After leaving the teahouse, Chen Ming did not hurry back to the inn. Instead, he wound through the city, taking turn after turn. Only after confirming that no one was following him did he head west.
He was going to visit someone-Bai Suxin.
Five years earlier, at the Tianxing Auction, he had met the eldest young lady of the Bai family and traded a bottle of Nascent Soul Condensation Pills for the Heavenly Mystery Fragment in her possession. Though they had merely crossed paths like drifting duckweed, her parting words-"If you ever run into trouble in Tianxing City, you can mention my name, Bai Suxin"-suggested that she bore him at least some goodwill.
Now that five years had passed, he had no idea whether Bai Suxin still remembered him, the "sucker." But as one of Tianxing City's four great families, the Bai family had access to information far beyond that of ordinary independent cultivators. If he wanted to learn what was really happening between the Star Palace and the Corpse Refining Sect, asking Bai Suxin was undoubtedly the quickest route.
Western Tianxing City was where the wealthy and influential lived. Its streets were far wider and cleaner than those in the city center, and the residences lining them grew ever more imposing. The Bai family's residence stood amid sprawling gardens. Its vermilion gates towered thirty feet high, flanked by two majestic stone lions. A gilded plaque hung above the entrance, bearing the bold words "Bai Residence." The powerful brushwork conveyed the heritage and bearing of a great family.
Chen Ming approached the entrance and was about to announce himself when one of the guards held out a hand to stop him. "Fellow Daoist, the Bai Residence is a restricted place. No unauthorized visitors. If you have a request, please register