Chapter Twenty-Six: The Old Rogue

“All right! You’re quite large—can you make yourself a bit smaller?”
Ye Qiu glanced around. He felt that this fellow was simply too big; the tavern could hardly accommodate him.

The Sky-Swallowing Sparrow rolled its eyes as if to say, “I am a noble Sky-Swallowing Sparrow with a bloodline from the ancient wilderness, and you’re asking me such an ignorant question?”

“Of course I can, Master…”
Little Red chirped cheerfully. Following such a big shot, eating and drinking well with nothing to do but act cute—wasn’t that a good life? Who cared about dignity? That could wait for another day.

With a long cry, the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow soared into the sky, circled once, and then began to shrink rapidly, transforming into a small red bird that gently landed on Ye Qiu’s shoulder.

“Oh… Not bad! You really can change size—impressive…”
Ye Qiu grinned, then pointed to a mulberry tree in front of the tavern. “There—that’s your little nest now! From now on, you’ll be in charge of watching the door…”

The Sky-Swallowing Sparrow: “???”

What? Guard the door?

Damn it, isn’t that a job for dogs? You want me to stand guard? What about my dignity?

The Sky-Swallowing Sparrow was immediately displeased. As a fearsome beast of the ancient wilderness, how could it possibly stoop to such work? If this got out, wouldn’t the other beasts laugh themselves to death?

“What’s this? Not willing?”
Seeing the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow showing some resistance, Ye Qiu’s face darkened, instantly scaring the Sparrow half to death.

I’ll endure!

Though it was unwilling, what could it do? This man was invincible. It couldn’t fight him, nor could it run away. It might as well try to comply—perhaps it could even earn a few immortal fruits to taste.

“No, no! I’m very willing, I love this job…”
The Sky-Swallowing Sparrow quickly said, then flew straight toward the mulberry tree.

Ye Qiu nodded to himself, secretly pleased. “Heh heh, with a fierce beast like this, I’ve got myself a true backer. Let’s see who dares to cause trouble here in the future—I’ll burn them to ashes…”

The beast itself seemed not to realize that the greatest pillar here was in fact him. Perhaps it was habit, but Ye Qiu never truly thought of himself as a real master.

He could sense the vast, righteous energy inside himself, but he had no idea how to use it. Over the years, he’d learned a bit of everything, all sorts of skills and miscellaneous arts, but not a single one was about fighting.

This was truly vexing!
No matter how strong your cultivation, if you can’t fight, you’re still useless. His resilience was high, his speed was decent, but when it came to showing off—there was no way.

“Senior…”
As Ye Qiu headed for the tavern, Fu Feng and the others approached, greeting him with smiles.

“Huh? You’re still here?”
Ye Qiu was surprised; he’d thought they had left.

Fu Feng replied, “Senior, we’ve just come out of the Forbidden Zone, body and spirit exhausted. We’d like to rest here for a few days…”

“Hmm, all right… But friends or not, you still have to pay for your stay!”

Fu Feng smiled awkwardly. “Don’t worry, Senior, we won’t short you a single coin…”

“All right, it’s already late—let’s talk inside.”
With calm composure, Ye Qiu turned and led the way back into the tavern.

After Ye Qiu left, Tian Zhong, the junior disciple behind Fu Feng, asked in confusion, “Senior Brother, everyone else is out there fighting for treasures and opportunities—why are we lingering here? Aren’t we missing out?”

Fu Feng chuckled, a hint of scorn in his tone. “Treasures? Compared to the ones Senior possesses, what do you think those even count for?”

“Let me tell you, the man before us is definitely a true immortal. The treasures he owns are rare and unimaginable to us.”

Everyone nodded silently, deeply agreeing with his words. By now, no one dared question Ye Qiu’s strength or the depths of his background.

Tian Zhong said gravely, “Senior Brother, it seems we must build a good relationship with the Senior. For our sect, this could be a turning point… If we could just receive a little guidance from him, it would be a stroke of fortune. Not to mention… his unfathomable power. If he wished, I believe he could destroy the entire Great Wilderness.”

“You’re right. It’s hard to imagine that such a peerless figure exists in this world. Perhaps this is the turning point for our sect.
A great catastrophe is coming, life will be wiped out; the crisis we face is unprecedented. Rather than scrambling for fate and fortune, it would be better to board the Senior’s ship—perhaps we could survive the disaster…”

Fu Feng’s mood was somber. He could sense that this upheaval in the wilderness was no accident, but the result of someone’s deliberate manipulation.

His words made everyone’s hearts tremble. Tian Zhong asked in confusion, “Senior Brother, do you mean… this calamity is being orchestrated from the shadows?”

“Yes, I have a feeling. Didn’t you notice, back at the Dark Ruins, that ominous presence that appeared out of nowhere and vanished just as suddenly?
I suspect that deep in the darkness, something terrifying is lurking. If it emerges into the world, it will spell devastation.”

Hearing this, everyone’s faces grew uneasy and fearful. Their gazes were fixed on the dilapidated tavern, a thousand thoughts running through their minds.

Tian Zhong nodded. “But how do we build a good relationship with the Senior? True masters all have their own ways, and most are eccentric—it’s not easy.”

“That is a problem…”
“Wait… Senior Brother, I just remembered! Isn’t our Yaoyao still unmarried? Hehehe…”

“Huh?”
Tian Zhong’s face suddenly took on a sly expression. As soon as Fu Yao heard this, her cheeks flushed bright red.

Why drag me into this for no reason?
Fu Yao thought nervously.

Fu Feng glanced at Fu Yao and saw her bashful expression, her cheeks glowing. As someone who had lived for thousands of years and seen it all, he immediately understood—this girl was interested…

He’d never seen Fu Yao act so demure before; this definitely meant something.

It’s over! After all these years of raising a holy maiden, is she to be handed over as a concubine to some protagonist, Dragon King, or Asura Son-in-law?

“Yaoyao, what do you think?”
Fu Feng asked deliberately. Fu Yao, flustered, refused immediately, “No, Father, you promised me! I’ll handle my own affairs—you’re not to interfere…”

“All right, Father won’t interfere! But you must work hard…”
Fu Feng said with a wicked grin, already envisioning Fu Yao’s future.

Just think—who wouldn’t be moved by someone like Ye Qiu? Handsome, talented, highly cultivated, gentle, approachable, with the aura of an immortal, dressed in flowing white—a perfect man in every way.

Even this old man is tempted to offer myself.

Ahem… A slip of the tongue.

It’s a nice thought, but… what daughter could possibly be worthy of Ye Qiu? It seems none are qualified.

“Tch, you old rascal…”
Fu Yao grumbled, fully aware of what Fu Feng was implying.