There was a need to tread slowly on this matter and not scare the man out. Honestly, Mou Gu didn’t even know if the man would even stay or leave. Mister Li checked the strip of paper given to him before pocketing it. Their face was an epitome of a poker look.

He watched the CEO and his secretary leave the diner. After a few bumbling words exchanged by Ying Yue He—the woman stepped closer to the man and tiptoed. But then she suddenly chickened out and bowed to her boss.

He fought the urge to shake his head.

Mou Gu wondered if he was seeing some kind of K-Drama reenactment right here and right now—but this wasn’t that. It was a lot more serious than just some romance on the side. The man’s life was at stake. He really did hope that the man would come back inside the diner, and yet Mou Gu could already imagine what was going to happen..

Right after Ying Yue He walks away, the man will rush into his car and try to escape from the wacko cook they just met and Mou Gu would have to chase them down. It was a car chase scene that he’d have to do—which would end with him stopping the car by sheer force or just blocking the road.

… Maybe he had a bit of an overactive imagination, but the man grabbed for his car’s door. Mou Gu saw that Ying Yue He wasn’t around and rushed out of the diner—

And saw that the man was bent down slightly over their car seat before he pulled out something from within it. It was a briefcase. The man’s gaze met his, “Oh, I was about to return to the diner… do you want to talk outside?”

Possible reasons why the man was here came to mind. Maybe some stupid cultivator sold an incomplete cultivation method online, and this was some sort of guy that bought it or something? Mou Gu waved a hand, “Diner is good for now.” They didn’t need to scare him off that much.

“Alright.” The man nodded.

But the man’s face and demeanor were frozen like a block of ice. What was up with that? Wait. They reminded him of Shen in this manner. Must be a normal thing for CEOs or something. Mou Gu led them back to the diner.

.

.

.

“Have you felt sick in the past days? I’m sure that someone like you is familiar with the concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine and even until today it’s still widely practiced—although, ah, dubbed as pseudoscience by most Westerners. It has concepts—”

Li Yang unlocked his briefcase and pulled some of the documents out, “I always thought that cultivation came from ancient Daoism.” He took out a pen from the suitcase and turned to the pink-haired man, “Will you repeat that?”

Mou Gu blinked at him.

“I was trying to be slow—but then you say that. Aiya,” The man rubbed his face, “Seems like you have done some research…? Anyhow, when you came here, I noticed that you were like a sponge that absorbed qi fast. Every human is somewhat capable of that, qi is after all essential to all living creatures, but your absorption rate is much faster for some reason. So you must be practicing some kind of technique that allowed you to do this.”

As expected, the man knew his stuff and he’ll have to see how their knowledge compared with the System. He decided to be upfront about his situation, “I have no spiritual root.”

“…What?”

Li Yang wasn’t quite sure of that reaction, but he affirmed it with a nod, “Yes. I lack—”

“Then you shouldn’t have been able to cultivate in the first place.” The man ran his fingers through his hair, “What cultivation method are you using? You must have come across some kind of cultivation manual? Online by some weirdo? Did you find it in an antique shop or something…?”

Li Yang stayed silent for a moment. What kind of face would the man make if he answered ‘Harem Cultivation Method’—would they even take him seriously? But more than that. ‘Is it even possible to tell them about it?’

[ Yes. Host Can Share This Knowledge But Practice Is Only Available For Host ]

‘Can I share about the System’s existence?’

[ Yes. ]

‘Are there any repercussions?’

[ No Active Side Effects To The Individual Who Hears It. Possibility To Be Seen As Insane However Is High ]

‘Something like that would amuse the Heavens, wouldn’t it?’

[ Yes. ]

Li Yang rubbed his face for a moment and then looked at the man across from him. “I’m not too sure either, but something strange happened one day, and I decided to do some research.” He really didn’t like lying, and perhaps the man would see right through it.

“Must be some freak accident then? What day were you born? Maybe it’s in your birth chart or you visited some old place that triggered your body—” Mou Gu snapped his fingers, “It’s not rare for some people to visit an old tomb or some ancient place and unearth cultivation secrets honestly, especially if you resonate with the one who built it. But right, that’s going to pose a problem for you.”

“Is there no root unlocking kind of item available?” Li Yang hoped it wasn’t an exclusive item available in the System’s Shop.

Mou Gu gave him a look, “I’m not sure what kind of research you’ve done, maybe there might have been something like that in the past—an ancient magical treasure, but for the vast majority of people that have ‘no roots’, the path of true cultivation is unavailable to them. If everybody could have been a cultivator, there’d be a lot more of us. You’re an odd case.”

What was Li Yang going to say to that? ‘I started the path of cultivation through charming women and gaining points for it?’ It really was some kind of cheat, in a way. The man had hopes that there might be another solution, but was the System the only way?

“We’ll try to look into some solution for it—that respirator may block some of the pestilence qi from your mouth and nose, but your skin still absorbs it.” Mou Gu waved a hand. He pulled out a phone from his pocket. “But speaking of us, not you and me, us as in the people entrenched in this cultivation world—I need you to come with me tonight if the others are still there.”

Li Yang raised a brow, “Others? Are you in some kind of sect? Temple?” The reason someone like the man in front of him was hiding between normal people still stayed shrouded in mystery. So far, the conversation revolved around him, but he at least needed to know more about the man in front of him. It wasn’t enough that they were friendly enough to be a cook.

“There’s always going to be an organization—and no, not a sect or a temple. Those old farts stay away from cities. I’m from the Shen Society.”