A Small Profit

When night had passed, the people of Green Rock Town discovered something that astonished them.

The Black Inn at the town gate, which usually dealt in human trafficking, had been reduced to ashes overnight.

Some bold souls searched the inn's ruins for a long time and eventually found quite a few partially burned human remains.

In the end, the people of Green Rock Town concluded that the inn had provoked someone it should not have provoked.

Thus, its bosses and all their elite subordinates had been slaughtered overnight inside their own inn, their corpses and the inn itself burned clean in one fire!

In truth, the commotion at the inn last night had not been small and had long since alerted some people, especially the clash between Xiao Ming and the Five-Star Great Dou Shi Gaunt Old Man when Xiao Ming launched his sneak attack.

It had been like thunder in the silent night, waking many people.

But what kind of place was the Black Corner Region? Street fights and killings were commonplace. People had long grown used to them.

So no one cared. Even those who noticed the inn on fire merely smiled in schadenfreude before continuing with their own business.

After making do in a random spot outside the town last night, Xiao Ming entered Green Rock Town once more.

Dressed in a brand-new black robe, he walked down the streets and stopped in surprise as he listened to the occasional discussions around him.

"Didn't expect this matter to cause such a huge stir. I hope it doesn't alert those two fishing guys. Otherwise, this will be troublesome. I don't know what they look like. I got too carried away fighting yesterday and forgot to leave anyone alive. What a pain."

Thinking of that, Xiao Ming frowned in annoyance.

Speaking of which, yesterday's battle had been Xiao Ming's first true life-and-death fight, one with blades, blood, and flesh. It was only natural that he had not been able to hold back.

Compared to the students at the academy who merely focused on bitter cultivation, that group of human traffickers at the inn had all been ruthless, their coordination seamless.

It would have been one thing if they had merely surrounded and attacked him, but from time to time, they also used underhanded tricks. They had been vicious to the extreme, causing him no small amount of trouble and even inflicting a few injuries.

Even now, Xiao Ming vividly remembered some of the details.

Xiao Ming dared say that if the one surrounded yesterday had not been him but someone else, even if that person had been several stars stronger than him, they would likely have died on the spot.

There had been danger, but the gains had naturally been obvious as well.

At the very least, Xiao Ming felt that his use of Dou Skills had become more proficient.

Whether it was the Profound Tier High-Grade Dou Technique Crimson Flame Sword, the Profound Tier High-Grade Dou Technique Crimson Flame Palm, and the Profound Tier High-Grade Movement Dou Technique Shadow Chasing Wind that his teacher had given him before—

—or the Three Flame Ethereal Seal and Vast Righteous Astral Flame Sword that Xiao Ming had obtained from the Simulator later, Xiao Ming had gained new insights into all of them. The Dou Qi around his body had become more condensed, and its circulation smoother.

"Last night, I swallowed quite a few Pills to restore my Dou Qi and stamina. I hope the spoils I collected can at least cover the cost. Otherwise, I'd have suffered a huge loss."

During yesterday's intense battle, Xiao Ming had never stopped taking Pills to recover his Dou Qi. To be safe, he had even used Grade Three Medicinal Pills to ensure his recovery speed.

Even ordinary consumable Grade Three Medicinal Pills were not cheap.

After searching the bodies, Xiao Ming had not impatiently checked what he had obtained. Instead, he found a place to rest, not knowing whether he had made a loss.

"Forget it. There should be more than one inn in Green Rock Town. I'll find another inn to stay in first, take stock of my haul, and clean myself up. Then I'll find someone to ask about those two fishing guys. The Simulator mentioned that the people at the inn knew about them, so people at other inns should know something too."

With that thought, Xiao Ming made up his mind and started walking again, weaving through the crowd in search of an inn.

Just as Xiao Ming had expected, Green Rock Town was not small, and there were indeed several other, somewhat smaller inns.

Xiao Ming chose one that appeared fairly legitimate and checked in.

Inside the room, a huge wooden tub stood in the spacious chamber.

Wisps of white steam rose from the calm water within the tub.

Xiao Ming stood beside it, stretched out his hand to feel the water's surface, and nodded.

"Not bad. It's only simple warm water. It seems this inn doesn't have any bad intentions for now."

After saying that, Xiao Ming took off his clothes and immersed his whole body in the water, letting out a sound of comfort.

"Ahh... comfortable."

"Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I soaked in a bath like this." Xiao Ming scrubbed his body as he sighed.

Based on the human body's physiological condition, maintaining the water temperature at a level that caused less irritation to the skin could relax both body and mind.

When Xiao Ming had been with the Xiao Family, he liked to go to the Back Mountain to bathe in the hot spring after training every day, easing the exhaustion from his body.

After arriving at Jia Nan Academy, he had lost that habit. Jia Nan Academy had no hot springs, and if he wanted a bath, he could only fetch hot water himself.

Xiao Ming found that far too troublesome. Moreover, he had always focused on cultivation and did not have many demands when it came to enjoying life, so most of the time, he only washed up simply.

Though soaking in the bath was comfortable, Xiao Ming did not indulge for long. After washing himself clean, he changed into a fresh set of clothes and sat on the bed.

He held the Gaunt Old Man's Na Ring in his hand as Soul Power emerged from his brow center and left his body.

This was a Low-grade Storage Ring. Xiao Ming encountered no resistance and quickly examined the Gaunt Old Man's possessions.

Within the Na Ring's roughly five-cubic-meter space were several Purple-Gold Pattern Cards, each holding tens of thousands of gold coins. Together, they probably amounted to more than a hundred thousand gold coins, likely the Gaunt Old Man's gains from his previous robberies.

There were also some low-grade Pills placed alongside them.

Other than that, there were only things like spare clothes and food.

"Is that all..." Xiao Ming shook his head in disappointment and was just about to hang the Na Ring onto his string of storage rings.

But then, as though he had discovered something among the Gaunt Old Man's miscellaneous belongings, he willed it into his hand, and two scrolls appeared.

The Profound Tier Low-Grade Cultivation Method "Profound Yin Art," and the Profound Tier Low-Grade Cultivation Method "Withered Wood Method."

Xiao Ming casually pressed the scrolls to his forehead and read the information within. After a while—

—he opened his eyes and nodded in satisfaction.

They truly were genuine Profound Tier Low-Grade Cultivation Methods. The Withered Wood Method was probably what the Gaunt Old Man had cultivated.

Xiao Ming did not know where the Profound Yin Art had come from. These cultivation methods, together with the items in the Na Ring, had covered the cost of yesterday's Pills, and he had even made a small profit.

Knowing he had not lost money, Xiao Ming felt much happier.

After putting everything away, Xiao Ming donned his black robe again and left the room. He was going to ask the owner of this inn about the whereabouts of the people who possessed Green Rock Profound Water.

"You're saying they live in the most conspicuous residence in the northern part of Green Rock Town?"

Xiao Ming, dressed in black robes, spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Yes, sir. This lowly one absolutely wouldn't dare lie to you." Sensing the terrifying aura emanating from the person in front of him, the innkeeper, who was only a Dou Shi, trembled all over, afraid that a single moment of dissatisfaction would lead to his death.

When the black-robed person did not speak, the innkeeper thought Xiao Ming did not believe him and hurriedly spilled everything he knew like beans from a bamboo tube.

"Sir, the two people you're asking about are known in Green Rock Town as the Green Poison Twin Ghosts. The boss is called Green Ghost, and the second is called Poison Ghost. Both are above the Da Dou Shi level. Other than He Lai Inn, they are the strongest in town."

Hearing this, Xiao Ming frowned.

Green Ghost? Poison Ghost? What kind of lousy names were those?

Xiao Ming did know of He Lai Inn. It was the inn he had burned down yesterday.

"The Green Poison Twin Ghosts often lure travelers at the various inns in town. They often visit my inn too. If you don't believe me, stay for a few days and you'll see them. I absolutely wouldn't dare lie to you."

Xiao Ming glanced at the innkeeper, whose legs were shaking, and opened his mouth.

"What else do you know? Tell me everything, such as their Dou Skills and techniques. They often appear here, so you can't possibly know nothing about them, can you? Mm?"

"I know, I know..."

Thanks to Qing Feng Ming Yue for the Monthly Pass, and Xing Ruyu for the reward.