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Chapter 257: Transcendent Sword Immortal, Nie Kun
Chapter 257: Transcendent Sword Immortal, Nie Kun
The girl in the red skirt stood on the steps, silently observing the elderly man in gray for a moment, a hint of emotion flashing in her beautiful eyes.
Mei Xiyao, having managed the guests of the Eight Directions Food Pavilion for hundreds of years, could be considered well-versed and experienced.
With a little thought, she could discern the identity of the elderly man.
He was not only a master of the Hunyuan Sect but also on a mission from Xuanguang Cave.
The Great Qian Warrior Temple used to be one of the top three human forces, but now it was in a state of decline, appearing somewhat desolate.
Ironically, its past fame had become a burden.
Even in its current state, it couldn't compare to the freedom enjoyed by smaller forces like the Eight Directions Food Pavilion.
"If you need anything, please don't hesitate to instruct them," Mei Xiyao said politely, nodding. The gray-robed elder turned and nodded slightly, his expression unperturbed.
It wasn't until the red-skirted girl turned to go upstairs that the elder averted his gaze. He listened to the whispers downstairs, seemingly accustomed to them, and slowly closed his eyes.
In a corner by a square table, Qinghua stood quietly, perhaps because she was intentionally imitating Shen Yi, as her every move now carried a strong resemblance to him.
"Master, do you want me to get rid of those cultivators from Xuanguang Cave?" she asked.
"...”
Shen Yi picked up the tea that a young waiter had brought and took a slight sip.
He glanced at her quietly.
"Can you beat them?" he replied telepathically.
Qinghua thought carefully for a moment before answering earnestly, "I can't beat them, but I'm willing to fight to the death for you, Master."
"Calm down, thank you. I appreciate it," Shen Yi said as he put down his teacup and glanced casually at the elderly man.
To be honest, he felt a bit uncomfortable.
After all, with the inspector there guarding the door, it didn't reflect well on him as the deputy inspector.
But as a newcomer, he hadn't yet grasped the full situation.
It wasn't in his nature to act impetuously just to save face.
The most important goal of this trip was still the cultivator's cave.
He hoped to obtain treasures similar to spiritual roots from it.
As for the group from Xuanguang Cave...
When the opportunity arose, Shen Yi wouldn't mind seizing their storage artifacts to learn more about the foundations of the Immortal Sect.
Thinking of this, he turned his attention to the people around him.
Even after perusing numerous books before coming here, he still couldn't immediately identify the identities of those present.
Surprisingly, the lowest cultivation level among them was at the Core Formation stage.
There were even a few whose auras suggested they were only slightly below the level of Evergreen True Man.
"A skinny camel is still bigger than a horse," Qinghua explained carefully. "In reality, the cultivators from outside aren't necessarily stronger than those from Great Qian. It's just that those who dare to come here and get involved in the cultivator's cave affairs are somewhat capable."
"What are they doing?" Shen Yi asked, noticing a group of people in another corner, placing several precious jade pieces on the table. While they concealed their auras, their voices were completely isolated, as if to prevent anyone from hearing their conversation.
Qinghua floated over to observe them for a while, watching their lips move, before returning and reporting, "They're trading treasures. One of them seems to have picked up a bargain, but he was cheated by the others, who are now mocking him."
Trading?
Shen Yi recalled that the most valuable thing he had on him was probably the Cold Jade Silk Hand he had just obtained.
As for the other items, some were irreplaceable, their value incomprehensible, or they were of little use to cultivators above the Hunyuan realm.
His foundation had not been strengthened in a long time.
"Keep investigating and report back," Shen Yi instructed.
Qinghua obediently floated away. As a demon soul, she was invisible to others.
She wandered around, soon returning with a wealth of information.
The most important piece of information concerned the cultivator's cave in the Eight Directions Valley.
"According to them, this cave has actually appeared at least three times before," she reported. "However, no one knew about it before, and only people from the Food Pavilion would go in to look for new ingredients. Later, the people from Xuanguang Cave found out and recorded it in their travel journals.
"The owner of this cave is very likely an Artificer, which is why it attracted the attention of Xuanguang Cave for a second investigation."
"These people are just here to try their luck. Usually, major forces are quite generous and won't bother haggling over scraps."
Shen Yi listened quietly, noticing that Qinghua unconsciously glanced upstairs before continuing, "But with Nie Kun here, if he also sets his sights on the cave, it might affect our master. Should I..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Shen Yi directly retracted her consciousness.
If he followed her suggestions, he would end up offending everyone and lying there alongside them.
It was a two-zhao-three golden body, not a twenty-three-zhao one.
At most, it was slightly stronger than a newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator, and that was assuming the opponent didn't have any killer moves up their sleeve.
It was far from enough for Shen Yi to act recklessly.
As he was deep in thought, a figure descended from the upstairs, exuding a strong alcoholic aura and taking steady steps.
He had a youthful face, messy long hair, and wore a loose, wide cyan robe that hung open at the chest, giving him a carefree and unruly air.
His narrow, elongated eyes seemed calm, yet they exuded a subtle chill that sent shivers down one's spine.
"Move aside."
He walked right behind the gray-robed elder.
The elder seemed frozen in place, only snapping out of it when the young man spoke up, and quickly stepped aside, bowing respectfully. "Senior Nie."
Nie Kun strode down the stairs.
Unlike the ruckus caused by Zhang Zhenren's arrival, the entire hall fell silent as he descended.
Just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he turned back and frowned, "Put away that thing at your waist, it's annoying to look at."
The gray-robed elder reached for the jade talisman at his waist, hesitating for a moment.
If not for past embarrassments, who would want to associate themselves and their faction with such a humiliating display?
It wasn't that he didn't want to put it away, he just didn't dare.
"I told you to put it away, can't you understand?"
Nie Kun's voice was indifferent, he didn't need to ask why, nor did he care whom the elder was wary of.
The gray-robed elder no longer hesitated and quickly put away the jade talisman. "Thank you, Senior Nie."
Just as Nie Kun reached the entrance, a ray of dark light flew out from his sleeve and transformed into a wide dark sword. He stepped onto the sword, and his entire body vanished from sight.
Breathing sounds returned to the hall.
Even Zhang Zhenren of Xuanguang Cave descended from the third floor, making sure that Nie Kun had truly left before heaving a sigh of relief.
If Nie Kun had also taken a fancy to this cave, then even if he, Zhang, was unwilling, he would have no choice but to meekly step aside and even thank him for his trouble.
Mei Xiyao walked out of the restaurant to see him off, standing respectfully for hundreds of breaths' worth of time.
Only then did she turn back and re-enter the hall.
Immediately, several Hunyuan Sect masters surrounded her. "Miss Mei, Senior Nie has finished his meal..."
The owner of the Eight Directions Food Pavilion had only cooked for Nie Kun, that old man had the ability to turn decay into wonder. A single exquisite dish was no less valuable than a rare treasure pill, after all, Nie Kun only consumed the essence of the meal, leaving the rest. This was common knowledge.
(End of Chapter)
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