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Lake Tail City.
A small border town located at the southernmost edge of the Jin Nation.
The city was not large, and the number of residents did not exceed tens of thousands.
Only because it was separated from the Heichi Nation to the south by the Baiping Mountain Range, and the Heichi Nation contained many precious herbs and wild goods, did numerous merchant caravans come and go, taking the opportunity to restock and station here.
On this day,
In an inn within the city, there arrived a young-looking Taoist clad in green, who exuded an aura that kept others at a distance.
The Clerk was quite observant and, noticing that the Taoist was unlike ordinary folks, quickly tossed aside his cleaning rag and approached with a nod and bow, greeting,
"This immortal, please come inside to a private room…"
However, the green-clad Taoist shook his head slightly and walked straight to a table by the window, where he sat down.
The Clerk paused, then hurried after him, pulling down the rag and, while wiping the table, smilingly asked,
"Honored Taoist, what would you like to order? Do you have any dietary restrictions? Our inn’s specialty dishes like Eight Treasures Fish and Fried Lamb are…"
The green-clad Taoist was sparing with his words,
"Serve them all."
The Clerk, knowing he was dealing with a person of high status, didn’t dare to be negligent and called out loudly,
"Right away!"
Hearing this cue, the rotund innkeeper peeked out from behind the counter; upon seeing the temperament and attire of the green-clad Taoist, he was taken aback and hurriedly circled around the counter, stepping briskly to the Taoist’s side and bowed respectfully, asking,
"Immortal graces my humble inn; may I know if you have any instructions?"
The green-clad Taoist glanced sideways at him,
"How can you tell?"
Although the question was abrupt, the innkeeper had already understood the meaning and quickly forced a modest smile, saying,
"The immortal’s demeanor is distinctly different from ordinary mortals, as noticeable as a needle in a bag or as a fire in the night, quite conspicuous, which is why I was able to recognize."
Listening to the innkeeper’s undisguised flattery, there was no change in the green-clad Taoist’s expression, he only said slowly,
"No instructions, serve the food."
The innkeeper sighed in relief upon hearing this; though he knew that immortals of Jin would not trouble mortals, he couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous upon encountering an immortal so suddenly.
He respectfully retreated to the side, smiling, while simultaneously urging the kitchen to hasten their preparations.
Under the innkeeper’s promptings, the array of dishes soon filled the Taoist’s table, both fragrant and aesthetically pleasing.
Seeing so many dishes laid out before him, the green-clad Taoist’s brows subtly furrowed with disapproval.
The innkeeper noticed immediately and carefully approached to inquire,
"Honored Taoist, is there anything unsatisfactory?"
The green-clad Taoist shook his head slightly, still unwilling to say much,
"Wasteful."
Yet he did not request for any dishes to be taken away.
His gaze swept over the food before him, and he lightly sniffed.
He then shook his head almost imperceptibly and did not touch his chopsticks.
Watching this, the innkeeper felt a surge of apprehension.
It was at that moment that a noisy commotion was heard.
Attracted by the disturbance, the green-clad Taoist’s gaze shifted downwards.
When the Taoist’s attention was diverted, the innkeeper quickly followed his line of sight.
They saw at the end of the central street on the ground floor of the inn, a group of dark-skinned, tattooed Wildermen of short stature who looked around anxiously as they approached.
Their expressions of awe were audible when they saw the thriving shops and storied buildings along the street.
Noticing the green-clad Taoist’s intrigued expression, the innkeeper ventured tentatively,
"Is this your first visit to Lake Tail City, immortal?"
The green-clad Taoist did not respond.
But the innkeeper, having his suspicion, relaxed slightly and cheerfully said,
"You might not be familiar, Taoist; these are people from the Heichi Nation to the south. Their skin is black as ink, they favor tattoos, and they consider black teeth to be beautiful. Although they are neighbors to our Jin Nation, they are still unacculturated, like the wild Men of Yu... Usually, they are in awe of Jin and dare not come here; they must have fled here due to a flood disaster in the south."
The green-clad Taoist focused his eyes upon hearing this; indeed, he saw that all of these dark-skinned people had red tinted lips and black teeth.
He asked thoughtfully,
"The flood disaster, is it severe?"
"You’ve asked the right person, immortal."
Seeing the Taoist interested, the innkeeper perked up with a smile,
"My family has been practicing Cultivation in the Yellow Pill Valley of Shangyuan County since my ancestors’ time, known as the Profound Mysterious Divine Sense Great Cultivator! He had previously followed the Daluo Xuandu Holy Master to the south to aid in disaster relief. Heichi Nation has been relatively fortunate, with only areas near the sea being flooded. Farther south, nations like Hailing and Fanyu are almost turned into endless waves…"
"It is only the compassionate immortals of our Jin who would help them; if it were the Yan Nation to the north, no one would come to their rescue…"
"Profound Mysterious Divine Sense Great Cultivator? Daluo Xuandu Holy Master?"
A rare look of confusion flashed in the eyes of the green-clad Taoist.
These realms, why haven’t I heard of them?
Could it be… a realm above Void Refining?
The innkeeper didn’t dare to question further and promptly set about describing.
After the description, the green-clad Taoist finally came to a realization.
At a loss for words,
"So, it was Foundation Establishment and Golden Core... These mortal names are indeed…"
He shook his head slightly.
People always exaggerate their incomprehension of existences, regardless of whether they are mortals or Cultivators.
His thoughts briefly surfaced, then were immediately frozen over.
He sat down, poured himself a cup of wine.
Then gently took a sip.
The drink which would be considered excellent in mortal terms, held no taste for him.
He did not further trouble himself, holding the cup, his Spiritual Sense slowly spreading out, extending into the surroundings.
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