Do you really think you can get me with just a banana?

Since this is a world of cultivating immortals, monsters and demons are rampant, and people tend to live in groups for safety. Remote places such as mountains and rivers are seldom visited by people, so the further they go to the outskirts of the town, the fewer people they encounter.

Tomorrow, after crossing the village in front of us, we can fly on the sword and continue our journey.

The small teahouse the two of them came to stood alone beside the main road. Apart from a few small villages scattered in the distance, there were no other shops around.

Guan Shanyu and the other man led the horse and mule to the front of the shop. Yan Ruchen ordered some tea and then took the horse to the side to feed it with grass, leaving Guan Shanyu alone to drink tea. Guan Shanyu didn't care much. He took Yan Ruchen's bag, placed it on the seat with ease, and then picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

As night fell, the teahouse owner lit a lantern, its dim glow instantly dispelling the darkness on the path. By this time, the teahouse had become deserted, with only a few tables remaining, whispering and chatting over tea. Guan Shanyu wasn't one to eavesdrop. He glanced at Yan Ruchen not far away, and seeing that he was still feeding the horses, he lowered his head and drank his tea.

This teahouse allows you to refill tea as you go, so Guan Shanyu drank two pots of tea in full before taking out a fragrant sesame cake from his bag and sitting down to eat it.

More than once, he'd been thankful for inventing the fragrant sesame cake in his book. Not only was the cake delicious, but it was also easy to store, and if properly packaged, it could last for six months. As Guan Shanyu nibbled on it, he thought, "Once this is over, I'll have to stock up on some more fragrant sesame cakes. Even if I can't find work down the mountain, these cakes will keep me going for six months."

Just as he was feeling happy, the guest at the next table suddenly raised his voice, slammed the table, and his shouting reached Guan Shanyu's ears without a word.

The guests were talking about the recent increase in the number of monsters, and they all yelled at the top of their lungs at the inaction of the various immortal sects, shouting, "Why not ask me to come over? I can kill a whole row of them with just one blow from a kitchen knife."

Guan Shanyu laughed after hearing this. Those monsters all had unique skills, looked scary and were huge in size. It was good enough for him to stand in front of them without feeling weak in the knees. He could even chop a row of them with one sword. What a boast.

But when discussing demonic beasts, inevitably there's talk of the various immortal sects. The common people's enthusiasm for gossip about the world of immortal cultivation is as intense as their enthusiasm for entertainment gossip. Rumors circulate with all sorts of detail, sometimes claiming, "The immortal sects are scammers, preying on the children of aristocratic families for their own gain." Other times, they accuse them of "freeloading on the people's offerings, yet doing nothing to contribute to their livelihoods, allowing demonic beasts to roam the streets."

Guan Shanyu disagreed with these two points. The last time the demonic beasts wreaked havoc, the major sects had indeed dispatched disciples to combat them. While their success varied, they certainly weren't standing idly by. As for the claim that the immortal sects favored only the children of aristocratic families, that was even more unjust. After all, he and Yan Ruchen, two children from impoverished backgrounds, had both successfully entered the immortal sect.

Although I took the back door, it doesn't matter.

Just as he was thinking about Yan Ruchen, the conversation at the two tables over there suddenly turned to him. Guan Shanyu was still chewing his biscuit when he heard the discussion: "Normally, this acting position has always been the preserve of the sons of aristocratic families. How did a prostitute's son suddenly take it? Even us lackeys know about this background, so how could the elders of Tianxuan not know about it?"

Guan Shanyu stopped what he was doing, slowly turned his head, and glanced at the people at the table. They were loudly discussing sensitive topics without any hesitation.

One of them said bluntly, "He came from a lowly background, yet he managed to rise to this position. How could Si Xuanqing give up his position of elder so easily? I'm afraid he's used every possible means, even resorting to some shady practices. Could it be that he's found something to hold against Si Xuanqing?"

Another person chimed in, his tone tinged with sarcasm, "Have something to hold onto? It's because they've got Elder Si's only daughter. Everyone knows about the dirty deeds going on between them. I heard Si Hongyin only used Yan Ruchen as a toy to amuse herself. One foot she was deeply in love with him, and the next foot she got together with that well-connected disciple from the Purple Sky Spirit Realm. Most likely, this was to appease Yan Ruchen's dissatisfaction and give him a caretaker position."

"That's right, it's a temporary position. We can always find an excuse to withdraw. The leader must still be Si Xuanqing. We can't give up the position to the son of a whore. It would be so ugly if the news got out."

Someone else interjected, their tone thick with gossip: "That Song guy in Zixiao is said to be no pushover either. I heard Tianxuan's been staying indoors because something's happened within the sect, and they're afraid to tell anyone. But that Song guy rushed up the mountain to help, probably because he's got his eye on Tianxuan's position. Mergers and acquisitions between sects are common, and Zixiao sent him close to Si Hongyin, hoping to use this opportunity to get some leverage so Zixiao can get a piece of Tianxuan's spoils."

"So, Si Hongyin is really a slut. She's willing to have sex with anyone. I'll go up the mountain someday..."

Before he could finish his words, there was a sudden loud "bang". Guan Shanyu could no longer bear it and slammed the table and stood up.

These people are so dirty-mouthed. They are so enthusiastic about making up things that have no reason. Don’t they care about the woman’s reputation at all?

Guan Shanyu glared at the guests at that table with his eyes wide open. The guests were also startled by his sudden action and turned to stare at him with unfriendly eyes.

The few of them looked at each other, and Guan Shanyu's momentum seemed to weaken a little. Although he was timid in his heart, he knew in his heart that he couldn't let it go like this, and he had to stop them from continuing to talk nonsense.

So, he tried to speak calmly: "My dear friends, it is inappropriate to criticize a woman behind her back without any evidence. It would be disastrous if it damaged her reputation."

One of the scarred men laughed out loud when he heard this. He looked at Guan Shanyu, a frail young man, who was still trembling slightly, and dared to meddle in other people's business. He laughed loudly, "Who are you to Si Hongyin? What's it to you what we say? We are just saying that Yan Ruchen is the son of a prostitute and is very lowly. And that Song guy is even more shameless and a scum. What can you do? If you want to be a hero, you should consider your own weight."

Guan Shanyu was furious when he heard this. How could he be a cultivator? Could he really be afraid of these scoundrels? He clenched his fists and warned them sternly, "Who taught you to spread rumors behind my back like this? You are gossiping without any evidence. Do you dare to go to Tianxuan and gossip? If you don't shut up, I will never let you go!"

The teahouse owner saw two tables of customers, who had been enjoying their tea, suddenly start arguing. Fearing that others would be affected, he quickly stepped forward to smooth things over. He waved his hand and said with a smile, "Dear guests, harmony brings wealth. Let's just have a good time drinking tea and chatting. Don't take it personally. If your tea is too weak, I'll add more."

But neither side was convinced. The guests at the opposite table were furious. They threw down their dishes and pointed at Guan Shanyu and cursed, "You're looking for trouble, aren't you? You're so weak and frail, you must have been scared to death before I even punched you. And you're still not done with me? What's wrong with me scolding them? Even if the Song guy isn't a jerk, Yan Ruchen's background is definitely not bad, everyone knows that. Why are you meddling in this?"

Guan Shanyu refused to give in and retorted, "You're using someone else's background to mock them. Aren't you despicable? Are you all from high-class families? You feel superior here!"

These words completely infuriated the other party. They rushed forward and were about to attack. The tea shop owner was so anxious that he was sweating profusely and tried to stop them: "Gentlemen, please show some mercy. My small shop can't stand it." The guests at that table struggled and cursed: "Low-class people are low-class people. They are so mean in their bones that they can't change. It's useless even if they join the sect!"

Guan Shanyu also got angry and threw the bowl and chopsticks, shouting: "Then how do you know that those who are unknown now will not be famous in the world in the future!"

Before Guan Shanyu could finish his words, the teahouse owner was already powerless to stop the angry customers. Seeing the fists coming, Guan Shanyu yelled and prepared to run away. He turned and ran, but unexpectedly bumped into something hard, and suddenly there was a crisp "crack" of bones breaking behind him.

At first, Guan Shanyu thought it was the sound of his bones breaking when he hit the wall, but he soon realized that the sound came from behind him. He raised his head and saw a delicate profile right above his head. The right hand was raised high, tightly clenched in the fist that was supposed to fall on him.

Yan Ruchen exerted a little force, and the owner of the fist screamed non-stop. Guan Shanyu stared at the handsome face in a daze, thinking that it was not the wall, but Yan Ruchen's arms that had hit him.

The next second, he exhaled sharply and said thankfully, "It's a good thing you came. They wanted to beat me up."

Yan Ruchen slowly lowered his head and looked at the person still in his arms. Seeing that he was breathing heavily and had no intention of avoiding suspicion, he hesitated for a moment, but finally loosened his clenched fists.

As soon as the hand was released, the group of people screamed and ran away as if they had seen a ghost.