In Peaceful Hamlet

As the saying went, even a mighty dragon could not crush the local snake.

Lu Chen was no fool. If he flew into a rage over Xu Zhaoye's perfunctory contempt, it would only add to the quarrel and bring no benefit. Besides, the other man was at Qi Refining, Eighth Layer. If they truly came to blows, it would be troublesome.

Yet when had he ever suffered such disdain? The pride in his chest was difficult to quell.

Shen Qingzhou's actions had happened to give him a way out.

Lu Chen's chest rose and fell. In the end, he suppressed that pent-up resentment, flicked his sleeve, and turned away.

Inside the main hall, Xu Zhaoye did not so much as lift an eyelid, as though he had not taken the conflict to heart at all. He merely raised his wine gourd and took another swig.

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Just as Shen Qingzhou was preparing to leave as well, a round, plump figure squeezed in through the doorway, accompanied by hearty laughter.

"Ah, ah! Junior Brothers, don't be angry, don't be angry!"

The newcomer was a fat man, his face piled high with an amiable smile. He wore a luxurious silk Daoist robe utterly out of place here, and his Sixth Level of Qi Refining cultivation was brimming with vigor.

"Senior Brother Xu has always had that temperament. They say of him, 'Drunk upon the battlefield, laugh not at me'—he spends more than half his day dreaming of fighting demon beasts. Don't hold it against him."

The fat man came forward as though he had known them for years and cupped his hands in greeting.

"My name is Zhao Yan. I am an outer sect steward and was once taught by Elder Wang Jing. I am now responsible for all the miscellaneous affairs of Sunken-Sand Fort."

"You two Junior Brothers have come from afar and must have had a hard journey. We prepared a welcoming banquet long ago!"

Lu Chen kept a stiff face and ignored him.

Shen Qingzhou, meanwhile, quietly assessed the fat man named Zhao Yan and returned the salute politely.

"Thank you for the trouble, Senior Brother Zhao."

"Ah, what are you being so polite for?"

Zhao Yan laughed heartily and enthusiastically led them toward another courtyard.

"Our miserable little place is so barren even birds won't shit here. All year round, we barely see a living soul."

"For you two Junior Brothers to come is already giving us tremendous face. Naturally, we must treat you properly!"

After passing through a corridor, the sight before them made even Lu Chen halt.

Within a spacious, brightly lit hall, the floor was covered in thick, soft carpets. Incense burned in the corners, and behind a screen came the faint sound of women laughing, along with the crisp clatter of bone tiles.

A massive Eight Immortals table stood in the center of the hall, already laden with a dazzling array of dishes. Many of the ingredients were things they had never seen before, still giving off wisps of spiritual energy.

When a female cultivator with a graceful figure, dressed in a white palace gown, saw Zhao Yan enter, she shot him a coquettish glare.

"Fat Zhao, where the hell did you die off to again? If you didn't come soon, this jar of Firecloud would have been drunk dry by yours truly!"

"Oh, my darling, we have honored guests at the door!"

Zhao Yan grinned as he walked over, openly giving the woman's full, pert backside a slap, earning himself an even more sultry rebuke.

He turned and introduced her to the somewhat stunned Shen Qingzhou and Lu Chen.

"This is Fairy Xie Qin of the Plain Maiden Sect. She is a frequent guest of our Sunken-Sand Fort—and my~ partner in fish-and-water delight."

Xie Qin covered her mouth and laughed lightly, her watery eyes drifting back and forth over Shen Qingzhou and Lu Chen.

"Oh? Profound Heaven Sect has sent two handsome young lads this time."

The scene was as different from the dilapidation outside as heaven and earth.

This looked nothing like a sect outpost. It was more like a mortal den of glittering gold and tender pleasures.

"Come, come, come! Junior Brothers, please take your seats!"

Zhao Yan called out warmly.

Several beautiful maidservants clad in thin gauze with exotic flair filed inside. They were not cultivators, yet their figures were light and their movements practiced.

They filled the two men's cups with spiritual wine, then obediently stood behind them and began kneading their shoulders with slender jade hands.

Lu Chen's entire body stiffened. When had he ever experienced such a spectacle? Several times he wanted to rebuke them, yet he did not even know where to begin.

Shen Qingzhou remained calm. He merely raised his cup slightly toward Zhao Yan and Xie Qin.

"Senior Brother Zhao is too courteous."

"Didn't I say, no need for courtesy?"

Zhao Yan sat down with the imposing ease of a general, pulled Xie Qin into his arms, and personally filled a cup for her.

"If we didn't find some amusement in this damned place, we'd go mad. Our Sunken-Sand Fort has Four Elites, known as wine, meat, wealth, and beauty."

"Senior Brother Xu has taken wine. This brother of yours, lacking in talent, has taken meat and wealth. As for beauty..."

He shot Xie Qin an ambiguous glance and chuckled.

"Fairy Xie alone surpasses countless beauties in the human world."

"You dead fatso, that sweet tongue of yours!"

Xie Qin laughed and scolded him, though she was clearly pleased.

Lu Chen's eyelids twitched. He felt that from top to bottom, this place reeked of crooked winds and evil vapors.

Shen Qingzhou spoke as if casually.

"From what Senior Brother Zhao says, this place seems rather different from what I imagined."

"Of course it is!"

Zhao Yan slapped his thigh.

"People outside say Blackwater Marsh is a perilous place where nine die and one survives. That is for Rogue Cultivators who come hoping to strike it rich. For our three great sects, this is simply a place to retire. Come, come, eat!"

He picked up a piece of golden, crispy roasted meat and dropped it straight into Lu Chen's bowl.

"Junior Brother Lu, hurry and taste this. It's tremendously nourishing!"

Lu Chen had wanted to refuse, but the domineering fragrance of the meat drilled straight into his nose.

He hesitated, then ultimately picked it up and awkwardly put it into his mouth.

The meat was crisp outside and tender within, rich with oil. Its fragrance exploded across his mouth in an instant.

"Well? Tastes good, doesn't it?"

Zhao Yan asked smugly.

"...Not bad."

Lu Chen answered vaguely, then could not help taking another chopstickful.

Seeing this, one of the maidservants smiled sweetly and filled his cup. Her breath fragrant as orchids, she leaned close to whisper in his ear.

"Exalted Immortal, this wine tastes even better with grapes from our Northern Wastes."

Lu Chen's ears turned scarlet at once.

Shen Qingzhou took in everything, secretly finding it amusing, though not a trace showed on his face.

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes.

Zhao Yan grew increasingly talkative and began telling ribald jokes without regard for meat or vegetables to liven the atmosphere.

The hall rang with laughter. Even Lu Chen's expression softened considerably after several cups of spiritual wine and the attentive service of the maidservants.

While making conversation, Shen Qingzhou asked curiously.

"I heard that this place often has conflicts with fellow Daoists from the Earth Spirit Sect and the Plain Maiden Sect?"

At this, the smile on Zhao Yan's face faded somewhat. He took a gulp of wine and curled his lip.

"Conflicts? Those people are wolves that can never be fed full. Blackwater Marsh is so vast; everyone originally had tacit boundaries, and well water did not offend river water."

"But in recent years, they have gone too far, constantly crossing the border to gather herbs and hunt demon beasts."

"Hasn't the sect drawn clear boundaries?"

Lu Chen could not help interjecting.

"What use is drawing them?"

Zhao Yan sneered.

"The three sects above have no written regulations. Here, whoever has the bigger fist and snatches faster gets the resources. Honestly, it isn't worth risking your life over."

Xie Qin added softly from the side.

"The main reason is that the Foundation Establishment elder of your Profound Heaven Sect who oversees this place remains in seclusion year-round and pays no attention to such matters. The elders of our Plain Maiden Sect and the Earth Spirit Sect, though, are fiercely protective of their own."

"And so, things became what they are now."

Zhao Yan spread his hands, looking utterly indifferent.

"We can't beat them, and nobody listens if we complain. What else can we do? Just make do."

"Anyway, the sect distributes our annual stipends as usual. We find a little amusement for ourselves, and life is carefree indeed. Seize the day, unrestrained and free—how wonderful is that?"

That mindset made Lu Chen's brow furrow tightly once more.

"Are the demon beasts here difficult to hunt?"

Lu Chen continued pressing him.

"Difficult? Far too difficult!"

Zhao Yan poured out his grievances.

"The demon beasts here are each more troublesome than the last. You can spend half a day, risk nine deaths for one chance at life, and still fail to get one. How could that compare to sitting here, eating meat and drinking wine?"

Lu Chen fell silent. He truly could not understand such a lack of ambition.

Shen Qingzhou, however, had taken an interest in the demon beasts Zhao Yan mentioned and in the local specialties. After a brief moment of thought, he asked.

"Senior Brother Zhao is so familiar with Blackwater Marsh. Could you perhaps clear up a few things for this little brother?"

"Why is Junior Brother Shen interested in those ghostly things?"

Zhao Yan clicked his tongue, seeming to recall some unpleasant memory.

"Take the most common Earth Dragons in the marsh, for example."

"These things can regrow even after their bodies are severed, and the venomous saliva in their mouths can corrode even magical artifacts. They are troublesome to the extreme. But in the nests where these ghostly things lurk, one can often dig up Earth-Dragon Gallstones and Darkened Essence Sand."

He smacked his lips and continued.

"Those two spiritual materials are treasures. Whether used for artifact refinement or array formations, they are first-rate goods."

"If your luck is even better and you kill an old Earth Dragon that has truly come into its own, you can even dig a few drops of Kan Water Jade from between its brows."

"That stuff has miraculous effects for cultivating water-element techniques and drawing talismans!"

"Oh?"

Shen Qingzhou's eyes lit up. At last, he had found a clue concerning the spiritual resource of the Kan Water Lineage, and he immediately pressed further.

Unfortunately, the other party seemed to have little interest in the subject and merely glossed over it in a few words.

"Enough, enough. Why talk about that during such fine times and beautiful scenes? Come, another toast!"

Shen Qingzhou helplessly raised his cup in response.

Just like that, for some unknown reason, the topic somehow turned back to the free and uninhibited customs of the Northern Wastes.

Time passed, and before they knew it, the night had grown deep.

Under the combined assault of beauties and fine wine, Lu Chen was already somewhat lightheaded, his eyes carrying a hazy look.

He had cultivated bitterly since childhood within his Lineage and sect. Where could he have ever seen such a spectacle?

When the banquet ended, Zhao Yan thoughtfully arranged for maidservants to support the unsteady Lu Chen back to his room.

Shen Qingzhou declined the maidservants' service and returned alone to the residence assigned to him.

The stone door shut, completely cutting off the clamor outside.

The room was exquisitely furnished. It even had a small bath fed by an earth-vein hot spring, bubbling and steaming away.

The calm expression on Shen Qingzhou's face vanished without a trace the instant the door closed.

"Something is wrong."

Within the Profession Panel deep in his sea of consciousness, the words Dao Strife still flickered faintly.

Earlier, when he faced Xu Zhaoye in the main hall, he had already vaguely sensed malicious intent spying on him. During the lively welcoming banquet just now, that warning had not only failed to disappear—it had become even stronger.

Shen Qingzhou's expression turned cold. There was something wrong with this seemingly peaceful Sunken-Sand Fort!

Everyone here seemed to have something wrong with them!