wild mushrooms and hunt a few demonic beasts unique to the region to bring back as ingredients, he was sure to attract plenty of disciples eager for a taste.

He could charge more for them too. Among today's customers alone, there had been several wealthy big spenders who had shelled out over a hundred taels for a single meal. He would charge them extra!

"Sect Master Lu, what time is Senior Brother Zheng leaving this afternoon? Could I go along too...?"

He hadn't had a chance to explore yet. This was the perfect opportunity to experience the local customs of other places. With any luck, he might find somewhere he liked enough to move to and spend his old age in the future.