Chapter 54: Flattery That Makes One’s Heart Bloom
Lu Rongyu was still too young.
Being too young meant he hadn’t seen much of the world, easily captivated by chicken wings.
Seeing several people staring at him, Lu Rongyu remembered what he had just said and immediately felt a bit embarrassed. He coughed and said, “This… Senior Brother has never eaten such delicious chicken wings before. Your chicken wings really taste good, and I won’t eat them for free.”
Lu Rongyu took out a low-grade spirit stone from his mustard seed bag. “For this mortal food, one spirit stone should be enough, right?”
It was a common understanding that mortal food wasn’t valuable, so Lu Rongyu’s offer was not out of line.
Wu Dahu’s eyes lit up, and he immediately smiled, reaching out to take it. “Oh, Senior Brother, you’re too kind—”
Before he could finish, the Daoist Priest swatted his hand.
Wu Dahu immediately retracted his hand and glared at the Daoist Priest. “What are you doing?”
The Daoist Priest’s face, though plain, always carried an indescribable smile. “Senior Brother, you are too kind. It’s just a meal of chicken wings. If you want to eat them, we can prepare them for you anytime. We are already very grateful that you are willing to take us to First Mountain. Such kindness, helpfulness, noble character, and extraordinary temperament will surely lead you to become a great expert in the future. Meeting you at this time represents our opportunity, and it is our honor.”
“If we were to accept your payment, it would show that we don’t know our place.”
“Moreover, we offered them to you in the first place, so there’s no reason for the host to charge the guest.”
Ma Xiaoniao, Ma Xiaoben, Wu Dahu: “…”
They all felt that the Daoist Priest had a belly full of mischief.
But they had to admit, what he said was quite pleasing to Lu Rongyu.
After all, he was young and inexperienced.
He felt a bit flattered and embarrassed by the Daoist Priest’s few words. “Then… then I can’t just eat for free. I see you don’t have any left for yourselves.”
Wu Dahu came to his senses. “Not at all, not at all. We still have pork trotters. Charcoal grilled pork trotters are also very fragrant. Senior Brother, would you like to try some?”
Having already tasted such good chicken wings, even though pork trotters didn’t sound very elegant.
Lu Rongyu felt it wasn’t impossible to try.
But they didn’t have any left.
Even cultivators in the early Qi Condensation stage need to eat their fill.
Just then, the Daoist Priest added in time, “We will be on First Mountain for a long expedition and have brought plenty of food, as well as seasonings. Honestly, our sect disciples don’t have many other preferences, but they really enjoy this kind of food, so we prepared more.”
Forget about not having any left; with the sect’s remote support, they could ask the System to issue a task to purchase chicken wings, and have players in the sect donate them.
The Daoist Priest cupped his hands towards Lu Rongyu. “If Senior Brother doesn’t mind, you can join us. We’ll handle the training and hunting of demonic beasts, so Senior Brother doesn’t need to worry about that. Senior Brother can focus on his own matters and just return when it’s time to eat.”
That was a good thing to say.
Lu Rongyu needed to train, but he also wanted to come back for meals, so he wouldn’t be far away.
This way, if the Daoist Priest and the others encountered any trouble, Lu Rongyu would discover it quickly.
Lu Rongyu wasn’t entirely unintelligent; he clearly understood the opportunistic intent behind the Daoist Priest’s words.
However, he was hesitating. The chicken wings did taste exceptionally good.
At this moment, the Daoist Priest added, “And it’s not just chicken wings. Our sect excels at many delicious dishes. I wonder if Senior Brother Lu has heard of Dongpo Pork? This dish is rich in oil and soy sauce, fatty but not greasy, with a jade-like appearance. One bite of it, and even an immortal would find it unparalleled. There are also lamb skewers, roujiamo, osmanthus cake, boiled cabbage, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall… and many other gourmet foods from our sect. I can guarantee Senior Brother has never tasted them.”
Wu Dahu: “…”
The earlier ones were fine, but the last two—could you even produce them if you held a knife to a player’s throat?
Not to mention anything else, Wang’an County is not by the sea. The river fish are just ordinary fish and shrimp. Where would you get seafood!
Lu Rongyu, however, was indeed starting to salivate.
There were many mortal delicacies, but he had always felt they were too bland, and the taste was just so-so.
After eating the chicken wings, he truly felt a sense of novelty.
He wasn’t that greedy, but the Daoist Priest had piqued his desire for gourmet food.
“Then… then I’ll try?”
But after saying that, Lu Rongyu coughed. “Are you here to train on First Mountain? In that case, I came here for Tier 2 spirit herbs. I’ll be responsible for collecting some spirit herbs. If I happen to kill any demonic beasts along the way, I’ll give you their materials as payment for my meals. Don’t refuse, or I won’t eat.”
The eyes of the four people lit up instantly.
Holy crap, how could there be such a good thing?!
The Daoist Priest is amazing!
Wu Dahu wished he could pick up the Daoist Priest and throw him into the sky.
The Daoist Priest then exaggeratedly cupped his hands and bowed to Lu Rongyu. “How can there be someone as kind-hearted as Senior Brother Lu in this world? Indeed, our Sect Master was right. The Peach Blossom Sect saves lives and heals the injured, serving as the pillar behind countless cultivators. It is truly great. I believe all the sects in Yunzhou Continent should learn from the Peach Blossom Sect.”
Song Jiulai: ?
She never said that!
Cultivators usually didn’t engage in such pleasantries among themselves.
Lu Rongyu had never heard of such things before.
Don’t cultivators just sell medicine at a fixed price?
Why were they suddenly using such grand terms as “great”?
Not having heard of it didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate it. Lu Rongyu finally felt a bit embarrassed. “How could that be… this is all we should do.”
The Daoist Priest: “See, humility! Senior Brother Lu, with such a temperament, why worry about not reaching the Nascent Soul Stage in the future and glimpsing the Heaven-reaching Great Dao?”
The other three: “…”
Damn, that’s really skillful.
The Daoist Priest’s words were a bit exaggerated. In reality, others might think he was being sarcastic.
But in this context, Lu Rongyu felt, “Yes, he’s so good at talking!”
His face was flushed with joy.
Even though he was only in the late Qi Condensation stage now and hadn’t even felt anything towards Foundation Establishment.
But anyone who embarked on the path of cultivation would yearn for the legendary Ascension.
Normally, cultivators rarely flattered each other.
Because everyone was practical. High-level cultivators didn’t need praise, and praising low-level ones was tasteless. What was the point of all that pretense?
Yet, the Daoist Priest spoke so earnestly, so without hesitation.
It was as if he truly believed it.
Lu Rongyu had indeed fallen for the Daoist Priest’s trick.
Lu Rongyu couldn’t help but grab the Daoist Priest’s hand. “Junior Brother, you’re exaggerating too much. How could Senior Brother reach such a realm?”
The Daoist Priest said with a serious expression, “If Senior Brother Lu’s temperament isn’t enough, then I think we are even less capable.”
Praising others while belittling oneself.
Lu Rongyu’s face was flushed, and he didn’t know what to say. After a long while, he managed to utter, “You came out for training and brought so much food. You must be short on medicine. Do you need any?”
The four people: “…”
Great, they’ve latched onto a fat sheep!
The System, having watched the entire scene.
“Awesome.”
