Yu Di put down his chopsticks and reached for the porcelain wine holder. He poured a cup of wine for himself and then another.

  A strong gust of wind pushed down on him from above, holding him in place. There was barely any dust floating around, thanks to the painstaking sweeping of his servant. But his dinner was definitely ruined.

  “Honored guest, why don’t you have a seat and enjoy a little hospitality before you get down to business?” Yu Di placed his hands on the table, moving as little as possible. Maybe if he showed how weak and defenseless he was just like any other mortal, the cultivator wouldn’t kill him in one strike. And maybe if his ancestors truly prized him as he once thought they did, he might even convince the immortal to let him live.

  Yu Di was tempted to jump off the cliff now. But what if he missed and smashed into a rock? He had lived a long life, but he wasn’t ready to die just yet. Thinking about the nothingness on the other side gripped his chest. Not only that, he hadn’t tried everything yet.

  If nothing else, he still had his teleportation device. Except it only had one use.

  A young-looking woman descended from the sky, riding a cloud. She wore expensive silks that didn’t flutter with the wind. A sword with a butterfly hilt hung on her left hip. Even before she landed in front of Yu Di, not a piece of hair or accessory moved on her. It looked more like a moving painting than an actual person. The only thing that changed was her expression.

  Her eyes turned into slits as she glared at Yu Di.

  “This humble and weak man greets the fairy,” Yu Di said. He used a fist and palm salute and bowed toward the Immortal.

  “Where is my father?” the fairy asked, her every word said slowly and precisely.

  “Who are you referring to?” Yu Di said.

  “Wong Yook. He used to live in a house here. Or did you kick him and his wife out of his house so you could build this monstrosity?”

  “Do you mean old Wong? Streaks of gray in his hair? Always talking about some government conspiracy or about Immortals taking over the world?”

  The fairy’s eyes went back into slits before nodding.

  Yu Di felt sudden pressure coming from the woman. It disappeared after a moment. That was definitely the Qi from an early stage of the second realm.

  Yu Di bowed low again at the waist.

  “I didn’t do anything to him. I paid him ten times the cost for the land.”

  “Where is he?”

  “The last I saw, your father was at the restaurant starting a fight with ah… his friend? I don’t know. They fight all the time.”

  The fairy’s right eye was twitching.

  Yu Di rose both of his hands up.

  “I didn’t do anything to him, I swear. I paid him for the land here at ten times the market value. It’s why he doesn’t need to work on the farm anymore or anything really. He spends most of his time at the restaurant, getting drunk and arguing and…”

  Yu Di looked up and realized that he had been talking to empty air. The fairy had already disappeared. He breathed a sigh of relief as he sat back down onto his chair.

  He reached for his cup of wine, but it was never meant to be. The gust of wind came back and a hand grabbed him by his robe and lifted him up into the air.

  “You’re coming with me,” the fairy said from above.

  Yu Di hung limply in the fairy’s hand. There wasn’t much he could do against someone who was two entire realms above him. Yet the first thing he felt wasn’t fear, but elation. It had been so long since he flew in the sky. Even though it wasn’t by his own power, he missed the smell of the air and the wind rushing past him, flapping his clothes this way and that.

  “Whoops.” Yu Di held the bottom of his robe down. Had he known he was going to fly in the air, he would have worn pants. Now anyone looking up would get a rather embarrassing and hairy show. Let’s hope the cloud covered everything up.

  The fairy let Yu Di flop onto the ground softly before she touched down herself. She made sure to fix her hair and accessories before dismissing her cloud.

  Everyone in the marketplace gasped at the sight of her. The children ran off to tell others. Many of the mortals got on their knees and bowed their heads.

  “You’re scaring them,” Yu Di wheezed from the ground. “I don’t think that's what you want to show these mortals, right?”

  The fairy glanced at Yu Di and composed herself. She stood straighter, cupped her hands toward the mortals, and bowed.

  “I apologize for the sudden intrusion.”

  When the mortals saw that, they smiled sheepishly and got up as if they were children who got away with something. Some of the actual children walked up to the fairy and glanced up at her, but none dared touch her.

  Yu Di got up from the ground. He dusted himself off as well as he could, but it didn’t matter. He was already dirty before he took flight. Maybe it was time to change his clothes. He’d have to ask his servant about that… if he survived whatever this was.

  After a few more stares and looks, the mortals went back to their usual activities. The village chief walked over with a group of old men. He bowed first to the fairy while giving Yu Di a glance.

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  “I am Chief Yu of this little village.” He bowed low at the waist along with his group. “If there is anything I can do for the fairy, please don’t hesitate to let us know.”

  The fairy cupped her hands and bowed, but only a little. The entire motion was rehearsed and exact. She moved like a puppet performing a show.

  “I apologize to Chief Yu for my unseemly entrance. I was worried for my father and forgot proper etiquette. I promise to be mindful of my actions from this point on.”

  Chief Yu smiled and nodded.

  “Thank you fairy. Please let us know if there are people who offend you and we will be sure to bring them to justice.” This time Chief Yu glared at Yu Di.

  Yu Di rolled his eyes but didn’t dare look up at the fairy. He didn’t do anything. At least not to this Immortal that could crush him like an insect.

  “My business is short,” the fairy said.

  Chief Yu bowed once more before retreating with his group.

  “Move.” The fairy’s voice turned cold. “Find my father and if he does not say what you told me, you will not leave an intact corpse.”

  Yu Di nodded and walked into the restaurant. Not leaving him an intact corpse? If she came even a few months earlier, he would show her what a true threat was. But no, he shouldn’t reveal anything just yet. Maybe he could get through this without any issues and go back to drowning his sorrows in wine.

  “Old Wong, where are you?” Yu Di called into the restaurant.

  “Eh?” an old man’s voice called out. Old Wong was on the ground nursing a jug of wine

  “Your daugh—”

  “Thank you, I will take it from here,” the fairy said. That was the first time she spoke so fast without watching her words. It felt almost like a slur.

  Yu Di backed up and sat at his usual table near the door. His job was done and maybe he could escape when the fairy was distracted. Of course, he knew that it was impossible. With her speed and awareness, he wouldn’t get two steps out of the restaurant before she could drag him by his robe again.

  “Hey waiter, get me two racks of roast pork and keep the wine coming,” Yu Di said. If he couldn’t leave, he’d at least enjoy a final meal of his favorite food.

  The fairy helped Old Wong up and brought him to Yu Di’s table.

  “How much have you drunk?”

  Old Wong looked up at the fairy, grabbing her by the chin. Despite the dirty fingers, she didn’t move when he touched her.

  “Little Chun, you came back.” Tears welled up in Old Wong’s eyes.

  “Yes father. I am glad to see that you are doing well.”

  “Does this mean you forgive me?”

  The fairy looked away.

  The waiter came by with the two racks of roast pork and a large jug of wine.

  “Perfect, I was running low.” Old Wong put his jug aside and picked up the new one. “You don’t mind right, little Di?”

  “No, of course not,” Yu Di said. What else would he say with the fairy sitting right there? She had blocked the door and brought this troublesome old man over. He wasn’t sure if he could eat his roast pork now. Would this proper fairy strike him down for eating?

  Hell with it. He didn’t get to finish his dinner earlier because of her. He wasn’t going to let an Immortal stop him from eating his roast pork.

  Yu Di picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of crispy roast pork. The skin was a golden orange and the oil dripped onto the table. The first bite was crunchy and salty. Oh, he forgot the hoisin sauce. The second bite was a mix of sweet and salty.

  “Oh little Yu, you mind if I have some of that?” Old Wong asked.

  “Of course. And if Fairy Wong would like some, please feel free.” Normally he wouldn’t have cared one way or another about the old man. Yu Di paid him a fair price for his land and as far as he was concerned, they were like the difference between the well’s water and the river. They shouldn’t ever touch, but this fairy changed that.

  “No.” The fairy frowned as she watched her father gorge himself on Yu Di’s roast pork. She leaned in close and whispered, “Father, this man here said you sold him our ancestral home?”

  Old Wong looked up and squinted at Yu Di.

  This old man better not say something stupid right now or else Yu Di was going to take the old man with him. He definitely paid him a boat load of money for his land. Hell, now that he thought about it, he also paid to construct the old man a whole new house not too far away so he can live rent free.

  “Oh yes, of course.” Old Wong laughed, the white streaks in his hair seemed to bounce along with him. “Little Yu is my generous landlord. He gave us so much money your mother left me to go back to her hometown. She’s coming back one of these days when she realized that I only gave her less than five percent of what little Yu gave me.”

  Yu Di doubted it. Old Wong had gotten so crazy with his conspiracy theories that his wife was glad to be rid of him, even if he gave her nothing. She told Yu Di as much and asked him to take care of the old man. He agreed, but it wasn’t as if he was going to do anything. It’s not like Old Wong was his child.

  “That is unfortunate.” Fairy Wong frowned for a brief second before fixing herself. “I was hoping that my mother would be around to help me. I guess it can’t be helped.”

  “What is it little Chun?” Old Wong asked. “I can help you.”

  “No, I think I will find Mother.”

  “She’s dead.”

  Fairy Wong’s face broke. Her perfectly arranged visage went from sadness to anger.

  “What happened?”

  Old Wong put down his chopsticks.

  “I begged her not to go. I begged her to stay. Tell her little Yu. You heard me. I even got on my knees, telling her that I would change. But she left me all the same. She was attacked by bandits on the way back to her hometown and was killed.”

  Old Wong chugged the large wine jug.

  Yu Di hadn’t known this. That poor lady having to deal with this crazy old man only to die when she finally escaped him.

  “Then I have no choice,” Fairy Wong said. “Father, I need your help and I am desperate.”

  “Maybe I should leave you two to your business.” Yu Di got up. A strong Qi force pushed him back down.

  “Get up again and I will cut off your feet,” Fairy Wong said.

  “Of course, Fairy Wong. I will do anything you ask.” Yu Di signaled the waiter for another jug of wine. He’d ordered it so many times, he didn’t even need to use words anymore. If he couldn’t avoid this situation, he’d drown it out with enough wine to kill a horse.

  “Father, I need you to take care of my daughter,” Fairy Wong said.

  “Your what?” Old Wong sputtered on his wine. “I didn’t know you were married.”

  Fairy Wong glared at Yu Di.

  “No I’m not. I was tricked by a man and a child was born from that.”

  “Oh. Which son of a bitch dared to do that to my child?” Old Wong slammed the table.

  “You’re looking at him.”

  Yu Di spat out his wine.

  “What?”

  “Little Yu, what did you do?” Old Wong asked.

  Again Yu Di felt Qi pushing down on him, but it was from Old Wong. He didn’t know he cultivated. No, he didn’t. It was the glare of death from a father bear that just saw him hurt his child.

  “I don’t know,” Yu Di said. “I have never had the luxury of meeting Fairy Wong until today.”

  Fairy Wong narrowed her eyes.

  “You might have grown out your beard, put on a few pounds, your clothes are an absolute mess, and your smell is only slightly less offensive than my Father, but I still recognize that sly smirk of yours. Do not think for a moment I would ever forget that.”

  Crap. Someone from the past did find him, but it wasn’t what he expected. Maybe jumping off that cliff would have been a better idea.