Burial Furnace

"I'll wait for you in my room." Lu Muyao let go of him and walked towards the small building with practiced ease. After taking a couple of steps, she turned back and smiled sweetly, "Come over soon."

Zhang Yuan watched her disappear at the top of the stairs and shook his head.

Back behind the counter, I continued waiting for customers.

That night, two more orders came in, resulting in the cremation of two Foundation Establishment corpses and earning four mid-grade spirit stones.

By the time the last order was completed, it was almost dawn.

Zhang Yuan estimated that there would be no more business, so he closed the main door and went upstairs.

As I pushed open the door, a faint fragrance wafted towards me.

The luminous pearl emitted a soft light, illuminating the entire room in a hazy glow.

On the bed, Lu Muyao was wearing a light white gauze nightgown and was lying on her side.

Her long, black hair cascaded down, spreading across the pillow like a waterfall.

Her beautiful eyes were half-open and half-closed, and her gaze was captivating and alluring.

When she saw Zhang Yuan come in, a shy blush rose on her face.

"Senior... I've been waiting for you all night."

Her voice carried a hint of languor, a hint of coquettishness, and a hint of impatience.

Looking at the scene of the beautiful woman lying there, Zhang Yuan felt his throat go dry.

He took a shower, then lifted the covers and lay down.

Lu Muyao immediately snuggled into his arms like a docile kitten, pressing her face against his chest and listening to his strong heartbeat.

"Senior, meeting you is my good fortune... I love you!" she murmured, her voice full of tenderness.

After their intimacy, Zhang Yuan held her tightly and asked, seemingly casually, "I saw your Ascending Heaven Sect's ship yesterday. That man in blue seemed very powerful. What's his name?"

"His name is Ma Daohai. He is an elder of the Dengtian Sect, in the late Nascent Soul stage."

"Ma Tao Hai? Late Nascent Soul stage? Just wait, I'll kill you sooner or later."

Zhang Yuan muttered to himself.

Then he asked, "And who is that very handsome young man?"

"That's Elder Ma's son, named Ma Yutang. He's been pursuing me, but I've never agreed to be with him. I belong only to you."

Zhang Yuan remained noncommittal, then asked with a smile, "Did Lin Qingxue come this time?"

"Junior Aunt Lin is in seclusion in the sect's secret realm, trying to break through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. She is unaware that a Profound Yellow Relic Realm has been opened, so she will probably miss this opportunity."

Lu Muyao said.

They stopped chatting and fell asleep in each other's arms.

She quickly fell into a good sleep.

……

……

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting golden rays into the room.

When Zhang Yuan woke up, he found that Lu Muyao was already awake, lying on her side, resting her chin on her hand, quietly looking at him.

Her eyes were full of tenderness, and a sweet smile played on her lips.

Seeing Zhang Yuan awake, she said softly, "Senior, I have to go to the secret realm. The sect wants me to go immediately, saying that a great opportunity is about to unfold. Would you like to come with me, Senior?"

Zhang Yuan shook his head without hesitation: "You can find your own opportunity yourself. I need to watch the shop."

Are you kidding me?

He, a mere cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining, went to a secret realm filled with Golden Core cultivators and Nascent Soul cultivators to seek opportunities.

Isn't that just courting death?

Lu Muyao was not surprised by his refusal at all; on the contrary, she was even more convinced: the senior was a master of the Mahayana stage and didn't need any special opportunities. It was only natural that he didn't go.

She reluctantly let go of him and got out of bed.

After she finished washing up and dressing, she regained her holy and dignified appearance. She walked up to Zhang Yuan, who had also gotten out of bed, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Senior, I'll come back to see you in a few days," she whispered in his ear, her voice carrying a hint of ambiguous laughter.

Then she turned around, walked to the balcony, summoned her flying sword, and leaped onto it.

The flying sword transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the sky and heading towards the Sunset Mountain Range. It eventually disappeared into the horizon.

After washing up, Zhang Yuan went out.

When the street vendors saw him, they all stopped what they were doing, looked away, and dared not meet his gaze.

A peddler carrying a load saw him approaching from afar and hurriedly stepped aside, lowering his head. He only dared to raise his head after the peddler had passed.

Even the big yellow dog that usually squatted in the corner sunbathing, tucked its tail between its legs, whimpered, and shrank back into its kennel when it saw him approaching.

Zhang Yuan strolled leisurely to the entrance of Old Man Xia's small shop.

The shop's door was wide open, and inside sat three or four tables of customers, all familiar faces from the town.

At this time of day, the shop is usually bustling with activity, as people eat breakfast and chat loudly, their noise audible from half a street away.

But today, the shop was unusually quiet—everyone was engrossed in their food, no one spoke, and even the sound of chewing was kept extremely low, as if afraid of disturbing something.

When Old Man Xia saw Zhang Yuan walk in, he forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, and his voice trembled slightly: "Boss Zhang... you've arrived? Please, have a seat, please have a seat!"

As he spoke, he haphazardly wiped a table and chair with his sleeve, made a "please" gesture, and his attitude was respectful to the point of being humble.

Er Lengzi stood to the side, hands hanging down, head bowed, not daring to breathe. He looked as if the person standing in front of them was not an eighty-year-old man, but a god who was inspecting the mortal world.

Zhang Yuan sat down at the table.

"Cuihua, a bowl of shredded pork noodles."

"Yes, yes, I'll be right there, I'll be right there!" Cuihua replied respectfully, then turned and busied herself, her movements many times faster than usual.

A short while later, a steaming bowl of shredded pork noodles was served.

The noodles are chewy, the broth is rich, the shredded meat is finely cut, and it's topped with a handful of bright green scallions, making it incredibly fragrant.

Zhang Yuan picked up his chopsticks and lowered his head to eat his noodles.

But everyone in the shop was secretly watching him.

In those gazes, there was awe, fear, and curiosity.

No one dared to speak, no one dared to touch their chopsticks, and they even held their breath, afraid of making the slightest sound and offending this "senior of the Mahayana stage".

Zhang Yuan felt both amused and exasperated.

He knew that Duan Tian's words at Qianli Tea Fragrance last night had spread throughout the entire Qingmu Town.

Now everyone in the town thinks he's a peerless master disguised as a grumpy old man, playing around in the mortal world while preparing to transcend tribulations and ascend to immortality.

This is a good thing, though – at least no one will dare to provoke him or rob him anymore.

But if the truth comes out one day, the consequences...

He dared not think any further.

As he finished his bowl of noodles and walked out of the small shop, he clearly heard a sigh of relief coming from behind him.

He went to the medicine shop—Wanyaoge.

Although the shop was small, it had a wide variety of pills, and of course, the prices were quite shocking.

The shopkeeper was an elderly man with gray hair and beard, possessing the cultivation of the late Foundation Establishment stage. Upon seeing Zhang Yuan enter, he paused for a moment, then forced a smile: "Mr. Zhang... what would you like to order?"