Chapter Nineteen: Another Pretentious Faker?

"I don't believe you at all, you trickster. I won't trust another word you say. Weren't you always telling me to be honest? Shouldn't there be at least some trust between people? You fooled me terribly. I always thought you were just like me, an ordinary person, but in the end, I was the only one who was ordinary..."

Cao He felt so aggrieved he could almost cry. They had grown up together, run the restaurant together, their experiences were nearly identical. Whatever Ye Qiu ate, he ate as well—so why had Ye Qiu suddenly become a master, while he... remained ordinary? The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. He slammed his fist onto the wooden table, and in an instant, the table was reduced to powder.

Yang Xuan: "???"

This is what you call ordinary?

"Unbelievable, you really pulled it off! I almost believed you..." Cao He's sudden display startled everyone, especially Fu Yao, whose heart gave a jolt.

They had always kept their attention fixed on Ye Qiu, never noticing Cao He. But now, upon closer inspection—he was no simple character either!

Fu Yao began to scrutinize him and discovered an immense power hidden within Cao He's body. Though it lacked the righteous aura Ye Qiu possessed, she could tell his cultivation was certainly above the Supreme level.

"My goodness... He's a Supreme cultivator? Wait—this aura, it's even more terrifying than my father's. Could he be at the Pinnacle?"

"What?" Yang Xuan was dumbfounded.

Seriously? Does a restaurant attendant need a Pinnacle-level qualification these days? What kind of celestial restaurant is this? Are you all just trying to bully people?

We worked so hard to enter the Sacred Grounds for cultivation, thinking we'd ascend to glory, only to discover that to even take off, you need to run a restaurant and be an attendant?

"This world is insane! I'm worse off than a restaurant worker—I can't go on..." Yang Xuan's pride was wounded, feeling utterly humiliated.

"Senior brother, don't be discouraged. His power doesn't seem to be cultivated in the usual way, but rather accumulated gradually by eating certain immortal herbs over a long period. It appears he never specifically refined the medicinal properties, so the absorption was quite balanced, with no significant side effects," Fu Yao explained, still deeply shocked inside.

Normally, if they obtained an immortal herb, they would maximize its use. Yet Cao He hadn't done so, instead choosing natural absorption. The downside was the loss of much of the medicinal effect, but the benefit was a tremendously stable foundation. Even if his strength came from eating immortal herbs, it wouldn't impede him much. But... just how many immortal herbs did he eat? What a waste...

"What? Immortal herbs? How did this guy get so many?" Yang Xuan, though somewhat comforted, was even more astonished that Cao He had access to so many.

Fu Yao shook her head, saying, "I don't know—perhaps a senior gave them to him?"

Thinking of Ye Qiu's immortal brews, everyone was suddenly enlightened—this was definitely a wealthy man!

Cao He had no idea what they were discussing, only feeling increasingly stifled. "I can't go on—why am I just ordinary?"

Another pretender, clearly strong yet calling himself ordinary—had there ever been such a show-off? Yang Xuan didn't believe a word; they were just trying to show off.

"Big brother—uh, no, senior, please, sit! Don't tire yourself. Have some tea..."

Yang Xuan approached with a smile—this was another thigh to cling to, sure to bring benefits in the future.

So, all the masters these days are so low-key? Each more adept at pretending than the last. If you weren't paying attention, you’d mistake them for ordinary folk. But is it really fun to pretend to be normal? Why must you all pretend? Is this the master’s way of showing off?

Yang Xuan couldn't fathom their motives; he only knew that once he’d found a powerful ally, he had to hold on tight—nothing but good could come of it.

"Huh? What did you just call me?" Cao He was momentarily confused. Was Yang Xuan out of his mind? The master was over there—why call him?

"Senior, of course. What else would I call you?"

"Are you kidding? I'm just an ordinary person, and you call me senior?" Cao He was speechless. Him, a master? Ridiculous.

Pretending? Still pretending?

Yang Xuan looked at him with disdain. Are all masters like this nowadays? Just love pretending?

Ye Qiu was like this at first, now Cao He was doing the same, not even changing the lines—just pretending outright.

"Senior, I understand, I understand—ordinary person, right? I get it..." Yang Xuan said with a sly smile, making Cao He even more frustrated.

What nonsense do you understand? I'm really just a regular guy—the punch was due to innate strength, not cultivation. I've never practiced any immortal arts; how could I be a master?

Suddenly, Cao He felt he understood Ye Qiu’s feelings—this kind of being misunderstood was rather bewildering.

"Haha... Kid, not bad! Turns out you’re the real master!" Ye Qiu laughed, surprised to find such a hidden powerhouse at his side.

But wait—Cao He was raised by him. He taught him everything, what to learn, what to eat. How could Cao He be a master?

Utter confusion.

This book should be renamed: Who Is the Master? Or Who the Hell Is a Master?

"Boss, stop joking! I'm really not a master—you know me, I've always had this strength since childhood!" Cao He was at a loss, baffled at how he'd suddenly become the master. Where was the real master hiding?

"Senior, don't be so modest. I've seen innate strength before, but shattering a table with a single palm—this is the first. You still say you're not a master?" Yang Xuan retorted, thinking: Stop pretending! Can't you just be honest?

"I..." Cao He didn't know how to explain, so he simply gave up.

"Whatever, you won't believe me anyway. I'm too lazy to explain..." At last, he understood Ye Qiu’s feelings—and it wasn’t so bad. Being called senior over and over felt almost ethereal.

"All right, enough nonsense! Back to business..." Ye Qiu had no interest in debating who was the real master; the crisis outside was still unresolved.

The mountain treasure had flown into his hand, and outside, the crowd gathered like wolves, making Ye Qiu nervous.

"No, maybe I should just toss this thing out? An innocent man with a valuable treasure is bound to attract trouble. This must be some rare artifact—if I keep it, I'll become everyone's target. It's not in my favor, and it's useless to hold onto it. Maybe it's better to let them keep fighting and resolve the crisis?"

Yet, having the treasure in hand, he couldn't bear to give it up.

Such a dilemma!

Ye Qiu, accustomed to poverty, never let go of anything—how could he part with it now?

"Senior, since you have the mountain treasure, why not open it and see what’s inside?" Yang Xuan suddenly suggested. They were all curious about its contents.

Outside, a tense silence had fallen. Everyone surrounded the restaurant, their eyes fixed on it, making Ye Qiu more anxious.

Open it? Not quite appropriate...

"Hey... Xiao Cao, doesn't this box look familiar to you?" Ye Qiu suddenly realized the box looked familiar, but he couldn't recall where he'd seen it.

Cao He took a look, paused, then said, "It does seem a bit familiar. But boss, I think you should go out first—otherwise, they’ll break in soon..."

"Huh?" Ye Qiu's face darkened. So you want me to go out and die, then inherit my estate?

But the situation was indeed tense. If he didn’t go out and make a show, trouble was inevitable.

"Well then, such a perfect chance to show off—if I miss it, wouldn’t that be a pity?" Ye Qiu thought it over and was delighted.

Those outside seemed wary of him, perhaps frightened by the death of the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow. Since that was the case, he could only repeat the trick.

"Keep watch here. I’m going out to make a show—if they try anything, activate the mechanism immediately..." Ye Qiu instructed, then opened the door and walked out with the box.

His appearance stunned everyone outside.

"How can he be so young?"

"Is this the master who struck just now?"

Everyone was dumbfounded, finding it hard to believe.

When Ye Qiu stepped out, Fu Feng trembled inside and lost control of his emotions. "An immortal! This is definitely an immortal! That transcendent aura, the immortal energy flowing—heaven, a true immortal has descended!"

"What? An immortal?" The crowd erupted, their faces pale as they looked at Ye Qiu, not daring to approach.

Ye Qiu had no idea what they were thinking. He strolled out at a leisurely pace.

"Tsk tsk... Look at them, all so frightened—could it be the aura of my showmanship that scared them? Hey, not bad! Seems there are benefits to showing off after all."

Ye Qiu was pleased, finally relaxing. His calm and composed demeanor truly resembled a master at first glance.

He had now mastered the art of showing off. Facing such a grand scene, he wasn’t nervous in the slightest.

Though his status had risen dramatically, his aura hadn’t quite caught up—but that wasn’t a big problem.

"Gentlemen, may I ask what brings you all here today?" Ye Qiu smiled, outwardly calm, inwardly terrified—if anything went wrong, he would flee without hesitation.

He had no other talents, but his ability to escape was unmatched.