Chapter Forty-Five: The Young Nobleman

Qingzhou, Huangxia Town.

Catch-the-Wind Inn.

At the hour of noon, the bustling noise inside the inn rushed outward like a surging tide.

On the ground floor, dozens of tables and chairs were already filled to capacity. Patrons clinked their cups, and their joyous laughter blended into a chaotic din.

The waiter moved with nimble agility, darting between the tables like a spirited fish.

Huangxia Town was a vital thoroughfare leading to the capital, with passing travelers thick as clouds. The stream of guests stopping for a simple meal or lodging here every day was endless, and business was so good that the innkeeper would wake up smiling in his sleep.

Recently, however, the inn had welcomed a few unfamiliar guests. Unlike the traveling merchants or high-ranking officials of the past, these newcomers each possessed an imposing, formidable aura, giving off a distinct sense of aloofness and superiority.

The way they looked at the ordinary townsfolk was like children squatting on the ground to watch ants, making one intensely uncomfortable.

Behind the counter, a man dressed in a light gray robe was lowering his head to click the abacus beads. He was in his forties, and while his features were not particularly handsome, they possessed a pleasant durability.

This man was the proprietor of Catch-the-Wind Inn, bearing the surname Lu.

Before long, he closed the ledger, set aside the abacus, stretched his neck toward the doorway, and murmured to himself in a voice only he could hear.

"By the calendar, he should have arrived no matter what by today. Why hasn't this little ancestor shown up yet?"

Just as he was muttering to himself, a commotion arose at the entrance. A moment later, a party of three entered the inn.

At the head was a man clad in a green robe, carrying a book chest and with a sword hanging at his waist, resembling a scholar out on a journey.

The other two, a man and a woman, were both dressed in black official robes.

The woman wore a fitted martial outfit as dark as ink, her hair neatly bound. A pair of double-phoenix eyes shone as bright as the stars, so captivating that once seen, one could never tear their gaze away.

The black-robed man had bronze-colored skin and a resolute expression.

The green-robed man walked up to the counter. "Innkeeper, are there any spare guest rooms?"

The innkeeper beamed with a full face of smiles. "You are truly fortunate, honored guest. Our humble establishment happens to have exactly three rooms left."

"I'll take them all. Also, prepare a table of your finest feast."

"Right away, honored guest! I'll have it arranged for you immediately."

The three of them had traveled a long distance through wind and dust, and since the main hall currently lacked any empty tables, they decided to head upstairs to wash up first.

A brisk-footed waiter led the three of them upstairs.

The green-robed man followed closely behind the waiter, occasionally asking about the recent situation in the town. The waiter, being quite talkative, poured out information like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

"You wouldn't understand, honored guest, but our town has been awfully lively lately. I hear quite a few immortals from the mountains have arrived recently. Such figures are not the sort ordinary folk like us can hope to lay eyes on..."

The green-robed man asked unconcernedly, "Waiter brother, have you actually seen these mountain immortals?"

The waiter waved his hands repeatedly, a look of deep regret on his face. "Nah, it's all stuff I've heard from others. With these mortal eyes of mine, even if I bumped right into one of those divine beings, how could I possibly recognize them?"

The green-robed man nodded slightly.

Just as he reached the second floor, a young master dressed in a light golden robe, holding a folding fan and flanked by two maidservants and a middle-aged retainer, walked past them toward the stairs below.

The green-robed man stepped aside slightly, clearing half the passageway.

The young noble nodded lightly at him and was just about to pause and say something when he was urged on by the retainer behind him. "Young master, the time is growing late; let us not delay important matters."

The three of them glanced at the middle-aged retainer with some surprise, though they said nothing further.

Seeing this, the young master could only offer an apologetic smile and depart.

Arriving at the doorway of the guest rooms.

The resolute man smiled warmly. "Brother Gu, Qinghe, we're in luck. These are three adjoining rooms, which makes it convenient for us to look out for one another."

These three were none other than Gu Xian, Xia Qinghe, and Yang Mo.

Four or five days ago, the affairs in Tongyang County had come to an end, and the trio had hurried all the way in this direction.

However, to conserve their spiritual energy, and because there was still plenty of time before the secret realm opened, the three of them had continued traveling on foot just as before, without using spiritual energy for flight, which was why the journey had taken so much time.

Gu Xian chose the room on the far left, Xia Qinghe took the middle one, and Yang Mo took the one on the far right.

Just as the green-robed man was about to push open his door, Xia Qinghe suddenly spoke up. "That retainer from just now is rather extraordinary."

Gu Xian thought for a moment and said, "He's probably also here for the Cyan Fish Secret Realm, but there's no need to worry. We won't necessarily end up as enemies."

After washing up, the three of them descended the stairs one by one.

Just as a table of guests was leaving, the waiter had already prepared the food and wine for them.

The three sat down and began to eat.

Yang Mo couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "Ever since leaving Tongyang County, we've been sleeping in the open and eating in the wind all the way. We can finally improve our meals a bit."

Mentioning Tongyang County, Gu Xian could not help but recall a figure clad in red.

That ghost-cultivator maiden whose name he didn't even know—ever since she captured the elderly gu-master in Peach Blossom Lane, she had vanished as if into thin air, leaving no trace despite all of Gu Xian's searches.

After all, he had promised her a favor, and if he didn't fulfill it sooner rather than later, he would always feel a lingering unease in his heart.

Catching the fragrant aroma of the dishes on the table, the three of them felt their appetites stir and began to dig in heartily.

When they were more or less finished, the three of them sat back lazily.

At that moment, several people at a neighboring table huddled together, discussing something in low voices. Gu Xian and his companions instantly pricked up their ears.

"Hey, have you heard? A major event happened recently in Ink-Dye City over in Yongzhou."

"Ah, isn't that place Dye-Clothes Lane's headquarters, which they've run for many years? Who on earth has the guts to go look for trouble with those packs of ghosts and Yama's minions?"

"You actually guessed right. Four or five days ago, a man said to be rather ordinary-looking practically slaughtered his way through the entire Dye-Clothes Lane single-handedly. Rumor has it that Dye-Clothes Lane's reclusive old ancestor, who has long stopped caring about worldly affairs, nearly perished."

"Get out of here! Is that news true or fake?"

"Of course it's true! The matter has already spread throughout the surrounding regions. It is said that many masters from Ink-Dye City witnessed it with their own eyes that very day."

...

Gu Xian's expression instantly changed. He understood immediately that his senior apprentice brother must have traveled personally to Ink-Dye City to stand up for him and his senior sister.

Yang Mo asked, "Brother Gu, what's wrong?"

The green-robed man waved his hand, keeping the secret to himself, and merely gave a perfunctory reply, "Nothing much, just thinking that expert is truly formidable."

As soon as his voice trailed off, he noticed Xia Qinghe looking at him with a strange gaze.

Gu Xian offered an awkward smile, having completely forgotten about her. Back at Yu Family Village, Xia Qinghe had also laid eyes on his senior brother.

She sent a voice transmission directly into his mind. "Was it Senior Zhou who made a move?"

"Most likely."

Having experienced life and death together multiple times, Gu Xian and she shared an extraordinary bond, so there was nothing much to hide.

After the meal, the three of them returned to their respective rooms to rest.

Behind the counter, the innkeeper watched the retreating backs of the three as they went upstairs, deep in thought.