Upon hearing the elder's words, Yi Yun was slightly taken aback. Although he had been feeling nervous, he did not show it on his face. He never expected the elder to guess that he had encountered an enemy and had come to the tea house to hide. This was probably the reason why he did not greet him in the beginning.
Yi Yun did not answer and instead said, "Elder, I'm indeed thirsty. What tea and food do you have? Bring some over."
"It's just some plain tea and food. I hope you don't mind."
Although the elder said that, he still prepared a pot of tea and some dried fruits.
The tea was ordinary spirit tea, but when brewed by the elder, it had a unique fragrance. Yi Yun stirred the tea leaves with a lid and drank a mouthful. He said with a nod, "Good tea."
The elder shook his head and said, "Sir, you must be joking. With your status, why would you fancy such plain tea?"
Yi Yun put down the teacup and looked at the elder. Although he was old, the flames of vitality in him had not reached the stage of a flickering candle in the wind. He likely still had a lifespan of a few centuries …
Yi Yun said, "Drinking tea is about one's state of mind. In comparison, the tea leaves themselves are sometimes not that important. For example, Elder, you have set up such a tea house in Martial City, where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold. However, the tea and food sold here are only priced at broken jade. The income from such a business is far from enough to cover the rent. If you do not have a good state of mind, you probably would not run such a business."
Upon hearing Yi Yun's words, the elder gave a wry smile. "Sir, this tea house is actually mine, so there's no need for rent …"
Upon hearing the elder's words, Yi Yun was somewhat astonished. He did not need to ask to know that the shops in Martial City were expensive. Yet, the elder was only at the Yuan foundation realm. How did he own such a shop?
"It was left to me by my son." The elder waved his hand and brought Yi Yun some dried meat.
Yi Yun did not probe further when he saw that the elder was unwilling to speak further. He said, "Elder, do you know where in Martial City I can buy top-grade treasured herbs?"
"Top-grade treasured herbs … If I were to talk about the top-grade treasured herbs, they would be in Martial City's inner city, which is the sixth district where Martial Numinous Palace is located. Martial Numinous Palace occupies a large piece of land in the middle of Martial City. However, entering the inner city requires a pass …"
"Pass? How do I get one? " Yi Yun saw the sixth district's label on the map, but the map did not mention the specific qualifications to enter the city.
"Every year, the Martial Numinous Palace will allow warriors to submit an application. After the assessment, a pass will be issued. However, the conditions for the assessment are very strict. Furthermore, this year's assessment has already passed. I'm afraid you won't be able to obtain a pass."
Upon hearing the elder's introduction, Yi Yun was taken aback. He never expected the Martial Numinous clan to be so troublesome. A mere inner city required a pass to enter. Furthermore, it was so troublesome to issue one.
The elder read Yi Yun's thoughts and said, "The Martial Numinous clan is an ancient remnant clan. They have a special bloodline and outstanding talent. In fact, they look down on outsiders like us. The Martial Numinous clan does have outsiders who become Elders but in general, they are ostracized and repressed. More than ninety percent of the people in the sixth district are Martial Numinous clansmen. "
The elder said slowly. Yi Yun was somewhat astonished when he heard this. The elder's cultivation level was so low, but he knew so much.
He took a look at the old man's Dantian. He was not the kind of person who had been injured and lost his cultivation level. He was truly a low-level warrior with no talent in martial arts.
"Thank you, Elder, for telling me so much. It looks like I have to look elsewhere."
Yi Yun did not wish to wait here for nothing just to find some materials. He had considered secretly sneaking into the inner city but when he realized that the Myriad God Patriarch was still in the city, the risk was too high. He decided against it.
Just as Yi Yun was about to pay and leave, the elder said, "Sir, there's no need for you to leave. I do have a pass. I have no use for it, so I can give it to you."
"Oh?" Yi Yun looked at the elder in surprise. This elder had such an item? He had just mentioned that the assessment for the issuance of a pass was very strict.
The elder said, "It was given to me by my son. He can be considered a disciple of the Martial Numinous clan …"
So that was the reason …
Yi Yun nodded. He sensed that the elder's flames of vitality were more exuberant than typical Yuan foundation realm elders. He had probably eaten some pills that extended his life. It was likely given to him by his son.
A tea house, pills, and a pass. His son sure was filial.
"Sir, follow me to my house to get it …"
As the elder spoke, he was about to close the tea house.
It was just past noon. Seeing that the elder was about to close the door, Yi Yun said in embarrassment, "Elder, there's no need to be in such a rush. You are only halfway through your business today, right? I can wait here until evening."
The elder shook his head. "It's nothing. There aren't many customers. This tea house was left to me by my son. It's for me to chat with a few old friends. It's also a place for low-level warriors who frequently enter Martial City to rest their feet. Now that business is slow, there aren't many people. It doesn't matter if it's closed …"
As the elder spoke, he slowly locked the door.
He led Yi Yun through a few alleys and came to a yard. The yard was not big and there was a tall fir tree planted in the middle. Its lush canopy covered the entire yard, making it look cool and cozy.
"It's a good place to stay."
Yi Yun thought from the bottom of his heart. In Martial City, such an elegant residence would definitely be expensive. From the looks of it, the elder's son was quite capable.
With the gentle sound of a wooden shaft turning, the elder pushed open the yard's door. In the yard, there was a young lady dressed in floral patterns. She had just fetched a basin of water and was washing a towel.
She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old and was filled with youthful vigor.
Upon seeing the elder enter, she pursed her lips, as if she had something to say. However, when she saw Yi Yun behind the elder, the words she wanted to say came to a halt.
"Grandpa, this person is …"
The young lady had a frail expression and looked pitiful, but when she saw Yi Yun, she turned wary.
"He's a guest of Grandpa. He's not a bad person. Xiaoxiao, brew a cup of tea."
As the elder spoke, he said to Yi Yun, "Sir, please wait a moment in the living room. Wait for me to retrieve the pass."
Yi Yun cupped his fists and bowed. "Thank you, Elder. May I know the price of this pass …"
"There's no need for it. It's useless for me to keep it. Since there's no need for me to go to the inner city, I'll leave it with you."
As the elder spoke, he walked towards a side room.
Yi Yun glanced at the elder's back. Logically speaking, the elder's life was perfect. He had a filial and promising son, but Yi Yun felt that there was a dark cloud between the elder's brows.
Yi Yun focused slightly. Out of curiosity, he glanced at the room the young lady had just entered. He sensed that there was an extremely weak breathing sound coming from the room. It meant that there was another person living there.
Yi Yun could not help but sweep the room with his perception. He immediately saw the scene in the room, but what he saw stunned him.
He saw a young man with a pale face and protruding blood vessels lying on a bed. As for the young lady, she was kneeling beside the bed, wringing out a towel and carefully wiping the young man's body.
The man did not feel anything. If not for his weak breathing, Yi Yun would have believed that he was dead.
The young man was seriously ill!
"Daddy … Quickly get better. I beg you. If you don't get better, what will happen to Grandpa and I …"
As the girl wiped the man's face, tears could not help but roll down her cheeks. Yi Yun was stunned as he watched from the side.
Daddy …
This young man was the elder's son?
Thinking back to the elder's expression when he mentioned his son, it was not one of pride but of confusion and heaviness. Yi Yun immediately understood that the elder's son was bedridden with serious injuries. It was unlikely for him to wake up.
Yi Yun could not help but scan the young man's dantian. He was surprised to see a Dao Palace.
Second-storey Dao Palace.
Compared to the elder's age, the young man was only a few centuries old. For him to reach the second-storey Dao Palace at such a young age, he was definitely a rare genius.
It was truly a pity for such a genius to suddenly fall unconscious and be on the brink of death.
Yi Yun felt a baffling sense of sorrow when he saw the tear-stained girl wiping the young man's face in vain.
The young man was the pillar of support for the family. Now that he was down, the grandfather-grandson duo's days in Martial City would probably be arduous.
Thinking back to how the elder sold the low-grade spirit tea and how he staggered to close the teahouse's doors, Yi Yun felt a soft spot in his heart stir …
"Sir, I've brought you this pass."
The elder walked out of a room with a bronze token in his hand. The token's front was engraved with the words' Martial Spirit '.
"Xiaoxiao, why haven't you brewed the tea?" The elder said into the room.
"Coming."
Xiaoxiao hurriedly wiped away her tears and went into the room to get some tea and boiling water before coming to the living room.
Yi Yun was at a loss for words when he saw the girl's reddened eyes. He took the tea from the girl and fell silent for a moment. He said to the elder, "Elder, can you tell me about your son?"
Upon hearing Yi Yun's question, the elder was taken aback. He immediately guessed that Yi Yun had already seen his son bedridden.
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