When Lu Yaoyao and Chao Muxue finally emerged from the store wearing their favorite new outfits and carrying over a dozen more, they were greeted by the sight of three very flashy boys.
“You guys went shopping too?” Lu Yaoyao exclaimed in surprise.
Yan Zihui fanned himself slowly with a newly purchased fan, “Of course. The shop next door was a men’s clothing store.” He looked every bit the elegant young master, while Du Qianshan sported a sleek black outfit, looking sharp and dashing. Wen Zixing, however, was the most eye-catching, as he was dressed in an exceptionally flamboyant pink robe.
Lu Yaoyao could hardly believe her eyes, “Xingxing, why did you choose pink?”
The person in question spun around proudly, “How do I look? Isn’t it great?”
Lu Yaoyao: “…” It did look good, but it was so flashy—like a pink peacock showing off its feathers!!!
“Let’s go!”
The group of five, now in their new outfits, swaggered down the street. Wen Zixing attracted quite a few stares along the way, which made him thrilled, “I’m the most stylish kid on the block! The shopkeeper secretly told me this was their store’s prized piece, not usually for sale, but as soon as they saw me, they knew it was meant for me. Turns out they weren’t lying.”
Lu Yaoyao immediately understood: The shopkeeper saw him as an easy mark and took advantage to get rid of unsold inventory, and silly Xingxing actually fell for it!
“Where should we go next?”
Lu Yaoyao replied matter-of-factly, “After shopping, of course, it’s time to eat, eat, eat!”
Wen Zixing enthusiastically waved his arms, “We’re going to eat all the delicious food in the world!”
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
Excited, Lu Yaoyao and her group walked down the bustling street. Unknown to them, on the second-floor balcony of an inn along the way, a young disciple casually glanced down at the street and was suddenly startled: “It’s them!”
A nearby disciple looked over and then turned to the middle-aged cultivator at their table, “Master, it’s the people from Guiyuan Sect we saw yesterday…”
The middle-aged cultivator, who had been sitting with a stern expression, turned his head to look outside. Recognizing the familiar figures, he downed a cup of wine and, with a dark and gloomy look in his eyes, chuckled quietly, “What a coincidence.”
“Master, should we…?”
The middle-aged cultivator gave the disciple a cold, sarcastic glance and said in a sinister tone, “Your master, I, can’t afford to offend them.”
But Dao Venerable Hengwu’s only daughter… there are certainly many people interested in her.
The middle-aged cultivator grinned wickedly.
The disciple immediately lowered his head, suppressing his fear.
…
Lu Yaoyao and her group asked around for Moxuan City’s most famous foods and ate their way through the city until nightfall. As the lanterns started to light up and the moon climbed higher in the sky, they wandered down the street, their hands patting their now fully round bellies. In the Cultivation Realm, cities didn’t have curfews, so the streets were still lively at this hour, though it was a bit quieter than during the day. Most mortals needed to return home to rest at night, so the streets were mostly filled with cultivators.
“Senior Brother, where’s this city’s Xianke Inn?” Lu Yaoyao asked. Now that they were full and satisfied, it was time to head back to their lodging and get some rest, so they could continue exploring tomorrow.
Yan Zihui responded lazily, “Hmm? There’s no Xianke Inn here.”
“Eh?”
“What?”
Chao Muxue widened her eyes in surprise, “Moxuan City seems so big. Why isn’t there a Xianke Inn here?”
Lu Yaoyao’s big, round eyes also blinked puzzledly. She had assumed there was a Xianke Inn here, which is why she hadn’t looked for a place to stay right away.
Yan Zihui explained, “The lord of Moxuan City doesn’t get along with the Guiyuan Sect, so our official businesses can’t operate here.”
As for the ones operating in secret, those were obviously kept hidden and only used for urgent matters that required covert contact. Naturally, disciples on normal missions were not informed of their existence, let alone be allowed to use them.
“But why?”
Lu Yaoyao and her friends immediately smelled a juicy piece of gossip and eagerly pricked up their ears. As the number one sect, the Guiyuan Sect was supposed to be treated with respect within the boundary of the Cultivation Realm, so how could there be someone openly opposing them? And why did the Guiyuan Sect tolerate it?
Yan Zihui cleared his throat, “This involves some old, complicated issues.” He deliberately ignored the bright, gossip-hungry eyes staring at him. “It’s a long story, but all you need to remember is to keep a low profile in Moxuan City.”
As long as they didn’t cause trouble or run into the city lord, they would be fine.
“Senior Brother, just give us a short version! We want to know too!” Wen Zixing blinked, trying to look cute, “We don’t need a ten-thousand-word story, a thousand words would be more than enough.”
Lu Yaoyao chimed in sweetly, “If a thousand words are too long, an eight-hundred-word summary would do!”
“…” Yan Zihui sternly tried to change the subject, “Alright, let’s find an inn first, or we’ll all end up sleeping on the streets tonight.”
Lu Yaoyao and Wen Zixing tried everything to get Yan Zihui to spill the details, but they couldn’t pry a word out of his mouth. Under Yan Zihui’s lead, they entered an inn, reluctantly dropping the subject.
The inn’s main hall was bustling with most of the tables occupied. As soon as Lu Yaoyao and her group stepped inside, a young waiter warmly greeted them—
“Welcome, travelers! Are you here for a meal or a room?”
“We need three adjoining superior rooms.”
“Certainly! Three adjoining superior rooms!” The waiter called out to the counter, and the clerk behind it quickly responded, “Rooms 4 to 6 in Block B are available. A superior room costs three top-grade spirit stones per day, payment is required upfront, and spirit stones are non-refundable for early check-out. How many days will you be staying?”
Yan Zihui replied, “Three days for now.”
“Very well, three rooms for three days, that’s a total of twenty-seven top-grade spirit stones.”
Yan Zihui placed a bag of spirit stones on the counter.
The clerk quickly counted them, “Thank you, sir. That’s twenty-seven top-grade spirit stones. We hope you enjoy your stay.”
As he spoke, the clerk handed over three room keys, which the waiter took and eagerly led Lu Yaoyao and the others upstairs. “This way, please.”
The waiter led them to the staircase on one side, then up the stairs. After walking through a long corridor, they took a turn at a corner and walked a bit further before stopping in front of a door.
“These are the superior rooms, 4 to 6 in Block B. If you need anything, just ring the bell here, and we’ll come right away to assist you.” The waiter opened one of the rooms and rattled off a series of instructions in a well-practiced manner.
Yan Zihui waved him off, “Got it, you can go now. We’ll call if we need anything.”
“Of course, sir. Have a good night.” The waiter quickly and lightly left.
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