As soon as these words were spoken, the disciples of the Wan Sheng Palace and the Lu Family, who had just been "righteously" arguing on the Mystic Heaven Mirror, fell silent.
If these words had come from disciples of any other sect, they might have had a retort or two.
But the problem was, these words came from Di Qi of the Purple Flame Realm.
The Di Family had always acted with impartiality, and cultivators of the Xuantian Continent naturally trusted them. The discourse on the Mystic Heaven Mirror quickly turned one-sided.
[The Misfortune Curse? This Lu fellow is truly vicious! If Qingling Mountain were hit by this curse, they’d be plagued by bad luck for seven days—and in the Sacred Tower trials, that could be deadly!]
[Who would’ve thought? Lu Ying, a noble young master who looks all refined and proper, would resort to such dirty tricks behind the scenes.]
[Well, Shen Hefeng wasn’t wrong—he really is a rat!]
[Lu the Rat, apologize to Qingling Mountain now!]
"Apologize?" Lu Ying’s gaze turned icy. "I have nothing to apologize for."
With that, he led the other Wan Sheng Palace disciples away in a huff.
Yu Xiaoxiao glanced between Lu Ying and Di Qi, then finally stamped her foot and hurried after Lu Ying, lifting the hem of her skirt as she ran.
After this minor incident, the sects stopped interacting and focused entirely on the trial, each relying on their own skills to search through Zhuoguang City.
Unlike the previous trial in Tian Family Village, this time, there were no NPCs in Zhuoguang City handing out quests—everything had to be discovered and triggered by the participants themselves.
Wen Shuangbai had learned about Zhuoguang City in advance from Senior Tian Sang.
Back in the Endless House, Elder Cao had shown them all the information the sect had gathered about the city.
Zhuoguang City was located at the intersection of Qingzhou, Dizhou, and Youzhou. Due to its unique geographical position, various factions had entrenched themselves there, making the city a chaotic melting pot.
This resulted in Zhuoguang City being both prosperous and lawless.
Wen Shuangbai didn’t know why Senior Qingrong, Tian Sang’s senior sister, had come to Zhuoguang City five hundred years ago.
But she was certain there had to be a reason—and that reason was likely the key to winning this round of the trial.
Putting herself in Qingrong’s shoes, Wen Shuangbai reasoned that when someone arrived in a new city, they’d either look for friends or find an inn to stay in first.
Since she didn’t know who Qingrong’s friends might have been, she decided to follow the second option.
Retracing Qingrong’s steps might lead them to some clues.
Yin Xuan, who had been yawning nonstop, nodded repeatedly. "Yeah, we should find a place to stay first."
No one objected.
So, the group wandered the streets for a while before finally stumbling upon a plain, unassuming inn tucked away in a secluded alley—the kind that looked cheap.
Wen Shuangbai stepped inside and asked, "Boss, do you have any rooms available? How much for one night?"
The innkeeper, seeing that the group was sizable and all of them looked well-off, immediately saw an opportunity to make some money.
He replied with exaggerated enthusiasm, "Yes, yes! Plenty of rooms! Cheap and affordable—just eighty Sacred Stones a night!"
Hearing this, Yin Xuan sucked in a quiet breath.
Lu Jiayao gaped. "That’s so expensive!"
Li Zhuohua clicked his tongue and declared without hesitation, "Then I’m not sleeping!"
Yin Xuan took another quiet, sharp breath.
Xie Ziyin glanced at Wen Shuangbai. "Leave?"
Wen Shuangbai waved at the others. "Let’s go, let’s go."
And with that, they turned to leave.
Five hundred years ago, the currency used in the Xuantian Continent certainly wouldn’t have been Sacred Stones.
But the power of the Sacred Tower had seamlessly replaced the entire monetary system of Zhuoguang City, swapping Spirit Stones for Sacred Stones.
This meant that in Zhuoguang City, prices were absurdly inflated.
Eighty Spirit Stones for a room might have been barely acceptable, but eighty Sacred Stones? That was eighty thousand Spirit Stones—ridiculously expensive!
Seeing his potential earnings slip away, the innkeeper hurriedly called after them, "Hey, hey, don’t leave! Look, there are six of you—how about I give you a discount? Seventy Sacred Stones a night?"
Wen Shuangbai shook her head vigorously.
The innkeeper immediately realized that among the six, this young woman was the one in charge of the money—and thus, the one with the final say.
He looked at her and tentatively offered, "Sixty?"
Wen Shuangbai kept shaking her head.
The innkeeper sighed. "Then name your price! What’s your offer?"
Wen Shuangbai met his gaze with utmost sincerity and said, "Zero point zero five Sacred Stones."
She emphasized, "That’s the only price we’ll accept!"
The innkeeper: "…………"
His smile vanished. In one swift motion, he lifted his leg, pulled off his shoe, and hurled it at them, unleashing a torrent of dialect-laden curses: "You #$%&@!"
Wen Shuangbai, sensing danger the moment his leg went up, bolted.
As for her so-called "friends," the moment she’d said "zero point zero five," Xie Ziyin—that absolute menace—had already led the others in a swift escape.
Wen Shuangbai chased after them.
And just at that moment, Lu Ying and Yu Xiaoxiao’s group of six caught sight of Wen Shuangbai’s team and also headed toward the inn.
Lu Ying had a gut feeling that Qingling Mountain’s group was up to something.
He had meticulously studied the recordings of their time in Tian Family Village and noticed that Wen Shuangbai had briefly disappeared while breaking the formation.
During that time, she must have learned something the others didn’t—something that might be connected to Zhuoguang City.
Lu Ying was certain of it.
He had also been subtly keeping an eye on Qingling Mountain’s movements. The six of them had been sneaking around the streets as if searching for something—almost as if they’d been specifically looking for this inn.
Thwack!
A shoe came flying straight at them.
They barely dodged in time.
The shoe landed nearby, instantly filling the air with the pungent stench of feet.
Lu Ying pinched his nose in disgust.
The innkeeper hopped over to retrieve his shoe and snapped, "You with them? If you’re together, get the hell out! My inn won’t take any of your lot!"
Lu Ying’s eyes darkened at these words.
Qingling Mountain’s group had wanted to stay here, but the innkeeper refused them?
He studied the inn carefully.
Was there something special about this place?
Meanwhile, Xie Ziyin and the other five waited for Wen Shuangbai at the mouth of an alley across the street.
Lu Jiayao pointed at the Wan Sheng Palace group and frowned. "Why are they going into the inn?"
Li Zhuohua scoffed. "Copycats!"
Shen Hefeng, seeing this, grinned. Having shared classes with "Lu the Rat" for years, he knew the guy’s habits better than anyone. He immediately put on an exaggerated look of frustration and yelled, "Why do they get to stay but not us? Boss, think again! All we did was try to haggle—was that so wrong? Fine, no haggling then!"
Wen Shuangbai, halfway through her sprint, paused at his words and glanced back.
Then she abruptly turned around and ran back to the inn, stomping her feet outside the door. "Boss, we changed our minds! Let us stay—you can’t let him—ah! Stop throwing shoes at me! Ugh, so smelly! Boss, you really need to wash your feet!"
Xie Ziyin: "..."
Wow.
In the end, Wan Sheng Palace’s group checked into the inn.
—
The six of them continued wandering through Zhuoguang City.
Wen Shuangbai was laughing so hard tears welled up in her eyes. "They’re even copying our mistakes."
That inn had nothing special about it—she’d only gone in because it looked cheap.
Lu Jiayao had initially been worried that the inn they had their eyes on might be taken by the people of the Wansheng Palace first.
Hearing this, he seemed to understand something, but as dusk approached, Lu Jiayao still frowned anxiously. "Then where are we staying tonight?"
Yin Xuan replied, "There’s a bridge we passed earlier—it has an arch underneath. We can sleep there. And it’s free."
With the sleeping arrangements settled, Yin Xuan paused and turned to Xie Ziyin. "I’m hungry. What are we eating?"
Time in Zhuoguang City flowed at the same pace as the outside world.
After a full day in the city, they had wandered for hours without a single meal.
Everything here cost money—even a simple meal required at least one Sacred Stone, which they couldn’t afford.
Xie Ziyin held a yellowed scroll in his hand.
Tapping it lightly against his palm, he said, "Let’s go mooch a meal."
Earlier, at the market, they’d learned that the herbs needed to make fasting pills were even more expensive than the pills themselves.
And the medicinal ingredients they’d scavenged from the village chief earlier? None of them were edible.
Yin Xuan blinked. "Where are we mooching from?"
Everyone turned to Xie Ziyin.
Wen Shuangbai had already noticed the scroll in his hand for a while.
It hadn’t been there before—he must have picked it up while inquiring about herb prices at the market.
Slowly, Xie Ziyin unfurled the paper and handed it to Wen Shuangbai, who had been eyeing it curiously.
Using her hand to hold the paper steady, he pointed at the character "Qi" written on it and said, "Qi Manor."
Wen Shuangbai skimmed the contents in seconds, then brightened. She elbowed the man beside her playfully, bumping into his firm chest.
She’d meant to praise him for a job well done, but upon feeling the taut muscles, she changed her tune. "Huh, you’ve got abs?"
Xie Ziyin: "?"
He pushed her hand away. "Obviously."
He was a disciplined man who exercised daily.
Wen Shuangbai shrugged and reread the paper carefully before explaining it to the others.
It was, in fact, a job posting.
Position: Qi Manor Guard
Responsibilities: Protect Qi Manor and ensure the safety of the Qi family.
Requirements: Cultivators only.
Compensation: Monthly pay—20,000 Sacred Stones per person.
Additional Benefits: Free meals and lodging.
Disclaimer: Death is not our responsibility.
---
Qi Manor
After hearing their intentions, Steward Qi handed them the contract while solemnly warning, "Gentlemen, I must reiterate—this job is dangerous. If you perish, Qi Manor will not be held accountable!"
"Mm." The silver-haired man gazed at Steward Qi with gentle eyes. "But the free meals and lodging are real, right?"
Steward Qi: "Yes, free meals and lodging are guaranteed. But again, we are not responsible for your deaths. Please inform your families and friends so they don’t come causing trouble if you—"
Wen Shuangbai held the contract and negotiated, "Steward Qi, we’re fine with all the terms except one. Monthly pay doesn’t work for us. Can we switch to daily wages?"
If they didn’t last a full month, the first few days would’ve been for nothing.
Steward Qi hesitated. "I’ll have to consult the family head, but daily pay shouldn’t be an issue. Just remember—Qi Manor guards die easily. Think carefully."
Wen Shuangbai nodded gravely. "Then can we get a raise? If it’s that dangerous, how about 1,000 Sacred Stones per day?"
"...No." Steward Qi said flatly. "The market rate is fixed. You won’t find a better deal anywhere else."
"Fine." Wen Shuangbai relented. "Then round it up for daily pay—700 per day?"
Steward Qi: "I’ll have to ask the family head."
He glanced at the group. "Any other questions? I’ll bring them all up at once."
Xie Ziyin spoke up. "I’m a healer, but I have no money or herbs. Will Qi Manor provide them for free?"
Steward Qi: "…………"
