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Xu Feng did not know what identity Cai Shujun was sold under, but based on Cai Shujun's character, she would rather die than become Snow Furnace. Perhaps she would agree to be Ding Lu to buy some time, as being Ding Lu requires more considerations and is not as hasty as Snow Furnace.
Ding Lu requires a certain level of cooperation between both parties; otherwise, not only will the expected effects of dual cultivation not be achieved, but it could also be dangerous. To prevent such incidents, the Sacred Cauldron Pavilion usually employs some secret methods to control the consciousness of the Female Cultivator chosen as Ding Lu, making her passively cooperate. Of course, this is a last resort; it is best if both parties can reach a mutual benefit, resulting in a win-win situation. Therefore, to achieve the ultimate goal of dual cultivation, Ding Lu must undergo a period of "emotional cultivation."
Xu Feng thought for a moment and said, "I am practicing a Cultivation Method that requires a Female Cultivator at the Early Stage of Golden Core to serve as Ding Lu."
"Please follow me," Fu Hong'er said upon hearing Xu Feng's request for Ding Lu, leading him down a left corridor and quickly entering an exquisite and luxurious room. Fu Hong'er assured him, "Rest assured, most guests who come to our Sacred Cauldron Pavilion leave satisfied. Finding a Female Cultivator at the Early Stage of Golden Core is not difficult; we happen to have several here, all of whom are courtesans."
A male cultivator who appeared to be an assistant entered the room with them. Fu Hong'er addressed him, "Shaogang, bring all the candidates for Early Stage of Golden Core Ding Lu for our guest to choose from."
The man named Shaogang responded and turned to leave.
"Is this your first time in Xibai City?" Fu Hong'er asked as she moved gracefully to the tea table and poured tea for Xu Feng.
"Yes, I am a member of a family from Qing Niao City. I came to Xibai City to procure some goods," Xu Feng replied. He had just looked at the map of Zheguo and knew that Qing Niao City was not far from Xibai City, which had a much larger population and area.
Fu Hong'er did not press further; this industry does not place much importance on a customer's background. As long as one can afford it, any background is irrelevant. She raised her cup in toast to Xu Feng with tea instead of wine.
This was high-quality Spiritual Tea, which is hard to find in Liuxiang Kingdom. Cultivators are also originally mortals; many of their living habits have been inherited, only that the items consumed have been replaced with celestial goods.
There was a curtain on the wall. Fu Hong'er walked over and gently pulled it aside, revealing a transparent crystal window about two meters long and one meter high. Through the window, one could clearly see the movements in the adjacent room. In that room, Shaogang had just entered and sat down on a chair against the wall. Behind him followed seven or eight women, each stunningly beautiful. Through the crystal, Xu Feng could not sense their aura but could be sure that these eight women were all formidable Female Cultivators.
Indeed, Fu Hong'er said, "These eight were selected according to your requirements; they are all at the Early Stage of Golden Core. You may choose any of them." The eight Female Cultivators walked past the window one by one and paused for three seconds in front of it, giving Xu Feng time for a closer look.
The crystal seemed specially treated; the Female Cultivators next door acted as if nothing was amiss while posing in front of the window. Once all eight had shown themselves, Shaogang signaled for them to sit down and rest before making his way back to Xu Feng.
Fu Hong'er looked at Xu Feng and asked, "Do you have any preferred candidates for Ding Lu?"
Xu Feng observed carefully, fearing that Cai Shujun might be among them. It wasn't until the last one passed by that he finally felt relieved but then worried again—if she wasn't here, where could she possibly be?
Among the eight people, Cai Shujun was not found. Xu Feng said, "The Sacred Cauldron Pavilion truly lives up to its reputation; all eight Ding Lu are stunning beauties, breathtaking indeed. However, I am quite concerned about one particular individual, and it seems I am not fortunate enough to enjoy her company."
Upon hearing Xu Feng's praise, Fu Hong'er realized that these eight individuals did not meet Xu Feng's expectations. She frowned slightly; the selection of Ding Lu by the Sacred Cauldron Pavilion had its standards. They must at least be presentable, yet Xu Feng seemed unimpressed, which made her worry that this deal might fall through.
However, Xu Feng continued, "I wonder if your esteemed establishment could provide a catalog for me to make more selections?" At this moment, Xu Feng was most worried that he had arrived too late and that Cai Shujun had already been sold off. That would be troublesome. In his previous life, he could have checked the accounts of the Sacred Cauldron Pavilion to see which orders had been completed, but here, looking into their accounts would be suicidal.
The business of the Sacred Cauldron Pavilion often involved shady dealings; they had coerced many into undesirable situations before. It was easy to enter but hard to leave; if one wanted to exit the Sacred Cauldron Pavilion, they could only do so by paying.
Unexpectedly, Xu Feng's request caused a slight change in Fu Hong'er's expression as if she sensed something. She gently waved her hand, signaling for Shaogang to step outside.
Taking a seat at the table, Fu Hong'er looked at Xu Feng and chuckled softly, "Benefactor, if I am not mistaken, you are here looking for someone."
Indeed, she was an old hand with a sharp eye.
Xu Feng could not escape the gaze of a professional and was exposed by Fu Hong'er with just a few words.
From the moment Xu Feng rejected the eight beautiful Female Cultivators, Fu Hong'er had grown suspicious. When she heard that he wanted to see more catalogs, she guessed correctly—just as women who do not love jewelry are often considered to be men in disguise. The backgrounds of the Female Cultivators at the Sacred Cauldron Pavilion were complicated; many of those acquired were trafficked and not there willingly.
Having worked here for decades, Fu Hong'er had seen her fair share of such incidents. Every few years, someone would come demanding a person back—like when the Zhang family lost their daughter or the Li Family lost their bride—knowing they would inevitably cause some disputes at the Sacred Cauldron Pavilion. Fortunately, with strong backing, they managed to resolve these issues each time.
Seeing that Xu Feng did not deny it, Fu Hong'er continued, "There is nothing to hide here; you are not the first nor will you be the last person coming to our Sacred Cauldron Pavilion looking for someone. However, I can tell you upfront that if you want to take someone away from here, you need to prepare enough spirit stones; the Sacred Cauldron Pavilion does not engage in losing business."
With her strength at the Late Stage of Golden Core, it would not be easy for Xu Feng to subdue her instantly. More importantly, using force here was impossible; several powerful presences were already locking onto him. If he made any sudden moves, he could end up severely injured.
Since he had been exposed, Xu Feng did not evade and said, "I am looking for a female cultivator who came here half a month ago; she is at the Early Stage of Golden Core and practices Wood Element Technique. Whether alive or dead, I must take her away; spirit stones are not an issue."
"You are from the Liuxiang Kingdom, aren't you?" Fu Hong'er immediately guessed who it was that Xu Feng was searching for.
Xu Feng listened, feeling a significant weight lift from his heart. He said, "Please, do me a favor." He handed over a thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
"You came too late," Fu Hong'er replied, not accepting the thousand spirit stones. "The person you are looking for did come here, but they have already sold out."
Xu Feng felt a pang of pain in his heart but forced himself to remain calm. "Please guide me."
Fu Hong'er chuckled lightly. "No need for guidance; I'm a businesswoman..."
Xu Feng quickly understood. "If you could help with this, I will certainly not make it difficult for you."
"One hundred thousand!" Fu Hong'er was straightforward yet ruthless. One hundred thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones was equivalent to the price of selling Cai Shujun by Hua Qian Zhi; she earned that amount with just one piece of information.
Without hesitation, Xu Feng took out one hundred thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and handed them over, cursing Fu Hong'er in his heart multiple times.
Fu Hong'er accepted the spirit stones with a clear conscience, not letting go of the initial thousand spirit stones either. Then she lightly uttered three words: Xiaoyao Sect.
Xu Feng stared at Fu Hong'er for twenty to thirty seconds, but this vampire would not say another word. One hundred thousand spirit stones bought him just three words; that calculated to thirty-three thousand per word—truly worth its weight in gold.
Knowing he could extract no more information, Xu Feng realized that revealing client information was inherently wrong. If he hadn't encountered someone as greedy as Fu Hong'er, he might not have obtained even half a word of news.
"Thank you!" Xu Feng turned and exited the room.
This was serious; according to the information, Xiaoyao Sect was a colossal entity with countless experts under its command. With Xu Feng's Late Stage of Golden Core cultivation, trying to rescue Cai Shujun from Xiaoyao Sect would be more difficult than climbing to the heavens. Moreover, Xiaoyao Sect was wealthy and did not lack spirit stones; even if they were short on resources, they wouldn't miss Xu Feng's small amount.
What to do? He couldn't fight them, and he didn't have as much money as they did. Xu Feng felt overwhelmed.
Fu Hong'er followed him out of the room and escorted him to the door. Suddenly, using a sound transmission technique, she said, "Seeing how straightforward you are, I'll give you one more piece of news: the person you're looking for has powerful allies and will be safe. Don't worry."
"Mother, can you finish your words? What expert? What assistance?" Xu Feng wished he could strangle Fu Hong'er. However, it was at least some good news, and Xu Feng thanked Fu Hong'er once again.
After leaving the Sacred Cauldron Pavilion, Xu Feng walked towards Xibai City, thinking about the Xiaoyao Sect.
The Xiaoyao Sect was one of the numerous prestigious sects located over a hundred thousand miles away in the Lianyun Mountain Range. It was unclear why they had come to Xibai City to take Cai Shujun. The territory of Zheguo was vast; even hundreds of Liuxiang Kingdoms could not compare to a single Zheguo. The influence of Zheguo was also not as concentrated as that of the Liuxiang Kingdom, where the Six Major Sects held dominance. However, in Zheguo, such dominance was impossible due to the multitude of powerful factions.
The sects in Zheguo had a ranking based on strength, but the actual power among them was not vastly different. Among the top twenty sects, even the twentieth-ranked sect could refuse to give face to the first-ranked sect when necessary, and the first-ranked sect would have no way to deal with it. For thousands of years, Zheguo had maintained this situation of contention, with many vying for supremacy and no one willing to be subordinate.
The Xiaoyao Sect ranked eighteenth among the sects in Zheguo.
Before he knew it, Xu Feng had walked four or five miles and reached a point between Xibai City and the Sacred Cauldron Pavilion. Three figures jumped down from a large tree, blocking Xu Feng's path. Upon closer inspection, they were the three Late Golden Core Cultivators from Sinking Sand Valley.
The distance from Xibai City to Sacred Cauldron Pavilion was only ten miles, and the terrain was flat with only a few larger trees. The three men hiding in the tree were not very effective; even if they were not seen, they would still attract attention.
Xu Feng possessed Arrow Meridian, giving him much sharper eyesight than other cultivators of his level. He had already noticed the traces of the three men but did not know who their target was. Moreover, since they were only at the Late Stage of Golden Core, they posed little threat to Xu Feng, so he did not pay them much mind.
Seeing that Xu Feng showed no intention of stopping or fleeing, the three men were delighted. If he was so arrogant, then he shouldn't blame them for being ruthless.
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