The man appeared to be around fifty years old. His lavish clothing was enough to indicate his high status, though his thin, frail physique seemed oddly out of place compared to the powerful shout he had just let out.
He was none other than the father that the greasy man had mentioned—the butler of the city lord’s mansion. His name was Yun Hui, and he was quite well-known in Yun City.
“Your Excellency, please be magnanimous. Do not hold it against my foolish son,” Yun Hui said to Su Mo with great respect, which made Su Mo suspicious that the man might have some ulterior motive.
“That slap earlier settled the matter. I naturally won’t hold a grudge, but I do hope your son will refrain from harassing us sisters in the future.”
Yun Hui glanced at the handprint on his son’s face and said with exasperation, “You! All you know how to do is cause trouble for me. Apologize to these two ladies at once!”
“No way! If they don’t obey me—”
“You ungrateful brat!” Yun Hui slapped his son again, then turned to Su Mo with an apologetic smile. “I’m ashamed you had to see that. I’ve failed in teaching my son properly. Please allow me to apologize on his behalf.”
Su Mo sidestepped to avoid his bow, and Li Xiaomou followed suit.
This guy clearly wasn’t someone to be trifled with. How could he not mind his son being slapped? He must be hiding some trick up his sleeve, putting on a show for outsiders.
“To express my apology, I would like to invite you both to a meal. I hope you’ll do me the honor.” Yun Hui maintained a humble attitude throughout, and it didn’t even seem like an act.
In such situations, most people would refuse at first. Then, after being invited again, they would refuse once more until both parties eventually reached an agreement.
But Su Mo didn’t play by the usual rules—he agreed without hesitation.
Yun Hui was taken aback, clearly not expecting such a straightforward response.
“Now that’s something I’m interested in. When do we go?” Su Mo urged.
Li Xiaomou tugged at his sleeve, giving him a puzzled look.
Su Mo raised his chin slightly, signaling for her to figure it out on her own.
“Uh… alright, we can go now.” Yun Hui waved over a carriage driver by the roadside and instructed, “Take these two ladies to my home. You’ll be rewarded if you do well.”
The driver grinned with delight and hurried to comply.
Although Yun Hui was the butler of the city lord’s mansion, he also had his own residence located in the best part of Yun City, where he lived with his family.
This was Su Mo and Li Xiaomou’s first time riding in a carriage, and in just twenty minutes, they arrived at their destination—Yun Hui’s home.
Under his hospitality, the two entered his house, but the moment they stepped inside, the door was locked behind them.
Su Mo and Li Xiaomou exchanged a smile but showed no concern, as if they didn’t mind at all.
“Please don’t misunderstand. We have an important guest visiting, so we must close the door to avoid disturbances and ensure you two can enjoy your time in peace.”
Su Mo smiled in response. “Understood.”
Yun Hui’s wife, the lady of the house, emerged from inside. Whether it was because her husband had brought home strangers or because she had seen her son being slapped, her expression was far from pleasant.
Yun Hui instructed her to prepare the meal while he poured tea for the two guests.
Su Mo glanced around and noticed that the furnishings were quite modest, lacking the opulence one might expect from the butler of the city lord’s mansion. There were no servants in the household—everything had to be done by the family themselves.
Unwilling to watch his father show such deference to the two, Yun Hui’s son retreated to his room.
“Please excuse our lack of decorum. My son has suffered from a chronic illness since birth, which affected his mind. His mother has spoiled him as a result, so he can be a bit unruly at times.”
Li Xiaomou asked curiously, “Haven’t you considered starting a new save file?”
Yun Hui was stunned for a moment, confused. “What do you mean by a ‘new save file’?”
Su Mo quickly interjected, “What she means is, didn’t you consider having another child? Where we’re from, we call it a ‘new save file’…”
Yun Hui nodded, though he still seemed somewhat puzzled. “Oh,” he said.
Su Mo had questions but wasn’t sure how to bring them up. Sensing this, Yun Hui proactively said, “Since you two have just arrived in Yun City, there must be many things you’re unfamiliar with. If you don’t mind, I’d be happy to give you an overview.”
“That would be perfect.”
Su Mo nodded inwardly, impressed by how perceptive Yun Hui was. He was starting to like the man.
In terms of strength, Yun Hui was likely at the Qi Sea realm, equivalent to D-class, yet he lacked the arrogance often seen in cultivators and was surprisingly kind to ordinary people.
Yun Hui took a sip of tea and began explaining:
“Yun City is one of the Four Great Cities. Although our overall strength may not match the other three, our city lord, Yun Fei, is the strongest among the leaders of the four cities. So Yun City is still a force to be reckoned with.”
“While there are occasional disputes among the Four Great Cities, they’re usually minor skirmishes. In truth, we rely on each other—without any one of the four cities, none of us would survive.”
Su Mo asked, “Why is that?”
“That brings us to the origin of the Four Great Cities.” Yun Hui’s expression turned serious. “Hundreds of years ago, our ancestors were nobles under the King of Chu. Later, when the State of Chu fell into civil strife, they were targeted by political enemies. Fortunately, a revered master named Yu Fuzi saved them.”
Su Mo listened intently without interrupting.
Yun Hui paused briefly before continuing, “However, our ancestors made a deal with Yu Fuzi—the four families he saved had to follow him to a specific place, which we now call Chu Yuan.”
“Did Yu Fuzi have a mission for them here?” Li Xiaomou asked curiously.
“Exactly. After our four families arrived here with him, we were assigned to four cities: Yun City, Xiong City, Wu City, and Huang City. We were entrusted with awaiting the arrival of immortals and returning to them what rightfully belongs to them.”
“So you believe we are the immortals you’ve been waiting for all these centuries?” Su Mo found it absurd but asked anyway.
“Indeed, you are.”
“Just because we appeared out of nowhere on the street?”
“Not only that. Your clothing and behavior also set you apart. According to our ancestors’ teachings, Yu Fuzi once said that the immortals would be extraordinary in every way.”
Su Mo couldn’t help but wonder if the Yu Fuzi Yun Hui spoke of was actually a time traveler.
“Does everyone know about this?”
“Of course not. After so much time, only a few in power know the truth. Ordinary people simply believe that anyone who appears out of thin air must be an immortal.”
Su Mo and Li Xiaomou both nodded in understanding.
With a meaningful tone, Su Mo remarked, “It seems Butler Yun Hui is quite knowledgeable.”
Yun Hui smiled modestly. “Well, as the butler, I often interact with the city lords. You pick up a thing or two over time.”
“Aren’t you afraid they might cause trouble for you for telling us all this?”
“Are you referring to the city lord? Certainly not. This would be considered a great achievement on my part.”
As the three conversed, Yun Hui suddenly stood up. “Please make yourselves comfortable. I’ll check on the kitchen and hurry my wife along. You must be getting hungry.”
With that, he left.
Su Mo and Li Xiaomou exchanged glances. Although they had remained calm on the surface, their minds were racing with shock and confusion.
Yu Fuzi—who was he?
Wasn’t that the owner of the ancient tomb? The man from the State of Chu who loved collecting rare treasures? This meant that the people here were actually from Earth but had later come to this place called Chu Yuan.
Presumably, the name “Chu Yuan” was chosen by them to commemorate their homeland.
Yet, there were still a few puzzling points in Yun Hui’s account.
First, the State of Chu existed over two thousand years ago, so why did Yun Hui say “hundreds of years ago”?
Second, who exactly was Yu Fuzi? How was he capable of such miraculous feats—bringing the four families here and predicting the arrival of “immortals”?
Third, what was the object the four families were guarding, and why did Yu Fuzi value it so much?
The first two points could be loosely explained as a timeline discrepancy and Yu Fuzi’s extraordinary abilities, but the third point intrigued Su Mo the most.
And besides… two of them had arrived. So, which one of them was the immortal Yu Fuzi had spoken of—Su Mo or Li Xiaomou?