"Tsk tsk, always feel like sothing’s missing, turns out it’s my old goose..."
He shook his head slightly, lanting to himself.
Now he found himself in this quaint, ancient inn, with a few side dishes on the table and a jug of fine wine in hand. If only there were a couple of pounds of old goose, wouldn’t it be more perfect?
"What a pity, what a pity..."
Master Liu sighed and took another sip of wine, but the more he tasted it, the less it satisfied him.
"Such a beautiful setting, with wine and at, I wonder why this senior keeps sighing?"
A voice suddenly interjected from the side.
Pei Laoliu turned to see a young man in a white robe.
After speaking, the man cupped his hands, his treasure sword in hand was luxurious and imposing, clearly not ordinary on just the first glance.
"My na is Yan Jiantong, may I sit here?"
Pei Laoliu looked around and indeed found the inn already crowded; this person clearly wished to share a table with him.
He nodded and motioned with his hand:
"No need for formalities, have a seat."
The man sat down directly, called the waiter to order a few dishes, and then started observing the two people in front of him carefully.
It was an odd trio: one old, one young, and a dog, although Han Yue City was large, such a peculiar group was rare.
The young man could be easily explained; he looked about fifteen or sixteen, dressed plainly, clearly a mountain dweller from the countryside.
But the old man was different, his face glowing with vitality, dressed in luxurious though unidentified clothing, giving off a profound and mysterious aura.
Even the black dog by the old man’s feet was noteworthy, lying quietly with its ears perked and muscles tensed, poised to act, and exuding a sense of danger.
Though young, Yan Jiantong was already a renowned expert in the Martial World, even when facing top-tier martial artists, he rarely felt this way.
But now, around a man and a dog, he sensed a dangerous aura, which piqued his curiosity strongly.
"Senior, eting you here today is fate indeed, may I know your honorable na, and the reason for your sighs?"
Pei Laoliu glanced at him, also intrigued by this young man.
This man dressed like a noble son in white, yet carried a sword, and called him senior at every turn.
This instantly reminded him of scenes from martial arts dramas, as the person before him resembled those martial world wanderers.
Having arrived in this world, unable to return for the ti being, he decided to enjoy this imagined ancient carefree life.
Seeing a martial artist-like figure sparked his interest, and he intended to chat.
"I am Pei Daoyi, a disciple of the Taiyi Sect. When I was younger and traveled, fellow Daoists liked to call Master Liu."
"Master Liu...?"
Yan Jiantong muttered softly, but couldn’t recall such a figure from the Martial World.
"Wait, senior, did you say you’re a Taoist?"
He realized what Pei Laoliu had said and was surprised to find that the person before him was a Taoist.
"No, no, I practice cultivation, not the Taoism you know."
Pei Laoliu said knowingly.
"A cultivator..."
Yan Jiantong’s expression turned strange.
The person before him said he wasn’t a Taoist but a cultivator, which was beyond his expectations.
He even began to doubt if he had misjudged today.
The person might not be a senior expert, just a con artist wandering the Martial World.
He might have been fooled by the person’s strong disguise skills.
After all, this world had no cultivators; this had been confird by the current Emperor.
It was said that the Emperor had longed for cultivation since childhood, often summoning so-called cultivators to make longevity dicine.
After gaining power, he commanded the entire country to search for enlightened individuals, spending enormous human and material resources, almost uncovering all the Immortal lands of the Dafu Dynasty, which was one of the few criticized actions.
Yet even with such national efforts, they found no trace of cultivators.
The court-employed cultivators were found to be deceiving His Majesty.
The so-called longevity dicine was just mixed pills, so even toxic, causing great harm with long-term use.
The Emperor, in a fit of rage, executed all the serving cultivators and burned their Elixir Books, leaving ten words:
"The world is without Dao, any further false words, death!"
This act swiftly spread throughout the Dafu Dynasty.
Loyal ministers wept, praising the Emperor’s insight and tily retreat from the delusions of an ancient monarch seeking immortality.
Spies from enemy states sighed, lanting the unstoppable rise of the Dafu Dynasty.
The most unfortunate were those called cultivators.
Even so genuine Taoists were labeled fraudsters and executed.
Thus, nearly all the Dafu Dynasty’s citizens now knew that there were no cultivators or Immortals in this world.
If the Emperor himself said so, could it be wrong?
Of course, the royal authority in this world differed from ancient Huaxia.
They valued strength.
Otherwise, how could the "Son of Heaven" Emperor say "The world is without Dao" with such confidence?
At this point, upon hearing Pei Laoliu claim to be a cultivator, Yan Jiantong’s expression grew even more peculiar.
The feeling was akin to a wanted criminal shouting his cri in the city center, as if wishing for a quicker death.
However, Pei Laoliu was oblivious to this and continued to lant, eyes half-closed.
"Ah, this inn is fine, but it lacks the saltwater goose from my holand. No matter how delicious the side dishes, without that touch of ho, they lose their flavor."
As he spoke, he casually tossed a chicken bone to the black dog nearby.
The latter caught the bone and started munching it with a series of crunching sounds.
Yan Jiantong snapped back to reality, smiled awkwardly to ease the stiffness on his face, and followed Master Liu’s words:
"I, Yan, have also been away from ho for many years, and your words have indeed stirred so nostalgia... By the way, may I ask, Daoist, where your Immortal holand is? Where are you from?"
Pei Laoliu took a sip of wine and said:
"? My holand is a place you’ve never heard of, where every midsumr is filled with blooming divine flowers, incredibly beautiful. There’s also delicious saltwater goose, my favorite flavor in this lifeti, but I can’t find it here..."
"Then, why don’t you go back, Daoist?"
Pei Laoliu put down his cup, his gaze deep, and said:
"I can’t return, it’s not the sa world as this, how can I go back?"
"Not the sa world? Could it be that the Daoist’s holand is in the Immortal Realm?"
"Immortal Realm... perhaps, perhaps not... What difference does it make to you?"
Seeing his profound look, Yan Jiantong’s mind settled.
This old man must be putting on airs; surely he will soon reveal so disaster foretold for Yan.
After all, in a world lacking cultivators, speaking of the Immortal Realm is simply too insulting.
However, Li Qiang beside them was unaware of all this.
As a resident of East Origin Village, he hardly had contact with the outside world, let alone knowing about the eradication of cultivation affairs a few years ago.
So when Pei Laoliu claid to be a cultivator, he and the other villagers rely expressed doubt.
Now, hearing of Master Liu’s holand, he displayed a thoughtful expression.
He imdiately recalled that Pei Laoliu had previously shown him a map, ntioning sothing about "teleport" and "going back," prompting him to inquire:
"Immortal, is that map you showed us earlier related to your holand?"
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