"Enter."
Mu Qingge, the manager of the Phoenix' Beak Pavilion, respectfully entered the hall.
Giving respects to their customers was an important part of the experience they provided. And as the manager, and more importantly, as the owner, this was responsibility fell on her shoulders. Twice. Yes, this was the second time today. The second time she had to entertain unknown guests, and stop her cultivation. Twice. All because her aunt had already left this world.
Left. Not as in dead, but as in fled. Mu Qingge's aunt didn't waste a second when she realized what was going on, left Mu Qingge the deed of the pavilion, and ran away. Just like that.
No one was aware of this fact. The Mu family's official stance was that she was in secluded cultivation. The important family members knew that their only backing right now was the few loyal Nascent Soul realm uncles that remained. However, in reality, because those uncles were old and in secluded cultivation, their only real backing was the young Core Formation disciples the family had in the pipeline. Mu Qingge included.
To the public, the Phoenix' Beak Pavilion was backed by the Mu family, with a Divinity Formation realm expert as their leader. Not even the employees of the pavilion knew about the true situation.
Hence the reason Mu Qingge desperately wanted to increase her cultivation. The Phoenix' Beak Pavilion had offended hundreds of families and sects in the past, and they were still doing it right now! Because if they tried to make amends with those they offended, their 'elite' customers would become offended instead. They couldn't quit either, because their 'special' clientele had certain… expectations.
As Mu Qingge walked closer and closer to the unknown Nascent Soul expert, she could help but think of the day that she would have to disappear and leave the Mu name behind. She bowed as she thought of the vague future ahead of her.
"Esteemed guest. This Mu Qingge is the manager of our humble establishment. If there is anything unsatisfactory, we will do all we can to provide an unforgettable experience to our esteemed guest."
She saw with the corner of her eye that most of the food was untouched. There were a few troublemakers in the past, claiming to have received unpalatable dishes, but this time Mu Qingge had doubts this was the case.
Twice. This had happened twice now today. The earlier unknown guest also left the dishes untouched. What was it with today? Why was she so unlucky? Would this guy react worse than the earlier one?
Today... Today was really something else.
"Everything was delicious. My compliments to the chefs. I could only have a small taste due to my unique circumstances. Please do not take offense."
This… was practically the same thing that woman told her earlier. Was this a new game for the rich? Were they starting to lose it now that no one could leave this realm? Was there some sort of mass Qi deviation epidemic that she wasn't aware of?
Mu Qingge continued to display her perfect smile and did not leak the slightest bit of irritation. Though she had become an owner recently, she had served at the pavilion for more than a few decades. This wasn't even a challenge.
Han De didn't really care for the restaurant's employees. The only idea in his mind was to leave without making a fuss. The problem was from his side, why would he blame them? However, after seeing the manager, he thought he should try his luck.
"This isn't my first time visiting… this restaurant. I am familiar with the quality of the service, so be at ease."
If Mu Qingge were to continue bowing after this, she would cause great offense. She raised her head to meet the unknown expert's gaze. And momentarily lost control of her expression. Certainly, her subordinates had mentioned that the man was disturbingly beautiful, but…
Seeing the manager's curious look turn into a slightly flirtatious smile, Han De couldn't help but respond with a smile himself. He went through his internal checklist. Similar age, check. Interested, check. Cute, check. Freckles and/or beauty mark, check, it's freckles.
Check check check check. It was the best-case scenario for a Xianxia.
Han De was a simple guy with simple tastes. He liked sexy, seductive women who knew what they wanted.
Even in novels, he far preferred villainesses over the white lotus idiots. Though now that he was inside a Xianxia universe, he recognized the dangers of this line of thinking.
In objective terms the manager Mu Qingge wasn't as developed as the fox woman, nor was she as beautiful as Jin Shu. That said, nearly everyone in the Xianxia universe was good-looking, to the point that Han De was starting to develop serious concerns. At this point not being a heaven-defying jade beauty was much more attractive.
'This is your timing? Are you kidding me?'
Mu Qingge saw Han De's smile fade away and his eyes lose focus. A faint sense of crisis started to fill the room, but she ignored that.
If this was anywhere else, she would've felt threatened. But they were inside the Phoenix' Beak Pavilion. Ancient formations inside would be able to protect her from anything, for a while at least. She could afford to take bold risks.
When Han De's eyes regained focus, he spoke in a calm manner.
"I apologize. Something that needs my attention just came up."
There would be time to flirt later. What Han De needed the most right now was to stabilize his situation. That included tying up the loose ends of the cultivation idiot. He also made a mental note to visit a brothel once he got things under control.
Mu Qingge watched the handsome expert disappear into thin air. She was so shocked, she didn't notice the top-quality spirit stone pile left on the chair. Instead, she sent her spiritual sense to the master array in a panic. If the pavilion's defenses were down, there was no saving them!
She checked and rechecked every single defensive measure through the master array. Everything was in perfect condition! At that moment, Mu Qingge knew what to do. She decisively ignored the issue!
This solution was the distillation of generations worth of experience. Sometimes, people that defied common sense would appear and lay waste to the old. Often literally, and figuratively! This wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last.
After implementing the solution passed down from generation to generation, Mu Qingge was relieved. Her only regret was not being able to spend more time with the handsome expert. Their interaction was only a minute at most, and half of that time was spent with Mu Qingge bowing!
She quietly collected the shining spirit stones after finally noticing them. Truthfully, it was way too much. 20 thousand top-quality spirit stones were equivalent to 20 million regular spirit stones. The Phoenix' Beak Pavilion was expensive, but it wasn't that expensive. However, Mu Qingge wasn't going to complain about gaining 16 million spirit stones for her private emergency funds!
Perhaps this was a good day, after all, she thought. Where else would she be able to meet a heaven-defyingly handsome guy and make ridiculous amounts of money at the same time?
As she left one hall, she felt another hall's formations were powering down. The other unknown guest, a duo of a young boy and a woman, seemed to be leaving as well. Mu Qingge switched on the manager's demeanor and gracefully bowed towards the guests.
"Estee-"
"Sister Qingge! So you are here too! Haha!"
Leaving aside the fact that she was the owner of the restaurant, Mu Qingge smiled at the boy in his mid-teens and deliberately used a familiar tone.
"Young master Xiang, was everything to your satisfaction?"
"Ah! Haha! Of course! Qing- Huh?! Sister Li Ling, where are you going? Wait for me…"
Mu Qingge was used to getting treated coldly by the customers, therefore she didn't mind the behavior. Instead of following them, she entered the hall they used, to check if there were any spirit stones. And to her surprise, there were!
Obscenely rich people really were alike, she thought. Unfortunately, after counting the spirit stones, she found out they weren't alike at all. This Qi Condensation disciple duo left only half a million spirit stones! Mu Qingge did a quick calculation and found out their bill was just short of that number.
"How petty… Hmmm..."
From extremely concerning movements of ancient freaks that openly mutilate people for daring to raise their voice, to the extremely rich masters coming out of the woodwork, Mu Qingge thought she shouldn't delay her plans any longer.
Though the spirit stones she got from that obscenely rich master were enough, she couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom. It was as if she was already too late, and her fate was sealed!
* * *
"Sister Li Ling, you are the prettiest fairy I have ever laid eyes on! This Ping Xiang was just making conversation with the Sister Qingge."
Li Ling softly hmphed and continued walking at the same pace.
"What does a boy like you know? You can't even see through the illusion treasure she had."
Ping Xiang was surprised. He muttered "Oooh…" and followed Li Ling.
Though Ping Xiang tried to make conversation, Li Ling didn't respond until they got out of the city. She threw a plain-looking white fan to the ground.
"Hop on. I'll take you somewhere good."
"Sister Li Ling is the best!"
Once the Brass Stallion completely disappeared from their sights, Li Ling breathed an internal sigh of relief. The only thing worse than getting stuck on a backwater frontier world like this, was getting stuck on a backwater world while an old expert was throwing a temper tantrum.
Thanks to a certain treasure in her possession, she had felt a tremendous aura a few hours ago, and detected ripples from Transcendent Realm deaths in the vicinity. If not for that, she would not have entered that backwater restaurant!
Li Ling's worries were only for the short term, of course. As the princess of the Li family, and the inheritor of the Grand Path Library, this seal wouldn't be able to hold her back for long.
She looked at the Seven Paths Convergence Compass once again. The primordial era treasure, the sole reason she came to this world in the first place, was close. The needle became steady and was now showing the path.
* * *
"Enter."
Mu Qingge, the manager of the Phoenix' Beak Pavilion, respectfully entered the hall.
Giving respects to their customers was an important part of the experience they provided. And as the manager, and more importantly, as the owner, this was responsibility fell on her shoulders. Twice. Yes, this was the second time today. The second time she had to entertain unknown guests, and stop her cultivation. Twice. All because her aunt had already left this world.
Left. Not as in dead, but as in fled. Mu Qingge's aunt didn't waste a second when she realized what was going on, left Mu Qingge the deed of the pavilion, and ran away. Just like that.
No one was aware of this fact. The Mu family's official stance was that she was in secluded cultivation. The important family members knew that their only backing right now was the few loyal Nascent Soul realm uncles that remained. However, in reality, because those uncles were old and in secluded cultivation, their only real backing was the young Core Formation disciples the family had in the pipeline. Mu Qingge included.
To the public, the Phoenix' Beak Pavilion was backed by the Mu family, with a Divinity Formation realm expert as their leader. Not even the employees of the pavilion knew about the true situation.
Hence the reason Mu Qingge desperately wanted to increase her cultivation. The Phoenix' Beak Pavilion had offended hundreds of families and sects in the past, and they were still doing it right now! Because if they tried to make amends with those they offended, their 'elite' customers would become offended instead. They couldn't quit either, because their 'special' clientele had certain… expectations.
As Mu Qingge walked closer and closer to the unknown Nascent Soul expert, she could help but think of the day that she would have to disappear and leave the Mu name behind. She bowed as she thought of the vague future ahead of her.
"Esteemed guest. This Mu Qingge is the manager of our humble establishment. If there is anything unsatisfactory, we will do all we can to provide an unforgettable experience to our esteemed guest."
She saw with the corner of her eye that most of the food was untouched. There were a few troublemakers in the past, claiming to have received unpalatable dishes, but this time Mu Qingge had doubts this was the case.
Twice. This had happened twice now today. The earlier unknown guest also left the dishes untouched. What was it with today? Why was she so unlucky? Would this guy react worse than the earlier one?
Today... Today was really something else.
"Everything was delicious. My compliments to the chefs. I could only have a small taste due to my unique circumstances. Please do not take offense."
This… was practically the same thing that woman told her earlier. Was this a new game for the rich? Were they starting to lose it now that no one could leave this realm? Was there some sort of mass Qi deviation epidemic that she wasn't aware of?
Mu Qingge continued to display her perfect smile and did not leak the slightest bit of irritation. Though she had become an owner recently, she had served at the pavilion for more than a few decades. This wasn't even a challenge.
Han De didn't really care for the restaurant's employees. The only idea in his mind was to leave without making a fuss. The problem was from his side, why would he blame them? However, after seeing the manager, he thought he should try his luck.
"This isn't my first time visiting… this restaurant. I am familiar with the quality of the service, so be at ease."
If Mu Qingge were to continue bowing after this, she would cause great offense. She raised her head to meet the unknown expert's gaze. And momentarily lost control of her expression. Certainly, her subordinates had mentioned that the man was disturbingly beautiful, but…
Seeing the manager's curious look turn into a slightly flirtatious smile, Han De couldn't help but respond with a smile himself. He went through his internal checklist. Similar age, check. Interested, check. Cute, check. Freckles and/or beauty mark, check, it's freckles.
Check check check check. It was the best-case scenario for a Xianxia.
Han De was a simple guy with simple tastes. He liked sexy, seductive women who knew what they wanted.
Even in novels, he far preferred villainesses over the white lotus idiots. Though now that he was inside a Xianxia universe, he recognized the dangers of this line of thinking.
In objective terms the manager Mu Qingge wasn't as developed as the fox woman, nor was she as beautiful as Jin Shu. That said, nearly everyone in the Xianxia universe was good-looking, to the point that Han De was starting to develop serious concerns. At this point not being a heaven-defying jade beauty was much more attractive.
'This is your timing? Are you kidding me?'
Mu Qingge saw Han De's smile fade away and his eyes lose focus. A faint sense of crisis started to fill the room, but she ignored that.
If this was anywhere else, she would've felt threatened. But they were inside the Phoenix' Beak Pavilion. Ancient formations inside would be able to protect her from anything, for a while at least. She could afford to take bold risks.
When Han De's eyes regained focus, he spoke in a calm manner.
"I apologize. Something that needs my attention just came up."
There would be time to flirt later. What Han De needed the most right now was to stabilize his situation. That included tying up the loose ends of the cultivation idiot. He also made a mental note to visit a brothel once he got things under control.
Mu Qingge watched the handsome expert disappear into thin air. She was so shocked, she didn't notice the top-quality spirit stone pile left on the chair. Instead, she sent her spiritual sense to the master array in a panic. If the pavilion's defenses were down, there was no saving them!
She checked and rechecked every single defensive measure through the master array. Everything was in perfect condition! At that moment, Mu Qingge knew what to do. She decisively ignored the issue!
This solution was the distillation of generations worth of experience. Sometimes, people that defied common sense would appear and lay waste to the old. Often literally, and figuratively! This wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last.
After implementing the solution passed down from generation to generation, Mu Qingge was relieved. Her only regret was not being able to spend more time with the handsome expert. Their interaction was only a minute at most, and half of that time was spent with Mu Qingge bowing!
She quietly collected the shining spirit stones after finally noticing them. Truthfully, it was way too much. 20 thousand top-quality spirit stones were equivalent to 20 million regular spirit stones. The Phoenix' Beak Pavilion was expensive, but it wasn't that expensive. However, Mu Qingge wasn't going to complain about gaining 16 million spirit stones for her private emergency funds!
Perhaps this was a good day, after all, she thought. Where else would she be able to meet a heaven-defyingly handsome guy and make ridiculous amounts of money at the same time?
As she left one hall, she felt another hall's formations were powering down. The other unknown guest, a duo of a young boy and a woman, seemed to be leaving as well. Mu Qingge switched on the manager's demeanor and gracefully bowed towards the guests.
"Estee-"
"Sister Qingge! So you are here too! Haha!"
Leaving aside the fact that she was the owner of the restaurant, Mu Qingge smiled at the boy in his mid-teens and deliberately used a familiar tone.
"Young master Xiang, was everything to your satisfaction?"
"Ah! Haha! Of course! Qing- Huh?! Sister Li Ling, where are you going? Wait for me…"
Mu Qingge was used to getting treated coldly by the customers, therefore she didn't mind the behavior. Instead of following them, she entered the hall they used, to check if there were any spirit stones. And to her surprise, there were!
Obscenely rich people really were alike, she thought. Unfortunately, after counting the spirit stones, she found out they weren't alike at all. This Qi Condensation disciple duo left only half a million spirit stones! Mu Qingge did a quick calculation and found out their bill was just short of that number.
"How petty… Hmmm..."
From extremely concerning movements of ancient freaks that openly mutilate people for daring to raise their voice, to the extremely rich masters coming out of the woodwork, Mu Qingge thought she shouldn't delay her plans any longer.
Though the spirit stones she got from that obscenely rich master were enough, she couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom. It was as if she was already too late, and her fate was sealed!
* * *
"Sister Li Ling, you are the prettiest fairy I have ever laid eyes on! This Ping Xiang was just making conversation with the Sister Qingge."
Li Ling softly hmphed and continued walking at the same pace.
"What does a boy like you know? You can't even see through the illusion treasure she had."
Ping Xiang was surprised. He muttered "Oooh…" and followed Li Ling.
Though Ping Xiang tried to make conversation, Li Ling didn't respond until they got out of the city. She threw a plain-looking white fan to the ground.
"Hop on. I'll take you somewhere good."
"Sister Li Ling is the best!"
Once the Brass Stallion completely disappeared from their sights, Li Ling breathed an internal sigh of relief. The only thing worse than getting stuck on a backwater frontier world like this, was getting stuck on a backwater world while an old expert was throwing a temper tantrum.
Thanks to a certain treasure in her possession, she had felt a tremendous aura a few hours ago, and detected ripples from Transcendent Realm deaths in the vicinity. If not for that, she would not have entered that backwater restaurant!
Li Ling's worries were only for the short term, of course. As the princess of the Li family, and the inheritor of the Grand Path Library, this seal wouldn't be able to hold her back for long.
She looked at the Seven Paths Convergence Compass once again. The primordial era treasure, the sole reason she came to this world in the first place, was close. The needle became steady and was now showing the path.
* * *
