"Welcome to the White Rose Inn, sir. How may I assist you?"
Jian Long stopped in front of the receptionist and replied calmly:
"I'm here to meet Yang San Mu. He told me that once I informed you I was here on his behalf, you would arrange for me to be taken to him."
A full month had passed since his arrival in Yanmen City, and the time had finally come for him to meet Yang San Mu, as they had previously agreed.
As soon as the receptionist heard his name, her expression changed slightly, as though she had remembered something.
"Ah! You must be Lord Jian Long. Please wait a moment."
She took a piece of paper and wrote a short word on it before holding it between her fingers. Moments later, the paper spontaneously burst into flames and quickly turned to ash.
Only a few seconds passed before a man appeared out of nowhere, as though he had emerged from the void itself.
The man approached Jian Long, bowed slightly, and said:
"Please follow me, sir."
Jian Long nodded and followed him.
The White Rose Inn was by no means an ordinary inn,it had been built over a vast lake, and in reality, it consisted of white stone walkways stretching across the surface of the water, with no walls or roofs surrounding them.
The philosophy behind the place was to distance oneself from the noise and bustle of human civilization and return to the embrace of nature. This allowed guests to enjoy the natural scenery and tranquility without being surrounded by buildings on every side.
However, what would most likely surprise an unfamiliar visitor was that the inn appeared to be completely devoid of people.
Despite being a place that welcomed all kinds of guests, its walkways seemed deserted, as though no one had set foot on them for a very long time.
Yet this was nothing more than an illusion created specifically to protect the privacy of its guests.Privacy was the inn's motto.
After walking for a short while, the two arrived at what appeared to be a roofless Water Pavilion.
As Jian Long was observing the place, an elderly man emerged out of nowhere and walked past them—or rather, passed through the illusion concealing the interior of the Water Pavilion from the eyes of outsiders.
At first glance, the man's face seemed familiar to Jian Long, but he couldn't immediately recall his identity. It took only a few moments for him to recognize who he was.
It was a face he saw constantly in the various advertisements and news circulating throughout the city.
He was the CEO of The Golden Gu, one of the companies specializing in Gu refinement, the production of various refinement materials, and everything else related to the field.
"I never expected Yang San Mu to have connections with someone of this caliber… He certainly isn't a simple person. But what is this man doing here? Is it business-related, or is this merely a gathering between two old friends?"
Jian Long sank into thought, trying to guess the nature of the relationship between the elderly man and Yang San Mu, as well as what might bring two individuals of such standing together in a place like this.
"Sir, would you please come inside?"
The voice of the man accompanying him brought Jian Long back to reality, interrupting his train of thought.
The moment Jian Long stepped inside, the scene before his eyes changed completely. The place that had appeared empty just moments ago was now filled with all kinds of furniture, as though the room had transformed into another world the instant he crossed the illusion concealing it.
However, the first thing that captured his senses was not the furniture, but the appetizing aroma that filled the place.
The smell of roasted meat was rich and heavy, carrying the flavors of onions, garlic, and black dragon pepper from the Northern Plains. The aroma emanated from an entire goat carcass that had been cooked over a low fire for many hours, while wisps of steam and smoke rose from it.
Behind the carcass sat a burly man whose baldness had spread to cover most of his head.
Jian Long needed no more than a single glance to recognize him: Yang San Mu.
The man had not changed in the slightest since their last meeting, retaining the same familiar appearance.
Nevertheless, Yang San Mu seemed not to have noticed Jian Long's entrance at all, as he was completely engrossed in examining information displayed before him by an Information Path Gu worm, which floated in the air in front of his eyes.
This was a method of storing and displaying information that ordinary people could hardly afford, as acquiring and using the Gu worms required for such functions was something available only to the wealthy and those with abundant resources.
Jian Long tried to ease the atmosphere between them from the very beginning. He raised his voice and greeted Yang San Mu with exaggerated enthusiasm, so much so that his loud greeting startled the man and pulled him away from his preoccupation.
"Hello, Boss! How have you been?"
Yang San Mu raised his head, annoyance clearly visible on his face at the sudden greeting. Nevertheless, he did not allow his feelings to show any further. Instead, he replied indifferently, maintaining the customary courtesy of someone holding a high position in the righteous path.
He then gestured toward the seat opposite him and invited Jian Long to sit down and share lunch with him.
The dish they were eating was a specialty of the Northern Plains known as Wrap Dish. Unlike the usual meals in other regions, it was best eaten directly with one's hands, without the use of utensils.
Jian Long did not hesitate. He reached toward one of the roasted goat ribs and grabbed it, then pulled it free with astonishing ease. Although he had used barely any strength, the tender meat crumbled beneath his fingers, while animal fat flowed abundantly from it, leaving a greasy sheen on its surface.
Jian Long opened his mouth and took a large bite.
In the very next moment, he realized he had made a terrible mistake.
The Black Dragon Breath Pepper was unbearably spicy!
Heat surged through his mouth and throat before spreading throughout his entire body, making him feel as though flames were burning in his guts. Sweat quickly poured down his forehead, while tears gathered in his eyes against his will.
However, Jian Long was stubborn by nature.
He was unwilling to admit defeat to a mere pepper, no matter how intense its heat might be. If the people of the Northern Plains could endure this burning sensation, then why couldn't he?
I have to endure this!
He forced himself to keep going, chewing the meat with tremendous difficulty, as though every movement of his jaws required a steel-like will, before finally swallowing the bite.
All of this had taken place right before Yang San Mu's eyes.
The man's eyes widened in astonishment as he watched the scene with growing interest. He hadn't expected to see Jian Long challenge the heat of Black Dragon Breath Pepper in this manner, especially when he had looked on the verge of tears from the very first bite.
Then he burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!"
Yang San Mu picked up a cup, poured some Ice Buffalo milk into it, and pushed it toward Jian Long, intending to help him get rid of the burning sensation.
However, Jian Long stubbornly refused the cup.
Yang San Mu laughed even harder before speaking in a teasing tone:
"Don't be afraid! Drinking milk won't make you lose to the heat of Black Dragon Breath Pepper. In fact, this is the proper way to eat Wrap Dish: take a small bite of meat, then follow it with a sip of milk."
The moment Jian Long heard this, he froze for a moment.
Then he looked at the piece of meat in his hand and the cup in front of him before picking it up and drinking the milk in one go.
Immediately, he felt the burning heat begin to subside gradually.
"Hahahahaha!"
Yang San Mu laughed loudly, his shoulders shaking.
"Even though you're already a Rank 2 Gu Master and possess strength comparable to Rank 3, you still behave like a child!"
He shook his head with a smile, then added in a tone tinged with nostalgia:
"You remind me of myself when I was your age. I loved challenges and adventures, and I couldn't stand staying in one place."
He paused for a moment, as though his old memories had returned to him, then continued:
"Although the clan did everything in its power to prepare me to become its leader, I preferred a life of wandering and adventure. And so, I became a merchant who traveled the world, leaving the responsibility of leading the clan to my younger brother."
Yang San Mu smiled broadly, then let out a sigh filled with nostalgia.
"Hahaha, those were the days!"