Kyrian was led to a small room on the second floor, with a window overlooking the rooftops of the city and the central square.
A few minutes later, the food arrived. The stew was rich and hearty, the fish perfectly grilled, and the medicinal wine had a complex and comforting flavor.
Kyrian enjoyed every bite without thinking about anything else, simply devouring it with a satisfied smile rarely seen on his face.
After finishing everything, he called the waiter again and ordered another portion of stew and fish.
He spent thirty minutes eating calmly, satisfying a hunger that went beyond mere nutrition, until he felt completely fulfilled.
He left the place, leaving a generous handful of low-grade spirit stones on the table, more than enough to pay the bill several times over.
He decided to return to the mansion and sleep for the rest of the night. He had already eaten, advanced his cultivation, and nothing else in the city interested him.
But his way back was interrupted.
As he left the establishment and approached the central square from the other side, a crowd suddenly gathered at great speed, surrounding something in front of a building far more luxurious than the "Traveler’s Stop."
It was an ostentatious restaurant, with crystal lanterns and carved wood.
Kyrian was about to ignore it and continue on his way, but a thunderous and familiar voice made him stop instantly.
"Do you want to die?!"
"Bai Zhu?" Kyrian murmured with a resigned sigh.
It seemed the brute had gotten into trouble. Immediately, his mind connected the dots.
The only people in the city who could provoke something with Bai Zhu at that moment were the five young people who had just arrived.
Kyrian immediately abandoned the idea of returning to the mansion and moved toward the crowd with apparently calm but firm steps.
Getting closer, he could see the situation more clearly. In front of the luxurious restaurant, Bai Zhu stood on one side, his face flushed with fury and fists clenched.
On the other side, exactly as he had imagined, were the five young people. The silver-haired leader stood at the front, his hand resting on the hilt of the long sword on his back.
The girl with braids and green eyes stood behind him, her face twisted with anger and disdain. The other three watched with expressions ranging from curiosity to disapproval.
The commotion had drawn the attention of civilians, who gathered at a "safe" distance to observe the conflict.
Kyrian did not know exactly what had happened, but he could not ignore Bai Zhu, who was under his command on this mission.
Kyrian advanced directly toward the crowd. The people, sensing his released energy and the cold expression on his face, opened a path for him after he cast only a serious glance.
He approached, positioning himself directly in front of Bai Zhu, standing between the two groups.
Without wasting time, Kyrian interrupted the argument, his clear and cutting voice silencing the murmurs of the crowd and the words about to be exchanged.
He looked directly at Bai Zhu.
"What happened?"
Immediately, all eyes turned to Kyrian.
First, they noticed his distinctly handsome but cold appearance. Then, his crimson robe, similar to Bai Zhu’s, but with a cut and fabric that screamed superiority.
And finally, his eyes. Deep crimson eyes, with no visible pupils, that seemed to absorb the light of the lanterns and reflect only an unsettling glow.
"Leader." Bai Zhu said, noticing Kyrian’s arrival. His scowl remained, but a slight relief passed through his eyes. He hesitated, trying to form the words.
Before Bai Zhu could speak, the silver-haired young man interrupted, his voice filled with disdain.
"Is this gorilla your subordinate?"
Kyrian looked at the young man for a moment, his expression absolutely impassive. Then, he returned his attention to Bai Zhu, completely ignoring the interruption.
"Speak. What happened?"
Bai Zhu opened his mouth again, but the silver-haired youth, irritated at being ignored, interrupted once more, pointing at the braided girl.
"This pervert harassed Sister Lian—"
Kyrian did not let him finish. He turned his head and looked directly at the silver-haired youth.
It was no ordinary look. For a fraction of a second, the crimson in his eyes flared with pure intent. There was no movement, there was no attack, but the five young people in the group simultaneously felt their hearts jolt violently and irregularly in their chests. This was followed by a sudden wave of primitive dread, as if something hungry were watching them from above.
The blood flow of all five accelerated uncontrollably for just an instant.
The effect lasted less than a second. Kyrian only wanted to give a warning. A silent reminder that, no matter who they were, he was the one in control of that situation.
"I am not asking you." Kyrian said, his voice as cold as ice. The clarity and calm in his tone were more threatening than Bai Zhu’s shouts.
He then turned his back completely on the silver-haired youth, an act that was seen as contempt but which Kyrian could not care less about, and faced Bai Zhu again.
"Now speak."
Bai Zhu, somewhat surprised by the opposing group’s reaction to Kyrian’s mere glance, swallowed hard as he remembered what those eyes were capable of, then explained.
"I saw that girl alone at the entrance of the restaurant. I thought she was pretty, so I invited her to dine with me."
Kyrian, as he listened, imagined where this was going, especially knowing that Bai Zhu was more muscle than brain.
"But she completely ignored my words, as if I didn’t even exist. I thought she wasn’t hearing me. So I touched her shoulder."
Bai Zhu paused, his scowl deepening.
"And she just went crazy and wanted to fight. She launched an attack with her weapon. I dodged. She couldn’t hit me, ran away, and came back with them."
Kyrian sighed internally.
"I understand the situation." Kyrian said, his voice still neutral.
"You know you shouldn’t touch unknown girls at random."
"But she ignored me! I just wanted—"
"No ’buts,’" Kyrian cut in, his voice gaining a sharp edge that made Bai Zhu clench his jaws and fall silent.
Kyrian then turned to face the group again, this time completely ignoring the silver-haired youth, who now looked at him with a hardened expression, his hand firmly gripping the sword hilt, his entire body tense after the previous fright.
Instead, Kyrian addressed the group as a whole.