(Outskirts Of The Gobrean Jungle- White Lotus City)
(City Lord's Mansion- Grand Hall)
Xu Lu confidently walked into the grand hall with slow purposeful steps.
There was an imdiate mont of silence as the guests all turned to watch the strange visitor.
She wore a pure white robe with golden threads woven into the ends of the fabric. There was not a trace of dust on her clothes and her appearance was spotless.
Long black hair that fell down below her shoulders was tied into a neat ponytail and the mysterious cultivator carried herself with dignity and grace.
Still… there was one part of her attire that instantly stood out.
The plain silvery grey mask that completely covered her face with the exception of a pair of dark brown eyes that shone with indifference.
"Saintess!" Lord Peng broke the awkward silence and hurriedly walked over with a wide grin on his face.
He stopped when he was just a few feet away and then bowed politely.
Xu Lu waited patiently for the city lord to finish his performance and while she waiting… her eyes swept the room.
She saw her fellow cultivators surrounded by attractive mortal n and won and it was easy to guess what was going to happen tonight.
Lin Kun had a woman on his lap but when Xu Lu's eyes t his gaze, he hurriedly pushed her off and pretended to adjust his hair.
Cao Ji went white and quickly hid herself behind the wall of n who were now looking at her with expressions of confusion.
"I… I thought you were the saintess," one of the handso boys asked with a puzzled look on his face.
Cao Ji pretended not to answer his question and slipped away to the other side of the hall with a mixture of sha and fear in her heart.
Fu Qiu coughed awkwardly and placed the white fan over his face to conceal his expression of nervousness.
Why did the saintess have to appear?
He was having a good ti and now the atmosphere was completely tense and unpleasant.
Shen Guo ducked behind a nearby pillar and watched Xu Lu speak to the city lord in a tone that was both dismissive and rude.
Despite her impoliteness, Lord Peng's subservient smile never disappeared from his face as if he was honoured by the saintess' indifference to his flattering remarks.
Shen Guo's hand reached into the pocket of his robe and his trembling fingers touched the edge of the glass vial inside.
anwhile Xu Lu finished talking with the city lord and looked around to see who to approach next.
She did not plan to spend the night indulging in the pleasures of small talk with the younger aristocrats.
She was here on a mission.
Her companions may be enjoying themselves, but Xu Lu planned to get aningful information tonight.
Fortunately, her reputation as the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect ant that none of the young n and won were brave enough to go up to her and talk to her first.
Squeak! Squeak!
A tiny white head poked out of the pocket of Xu Lu's robe and the little mouse rubbed itself against the soft fabric.
"Do you want sothing to eat?" Xu Lu gently asked as she tapped the top of its head.
Squeak! Squeak!
The mouse nodded twice as if it could sohow understand her words. Maybe the creature had a trace of spirituality.
It was rare but sotis ordinary animals and plants would sohow be able to draw strands of qi into their bodies and their intelligence would grow.
Eventually they would be able to transform into humanoid appearances but that was only for those who reached a state of high-level cultivation.
Most would simply gain a bit of intelligence and outsmart the other creatures in their natural habitat.
Xu Lu walked over to the banquet table where a wide feast had been carefully placed. Plates upon plates of piping hot food were sitting on the table and yet no one had dug in.
It was considered bad manners to eat at a social gathering so the food was more for display than actual consumption.
Still… Xu Lu did not care about the unwritten social rules and picked up a tray of finely cut grapes that slled delightful.
She peeled off the outer skin of the grapes and passed it along to her little companion. The mouse's eyes widened with joy and it hurriedly grabbed the fruit with its paws.
Beneath the mask, Xu Lu's lips curved up into a gentle smile as she watched the mouse sink its teeth into the fruit.
"Saintess… is there any al that you would like my chefs to make?" Lord Peng asked as he walked up to Xu Lu and bowed humbly.
He could only see the saintess' back so he thought that she was the one eating the food on the banquet table.
Xu Lu did not bother to correct his assumption and shook her head to decline.
"I would like to et the heads of the major families," Xu Lu calmly spoke as she tucked another grape in her pocket and turned to face the city lord.
"Of course! Right this way! They would be honoured to et you," Lord Peng quickly replied as he gestured towards a crowd of elderly n and won.
Xu Lu followed behind him and her little mouse companion ducked back into the safety of her robe.
The saintess did not notice that dark markings similar to the tattoos on the mysterious woman's hands appeared on the surface of the mouse's white fur.
An almost human-like expression of contemplation flashed across the mouse's face as it curled up into a more comfortable position.
The group of elderly n and won imdiately bowed as Xu Lu approached and none of them dared to et her gaze.
"You can relax," Xu Lu quietly spoke with her voice no higher than a whisper.
"Let introduce you to the five great families," Lord Peng proudly exclaid with a wide flourish of his arms.
"Zhao Lei and Mao Yijun's clans both control the spice trade and have investnts in many rchant groups around the city."
Two elderly n with long white beards looked up and smiled at Xu Lu with warm friendly expressions on their faces.
"Su Xuefeng's clan have produced so of the finest warriors who bravely guard the city against monster attacks," the city lord continued to speak.
He gestured towards a middle-aged woman with strong muscles beneath the red dress that she wore.
The woman had a faint scar running down the side of her face that made her seem dangerous.
Lord Peng finished the introductions by introducing Xu Lu to a pair of n and won standing slightly apart from the group.
They were dressed in golden silk robes and wore expensive jewellery on the wrists, ankles and around their necks.
"And finally, Ye Xun and Tian Ju jointly own a spiritual mine on the outskirts of the city that provides valuable resources to all cultivators who visit."
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