Six women sat around Su Yang with bright expressions. All of them were as old as Lan Liqing if not older, but because none of them were cultivators, they actually looked their age, unlike Lan Liqing who still looked to be a young lady despite her old age.
"Little brother, how old are you?" One of them asked Su Yang in a charming tone.
"I am 16," he replied in a casual manner.
"So young! I would’ve never guessed just by the way you handle yourself. You have such a mature demeanor that I thought you’d be much older."
"Are you disappointed?" Su Yang asked with a smile.
"Hehe... of course not. Even if you are only 16 years old, you are still considered an adult."
"What is your name?"
"Xiao Yang," said Su Yang, thinking to himself that it would be for the best if he didn’t reveal his true identity outside the sect until he was certain about a few things.
"Where are you from, Xiao Yang?"
"I was born inside the Profound Blossom Sect."
"Whoa... you were given birth to inside a sect?"
Su Yang slightly smiled at her astonishment.
"Enough about me, I’d like to know more about the outside world, as this is my first time outside."
"What would you like to know?"
"Tell me about this Eastern Continent," said Su Yang.
"Well, it’s a very large continent for one... I heard that it’s impossible to travel from one end to another if you are not a cultivator."
"The Eastern Continent is divided into four separate regions, each ruled by one great family."
Su Yang looked at the woman who mentioned the great families with interest. "Tell me more about the four regions and its great families," he said as he sipped on tea.
"The four great families are giants in both the cultivation and the mortal world. Each of them controls an equal amount of land, and they are known to produce geniuses with abnormal talents for cultivation. Other than their fame and military prowess, there is not much else known about them, especially not in a place like this."
"Do you know the names of these four great families?"
"If I recall correctly... the Fang Family rules the Western Region, the Long Family in the Eastern, the Xiang Family in the Southern Region, and lastly... what was it again?"
"The Su Family," said another woman, "They dominate the Northern Region."
"By the way, we are currently within the Western Region, governed by the Fang Family."
"The Su Family...?" Su Yang lifted an eyebrow once he heard the surname of that family. What a coincidence that they have the same surname as him.
"Yes. And although all four great families supposedly have the same amount of military power, rumors have it that the Su Family may actually be the strongest among the four."
"Is that so..." Su Yang mumbled with a pondering expression. Although he lied about being born in the sect, he actually didn’t have a single clue as to where he was originally from.
All of the memories he had received from the previous Su Yang were for the one year after he joined the sect – the rest were seemingly blocked by a wall, almost as though it was forcefully suppressed.
"What’s wrong, little brother? You seem interested in this Su Family more than the rest."
"I have heard a few disciples mention their name before..." said Su Yang.
"Do you know where they are located?" he continued.
"All four great families are stationed in the capital of each region."
"Don’t tell me little brother is planning on visiting them?" someone said in a joking tone.
"Perhaps..." Su Yang put down his tea and said with a smile, dumbfounding the people around the table.
"Right, what about the other continents?" he suddenly asked them.
When Su Yang mentioned the other continents, they looked at each other with a perplexed expression.
"Well... other than the fact that every continent is separated by a vast sea called the Jade Sea, we really don’t know anything about them."
"The Jade Sea?" Su Yang instantly frowned. He has traveled the four worlds in his previous life, yet he was unfamiliar with this name. Perhaps he was no longer under the same heaven as his previous life.
When the people around the table saw the pained expression on Su Yang’s face, they knew that something was wrong. They felt like comforting him, but they didn’t know why he suddenly turned sorrowful after hearing about the Jade Sea.
The thought of not being able to see his beloved again greatly pained Su Yang, however, he wasn’t willing to give up so easily – not until he has definite proof that they no longer exist in this world.
"..."
When Su Yang noticed the awkward silence, he put on a smile and said: "I was lost in my thoughts, I apologize."
"There is no need for you to apologize, we understand."
"Whatever caused you to show such sorrow, I hope it goes away..."
They said to him in gentle voices, sounding like mothers comforting their child after they experienced something painful.
Su Yang nodded, and they continued to eat while laughing and joking, almost as though the awkward moment had never happened.
A few hours quickly passed since Su Yang shared his table and food with the ladies, and he finally said his goodbyes after cleaning all the food off the table.
"It has been forever since I’ve had such fun sharing tables with strangers." Su Yang left the restaurant with a refreshing feeling in his heart.