"Advice is out of the question. I only heard it through the grapevine, so the two of you may take it with a grain of salt. But it is true that Qingguang Sect has turned the Cultivation World upside down in recent years. The cause seems to have been Illusion Demon Palace robbing a batch of Qingguang Sect's Spirit Stones," the old man said.
Yue Qianchou's eyelids twitched. "Was Illusion Demon Palace's master called the Hundred Charm Demoness?"
"Correct!" The old man nodded and sighed. "Illusion Demon Palace was the fifth-ranked major sect of the Demonic path! Yet for some unknown reason, they actually mobilized such a force to rob the Spirit Stones from Qingguang Sect's Spirit Stone mine. Qingguang Sect had remained silent in the Cultivation World for many years, and its disciples were even said to be worse with every generation. But this affair thoroughly enraged Qingguang Sect. Rumor had it that more than thirty Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivators who had been cultivating in seclusion behind Qingguang Sect's mountain emerged all at once. That was over thirty Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivators! Looking across both the Righteous and Demonic paths, how many sects could field such a force? Those people, accompanied by nearly a hundred Nascent Soul Realm elders, forcefully attacked Illusion Demon Palace. In less than half a day, Illusion Demon Palace, fifth-ranked in the Demonic path, was wiped off the map. Its master and several senior elders were badly wounded and vanished without a trace."
"So formidable!" Guan Yu said in shock.
Yue Qianchou had little concept of the so-called strength of the various sects in the Cultivation World, but he had never expected that the sixth-ranked Righteous sect could attack the fifth-ranked Demonic sect and flatten it in less than half a day.
He had stayed in Qingguang Sect for so long and only knew that it ranked sixth. As for how strong a sixth-ranked sect truly was, he was completely muddled and knew nothing at all. Still, Illusion Demon Palace had been quite unlucky. It was true that they had wanted to rob Spirit Stones, but they had not gotten any; they had all gone into someone else's pocket instead, and the result was a catastrophic calamity falling upon themselves. That beautiful palace master was such a pity, though. He wondered how she was doing now.
Thinking of that huge pile of Spirit Stones in his possession, and how the food and drink before him had all been bought with those Spirit Stones, Yue Qianchou gave an embarrassed laugh. "Qingguang Sect really is impressive."
"Not only Illusion Demon Palace. In recent years, some minor Demonic sects that crossed Qingguang Sect have also all been uprooted and wiped out. This string of actions by Qingguang Sect truly showed that a silent bird astonishes the world with a single cry. The balance of power throughout the Cultivation World has been thoroughly shattered. I fear this rarely peaceful Cultivation World will soon stir up another storm," the old man said, shaking his head. He took a bite of food, drained a cup of wine, then cast Yue Qianchou a teasing glance. "That is why I told you not to provoke Qingguang Sect casually."
"How would I dare? I merely took two extra looks because she was beautiful," Yue Qianchou replied awkwardly. Seeing Guan Yu and the old man smile so lewdly, he changed the subject. "Senior, you possess an extraordinary appearance. May I ask which sect's eminent master you are?"
The smile on the old man's face froze. He rubbed his face, then looked himself up and down twice before chuckling. "You little brat are full of empty flattery. This is the first time anyone has called this old man extraordinary in appearance."
"I meant your depth, your depth!" Yue Qianchou hurriedly said. Guan Yu laughed quietly beside him.
"Oh! It seems this old man is ignorant and poorly informed. So extraordinary appearance can also describe one's depth. Fine! For the sake of the good wine and fine dishes, I will not hold it against you. This old man is Chou Wuyuan of Myriad Demon Palace," he said calmly.
Guan Yu was suddenly startled. "You are from Myriad Demon Palace, the foremost sect of the Demonic path?"
"What? Is there something wrong with this old man being from Myriad Demon Palace?" Chou Wuyuan spoke, but his eyes flicked toward Yue Qianchou. He found it strange. He had noticed for some time that the young man before him was clearly a cultivator, yet despite his own cultivation, he could not discern the other's level. This was truly strange. Could this young man's cultivation be even higher than his own?
Yue Qianchou had no idea what Chou Wuyuan was thinking. He held no particular prejudice over whether Myriad Demon Palace was the foremost sect or whether it was righteous or evil. In his view, the so-called Demonic path was much like the Black Society. He clasped his hands. "So it is Senior Chou. I have long admired you, long admired you!"
Chou Wuyuan's face twitched slightly. "What have you long admired? Have you heard of this old man's name?"
"Uh..." Why was this old fellow so fond of splitting hairs? He knew it was just polite talk, yet he would not even give me a little face. Yue Qianchou laughed awkwardly. "Enough of that. Drink, eat!"
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the two politely saw Chou Wuyuan out of Hundred Flower Inn.
Afterward, Yue Qianchou turned to head back upstairs, intending to meet his immortal sister, but Guan Yu pulled him along to browse the night market. He had no mind for it now, but seeing that it was still early—and Liu Zhengguang might still be with Qu Ping'er—he went along with Guan Yu. The two wandered around with their bellies full.
Guan Yu suddenly noticed the pouch at Yue Qianchou's waist, and his eyes lit up. "I have never used a storage pouch before. I want to buy one too."
"Oh! Then go buy one. I'll wander around here. Come find me afterward," Yue Qianchou said with a nod.
Guan Yu held out his hand. "Give it to me."
"Give you what?"
"Spirit Stones to buy a storage pouch."
"Damn it! You eat my food and live under my roof, and now you are even asking me for pocket money. Isn't that going too far?"
"Didn't you say you would be my boss and let me follow you? Besides, the few Spirit Stones I have are nowhere near enough to buy a storage pouch. A boss like you would not be this stingy! You obviously have so many..."
Yue Qianchou hurriedly interrupted, "Enough, why are you shouting? I'll give you some." As he spoke, he pretended to reach into his storage pouch and pulled out a high-grade Spirit Stone, handing it to him. Guan Yu accepted it, shook his head, and said, "Not enough. Give me more. Hundred Flower Valley has especially many exotic flowers and rare herbs. I also want to buy some flower and grass seeds to bring back as a gift for your Sister."
"Buying a gift for my Sister? Don't tell me you have taken a fancy to her? I advise you to give up that idea early. If she gets unhappy, you will be in for it," Yue Qianchou said suspiciously.
"Stop letting your imagination run wild. Didn't you say your Sister liked flowers and plants? And that I should learn from that whoever-it-was?" Guan Yu said.
Yue Qianchou froze, remembering that he really had said that to him. So he had truly brought this upon himself. With a pained expression, he grabbed a handful of Spirit Stones and gave them to Guan Yu, gritting his teeth as he said, "You never know the price of firewood, rice, oil, and salt until you run the household yourself. Go back on your own after you finish buying. I'm not shopping anymore." With that, he turned and headed back. Guan Yu had ruined his good mood completely.
"Which room is Qu Ping'er staying in?" Yue Qianchou paced through the corridor of Hundred Flower Inn's upper rooms. He had asked the shopkeeper downstairs just now, but the man had only smilingly told him that he could not say. The moment he thought of Qu Ping'er, that wonderful figure came to mind. This was truly maddening!
Left with no choice, Yue Qianchou looked around. Seeing no one nearby, he crept up and pressed his face to the doors, listening one by one. After passing seven or eight rooms, he heard Liu Zhengguang's fawning, ingratiating voice at one door. Looking at its location, he discovered that it was right beside his own room. He immediately pressed his ear against it, wanting to hear what Liu Zhengguang was saying.
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