At the Zheng Family Courtyard, a grand banquet was being held to celebrate. The area was adorned with colorful lanterns and banners, and tables were set up for the feast, reflecting the joy and happiness of the people. The sounds of chatter and laughter from the guests made the town appear lively, especially after the difficult times they had recently faced.

The Zheng Family, the hosts of the banquet, may have been a small cultivation family, but they had accumulated wealth over the years by occupying the spiritual forest. Bai Yu, the protagonist of the banquet, sat at the head of the table. Prominent figures of the town, mostly cultivators, raised their glasses to toast Bai Yu, who reciprocated the gesture.

As Bai Yu gazed upon the bright shimmering lights, he felt a bit dreamy, as if reality was just a thin line away from a dream. He then thought of his arrival in this world.

He had returned to where he first arrived, that inn. He searched for room 666 but there were no traces of it. Even talking to the owner did not yield any clues, as if room 666 was just a fragment of his imagination, a lie.

The implication of that was quite scary, to be honest. Everything he had experienced, every relationship he had made, a dream, a lie, that would one day vanish with a Poof!

But looking at the smiles of the people and the happiness that everyone exuded, Bai Yu did not regret being transmigrated. Helping others, even for his own self-gratification, made him happy. Sometimes, everything just feels like a dream, but whether it is a happy one or a cruel one, only time will tell.

As the banquet came to a happy end, everyone started to return to their homes, but not before thanking Bai Yu once more. Bai Yu also walked out of the banquet to return but was pulled into a corner by Patriarch Hong.

"Thank you, Daoist Bai Yu, once again. You saved the town from a major crisis," Patriarch Hong expressed his gratitude, his face slightly red from the wine he had consumed.

Bai Yu smiled and replied, "Patriarch Hong is too polite, I just completed the mission entrusted by the sect."

Patriarch Hong then opened a jade box, revealing a 200-year-old spiritual peach big enough to fit an adult's palm. "This is the compensation for the extra trouble caused by the Demon Monkey. I just hope that Disciple Bai Yu doesn't report our town to the sect," he said.

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Bai Yu understood what this was... it was hush money.

The mission information provided by the Patriarch was flawed. The reported fourth-stage demon monkey turned out to be of the sixth stage, and the number of demon monkeys was also much larger than reported. If any other disciple had taken this mission at face value, then it would have been nothing short of a disaster.

While the fault truly didn't lie with Patriarch Hong, as the demon monkey was indeed at the fourth stage when the mission was issued, the information was still different from the actual mission. If it was determined that parts of the mission were concealed, then the local cultivation families would suffer heavily. The Floating Cloud Sect has strict rules regarding this.

So, Bai Yu looked at the jade box in his hand and placed it inside his bag of holding. "Rest assured, Patriarch Hong. I will not," Bai Yu smiled and cupped his hand before saying, "Then, I will return to the sect. Farewell!"

With those parting words, Bai Yu turned and walked out of the courtyard, heading towards the path that would lead him back to the sect.

...

Seeing that Bai Yu had left, Zheng Ping, Patriarch Hong's eldest son, looked at his father's gaze, hesitant to say something.

"Father..."

Patriarch Hong's appearance had changed from humble to indifferent as he asked his son, "Do you question why we gave one of our Zheng Family's most valuable treasures to Bai Yu?"

"Yes, Father. With that fruit, you could have advanced to a higher stage. And, Daoist Bai Yu seems virtuous and amicable. If we asked them not to reveal it, they would likely comply," Zheng Ping said, not intending to show disrespect to Bai Yu, but he felt that giving away their most important treasure was excessive. Despite following his father's teachings on treating others with respect, this situation was hard for him to comprehend.

*Sigh*

"Your vision is lower than I expected. What you said may be true, there is a high chance Daoist Bai Yu would have probably agreed. But you must know that it might also breed a feeling of discomfort." Patriarch Hong was disappointed by his eldest son's short-term vision. But, after all, he is the future heir of the family, and such events much be used to teach certain methods for the future of the family.

"Our Zheng Family guards the spiritual forest and we can have a steady flow of spiritual material. So, there is no need to be so skimpy that it will provoke others. Especially, if it is a disciple like Bai Yu, a genius, we should not test the depth of their kindness by being presumptuous."

Patriarch Hong was teaching his son how to ensure the survival of their small cultivation family in the world. "Furthermore, we can demonstrate our goodwill towards Daoist Bai Yu and gain their friendship. It was due to the connection with an inner disciple of Floating Cloud Sect that the ancestors of our Hong Family were able to occupy the spiritual forest."

Facing the teaching of his father, Zheng Ping nodded and admitted his mistake. "I understand, Father."