Chapter 802: Enough for a Table of Mahjong

"You even brought your own chopsticks?" Old Niu asked tentatively.

The man before him had the aura of a completely ordinary mortal. If he were a cultivator, his power would undoubtedly far exceed Old Niu's. This reminded him of when Lu Shan Jun first arrived in Tianyu Continent and faced an attacking true immortal.

Old Niu muttered to himself, wondering if he was about to suffer terrible misfortune this time. After all, the last time, the Nine-Tailed Fox had taken the lead, but now this scholar, whose true nature he couldn't discern, was sitting directly opposite him.

"Oh, the table is already covered with dishes, and the chopstick holder has been taken away. I happen to have my own chopsticks, so I won't bother the waiter. There's no need for bowls, plates, or rice; just the dishes are fine."

Ji Yuan spoke without ceremony, immediately using his chopsticks to pick food from the table. He specifically chose the more substantial dishes, though there were mostly vegetarian options, and not many truly hearty ones.

Ji Yuan's carefree attitude made Old Niu even more cautious. The several high-level immortals he had encountered were also similarly unrestrained.

Old Niu, however, was still capable of playing the part. His momentary daze lasted only a short while before he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat heartily again. He drank his wine from a bowl, and seeing an unused wine cup nearby, he poured wine into it and offered it to Ji Yuan.

"Young man, do you drink?"

Ji Yuan reached out, took the wine cup, and drank it in one gulp. Then he turned the cup upside down to show it was completely empty. This truly unnerved Old Niu. Indeed, there was no wine left in the cup, not even a single drop of liquid. This was water manipulation!

Ji Yuan sensed the change in Old Niu's demeanor, and a quick glance at the wine cup made him realize his oversight. His usual habit was to drink thoroughly, leaving nothing, but now it had made the brute Niu think too much.

"Alright, you simple ox, hurry and eat; the dishes are getting cold."

As soon as these words were spoken, Old Niu's mood brightened, and he broke into a smile as if transforming. Only two people ever called him "simple ox": Lu Shan Jun and Ji Yuan.

"Sir, you've come yourself? This isn't some avatar, is it?"

Ji Yuan smiled and nodded. "Of course not."

Old Niu's heart settled at this. What was there to be afraid of now? He rubbed his hands together, contemplating whether to immediately take Sir Ji to expose the Revelation Alliance's true foundation.

"Sir, this..."

"Eat while we talk."

"Alright!"

Old Niu's appetite surged, and he ate with his mouth even wider than before.

"Waiter, two braised pork hocks and a pot of wine, the best wine!"

"Coming right up! Two braised pork hocks and a pot of wine, the finest brewed wine!"

The waiter's call from the other side made Ji Yuan smile. Old Niu was indeed quite clever. The latter was now completely relaxed, diligently working through the greens on his plate while whispering to Ji Yuan.

"Sir, do you know why I'm here?"

"No, that's why I came directly to ask you."

"Oh." Old Niu responded, shoveling all the food from his plate into his mouth, chewing a few times, and swallowing it. Watching him, Ji Yuan couldn't help but picture an old ox munching on a vegetable patch.

"Sir, regarding this chaos, it seems they may find it difficult to gain any more advantage here and are preparing to withdraw. Especially in the Black Barrens, though they fought fiercely against the righteous path, their priority now is abducting people. They kidnap whoever they can, and the rest are either eaten or killed..."

Ji Yuan frowned slightly but said nothing.

"Patron, your pork hocks, your wine!"

The waiter arrived with a tray, carrying a large basin of braised pork hocks, which contained two hocks, and a pot of exquisite wine. Old Niu temporarily stopped speaking, waiting for the waiter to set down the food and clear the empty plates.

"Please enjoy your meal, sirs."

The waiter turned and left with the plates, and only then did Old Niu resume speaking.

"Although Tianyu Continent is still rife with chaos and teeming with demons, as if no region has ever truly known peace, and demons constantly stir up trouble, those are merely fools who came here to seek their fortune. There are countless such creatures; it doesn't matter how many of them die..."

"Hmm." Ji Yuan acknowledged, poured himself a cup of wine, then looked up and asked, "Is Tu Siyan truly dead, or just faking her death?"

"Sir is truly Sir; you discerned that the fox wasn't dead. I don't know what wicked magic she employed, but she was only an eight-tailed fox before. Yet, during the chaos in Tianyu Continent, she suddenly ascended to nine tails. When she previously fought against the sect master of Qianyuan Sect, we all believed she had perished under the true immortal's lightning spell, but to our surprise, she's still alive."

Ji Yuan's brows furrowed deeply. "Where is she?"

Old Niu swallowed the food in his mouth and shook his head slightly.

"This old Niu doesn't know for certain, but I believe that when we gather here, it's usually at the fox's command. It's odd, there are monsters and demons within the Revelation Alliance whose cultivation is higher than hers, even true devils and some terrifying demon kings from the Black Barrens. Yet, they all seem to respect that fox. It's very peculiar, and her transformation into a nine-tailed fox this time is even more bizarre. Does a nine-tailed fox truly have nine lives?" Old Niu muttered as he spoke, while Ji Yuan appeared pensive. Could it be that Tu Siyan is actually that specific chess piece, "The Pivot"?

Upon careful consideration, it seemed quite plausible. Extracting any information from Tu Siyan would be difficult. Ji Yuan was more inclined to destroy this chess piece, as it was undoubtedly a mature and influential one. It would be best to destroy it cleanly, leaving no damage.

'So where could she be? Hiding in Tianyu Continent, or the Black Barrens?'

Seeing that Sir Ji was deep in thought, Niu Ba Tian dared not disturb him, only eating his food in small bites. It was then that Ji Yuan's expression subtly changed, and Old Niu also looked up slightly, seeing Ji Yuan wink at him.

"Old Master Niu, you have quite a fine mood, hiding here leisurely and ordering such a spread of dishes, tsk tsk tsk..."

A voice somewhat familiar to Ji Yuan called out. The newcomer entered the tavern, his gaze constantly sweeping around, and then settled on Ji Yuan, who was sitting opposite Old Niu.

The waiter quickly went to the door to greet him. "Please come in, patron. May I ask who you are...?"

Before the question was finished, the newcomer had already ignored the waiter and headed straight for Old Niu's table. The waiter scratched his head, and seeing that the person seemed to know someone, he returned to his duties.

"Hehehe, this scholar's neck is quite fair; his blood must be very tender. Old Master Niu, you're generous, eating by yourself yet not forgetting to prepare some delicious food for me." The newcomer's voice was very low, audible only to those around Old Niu amidst the tavern's noisy atmosphere.

Since first seeing Ji Yuan, the newcomer had ignored all other diners. Apart from a glance at Old Niu, most of the newcomer's attention was fixed on the scholar Ji Yuan had transformed into. An aura with a faint scent of blood drifted towards Ji Yuan, enveloping him completely.

Ordinary demons might not have noticed, but the newcomer's perception and perspective were different. The scholar before him had no trace of earthly smells, and his aura, though seemingly normal, was pure and clear.

'Truly a rare specimen among humans, his blood must be incredibly delicious!' While drinking this person's blood might not necessarily be nourishing, the taste would undoubtedly be exquisite.

Old Niu felt a pang of unease hearing this. He dared not speak, and even picking up food seemed awkward. He had already begun to mentally offer prayers for the newcomer.

As he drew closer, the newcomer finally seemed to notice Old Niu's unusual demeanor.

"Old Master Niu, what's wrong with you?"

"He's fine, you sit too." Ji Yuan's calm voice caused the newcomer to pause slightly. This person could actually speak normally? He then looked at Niu Ba Tian, whose expression was extremely unnatural.

"What, are you not showing me respect? Oh, it's been a long time, and I've changed my appearance again, so you don't recognize me, do you, Shi Jiu?"

The newcomer was none other than Shi Jiu, a practitioner of the zombie path whom Ji Yuan had previously spared, allowing him to return to the Revelation Alliance. Upon hearing Ji Yuan's words, Shi Jiu's knees almost buckled, and he nearly collapsed. However, Ji Yuan reached out and caught him with his left hand.

"Stand steady. The stool is here, sit."

"Ah, yes..." Shi Jiu didn't even dare to breathe heavily, though he only feigned breathing anyway. He sat down next to them, barely touching the bench with his backside, not daring to sit fully in Ji Yuan's presence.

Now Shi Jiu understood why the ox demon's face was so grim. He had most likely been caught by Ji Yuan first; it would be strange if he looked any better. He cautiously glanced at Niu Ba Tian, who was also looking at him with a wry smile.

'Oh dear...'

"S-Sir, just now, what I meant, please don't misunderst..."

"Drinking blood, you say? My hearing is excellent, so of course, there's no misunderstanding."

It's over! Shi Jiu's heart sank.

Ji Yuan, however, said nothing, simply continuing to eat his dishes and occasionally pouring himself a cup of wine.

Old Niu, though outwardly grim-faced, was secretly delighted. He wasn't worried at all. This scene was quite amusing. It seemed this foul-smelling zombie also knew Sir Ji.

When Ji Yuan had almost finished the pot of pork hocks and was about to speak, he suddenly sensed something. A short while later, Old Niu and Shi Jiu also exchanged glances.

"Well, well, you stubborn ox, you're here? I can't believe it; I almost went to the brothel across the way looking for you!"

A clear voice rang out from outside the tavern door. The waiter didn't even go to greet the person this time, as it was clear they were looking for that specific table. The newcomer stepped into the tavern, cast a disgusted look around, and then walked expressionlessly to Old Niu's table, appearing slightly surprised as if just noticing Shi Jiu.

"Oh, you reeking thing, you're here too? Tsk, tsk, tsk. I was going to try some dishes, but it seems I can't eat now..."

The newcomer was Wang Youhong. After speaking a few words, she realized Shi Jiu hadn't retorted and finally noticed the peculiar behavior of the two men. These two fellows were sitting stiffly upright, appearing somewhat constrained?

Only then did Wang Youhong look at the mortal at the same table. "Who is this person?" This person must be Shi Jiu's chosen blood meal, right?

Ji Yuan put down his chopsticks, picked up the wine pot, poured himself a cup of wine, then looked at Wang Youhong. "My name is Ji Yuan, and we meet again. As the saying goes, 'third time's the charm,' so you won't escape this time. Will you sit yourself, or shall I invite you?"

Wang Youhong's expression changed dramatically. Her first instinct was to flee, her second was the realization that escape was impossible.

No wonder, no wonder the brute ox and the foul-smelling zombie wore expressions as if they had lost loved ones, sitting so stiffly and properly at the table. They looked uncomfortable, regretful, and even on the verge of tears...

Despite her inner turmoil, Wang Youhong dutifully shuffled forward and carefully sat on the empty stool. She also didn't dare to sit fully, and at the same time, she cautiously glanced at Old Niu and Shi Jiu. The three of them exchanged glances, their faces all extremely grim.

Ji Yuan took a sip of the wine in his cup, thinking, "This makes for a full mahjong table."