The Dialogue on the Fifth Floor

  Sári led Elder Claudio to a private room on the fifth floor of the pagoda, which had seven floors in total. Although Mustafa could have escorted him to the sixth floor, reserved for VIPs and special guests of the pagoda’s owner, the fifth floor offered a higher vantage point over the city and was intended for highly valued clients. It demonstrated Mustafa’s sincerity and respect, even if Huang Di, unaware of those nuances, was simply looking for a good place to eat.

  When they arrived, the breathtaking view of the city immediately captured Huang Di’s attention. While Sári explained the room’s features, he asked an unexpected question.

  "Young one, how much do you earn per year working here?"

  Sári, a thirteen-year-old girl, was caught off guard. For a moment, her mind wandered to improper possibilities, but she quickly realized the sincerity behind the question and answered honestly.

  She explained that she earned very little, having only recently begun cultivating because she came from a non-cultivator family. Thanks to help from a friend, she had gotten the job, which was a major achievement for her family. She had recently reached the third level of the Foundation Rank, but apologized for mentioning it, afraid it might be impolite.

  Sári said her pay was daily, partly in gold and partly in cultivation supplies. She emphasized that while gold was meaningless to someone like Huang Di, it was vital to her family. In addition, she received meals and lodging, and two small stones per day to support her cultivation.

  Remembering his own difficult youth, Huang Di estimated that it amounted to roughly seven medium stones per year. Then he asked another question.

  "Do you have a menu, or do you know the prices by heart?"

  Sári laughed softly before replying.

  "I know them all by heart. It was part of the test to get the job."

  She explained that the food served there was specialized for cultivators and that payment was made in cultivation stones. On the fifth floor, they accepted only large stones, and dishes ranged from dozens to hundreds of those stones. She added that on the upper floors, only Rank Sky cultivators were served, with payment exclusively in perfect stones.

  Huang Di listened attentively, clearly interested, and then asked another personal question.

  "And tips? Do they stay with you, or do you have to hand them over to the establishment?"

  Blushing, Sári answered.

  "It depends. If a customer gives a tip and the employee chooses to keep it, no one forces her to hand it over. But from time to time, management finds out. They advise us to turn everything in, to avoid trouble, like theft, or things worse than that."

  Understanding the girl’s situation, Huang Di placed his order.

  "A banquet of Rank 5 beasts and herbs, with a good wine. Keep the total cost within two hundred large stones. And have them knock before bringing the food. I’m expecting an important visitor, and I don’t want to make a poor impression."

  Sári nodded, committing the order to memory, and left to deliver it to the head chef.

  Huang Di remained in the room, looking out over the city’s beauty as he reflected in silence.

  The Princess Encounter: Control and Decision

  After Sári left to arrange the meal, Huang Di settled in to recover his energy, taking advantage of the few hours of waiting time. He chewed a few herbs to accelerate his recovery, aware that he needed to break through quickly, but he preferred to do it inside the Relic of Space and Time, so he chose to postpone it. His earlier display of power had eased some of the pressure, yet it also left him with a strange sense of emptiness. Within half an hour, he was full of energy again.

  He then focused on repairing and improving his concealment formation, which had been damaged after he had lent it to Umbra. With his knowledge of runes, he not only fixed it but refined it, adding a sealing function. He placed the formation in the room, ensuring that no one outside could hear what would be discussed inside, and that no one besides him could leave.

  With the preparations complete, he opened his grimoire, where his previous summons had been recorded. The confirmation of his suspicion made him uneasy. The grimoire had recorded both the beautiful Princess and the Fox, both dormant within the grimoire’s space. The Princess was in a room decorated in an overwhelmingly pink theme, with paintings of herself, while the Fox rested in an environment suitable for her species.

  Huang Di considered how the grimoire functioned and decided to summon the Princess, placing her in a chair on the balcony of his room. She awakened slowly, taking in Huang Di’s aged appearance, and reacted with surprise and indignation.

  "Is this your real face? First you defeat me, then you enslave me, kidnap me, and now you summon me here? Wait. I know this place. We’re in Boom House at my family’s restaurant. How dare you?"

  Huang Di listened patiently, expecting a more intense reaction, but he was surprised to learn that the restaurant truly belonged to the Princess’s family. It was a potential risk, yet he calmed himself by remembering the manager’s strength and the fact that both the Fox’s life and the Princess’s life were under his control.

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  Using mental control, he silenced her, making it clear that she was completely within his grasp. Furious, the Princess stared at him in disbelief, but she soon realized he was not bluffing. With a mocking smile, Huang Di activated his enhanced appearance-shifting technique, revealing his true face to her.

  "I believe this face is more familiar to you," he said. "As I mentioned before, I could just leave you sealed inside the grimoire for the rest of your life. But the gentler side of me decided to give you a chance."

  He continued.

  "While we remain in this world, you will accompany me wherever I go. When we return to the Golden Heron Sect, I will let you go on your way. What do you think? A fair proposal, isn’t it? All you have to do is behave. Otherwise, I can seal you again in that cramped space. There, you will remain in hibernation, but that doesn’t mean time will stop affecting you. Years will pass, you will grow old, and no one will remember you."

  Huang Di paused, watching the mixture of rage and terror on the Princess’s face.

  "And don’t think I’m being cruel. After all, with your strikes, you could easily have killed me. If I hadn’t dodged that hidden sword in your ring in time, it would have been my life that was taken. So what is one life in exchange for lifelong servitude? Like I said, the choice is more yours than mine."

  The Princess stared at him with a piercing gaze. Unshaken, Huang Di asked.

  "Answer wisely. What I can do to you with a single thought can’t even be put into words. I’ve heard you have a reputation in this city, and it isn’t a good one. While I’m disguised and you’re at my side in this world, you will call me ‘master.’ If you cause problems, you may prefer eternal confinement to what I can do to you. Understood?"

  Terrified by what she had just heard, the Princess had never experienced a humiliation so profound. In her entire life, no one had dared treat her that way, because her father’s wrath fell upon anyone who disrespected her. Now she was completely at Huang Di’s mercy, and not even her faithful companion Penelope could help her.

  Despite her rage and wounded pride, the Princess understood that her situation was unprecedented. She was considered a demonic genius, developing five times faster than ordinary cultivators. Yet Huang Di seemed to be an even greater talent, a suppressor genius, progressing ten times faster. She had never met anyone who could dominate her, not even her brothers, whom she always surpassed in talent.

  With her mind in chaos, she considered submitting temporarily, waiting for an opportunity to retaliate. But for now, there was no escape. And the only way to remain alive was to cooperate.

  The Banquet and the Revelation: Mustafa’s Syndrome

  Before they settled in, the two had reached an agreement on the terms imposed by Huang Di. The Princess, though reluctant, agreed to follow his directives, but not before expressing her desire to have her faithful companion, the fox named Penelope, returned to her side. Huang Di, however, explained that the environment was not suitable for the presence of beasts, even if they were as intelligent as Umbra, his own Rank 6 beast. He argued that beasts of that level, despite their abilities, still had behaviors similar to infants, making their presence inappropriate for a formal banquet.

  The Princess insisted that Penelope had been trained since early childhood to behave in any situation, but Huang Di remained firm in his decision. The tension between them was palpable, but the arrival of the servers provided a welcome interruption.

  When there was a knock at the door, Huang Di quickly returned to his Elder Claudio appearance, preparing to receive guests. The door opened, revealing a group of young women, each carrying trays filled with assorted foods and dishes of different shapes.

  The trays were loaded with succulent meats and a variety of vegetables and greens, all prepared to nourish Earth Rank cultivators, strengthening their bodies and increasing their capabilities. Crafted by master chefs, the food was infused with magical properties, offering everything from increased vitality to physical refinement in multiple aspects.

  The young women, between seventeen and twenty years old, moved with grace and efficiency, placing dishes on the table while casting curious glances toward the Princess. Surprise was obvious in their eyes when they spotted someone so unusual and imposing. They bowed respectfully before withdrawing, leaving behind the young Sári, who looked slightly lost in the face of the deference shown to the guest.

  Mustafa, the manager, entered right after them, bowing deeply and apologizing for his incompetence in not preparing a more suitable place for the honored guests. Watching the interaction, Huang Di realized that Mustafa had put the pieces together and understood that he and the Princess were connected in some way. Mustafa offered to clear the entire floor, ensuring the Princess would not be disturbed, but she did not mind his presence.

  Mustafa then introduced Rafar, a representative of the Boom Auction, who also bowed respectfully. Rafar, despite his prestige as a second-grade supervisor and a fourth-level alchemist, did not want to offend someone who radiated such an intense aura of power. He understood that the situation demanded caution and respect.

  At that moment, Huang Di called the small Sári, who was crouched and kneeling, to come closer to the table. He invited her to sit with them, which left her surprised and embarrassed. She looked at the others, who were also stunned, but no one dared question Huang Di’s request. Hesitant, Sári rose, introduced herself with reverence to the Princess, and then sat at the table, feeling honored to be in the presence of such important people.

  Huang Di then asked Mustafa to serve the wine, testing the man’s character. With a smile, Mustafa chose the oldest and highest-quality wine from his dimensional ring and served Huang Di with reverence. The gesture stunned everyone, because Mustafa was known for being arrogant and distant. Yet in front of Huang Di, he appeared humble and eager to please.

  Everyone was incredulous at Mustafa’s behavior, except Mustafa himself. To him, this was a golden opportunity. He knew the man he was serving held a status far above the Princess’s, and that made him even more deferential, hoping it might help him obtain the cure for his condition.

  Seeing Mustafa’s hunger for something he could provide, Huang Di decided to set the hook.

  "Young Mustafa," he said after watching him for a while, "I’m almost certain you suffer from a ‘Special Appearance-Change Syndrome.’ You’re aging prematurely, losing vitality at a rapid rate, and therefore on the verge of death. I believe you want a Rank 6 pill to help you break through to the next rank and gain more years of life. Am I right?"

  Mustafa stared at Huang Di in disbelief, his eyes filling with tears. The Elder had described his symptoms with perfect accuracy, and even the solution he had considered, forcing a breakthrough to resolve his embarrassing situation. Everyone present looked at Mustafa in shock, because they knew him only in his aged state, some even nicknaming him Methuselah.

  Faced with Huang Di’s precision, Mustafa began to cry, overcome by the understanding and the hope of a cure that the Elder offered. Huang Di, sipping his wine, wore a satisfied smile, pleased to have diagnosed it exactly, and pleased to have the chance to help someone who might later prove useful in the pursuit of his dreams.