Wait a minute, where is my master?

The sage said, "Rumors stop with the wise."

Yet the little Taoist discovered... that the Shui Clan just damn well didn't have a single wise one.

——————

Youren Island.

At the home of the Island Master.

Jin Xu and the others had moved from the mountain top to this place, and the number of people present had increased from the original seven to over twenty.

Thankfully, Uncle Water Monkey's main hall was big enough; otherwise, it might not have been able to fit so many people.

But although there was enough room in the hall for now, that might not be the case soon.

After all, cultivators from the Shui Clan were rapidly approaching from a very distant place.

Don't get it wrong, Uncle Water Monkey had already used a special method to inform everyone that the crisis on Youren Island had been resolved and they needn't come.

But the reinforcement duo couldn't withstand one of them secretly telling a close friend about the "secret" of Yu Yaoer being "led astray and then abandoned."

As is well known, once a matter passes from your lips, that secret instantly ceases to be a secret.

So, in less than an hour, this matter had spread throughout the middle and upper echelons of the Shui Clan!

Among those present and those rushing over, some came with the attitude of watching the excitement, and others came to see who was so bold.

After all, although Yu Yaoer was popular in the Shui Clan, it was also because of her heavenly culinary skills that she had won the favor of quite a few uncles and aunties.

——————

Inside the hall.

The atmosphere was slightly weird.

To prevent his walking disaster of a relative from making any more startling remarks, the little Taoist directly commanded him through a voice transmission not to introduce himself anymore.

Anyone saying hello would be handled by him alone.

But the rumor had already spread, and even though Jin Xu and the others earnestly introduced their relationship with the two women, appearing very upright, it was still temporarily impossible to completely lift the label of "led astray and then abandoned" from him.

Having no other options, he temporarily gave up on proving "exactly how many bowls of noodles he had eaten."

Quietly, he began drinking spirits alone.

The little Taoist picked up a glass of milky white liquor and stared at it for a long time before turning his head to glance at the two carefree women beside him, eating and drinking vigorously, and he couldn't help but twist his mouth in resignation.

He then scanned the group of Shui Clan cultivators in front of him, who appeared normal as they ate, drank, and chatted, yet secretly transmitted messages to each other.

He thought to himself, "Unbelievable that even after cultivating, one can still feel the slight force of rumors."

Afterward, he raised his head and lifted the glass, pouring the amber liquid into his mouth.

The milk-flavored liquor slid past his tongue and down his throat, bringing with it waves of sweetness and fragrance.

This liquor actually tasted a bit like some D brand calcium milk that had been chilled in his previous life.

"Hiss, I should ask Lord Wu where this liquor comes from and if there's a recipe."

As the liquor settled in his stomach, this thought flashed through Jin Xu's mind.

Suddenly, a series of voice transmissions entered his ears, catching the attention of the little Taoist.

"Elder Wu, this little Taoist looks a bit familiar to me, do you know anything about him?"

The people in the hall were drinking the beverages prepared by Wu Youren.

A Shui Clan cultivator responsible for managing trade over land and with the East Sea, looking as usual, put down his glass of liquor. He then slyly took a glance at Jin Xu, who was expressionlessly drinking at the upper end of the table, before sending a message to Wu Youren.

"I'm not clear about his background; today is the first time I've met him too, and I only know his name.

Hai Laosi, I know you always dote on Little Yao, but don't be rash about this.

This person right before me, he split the Third Elder of the Demon Sect into water with a single strike.

You know about that Island Master from Eight-clawed Island two hundred years ago, the one we found all dried up?

He was killed by the Third Elder of the Demon Sect, who was reportedly stronger than both you and me.

Think about it, if we were to compare, how much weaker we must be compared to this man."

Fearing that his colleague might have other intentions, Wu Youren nervously transmitted his words to dissuade him.

"Oh, where have you let your mind wander, Elder Wu? Little Yao has been one to skip meals when she's upset since she was a child. When Little Ying was sent away by the Great Elder, she hadn't even reached the Golden Core Stage and couldn't subsist without food, yet she stubbornly went eight months without a morsel.

She was sustained solely by the Great Elder forcibly replenishing her using spiritual energy.

Look at how heartily she eats now, so those private rumors of 'starting chaos and then abandoning' you've been spreading, I believe, are mostly a misunderstanding."

This cultivator, known as Hai Laosi, was in charge of trade and had often brought various little trinkets from the land of the Nine Provinces to Yu Yaoer when she was a child. And, when Little Fish Demon decided to become a chef, he took on the responsibility of sourcing all kinds of exotic ingredients for her.

So he was quite familiar with Yu Yaoer.

He hadn't planned to come here, but after hearing the rumor of "starting chaos and then abandoning," he immediately set aside what he was doing and rushed over.

"So, Hai Laosi, have you found out who this person really is?"

Wu Youren listened to his colleague's analysis, put down the tea cup he was holding.

He turned his head to look at Little Yao, who was wrestling a lamb leg away from a husky, and felt there might be some truth to what his old friend had said.

"You know, I frequently run trades between the East Sea and the land. Judging by this person's stature and attire, he seems indistinguishable from the recently popular Great Xia's royal uncle.

Is his surname Jin?"

"Yes, according to Little Yao, her master... the young master is called Jin Xu."

"Then it matches, according to the latest information I've gathered, the royal uncle of Great Xia also has this name.

With that said—" Hai Laosi obviously knew what this name represented, and he couldn't help but inhale a sharp breath.

Then, pretending to be calm, he grasped the wine cup in front of him and sneakily glanced at Jin Xu with the corner of his eye.

Then...

He noticed the little Taoist was watching him with a slightly appreciative look, which scared him into quickly retracting his gaze and pretending like nothing had happened.

"Little Fish gets upset and won't eat?"

Jin Xu shifted his focus from the first "Sage" of the Shui Clan back to himself.

He then turned his attention to Yu Yaoer, who had failed to snatch the lamb leg and had started gnawing on a pork knuckle.

He briefly recalled his memories.

Apparently, since he had known the Little Fish Demon, he had never seen the demon having a poor appetite.

The little Taoist himself picked up a nearby wine jug, poured himself another cup of milky liquor, and drank it all in one go.

Then, he reached out and patted Yu Yaoer, who had greasy lips.

"Little Fish..."

As he laid his arm on Little Fish Demon's arm, Yu Yaoer, who was deeply engrossed in eating, suddenly dodged to the side and protectively hugged the pork knuckle to her chest, her big watery eyes showing a hint of wariness.

Only when she saw it was not Little White coming to steal her food but her own young master.

Did she then let go of her guard, a smile appearing on her face.

Yu Yaoer then pushed the pork knuckle forward and said with her oily little mouth opening and closing.

"Young master, this is for you."

"...I don't want your pork knuckle."

"Ah, then what do you want, young master?"

"I want... pah, I was wondering if, with so many people already here, will your grandma come later? "

However, just as Yu Yaoer opened her mouth, the entire hall suddenly shook.

The beverages on the tables spilled quite a bit, and some servants even fell to the ground.

The cultivators in the hall were in an uproar, all standing up, wanting to go out to check.

Outside the hall, a cultivator with a red face but clad in a bizarre blue armor suddenly flew in with the Flying Escape Skill, and crashed onto the ground.

"Something's happened..."

With black blood on the corners of his mouth, the cultivator managed to say just that one sentence.

Then he passed out completely.