Wen Ping could only find a chatting topic and eat slowly.
After that, the atmosphere became so harmonious that they could chat for the whole afternoon. However, once the matter about a martial instructor was mentioned, Shi Hua looked at him.
"He’s the martial instructor I found. How is it? Are you interested in introducing any juniors to come over to my place for cultivation?"
"Him?" The girl named "Little Ye’ pointed at Wen Ping. "He seems to be the same age as us, so he isn’t suitable to be a martial instructor, right?"
A martial instructor required experience and broad knowledge, only then would they be able to guide youths in their cultivations.
However, Wen Ping didn’t look like one.
Shi Hua laughed and explained, "You guys shouldn’t look down on him. He’s a cultivator at the seventh level of the Body Refinement Realm."
"I’ll make a trip to the toilet," said Wen Ping hurriedly.
There was no solution to it. He could only flee once this matter was brought up. Since tactfully declining didn’t work, he could only use his action to show her. This should be clear enough, right?
However, the moment he stepped out and walked to the staircase, he heard someone calling out his name. This voice sounded relatively familiar.
Wen Ping looked around. After that, his gaze turned upward and he saw Yang Lele standing in the corridor of the third level, waving at him.
"Sect leader, over here."
A person stood beside Yang Lele. He was a middle-aged man that was clad in a gorgeous robe. Although his eyes were scorching and extremely sharp when he looked at people, when he looked at Yang Lele, there was a hint of doting in his eyes.
There was no need to think about it, neither was there a need for his mind to dredge up the memories. This middle-aged man was surely Yang Zongxian, the current clan leader of the Yang Clan.
He could be considered a hegemon in the silk and cloth business, someone that almost monopolized the entire industry.
However, Wen Ping merely nodded at the two of them and didn’t head over to greet them. He didn’t even have the intention to head up the third level.
Wen Ping walked forward and patted the shoulders of Yun Liao who was beside the door. "Don’t be sad, isn’t it just a meal?"
Yun Liao sighed. "Every single dish costs 50 gold, but the demand still exceeds the supply."
"No matter how delicious the dish is, it is just food. After entering your mouth, it will pass through your stomach the same way. The main point is that the boss of this Hundred Phoenix Inn knows how to do business and is very good at marketing. Because he sets the rule of three dishes and one soup, everyone wants to buy them despite each dish costing 50 gold. Even ordinary people are willing to take money out from their pockets to try a dish."
"However, the boss is still a little inferior compared to you."
Yun Liao suddenly said a sentence that caused Wen Ping to start.
After pondering, Wen Ping couldn’t help but laugh. Yun Liao was still very unhappy about the time limitation he imposed.
Just when Wen Ping was thinking about where to go next, Yang Lele came down and bowed to the two of them.
"Sect Leader Wen, Elder Yun. My father said he wished to meet the two of you and treat you guys to a meal to express his gratitude."
"What will he be treating? Three dishes and one soup? That won’t be enough. If that’s the case, we might as well not eat," Yun Liao mocked.
Yang Lele hurriedly said, "As long as Elder Yun likes it, please feel free to order anything. The Hundred Phoenix Inn is owned by my family."
So this was an inn that belonged to their sect’s disciple!
Hearing this, Yun Liao was relatively happy and hurriedly nodded to agree.
Since someone was treating, there was naturally no reason for Wen Ping not to go.
Hence, the two of them followed Yang Lele and arrived at a private room on the third level.
After pushing the door open, Wen Ping suddenly understood what was known as the owner’s freedom. The Hundred Phoenix Inn consisted of four sides, and there were five private rooms per side on the second floor. However, on the third level, there was only one room on each side. Moreover, the room was adorned with a carpet, flower terraces, square tables, and bogu shelves in it, simply a dazzling lineup.
However, what made Wen Ping most comfortable was still the feeling of freedom. The room was so big that you could even take a walk in it. This feeling was extraordinarily joyful for Wen Ping.
"Sect Leader Wen, Elder Yun!"
Yang Zongxian stood up and clasped his hands at the dancing courtesans. They then retreated from the room while brushing past Wen Ping.
Seeing this scene, Wen Ping nodded and returned the gesture. He said, "Clan Leader Yang, I’ve long since heard of your illustrious name."
Unlike Wen Ping, Yun Liao didn’t care about such things. Getting an expert at the thirteenth level of Body Refinement like him to bow to an ordinary person? He truly wasn’t able to do it.
But then again, since the host was treating them, Yun Liao still nodded and perfunctorily said, "Indeed."
Having been in the business world for several decades, how could Yang Zongxian not tell Yun Liao’s emotions from his tone? However, he wasn’t affected by it.
On the contrary, he praised, "Elder Yun truly has a character. Already in the thirteenth level of the Body Refinement Realm at such a young age and merely a finger’s breadth away from the Mystic Realm, your future is immeasurable. Please be seated and order whatever you guys want to eat. I’ll get the servants to prepare it."
Naturally, Yang Zongxian wasn’t someone who would do something for no benefit.
If the Immortal Sect was the old Immortal Sect, he would definitely persuade his son to quit, not wanting to have any interactions with a declined sect.
But things were different now, from the words of his son, he could tell that the Immortal Sect was extraordinary. This was especially so after everyone had betrayed it, yet such a young expert at the thirteenth level of the Body Refinement Realm joined it. Wasn’t this clearly a positive sign?
Moreover, their entry fee was 1,000 gold coins, and their recruitment standard was for someone at 15 years of age to have reached the fifth level of the Body Refinement Realm.
After considering everything, this indicated that Wen Ping might have used something prepared by his father. The trump cards of a Mystic Realm expert truly couldn’t be underestimated.
After sensing the passion of Yang Zongxian, Yun Liao wasn’t polite at all and ordered seven to eight dishes. Wen Ping wasn’t as gluttonous as him and only ordered six.
In this world, if there was a thing more satisfying than achieving a breakthrough in cultivation, which would fill them with incredible joy, it would be to eat the dishes cooked by a taotie.
Food is the God of the people. After this meal, Wen Ping estimated that he would feel disgusted by Yun Liao’s cooking after they returned to the sect.
Gradually, evening came. The sky seemed to have totally transformed as dark clouds covered the skies of Cangwu City. The gloomy weather made the Hundred Phoenix Inn, which was originally extremely lively, become more subdued. Gradually, people started leaving after they had eaten their fill.
Those who were waiting outside were in queues so long that the queues resembled snakes. They kept waiting until someone from the inn came out to tell them that Huai Kong decided to stop and rest for the day.
At this moment, Yang Zongxian picked up a jade bottle, which was as green as a germinating branch, from the bogu shelf at the side. He then opened it before Wen Ping, and right away, a wonderful fragrance permeated the area, rushing toward their nostrils, causing them to feel intoxicated.
But it wasn’t as if Wen Ping had never seen good wine before. No matter what, he was once the young master of a 2-stars sect.
The last time he had seen such a bottle of wine was when his father invited the city lord over for a banquet.
At this moment, Yang Zonxian poured two cups, one for Yun Liao and the other for Wen Ping, before finally pouring one cup for himself. As he drank it, he adjusted his expression perfectly, the same expression as those people in the inn who ate the taotie’s dishes for the first time.
From this, Wen Ping could only leave a remark in his heart. He was an excellent actor.
"Sect Leader Wen, Elder Yun, c’mon drink more. This is the wine Huai Kong brought with him."
Wen Ping was somewhat astonished. He hurriedly lifted his cup and tasted it. "He was the one who brought it?"
It was very cold and refreshing.
Once the wine entered his mouth, half of his body felt like it resided in a land of ice and frost.
Naturally, the feeling wasn’t like how one had stripped naked and was lying down in the snow. Rather, it felt like the blazing summer was suddenly replaced by the cooling snow.
It was extremely comfortable and the wine fragrance was incomparably pure.
When Li Bai* encountered wine, he would think of writing something. As for Wen Ping, although he wasn’t a poem expert, he also wanted to make some verses up at this moment.
The wind that carries the clouds away~
Carry my dreams and my vision too~
"Clan Leader Yang, one cup is already enough for such a good wine. There’s no need to pour us more."
"Sect Leader Wen, are you treating me as an outsider? Since my son is someone of your esteemed sect, we are one family. I still have another flask here, so please take it away when you leave later."
[1] Li Bai - Ancient poet in China