Niu You Dao and Yuan Fang decided to rest early today, as they needed to set off early tomorrow and had to conserve their strength.
For them, rest meant cultivation.
With the aid of spiritual pills, Yuan Fang felt noticeable progress in his cultivation.
In truth, it was quite simple. Besides absorbing the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth, he also drew in the spiritual Qi from the spiritual pills, thus accelerating his cultivation speed.
As for Niu You Dao, he was even faster than ordinary cultivators. Other cultivators absorbed spiritual Qi and refined it into their own, but he refined the amulets left by Dong Guo Hao Ran.
After he reached the Zhu Ji level, he clearly felt that refining Dong Guo Hao Ran's amulets had become much faster. Along the way, he had already refined three amulets and had begun refining the fourth Doctrine-Transmitting Amulet.
Refining two amulets was already enough to reach the highest stage of the Lian Qi level. But Niu You Dao now felt he was far from the highest stage of the Zhu Ji level. This was not surprising. Niu You Dao wondered if Dong Guo Hao Ran's remaining amulets would be enough for him to reach the highest stage of Zhu Ji. In theory, they should be.
Dong Guo Hao Ran was once a Jin Dan level cultivator. Could he have transferred all his cultivation to him without being injured? Especially since he was already injured when he transferred the Doctrine-Transmitting Amulets to him.
Even if Dong Guo Hao Ran had his full cultivation, he would hardly have been able to transfer it all to Niu You Dao.
In short, as the saying goes: What one gains, one loses. There's no other way!
"Knock-knock." A knock sounded.
The two men opened their eyes. Who could be coming here in the evening?
Yuan Fang stood up and went to the door to find out what was happening. Then he returned and said:
"Lord Dao, it's an employee of the inn. I saw him in the lounge. He says there's something he needs to discuss."
"Mm. Let him in." Niu You Dao nodded. He knew that they wouldn't disturb guests late at night without good reason.
Yuan Fang went and let the employee in. It was Lao Gou who entered the room.
After learning that Niu You Dao had met with the Lady today, he began to treat Niu You Dao with great respect. Lao Gou, seeing Niu You Dao, immediately bowed and said:
"Sir, our manager invites you."
"The manager?" Niu You Dao recalled the day's events and said with a smile: "I wonder why?"
Lao Gou smiled and said: "Just for tea."
"Tea?" Niu You Dao was surprised. To drink tea so late? It seemed he truly had something important to discuss.
He rose, put on more clothes, and said with a chuckle:
"Since the manager requests it, I dare not refuse." He waved his hand, signaling Yuan Fang to follow him. Only then did Lao Gou block their path and say apologetically:
"The manager requested only one person."
"Mm!?" Niu You Dao's eyes gleamed, but he replied with a smile: "Alright. You stay here."
Yuan Fang immediately picked up Niu You Dao's sword and offered it to him. He wanted Niu You Dao to take the sword with him.
Niu You Dao shook his head and decided to go as he was.
He knew that if the manager wished to do something to him in this inn, his sword would be of no help. It was better to go peacefully, without any hostility.
The two men exited the room, and Lao Gou led Niu You Dao to the attic. When they entered the manager's room, Niu You Dao noticed the manager already brewing tea there. Exchanging glances, the manager ordered Lao Gou to leave them alone. Then, he invited Niu You Dao to sit opposite him.
Niu You Dao looked around and noticed that the room was quite simple. It must not have been the manager's usual room.
Niu You Dao approached, sat down, and asked with a smile:
"I wonder why the manager has summoned me?"
The manager had not yet poured the tea, but said:
"To drink tea!"
The two men smiled. Each knew what was what. The tea party was merely a pretext. Niu You Dao cupped his hands:
"I still do not know the manager's name."
The manager, with his pale skin, stroked his beard and replied:
"Bai You Lu! That's what people in the city usually call me."
Niu You Dao sighed and said: "A good name! A beautiful name!" (Translator's note: Bai You Lu means "White Jade House," and jade is highly revered by the Chinese.)
Bai You Lu chuckled and replied: "I wonder which sect you are from, Sir?"
Niu You Dao shook his head:
"I merely wander the world. I am a rogue cultivator."
"A rogue cultivator?" Bai You Lu outwardly smiled and said:
"You spent 100,000 gold without batting an eye. Would a rogue cultivator do that? Even I, Bai, feel somewhat less knowledgeable!" He clearly implied that he didn't believe Niu You Dao.
He then surprised Niu You Dao even further. He took out ten 10,000-gold notes and placed them before Niu You Dao. If Niu You Dao wasn't being forthright, he wouldn't dare accept the gift from him.
He himself was puzzled. How could he have taken the money before? Had a devil possessed him? Then he thought. Normally, when offered a few hundred or a thousand gold, he wouldn't even glance at them. When it came to 10,000 gold, he was still clear-headed. But Niu You Dao had offered a crazy amount, so much that even he couldn't refuse.
Niu You Dao looked surprised:
"Manager, what do you mean?"
Bai You Lu: "This gift is too precious. I cannot accept it. I did nothing to help brother. Why should I take a gift?"
Niu You Dao calmly said:
"When I wander and ride my horse, the wind and rain are equally good to me! Wherever I go, that is my path; whoever I interact with, that is my friend. All I ask is that no more obstacles are created for me. The manager has thought too much into this. If you truly don't want to take it, fearing someone might harbor ill intentions, then so be it!"
Niu You Dao reached out and took the teapot from the stove, then with his other hand, he took the notes and intended to throw them into the stove where the embers glowed.
"Damn it!" Bai You Lu's mouth twitched. He immediately grabbed Niu You Dao's hand.
The two men stared intently at each other. Niu You Dao slowly lowered the teapot, and Bai You Lu slowly relaxed Niu You Dao's wrist.
He sighed and said:
"Brother, why act like this? Aren't 100,000 gold coins a pity to lose? Outside, many rogue cultivators are willing to spill blood for 100,000."
Niu You Dao had still convinced him that he could burn 100,000.
Niu You Dao returned the 100,000 and placed them on the table before Bai You Lu.
Bai You Lu didn't accept them yet, but calmly said: "Brother, what is your connection to the Liuxiang Sect?" He began to get to the point.
"The Liuxiang Sect?" Niu You Dao was astonished. He thought the other party had already learned a great deal about him.
Until today, he had rarely interacted with anyone, and few in Zhaixing City knew him. It seemed the power behind the inn was formidable. It far surpassed Niu You Dao's imagination. Niu You Dao thought that he would have to investigate the system used by the power behind Zhaixing City later.
He felt a little nervous. Could the Liuxiang Sect be one of Luo Qiu's spheres of influence?
"Is the manager speaking of the Liuxiang Sect of the Yan Kingdom?"
Bai You Lu: "As far as I know, only one sect bears that name."
Niu You Dao: "I haven't seen much, but I have indeed had dealings with the Liuxiang Sect. Friendship is out of the question for us; hatred, however, is certainly there." He didn't want to reveal himself completely.
"Hatred?" Bai You Lu seemed to guess what was happening. At that moment, the teapot boiled, and he poured the tea:
"What happened?"
"It seems they have made many assumptions about me," Niu You Dao slowly replied:
"Nothing much, really. Simply, a few disciples of the Liuxiang Sect died by my hand. Why does the manager bring up the Liuxiang Sect?"
Bai You Lu now understood the matter and calmly said:
"Brother, you must be more careful, especially with those who serve you."
Niu You Dao narrowed his eyes:
"How do you explain your words?"
"Two people from the Liuxiang Sect have checked into the inn. One is called Huang En Gui, and the other is Cui Yuan. They are people from the Liuxiang Sect's shop." Bai You Lu stated.
Niu You Dao picked up the teapot and refilled his tea.
By doing so, he showed that he respectfully awaited further conversation.
Bai You Lu raised his cup, took a small sip of tea, and said: "Zhaixing City holds a special place, and some matters don't concern us. However, because brother pleased the Lady today, I will say a few words. Lei Zong Kang, you must know him. Today, after you dined, he met with people from the Liuxiang Sect. They have already met twice. During the day and at night. I myself don't know exactly what they discussed. That is all for now."
Niu You Dao brought the cup to his lips, seemingly lost in thought. It was unknown what he was thinking.
However, he soon came to his senses. Niu You Dao clasped the cup with both hands and drank it to the bottom, expressing his gratitude.
Bai You Lu also drank his cup to the end in response.
Niu You Dao again helped him pour the tea.
"I will remember this. In the future, I will have an opportunity and will generously repay you! No matter how the manager perceives me, whether as a friend or not, I keep my word and will not cause trouble for a friend. This evening, if they meet again... Perhaps the manager could send an employee to our room with some wine? If that would be troublesome for the manager, then let's consider that I said nothing."
Bai You Lu neither refused nor agreed. But this was understandable.
Niu You Dao also said nothing, but changed the subject:
"What good tea..."
The two men spoke a little longer, and then Niu You Dao cupped his hands and said:
"Tomorrow, I will have to leave Zhaixing City. I bid you farewell."
Bai You Lu raised his glass: "Farewell!"
Niu You Dao nodded and turned to leave.
Bai You Lu noticed that Niu You Dao had left the money and smiled: "This fellow is interesting."
At that moment, the doors opened, and Lao Gou entered. He saw the 100,000 gold and asked in surprise: "This?"
Bai You Lu chuckled and shook his head:
"Today, I saw how he pleased the Lady, so I gave him a small reminder about the Liuxiang Sect. Who knew he was at odds with the Liuxiang Sect, so he left 100,000."
"Ah!" Lao Gou shook his head: "This fellow is generous!"
Bai You Lu took 50,000 and gave the rest to Lao Gou:
"No one must know about this, for our reputation. Distribute the rest among all the brothers."
Lao Gou unashamedly took the money:
"Then I will distribute it."
"Make sure it's done well." Bai You Lu waved his hand.
And when Lao Gou left, Bai You Lu, looking at the 50,000, sighed. He could have taken it all himself from the start, but in the end, he only got half.
However, this was also good. At least his conscience would be at peace now. And even if the ruler finds out, there will be nothing wrong with it. He put away the 50,000 and enjoyed the fragrant scent of the tea...