Chapter 1881: You brat, are you from the lower realm?

Seeing the Deputy City Lord open his mouth and immediately protect Ye Zhangqing without any intention of pursuing blame, Lin Longkun said resentfully.

But before he could finish speaking, the Deputy City Lord gave him a casual glance and interrupted.

"Rules?"

Just two simple words, yet they made Lin Longkun shut his mouth instantly.

Although his own disciple had been killed, he burned with fury toward Ye Zhangqing, killing intent radiating from him.

Yet the last vestige of reason still prevented him from showing the slightest disrespect to the Deputy City Lord.

After all, the other party was the true master of Cooking King Immortal City, far surpassing him in status and cultivation.

Even if they wanted to kill him then, Lin Longkun would have no way to do so.

Seeing that Lin Longkun was still somewhat sensible, the Deputy City Lord also stopped paying attention to him.

As for the two other elders behind him, even Lin Longkun had meekly backed down, let alone those two, who dared not utter a word of opposition from start to finish.

With just a couple of easy words, he had subdued the scene; only then did the Deputy City Lord turn his head to look at Ye Zhangqing, a smile appearing on his lips as he spoke.

"You're not bad."

"Come with me, old man; I have some things to say to you."

The Deputy City Lord wanting to speak privately with Ye Zhangqing made Lin Longkun grind his teeth in anger.

Without a doubt, Ye Zhangqing had clearly caught the Deputy City Lord's eye.

Although this is to be expected, given Ye Zhangqing's displayed cooking skill, combat ability, and talent, it's only natural that the Deputy City Lord would value him.

But while that may be the reasoning, Lin Longkun's heart could not accept it for a moment.

Given the current situation, even if he later wanted to take revenge, it would likely be impossible; bluntly put, that means Zhang Wuyue died in vain, and no one will speak a word for him.

He had everyone else disperse, and the Deputy City Lord directly took Ye Zhangqing away from the hall.

It was still that small courtyard, the Deputy City Lord's residence; as he returned, Ye Zhangqing also appeared in the courtyard.

As for that old man from before, he is no longer here.

"Sit."

Gesturing for Ye Zhangqing to sit in the pavilion in the courtyard, the Deputy City Lord spoke casually.

"My name is Bai Yuan, I am the Deputy City Lord of Cooking King Immortal City."

"Greetings, senior."

Hearing that, Ye Zhangqing calmly performed a salute and called out; seeing Ye Zhangqing's demeanor, Bai Yuan unconsciously smiled.

"You brat, are you still holding a grudge over what happened before?"

The wager between Zhang Wuyue and Ye Zhangqing, Ma Qiankun originally had the full ability to stop it right at the start.

It was only because of Bai Yuan's covert hint that it developed to this point.

Originally, the purpose was simply to test Ye Zhangqing's strength.

But Ye Zhangqing ended up giving Bai Yuan a surprise; this kid is truly impressive, far exceeding expectations.

Faced with Bai Yuan's question, Ye Zhangqing shook his head.

"Junior dare not."

"All right, perhaps the previous incident left you with some resentment; there's nothing wrong with admitting that."

While saying that, Bai Yuan poured Ye Zhangqing a cup of tea.

Actually, that's how the world is: if your strength is insufficient, you'll ultimately be at the mercy of others.

If Ye Zhangqing hadn't displayed such talent and ability, Bai Yuan estimated he wouldn't have sought a private meeting with him, let alone cared about his feelings.

After pouring tea for Ye Zhangqing, Bai Yuan began to inquire about his origins.

Upon learning that Ye Zhangqing came from the Guo family, Bai Yuan was also taken aback, instinctively guessing that Ye Zhangqing was an outsider surnamed member of the Guo family.

"Guo family really is blind-eyed, you with such talent actually..."

"Senior, I'm afraid you've mistaken; I am not a member of the Guo family."

"Huh???"

Seeing Ye Zhangqing explain himself, that he was not a Guo family member, Bai Yuan was startled, thinking, 'This kid isn't from the Guo family? Then how does he come from the Guo family?'

Could he be a servant of the Guo family? That would explain why the Guo family doesn't know of Ye Zhangqing's talent.

But how could the Guo family possibly send a servant to Cooking King Immortal City?

However, this guess is obviously wrong as well; Ye Zhangqing is not a servant of the Guo family.

Only under Bai Yuan's questioning did Ye Zhangqing reveal that he came from the lower realm.

Upon learning that Ye Zhangqing was a person from the lower realm, Bai Yuan spoke with a strange expression.

"You brat, are you from the lower realm?"

No one expected Ye Zhangqing to come from the lower realm; they examined him up and down repeatedly.

How could someone with such talent exist in the lower realm?

Immortal Realm cultivators, although they harbor no hostility toward the lower realm.

Yet their innate arrogance naturally leads them to look down on lower realm cultivators.

After all, the strength of lower realm cultivators truly cannot compare to that of the Immortal Realm.

Just speaking of cultivation level, the lower realm doesn't even have a single Immortal Realm expert.

Meanwhile, in the Immortal Realm, reaching the Immortal Realm is merely the threshold to become a powerhouse, the entry to becoming a regional hegemon.

Without reaching the Immortal Realm, you have no qualification to establish a sect in the Immortal Realm.

Thus, the Immortal Realm's slight disdain for lower realm cultivators is also normal.

But after the brief shock, Bai Yuan's heart welled up with delight once again.

The fact that Ye Zhangqing comes from the lower realm means he has no reliance in the Immortal Realm, nor any complicated ties.

Since he is alone, it would be even easier for Cooking King Immortal City to win over Ye Zhangqing.

Moreover, the most crucial point is that Ye Zhangqing's status makes it easier for him to develop a sense of belonging to Cooking King Immortal City.

After all, in the Immortal Realm, Ye Zhangqing basically has no one to rely on.

This is actually excellent news for Cooking King Immortal City.

Upon thinking this, Bai Yuan secretly delighted, and immediately extended an olive branch to Ye Zhangqing.

With a gentle expression, he said to Ye Zhangqing.

"Zhangqing kid, you don't need to take the previous matter to heart; such things happen anywhere. I had no ill intent—it was just pure curiosity at first."

First, he explained the previous matter to Ye Zhangqing.

This is probably the first time Bai Yuan has ever explained anything to a junior; otherwise, given his status, there would be no need to say these things.

If you want to misunderstand, if you want to nitpick, that's your business.

This also shows that Bai Yuan truly values Ye Zhangqing; otherwise, why would he bother explaining these things?

Having said that, without waiting for Ye Zhangqing's reply, Bai Yuan immediately continued.

"I still have a Young City Lord quota here; I can nominate you directly, and as long as you go through the normal process, it will be settled."

"Just because you've newly arrived at Cooking King Immortal City, don't think that the chief disciples of the various major fire halls represent the pinnacle of the younger generation in Cooking King Immortal City."

"Actually, they don't even represent Cooking King Immortal City; although our city is composed of Immortal Chefs, our combat strength isn't that weak."

"They don't even have the qualification to represent the younger generation of Cooking King Immortal City; the one who can truly represent the younger generation of Cooking King Immortal City is our city's Young City Lord."

"You kid have good talent; I'm optimistic about you. Once you become Young City Lord, you'll also have many benefits—you'll find out later."

Bai Yuan's outright offer of the Young City Lord position shows how highly he regards Ye Zhangqing; it's definitely not just empty talk.