Chapter 82: The Righteous Facade
Daoist Heiyu lounged on the silk cushions, popping another spirit fruit into his mouth as he watched the Sun family's servants scurry about. The sweet juice trickled down his chin, and he made no move to wipe it away, letting it stain his pure white robes.
Let them clean it up - that's what servants were for, after all.
"More wine, Venerable One?" A young servant girl approached with a jade pitcher.
"Ah, yes, yes." He replied with his best wise-elder voice, the one that had fooled countless sects over the centuries. "But remember, young one - wine is like cultivation. One must savor each drop with mindfulness, lest the spirit become clouded."
The girl's eyes widened at his "wisdom," and he had to suppress a snicker. These mortals were all the same - so desperate for profound insights that they'd find deep meaning in absolute nonsense. He could probably tell them that picking their nose was a secret cultivation technique, and they'd do it religiously.
As she poured the wine, he reflected on how absurdly easy this whole situation had been.
A week ago, he'd been laying low in some backwater village, trying to avoid his old "associates" from the Blood Moon Sect. Then the Sun family's representatives had shown up, practically begging for a powerful cultivator to help them deal with their Wei family problem.
It had been almost insulting how simple the task was. Those Elemental Realm cultivators the Wei family had hired might as well have been mortals compared to him. One blast of Stellar Realm qi had been enough to turn them to ash. The "mysterious deaths" had sent exactly the message the Sun family wanted - cross us, and you'll disappear.
And now? Now he was being treated like an immortal descended from the heavens. The finest foods, the most expensive wines, servants attending to his every whim. All for killing a few insects that weren't even worth the effort of drawing his sword.