Chapter 152: Fairy Luyao (Part 1)

"Haha, Senior Brother, in that case, you should just take her in. I can see that Miss Lan is extremely sincere, and coupled with her solid foundation and skill in brewing wine, she will certainly be able to carry forward your culinary arts and elevate them to even greater heights," Ji Mo finally couldn't help bursting into laughter.

"Right, right! Beautiful Little Senior Sister, you are so right! As long as Master takes me in, I will surely carry forward his culinary arts and spread them across the heavens and myriad realms," Lan Mo said, overjoyed at these words. She dashed over to Ji Mo's side in a single bound, grabbed her hand as if they were long-lost soulmates, and repeated her agreement.

Su Ye looked at the two young women who were already addressing each other as senior sister and junior sister, hitting it off like old friends, without even bothering to ask for his opinion as the person directly involved. A dull throbbing sensation began to build in his temples. He was the one taking on an apprentice, wasn't he? Shouldn't someone at least show a little respect for his opinion?

"Waiter, have your head chef prepare a table of the finest food and wine for us!" As Lan Mo and Ji Mo grew more and more engrossed in conversation—eventually drifting into where they should open restaurants in the future—a rather discordant voice abruptly intruded.

"We're not serving! From today onwards, the Five Flavors Tower is officially closed," Lan Mo interrupted, waving her hand impatiently before the waiter could even speak.

"Not serving? We have long heard of the great reputation of the Five Flavors Tower and traveled thousands of miles just for this, yet you say you're not serving? Who do you think you are in this place?" The moment Lan Mo's voice fell, the previous voice instantly turned as chillingly cold as ice.

"I am the owner of this place, as well as the head chef. If I say we're not serving, we're not serving. What are you going to do about it?" Lan Mo narrowed her eyes and looked over. By now, more than half of the guests in the Five Flavors Tower had already left. A few remained, clearly intrigued by Lan Mo's attempt to take on a master and wishing to stay to see how the story unfolded. The voice had come from a group of three people just entering through the front door. At the center of this group stood a beautiful young maiden in green robes, flanked on either side by a young man in yellow.

Without needing any deliberate observation, a single glance was enough to tell that this group was led by the green-robed maiden, whose expression was intensely arrogant, carrying a distinct air of looking down upon all living beings. The person who had spoken was the young man standing on her left.

As Lan Mo turned her face toward them, the green-robed maiden's gaze fell upon her, and she could not help but freeze in shock. She never, in her wildest dreams, imagined that the head chef of the Five Flavors Tower would actually be a body cultivator at the seventh stage of the True Condensation realm! This—how could this possibly be?

"You?" Though the green-robed maiden could perceive Lan Mo's cultivation level, the two companions beside her clearly lacked such discernment. The moment Lan Mo finished speaking, the young man on the maiden's right flashed forward, arriving instantly in front of Lan Mo and aiming a vicious slap straight at her face.

"Yang Feng, stand down!" the green-robed maiden cried out in alarm, hastily attempting to stop him. But her warning was clearly too late. Just as Yang Feng's hand was raised, Lan Mo caught it in a firm grip. Immediately afterward, a crisp cracking sound echoed through the air as her fingers crushed his entire palm into a pulp.

Ah! Yang Feng let out a piercing scream. The green-robed maiden strode forward and pulled Yang Feng back, her eyes fixed firmly on Lan Mo as she spoke, "As a powerful master of the True Condensation realm, don't you think it's a bit excessive to deal such a ruthless blow to someone merely in the Foundation Establishment stage?"

"Since you can tell that I am a True Condensation body cultivator, you should also know that a lowly Foundation Establishment cultivator like him dared to openly provoke me. Sparing his life already shows considerable restraint. What, are you planning to seek justice for him?" Lan Mo glanced at her with utter indifference and said coldly. Her current icy and imposing demeanor made it utterly impossible for anyone to connect her with the eager petitioner who had begged to become Su Ye's apprentice just moments before.

"You—fine! Very well! I've seen arrogant people before, but never one quite as arrogant as you. A True Condensation body cultivator may indeed be impressive, but to the Luanrao Sect, it amounts to nothing. Yang Feng is my junior nephew; his right hand has been crippled for no reason. As his elder, I am determined to settle this score for him!" The green-robed maiden's delicate brows were arched in anger as she glared fiercely at Lan Mo.

"Oh, so they're people from the Luanrao Sect, and they act with such virtue? Tsk tsk. Little Han, Little Yun, back then, didn't the two of you actually want to apprentice under this so-called Luanrao Sect? I truly wonder what kind of vision you two had," Xiao Jin chirped, finally seizing an opportunity to speak now that it was no longer kept under strict control by Ji Mo. It cast a sidelong glance at the green-robed maiden, its tone dripping with sarcasm.

This creature never failed to offend people the moment it opened its mouth. Sure enough, as soon as its words fell, the green-robed maiden—whose entire focus had previously been locked onto Lan Mo—instantly shifted her gaze toward Ji Mo and Xiao Jin. Upon taking a look, a surge of even deeper dread gripped her heart. What in the world was going on? This was merely a tavern in the mortal realm; why had it suddenly spawned so many cultivators?

The green-robed maiden herself was an advanced Core Condensation cultivator, whereas Ji Mo was only at the initial stage of Core Condensation. Since Ji Mo had made no effort to conceal her presence, the maiden naturally saw through her cultivation at a glance. Staring at Ji Mo for a moment, she asked in a deep voice, "Are you with her?"

"More or less," Ji Mo replied helplessly. Lan Mo had just taken her senior brother as her master; weren't they all part of the same group now?

"Which sect do you hail from?" the green-robed maiden pressed further. Although she was an advanced Core Condensation cultivator, before her stood Ji Mo at the initial Core Condensation stage, Lan Mo at the seventh stage of True Condensation, and Su Ye, whose cultivation she could not fathom at all. Arrogant as she was, she dared not act rashly for the moment. However, the Luanrao Sect was the premier sect in Qing Province, and she could not simply tuck her tail and slink away in defeat without losing face.

"Do we need to report our origins to you, Miss? You came here to dine, and since the owner and head chef has already stated that the tavern is not receiving guests, you should simply leave. Why insist on forcing the issue?" Ji Mo replied indifferently.

The green-robed maiden's expression shifted. Blessed with extraordinary talent, she had been treated like the moon surrounded by stars ever since childhood within the Luanrao Sect. When had she ever been subjected to such mockery? If the Luanrao Sect, the preeminent sect of Qing Province, were to be inexplicably forced into retreat within this tiny River Mist City, how could she ever show her face among her sect members again?

"If you want us to retreat, it's simple. As long as you can defeat me in a one-on-one duel by even a single move, I won't say another word and will turn around and leave immediately." Realizing that the current situation did not favor reckless bullying, her mind raced as she extended a finger to point directly at Ji Mo, issuing a challenge!

As for Lan Mo and Su Ye, Lan Mo's seventh-stage True Condensation cultivation was equivalent to an early Nascent Soul practitioner, and a body cultivator's combat prowess inherently surpassed that of a spiritual cultivator. Naturally, the green-robed maiden dared not test her luck there. Meanwhile, Su Ye's cultivation was beyond her ability to discern, placing him clearly above her own level, so she was certainly not foolish enough to challenge him either. Following the principle that one should pick the softest persimmon, her gaze had instantly locked onto Ji Mo!

In the world of cultivation, absent any massive conflicts of interest, group brawls rarely occurred. When cultivators encountered disputes while traveling outside and their realms were comparable, they generally resolved their issues through single combat. With countless sects flourishing across the cultivation realm and countless disciples training abroad, friction was inevitable. If cultivators of similar strength fought and one was killed by the other, it was simply considered their own misfortune, and even their peers could not openly seek revenge or retribution.

Xiao Jin and Jin Lie exchanged glances upon hearing this, and a synchronized thought flashed through their minds: a mere Core Condensation cultivator actually dared to challenge Ji Mo to a one-on-one duel. They couldn't help but admire the sheer courage of this woman!

Ji Mo had not expected to be viewed as the soft persimmon. She swept her gaze over the green-robed maiden twice and said calmly, "You are no match for me."