Chapter 287: Hospitality

Steward Tang sighed again.

Bei Yinning had a tragic story.

Her parents had once been at the Netherworld Sect, but they were only mortals.

Even though everyone in the Cultivation World advised against having too many ties with one’s mortal parents...

...how could anyone truly let go?

If one was supposed to disown their mortal parents, then why did so many Cultivators in the Cultivation World keep the children they bore by their side?

Some second-generation disciples of Major Sects, despite their lack of talent, were still able to enjoy the finest resources within their Sects.

Only parents who were originally mortals could not share in their children’s glory.

It was only because they were mortals, with no telling how long they might live.

A mortal’s body was too fragile, their lifespan too fleeting.

And Bei Yinning’s parents were murdered at the Netherworld Sect by the son of a visiting Loose Cultivator couple.

It was merely because when her parents were leaving the county seat, they failed to promptly greet the cultivators as Immortals.

For that, they lost their lives.

Many people from the Netherworld Sect witnessed this.

But no one dared to stand up for the mortal couple, simply because the passing Loose Cultivators were both at the Golden Core Stage.

Back then, even the Netherworld Sect’s Sect Master would have hesitated before a Golden Core Stage pair, and these two clearly weren’t ordinary Loose Cultivators.

They claimed to be Loose Cultivators, but what if they were from another Major Sect?

The little boy they had with them, only a few years old and merely in the Qi Refinement Realm, was already full of viciousness.

After the boy killed them, the couple at most just patted his head and said, "Don’t be so impulsive next time. This is another Sect’s territory, after all. They were only a pair of mortals."

But the little boy just snorted. "I just didn’t like the look of them!"

At that very moment, Bei Yinning was in the crowd, watching.

She was only a few years old herself, and she watched helplessly as the scene unfolded.

Her eyes burned with a rage so intense it felt like they would split from their sockets, but there was nothing she could do.

Her master at the time clamped a hand tightly over her mouth and face.

He was stopping her from rushing out; otherwise, if the Golden Core Stage couple noticed, it would bring disaster upon her.

Jingque True Man and Steward Tang had also been there and witnessed the event.

After the Loose Cultivators left with their child, Bei Yinning collected her parents’ bodies.

She wanted revenge but didn’t even know who they were.

She had thought about it for many years and had now finally found a trace of them in Liu Xian City.

Even if they came from a Major Sect, Bei Yinning refused to let go of her hatred.

Now, all Steward Tang could do was try to persuade her that a Sect like the Extreme Saint Sect was not someone they could afford to provoke.

Bei Yinning remained silent for a moment before saying, "If you don’t have it here, I’ll go look elsewhere."

Steward Tang couldn’t help but ask, "What are you buying the Illusion Sea Bone for?"

The Illusion Sea Bone could be used to craft many kinds of Magic Treasures, so Steward Tang couldn’t be sure.

"It’s nothing," Bei Yinning refused to say.

Steward Tang couldn’t force her.

He hesitated a moment, then asked, "You’ve already reached Foundation Establishment?"

Bei Yinning nodded. "Yes."

When she returned from the Sea View Sect last time, she had only just reached Foundation Establishment.

Steward Tang was about to offer his congratulations when someone suddenly walked over.

"And where might this Fellow Daoist be from?"

It was Zhou Nvzi.

Sensing the powerful aura coming from Zhou Nvzi, Steward Tang was somewhat surprised. "Fellow Daoist Zhou, you’ve reached Foundation Establishment too?"

Zhou Nvzi waved her hand. "Just a stroke of luck."

Who would have known that after coming out of the Secret Realm, her path had taken a sharp turn toward Alchemy?

After successfully refining her first Third-stage Elixir Pill, Zhou Nvzi had become one of the ten percent.

Now, Chen Miaomiao had called her over to handle matters concerning the cultivation of Spirit Grass at the Feique Sect.

And since the Taohua Sect was a Medicine Sect, Zhou Nvzi could gain experience there as well.

She had just come over and saw Bei Yinning, clad head to toe in a black robe. Looking quite mysterious and unfamiliar, Zhou Nvzi’s curiosity was piqued, so she came over to ask.

Steward Tang was thoroughly impressed.

’Just how terrifying is the talent of these Longevity Sect disciples?’

’In just a few months, so many of them have reached Foundation Establishment one after another.’

’But their innate talent doesn’t seem that high, does it?’

’Could it be because they often go out to gain experience?’

Perhaps because of this, many disciples from the Feique Sect had now started heading to Demon Cave Valley.

Lately, fewer and fewer disciples were staying within the Feique Sect’s grounds.

Bei Yinning’s gaze swept over Zhou Nvzi, leaving no trace.

She had never been to the Feique Sect and hadn’t heard much about it, so naturally, she was unaware of the recent changes.

Steward Tang immediately made the introductions. "This is Fellow Daoist Bei Yinning from the Netherworld Sect. And this... uh..."

Steward Tang hesitated a moment before pointing to Zhou Nvzi. "This is a disciple from our subsidiary sect, the Longevity Sect, Fellow Daoist Zhou Nvzi."

Bei Yinning’s eyes flickered slightly. "A subsidiary sect?"

The moment Zhou Nvzi heard Bei Yinning was from the Netherworld Sect, her eyes lit up. "Oh, my! To think such a beautiful Fellow Daoist is from the Netherworld Sect! It is a true honor to meet you!"

She even looked like she wanted to reach out and shake Bei Yinning’s hand.

Seeing Zhou Nvzi’s overly familiar attitude, Bei Yinning felt a little strange.

’She seems so much like the disciple who brought her back here.’

Bei Yinning could only manage a slight twitch of her lips. "Fellow Daoist Zhou, you’re too kind."

"Not at all, not at all! I’ve admired the great name of the Netherworld Sect for a long time." Zhou Nvzi winked. "Fellow Daoist, you must be tired from your long journey from the Netherworld Sect. Let me treat you to a meal. The restaurant in Wang’an County at the foot of the mountain is now a must-try specialty of our Feique Mountain. Everyone who comes has to eat there at least once."

Bei Yinning: "..."

On the Yunzhou Continent, the trendy practice of inviting someone to a meal to build rapport wasn’t really a thing.

In fact, it often made people feel a bit strange.

Naturally, Bei Yinning wanted to refuse.

But unexpectedly, Steward Tang also spoke up. "Yinning, you should go try it. You’ve never been to our Feique Sect before, and this is a local specialty. There’s a type of Spiritual Wine on the market now that’s brewed by our Feique Sect."

This was the standardized public story—mentioning the Feique Sect helped to muddy the waters.

"Spiritual Wine?"

Sure enough, hearing about Spiritual Wine surprised Bei Yinning.

Some Spiritual Wine had made its way to their Netherworld Sect, sold by Tang Lingxiao and those other Cultivators.

She had vaguely heard of it but had never tried it.

Now that Steward Tang mentioned it, Bei Yinning was actually a little tempted.

She didn’t care much for indulging her appetite, but she did want to try the Spiritual Wine.

She hesitated. "Well... alright."

Besides searching everywhere for materials, she had a few other ideas for this trip as well.

Zhou Nvzi grew even more excited. As long as Bei Yinning was willing to stay for a meal, building a good rapport would be much simpler.

’And she really did have important business with the Netherworld Sect!’

And so, Zhou Nvzi led Bei Yinning into the restaurant and ordered a mountain of food.

As Bei Yinning sipped the Spiritual Wine and put a piece of braised pork into her mouth...

...her first thought was...

...that she had lived her past dozen or so years in vain.

Or perhaps the local chefs at the Netherworld Sect were just terrible.