It was precisely because of this unwritten rule in the Upper Realm that Chu Feng could deduce the person who had saved him was no ordinary villager.
He had to possess a certain level of strength; otherwise, it would have been impossible to construct such a grand and ornate palace in the middle of a humble village without anyone raising an objection.
"Young man, you're awake."
Just as Chu Feng was lost in thought, a warm and kindly voice suddenly came from behind him.
He turned to look and saw an elderly woman gazing at him. Her age appeared to match that of Song Ge's mother — just over a thousand years old. But she looked far younger than Song Ge's mother. Her face was flushed with vitality, and there were hardly a few wrinkles on her skin.
It was evident that not only was she living a good life, but her physical condition was also excellent as well.
"Senior, was it you who saved me?" Chu Feng asked.
"Senior, senior — I don't deserve such a title. Just call me Auntie Liu. That's what everyone in the village calls me," the woman said with a warm smile.
"Thank you, Auntie Liu, for saving my life."
Chu Feng cupped his fists and bowed to express his gratitude.
Although he knew that even if Auntie Liu hadn't saved him, he would have been fine regardless.
But not everyone would be willing to save a stranger. The fact that Auntie Liu had been willing to save him already showed that she was a very kind-hearted person.
"Are you leaving? Why don't you finish a meal before you go?" Auntie Liu said.
"Auntie Liu, there's no need — I have matters to attend to," Chu Feng replied.
"If it's not urgent, then eat before you go. I prepared this specially for you," Auntie Liu said warmly.
The word "specially" touched Chu Feng's heart.
And so, he agreed.
When he walked back into the palace, before long, a wafting fragrance reached his nose.
It was a familiar scent — one he hadn't smelled in a long time.
At Chu Feng's level, going without food, water, or sleep would not affect him in the slightest.
Unless under special circumstances, he would not feel hunger, thirst, or drowsiness.
Eating had become entirely optional. Even when he did eat, it was only when a craving struck and he would take a few bites — not to fill his stomach, but merely to savor the taste.
And right now, Chu Feng genuinely found himself craving a meal.
Because the food Auntie Liu had prepared had a flavor that was subtly different.
It was the taste of home — the same taste Chu Feng had known back in the Ancestral Martial Lower Realm, on the Nine Provinces Continent, in the Chu Family.
After sitting down, Chu Feng saw that Auntie Liu had truly spared no expense today.
She had prepared eight dishes — chicken, duck, fish, and meat, everything was there.
This moved Chu Feng even more. To think that for a chance encounter, Auntie Liu would treat him with such generosity — it was truly a rare thing.
While eating, Chu Feng also chatted with Auntie Liu.
He learned that although Auntie Liu was an ordinary villager, her daughter was no ordinary person.
Her daughter's name was Wang Lian.
Wang Lian's father had died not long after she was born. He had been caught in the shockwaves from a battle between martial cultivators he had been watching from the sidelines, and had been gravely injured and killed.
And so, Wang Lian had been raised single-handedly by Auntie Liu.
But fortunately, Wang Lian was talented. She possessed exceptional martial cultivation aptitude and had already become a peak True Immortal expert. At just three hundred and thirteen years old, she had already risen to the position of elder at the Chongxu Temple.
While in Chu Feng's eyes this was nothing remarkable, among the villagers — and even within the Chongxu Temple — Wang Lian was considered an absolute genius.
In truth, even if Wang Lian were placed in the Great Thousand Upper Realm, her level of cultivation at her age would still make her a genuine prodigy without question.
It was a pity that this was the Reincarnation Upper Realm…
Originally, Wang Lian had wanted to bring Auntie Liu away out of filial devotion.
But Auntie Liu had insisted on staying in the village, saying she was used to living there.
So Wang Lian had built this palace for her mother to live in.
At first, Auntie Liu had opposed the idea as well, but under Wang Lian's persistence, she had no choice but to accept.
Auntie Liu had not wanted to make a grand show of it, fearing that the villagers would take issue. But who could have imagined that not a single villager dared say a word about it?
At this point, a bitter smile surfaced on Auntie Liu's face.
Seeing that bitter smile, Chu Feng knew that the villagers were far from kind people.
In the past, they must have bullied Auntie Liu at some point.
But then, why was it that now, with Auntie Liu having built such a magnificent palace in the village, no one dared object?
The reason was simple — Auntie Liu's daughter, Wang Lian, was an elder of the Chongxu Temple. They feared Wang Lian, and that was why they kept silent.