Chapter 3405: Patriarch Wang’s Shock

Daoist Chu, on the other hand, looked calm, refined, and approachable. He held his cup with impeccable grace, sipping quietly as he observed the others with interest.

Dongxu Wang cleared his throat and decided to attempt conversation.

"Daoist Chu," he began carefully, "pardon my curiosity, but may I ask where you hail from? I do not recognize your name, and yet your bearing suggests great heritage."

Daoist Chu smiled politely. "Your perception is admirable, Patriarch Dongxu. It is normal that you have not heard of me. We are not from this world, nor from this court. Our origins lie in the Western Immortal Court. I am a Core Disciple of the Zenith Dao Sect and a trainee within the court."

The patriarch froze so suddenly that his cup nearly slipped from his fingers.

"The... the Zenith Dao Sect?" he repeated, his voice cracking slightly.

"Indeed."

Even Dongxu Ning, who had been talking to Meng Bai, looked over in shock.

Few names carried as much weight as Zenith Dao Sect.

Even in the Eastern Immortal Court, it was considered one of the great mountain tops of cultivation that only legends could touch. They were ancient, powerful, and incomprehensibly strict in choosing disciples.

Dongxu Wang hurriedly bowed his head. "This unworthy one begs forgiveness for my earlier casual greeting. Had I known—"

Daoist Chu chuckled. "No need to be so tense. I rarely announce my affiliation. We are simply travelers fulfilling a task and using this time to let our junior member grow."

The patriarch nodded slowly, sweat forming on his palms. "I see... I see... Your group truly carries great destiny."

He hesitated before asking what he genuinely wished to know.

"And the others... if I may ask... what are their backgrounds?"

Daoist Chu lifted a brow slightly, fully aware this was probing, but he did not seem bothered. "Cattaleya is of the Duskthorn lineage. But you will not know them. They live very far from this region and rarely leave their ancestral grounds."

Dongxu Wang nodded hesitantly, not realizing that "very far" meant realms upon realms away.

"As for Lin Mu," Daoist Chu continued, "he belongs to no clan or sect. He is an independent cultivator."

That answer stunned the patriarch even more.

’Independent?’

A man who could not be measured by his immortal sense.

A man who ate more than any beast he had ever seen.

A man whose companions included a monstrous body cultivator, a core disciple of Zenith Dao Sect, a mysterious wolfkin, a pair of strange twin snakes, and a beast who looked so cute as if blessed by heaven.

What kind of "independent cultivator" lived like this?

Dongxu Wang had half a thought that Lin Mu might be the illegitimate son of some ancient celestial or an exiled monarch of a forgotten kingdom. But he wisely kept that thought to himself.

He swallowed hard. "I... I see. I must admit, this is truly an honor. I worried earlier that joining you was inappropriate. Now I fear it is the other way around."

Daoist Chu chuckled lightly. "Be at ease. We are here to celebrate. No need to stiffen yourself."

But Dongxu Wang could not relax. Even his daughter could not relax.

Especially when Lin Mu reached for the next platter.

Dongxu Ning whispered to Meng Bai, "Does he always eat like this?"

Meng Bai nodded with absolute honesty. "He is being modest today."

Dongxu Ning nearly dropped her cup.

The patriarch, hearing that, silently mourned the restaurant’s kitchen staff.

He watched Lin Mu devour an entire plate of dragon pepper duck in three bites, then turned back to Daoist Chu with a tight smile.

"This meal... is quite something."

Daoist Chu raised his cup. "Welcome to our world."

The patriarch nodded slowly.

Yes... this was definitely no longer a simple meal.

It was a gathering of dragons wearing the guise of mortals.

And he, a fairly ordinary patriarch, was sitting among them.

The feast finally drew to a close only when Lin Mu placed down the last empty platter of his sixtieth round. His appetite still felt comfortable, not even close to full, but he glanced toward the doorway where a line of waiters leaned weakly against the wall.

Their expressions were those of soldiers returning from battle. One chef even had a towel on his head and looked ready to pass out on the spot.

Lin Mu decided that perhaps mercy was appropriate.

He folded his hands politely. "This should be enough for today. The food was good."

The waiter nearest to him almost cried in relief. "Y-yes, senior, we are glad it suited your taste."

Lin Mu called for the bill. The same exhausted waiter hurried off and returned with a jade slip that displayed the total. He looked nervous, as if presenting a death sentence. With trembling fingers, he set the bill on the table.

Patriarch Dongxu Wang only glanced at it out of habit. The moment he saw the number, he inhaled so sharply he almost coughed out his soul.

’Over ten thousand high grade immortal stones?’

His hands froze. His mind went blank. Even his heartbeat seemed to pause in shock.

’Ten thousand high grade immortal stones... for food.’

In the Dongxu Clan, this was the equivalent of an entire month of resources for their elite disciples. It was the amount he usually reserved only for rare materials or emergency clan matters.

Even right now he barely had that much liquid amount in his storage pouch.

The patriarch nearly felt his knees give out. His first instinct was panic. His second was pure fear that Lin Mu might expect him to pay it. His third was a paranoid thought.

’Is this a trap? Invite a rich man, overwhelm him with a bill, then force him to comply? No... impossible... right?’

Just as the patriarch broke into a small sweat, Lin Mu casually retrieved a pouch from his ring and handed it over without any hesitation.

"Here. This should cover it." Lin Mu stated casually.

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