The Heavenly Balance Throne felt colder than usual. Ye Feng propped his chin on one hand, gazing at the expanse of immortal clouds beneath his feet. His eyes, which held galaxies and abysses of destruction, were half-closed.
Before him, the Supreme General Black Tortoise kowtowed, "Your Immortal Majesty, the Chaos Fleet has been... annihilated. As you commanded."
Ye Feng did not respond. He simply shifted his index finger one centimeter on the jade armrest.
He was Ye Feng. The ruler of the Seven Realms. The most powerful being that had ever existed. His every breath was law. His every blink was destiny. He was invincible. He was eternal.
And he was... unbelievably, profoundly, bored.
He had spent millions of years cultivating and conquering. Now, there was nothing left to conquer. Everyone feared him. He was lonely.
He gazed into the Mirror of Destiny, aiming it at the weakest, most chaotic, and most fragile of all realms: The Mortal Realm.
He watched mortals scramble for food. They grew angry over trivial things. They wept over small matters. They laughed raucliously over fermented liquids. Their emotions... were so vivid. So troublesome.
How... interesting.
A mad idea bloomed in his mind.
"I'm going for a walk," he said flatly. The Generals who instantly appeared gaped. "There," Ye Feng pointed to the Mortal Realm. "Prepare the strongest cultivation-suppressing seal. I want to look... normal."
A moment later, Ye Feng landed in a narrow, smelly alley in Spring Cloud City.
Ninety-nine point nine percent of his power was sealed, leaving only a strong physique and sharp senses. His starry robes were replaced with a simple blue cotton robe. He now looked like a handsome, but ordinary, young scholar.
The first thing that greeted him was noise and aroma.
"FRESH FISH!" "HOT DUMPLINGS!"
The smell of roasted meat mixed with sweat and cheap perfume. It was dizzying, yet... alive.
He walked for three hours. And for the first time in millions of years, he felt a strange sensation. His stomach rumbled.
Hunger.
The rich aroma of roasted duck led him to the most luxurious restaurant on the street, the "Full Moon Pavilion." He strode in, ignoring the waiter's gaze, and picked the best table.
"Bring me your finest dishes. All of them," Ye Feng commanded in his imperial tone.
The dishes came. He ate. The taste wasn't bad.
"That will be Five Silver Pieces, Sir," the waiter said, bringing the bill.
Ye Feng stared at him. "What is 'Silver'?"
The waiter chuckled. "Your money, Sir."
"I don't have that 'thing'," Ye Feng said calmly. He then reached into his collar and unfastened a jade button. It was Pure Spirit Jade, a tiny chip from his Heavenly Throne, enough to buy this entire mortal empire.
"Take this," Ye Feng said. "It's more than enough."
The waiter flushed with anger. "Sir! Are you insulting us? This is just a button!"
"MANAGER! SOMEONE ATE AND WON'T PAY!"
In an instant, two burly city guards had gripped his arms. He, the Ruler of the Seven Realms, was being held by two fragile mortals. He could have turned them to dust. But... this was interesting. He didn't resist.
THUD!
They threw him out of the restaurant. Ye Feng tumbled onto the dusty street, his robes now soiled with mud. People gathered, laughing at the "handsome swindler."
Ye Feng remained on the ground for a moment. He then let out a soft, amused laugh.
"So... this is what it feels like to be mortal."
He tried to find "work." He saw porters being paid with copper coins. But the foreman shooed him away. "Go! We don't need a scribe!"
The sun set. The air grew cold. His stomach rumbled again, louder this time.
Then, the rain began.
In an instant, a torrential downpour slammed the city. People ran for cover. Ye Feng, the Master of Heavenly Thunder, now stood shivering in the cold, heavy rain. Ironic.
He huddled from one awning to the next, soaking wet and hungry. He turned down a quiet side street, and there he saw it.
A small shop, the only one still emanating a warm light. The sign read: "Qing's Tea & Medicine Shop."
He just stood under the small front awning, dripping.
Screeeech...
The wooden door opened. A young woman in a brown apron appeared, holding a broom. She stopped when she saw Ye Feng. She saw a handsome young man, soaked to the bone and looking pathetic.
"Hey," Lin Qing said, her voice clear and a bit sharp. "Are you planning to stand there until you grow mold?"
Ye Feng just stared.
Lin Qing sighed. "Troublesome. Come in. At least dry yourself off. I don't want a frozen corpse at my door tomorrow morning."
Ye Feng stepped inside. The shop was small and warm, smelling of herbs.
"Sit," Lin Qing ordered, pointing to a bench near the stove. She tossed a rough rag at him. "Don't drip on my floor."
She went behind the stove. "I was making my dinner. There's leftover gruel. You want it?"
Ye Feng, feeling the sharp bite of hunger, answered with a single word. "Yes."
A moment later, a coarse clay bowl was set before him. It was plain white rice gruel and some pickled radish. Food his lowest servant wouldn't touch.
But it was hot.
He took a spoonful. It was bland. The texture was rough. But it was the warmest and most delicious thing he had tasted in a thousand years.
Ye Feng finished every last drop.
"I'm Lin Qing, the owner," the girl said, taking his empty bowl. "You?"
"Ye Feng."
"Good name. Too good for a vagrant," Lin Qing said bluntly. "You a traveler? Wallet stolen?"
"Yes," Ye Feng lied for the first time in a million years.
Lin Qing looked at him skeptically. "Alright. Well, that gruel wasn't free, Ye Feng. You have to pay for it."
"I don't have 'money'."
"I know. You'll pay with labor. Wash your own bowl. And that pot."
Ye Feng went to the wash basin. He picked up the bowl. He tried to mimic the washing motion. He couldn't control his residual physical strength.
CRASH!
The bowl shattered to pieces in his hands.
Lin Qing squeezed her eyes shut, massaging her temples. "My goodness. You're... completely useless, aren't you?"
Ye Feng fell silent. He had failed again.
"Just move," Lin Qing said, taking over the washing.
The rain was still pouring outside. Lin Qing looked at the clumsy young man who had just broken her bowl. She sighed.
"I don't have a guest room," she said. "There's a small storage room in the back. You can sleep on the tea sacks tonight. At least it's dry. Tomorrow morning, you have to go."
"Agreed," said Ye Feng.
"And in exchange for the gruel and the bowl you broke," Lin Qing added, tossing a broom at him. "Sweep the front floor before you sleep."
She walked up the stairs to her room, leaving Ye Feng alone in the dim shop.
He, the Immortal Emperor, Ruler of the Seven Realms, stood holding a broom. He looked at the slightly dirty floor.
He tried to swing the broom. The dust just swirled in the air.
This... was far more difficult than fighting a Demon King.