That's right—the pair of grandfather and granddaughter had spotted Ian Song and his group dining.
The next moment, the old man, clutching his tattered banner, strode over to Ian Song's party, swaggering with exaggerated bravado.
"Master, look! It's that old mister!"
Stone Ling was the first to spot the old man and called out in surprise.
Actually, with Ian Song's cultivation, he'd noticed them as soon as they entered the inn.
"Haha, little dolls, we meet again!" The old man stopped, lifted his chin, and laughed loudly, his manner somewhat arrogant. If one looked closely, they'd see a flicker of green light in his eyes—after all, he saw this group as a rare flock of fat sheep.
"Hehe, greetings, old mister," Stone Ling said cheerfully as she stood up and smiled.
"Respect to you, old mister." Raina Quinn also rose and bowed. Ever since he had revealed her origins and she couldn't see through his cultivation, she'd felt a mix of respect and awe for the old man.
"Old mister, are you doing divinations today?" Ian Song asked with a smile.
Hearing Ian Song's words, the old man narrowed his eyes, a glint flashing within. "Seems we're fated, you little ones. I haven't done any readings yet today—looks like you're in luck. Who wants to go first? But let me warn you, my divination fee has just gone up!"
At this, the green-skirted girl couldn't help but roll her eyes—her grandfather was full of tall tales. He'd already tricked dozens of people today, so how could he not have done any readings?
Ian Song spoke again, his tone polite: "Old mister, no need to rush. I see you and your granddaughter have traveled far and likely haven't eaten yet. Why not join us for a meal?"
"Heh, don't think buying me a meal will get you a discount on my divination fee. But since you're so sincere, I'll reluctantly agree!" He waved to his granddaughter, "Come here, Hannah, quit standing there and sit down!"
"Please, old mister, take a seat!"
Ian Song stood up and gave up his seat.
"Good, you have some sense!" The old man plopped himself down in the seat Ian Song had vacated, then pointed to the spot beside him. "Granddaughter, sit here!"
After some brief greetings, everyone sat down again.
The old man slapped the table and called out, "Waiter! Bring out your best food and wine for me!"
The waiter hurried over but didn't respond right away. Instead, he glanced at Ian Song, since the innkeeper had warned him not to neglect this special group.
"Just do as the old mister says," Ian Song nodded.
"Yes, Young Master. Please wait a moment, you and the old mister." The waiter bowed and withdrew.
Soon, a fresh spread of food and wine was laid out on the table.
The old man didn't stand on ceremony—he grabbed the wine jug and poured it straight into his mouth, then snatched up a honey-glazed beast leg and chomped away, completely ignoring his image. Seeing this, the green-skirted girl blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Please, miss."
Ian Song smiled at the green-skirted girl.
"Thank you, Young Master!" The green-skirted girl blushed and picked up her chopsticks. Compared to her grandfather, her movements were much more graceful.
Soon, the old man finished off a jug of wine and a beast leg, tossed the bone aside, grabbed another jug and a skinny leg, and dug in again. Suddenly, he noticed Ian Song and the others hadn't touched their chopsticks and called out, "You little dolls, eat up! Sharing a table with me is your good fortune—no need to be so reserved!"
Hearing her grandfather brag like that, the green-skirted girl grew even more embarrassed and quietly tugged his sleeve, hinting for him to tone it down.
"Please, old mister, enjoy yourself. We've actually already eaten our fill." Ian Song smiled, unconcerned.
"Haha, then I won’t be shy!"
Next, the old man transformed into a glutton, alternating between wine and food. In less than fifteen minutes, he polished off seven or eight bottles of wine and dozens of dishes, his mouth gleaming with grease. Stone Ling and Wendy Lin stared in shock, secretly wondering if this old mister was a starving ghost reincarnated.
Suddenly, they remembered that this old mister was a master who roamed the world—of course a master wouldn't behave like ordinary people, so maybe this eating style made sense after all.
After a loud burp, the old man wiped his mouth with his sleeve, slapped the table, and called out, "Waiter! Clear away these empty plates and bring some pastries and tea to help me digest."
Once the tea and pastries arrived, the old man became much more refined, sipping tea slowly and regaining his air of a master.
"Old mister, how should we address you?"
Ian Song asked with a smile.
The old man waved dismissively. "Names are just labels. Back in the day, people called me Master Heaven-Secrets, Celestial Lord, even Celestial Venerable. But I never cared for those empty titles. You kids seem fated to meet me—just call me Senior from now on."
Hearing her grandfather brag like that, the green-skirted girl blushed furiously. His boasts were getting more and more outrageous—he was clearly afraid of revealing his old titles and having his past exposed, yet he made it sound so noble.
"Since the old mister prefers not to say, I won’t press the matter." Ian Song didn’t mind and turned to the green-skirted girl. "Miss, may I ask your name?"
"Young master, my name is Hannah Murong," the green-skirted girl replied shyly.
Seeing this, the old man's eyes narrowed slightly. Secretly, he wondered, Is my dear granddaughter falling for that Kill-Star boy?
For a moment, he couldn't help but feel a bit worried.
"So it's Miss Murong. I'm Ian Song, and this is my Dao partner Lila Li. This is also my Dao partner, Lin Wan'er. This is my maid, Raina Quinn. These two are my disciples, Stone Hao and Stone Ling. And this is their servant, Stone Hu!"
Ian Song introduced everyone to Hannah Murong, and both sides exchanged polite greetings.
"Ahem!"
The old man suddenly coughed, interrupting the conversation. "Kids, since you treated me to this meal, I'll give you a half-price reading. Who wants to go first?"
Ian Song spoke up calmly, "The charm of life lies in its unpredictability. If we knew the future, life would lose some of its fun. So, old mister, we appreciate your kindness, but we'll pass on the reading today."
Though Ian Song didn't mind the old man and wasn't short on spirit crystals, he didn't want to get fleeced repeatedly.
"Hmph! Kids these days don’t know what’s good for them! Come on, granddaughter, let’s go!"
With that, the old man's face darkened, and he got up and strode out of the inn.
"Sorry, Master Song, my grandfather has a bit of a temper. I hope you won't hold it against him!" Hannah Murong apologized to Ian Song.
"It's fine!" Ian Song waved it off with a smile.
Watching Hannah Murong chase after the old man, Ian Song couldn't help but smile playfully. He had a feeling he'd meet this grandfather-granddaughter pair again.
Outside the inn.
Hannah Murong caught up with the old man. "Grandpa, why are you walking so fast?"
The old man glanced meaningfully back at the inn. "That Kill-Star boy is no ordinary person. I doubt he ever believed in my abilities. So I used a tactical retreat—next time we meet, it'll be much easier to fleece him."
"Yeah, right! You just wanted to eat for free and run!" Hannah Murong pouted—her grandfather must have eaten food worth several thousand low-grade spirit crystals just now.