Ashy Bean called out, but receiving no response from the kitchen, she walked straight in.

During the previous meal at the diner, if Meng Junzi had extended his Immortal Sense, he would’ve found that Ashy Bean was not alone in the kitchen; there were two people.

The porridge that Meng Junzi ate was made by the other person.

A woman dressed in a sky-blue dress was wiping the stove in the kitchen, methodically cleaning various cooking utensils and placing them into the Storage Ring.

She turned her head to look at Ashy Bean, who was peering in through the lifted door curtain, sighed deeply, but did not stop her hands from working.

"Why bother fighting with him? If you don’t make a move, who would know you’re an Immortal?"

Ashy Bean went over to help Qinghe pack things up, "Seeing him reminded me of the Yingtian Immortal, just felt annoyed. If I am pursuing Transcendence, why should I suppress myself?"

Qinghe shook a small bottle used for holding salt, which was empty, "That’s why we need to move now."

Whether Ashy Bean left Meng Junzi alive or not, the small diner had been exposed. Ashy Bean wasn’t afraid of anyone other than Yun Zhi, but she still found it troublesome.

Rather than waiting for trouble to come knocking, it’s better to move somewhere else and continue the business.

After all, the Cultivation World is so vast; anywhere will do.

As they spoke, the two had already packed everything into the Storage Ring.

Actually, if Qinghe desired, she could’ve swept everything into the Storage Ring with a single gesture, but she chose to pack item by item because she felt there was a sense of ritual to it.

If the real adult were here, she would probably do the same.

The two strolled in the rain without any presence, as if invisible. Even if passersby rushed past or if the heavily guarded city gate sentinels were present, none noticed them.

"We’ve stayed in Celestial King City for so long, it’s quite good to change places," Ashy Bean initiated the conversation.

"Little Lotus, do you want to continue staying in Buddha Country or switch to another place?"

Qinghe didn’t follow the conversation and turned her head to ask, "Why do you keep me around? If you’re pursuing Transcendence, wouldn’t killing me take you a step further? There’s no need to save me for last."

Ashy Bean’s brows slightly furrowed, showing an imperceptible wrinkle. Reluctant to discuss the topic, she still said, "After I revived, it was you who were always with me. Since you can’t escape anyway, why should I be in a hurry to kill you?"

She paused, then added as if compelled by some unknown force, "If after killing everyone, I am infinitely close to Transcendence and still unable to defeat the murderer, it won’t be too late to kill you then."

Qinghe fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said.

"Watch your words. You aren’t ’revived’, you are not her, and you will never become her."

"What did you say!"

Ashy Bean flew into a rage, grabbing Qinghe by the neck. Fury blazed in her eyes, her fingers applying slight pressure, as if she could snap Qinghe’s neck at any moment.

"Don’t think I will definitely save you for last!"

Ashy Bean tore through the Spiritual Qi Shield protecting Qinghe. The rain poured down heavily, instantly soaking Qinghe.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Through the gaps in her wet hair, Qinghe looked at Ashy Bean with a derisive gaze, completely fearless, "You don’t even know your own name."

Ashy Bean looked into Qinghe’s resigned eyes, released her grip, and let Qinghe go with a cold snort.

"I will have my own name."

...

Meng Junzi was limping, supported into the Western Paradise Temple by the Meng Family’s Transcendance Tribulation Stage ancestor.

"Ouch—"

He had just sat on the bed when he touched a wound inadvertently and the pain made him stand up straight away.

How did he end up like this when he was just in Buddha Country to enjoy blessings?

Master Mingyu was greatly startled to see Meng Junzi in such a state. When had such an eminent figure come to Buddha Country, capable of beating Meng Junzi to such an extent?

"Ancestor, the investigation results of the small diner have come out," the Meng Family’s Transcendance Tribulation Stage ancestor said with utmost respect.

Although they had captured Bai Hun, Bai Hun was not the focus now; the focus was the cooking maid who claimed to be the first Immortal of Ancient Times.

"Tell me, what have you found out?"

"From the testimonies of neighbors and those living nearby, that small restaurant at the end of the alley has been there for ten years. Hardly anyone goes there to eat, and it seems that anyone who has eaten there loses their memory. They forget what the restaurant owner looks like and what they themselves had eaten."

"Memory loss?" Meng Junzi raised his eyebrow, his interest piqued. How could someone just lose their memory all of a sudden?

Was it a deliberate result of the cooking maid’s actions?

For what reason?

"Forget it, you continue the investigation of the Ruthless Sect here, I’ll go back for now."

Meng Junzi felt it necessary to consult with Old Jiang and Daoist Yun Zhi about the day’s events.

...

The Seek Dao Sect.

"Daoist Yun Zhi, that’s what happened. The founder of the Qi Cultivation System must be an ancient being beyond belief."

Yun Zhi looked at Meng Junzi with a strange gaze. The Grey Immortal spared your life.

Take on causality with a non-existent identity, so Meng Junzi won’t generate causality with the Grey Immortal?

Perhaps it’s better not to tell Meng Junzi the true identity of the Grey Immortal, lest she sets her sights on him.

With a slightly emotional tone, Yun Zhi said, "I never expected that the immortal who fought with me in the East Sea was the founder of the Qi Cultivation System. No wonder she was tough to deal with."

Meng Junzi: "..."

When you say tough to deal with, do you mean how you made her flee in a sorry state?

"Right, did you say that everyone who went to her restaurant to eat lost their memory?" Yun Zhi remembered another important point that Meng Junzi had mentioned.

"Yes, Daoist Yun Zhi, do you know what’s going on with that?"

Yun Zhi leaned back in the Emperor’s Chair, rhythmically rocking the armrest while the bells tied to her wrist jingled.

As the sound of the bells faded, Yun Zhi opened her eyes, having conceived some ideas.

"In my opinion, there are two possibilities."

"The first is that she used the power of the Dao Fruit while cooking. As a result, anyone who ate the food would lose their memory. However, you didn’t detect the power of the Dao Fruit in the gruel she served you, so the first possibility is unlikely."

"And the second possibility?"

"The second possibility is that she’s gradually approaching the Transcendent Realm. An immortal’s forgetfulness trait has amplified, automatically severing some minor causality, causing ordinary people to forget about her."

Meng Junzi drew a sharp breath. If that was the case, then this founder of the Qi Cultivation System was terrifyingly powerful, no wonder he couldn’t defeat her.

"However, these are just hypotheses, after all, I’ve never encountered such an immortal," Yun Zhi cautioned, implying her words should not be taken as the absolute truth.

...

The news of the battle between the two immortals quickly spread throughout the Buddha Country.

"A duel between two immortals in Celestial King City?" Lu Yang was quite surprised when he heard the news.

No, he was actually quite happy.

At last, it was proven that major events didn’t only happen where he was. He had never heard of Celestial King City before, and it absolutely had nothing to do with him.

"Which two immortals were fighting?" Lu Yang asked Meng Jingzhou, who had gathered this information.

"One of them is an ancestor of mine, the other I’m not sure about," Meng Jingzhou said.

"But it was said that while my ancestor, Cha Wuqing, was looking for the whereabouts of the Ruthless Sect, he accidentally encountered another immortal. A misunderstanding ensued, leading to the fight."

"...Your ancestor coming to the Buddha Country has nothing to do with me, right? I’m just a messenger," Lu Yang pointed out.

Meng Jingzhou patted Lu Yang on the shoulder, saying earnestly, "No, it has nothing to do with either of us."