West City, Black Spider Tavern.
Though it was daytime, the tavern remained dimly lit, its wooden windows half closed. The yellowish oil lamps carried a faint smell of oily smoke.
It mingled with the rich aroma of braised beast meat and the pungency of strong liquor, gathering in the main hall into a distinctive smell.
The hall was packed with people from every walk of life: lone cultivators carrying weapons, merchants pushing carts of beast materials, and lackeys from various gangs shouting and swaggering. The din nearly lifted the roof.
In a private seating area in the corner, Lin Sheng sat by the window, with several exquisite dishes of roasted beast meat and a flask of premium spirit wine before him.
He Tu sat below him, his back straight, his wary gaze sweeping their surroundings. His muscles were slightly taut, as though he might strike at any moment.
"Sect Master, on the surface, Black Spider Tavern is an information hub for people making their way in the world, but it actually belongs to the Three-One Church. Most news, great and small, inside and outside the city spreads from here."
He Tu lowered his voice and leaned forward slightly.
"Wang Yi said he met someone here back then. Presumably, they borrowed the Three-One Church's turf to conduct their business."
Lin Sheng nodded slightly, his fingers gently rubbing the cold wine cup.
His divine sense spread silently, covering the entire tavern.
The first-floor hall, the second-floor private rooms, the rear courtyard stables, the kitchen and storerooms...
One aura after another emerged clearly in his perception.
Most were at the Combat Master level. The few who had entered erosion martial cultivation were only in the first or second realm. The strongest was the shopkeeper working an abacus behind the counter, a skinny little