Chapter 50: For the Love of Humanity, Please Act Like a Decent Person

“Don’t worry, manager. This isn’t the first time—I’ll take good care of the restaurant!” Cao He nodded in agreement, and only then did Ye Qiu feel at ease. He turned and walked into the study.

“What should I bring with me?” Ye Qiu glanced at the small Swallowing Heaven Sparrow perched on his shoulder and asked, “Xiao Hong, what do you think we should take along?” What Ye Qiu didn’t know was that at this moment, the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow was utterly dumbfounded by the treasures it beheld in the study.

“Heavens, what kind of divine treasures are these! I’ve never seen such blatant displays of wealth—this is outrageous…”

“A peerless immortal sword, immortal treasures, and these calligraphy and paintings—just carrying any one of them out could bring about cataclysmic destruction. This guy is far too terrifying. Just those scrolls alone—the ‘Ten Characters of the King of Hell,’ the ‘Mountains and Rivers of the Realm’—each one is a supreme immortal artifact, containing boundless power. They’re even more fearsome than emperor or celestial tools.”

The Swallowing Heaven Sparrow was utterly stunned; words failed to capture its feelings after witnessing the treasures in Ye Qiu’s study.

Of course, Ye Qiu had no idea what it was thinking. He just saw it standing there blankly and felt a bit exasperated.

“Forget it. Asking you is pointless. You silly thing wouldn’t understand anyway…” Ye Qiu ignored it, fetched a box from the corner, added two swords, which he balanced on top of the box, then grabbed his fan, a zither, an umbrella, a hammer… In any case, he took along whatever he could. This was a treasure chest of his own making, capable of holding numerous items.

In truth, Ye Qiu himself didn’t know why he could create such an object. It was simply an accidental result of a failed experiment. During his years wandering, he had this box with him, which was why he always had so many treasures to give away.

“Heh, this chest is really useful! I’ll go to the herb garden and pick some medicinal herbs and fruit as well…”

After packing the study, Ye Qiu went to the rear courtyard’s herb garden. As soon as he entered the garden, the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow was so overwhelmed it fainted on the spot.

“Did it just pass out? Is it hypoglycemic or something?” Ye Qiu paused, puzzled by the little bird’s sudden collapse, thinking it must have fainted from low blood sugar after carrying him on its back for so long.

He couldn’t have known that the real reason for the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow’s swoon was the sight of the treasures growing in his herb garden.

“Heavens, I think I’m about to lose my mind! Yellow Spring Fruit, Jade-Blood Petal Flower, Nine Springs Jade Dew Berry—the three treasures of the Nine Springs gathered here! And you have a whole basket of each? Any one of these herbs could bring the dead back to life, and you have three kinds, in abundance?”

No wonder the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow was so agitated. Each immortal herb in this garden would drive people mad with desire, and Ye Qiu had so many!

It was infuriating—some die with wealth, others with nothing at all…

The gap between rich and poor was simply too vast. The sparrow had thought itself well-off, but seeing this, it realized just how poor it was—it had nothing left but a few mountains of gold.

But there was more to come. The Swallowing Heaven Sparrow’s gaze fell upon a peach grove shrouded in mist in the distance, and it lost consciousness completely.

Heavens, please just strike this man down—he’s too rich…

Even the immortal peaches, which extend one’s life, were grown here by the acre—what a powerhouse.

Oh, don’t hold me back, let me go ruin them…

“What’s wrong with this fellow?” Ye Qiu stared blankly at the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow, still unconscious on the ground, at a loss for what to do.

“Are all these so-called ancient ferocious beasts so fragile? A bit of flying and they faint from low blood sugar?” Ye Qiu said with contempt, attributing the collapse to their earlier flight.

The Swallowing Heaven Sparrow picked itself up off the ground, casting a wounded look at Ye Qiu.

Is that even human speech? None of what you do is remotely normal.

My word, you use immortal herbs to scare me, wielding such authority…

Just look at the treasures in your herb garden—who wouldn’t faint with excitement? I’m already doing well; if it were someone else, they’d have died on the spot…

“Here, since you’ve worked so hard, have a peach! Keep up the good work…” Ye Qiu grinned, plucked a peach, and stuffed it into the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow’s beak, leaving it beside itself with excitement.

“What, good performance means I get an immortal peach? I’ve hit the jackpot. Why bother striving elsewhere—being a worker is the only way forward…”

The Swallowing Heaven Sparrow was overjoyed; it wolfed down the immortal peach and immediately felt its strength surging and its lifespan extend.

This peach was the finest of the finest—how did Ye Qiu manage to grow so many?

Once the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow had recovered, Ye Qiu pondered what else to bring.

“Hmm… I’ll take a basket of peaches for the road, a few bunches of grapes for dessert, some apple leaves, and more of those herbs—better take a bit of everything!”

With that, Ye Qiu got busy, picking with practiced efficiency.

It made the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow’s heart ache. “Heavens, what a waste of treasures! Such priceless immortal herbs, and you treat them like snacks? Are you trying to drive people mad?”

Ye Qiu paid no mind and soon had everything packed, slinging the box over his back.

“Wait…” Ye Qiu suddenly paused. The Swallowing Heaven Sparrow looked on in confusion and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I just realized, if I take this box out with me, won’t that woman recognize it?” Ye Qiu suddenly remembered: Yue Chan might have forgotten what he looked like, but she’d never forget this box. After all, he’d wandered the world with it on his back for years.

“Recognize what?” The Swallowing Heaven Sparrow asked, curious, unaware of Ye Qiu’s history with Yue Chan.

Ye Qiu lowered his voice and said, “Heh, nothing! By the way, you cultivators all know some storage techniques, right? Teach me a few, will you?”

The Swallowing Heaven Sparrow froze for a moment. Was that not the most basic of arts? Even novice cultivators knew it—how could he not?

“Oh, I see, he’s pretending. Unbelievable… still pretending? Brother, is there no trust left between people? You’re already so formidable, yet you act like you know nothing—what’s the point?”

The Swallowing Heaven Sparrow rolled its eyes, utterly baffled by Ye Qiu’s act. By now, everyone knew he was a master—there was no point in pretending.

“Oh, I get it. Elder Fufeng once said, ‘Masters love to act like beginners, because it makes their pretense all the more satisfying.’ So that’s the truth…”

Having figured it out, the Swallowing Heaven Sparrow no longer bothered to answer such ignorant questions from Ye Qiu. This damned poser… asking me such silly things—I refuse to answer.