News of Immortals

Though those options sounded tempting, Shen Ge still did not dare try them. It was not because he was short of money; he simply knew the limits of his self-control. If he went into a room and someone tempted him like that, he really could not be sure he would hold out.

So, for the sake of his immortal path, Shen Ge chose something milder: listening to music, watching a dance, and picking up some information along the way.

He was shown to a private room, and before he had been sitting there long, three young women pushed open the door and entered.

None wore heavy makeup. They had applied only a light touch of powder and rouge, relying on their natural beauty, and were pleasant enough to look at.

"Young master, this humble woman Haitang greets you."

"This humble woman Qiluo greets you, young master."

"This humble woman Zhifeng greets you, young master."

Shen Ge nodded impassively. "Begin."

A sweet smile appeared on Haitang's face. After curtsying, she walked over to the guqin at the side and slowly sat down. Her movements were graceful, with not a trace of the air of a courtesan about her.

Soon, the sound of the zither rang out, like a stream rushing through the mountains, now leaping, now winding, now tumbling down. Listening to the tune was like truly entering the mountain woods and watching a stream wind its way forward.

The moment the zither sounded, the woman called Qiluo began to turn and dance. Purple silk fluttered around her as she moved with an ethereal grace, leaping like a little bird beside the stream. It was not nearly as irresistible as Shen Ge had imagined.

It was not that she danced poorly; this beauty simply did not have the allure of base desire.

Zhifeng came forward and knelt beside Shen Ge. She picked up a wine pot and poured him a cup, then asked gently, "Young master, what would you like to know?"

Shen Ge picked up the wine cup and toyed with it. Looking at the beauty kneeling beside him, he smiled. "First, tell me what you know."

"Secrets of certain martial world sects, the whereabouts and interesting stories of the martial world's various renowned heroes, and a tiny bit about matters beyond the martial world."

"Beyond the martial world?" Shen Ge asked with interest. "You mean immortals, don't you? That does interest me. Tell me about them."

Since leaving the mountains, Shen Ge had met only one fellow cultivator, and even that meeting had been accidental. Immortal cultivators were truly hard to encounter in the mortal world, so he was a little curious about how to find them.

Linhai City was a major city, second to none in prosperity. Shen Ge did not believe there were no immortal cultivators here. There might not be any in the Foundation Establishment Realm, but there were bound to be Rogue Cultivators at the Qi Refining stage.

Zhifeng gathered her thoughts for a moment before speaking. "The existence of immortals is nothing unusual. They occasionally appear in Linhai City as well.

"Even the weakest of them can match a transcendent first-rate expert, and controlling fire and water or unleashing lightning and wind is as ordinary to them as eating and drinking.

"Once, in a valley south of Linhai City, some immortals fought. Fireballs and flying swords filled the valley, and the thunder never ceased. A long time afterward, someone went in to take a look and discovered that the trees in one small part of the valley had all been destroyed, and the ground was pitted with craters."

Shen Ge rubbed his chin thoughtfully. From the description, it should have been a fight between two Qi Refining cultivators. Though it had been a grand spectacle, the actual destruction had not been very great; he could have done the same himself.

"Go on," Shen Ge said.

"Immortals mostly keep their movements hidden. Besides, when they aren't using their abilities, we can't recognize them. Even if one walked right past you, we wouldn't know he was an immortal.

"However..."

Here Zhifeng paused and looked at Shen Ge with a beaming smile.

Shen Ge chuckled and casually tucked a banknote into the front of her dress. "Just tell me. I won't treat you poorly."

The frivolous gesture made Zhifeng blush bright red. She raised a hand to press the banknote into her cleavage, then continued, "Not long ago, we did receive a piece of news about immortals. I'm sure you'll be interested, young master.

"Some time ago, word got out that there were many traces of immortals around Sunset Valley, north of Kaohai Commandery. It's suspected to be something like a martial arts gathering."

"Oh? Is that so?"

After a moment's thought, Shen Ge understood. It might be an immortal cultivation marketplace. After all, aside from a marketplace, the only thing that could draw so many immortal cultivators who did not belong to the same group was a major sect recruiting disciples.

At present, the Spirit Moon Sect was the only sect in the Flowing Cloud Kingdom that could be called a major sect, and it was not located there.

According to Su Liuyue, the Spirit Moon Sect was in Qingyang Commandery, atop those mountains.

She had not specified its exact location in the mortal world, but once he got a map and compared them, he would know where it was.

I remember that small marketplaces don't open in fixed locations. They're like traveling vendors; only medium and large marketplaces stay in one place.

Though a small marketplace like that isn't very big and doesn't have much of value, it wouldn't hurt to go broaden my horizons.

Shen Ge pondered it, planning to take a look when he had the chance.

After all, even an ordinary small marketplace would remain open for about a year, so there was plenty of time.

Having learned something substantial, Shen Ge was not stingy. He took out another banknote and tucked it into that cleavage. Perhaps because he was in a good mood this time, he gave it a squeeze before pulling his hand away.

"Ah~"

Caught off guard by the sudden sneak attack, Zhifeng let out an involuntary cry. The next moment, she shot Shen Ge a bashful glare.

She was only responsible for intelligence, not that sort of thing. She could tolerate letting customers take small liberties now and then, but this was the first time anyone had been so frivolous with her.

Fortunately, Shen Ge was handsome enough. After giving him a few bashful glares, Zhifeng let the matter drop.

Shen Ge, however, was not doing so well. The sensation against his hand and that utterly seductive cry had set his lust ablaze.

It had been five whole years since he regained his body, and Shen Ge had never once given vent to his desires. As a normal man, he could hardly be without them.

With a heart clear as ice, even if the heavens collapse, I shall not be shaken...

Only after silently reciting the Clear Heart Instruction several times did Shen Ge suppress the flames of lust rising within him.

Zhifeng looked at the man before her in surprise. Just a moment ago, he had plainly looked consumed by lust, yet in the blink of an eye he was back to normal.

Could it be that this young master can't perform?

But that masculine presence that just hit me full in the face didn't seem like it. Could he have practiced some martial art that requires him to retain his yang?

After all, there were many martial arts in the martial world that could only be practiced by those who had not lost their primordial yang. Some forbade release for life, while others only required the practitioner to reach a certain level first. Such martial arts were collectively known as pure yang cultivation methods.

Feeling Zhifeng's surprised gaze on him, Shen Ge rubbed the tip of his nose, looking somewhat awkward. He changed the subject. "Enough about immortals. Tell me about Linhai City. Has anything good appeared recently?"

Zhifeng hurriedly replied, "Young master, you've come at just the right time. Recently, a fleet of fishing boats caught a giant fish at sea. It was as big as a small fishing boat, and inside it was a pure white pearl. They say it feels warm and smooth as jade in the hand and leaves one refreshed and clear-headed. It's a rare treasure, and it will be auctioned tomorrow at an auction organized by the Sea Peak Trading Company.

"Of course, besides that treasure, there will be many other rare treasures at the auction, including all sorts of coral and unusual stones."