Immortal Paladin

011 Dinner Interruption

011 Dinner Interruption

Dinner at an expensive inn should have felt luxurious, but instead, it felt mundane.

I sat at a finely carved wooden table, twirling my chopsticks in a plate of fried noodles, my appetite dulled by my thoughts. Across from me, Gu Jie signaled for a waitress and ordered a plate of greens. The warm glow of lanterns overhead cast flickering shadows on the lacquered furniture, but even the cozy ambiance couldn’t distract me from my internal dilemma.

I needed a way to detect power levels.

In Lost Legends Online, that had never been a problem. Every player had a Level Display hovering over their heads—an easy, convenient way to gauge strength at a glance. But here? Nothing. Just vague senses, body language, and subtle auras that I hadn’t yet learned to read.

More than that, I needed a way to cultivate.

If I wanted to survive in this world, my Paladin abilities wouldn’t be enough. Yet, the risk was too high. There were cultivation methods specifically designed to turn people into mindless husks—tools for someone else’s gain. Gu Jie had been a victim of one such technique during her time under her so-called master. I couldn’t afford to make that mistake.

Gu Jie interrupted my thoughts by sliding a pair of tickets across the table. “Master, I managed to get us a ticket. Hopefully, you don’t mind...”

I picked one up, glancing at the elegant calligraphy.

“It’s fine,” I said, placing it back down. “You’ll be going with me whether you like it or not. I could use a servant.”

I had expected a scowl, maybe a bitter look of resentment, but Gu Jie only smiled—genuinely, at that. The girl was far too happy to be ordered around. Suspiciously so. I activated Divine Sense, letting my awareness wash over her, but I detected no hostility, no deceit—just a calm, unwavering presence. Either she was an exceptional liar, or she truly didn’t mind.

The waitress returned, setting down Gu Jie’s plate of greens with a polite nod before retreating. My supposed follower picked up her chopsticks and began eating with quiet, practiced elegance. I watched her for a moment before sighing and returning to my own meal.

Initially, I had considered infiltrating the Golden Sun Pavilion. If I wanted to learn about cultivation and power levels, that would be a prime place to start. However, after some thought, I decided against it.

Antagonizing a sect? Bad idea. That could be a death sentence.

Antagonizing the City Governor? Worse idea. The man had an immensely affluent background, and as an imperial prince, he had resources and authority beyond what I could contend with.

Antagonizing the Empire? Absolutely not. That would just suck.

I sighed, shifting my focus back to my meal as I absentmindedly chewed on a mouthful of fried noodles. Across from me, Gu Jie had taken it upon herself to fill the silence, relaying everything she had seen or heard throughout the city.

“There was a fight between two First Realm cultivators,” she said between bites of greens. “It got pretty heated, but a Second Realm stepped in and stopped them with a single move. People were impressed.”

I nodded. That was expected.

Xianxia incidents in the wild, so scary...

“The betting is spreading fast. Everyone’s placing their bets on who’ll pass the elimination round tomorrow.”

“Anyone standing out?” I asked.

“The usual prodigies. No one new.”

I hummed, taking a sip of my drink as Gu Jie continued. “There’s also been a recent assassination.”

That got my attention. I raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

The crony practically barked at me. “How dare you lay your offending eyes on the Young Master?!”

Kang Shi ignored his minion’s outburst, his gaze fixed on me with casual arrogance. “How much is she?” he repeated. “Word around is that she sold herself into slavery. I want to buy her from you.” He smirked. “She has a bloodline ability called Sixth Sense Fateful Encounter. That makes her valuable. I’ll be generous and pay you at a mark-up.”

I stared at him. Slave?

To say I was offended would be an understatement.

I was really living the Xianxia life.

It had barely been two days since I was thrown into this world, and already, I had checked off several tropes. First Young Master encounter? Check. Near-robbery? Check. Picking up a follower? Done. Conversations with a City Enforcer? Accomplished. Mysterious, unexplained memories surfacing in my mind? That too.

And now, my dinner was being interrupted.

I was trying to enjoy my meal, but the situation soured my appetite. I put a little too much pressure on my chopsticks, accidentally breaking them in half.

The crack echoed in the tense silence.

Kang Shi took it as provocation. He straightened, his expression darkening as he roused his qi. I couldn’t see it, but my Perception stat was high enough to notice the subtle shift in the air, the faintest disturbance like a ripple in still water. His goons immediately tensed, ready to act at a moment’s notice.

I started thinking things through, abusing my Intelligence and Wisdom stats to process the situation from every angle. My mind sharpened, clear and calculating.

Fact 1: Kang Shi came here looking for a fight. An exchange of blows was inevitable. How do I mitigate the damage?

Fact 2: His men claimed he was at the peak of the First Realm—the Ninth Star of Martial Tempering. According to Gu Jie, cultivators only learned Qi Sense at the Second Realm. This meant none of them could actually detect if I had qi or not.

Fact 3: Kang Shi was relying on his family name to intimidate me. If he knew I didn’t have qi, he and his lackeys wouldn’t waste their time posturing—they’d go straight after Gu Jie instead.

Conclusion? Kang Shi was acting on his own volition. His clan likely had no idea he was here, throwing his weight around. And if he had a higher-realm bodyguard lurking nearby, they were keeping their distance to let him handle things himself.

I had my answer.

Violence was unavoidable, but I could control how it played out. I just had to shift the playing field to my advantage.

So that there wouldn’t be any angry ancestor who’d suddenly pop in the future to take revenge for there great grandson.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up from my seat. I let my expression turn somber, tapping into few Xianxia novels I’d read in my previous life.

Then, I held up three fingers.

“Three moves,” I said, my voice steady and measured.

Kang Shi’s brows furrowed.

“Strike me in three moves,” I continued. “If you succeed in making me step aside even just once, then Gu Jie is yours.”

The restaurant fell into complete silence.

Kang Shi’s eyes gleamed with excitement, his arrogance swelling. His lips curled into a smirk, and his lackeys exchanged knowing glances.

It was exactly the kind of overconfident challenge a Young Master wouldn’t be able to resist.