"This is my father's invitation."
Ye Ziying took out a small cloth bag from her waist and gently ran her hand over it. An invitation appeared in her hand.
"Storage bag?" Mike's eyes lit up with interest.
This item was incredibly convenient, a type of post-heavenly spiritual treasure that could store things in a spatial pocket.
Mike was eager to get one for himself and decided to gather the materials to make one.
"Alright, since City Lord Ye has invited me, I shall respectfully accept." Mike took the invitation with a smile.
No matter the reason, they had just helped him pay off his gambling debt, so it would be rude not to go. Besides, Mike was curious about what the city lord wanted from him. Who knows, there might be something to gain.
"Please, Senior, get in the carriage."
Ye Yun and Ye Ziying invited Mike into the carriage, and they made their way to the City Lord's residence.
"I wonder where Senior hails from?" Ye Ziying asked respectfully in the carriage. "Perhaps Senior has some connections with the ancestors of our Qingcheng Sect."
Mike didn't recognize anyone from the Qingcheng Sect, but he knew it was a large and prestigious sect.
"I'm from Changsheng Temple." Mike replied honestly.
Ye Ziying thought for a moment but couldn't recall such a place.
Changsheng Temple was just too small, a third-rate sect ranked at the bottom of its tier, so Ye Ziying had never heard of it.
"Senior is truly humble. With such cultivation, you remain so low-key, even your sect is so secretive." Ye Ziying thought to herself.
"Ah, it's the Changsheng Temple. I've heard of it, I've heard of it." Ye Ziying said politely after a pause.
The carriage soon arrived at the City Lord's residence.
Mike lifted the curtain to look outside. The City Lord's residence was magnificent, and compared to his own Changsheng Temple, it felt as though his temple was nothing more than a doghouse.
He made a mental note to earn a lot of money and renovate Changsheng Temple properly.
"Father, Senior has arrived!"
Ye Yun called out.
"Such a grown man, yet still so noisy. You're embarrassing me in front of Senior!" Ye Qingbei came out, first reprimanding Ye Yun before stepping forward to respectfully bow to Mike. "Ye Qingbei greets Senior."
"City Lord Ye, no need for such formalities."
Mike sized up Ye Qingbei, but didn't sense any strong aura from him.
Although Ye Qingbei was a city lord in White Cloud City, he must be a local power in the Kingdom of Shenque, yet Mike found no powerful cultivators in the entire City Lord's residence.
This was a bit strange.
How could a city lord not have a single powerful expert in his household?
No wonder there was so much bloodthirst in the air earlier.
"Please come inside, Senior."
"Someone, bring tea."
Ye Qingbei greeted Mike warmly.
"Thanks to Senior's lifesaving grace, if it weren't for the talisman you gave me yesterday, my life would likely have been lost." Ye Qingbei said with a smile.
"No need for such formalities."
Mike merely nodded in acknowledgment, not probing too deeply.
Mike knew that if a city lord's life was at risk, it was usually a complicated matter. He didn't want to get involved. He politely thanked Ye Qingbei and then began sipping the tea.
The tea was quite good, much better than the tea at Changsheng Temple.
"I've heard that the Daoist sects rarely interfere in matters of the martial world these days. Is that true?" Ye Qingbei asked with a serious expression.
"Ah, yes," Mike replied, "That's true."
It wasn't that the Daoist sects were reluctant to get involved, but rather, they didn't have the qualifications to do so.
Other sects could take on commissions to earn money, but Changsheng Temple was struggling for survival. Who would pay them to handle matters?
"I must say, Senior, you are truly an inspiration. To be so detached from worldly affairs and focused solely on cultivation, I admire you greatly." Ye Qingbei continued, bowing slightly.
"Heh-heh." Mike gave an awkward laugh. He suspected that Ye Qingbei wanted something from him but was hesitant to ask directly. So, instead, they were wasting time talking.
"The tea is quite good." Mike placed his cup down and said, "I appreciate City Lord Ye's kindness today. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Seeing Mike stand up to leave, Ye Qingbei became anxious.
"Senior, please stay." Ye Qingbei quickly said.
"Is there something else?" Mike looked at him.
Ye Qingbei waved his hand to dismiss the servants and maids around.
"Yun'er, you go out first." Ye Qingbei said to Ye Yun.
"Ah?"
Ye Yun was surprised, even he had to leave. He didn't want to, but when he saw his father's stern gaze, he reluctantly left.
Ye Ziying stayed behind.
"Senior, there is something I wish to ask for your assistance with," Ye Qingbei said, his expression serious.
"You may speak. If I can help, I will." Mike nodded.
However, if it involved danger, Mike would have to refuse.
"I know Senior's martial arts are exceptional, your cultivation is unfathomable. I would like to ask for your help in sending someone out of the city," Ye Qingbei said.
"My martial arts are exceptional?"
"Unfathomable cultivation?"
Mike was stunned. Where had they heard these rumors about him?
"It's only about an hour's journey to the city gates. Does City Lord Ye really need to be so secretive about sending someone out?" Mike laughed. "Also, I see your daughter is quite capable. Surely she could escort them?"
"Senior, please don't joke." Ye Ziying smiled bitterly. "My cultivation is nothing compared to yours."
Ye Qingbei also helplessly explained, "Perhaps you're wondering why there aren't any experts around me despite being the city lord. The truth is, I did have several ninth-grade cultivators and even a transcendence-grade expert in my city. However, they all perished in a battle half a year ago. I thought things would be peaceful for a while, but trouble has come again. Now, White Cloud City has no capable cultivators, and I must ask you for help."
"My city has been targeted, and only someone like Senior can help me secretly send this person out without anyone noticing." Ye Qingbei finished and bowed deeply to Mike.
"City Lord Ye, you overestimate me. I don't have such abilities." Mike quickly declined.
This person's entire group had died, and now they were being targeted? How dangerous must the person they wanted to escort be? Mike's meager skills wouldn't be enough to protect them.
"No, no," Ye Ziying quickly interjected, "If Senior agrees, we're willing to pay two hundred thousand taels of silver as a reward."
Seeing Mike was likely lacking money—after all, his clothes were ragged, and his gambling debts were still fresh—Ye Ziying was taking a gamble. She hoped that someone with such high cultivation might be swayed by money.
Two hundred thousand taels would certainly help Mike out, but it wasn't just about the money.
"Who do you want me to escort?" Mike thought for a moment.
Two hundred thousand taels! That could easily renovate Changsheng Temple!
Seeing Mike's hesitation, Ye Qingbei and Ye Ziying's eyes lit up.
"It's a young person," Ye Qingbei quickly replied, "We just need you to send this person to the pine forest thirty miles out of the city."
Mike thought for a moment. "Has my talisman really killed that demon?"
"Of course," Ye Ziying replied, "The eighth-grade dream demon was obliterated instantly by your talisman. It couldn't resist at all."
"Alright, I'll agree." Mike nodded.
"Thank you, Senior. When shall we set off?" Ye Qingbei asked eagerly.
"No rush." Mike raised his hand and began calculating. Though his cultivation wasn't strong, he knew that the methods he learned in his past life could still be of use. Since his talismans worked, he decided to use special methods to escort the person out of the city.
But first, he needed the right timing.
After a moment of thought, Mike said, "In three days, I'll escort this person out of the city."