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墨書 Inktalez
Qi Xiao looked around and picked up a bottle of wine, walking over to the cultivator at the neighboring table. The man had only a plate of meat and a small dish of peanuts in front of him, which seemed quite meager, yet he was savoring his food as if it were a delicacy.
Seeing Qi Xiao approach, the young cultivator furrowed his brow in surprise. "Little brother, I think you might be at the wrong table."
Qi Xiao smiled and replied, "I’m not lost. I’m new here and not very familiar with this place, so I thought I’d come over to make some friends."
With that, he poured some wine into the cultivator's cup. The long-lasting, fragrant aroma wafted through the air, causing the cultivator to take a deep breath, revealing a look of intoxication.
"This is the signature wine from Qingxiang Tower! Just one pot costs a mid-grade spirit stone. Are you really willing to part with it?" the cultivator asked.
Qi Xiao smiled back. "A little wine is nothing if it means getting to know you, brother."
Hearing his pretentious words, the young girl in red behind him, who had been stuffing her face with elbow meat, rolled her eyes silently. It was quite something to flaunt the wine she bought in front of others.
The cultivator looked at Qi Xiao and then at his cup of wine, rubbing his hands nervously until his face turned red. "Well then, I won't hold back."
As he downed the wine, its smoothness slid down his throat, and the flavor spread throughout him. The young cultivator let out a satisfied sigh. He set down his cup, his expression becoming dreamy as his brows softened.
"Don’t just stand there—drink up!"
After a few cups of wine, the young cultivator became increasingly lighthearted and began chattering away with Qi Xiao about various topics. He introduced himself as Xu Mo, a down-and-out cultivator without any background or talent, barely scraping by in this city.
His eyes were slightly glazed as he revealed a hint of sorrow. "Someone like me probably isn’t cut out for cultivation."
"I heard there was some unusual activity in the Xun River outside the city that might present an opportunity. So I went down with a few other cultivators to check it out, but... well, let’s just say it was all for nothing!"
Xun River and unusual activity—Qi Xiao silently noted these two key phrases.
He subtly probed Xu Mo for more information but noticed that whenever he brought up matters concerning the river, Xu Mo would fall silent and even show signs of anxiety.
After glancing around cautiously, he turned to Qi Xiao and whispered a warning. "Little brother, I don’t think you’re a bad person, so I’ll give you this advice: stay away from that river for a while. There’s something strange about it."
"What kind of strange?"
Xu Mo trembled his lips, shaking his head repeatedly, saying, "No, no! Just remember my words, don't get too close."
Qi Xiao nodded, indicating that he had taken note.
"Brother Xu, there's something I find a bit strange. Just now, when the dishes were served, it seemed like many people were looking at our table."
Xu Mo curled his lips, his tone somewhat sour. "Everyone's never seen someone throwing gold around. It's not every day they get to see it, so of course they would look a little longer."
"No, that's not what I meant."
If it were merely curious glances, Qi Xiao wouldn't find it strange. However, in those gazes, he distinctly felt a sense of astonishment and scrutiny, as if something unusual had occurred.
"We're new here and don't understand the local customs. I wonder if we've inadvertently offended someone?"
"Bah! Offend what? It's just that the shopkeeper personally served you your dishes!" Xu Mo said impatiently, lowering his voice. He clarified, "This Qingxiang Tower is owned by the Yun Palace. The shopkeeper who just served you is the brother-in-law of the palace master."
"Though he's only at the Qi Refining stage, with that identity, who wouldn't look at him with a bit more respect when dining here?"
He clicked his tongue and pondered over some strange implications. Although the shopkeeper was usually quite warm towards wealthy guests, having him personally serve the dishes was a rare privilege—only those sect leaders would receive such treatment.
He shot a wary glance at Qi Xiao. "You’re not some rich young master here to make fun of me, are you?"
Recalling the way that girl in red had thrown money around without blinking an eye, Xu Mo increasingly felt that his suspicion was justified.
"Ah! You're deliberately trying to pry information out of me, aren't you?"
Qi Xiao chuckled a couple of times. "Brother, let’s drink!"
Xu Mo took a sip of wine and said contentedly, "If you want to know something else, just ask directly."
The younger brother wanted to inquire if there were any unusual places in the city over the years.
"Hmm... let me think."
Seeing Qi Xiao return empty-handed and with a slightly flushed face from drinking, Ji Linglong clicked her tongue in disdain.
"Drunkard! Stay away from me; I don’t want your alcohol breath on me!"
Qi Xiao sniffed himself in confusion. "Do I smell? Really?"
"Yes, clearly dead!"
Qi Xiao smiled helplessly and returned to eat a few bites of rice.
Ji Linglong kicked his leg under the table and whispered, "What did you just ask about?"
Qi Xiao moved his lips and replied softly, "There’s something strange in this city. We’ll talk after we leave."
With that statement, Ji Linglong was left with a belly full of questions, making even the food taste bland.
After hastily finishing their meal, the two found an inn to stay in. A young waiter enthusiastically led them upstairs.
This time, they didn’t attract any surprised glances, but a sinister gaze followed them closely. It lingered until they returned to their room, then slowly faded away.
Ji Linglong frowned and spoke with certainty, "Someone was watching us just now?"
Seeing Qi Xiao’s lack of reaction, she felt a bit dissatisfied. "Hey, I said someone was watching us! Why are you not reacting at all?"
Qi Xiao lay back on the bed with his hands behind his head, raising a finger to his lips to shush her. He glanced at the neighboring room, indicating that there might be ears on the other side of the wall.
Ji Linglong immediately quieted down. She took out a few soundproof talismans from her bag and stuck them around the room, finally feeling a bit more at ease.
"Now this should work, right? Do you know something? Hurry up and tell me."
Qi Xiao replied casually, "What you mentioned isn’t surprising; I had anticipated it. From the moment we entered the tavern, we were likely being watched."
After he mentioned the tavern incident, Ji Linglong was astonished. "Why? We haven’t done anything here yet; how could we be targeted?"
Qi Xiao snorted softly. "Either there’s someone here we’re looking for, or this city harbors some secrets! So they’re particularly attentive to cultivators like us who suddenly appear."
At such a young age, they had already reached the Golden Core stage; anyone could guess that their background was unusual. If there were indeed secrets buried here, it was only natural for them to be watched closely.
Who knew if their sudden arrival had another purpose?
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