The food actually wasn’t bad and Qiu Ling gave a satisfied nod. “My eyes for a good place to stop at is still just as good as in the past.”

Wu Ya also nodded even though he couldn’t say how good Qiu Ling had been at this in the past. In fact, when it came to this son of his good friend, he actually didn’t know anything about him save for the fact that he had tragically lost his parents and then somehow turned into the dragon king. But he still remembered the time when he had been traveling around with Chun Yin and Jinde.

Back then, Jinde had left all decisions to Chun Yin, including the places they would stop at. Back then, his good friend had also had a knack for finding good places to settle down for some time. They wouldn’t always eat there considering that they didn’t need it, but the guesthouses had always been very comfortable. So it seemed that this was a talent that Qiu Ling had inherited from his father.

For a moment, Wu Ya wanted to bring it up but, in the end, he resisted the urge. Anyway, he missed Chun Yin and Jinde. It had been a long time since they saw each other and he had always hoped that they would meet again in the future. But at the end of the day, those two had only been friends from his youth. Hearing of their passing was sad but it wouldn’t pain him as much as it did Qiu Ling. He shouldn’t bring it up constantly. That would only make Qiu Ling feel depressed.

Coming to this realization, Wu Ya simply kept quiet and focused on eating. Anyway, Chun Yin was gone but Qiu Ling was there. He should focus on getting to know him better and be there for him if he needed him.

On the other hand, Jing Yi smiled. Back then when they had traveled together in the human realm, they hadn’t stopped in many cities or towns. Instead, they would usually stay outside under the starry sky where there was not another soul in sight. Surely, Qiu Ling had had his own considerations back then that didn’t necessarily have to do with what was practical and more with how he could maximize the time they spent together without interference.

Thinking back now, he had to admit that it was a bit funny. Still, Qiu Ling indeed seemed to be able to make a good guess of where they should stop. “Well, I hope that the room is still free. I think the others would like it here as well. It looks nice, the food is good, and the people seemed nice as well.

“Although I am still worried about what you said before.” He didn’t mention the exact words out loud, not wanting to get into any trouble in case Qiu Ling had been right. “We should probably look into that first. Any ideas on that front?”

Qiu Ling gave a hum and then looked around first. “Well, the question will answer itself if we see any of them around. If we don’t … well, there’s always a chance to just make one appear.” He raised his brows in a suggestive manner, clearly intending to take that task upon himself.

For a moment, Jing Yi was worried but then, he calmed down again. Anyway, this wouldn’t be the first time for Qiu Ling to do something like this. If the people here really had a problem with cultivators, he didn’t think that they would have the strength to do anything to Qiu Ling either. After all, even the strongest cultivator in the human realm couldn’t bring him down. So if they loathed cultivators and didn’t have any here, who was supposed to fight against Qiu Ling? So he really had no reason to worry.

Thinking about the matter for a bit more, Jing Yi couldn’t help but feel puzzled. “Say, if they really had a problem with … well, you know, then what would they even do about that?” He felt like a regular human wouldn’t have any chance to do something. Even if there was a faint dislike, what did it matter?

Not even mentioning that, he also couldn’t see a reason why somebody might dislike cultivators. After all, it wasn’t like they had done anything, right? Although then again, he still remembered the rumors back in the village where he had grown up. Even though they had died down later on, he had still heard the story of how people had believed that he was the result of some dark magic.

If people were able to fall for that kind of ridiculous story, then he could see why they might have a problem with cultivators. Who knew what they actually thought a cultivator was?

Qiu Ling gave a hum, not too sure either. Before Jing He went on his trial in the mortal realm, he hadn’t had much to do with mortals. Thus, his knowledge was limited.

Wu Ya had something to say about that though. “Well, it’s not impossible. I’ve been traveling around quite a bit and there are some places that aren’t necessarily friendly to cultivators or anyone who seems different. Oftentimes, they are smaller kingdoms that have a lot of prejudice against those from outside.

“As for what they can do …” He sighed, not sure to say this. “Well, it sounds hypocritical but the solution is naturally to employ some magic of their own. And usually, that would be something brought in from outside. That is to say, they don’t want any cultivators in their place so they hire someone from outside to guard against them. It’s odd if you ask me but it’s what I’ve seen so far in the mortal realm. What do I know about humans though?”

Qiu Ling gave a hum and raised his brows at him. “You haven’t heard anything about the Long kingdom though, have you? In that case, maybe we don’t need to worry. Either way, for the time being, you should be more careful. Saying things like ‘what do I know about humans’ doesn’t make you sound like one yourself.”

Wu Ya couldn’t help but chuckle. That compliment, he could only give it right back.

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