Chapter Eighty-Eight: Like a Simpleton
Wang Changsheng swept a sleeve, and ten middle-grade spirit stones appeared on the table at once.
At the sight of the spirit stones, the waiter’s smile deepened, and he understood Wang Changsheng’s meaning.
Taking up the spirit stones, the waiter immediately said, “The Wei clan’s great elder, Wei Tong, is a true cultivator who has attained the Golden Core path. Estimated cultivation: mid-stage Golden Core realm.”
As he spoke, the waiter casually tucked the spirit stones into his robes.
“Mm.” Wang Changsheng nodded, then waved a hand. “Go and bring the wine first. I’ll ask the rest in a moment.”
The waiter bowed and withdrew at once.
“So there really is a true cultivator of the Golden Core path,” Chen Shangyi said in a low voice. “And he’s in the mid-stage Golden Core realm at that. It seems the Wei clan’s arts truly have something remarkable about them.”
“This tavern is no ordinary place either,” Wang Changsheng said with a faint smile. “To be in Golden Fortune City and still dare to sell the Wei clan’s information, it likely has considerable backing.”
“Yes.” Chen Shangyi nodded. “Probably so. A mere waiter has fifth-level Essence Transformation cultivation; it certainly isn’t simple.”
“Fifth level of Essence Transformation?” Wang Changsheng was also startled.
Just now he had not sensed the waiter’s cultivation and had assumed the man was only at the first or second level of Essence Transformation. He had never expected him to be at the fifth level. One must not underestimate such a small gap; in more remote places, cultivation at the fifth level of Essence Transformation would already be enough to dominate others.
The reason the waiter addressed Wang Changsheng as senior was merely politeness.
In the time it took to burn half an incense stick, the wine had already filled the table. The waiter did not leave, but stood there smiling at Wang Changsheng.
“Let me ask you one more thing,” Wang Changsheng said as he poured himself a cup and drained it in one gulp. “Where is Fire Phoenix Pool?”
“Fire Phoenix Pool?”
The waiter showed a thoughtful look. After pondering for a while, he still shook his head. “I’ve never heard of such a place. Could senior have remembered it wrongly?”
After asking the question, Wang Changsheng had kept watching the waiter’s expression. The confusion was genuine; he did not seem to be lying. So he said, “Perhaps I did remember it wrongly.”
It seemed the waiter did not know where Fire Phoenix Pool was.
That made sense. If the residence of the Yangshan Li clan were something that a random tavern waiter could casually know, then the Li clan could not possibly remain so secretive.
The waiter immediately said ingratiatingly, “It may be a place even our tavern does not know about. But if our tavern doesn’t know, then the other taverns in Golden Fortune City surely know even less.”
Wang Changsheng nodded. “Then what about the Yangshan Li clan? Do you have any news of them?”
Once again, the waiter looked blankly at Wang Changsheng and shook his head. “We do have information about the Li clan in Golden Fortune City, but not the Yangshan Li clan. Senior, are you certain it’s the Yangshan Li clan, and not the Golden Fortune Li clan?”
Wang Changsheng shook his head and poured himself another cup.
“Then tell me about the Golden Fortune Li clan,” Wang Changsheng said.
“One middle-grade spirit stone,” the waiter said.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he saw that a middle-grade spirit stone was already lying on the table. The waiter took it away at once and said softly, “The Golden Fortune Li clan is a family that rose only within the past hundred years. In Golden Fortune City, their strength can rank among the top three, and across the entire Southern Domain, they can be counted as a third-rate power.”
“The strongest member of the Golden Fortune Li clan is at the eighth level of the Core Formation realm. It is said he can contend with a ninth-level Core Formation expert,” the waiter added.
After hearing what the waiter said, Wang Changsheng shook his head again.
With such strength, it was certainly not the Yangshan Li clan he sought. Their strongest was only at the eighth level of Core Formation; compared with the Li clan he was looking for, they fell far short.
“All right, you may go. If I have more questions, I’ll call you again,” Wang Changsheng said with a wave.
The waiter nodded, then bowed and backed out of the room.
Chen Shangyi immediately activated the soundproof formation and said in a low voice, “It seems that if we want to inquire about the Yangshan Li clan, we’ll have to go through the Wei clan.”
“The secrecy around the Yangshan Li clan is a little too good,” Wang Changsheng said darkly. “Do they never interact with the outside world?”
“Not interacting at all is impossible,” Chen Shangyi said. “According to Elder Yun, the Yangshan Li clan was originally a merchant clan. Their businesses are spread far and wide, and they must have many industries outside.”
“It’s just that those industries are not linked to the Li clan, so we can’t know about them,” Chen Shangyi said.
Wang Changsheng nodded. “Looks like the Li clan has sealed off information too tightly. Even in ordinary affairs they reveal nothing. Otherwise, as a merchant clan, they could never be this watertight and impenetrable.”
Chen Shangyi nodded as well, agreeing with Wang Changsheng’s words.
“It seems we’ll have to find a way to ask the Wei clan about it,” Wang Changsheng said thoughtfully.
Chen Shangyi also fell into thought. After all, the Corpse Refining Sect and the Wei clan were certainly at odds, mortal enemies. When inquiring of the Wei clan, they could not expose their identities. That made matters troublesome.
“Looks like we have to use that method...” Wang Changsheng muttered.
As he spoke, a middle-grade spirit stone appeared in Wang Changsheng’s hand. He stared at it, lost in thought.
“What method?” Chen Shangyi asked immediately.
Clearly, Chen Shangyi had not thought of any solution, nor had he understood Wang Changsheng’s meaning.
Wang Changsheng set the spirit stone on the table and said in a deep voice, “Do you remember how I once told you that spirit stones are extremely important? In the cultivation world, with spirit stones, many things become much easier. And right now, the one thing we are not short of is spirit stones...”
“But we can’t buy information,” Chen Shangyi said. “According to the waiter, if the news can’t be found in this place, then it won’t be found in any other tavern either. Spirit stones won’t help.”
“Who said I intended to buy it from these taverns?” Wang Changsheng said with a smile. “The Wei clan surely has cultivators who especially like spirit stones.”
Spirit stones were the universal currency of the cultivation world. Wang Changsheng believed that as long as he had enough spirit stones, he could still buy information about the Yangshan Li clan from certain members of the Wei clan. Aside from the people of the Corpse Refining Sect, there was probably no one who disliked spirit stones.
What troubled him now was how to find someone from the Wei clan.
Wang Changsheng was certain that even within the Wei clan, there could not be many people who knew of the Yangshan Li clan’s whereabouts. Therefore, the person must have a certain rank and standing within the Wei clan.
Buzzz...
Just as Wang Changsheng and the others were considering their next move, a low hum suddenly sounded.
“What’s going on?” Wang Changsheng came back to himself at once.
“The formation is trembling. Someone must be outside,” Chen Shangyi said.
With that, Chen Shangyi immediately shut off the soundproof array, and a series of urgent knocks came from the door.
When they opened it, the one who entered was the waiter.
“What is it?” Wang Changsheng frowned slightly, looking puzzled.
“Senior... this... this...” The waiter wore a troubled expression, as if he had something difficult to say.
“Speak plainly,” Wang Changsheng said gravely.
“Senior, we truly apologize, but would you be willing to move to the room next door?” the waiter said, a little flustered. “Please do not misunderstand. Our tavern has already prepared wine for you in the neighboring room.”
“The wine in the neighboring room, as well as the wine in this room, will all be free for you, seniors,” the waiter said.
Wang Changsheng frowned and said in a deep voice, “What, are you trying to kick us out of this room?”
Though the waiter had phrased it indirectly, Wang Changsheng was no fool and instantly grasped the implication.
A tavern willing to compensate them, and even waive the bill—such a thing was rare indeed.
Clearly, this room had another use in mind.
“Senior, we truly are very sorry. A great person has specifically requested this room. We... we...” The waiter looked greatly troubled.
“So it is true,” Wang Changsheng said darkly.
Seeing the waiter’s face, the waiter himself lowered his head.
No wonder the man was in such a dilemma. The one who had specifically requested the room was indeed someone he could not afford to offend. Although the tavern itself feared little, compared with offending Wang Changsheng and his group, it was obviously better to offend Wang Changsheng and the others.
Even the waiter had no choice.
“Which great person?” Wang Changsheng asked in a deep voice.
The waiter looked as if he wanted to speak but hesitated, clearly weighing whether he should say it.
“It’s me.”
Just as the waiter was about to find an excuse to gloss over the matter, a voice sounded outside the room.
A young cultivator stepped inside from beyond the doorway, dressed in a white robe and looking refined and courteous. However, his cultivation was somewhat lacking; he was even inferior to Wang Changsheng, only at the sixth level of Vein Opening.
“A great person?”
Looking at the newcomer, Wang Changsheng frowned as well.
At only the sixth level of Vein Opening, he was hardly deserving of the words “great person.” Clearly, it was not his cultivation that earned him such a title.
It was his background.
Only a powerful backing could make the tavern choose to offend Wang Changsheng’s group and instead come to negotiate with them.
Moreover, the neighboring room had even been prepared in advance with wine, showing that the tavern was certain Wang Changsheng’s group would agree.
Wang Changsheng instantly concluded that this young cultivator had an extraordinary background.
“Greetings, fellow Daoists.”
After stepping into the room, the young cultivator remained very polite in his movements. Yet it was precisely that greeting that made Wang Changsheng and the others frown.
Only those of similar strength, or those of comparable status and standing, would address one another as fellow Daoists.
Given Wang Changsheng’s identity as an elder of the Corpse Refining Sect, there would be no problem whatsoever in placing him on equal footing with the leaders of some first- and second-rate powers in the Divine Heaven Realm.
“Who is this guy? He looks like some clueless fool...” Wang Changsheng thought to himself.
Seeing that Wang Changsheng and the others did not move at all, the young cultivator also frowned, but he quickly concealed it and cupped his fists toward them. “Wei Ning of the Wei clan in Golden Fortune City, greetings to all fellow Daoists.”
Seeing that Wang Changsheng and the others were unmoved, the young cultivator directly introduced himself.