Chapter 81: A Street Full of Food-Loving Cultivators

Wang Sheng read through the messages on Shen Qianlin's phone one by one, feeling relatively calm.

Now that the world's primal qi has returned, why should only cultivators be allowed to cultivate? Why must we remain ordinary people?

This is a conspiracy by the righteous sects of the sacred mountains! They claim that ordinary people cannot cultivate, but in a nation as large as the Hua Republic, less than a percent of the population can cultivate! Even if someone lacks talent, shouldn't they at least have access to methods that extend their lifespan and keep them healthy?

If we don't stand up against this injustice and continue living in ignorance, will our parents, siblings, and future children be forced to rely on the mercy of cultivators just to survive?

That's right! We must take a stand!

Everyone has the right to cultivate! Why should the big sects have a monopoly over cultivation techniques and resources?

It was clear that someone was deliberately stirring up trouble. The chat records showed that only a handful of people were making all the noise, most likely former members of the Supernatural Revelation Club.

University students were more susceptible to manipulation than those already in the professional world. However, with modern information being so accessible, trying to incite an uprising with just a few words was nothing more than the fantasy of those who had watched too many historical dramas.

The food street they were heading to wasn't far from Shen Qianlin's university. As they neared their destination, Wang Sheng handed the phone back to her.

"Have the professors of those people called them in for a talk?" he asked.

"How did you know?" Shen Qianlin blinked in surprise. "I heard from my classmates that one of them got a warning for their attitude, and their parents were even called in. They were almost suspended."

"The club leader wouldn't be foolish enough to think they could incite students into action. If these people are doing this deliberately, then they're likely trying to divert the police's attention. If they aren't, then they genuinely hold this resentment."

He was all too familiar with this kind of anti-cultivator sentiment.

"

Oh?

" Jingyun said. "May I take a look?"

Shen Qianlin quickly handed the phone over.

Jingyun browsed the messages in silence until they got out of the car; her delicate eyebrows remained slightly knitted.

It wasn't until they arrived at a hotpot restaurant that Jingyun finally returned the phone to Shen Qianlin. She sighed softly but said nothing more.

Their destination was a well-known, long-established hotpot restaurant in the area. The doorman, spotting Wang Sheng in his Daoist robe, couldn't help but take a second look. However, he didn't seem particularly surprised.

Stepping inside, Wang Sheng immediately noticed that quite a few cultivators shared his enthusiasm for food.

To the right, three dignified Kun Daoists were seated, chatting casually as they ordered. To the left, seven or eight Daoists sat in the corner of the main hall. With their sleeves rolled up, they fished food out of a large divided hotpot and ate with great enthusiasm.

This was clear proof that the Celestial Master Secret Scroll had drawn many cultivators to this city.

"Table for three, right? This way, please," the waiter greeted.

Shen Qianlin replied, "Yes. Can you please find us a quiet spot? Thank you."

"Certainly. We've got just the table for you on the second floor..."

As they walked up, Wang Sheng sensed a few strands of spiritual consciousness probing them. He quietly concealed his cultivation level, choosing to ignore it.

Most of the attention was directed at Jingyun. As they ascended the stairs, Wang Sheng used his spiritual consciousness to pick up hushed conversations.

"Isn't that the young sword cultivator from Mount Wudang?"

"Who's the Kun Daoist with him? I can't sense a single thing from her."

"Don't pry. She's likely an expert beyond the Seed Formation Realm. Best not to offend her."

"Infinite gods above, even an Illusory Core cultivator has shown up? This mess just keeps getting deeper..."

"Alright, alright. Let's eat. This red-and-white hotpot is fantastic. The mortal world has its perks, too."

Wang Sheng retracted his spiritual consciousness. He waited for his martial aunt to take a seat, sat down beside her, and then exchanged a smile with Shen Qianlin. "Senior, order whatever you like. This meal is on me."

Shen Qianlin blinked. "Weren't we supposed to have dinner on my tab? Can you even afford this? You've been cultivating in the mountains..."

"Why not? Performing rituals and exorcisms pays quite well," Wang Sheng said with a wave of his hand. "Eat as much as you want. If you manage to bankrupt me, I'll just go find the people who asked for my help and get reimbursed."

Jingyun smiled warmly at their exchange, her gaze carrying the kindness of an elder. "If only you were this lively all the time, Fei Yu."

"Am I?" Wang Sheng chuckled awkwardly.

Having lived over thirty years across two lifetimes, he had never expected someone to describe him as lively. At least she didn't describe him as "cute."

The hotpot turned out to be one of the best meals that Wang Sheng had eaten since he started cultivating. Even Jingyun couldn't resist indulging in the feast.

They left the restaurant a little past 8:00 PM. Wang Sheng suggested taking a stroll through the food street, and Shen Qianlin readily agreed.

Noticing something about Shen Qianlin, Jingyun decided to help her. "I see a tea house over there. I'll go sit inside for a while. You two youngsters can take your time exploring."

"Martial Aunt, that place isn't for drinking tea..."

Wang Sheng had just opened his mouth to stop her, but she was already gone.

Jingyun seemed to walk at a leisurely pace, yet with just a few steps, she had already weaved through the crowd and traveled ten meters.

Even more strangely, no one around seemed to take notice of her. It was as if she had melted into the street scene, blending seamlessly with the passing pedestrians.

Shen Qianlin's eyes widened. The gentle and elegant woman, who had just been helping her pick food from the hot pot, thoroughly impressed her.

Wang Sheng had no choice but to put his hand down and watch helplessly as his celestial-like martial aunt entered a bar with a sign that simply read "Tea." He couldn't help but wonder what expression she would make the moment she saw its interior.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

However, even though Wang Sheng waited for a while, Jingyun didn't come back out. It seemed she was quite satisfied with the place.

Shen Qianlin finally snapped out of her daze and whispered in admiration, "Your martial aunt is incredible. There were so many people on the street, yet she moved so far in just a few steps..."

"That's what you call a true expert." Wang Sheng smiled and slightly lifted the longsword in his hand. "Let's look around. This could be the only bit of free time I'd get."

"Did something happen again?"

Shen Qianlin glanced at a group of young cultivators passing by. Their attire was similar to Wang Sheng's, all dressed in Daoist robes, though none carried weapons.

"Yeah, it's still related to the last incident. It hasn't been completely resolved yet," Wang Sheng said while scanning the surroundings with his spiritual consciousness. He chuckled. "Most cultivators are food lovers. I've already run into over a dozen just in this short walk."

"Are you going to keep that sword with you the whole time?" Shen Qianlin asked in a hushed tone. "Aren't cultivators supposed to have those storage pouches? Like the ones in stories, where you can just

whoosh

and put things away?"

Wang Sheng nodded and started spouting nonsense with a straight face. "Those are exclusive to high-level cultivators. You have to use Daoist arts to create a miniature wormhole leading to a stable three-dimensional space, which requires a tremendous amount of energy. It's really difficult to do."

"Really? Since when did cultivation start involving physics?"

"It hasn't. Right now, cultivation has only just started to recover. The older generations of experts haven't figured out how to craft storage artifacts yet. Even if some do exist, they're mostly ancient relics and are far too rare."

Shen Qianlin rolled her eyes. She wanted to argue but didn't even know where to begin.

Wang Sheng laughed and turned slightly, pulling out his phone to snap a few photos of the street.

Since his food-loving senior sister couldn't be with him in person, he decided to at least send her some pictures to make her envious.

Holding her small purse, Shen Qianlin strolled beside Wang Sheng, casually enjoying the lively food street. If they were any closer, they could even be mistaken for a couple. Sometimes, Wang Sheng would share amusing stories from his cultivation on the mountain, and other times, Shen Qianlin would talk about funny moments at school.

As they reached a quieter section of the street with fewer stalls and pedestrians, Wang Sheng glanced down at Shen Qianlin's feet and then pointed to a nearby drink stand. "Let's take a break here and grab something to drink."

Sitting down at a roadside table, Wang Sheng placed Abyss Listener in front of him and scanned the surroundings with his spiritual consciousness. He didn't sense any other cultivators nearby.

Filled with curiosity, Shen Qianlin pointed at his sword and whispered, "Can I take a look at your treasured sword?"

"Sure, I'll just lift the cloth a little... There, see? Pretty impressive, right?"

"It's actually real..."

"Of course! Why would I carry a fake one?"

At the next table, two girls misheard their conversation. They hurriedly paid their bill, grabbed each other's hands, and left. One even shot Wang Sheng a glance—part confusion, part disdain, and a hint of curiosity.

Shen Qianlin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she steered the conversation toward a less suggestive topic. "Your senior sister and martial aunt are really beautiful."

"Yeah. They've been cultivating on the mountain since they were kids," Wang Sheng replied casually. He glanced at his phone and saw that Mu Wanxuan had flooded him with memes. He couldn't help but laugh.

As he had expected, the photos utterly frustrated her. Honestly, the fact that their mountain even had a signal was quite a miracle.

"How long are you staying this time?" Shen Qianlin asked hesitantly.

"I'm not sure. It depends on when things get settled. Probably two or three days."

Wang Sheng put his phone away and sighed. "I thought I'd be able to focus on cultivating after returning last time, but I keep getting dragged back into things."

"Is this incident more serious? You even have your sword with you."

After the server placed their drinks on the table, Wang Sheng lowered his voice. "Yeah. There are good and corrupt cultivators. Last time I didn't have my weapon with me, I ran into two evil ones and got caught off guard. If I had my sword, things would've been much easier. Right now, this city is a mix of all sorts, and without my sword, my combat abilities would be cut in half."

Shen Qianlin frowned slightly. "Are you in danger?"

"It's fine. With my martial aunt here, I can take it easy—"

Before he could finish, he heard Jingyun's voice in his mind.

—Fei Yu, come assist me. There is a corrupt cultivator in the tea house attempting to harm someone. Don't let him escape.

Wang Sheng's expression sharpened. Looking at Shen Qianlin, he quickly made a decision. He tossed a couple of bills onto the table, grabbed Abyss Listener with his left hand, and reached out with his right to pull Shen Qianlin to her feet.

"There's trouble. My martial aunt needs help!"

"Wait, what?!"

Before she could say anything else, Wang Sheng pulled her along, sprinting back the way they had come.

She looked up at his side profile, feeling the warmth of his presence surrounding her. She wanted to say something but found herself at a loss for words.

Behind them, the drink stand's cashier gave chase, waving at them. "Hey, come back! You didn't pay enough! Two drinks cost fifty-eight! You're still short twenty-eight, man!"