Chapter 76: The Watcher in the Shadows and Something Dangerous than Restaurant Rivalry

Three Days Later

Yan Ruo stood on the rooftop of the Heaven’s Table building, looking down at the people gathering in the morning. Her spiritual perception probed throughout the district with regular intervals, it was the routine of an old sect elder that she still had not gotten rid of.

Three Foundation Establishment cultivators positioned at key intersections. Six Qi Condensation guards were rotating through the staff quarters. Two Core Formation cultivators disguised themselves as customers inside the restaurant itself.

Hei Lang was somewhere in the shadows as she could never quite pin down where the bear kin went when he wanted to disappear.

She had planned this strategy with fewer loopholes.

The restaurant doors opened and the early morning customers started entering. A mixture of independent cultivators, merchant guards, low level sect disciples soon filled the dining hall.

They were greeted by name when possible, shown to tables without judgment, treated with the same respect whether they ordered the cheapest dish or any other dish.

All of this was what Yan Ruo had spent the past two days observing, gradually coming to understand what truly set Heaven’s Table apart.

The food was certainly exceptional, thanks to Master Chen’s cooking, and the musicians and dancers gave the restaurant an atmosphere few others could match. But neither of those was the real reason it felt different.

It was Dignity.

Every customer received the same level of attention. The staff remembered familiar preferences, exchanged a few words with regulars, and handled even ordinary requests without impatience.

In a world where status often decided how people were treated, that alone made Heaven’s Table stand out.

No wonder someone wanted to destroy it.

Yan Ruo noticed Yu Liang approaching before she heard him.

Her gaze settled on him, and a small doubt surfaced in her mind.

His cultivation was only at the fifth layer of Qi Condensation, yet his spiritual energy felt denser than she expected. It wasn’t enough for her to immediately draw a conclusion, but the difference was certainly there.

’Could it be related to his physique?’ She thought

Physiques were something a person is born with, though some could also be acquired through rare opportunities. Unlike cultivation talent, which mainly determined how easily someone could cultivate, a physique affected the body itself.

Certain special physiques could affect a cultivator’s body and cultivation in ways that weren’t immediately obvious. Some strengthened the physical body, while others influenced the quality of spiritual energy or the speed at which it could be refined.

But when she thought back to their previous meeting, Yan Ruo frowned slightly.

She hadn’t sensed anything unusual from him then.

So why did he feel different?

"How are they adjusting?" he asked, stepping onto the rooftop beside her.

"Better than expected." Yan Ruo kept her eyes on the street. "Yue Ling is already showing improvements, the Meridian Mending Paste is working faster than the healers anticipated. Hei Lang has taken three of the Body Tempering cultivators under his wing for combat training. The twins are arguing over patrol schedules, which means they’re engaged rather than depressed."

"And what about you?" He asked.

She glanced at him. "I’m trying to figure you out."

"Huh? Me? What’s with that all of a sudden? So, what’s your conclusion?" He said puzzledly

"Several actually but none of them are complete." She turned to face him fully. "You really didn’t use the consciousness seals even once in three days."

"What is it exactly your trying to say?" He questioned.

"My point is that you’re either the most elaborate manipulator I’ve ever met, or you genuinely care about people." She studied his face. "I haven’t decided which is more dangerous."

Yu Liang smiled slightly. "Can’t it be both?"

"It doesn’t matter if you’re doing it for manipulation but It’s much worse if you’re doing it out of genuine concern because this means that once someone attempts to ruin this, it will affect you personally." She lowered her voice slightly. "Personal grudges always turn people into messes."

Yu Liang let out a quiet laugh. "Yeah, yeah. I’ll keep that in mind."

He leaned against the roof’s edge. "Anything else?"

"The last attack failed, but that doesn’t mean the next one will." Yan Ruo glanced at him. "What if they send someone stronger next time? Keep an eye out for anything unusual. If you notice anyone suspicious, let me know."

Yu Liang nodded. "That’s why I have you guys."

Yan Ruo paused then laughed, that genuine sound of laughter caught him slightly off guard. "Flattery and faith in crippled cultivators. You really are either brilliant or suicidal."

"Again, can’t it be—"

"Yes, yes. Both." She shook her head. "I heard you the first time."

After everything she had seen over the past few days she came to the conclusion that Yu Liang was unusually open about what he thought and what he wanted. He didn’t seem interested in putting on airs or hiding behind complicated words. What he said was usually what he meant.

Maybe that was why she found herself taking his words more seriously than she should.

She wanted to believe him.

And that was the truly dangerous part.

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.

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Blood Shadow District - That Evening

Master Huo was sitting at his personal desk, counting his spirit stones for the third time. They were always the same, but counting them always gave him a sense of accomplishment.

That simple transaction with the young brat had brought in more spiritual stones than he had ever handled at once. It was the largest sale in the history of the Iron Chain Syndicate.

His commission alone would be enough to push his cultivation higher, perhaps even buy himself a decent estate. If he played his cards right, it might even be enough to get the attention of one of the noble clans.

A knock interrupted his fantasizing.

"Enter."

The door opened, revealing a man who raised Master Huo’s instict which screamed danger in response. The tall, lanky man was wearing dark robes which looked like they were sucking up all the light. He had his cultivation suppressed, but Huo could feel the strength within him was at least Core Formation.

"Mr. Huo." His voice was cold. "I hope that I’m not disturbing you."

"Not at all, honorable guest. How can the Iron Chain Syndicate assist you?" While Master Huo’s businesslike smile was reflexive, his hand instinctively moved toward the emergency talisman beneath his desk.

"I’m interested in information about a recent transaction. A young man who purchased your entire stock three days ago." The man sat without being invited. "I heard that he paid twenty one billion mid grade spiritual stones in cash."

Huo’s smile froze. "I’m afraid client confidentiality—"

A jade slip appeared on the desk. Huo picked it up cautiously and checked the contents, only to nearly choke when he saw the figure.

Five hundred million mid grade spirit stones.

"For information," the man said pleasantly. "Names, descriptions, anything unusual about the buyer. And before you consider lying or refusing, understand that I already know most of it. I’m simply testing whether you’re worth keeping alive."

Master Huo’s mouth went dry. "The... The buyer called himself Yu Liang. Mid twenties maybe, fifth layer of Qi Condensation Realm. He was dressed well with emerald and gold but there were no clan markings on him. I couldn’t tell where he came from."

"Sect affiliation?"

"None that I could see. Ohh, and he had a young woman with him named Meihua, I think. I looked into her after they left. She’s an attendant at the Mystic Pavilion."

The man’s eyebrow rose. "Interesting. Continue."

"He had no question about the cost and didn’t even negotiate nor faltered in face of the amount. He simply offered me a storage ring with the entire amount as if it was nothing." Huo licked his lips nervously. "From my experiences, such carelessness in wealth suggests either great sect backing or..."

"Or?"

"Or family inheritance like Young master from a hidden clan.... maybe. Because of that he doesn’t understand the value of money because they’ve never lacked it."

"Hmm." The man stood, and Huo flinched involuntarily. "This Yu Liang... did he say why he needed so many slaves?"

"He said something about protection. That’s all. He didn’t say anything more."

"One hundred and forty guards for protection?" The man smiled coldly. "They must be paranoid or expecting some real trouble. Do you where he is?"

"In the Western District. After some digging he’s a restaurant owner that’s been getting quite a bit of attention lately. From what I’ve heard, some of the other restaurants aren’t too happy about the competition."

"I’m sure they have." The man moved toward the door, then paused. "Mr. Huo, you’ve been very helpful. As a reward, I’m going to give you some advice."

"Advice, honored guest?"

"Forget this conversation ever happened. Forget I was here. If anyone asks about Yu Liang, tell them you sold to a representative of the Mystic Pavilion and nothing more." His smile widened. "Because if I hear my name connected to this inquiry, I’ll come back. And next time, I won’t be paying for information."

He left before Master Huo could respond. He sat there frozen for a full minute after the door closed. Then he grabbed the emergency talisman and crushed it, sending an alert to Syndicate headquarters.

Whatever that young fool Yu Liang had gotten himself involved in, it was clearly bigger and more dangerous than a simple restaurant rivalry.