Linjiang Prefecture lay in the southern part of the Central Plains, roughly equivalent to southern Henan in later generations. Beyond the pass meant the area north of the Inner Mongolia–Liaoning line, while Shanhaiguan Pass stood east of Qinhuangdao.
The distance was immense. Even traveling at full speed, Lin Xiao did not reach the Great Wall, not far from Shanhaiguan Pass, until the sixth day. Crossing the Great Wall from a less important section would take him beyond the pass.
The Great Wall could only stop large-scale incursions by northern nomads. It was powerless against individual martial arts experts. Lin Xiao crossed it easily, then walked for over fifty li before finding a small town. The difference between beyond and within the pass was clear in an instant: vast land, sparse population.
He spent a day in the small town but learned nothing.
The robbery of the tribute from the Goryeo Kingdom had spread far and wide. Even ordinary people knew about it, but no one knew where the Thirteen Riders of Saibei had taken the tribute. They only knew that the General of Shanhaiguan Pass was searching for them frantically, yet still had not found them.
Even the imperial troops had failed to find them. Lin Xiao, coming alone, would have even less chance. After some consideration, he decided to find the Heaven's Secrets Pavilion and gather information first.
Well, that depended on whether this world had a Heaven's Secrets Pavilion.
Before the Descenders had arrived, Lin Xiao had heard that whenever a Descender discovered a new world, the Heaven's Secrets Pavilion of the New Immortal Realm's New Heavenly Court would send people there to establish an intelligence organization. It would also be called the Heaven's Secrets Pavilion, and its main purposes were to collect information, extend the New Immortal Realm and New Heavenly Court's reach into every world they encountered in the void, and expand the influence of the New Immortal Realm.
Of course, it also served Descenders by selling or exchanging all kinds of intelligence.
Generally, any world with large numbers of Descenders would have a Heaven's Secrets Pavilion. This world should have one as well. Lin Xiao now needed to find it.
First, he had to go to the nearest and largest city, Shanhaiguan Pass. A strategic location like this should have a branch of the Heaven's Secrets Pavilion.
He crossed the Great Wall again and returned within the pass, then entered Shanhaiguan Pass from inside the pass. As soon as he entered the city, he saw that the stone pavement inside the barbican had been laid with stones of different colors to form an eye-like pattern. This was the Heaven's Secrets Pavilion's universal symbol throughout the myriad heavens, indicating that the city had a branch.
Following the direction marked by a certain sign within the pattern, he soon reached the southeastern corner of Shanhaiguan Pass. It was not far from the Bohai Sea. In a secluded spot near the edge of the city gates, he discovered a large scarlet lantern bearing the exact same pattern as the one on the barbican floor. He went forward and knocked. A young man opened the door and stared coldly at him without speaking.
Lin Xiao's gaze swept across the room before he said:
"Primordial Gate!"
The coldness vanished from the young man's face. He opened the door to invite Lin Xiao in and said:
"Come with me."
As they walked, he continued:
"This is the Heaven's Secrets Pavilion. No fighting is permitted here. Otherwise, you will be entered into the blacklist, and you will be unable to receive this pavilion's services in any world."
Lin Xiao nodded seriously.
"I will obey the rules."
"Good."
On the surface, this was merely an ordinary inn. It stood in a remote corner on the edge of the city, and business was poor. From outside, there appeared to be only one manager and two assistants. Of the four tables in the main hall, only one had two people eating at it. When they saw Lin Xiao enter, they even smiled and greeted him. Those two were Descenders as well.
This place only received Descenders. The young man led him to the rear courtyard behind the main hall and pushed open a sliding cabinet in an inconspicuous little room. Behind the wall was a staircase leading downward. It looked long and gloomy, so the true Heaven's Secrets Pavilion was presumably underground.
The young man led him down the gloomy stairs and pushed open another door. The view suddenly opened up. The underground space below was actually as large as a football field, and its decorations were exceedingly luxurious. It was divided into many areas like a bar. With one sweep of his eyes, Lin Xiao saw more than twenty Descenders inside.
There were also many doors around the underground space. Presumably, even larger areas were hidden within.
After leading him down the stairs, the young man did not continue forward. He pointed to a beautiful woman standing behind a counter resembling a bar and said:
"If you need to ask anything or trade intelligence, you can ask her."
"Thank you!"
Lin Xiao took out an ingot of silver and tossed it to the young man. When he reached the counter, the girl in the bright-yellow dress standing behind it placed her hands before her chest and gave him a standard ceremonial bow like a hostess.
"Welcome to the Heaven's Secrets Pavilion. May I ask whether you wish to purchase information or exchange intelligence?"
This woman was also a Descender, but unlike the others, she could not travel freely. Nor did she have the sort of last-wish missions that ordinary Descenders received. She could only remain in this Heaven's Secrets Pavilion and had to stay in this world for a certain number of years before returning.
"How much does it cost to purchase information? And how is intelligence exchanged?"
"You may pay with Spirit Coins from the Immortal Realm, or with the universal points of the Primordial Gate. Alternatively, if you possess valuable intelligence about this world, you may exchange it for information."
Lin Xiao asked:
"I don't have any points right now."
"You may pay the Heaven's Secrets Pavilion through the Primordial Gate within one month after your return."
"I want to inquire about the current whereabouts of the Thirteen Riders of Saibei. How many Spirit Coins would that require?"
The girl in the bright-yellow dress answered without hesitation:
"Many people have been asking about this information recently. The current price is one hundred Spirit Coins. You will receive the current whereabouts of the Thirteen Riders of Saibei, along with their location coordinates shared once every three days for one month after your purchase. The service ends after one month."
That sounded worthwhile. It was not a one-time deal, but the price was one hundred Spirit Coins...
To put it this way, when Lin Xiao had still been the Third Young Master of the Lin family, this would have been pocket change. But he was bankrupt now. Not only had his family fortune been confiscated, even the money he had deposited in the Immortal Realm Central Bank was gone. He had only a few dozen Spirit Coins on him, barely enough to eat.
The Immortal Realm Central Bank was similar to the Heaven's Secrets Pavilion. It was an institution directly under the New Heavenly Court. In this era, the Immortal Realm also had to connect with the myriad heavens, so banks—upgraded versions of money houses—naturally existed.
Aside from the Immortal Realm Central Bank, that colossal behemoth, the Primordial Gate also had many banks established by various major powers. For example, some top holy lands and sects in the Immortal Realm used their own reputations to establish banks under their sects. Even small localities had banks established by local forces.
For example, Shanyang City, where Lin Xiao's family was located, had a small bank called Shanyang Bank. It had been established by the Lord of Shanyang City, with many prominent families in the city holding shares. The Lin family had once owned a small stake as well, but it had been taken to repay debts after this bankruptcy.
Among so many banks, the safest was naturally the Central Bank directly under the Heavenly Court. The vast majority of transactions between Descenders went through the Immortal Realm Central Bank.
Seeing his hesitation, the girl in the bright-yellow dress said again:
"If you don't have that much money, I have several other options here. You may choose one."
Lin Xiao was delighted and said:
"Tell me about them."
Before you continue