Inside the noisy Wine Pavilion, the surrounding guests were all discussing the arrival of those prodigies earlier. Wild speculation flew everywhere.
Lin Ming had never liked listening to such baseless rumors, so he simply closed his eyes and waited.
Their wait did not last long. About an hour later, familiar footsteps sounded from the staircase.
North King and Xia Jia returned to the Wine Pavilion one after the other. Both wore faint smiles of satisfaction, clearly having gained something from their trip.
"Hehe, you two must have noticed all those prodigies gathering in West City earlier, right?"
North King sat down opposite Lin Ming with a smile. He first picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of hot tea, gulped down two mouthfuls, then wiped his mouth before speaking.
Lin Ming nodded. "Did you find out why?"
Lin Ming's calm gaze settled on North King's face.
North King's cultivation was not particularly outstanding, but the seasoned insight he had honed through traveling far and wide was genuine. Since he had returned looking so confident, they had clearly made a real gain on this trip.
Xia Jia, sitting nearby, took over with a bright smile. "We did uncover some information. I heard that a small team ventured deep into the Far Western Lands some time ago. After suffering more than half their number in casualties, they escaped back today."
As she spoke, she dipped her slender pale fingers into the tea and drew a simple diagram of several points on the table, marking the direction and rough route by which the team had returned.
"They found something?" Lin Ming's eyes shifted slightly.
No one else would care about that team's casualties. In West City, countless cultivators died every day to the natural disasters and exotic beasts of the Far