Before I had even left Thousand Mountains City, a rather beautiful woman with delicate features came to my door. She was dressed with impeccable propriety, looking every bit like someone born into a great family. Her features were exquisite, and her eyes seemed almost capable of speech.
Even the plump shopkeeper, who had stayed within arm's reach of us lately—practically sleeping beside us—couldn't help but freeze when he saw her. Then, as though he had completely abandoned his previous hilltop protectionism, he stepped aside and opened a path.
I was curious about the visitor's identity, but the beauty merely gave me a brief once-over. Without making any attempt to hide her purpose, she said, "This humble girl is Zhilin of the Soaring Qilin Society. I pay my respects to Immortal Xia."
"Older Sister Zhiling?" I asked, instinctively slipping into character.
The other woman burst out laughing, then said, "It's Zhilin, not Zhiling. Immortal Xia certainly doesn't know me, but your reputation has been echoing like thunder throughout Thousand Mountains City these past few days. Even our Soaring Qilin Society has been paying close attention, so we especially wanted to befriend you—and, within Thousand Mountains City and the territory under its jurisdiction, do everything we can to guarantee your safety."
"If you have something to say, just say it. What do you want?" I immediately sensed something ominous. Her words were impeccably courteous, without the slightest hint of coercion, but judging from what she was saying, this seemed to be Thousand Mountains City's protection organization. The Soaring Qilin Society clearly wasn't simple.
I glanced at the plump shopkeeper. He gave an awkward smile and said, "Senior Zhilin, as you can see, Immortal Xia is one of Thousand Mountains City's major customers, not to mention a guest of the Qitian Pavilion. For