The Chubby Youth yanked the Tall Youth back.
"Eldest Brother," the Chubby Youth whispered, his face deadly serious. "I think we've run into a Big Shot."
The Tall Youth nodded slowly, the realization sinking in.
But the Young Woman was still skeptical. "For real? Are you sure? I don't see it. He looks... completely ordinary."
The Chubby Youth clicked his tongue impatiently. "Tsk. Look at the Demon Rabbit. It's terrified. If it's that scared of him, do you even need to ask? His cultivation must be unfathomable! That's the only explanation!"
The three of them exchanged looks, nodding in silent agreement. We must show respect.
Quinn, meanwhile, was totally confused by their huddled whispering.
Suddenly, the three stepped forward in unison. They bowed deeply, fists cupped in a formal salute.
"We are disciples of the Mystic Sword Sect. We were ordered to hunt down a Demon Rabbit. We apologize for intruding on your sanctuary, Sir."
Mystic Sword Sect? Quinn's heart skipped a beat.
Oh crap. Real sect disciples. Thank god I was polite earlier.
"No worries, no worries," Quinn laughed, waving his hand warmly. "It's nice to see people."
"May we ask for your name, Sir?" the Tall Youth asked respectfully.
"I'm Quinn Ye."
"Greetings, Senior Ye!"
The three disciples bowed again, dipping even lower this time.
Quinn was speechless. His face twitched. Senior? Do I look that old to you people? Is this a roast?
"Whoa, hold on. I'm not some 'Old Senior'," Quinn explained hastily. "I'm just an ordinary guy. Just a regular dude."
Hearing Quinn deny his status so vehemently, the three disciples exchanged knowing glances. Their conviction only grew stronger.
Aha! He is definitely a Hidden Expert who is intentionally living in seclusion. He is Method Acting! We must play along!
"Ah, of course. Our apologies," the Tall Youth smiled, correcting himself immediately. "We made a fool of ourselves, Brother Ye."
After a round of polite introductions, Quinn finally learned their names and backgrounds. They were elite disciples of the Mystic Sword Sect.
Dustin Lee: The Eldest Brother.
Bobby Zhao: The Second Brother .
Serena Xu: The Junior Sister.
And Serena Xu wasn't just any disciple. Her father was Lance Xu, the Sect Leader. She was a certified Sect Princess.
Hearing their impressive backgrounds, Quinn's eyes lit up. Jackpot. I want to suck up to them. Badly.
Quinn immediately ushered the three disciples into the courtyard with great enthusiasm.
"Have you guys eaten yet? Why don't you grab a bite with me?" Quinn asked warmly.
Dustin Lee waved his hands frantically. "No, no! We couldn't possibly! No need!"
Quinn, however, was starving. "Alright then. Feel free to look around. I'm gonna dig in."
Quinn sat down by himself and went back to devouring his pot of stew.
Dustin, Bobby, and Serena felt too awkward to actually snoop around, so they stood in the courtyard, pretending to admire the plants.
But the moment they actually looked... their polite smiles vanished. They looked like they had seen a ghost.
"Senior Brother," Bobby Zhao whispered, pointing at a patch of lush green grass in the corner. His voice trembled with shock. "Is that... Verdant Origin Grass?"
Dustin Lee sucked in a sharp breath. "It is! It absolutely is Verdant Origin Grass!"
The trio was floored. Verdant Origin Grass was an incredibly rare alchemy ingredient. But here? There was a whole lawn of it! And look at that quality—at least 500 years old!
Quinn looked up from his bowl, confused. Why are they staring at my lawn like that? It's just normal grass.
"Senior Brother! Look!"
Serena Xu suddenly screamed, pointing at a bush filled with bright red berries nearby. "Is that the legendary Seven-Leaf Crimson Fruit?"
Dustin and Bobby rushed over immediately.
"Seven-Leaf Crimson Fruit! It's real!" Dustin was thunderstruck.
Years ago, a single Crimson Fruit triggered a bloody bidding war. But here? There were entire bunches of them. Growing like weeds.
Quinn was equally speechless. It's just a tomato. Why are they acting like they've never seen the world before?
Suddenly, Bobby Zhao spotted a fruit tree nearby.
"Senior Brother! Junior Sister! Look at that tree!"
Dustin and Serena whipped their heads around. One look, and they felt like they had been struck by lightning.
"Is... is that... the Primordial Mystic Fruit?"
The Primordial Mystic Fruit. A heavenly treasure that had been extinct for eons. Yet here, there was a whole tree of them.
This was earth-shattering.
Quinn, however, had become numb to their overreactions. He shoveled another spoonful of stew into his mouth, muttering to himself: "They've never even seen a pear. Truly tragic."
The three disciples looked at each other, their hearts pounding like war drums.
This man is undeniably a Supreme Expert.
"Brother Ye," Dustin Lee asked, his voice trembling with caution, "did you... plant all of these yourself?"
"Yeah," Quinn shrugged, casual as ever. "I was bored out of my mind, so I just planted them for fun. Just a little hobby to kill time."
For fun? The three disciples nearly passed out on the spot.
"If you guys like them that much," Quinn said with a generous wave of his hand, "help yourselves. Pick whatever you want and take some home."
Hearing this, the three disciples were so ecstatic they nearly jumped into the stratosphere.