Arriving at Otefe, the first thing that Gu Chen noticed was the five massive mountain peaks behind the town. Despite being far away, it was impossible not to notice them even from the front of the town’s gate.
’So that’s the Dae Qu sect. I wonder what’s going on there right now.’ Gu Chen thought to himself. The town was lively and didn’t feel like a battle between cultivators was going on nearby.
Could it be that they already fled and Feng Shuran was currently hunting them down? That must be it; no wonder she was taking so long and the town was so peaceful.
Pushing the thought to the back of his mind for now, Gu Chen thanked the owner of the caravan, an old man who turned out to be a merchant, before getting off.
"Young friend, you must not be from around here. Why don’t you accompany me and I’ll show you around? With me next to you, you won’t face any difficulties during your stay." The old man said with a half smile and his eyes closed.
Gu Chen smiled back; how could he not tell what the old merchant was thinking? Gu Chen had easily given away two gold coins just to let him travel with them; the merchant must have assumed he was a wealthy young master from far away, considering how young Gu Chen looked and was trying to fleece him.
"You don’t have to bother yourself; a friend of mine is coming over soon." Gu Chen said and then turned to the QI Gathering cultivators who had helped him earlier, even though he had paid them. He thanked them before walking off.
They all watched Gu Chen walk farther until his figure disappeared into the crowd of people roaming the street.
"Sir, should we follow him?" One of the QI Gathering stage cultivators turned to the old man inside the caravan and asked.
"No need, he isn’t a nobody, and we shouldn’t offend him. Let’s hope he causes big news later; then we’ll have our chance." The old man replied as the caravan started to move again.
By then, Gu Chen had walked deeper into the streets of Otefe.
A lot of eyes fell on him as he walked; his robe was just too eye-catching, and a lot of people were observing him with obvious intentions.
Likewise, Gu Chen was also observing the place. The majority of the people here were ordinary people, and he had seen only a handful at the Body tempering stage, which was even weaker than the QI Gathering stage!
’First things first,’ Gu Chen thought to himself as he came across an inn. It was a structure with three floors.
Without wasting time, he walked into the place.
"Welcome, kind guest. How can we serve you?" A young woman in a grey dress stood behind the counter next to the entrance and smiled at Gu Chen when she saw him enter.
Her eyes sparkled after seeing how handsome Gu Chen was and how he was dressed; his hair was also very smooth and long, signs of a good life.
Gu Chen didn’t reply immediately as he observed the first floor of the inn. Sets of tables and chairs were placed around the and some people were already seated, either eating or drinking.
Similarly, they all stared at Gu Chen; greed could instantly be seen in their eyes.
’A bunch of ants,’ Gu Chen thought to himself as he returned his gaze to the woman behind the counter.
Even though he had lost his strength, dealing with these ordinary people wouldn’t be an issue for him.
"I want some food and water," Gu Chen said to the woman.
"Ah, of course. Please take a seat, and I’ll bring your food shortly. What would you like?" She asked with a bright tone, causing the faces of some of the men to harden.
"Anything is fine, just don’t disappoint me." Gu Chen said softly.
Hearing this, a strange feeling exploded within the woman.
"I understand, I’ll do my best!" She said in high spirits and immediately disappeared through the door next to the counter.
Gu Chen "..."
He was still waiting to learn how much a meal would cost, but the woman had already rushed off. Was this how they operated?
Service before payment- what if he didn’t have money to pay after eating?
Shaking his head, Gu Chen walked over to a nearby empty table and sat on one of the chairs. He could feel several eyes staring at him, but he didn’t bother with any of them as he kept waiting for his food.
After some time, the woman returned with his food and a fancy wooden cup containing water.
"Here you go, Mister. This is my signature dish. I once said that I’ll only make it for the one I love." She said with a gentle tone while bending her body slightly. One would instantly notice that she had adjusted her dress to let a large portion of her breasts show from this angle.
Gu Chen was left speechless. Ignoring the woman’s behaviour, he picked up the spoon and brought a serving into his mouth.
’Mm, it’s delicious!’
He exclaimed inwardly. It had been years since he last ate anything and had totally forgotten how food tasted.
Looking at the woman who was still standing beside him with an expectant smile, Gu Chen nodded and said that he liked it before proceeding to ask how much it cost.
The woman beamed when she heard that Gu Chen liked the food; her joy could be felt even from across the street.
"Oh, you don’t need to pay; it’s a gift." She said sweetly.
Gu Chen looked at her in silence for a bit and then proceeded to drop something on the table in front of her.
"Keep the change," he said and returned to his food.
The woman looked at what Gu Chen had dropped, and she froze the next moment. She wasn’t the only one; everyone who saw it was shocked.
It was a gold coin! This meal was worth only five copper coins; a gold coin was equal to 10,000 copper coins!
The woman quickly hid the coin and ran upstairs, leaving Gu Chen to finally eat in peace.
Or so he thought. Just when the girl left, a second disturbance arrived.
"Hahaha, young friend, you definitely aren’t from around here. Throwing money around like that will only get you into trouble." A loud voice sounded in front of Gu Chen as a strong smell of alcohol assaulted his nose.
Gu Chen lifted his gaze and stared at the figure in front of him. A middle-aged man with a messy appearance and holding a wine gourd.
The man didn’t wait for Gu Chen to speak and directly sat on the chair opposite him before taking a huge sip from his gourd.
"Haaa, youngsters these days. Don’t know how to stay out of the spotlight; now a lot of hungry eyes are on you. It’ll be a miracle if you survive the night, unless you’re related to a cultivator." The middle-aged man said before taking another sip.
Gu Chen studied him for a bit and placed another coin on the table before pushing it towards the man.
"I have questions; answer them, and it’s yours." He said calmly.
The middle-aged man froze before suddenly laughing.
"Hahah, that’s what I’m talking about. Youngsters should be free-spirited and not be afraid of using money; enjoy while you can. Come on, what do you want to know?"