As promised, Shah al-Rahman didn’t execute Yu Di right away. Instead, he invited the Demigod to lunch. The small table the female servants set up transformed into a long table. A large tent was set up overhead along with large blocks of ice. The servants created a magnificent spread of varied foods filled with savory and sweet foods.

  Yu Di’s mouth watered again. When was the last time he ate anything?

  Shah al-Rahman took a seat right in the middle of the table, holding a glass that was continually refilled by one servant.

  Fatima sat next to him at a respectful distance. Her light brown eyes were saved only for Yu Di. Her whole body was coiled like a tiger ready to pounce at him.

  Yu Di sat opposite Shah al-Rahman. He didn’t understand why she seemed so afraid of him. His current power is that of an ant compared to hers. He had peaked at his jade tablet earlier as they were setting up.

  Current Power: Realm 1, Stage 3, Level 3 (Core Formation)

  Remaining Lifespan: 3 years, 3 months.

  Current Status: Cursed (14.8% lifted)

  Overall Power: Fourth Realm, End Stage, Peak level (Demigod)

  At least Yu Di’s life wasn’t in danger anymore. He even gained a level in his cultivation. The thing that annoyed him the most was his curse. It reactivated during his run from the sandworms and possibly within the barrier.

  Yu Di couldn’t understand why that was the case. He was running for his life, not using it for nefarious reasons or anything of the sort. Or was the curse telling him he had to follow its guidelines and nothing else?

  Then again, it unlocked earlier when Yu Di thought about doing good and didn’t use any of his power. Maybe that’s something he would have to test later, if he survived this lunch date with the Shah.

  “Please eat, enjoy yourself,” Shah al-Rahman said. “I eat this every day so it’s boring for me.”

  Yu Di perked up at hearing that. “Maybe I can offer you something else to try?” He pulled out one of Bai Feng’s buns from his storage ring. He was going to save it, but this was a perfect opportunity. “My daughter helped make this one. It’s one of my treasures.”

  Fatima waved her hand and the bun flew from Yu Di’s hand into hers. Steam rose from the top. She looked it over before taking a small bite under her mask. Her eyes lit up before she took a larger bite.

  “This is good,” she said.

  “Of course. My daughter made it with lots of love,” Yu Di said. He didn’t mention that Yu Lin probably also put a lot of random ingredients in there as well. Once he found a small piece of watermelon inside a savory bun.

  “That looks good,” Shah al-Rahman said.

  Fatima paused, pulling the bun away from her mouth. “I apologize Your Holiness. I wanted to test it only for poison, but I…”

  Shah al-Rahman laughed. “Don’t worry about it. You enjoy it.”

  Yu Di took out another bun. This time one made by Bai Feng. He offered it to Shah al-Rahman.

  “Thank you, Yu Di.” Shah al-Rahman took a bite of it before Fatima could stop him. His eyes lit up as the sweet, milky egg paste hit his tongue. “This flavor is unique. I’ve had nothing like this before.”

  “It is a specialty of my daughter and her sifu,” Yu Di said. “I really miss her. All I wanted was to get back to her.”

  Shah al-Rahman nodded as he took another bite. “Our children are important to us.”

  “How many children do you have?”

  Shah al-Rahman looked to Fatima. “Not including the ones I’ve adopted, eight so far with two more on the way.”

  Yu Di glanced at Fatima. Was she carrying his child or one the Shah adopted? It must be the former as there’s no way she’s in the third realm and younger than the Shah. If he were wrong, that would make her the greatest cultivating genius in the world.

  “How about you?” Shah al-Rahman asked.

  “I have one daughter,” Yu Di said. “She is my world. I would do anything for her.”

  “I know that feeling. Please, eat. We don’t need to stand on ceremony. You’ve already offered me food.”

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Yu Di looked around for chopsticks and remembered that people from the West usually ate with their hands. He looked at his grimy hands and thought that whatever he ate would more likely kill him than sate his hunger.

  Shah al-Rahman pointed to a bucket of water at the end of the table.

  Yu Di nodded his thanks before washing his hands.

  The food was delicious with a wide variety of things that Yu Di hadn’t tried before. Every dish made him wonder if he could make it himself. There were some ingredients that he couldn’t make out, but he definitely tasted goat in one of them. The stringier meat made chewing it a joy. The sweetmeats rounded out the meal with a big helping of naan.

  The only thing missing was some roast pork, but they didn’t eat that. That and some rice wine. That would have made this meal perfect.

  Yet Yu Di wasn’t in any position to complain. He was treated like a guest and accorded every luxury from unlimited drinks to all food Shah al-Rahman ate himself.

  “Thank you for the meal.” Yu Di cupped his hands and bowed his head.

  “Anytime.” Shah al-Rahman had stopped eating a while ago as he stared at Yu Di’s performance. “This is not the way a Demigod should live. Why don’t you join me? Help me achieve my dreams and I will offer you anything within my power.”

  Yu Di leaned back. “What would that dream be? I’m not sure what a powerless Demigod like me can do to help.”

  Shah al-Rahman leaned his elbows on the table and folded his hands. A Qi-dense diamond ring rested on each finger, showing off all the colors of the rainbow. His gaze reminded Yu Di of the Demigod Emperor of the Celestial Jade Empire.

  “I am on a mission from my God to spread his teachings and unite all under heaven,” Shah al-Rahman said.

  “What about those who don’t want your teachings?” Yu Di asked. “Are you going to execute them?”

  “I can’t kill everyone. I wouldn’t want to. As long as the people don’t resist and will follow my God’s laws, then I am more than willing to allow them to live.”

  How magnanimous of this man! If Yu Di had his full powers during this conversation, he might have saved the world a lot of trouble by wiping this man and his army out now.

  “I know that look,” Shah al-Rahman said. “I’ve seen it on every enemy I’ve defeated. Do you know the one thing that most people lack in this world?”

  “Power?” Yu Di replied right away.

  Shah al-Rahman grinned before shaking his head. “They’re all missing a purpose. I don’t have to tell a Demigod that purpose is important on our journey to life. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have achieved such a magnificent accomplishment. My purpose is to show the word of God to all and shepherd them to bring heaven on this world. My purpose is to end suffering.”

  Oh Buddha. If Yu Di didn’t know any better, he sounded like a religious fanatic. Why can’t people live and let live?

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Shah al-Rahman said. “Why is my purpose more important than anyone else’s? It’s because God has given me a mandate and given me the tools to achieve his purpose. It’s not a coincidence that we met at this point in your life. You are the inspiration for why I am here. Yet you would like nothing more than to be rid of me, wouldn’t you?”

  Fatima tensed again, her body becoming completely still.

  “No.” Yu Di shook his head, more to clear his murderous and egotistic thoughts as a Demigod than to disagree. “I’m not that person anymore. I’m a simple father who wants to live out the rest of his life in peace. I want to see my daughter grow up and live her life. I have no other purpose.”

  “Then that makes this easier.” Shah al-Rahman took off one of his rings and presented it to Yu Di. “Join me and our purposes would be aligned. I will do everything in my power to reunite you with your daughter and allow you to live in peace once I have pacified Miryana.”

  “Your Holiness, doing this would be unwise,” Fatima said. “We don’t know if he’s truly the Demigod you saw. He might be lying to us. That ring could put us all in danger.”

  “Fatima, you worry too much.” Shah al-Rahman left the ring on the table.

  Fatima didn’t look away from the ring.

  “That ring is Fatima’s promise of loyalty to me,” Shah al-Rahman said. “She put her absolute essence into that ring, of her own free will, to follow whoever wore that ring. So if you agreed to follow me, you can have my strongest lieutenant to achieve your purpose.”

  Yu Di glanced at the light brown ring that matched Fatima’s eyes. How this mortal convinced these powerful cultivators to follow him of their own free will and enslave themselves to an artifact like that is worse than anything he could ever think of for a cultivator. With that ring, he could wipe out this Shah’s entire army and make it back to his daughter with a clear conscience.

  Yu Di picked up the ring. It glowed dark brown in his fingers.

  Fatima clenched her jaws.

  “If I accept this, then that makes me her master?” Yu Di asked.

  Fatima placed her right arm over her left in front of her and bowed her head. “Your wish is my command.”

  It would be so easy, but it felt wrong. Yu Di had servants, but never slaves. Using this poor woman like one would sully his reputation as a Demigod.

  Yu Di put the ring back on the table and pushed it back to Shah al-Rahman. “I must apologize and refuse this offer.”

  Curse unlocked: 1.4% lifted.

  Yu Di smirked. He had a feeling that would happen. He didn’t need his cute, innocent little daughter telling him that would have been wrong.

  Shah al-Rahman shrugged before placing the ring back on his finger. He flexed his fingers, showing off all his rings.

  “Since I can’t convince you with one of my greatest prizes, then what can I offer you to join me?” he asked.

  “I would be ever grateful to Your Holiness if you simply let me go back home,” Yu Di said. “You would never see me again and you can continue your conquest of Miryana. I have no stake in this city or anyone.”

  That was a slight lie as he felt bad to abandon Vimala and Ying Fusu after they'd helped him, but what could a useless Demigod like him do?

  “That brings back an unfortunate circumstance,” Shah al-Rahman said. “We have reports of a Celestial Jade Imperial Army marching to Miryana that will be here within a week. It is led by one of your Emperor’s Demigod princes and a massive contingent of cultivators in its army.”

  “What does that have to do with me?” Yu Di asked.

  “Fatima believes you are a spy for them or part of their forces. What worries her even more are the reports that someone penetrated our barrier and arrived in the city without us knowing. While you also showed your tenacity and ability in taking down the barrier, despite your lack of power. A week or two earlier, I would have let you go without hesitation.”

  “But now I’m a threat to your invasion.”

  Shah al-Rahman nodded.

  “That’s why you have to kill me.”

  Fatima got up, but Shah al-Rahman held her in place.

  “Not today though,” Shah al-Rahman said. “A Demigod is a gift from God. We shouldn’t waste it.”

  Yu Di didn’t like the sound of that.