At the entrance of Star Chasing City, Xiao Yan stood at the edge of the small grove outside the city, suppressing his aura to around level 30.
After further disguising his appearance, he mingled with a group of hunters entering the city to sell animal hides, and walked towards the city gate with his head down.
Six Soul Master dressed in the uniforms of the Spirit Hall stood at the city gate.
The leader was a Soul Ancestor, holding a wanted poster and checking each person entering the city. The portrait on the wanted poster was none other than Xiao Yan.
However, the portrait was quite different from Xiao Yan's appearance after his disguise.
The portrait depicts Xiao Yan with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, possessing a handsome face.
At this moment, Xiao Yan looked sallow, with thick eyebrows and several shallow wrinkles on his chin.
In addition, he steadily suppressed his Soul Power fluctuations to level 30, which was a far cry from the level indicated on the wanted poster.
The Soul Ancestor merely glanced at him, noticing his coarse clothes, sallow complexion, and weak breath, before impatiently waving him past.
Having concealed his presence, Xiao Yan quickly evaded the Spirit Hall's detection and successfully entered Star Chasing City.
Upon entering Star Chasing City, Xiao Yan did not immediately head to the location of the Spirit Hall Main Hall.
Now he can only try to avoid showing himself in front of others.
The Spirit Hall's defenses in Star Chasing City were more stringent than he had anticipated.
There were six people checking people at the city gate alone, and the patrol teams in the city passed through the main street every half hour.
He was unsure what arrangements the Spirit Hall had made here, or whether there were any other hidden powerful figures.
However, given Bibi Dong's personality, if she could deploy a Soul Douluo in Star Chasing City, she could very well deploy even more.
He had to proceed with extreme Xiao Xin.
After all, it had only been less than a month since they escaped from Spirit City. The news that Yue Guan and Gui Mei had been seriously injured by the Titan Giant Ape had probably already reached the Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong would definitely not let it go.
As Xiao Yan's former residence, Star Chasing City is naturally a key area under surveillance.
After entering Star Chasing City, Xiao Yan first walked around the main streets of the city to investigate the distribution of the Spirit Hall's forces.
He discovered that in addition to the six people at the city gate, there were two Soul Saint guarding the entrance to the Spirit Hall Main Hall.
Inside the main hall, there was an even more powerful aura, indicating that the person was at least a Soul Douluo- level expert.
This discovery made Xiao Yan's heart sink slightly.
Star Chasing City is not a major military stronghold; the highest-ranking official of the Spirit Hall who is usually stationed here is just a Soul Saint.
Now, a Soul Douluo has arrived, clearly targeting him.
Xiao Yan then chose a relatively quiet alleyway two blocks away from the Spirit Hall Main Hall.
At the end of the alley stood an unassuming-looking inn.
The inn is called Clouds Come Inn, and it is a three-story wooden building.
The paint on the exterior walls has peeled off and is now mottled, revealing dark wooden planks underneath, and a few clumps of moss grow in the corners.
A faded old sign hangs at the entrance, weathered by wind and rain, with the words " Clouds Come Inn " barely legible.
It swayed gently in the afternoon breeze, making a soft creaking sound.
The building looked unremarkable, even somewhat shabby compared to the gleaming shops around it.
But it is precisely this unassuming quality that Xiao Yan needs most right now.
The inn didn't seem to be doing very well; there were no waiters at the entrance to greet guests, and the lobby was quiet with few diners.
But it wasn't exactly deserted.
As Xiao Yan pushed open the door and entered the inn, the copper bell hanging on the door rang out with a clear, crisp sound.
He quickly glanced at the scene in the hall. The few guests sitting here all had familiar bowls, plates, and teacups in front of them, clearly regulars.
They sat in their usual spots, some eating in silence, others chatting quietly, the atmosphere peaceful and comfortable.
This atmosphere made Xiao Yan feel slightly more at ease.
Inns with many regular customers often indicate that the owner is reliable, and such places are less likely to be targeted by spies from the Spirit Hall.
The shopkeeper looked up at the sound and saw an old man who looked to be around sixty years old.
He wore a faded gray long gown with frayed cuffs, his hair was mostly gray, and his face was covered with wrinkles like dried old tree bark, deeply furrowed.
He sat behind the counter, a yellowed ledger spread out in front of him, and an old abacus beside him.
Most of the lacquer on the abacus beads has been worn away.
Hearing someone enter, he put down his brush, placed it on the inkstone, and looked up at Xiao Yan with a kind smile.
His wrinkled face wore a kind and sincere smile, making him look very amiable and inspiring a sense of closeness in people.
"Manager, I need a superior room on the third floor."
Xiao Yan walked to the counter, took out a Silver Soul Coin from his pocket, placed it on the counter, and gently pushed it across.
The Silver Soul Coin made a slight scraping sound on the wooden counter.
His voice was deliberately lowered, slightly hoarse, and combined with his sallow complexion and coarse clothes, he looked like a weary country Soul Master who had traveled a long way.
The shopkeeper looked up at Xiao Yan, then chuckled and accepted the Silver Soul Coin.
He pulled open a drawer under the counter and took out a brass key. A small wooden tag was attached to the key, with the words "306" written on it in calligraphy.
The shopkeeper came out from behind the counter and led Xiao Yan towards the third floor.
His movements were slow, even somewhat sluggish. As he walked up the stairs, he held onto the handrail with one hand and supported himself on his knee with the other, each step appearing quite strenuous.
Xiao Yan followed behind him, glancing at the old man.
The other person seemed to have some difficulty walking; their body swayed slightly when they walked, and their right leg dragged slightly when taking a step, as if they had suffered some old injury when they were young that had never fully healed.
Such injuries are not uncommon among the rogue cultivators of the Douluo Continent. Many people suffer disabilities when they are young from hunting Soul Beast or fighting with others, and these disabilities become more and more serious as they grow older.
Xiao Yan didn't ask any questions, and simply followed silently behind.
His gaze, however, was discreetly scanning the layout of the inn's interior.
"Sigh, business is getting harder and harder these days."
The shopkeeper walked ahead, leading Xiao Yan up the creaking wooden stairs, complaining as he went.
His voice carried a hint of the rambling and helplessness typical of an old man, as if he were complaining to a guest, or perhaps talking to himself.
He didn't turn around when he spoke, his tone casual and natural, like an old shopkeeper, somewhat numb from the torment of reality, pouring out his grievances to a stranger.
Xiao Yan was taken aback by the shopkeeper's words, and then a thought struck him.
He followed behind the shopkeeper, his steps unchanged, and asked in a calm and collected tone:
"Shopkeeper, your shop is in such a good location in the city."
It's not far from the main street, and the entrance is the only way through this alley.
There shouldn't be a shortage of customers. How could it be difficult to do business?
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper sighed, stopped, and turned to look at Xiao Yan.
A bitter expression appeared on his wrinkled face, as if something sore had been touched.
He shook his head, and as he continued walking uphill, he said in a low voice:
"Sigh, I don't know what's going on, but these days the Spirit Hall people come to check the rooms every few days."
A group came a couple of days ago, and another group came yesterday. Every time they come, it's a huge crowd, scaring away all the other customers.
This is the second time this month that they've closed off streets and conducted searches so frequently.
This has deterred many vendors from entering the city, resulting in a significant decrease in business activity within the city.
"As a result, our business has also suffered."
Look at those people downstairs, they're all long-time neighbors who live nearby. They're used to coming here for meals and tea.
But relying on them alone, my inn won't last long.
Those who used to go to the market, sell medicinal herbs, or trade in leather goods no longer dare to enter the city.
The checks at the city gates are too strict; sometimes only a few people can get in all morning.
My inn used to be fully booked every day during peak season, but now look, you're the only one staying on this entire third floor."
He sighed again as he spoke, stopped at the end of the third-floor corridor, and used his key to open the door to the innermost room.
The door hinges creaked softly as he slowly pushed it open.
"But then again,"
The shopkeeper handed the key to Xiao Yan, then suddenly seemed to remember something and added a sentence, his tone tinged with mystery as he lowered his voice.
" The Spirit Hall is making such a big fuss, supposedly to capture someone."
Last time, a few officials from the Spirit Hall came to check on me. I overheard them whispering that they wanted to arrest a young man in his early twenties, whose strength was ridiculously high.
Tell me, how old is he? How could the Spirit Hall mobilize such a large force for him...?
Moreover, I've heard that even the City Lord's Mansion is frequently visited by people from the Spirit Hall to inquire about things..."
Xiao Yan took the key, his fingers lightly touching the shopkeeper's rough fingertips.
His expression remained unchanged; he simply nodded slightly to indicate that he was listening.
However, the information revealed in the shopkeeper's casual conversation was quickly dissected and analyzed in Xiao Yan's mind.
The Spirit Hall's activities in Star Chasing City are now more frequent than he expected.
After his battles with the Spirit Hall in Spirit City and Star Dou Great Forest, he thought Bibi Dong would temporarily withdraw her forces to stabilize the situation in Spirit City.
After all, the dome of the Pope's Palace was cleaved in two by his sword, and Yue Guan and Gui Mei were seriously injured. The Spirit Hall's reputation and its reputation were severely damaged.
But Bibi Dong's reaction was more forceful than he had anticipated.
Instead of shrinking its defenses, she actually increased them in Star Chasing City. What does this indicate?
This shows that Bibi Dong's regard for him had risen to an unprecedented level.
She was willing to mobilize additional troops to lay a trap in the place where Xiao Yan was most likely to appear.
However, on the other hand, it is precisely because the Spirit Hall conducts frequent inspections, closing off streets and searching every few days, that they are more likely to become complacent.
They could never find the person, and they always came back empty-handed.
Over time, the Soul Master responsible for the search will inevitably start to become perfunctory.
At the beginning, you might carefully check every corner, but after a few months, doing the same thing every day without any results, anyone would become complacent.
But the shopkeeper's last words caught Xiao Yan's attention.
People from the Spirit Hall would frequently visit the City Lord's Mansion.