This World Was Too Dangerous

The dishes filled the table, leaving those martial world wanderers dumbfounded.

"How could there be so many?" The middle-aged man could no longer hold back and rose from his chair.

The table was so small that several plates had been stacked on top of one another.

The waiter froze. "Sir, you said so yourself—you wanted one of every specialty dish in our establishment."

"Your inn has that many specialty dishes?" The middle-aged man's mouth twitched.

The waiter hurried over, ready to explain the significance of every dish.

But before he could speak, the middle-aged man grabbed him by the collar.

"Did you see that we're outsiders and decide to fleece us?"

The waiter jumped in fright and hurriedly said, "Sir, this was all at your request. I merely followed your instructions."

"You..." The middle-aged man was furious.

But there was nothing he could do.

Dare cause trouble in broad daylight? The current emperor of the Great Chu Kingdom was neither overly strict nor overly lax in his control over martial world folk.

In the martial world, they could make whatever fuss they liked, as long as they did not go too far.

But if they caused trouble in a populated city—especially by picking on ordinary people—the authorities were no pushovers.

This was an iron law of Great Chu.

Even the most negligent officials would handle such matters eagerly. It was an opportunity for promotion and riches.

The middle-aged man wanted to swallow this loss, but... he did not have that much money.

The waiter also realized something was wrong and began shouting, "Someone come quick! Look at this! They're eating without paying and even beating people! Hurry and report it to the authorities!"

Now the people before him were truly caught riding a tiger, unable to get off.

The surrounding diners all turned to look. No one said anything, but every one of them was watching the show.

Seeing this, the waiter shouted even louder.

The innkeeper, for some reason, had still not appeared.

As the commotion grew worse, the middle-aged man's face alternated between green and white.

He did not have enough money and had no idea what to do. If the authorities were called, prison time would be unavoidable.

Xu Bai stood and walked over to the table. "I'll settle their bill."

After asking the price, Xu Bai paid for the meal first.

With someone paying the bill, everyone was naturally happy.

The waiter said nothing more. He weighed the broken silver in his hand and hurried away with it.

The middle-aged man stared intently at Xu Bai, especially at the Ghost-Head Saber at his waist, as though guarding against something.

After all, they all wandered the martial world. The moment they saw the saber at Xu Bai's waist, along with his air of calm indifference, they knew he was no harmless man.

"Don't misunderstand. There are many inconveniences in the martial world. I helped you out of that predicament only as a matter of convenience." Xu Bai sat down in a chair and raised his right hand. "Please, sit."

The middle-aged man glanced back at his companions, signaling them not to act rashly, then sat back down.

Their hands remained on their weapons without the slightest movement.

"What kind of thing is the Extreme Life Sect?" Xu Bai suddenly asked.

He did not beat around the bush. He went straight to the point.

Such a direct question actually made the middle-aged man sigh in relief.

They were all martial world people. They knew perfectly well that no one in this world would suddenly treat them well for no reason. It now seemed that Xu Bai had helped them earlier only to gather information.

An exchange put them more at ease instead.

"Brother, do you have a grudge against the Extreme Life Sect?" the middle-aged man asked.

Xu Bai frowned and stared at him with a chill in his gaze. "Brother, it seems you do not understand the rules very well."

The middle-aged man was thoroughly embarrassed at those words.

It truly was against the rules.

Someone had helped him out, yet he had turned around and questioned that person. Not only was that improper, it had crossed the line.

"The Extreme Life Sect is a strange organization that emerged in recent years. It is neither a sect nor a powerful clan. They have committed countless evils, and what they love most is turning living people into aberrations. Zhao Chen became a Corpse Fiend." The middle-aged man explained at length.

The surroundings were noisy, and they spoke softly, so no one noticed what was happening here.

Xu Bai stroked his chin. "And what exactly is a Corpse Fiend?"

"A Corpse Fiend is a type of aberration. So-called aberrations are what people or monsters become after death. They have no emotions and no reason; they know only slaughter," the middle-aged man said.

After Xu Bai's reminder, he did not ask any more questions. So long as Xu Bai asked something, he answered directly.

Aberrations? Monsters? Xu Bai rested his right hand on the table and tapped it lightly.

This world seemed a little absurd.

Wasn't this supposed to be a martial arts world?

How had it turned into a fantasy world in the blink of an eye?

Aberrations, monsters...

The concept was easy enough to understand, but Xu Bai found it rather speechless to accept.

And that bunch of bastards from the Extreme Life Sect—they were really stirring up trouble.

"Corpse Fiends are aberrations, without emotions or reason. Do they have some way to control them?" Xu Bai asked.

"Of course they cannot control them. But the Extreme Life Sect takes advantage of the fact that the greater the resentment after death, the easier it is to become an aberration. Once they create aberrations, they do not bother with them, simply letting them wreak havoc," the middle-aged man answered.

Xu Bai's tapping quickened as he pondered in secret.

It seemed that the Extreme Life Sect's sole purpose was to cause trouble.

Aberrations could not be controlled and brought no benefit whatsoever, yet they never tired of doing it.

After some thought, he began asking about other matters as well, telling them to eat while they answered.

Time slowly passed, and before long, the sun had set.

Xu Bai had also obtained the answers he wanted.

This world was far more complicated than he had imagined.

Not only were there monsters and aberrations, there were not merely martial artists either.

Everything under heaven could transcend the ordinary.

From Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism above, to spirit mediums, runners, time demons, thieves, prostitutes, and more below, it was truly a hundred flowers blooming in full splendor.

For instance, an ordinary matchmaker could at most play go-between for others, while a spirit medium used spirits as intermediaries, arranging matches between life and death.

There were three categories of cultivation methods in this world.

—Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

The most numerous were martial artists and practitioners of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. Martial artists cultivated a breath of True Qi, while Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism took Spirit as their foundation.

The remaining martial world folk cultivated essence.

As for each school's methods and secrets, only those schools themselves knew. Take martial artists, for example: without a cultivation method and a breath of True Qi, one was merely insignificant.

There were many martial artists who had entered the ranks, but even more who had not.

All in all, it was quite dangerous.

As for why the middle-aged man knew so much, it was because he had roamed the martial world since his early years.

Xu Bai stood, preparing to leave.

He had finished asking his questions and obtained the information he wanted, so he said nothing further.

By now, the sky was growing dark, and it was unsuitable to remain at the inn for long.

The middle-aged man kept staring at the money pouch at Xu Bai's waist, though no one knew what he was thinking.

Ever since earlier, he had been glancing at Xu Bai's money pouch from time to time.

Just as Xu Bai was about to leave, a woman's voice suddenly rang out.

"My little establishment offended you earlier, and I happened not to be in the inn at the time. I only learned of the matter now, so I have come to offer my apologies."

Her voice was slightly deep, yet exceptionally alluring.

Following the sound, Xu Bai saw a woman in coarse cloth approaching.

Her hair was piled high atop her head. She appeared to be around thirty, carrying the unique flavor of that age.

Xu Bai smacked his lips, his gaze darkening slightly.

She was a woman of great charm, with seductive features that had become utterly natural with age.

Very succulent.