When the skylight outside the window turned from dark blue to gray-white, he opened his eyes. The three cyclones in Dantian were still rotating slowly, only a thin layer away from the four-layer barrier.
When I went downstairs, there was only the shopkeeper cleaning the tables in the lobby. Li Yun's door was closed, and there was no movement inside.
He walked out of the inn and walked west along the street. The market had not yet fully woken up in the early morning. There were only scattered vendors selling goods, and the sweeper was yawning. There was a smell of dew in the air, mixed with the embers of the overnight fire.
When he reached the second intersection of the main street, he turned into a narrow alley. The alley was very quiet, and the bluestone road was wet with morning dew, making it a bit slippery to walk on. The walls on both sides were tall, blocking most of the light, and only a little of the fish belly white of the sky was exposed at the top of the wall.
After walking thirty steps, a wooden door appeared on the right.
The door is very old, and most of the black paint has peeled off, revealing the original color of the wood. There is no signboard on the door, only a palm-sized wooden plaque nailed to the lintel, with three words engraved on it: Tingfeng Pavilion. The writing is very deep, and the strokes are neat, as if they were carved one by one with a knife.
Qin Tiexin Push the door.
The door shaft creaked slightly. Inside was a small hall, about three feet in length and width, and the light was darker than outside. There was a wooden table in the middle, and a lean middle-aged monk sat behind the table, looking down at something.
Hearing the knock on the door, he raised his head.
The face is very thin, the cheekbones are prominent, the eyes are slender, and the eyes are like knives, which have been shaved all over Qin Tiexin's body.
"Buy news?" he asked.
His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper on wood.
Qin Tiexin nodded.
The middle-aged monk stood up and pointed to the left. "This way."
It was a curtain, dark gray, with thick material. Qin Tiexin opened the curtain and went in. Inside was a small cubicle with only a square table and two chairs. There was a wooden sign hanging on the wall, with a few lines of words engraved on it:
Consulting fee: starting from Spirit Stone, priced according to the problem
Buyout information: Negotiable
Long-term customization: Guarantee required
The words are red and look like coagulated blood in the dim light.
"Sit." The middle-aged monk sat down opposite, "Pay three Spirit Stone first, the basic fee."
Qin Tiexin took out the cloth bag from his arms, untied it, counted out three pieces of low-grade Spirit Stone, and placed them on the table.
The sound of Spirit Stone falling on the wooden table was very soft, but it was particularly clear in the quiet cubicle.
The middle-aged monk put away Spirit Stone, took out a Jade Slip from under the table, put it on his forehead for a moment, then put it down again. "Ask me."
Qin Tiexin was silent for a moment.
"Tiannanyu," he said, "How to get there?"
The middle-aged monk glanced at him with no emotion in his eyes. He took out a gray-white Jade Slip from the cabinet behind him and put it on his forehead again. This time it lasted longer, about ten breaths.
"Tiannan Territory," he put down Jade Slip, "Is in the southeast of the mainland, separated from the Qingxuan Territory by the Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range and the Black Marsh Daze. If you want to go, there are two ways."
He raised a finger. "First, take the land route. From here, go south, through the Frost Ridge Mountains and the Qinglan Mountains, and arrive at the southernmost 'Zhentian City'. There is a cross-continental teleportation array in the city, which leads directly to the Tiannan Region."
"How much does a teleportation array cost?"
"One person, one time, starting from 10,000 low-grade Spirit Stone." The middle-aged monk said calmly, "This is the price on the face of it. It needs to be scheduled, guaranteed by the sect or a large chamber of commerce, and the cultivation level must be tested - at least Foundation Establishment Realm can withstand the pressure of transmission."
Qin Tiexin's fingers tightened under the table.
Ten thousand Spirit Stone, Foundation Establishment Realm, far away.
"What about the second way?"
"Fly across continents." The middle-aged monk said, "Buy your own flight Law Treasure, or take a caravan ship. Law Treasure is at least mid-grade Spirit Artifact or above, and the price ranges from three to five thousand Spirit Stone. The caravan ticket is cheaper, a few hundred Spirit Stone, but it takes time - three to five years if it goes well, and it will never arrive if it goes wrong."
"Danger?"
"There is Demon Beast in the Ten Thousand Demons Mountains and the Black Swamp, and there is miasma." The middle-aged monk looked at him, "Below the golden elixir, there is a narrow escape from death."
It was quiet in the cubicle.
The sound of selling in the distance came from outside the window, and it was as blurry as another world.
The middle-aged monk took out another Jade Slip from under the table. It was dusty and much simpler than the previous one. He handed it to Qin Tiexin: "This is a schematic diagram of the route, included in the fee. Several key nodes and dangerous areas are marked on it."
Qin Tiexin took Jade Slip, put it on his forehead, and penetrated his consciousness.
A simple map comes to mind. The Iron Hand Gate is at the top, followed by the Frost Ridge Mountains and the Qinglan Mountains below, and then the majestic "Tianzhen City". Then to the southeast, there are continuous mountains and a vast swamp, several times larger than the Qingxuan Territory. The mountains are marked "Ten Thousand Monsters Mountains", and the swamps are marked "Black Swamp". On the edge of the map are three small words "Tiannan Territory" with an arrow drawn next to it.
There are several red dots: Zhenyu Pass and several known Demon Beast nest areas.
He regained consciousness and held Jade Slip in his hand.
"The second question." Qin Tiexin said, "Lingxi Sect."
The middle-aged monk's eyes moved.
He looked at Qin Tiexin again, this time for a longer time. He looked from his face to his hands, to the knife behind his back, and then back to his face.
"Lingxi Sect," he said slowly, "Is a weapon-refining sect in the southwest of Qingxuan Territory. It happened two hundred years ago. It is not large in scale, with about a hundred people."
"Why not?"
"Overnight," said the middle-aged monk, "The mountain gate was destroyed and the whole family was exterminated."
Qin Tiexin stopped breathing for a moment.
"Any idea who did it?"
"I don't know." The middle-aged monk shook his head, "Someone has visited the scene. The stream has dried up and the mountain gate is scorched black. Experienced monks can see that Yao Qi remains."
"Demon?"
"Hmm." The middle-aged monk paused, "But this is not an ordinary Demon Beast. That Yao Qi is very pure and very violent."
"Anything else?"
"Scorch marks." The middle-aged monk said, "It is not caused by ordinary flames. The scorch marks are very strange, the temperature is extremely high, and Shitou was burned to crystallization in an instant, but the burnt area is not large, it seems... it was concentrated on one point and exploded."
He gestured with his hand. "Spiral shape, spreading outward from the center. The Shitou inside has become like glass."
Qin Tiexin Listening, that picture came to mind: In the night, the mountain gate collapsed in the light of fire, the high temperature instantly melted the stone walls, and the stream water evaporated into white mist.
"Where are the belongings?" he asked.
"It didn't move much." The middle-aged monk said, "It doesn't look like robbery, but more like silence. Or... traces of destruction."
The cubicle became quiet again.
A bell sounded in the distance, dull and long, it was the bell of Yue Xing Pavilion telling the time.
"Any other clues?" Qin Tiexin asked.
The middle-aged monk thought for a while, "There were some rumors back then, saying that it might be related to some big demons in the Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range. Some said it was some kind of rare 'evil fire' - not ordinary fire, nor the monk's true fire, but something more evil."
"Evil fire?"
"I just heard about it." The middle-aged monk spread his hands and said, "This kind of thing, over time, the truth will be buried in the ashes. If you really want to find out, you can try your luck at Broken Dragon Cliff in the southwest. It is close to the Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range and has better information."
Qin Tiexin wrote down the name: Broken Dragon Cliff.
"Where is the Iron Ridge Gate?" he suddenly asked, "Do you know?"
The middle-aged monk raised his eyebrows slightly. "Iron Ridge Gate... is older. There is less information and it is more expensive."
"How much?"
"Add five more Spirit Stone."
Qin Tiexin shook his head. He only had one Spirit Stone left.
The middle-aged monk didn't care. "Forget it. These three Spirit Stone are worth it."
Qin Tiexin Stand up.
"Jade Slip." The middle-aged monk pointed to the route map in his hand, "You can take it away, but it is recommended that you destroy it after writing it down. Tingfeng Pavilion cannot guarantee the safety of its customers."
Qin Tiexin nodded, opened the curtain and walked out.
The hall was still dark. The middle-aged monk behind the wooden table lowered his head again, as if the conversation just now had never happened.
Qin Tiexin Push the door and leave.
There was some light in the alley, the sun had risen, and the sunlight slanted on the wall. The dew on the bluestone had dried, leaving dark water marks.
He walked out of the alley and returned to the main street.
The street has become lively.
Qin Tiexin stood on the street, watching the people coming and going.
He lowered his head and looked at the Jade Slip in his hand. It was dusty and unremarkable. He would memorize every point and every line on the map. Zhentian City, Ten Thousand Monsters Mountains, Black Marsh Daze...
And that distant name of Tiannan Territory.
Then he tightened his fingers.
Jade Slip made a slight cracking sound and split from the inside. He continued to exert force until Jade Slip turned into a handful of fine powder, leaked from between his fingers, and was blown away by the wind.
He clapped his hands and raised his head.
The sun is dazzling.
Ten thousand Spirit Stone. Teleportation array. Late stage of Qi refining.
Yao Qi, Evil Fire, Broken Dragon Cliff.
These words were spinning in his mind, like heavy stones piled up one after another, making it difficult for him to breathe.
But he stood very straight.
When he came out of Liuyun Sect, he only knew that he had to go south, to find Tiannan Territory, and to find Lingxi Sect. Now, he knew how far the road was, how deep the hatred was, and what he had to face.
This is better than knowing nothing.
At least, he knew which direction to push.
He took a deep breath and walked towards the inn.
When she returned to the inn, Li Yun was already waiting in the lobby. She changed into ordinary smart clothes, tied up her ponytail, and was drinking tea.
"Where have you gone?" she asked.
"Just take a walk." Qin Tiexin said.