Inside The Mistveil Pavillion
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Stepping into the crowded inn, he scanned the room filled with cultivators from various realms with his Divine Eye. The air buzzed with energy, loud arguments over wine jars, and the rapid, rhythmic clack-clack-clack of the Innkeeper's assistant's wooden abacus at the front counter.
As Long Xiao navigated through the throng of people, the woman—the innkeeper's assistant approached him with a warm smile.
"Welcome, guest official," she greeted him politely, her eyes sweeping over his ethereal posture. "Can I help you?"
"Yes. I need a room for one." Long Xiao's eyes darted around, dodging a frantic waitress shouting orders for sliced beef.
"…We'll have an Earth-grade room prepared shortly." The woman said sweetly, leading him away from the rowdy main floor to a more secluded table.
"In the meantime, please enjoy our tea."
The whispers began instantly. Dozens of eyes turned toward Long Xiao. The moment he sat, brushing the nonexistent dust from his pristine shoulders, a sudden, tense hush fell over the crowded room. The cultivators' whispers grew louder, their eyes fixed on him with a mix of suspicion and awe.
The sweetfaced woman returned with a steaming cup of tea, her smile never faltering despite the heavy atmosphere. He accepted the beverage, his divine senses picking up on its unusual warmth. A flicker of concern crossed his mind, but he dismissed it.
"After all, I am a god. What harm could possibly come from a simple cup of tea?"
He took a sip, and his lips curled into a frown. The liquid tasted bitter and sour, entirely lacking the spiritual qi of the heavenly realms.
It was unlike anything he had ever encountered in the heavenly realms.
Yes, It tasted sour but it was sour to just the right amount, grounding him to the dirt.
He swallowed it with a grimace.
Afterwards, he followed the waiter up the creaking wooden stairs to a room that was cozy only if you were a hermit. It was humble, wooden, and smelled faintly of dry straw. It looked nothing like his heavenly palace. Long Xiao sat on a wooden chair, staring at the empty table.
"NOOOO!"
The realization hit him like a lightning tribulation. This was the mortal world. A world where nothing was exactly how it appeared. He looked at the empty cup in his hand. He looked at the door where the waiter had just bowed and left.
Long Xiao remembered something Lei had told him on his last sneak visit to the Mortal Realm after he supposedly borrowed chicken from an old mortal woman.
Lei said:
Damn bird, there is no such thing as freefood." The old woman shouted, throwing her slipper after him.
Wise. Enlightening. Brutally honest.
Speaking of the devil, a rustle came from the upper-story balcony. Lei was crawling inside the room via the window, shaking the dust from his sleeves since he was in his mortal form.
"What's wrong, Master?" The unfaithful bird asked, making himself comfortable on the bed after entering through the window.
"…I didn't ask for the price," Long Xiao whispered, staring blankly at the floor. "Being mortal is hard."
As Long Xiao sulked, Lei lay on the bed.
"You brought this on yourself, Master," Lei teased, popping a stray grape into his mouth.
Long Xiao ignored him, desperately opening his scrolls to review his particulars across the Twelve Realms, wondering which asset he could pawn to pay for a single night's sleep.