Divine Rant Activated
---
"No one's questioning my presence?
Weird!
Either they don't recognize me, or they assume I'm just another eccentric cultivator with good hair and comes from a rich family.
Which, to be fair, is half accurate.
These people look like they've seen it all.
Although I've been to the Mortal Realm a couple of times, I neither stayed for long nor interacted with them.
Cultivators or is it Taoists?
Whatever they are called...are interesting.
I still can't believe I'm to preside over their cultivation.
This is exciting."
Divine Rant Deactivated
---
Per his notes, an inn is where humans from other regions or places stay for a while in a new town. Kind of like a divine guesthouse.
While looking for one, a small mortal girl tugged on his sleeve.
"Sir, sir are you lost?" she asked, wide-eyed.
Long Xiao couldn't say no.
Not because he was lost, but because he didn't know where he was going.
"It's completely different from being lost." Long Xiao thought to himself, stroking his nonexistent beard.
"…Yes," he admitted, with a smile.
"Do you want me to show you around? I know everything!"
She was soft-voiced, far too helpful.
"I didn't know mortal children were this thoughtful." He muttered under his breath.
"Little girl, can you show me an inn?" He asked her, his voice dripping with curiosity.
His eyes widened slightly as he gazed at the tiny human before him. She was so fragile, so insignificant compared to the vastness of the universe he inhabited.
"Yes!" She nodded and pointed to it cutely.
His eyes followed her hand which pointed to a large wooden building.
"Little one, for your kindness, I shall reward you with a divine treasure." He smiled, the gesture dripping with his usual brand of self-importance.
He turned away from the inn to face her, already reaching for his sleeve to retrieve a gem from his storage pouch. He fully expected her to gasp, to fall to her knees in gratitude.
But when he turned back, a strange stillness had fallen over the bustling street. The sounds of vendors and passing cultivators seemed to have muted. His hand, suspended in the air, froze.
He blinked.
She was gone.
Not gone as in she had run away, but gone. There was no trace of her on the street, no lingering scent, no flicker of spiritual energy. The space where she had just been standing was now empty, as if she had been a figment of his imagination.
"Was I hallucinating?" He muttered.
Long Xiao's smile faltered, replaced by a look of utter bewilderment. He looked left, then right, then spun a slow circle, his divine senses sweeping the area. Nothing. It was as if she had simply ceased to exist.
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, a cold chill running down his spine. How could a mere mortal vanish into thin air?
How was this even possible?
The girl's sudden disappearance left Long Xiao stunned, his eyes widening in disbelief. One moment she was there, and the next poof! Vanished without a trace. The street stretched out before him, devoid of any sign that she had ever existed.
He muttered under his breath, "If I ever meet her again, I'll be sure to reward her kindness with heavenly favor." His words hung in the air like a promise.
A vow to acknowledge the extraordinary encounter.
Inside The Mistveil Pavillion
---
Stepping into the crowded inn, he scanned the room filled with cultivators from various realms with his divine eye. The air buzzed with energy and conversations in languages both familiar and foreign. As Long Xiao navigated through the throng of people, a woman approached him with a warm smile.
"Welcome, sir," she greeted him politely. "Can I help you?"
"Yes. I'm a cultivator from another realm. I need a room." He stated.
"…We'll have a room prepared shortly," the woman said sweetly, leading him to a secluded seat. "Please enjoy our tea in the meantime."
The whispers began instantly. Dozens of eyes turned toward Long Xiao. As the woman led him to a secluded seat, he couldn't help but notice the sudden hush that fell over the crowded inn. The cultivators' whispers grew louder, their eyes fixed on him with a mix of suspicion and awe.
"Who knew saying that I was from another realm would arouse suspicion?"
He thought as he shrugged and followed quietly behind her.
The sweetfaced woman returned with a steaming cup of tea, her smile never faltering despite the tense atmosphere. He accepted the beverage, his divine senses picking up on its unusual warmth. A flicker of concern crossed his mind, but he dismissed it.
"After all, I am a god. What harm could possibly come from a simple cup of tea?"
Really good thinking!
He thought, wearing a proud smile.
He took a sip, and his lips curled into a frown. The liquid tasted bitter and sour, unlike anything he had ever encountered in the heavenly realms. Yes, It tasted sour but to the right amount.
Afterwards, he was shown his room.
It was cozy, humble and nothing like the heavenly palace. He sat on a chair.
"NOOOO!" He panicked.
Long Xiao had come to a realization.
This was the mortal world.
A world where nothing was exactly how it appeared.
He remembered a saying Lei told him on his last visit to the Mortal Realm after he supposedly borrowed chicken from an old mortal woman.
Lei said and Long Xiao quotes:
"Damn bird, there is no such thing as free food." After she threw her slipper after him.
Wise. Enlightening. Brutally honest.
"What's wrong, Master?" The unfaithful bird asked, making himself comfortable on the bed after entering through the window.
"…I didn't ask for the price," he whispered. "Being mortal is hard."
He sighed, lowering his head.