While the guards gossiped, Xuefeng looked from left to right with great interest. Thanks to the previous owner of this body, he could recognize the things around him. However, the blurry remnants of memories were nothing compared to actually seeing the things with his own eyes—the clothing people wore, the infrastructures similar to the ancient times back in his world, and the way people conducted themselves while they mingled with each other. They were all familiar and yet strange at the same time.
"Young Master, is there anything you're looking for?" Wuying asked.
It seemed she had noticed his peculiar actions. His movements were akin to a child who had seen the world for the first time, and she mistook his curiosity for his search of something specific.
"Nothing. I just want to look around," he answered sheepishly as he scratched the side of his head. "After waking up, I feel I had to familiarize myself again with everything."
Wuying stared at his face as if to study him carefully, and he felt nervous. Based on his memory, the previous Liu Xuefeng never really asked her any questions and didn't act the way he just did. But there was no helping it. After all, he was a different person. Despite the inherited memories, there were bound to be differences between him and the previous owner. He hoped she would just jot this strange behavior as an effect of his injury.
"Hmmm," Wuying hummed but didn't say anything else as if she accepted his answer.
Relieved that she didn't press him further, they continued to walk around the city. Since he told her he wanted to familiarize himself with everything again, Wuying took it upon herself to act as his guide, showing him many interesting places such as the hidden park between some of the buildings they passed and other places with amazing views. They were able to walk leisurely without getting much attention from people as they were all busy rushing to their own businesses around that time.
Soon, they reached a grand-looking establishment that seemed to be a restaurant. Xuefeng read the huge sign hanging at the front and was relieved he could read it clearly.
Golden Phoenix.
From what he recalled, it was the fanciest restaurant in the city, but he'd never set foot there before. Aside from being always crowded and expensive, the previous Xuefeng was not really someone who liked to come to these kinds of places.
"There's a long queue. We will have to wait if we want to eat inside," Xuefeng commented as he spotted more than twenty people waiting for their turn to eat.
Wuying only smiled at his words, and tugged at the long sleeve of his robe, pulling him with her. "You are Liu Xuefeng, the Young Master of the great Liu Clan. You don't need to stand in the queue," she informed confidently and they walked into the lobby without caring about waiting patrons.
A young lady garbed in fancy traditional clothing stood before them and bowed in greeting. "Welcome to the Golden Phoenix. Do you have a reservation?" she asked them politely with a practiced smile.
"No, we don't," Xuefeng replied with a sheepish smile of his own. "Are there any tables available?"
He was trying to be polite and ask around before he was forced to use his status, but the lady didn't give him much room to work with.
"I'm sorry. All of our tables are occupied. You will have to wait for someone to finish their meal first and stand in the queue," the waitress apologized.
"How about the other floors?" Xuefeng asked curiously, looking at the upper stages.
He had noticed earlier that all the people in the queue were only led to the tables on the first floor.
"Uhm, the second floor is also full, while the third floor consists of private rooms only. I'm afraid they are exclusively reserved for the big families in the city," the waitress explained with an apologetic smile, probably hoping that they'd understand and go to the line with the other patrons afterward.
But Xuefeng didn't mind nor did he move away. "That's alright. Since the third floor is for the big families, then we'd like to take one of the private rooms, please. Thank you."
He didn't know if he had said something strange, but he felt a sudden change in the atmosphere from the people around them. With a small frown, he glanced around and found the others looking at him with a sneer.
'Did I say something wrong?' Xuefeng wondered, but he didn't have to wonder for long. People started gossiping around them and his ears picked up some of their words.
"Do they think that getting into the third floor is that easy?"
"I heard that yesterday a youngster from the Liu Clan tried to enter the third floor but even he was denied entry."
"Only geniuses can have a chance. I would love to taste the dishes on the third floor."
"A friend of my cousin said that you can even eat a rank three wild boar meat there."
The buzzing activity around Xuefeng made him feel like a clown under a spotlight. Gossip swirled, accompanied by insulting words and demeaning stares that ignited anger within him. He clenched his jaw, his hands balling into fists in frustration.
"What's wrong with these people?" he muttered with a scowl as the buzzing escalated, getting the attention of the others from within the establishment.
"May I ask if there's something wrong?" A mature woman in a tight red dress suddenly appeared by the waitress, taking over the situation as soon as she arrived.
"Manager Wu," the serving lady greeted politely before explaining what happened. "This gentleman would like to dine on the third floor."
"Oh," Manager Wu commented as elegantly as she covered her mouth with a hand. Her eyes rounded in surprise as she looked at both Xuefeng and Wuying. "My apologies for being rude, but could this servant hear the gentleman's name so we could properly accommodate you?"
"My name is Liu Xuefeng, and this is Wuying. We are both from the Liu Clan," he answered, feeling awkward.
He'd never experienced having to introduce himself before entering a building before. In all honesty, he was not really confident he'd be recognized either.
Seconds passed as Manager Wu tried to recall who he was, but when she finally realized, recognition flickered in her eyes.
"Young Master Liu? Are you the son of my dear friend Liu Xiaobei?" she asked, causing the commotion to die down instantly.
"Yes, that's me," he confirmed with a deep breath and the manager quickly gave them an accommodating smile, surprising the busybodies who had ridiculed them earlier.
"My apologies Young Master Liu for not recognizing you," she said before turning to the waitress. "Please show our valued guest and his companion to one of the private rooms on the third floor immediately."
"Yes, Manager Wu," the lady answered before turning to Xuefeng with a polite bow.
This created another wave of buzz amongst the crowd. Xuefeng and the others hadn't yet gone far when they all started talking again.
"Did you hear what Manager Wu said? This kid is the Liu Clan's Young Master."
"Are you talking about that kid with a broken dantian?"
"Yeah, because of that he doesn't go out often from the Liu Clan's territory."
"He didn't look like he had a broken dantian. Is he really a cripple?"
"Of course, he is a cripple—or rather he was. It was big news back then."
"Do you know what this might mean? The Liu Clan's leader might have finally gotten a third-rank medical pill for his son."
"You are right. Why else would he show himself in the Golden Phoenix out of all restaurants? I heard he was so ashamed he lived like a hermit before."
Listening to them, Xuefeng's ears reddened and he let out a frustrated sigh. Whether in the new world or on Earth, you could always meet many people who enjoyed discussing other people's businesses. With a snort, he decided to ignore the rest as he followed Wuying upstairs.
Unknown to him, the buzz continued on and spread like fire even to the others who were dining on the first and second floors. Similar conversations about the revival of the crippled Young Master of the Liu Clan were ongoing on several tables. Many groups who were from foreign cities on a mission even went as far as to leave their tables or left the restaurant to inform their own clans about the news.
Why? Because everything that the Liu Clan did in Phoenix City was worth mentioning—especially this miraculous news about the Clan Leader's only son recovering from his broken dantian.
Back in the room, the oblivious Xuefeng and Wuying were already seated and were about to order food. Since this was his first time dining at the establishment, he was at a loss as to what to have, but Manager Wu was very helpful with her recommendations. Soon, he and Wuying had finished placing their orders and were left alone.
With a smile, Xuefeng leaned back on his chair as they waited, only to suddenly sit up straight with horror on his face.
"Young Master, what's the matter?"Wuying asked in alarm, watching Xuefeng stare at her nervously.
"Wuying, I completely forgot," he said in panic while patting his empty pockets. "I didn't bring any money…"
Seconds passed and Wuying who was at first alarmed continued to stare at him without blinking as if absorbing his words. Xuefeng then felt so bad and wondered if they could cancel the order and leave. But before he could even utter a single word, she threw back her head and laughed.
'Huh?' Xuefeng was confused as he watched her giggle until tears appeared in the corner of her eyes.
She must have noticed that he was not finding anything funny so she pulled herself together. She cleared her throat and wiped her eyes before speaking.
"I'm sorry, Young Master. I thought you were just joking. I didn't realize you were serious," she apologized before explaining, "You don't have to worry about money. The receipt for this meal will be sent to the clan and they will pay for you. This is how the families allowed to dine on the third floor settle their bills."
Xuefeng finally relaxed, feeling foolish for panicking over something trivial like money. Since he was a young master of a big clan, of course he didn't have to worry about paying bills.
'I really need to change my broke mentality or else I will cause even more blunders in the future,' Xuefeng thought, silently sighing to himself as he leaned back on the chair again. "I see, that's good then. I was worried for nothing."
"It's my fault, Young Master. I should have paid more attention. You didn't go out often in the past so it's only natural that you didn't know. I will make sure to remind you if anything else comes up," Wuying assured, causing him to feel even worse.
He was already over his mistake so he swiftly changed the topic. "Wuying, you know so much about cultivation. Do you also cultivate?"
"Everyone in the Liu Clan is a cultivator. I'm no exception," she replied casually.
"Oh, then do you also have a Spirit Artifact?" he followed curiously.
He didn't think it was an unusual request, but for some reason, Wuying acted embarrassed as if he just asked her to strip in front of him.
"Is something wrong?" he asked innocently, causing her to blush further.
"Young Master, it's not really nice to ask people to show their Spirit Artifacts, you know? It's like asking someone to expose their soul," she told him seriously, stunning him on the spot.
"Oh… I'm sorry. I was just curious. I didn't mean to be rude," he apologized immediately, but Wuying burst out laughing at his reaction.
"I'm sorry Young Master, you are just so funny to tease," she said between giggles.
'This girl just made fun of me...' Xuefeng rolled his eyes at her, but it was impossible for him to get mad at her. After all, he still felt as if he was in love with her.
"Alright, alright. Stop laughing now. Show me your Spirit Artifact if you were just joking," he said with a smile as he held out his hand towards her.
"How about this? I will show you if you can get at least a third-rank Spirit Artifact after your Spirit Awakening Ceremony," she proposed with a grin. "After awakening, you will be given a chance to get one from the Clan's treasury. Of course, the rank you receive will depend on your potential since Spirit Artifacts need to resonate with the user. There is a chance you might not even get one if no artifacts choose you."
"I will try my best," he answered, not sounding that confident. His dantian was just repaired so he had no idea how good his talent was.
"Don't sound so glum, Young Master. I feel you can pick a good one," Wuying cheered. "And if you're lucky enough, you may even get more than one artifact!"
Xuefeng's eyes rounded. "You mean I'm not limited to just one?"
"There's no limit to how many you can get actually, although the normal is one artifact per person. If you get more than one it means that your talent for cultivation is really good."
"Oh! Does this mean that even if I didn't get something good this time, I can try again in the future?" he asked and Wuying looked thoughtful.
"I'm not sure about that, but you can ask the clan leader for more details. Since he arranged for someone to explain things to you tomorrow morning, you can ask about this as well," she suggested, ending the discussion just before the food came.
The delicious aroma quickly spread to every corner of the room, and Xuefeng fought hard not to drool then and there as the waiters filled the table with plates.
From first-rank dishes, there were grilled pigeons, peas and mushrooms, coated pheasant, and fried bear paws. They also had second-rank greenhorn deer meat, and the restaurant's specialty, third-rank wild boar meat. These were all recommended by Manager Wu.
Xuefeng was grateful he let her choose, as she selected the finest dishes available. With each bite, he felt a comforting warmth cruising through his body. While the portions weren't large, they proved remarkably satisfying. Meanwhile, Wuying sampled small bites from each dish, content to watch as he enjoyed his meal to the fullest.
"Young Master sure is enjoying his meal," Wuying casually commented.
"Yes! It's so good. We should come here more often from now on," he stated with a grin as he massaged his full belly.
"Young Master, are you planning to bankrupt the clan over food?" she teased, and they both laughed just as the door opened again and Manager Wu returned.
"Young Master Liu, is everything good?" she asked politely, her demeanor elegant as ever.
"Yes, we liked it very much. Thank you for the hospitality," Xuefeng replied.
Satisfied with his answer, Manager Wu's smile widened, and she politely handed something to Xuefeng with both hands. It was a golden card.
"What's this?" he asked as he examined it in his hands.
"Young Master, this is our company's special membership card. It will give you a twenty percent discount not just in this restaurant, but also in all our shops, as well as priority in services," she explained.
Xuefeng was surprised—but it was a happy kind of surprise. He thanked the manager, and Manager Wu gave them an elegant bow before taking her leave.
"This is nice," Xuefeng uttered as he continued to inspect the golden card and saw the words engraved on the surface.
Trade Union.
He was holding the card casually until he looked at Wuying who was staring at him in shock.
"Young master, do you have any idea what you are holding?!"