After discussing for a while and confirming the direction of things, Wu Jinliang had an idea in mind. Only then did Shi Chun take out the album given by Bai Qiru, and the two of them studied it carefully for a while.
It wasn't until dusk that they put away their things and went out, ready to have a good stroll.
The stroll wasn't the goal; since they already had a mindset of facing danger, understanding the surrounding environnt as a precaution was the real purpose.
The na of the inn was old-fashioned and ordinary, called 'Yuelai Inn,' but it was indeed one of the top inns in the city, a serene environnt amidst the bustle; stepping out of the main entrance led straight into worldly magnificence.
At this mont, the lanterns in the inn had already been lit.
The dining area was brightly illuminated, and soone ca striding in from outside, sat down in front of a table of people, and greeted, "Don't wait any longer, let's eat. Brother Chong had an urgent matter and won't be coming."
Soone at the sa table was displeased, "Didn't we agree to have a few good drinks? He called us, how can he not co himself? Wait, I'll go get him."
The one who arrived earlier imdiately reached out to stop him, advising, "He really has sothing important, really can't co. It happened suddenly; a new Inner Court Captain just took office in the city, and the City Guard is hosting a welco banquet for him at 'Zhu Lang Pavilion.' It's inappropriate for Brother Chong to be absent, so he asked to apologize to everyone, to eat well and drink well at his expense."
Hearing it was serious business, the displeased one had to sit down, but still felt sowhat strange, "Captain Fang was doing just fine, why the change, who is it?"
The newcor shook his head, "In such sudden replacents, how could we know the inside story? Captain Fang was transferred to the Divine Mountain, and the new Captain seems to be nad Xiu, oh, Lou Xiu, I haven't seen him either."
Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, coming down the staircase on one side of the hall, suddenly stopped in unison and looked at the group discussing, then glanced at each other.
The two didn't say a word, pretending they hadn't heard anything, and descended the stairs.
After leaving the inn, Wu Jinliang whispered, "It shouldn't be just a nasake, especially at this timing, it should be the sa person. This Lou Xiu is impressive, sothing just happened in Dazhi City, and he couldn't stay there, and now he's been appointed in Yao Mountain City. This Yao Mountain City is right by the Divine Mountain, it seems to handle quite a few matters concerning the Divine Mountain, and might even be of a higher status than Dazhi City, right?
But that guy is really good at flattery, just because soone thought the location of the library was good, he wanted to get it by any ans possible to gift it, shows there must be quite a few people on the Divine Mountain pleased by him."
Shi Chun asked, "He hasn't seen you, has he?"
Wu Jinliang: "No, I've seen him once. Once he personally inspected Dazhi City, I heard about it and specially went to take a look from the roadside. I was behind the crowd, he didn't see ."
As long as they aren't recognized, Shi Chun didn't care, but he's pondering whether the Mother-child Talisman he gave to Lou Xiu has been discarded.
As night fell over Yao Mountain City, colorful lights dazzled, joyous songs and murmurs echoed enchantingly, with more people wandering at night than during the day. The streets were bustling, albeit with more mysterious individuals.
The most apparent difference from human settlents was that various strange attires wouldn't draw morally judgntal gazes. Wrapping a piece of cloth was fine, but being entirely unclothed would get soone apprehended.
The overall style of Yao Mountain City was similar to Dazhi City, but the scale of the buildings was more grandiose, the overall area more expansive. Due to directly handling part of the supply responsibilities for the Divine Mountain, and bearing substantial hospitality duties for the Divine Mountain, with many families and friends of major figures from the Divine Mountain residing here, the prosperity here indeed surpassed that of Dazhi City.
Standing at a higher place in the city, one could see the distant Divine Mountain, majestic yet hazy, with the lights on the mountain stretching like the starry sky.
'Zhu Lang Pavilion' was situated in a higher area, on a small mountain.
The mountain was dense with ancient towering trees. A road wide enough for carriages wound its way to the summit, with pavilions for rest by the roadside lit romantically. There's also a stone path that leads straight to the top. 'Zhu Lang Pavilion' on the summit resembles a splendid giant tower, and from beneath the tower, one can hear the joyful laughter spilling from sowhere above.
Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, who wandered up to the summit, looked up at this grandiose, sprawling establishnt, a large venue incorporating dining, drinking, and entertainnt.
Of course, judging by the luxurious environnt amidst tranquility, one could tell that the spending here would not be low.
A friend had joined them, whom they t and befriended while strolling the streets, nad Hua Chong, a clever local man, knowledgeable about both major and minor matters in the city.
Unfamiliar with the place and people, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang needed soone inford to provide basic intelligence.
After circling the tower-like structure in observation, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, not flustered by the place, as they had recently co into so wealth, withstood the expenses and finally went inside for a al.
The attire of the two also spoke of sophistication, with Treasure Robes revealing an extraordinary quality, exuding a certain nobility. Coupled with Wu Jinliang's poise, accustod to elite occasions, the doorman dare not look down upon them with disdainful eyes.
Hua Chong, by association, entered with them.
They looked around inside but did not go upstairs, choosing a spot in a fine seat near the staircase, where they ordered fine food and drink, much to Hua Chong's delight, prompting him to answer all questions readily.
Their choice of this position was also deliberate; wasn't it said that Yao Mountain City's nobles would host a welco banquet here for Lou Xiu? For the two, keen on understanding Yao Mountain City's circumstances, sitting here with Hua Chong was perfect for recognizing people one by one.
The welco banquet should have started long ago. After strolling around the city, they ca here, waiting for the event to end and the guests to disperse.
Getting to know Hua Chong proved advantageous quickly. Through Hua Chong's words, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang discovered that not only the City Guards, but also many others with different identities seized the chance to attend the welcoming banquet to et Lou Xiu.
Halfway through the al, a charming palace-dressed beauty descended from upstairs, like a burst of vivid spring colors, capturing everyone's attention with her stunning appearance that eclipsed the moon and shy flowers. Wu Jinliang subconsciously licked his lips at the sight.
Hua Chong imdiately leaned over and whispered to the duo, "That's the Mada Yin Xu, the owner of 'Zhu Lang Pavilion'. It's said she has connections over at the Royal Capital. Seeing her personally co to greet, there must be an exquisite guest."
Shi Chun and Wu Jiniliang noted this Mada and grew curious about who the distinguished guest might be.
Soon after, Mada Yin Xu appeared alongside an imposing man, followed by several attendants.
As they approached, faint snippets of conversation about which floor Luo Ti was on could be heard.
When the group headed upstairs, Mada Yin Xu's gaze landed on Shi Chun's party, but she paid them no mind. She was familiar with the sight of n srized by her beauty and had grown indifferent to it.
Her attention quickly shifted back to the man beside her, noticing that after his gaze settled on a particular table, he montarily froze and then swiftly averted his eyes, hastening his step upward and abruptly halting his conversation.
Having interacted with people for many years, Yin Xu instantly sensed that the man beside her was trying not to draw attention from that table.
Once the group disappeared upstairs, Hua Chong leaned over again and spoke quietly, "I wonder who they are. I've seen almost everyone prominent in this city but haven't seen these folks. They're likely outsiders, but anyone who gets this lady to personally accompany them must be soone extraordinary."
To this, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang had no objections. They didn't expect a random street person to recognize everyone here.
Of course, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang didn't intend to recognize everyone here either.
anwhile, after heading upstairs, the esteed guest didn't imdiately proceed further. He let Mada Yin Xu go ahead, saying he rembered sothing he needed to contact his sect about. He already knew Luo Ti's location and would go there by himself shortly.
Mada Yin Xu, accustod to reading people's expressions, cheerfully went upstairs first.
But once she'd gone upstairs, she didn't go far, quickly retreating into a room in the pavilion to observe through the window. She saw the man sidle up to the stairs, peeking down at that table.
"Interesting. A manager from Extre Fire Sect is acting so cautiously. Could it be that there's a guest even I don't know about?" She muttered to herself with reddened lips while scrutinizing Shi Chun's group.
Despite Shi Chun's group stirring things up among various sects in the Artifact Refining World, among many, the Extre Fire Sect's standing is significant, regarded as the top sect in the Demon Realm.
Hence, a manager from Extre Fire Sect visiting rits Mada Yin Xu's personal welco.
Yin Xu, glancing out the window, pulled out a Mother-child Talisman to summon soone.
The manager from Extre Fire Sect, nad Xi Quan, had attended the last 'Divine Fire Covenant'. However, his status among a group of sect leaders or elders was not prominent enough to stand forward, thus Shi Chun and the others had not noticed him.
Xi Quan himself was unaware that Shi Chun and the others hadn't seen him before, which made him especially nervous and cautious earlier.
According to his knowledge, Shi Chun had been secluded in the Shengshen Continent Royal Capital, making contact with his sect difficult, but had unexpectedly encountered him here.
Even if seen alone, there might have been a mistake, but the large man beside him made it definite.
Xi Quan's presence here is due to Extre Fire Sect considering establishing a point here, and with a new Inner Court Captain in Yao Mountain City, he decided to visit and acquaint himself.
Unexpectedly, he gained an unexpected benefit, and after confirming secretly, he summoned two fellow sect mbers to quietly relay the situation back to their sect.
Since the Extre Fire Sect's headquarters isn't in this realm, the Mother-child Talisman couldn't relay ssages, requiring physical delivery.
Once the two sect mbers left, he instructed so to shadow them discreetly before proceeding upstairs to visit Lou Xiu.
At the sa ti, Shi Chun received a ssage from Chu Jingtang. Chu had personally co with information from Young Master Nan regarding Bai Qiru's background.
Surprised at the swift gathering of Bai Qiru's details, Shi Chun increasingly realized Bai Qiru's significant background but felt urgency wasn't necessary. Under the table, he replied using a Mother-child Talisman, indicating his exact room location and instructing Chu Jingtang to wait there.
In the room where Mada Yin Xu was, a man responsible for liaising within the city appeared. Yin Xu gestured slightly towards Shi Chun's table downstairs, asking, "Do you recognize those three?"
After careful observation, the man hesitated and said, "The one dressed plainly like a lackey seems vaguely familiar, seen sowhere in the city. Might be an insignificant thug. The other two are unfamiliar."
Yin Xu's eyes lingered on the table, "Then find that thug and inquire discreetly about the other two without alerting them."
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