90 - A Farewell to Mr. Luo

Chapter 90 To be honest, Bai Fan was taken aback when she heard that it was over a hundred spirit stones for one night. Such an exorbitant price was practically akin to daylight robbery. “This expensive?” Mingzhu blinked her eyes in confusion. To her, the concept of a hundred spirit stones didn’t hold much weight. She used to have an endless supply of spirit stones and couldn’t even recall exactly how many she had in the past. Noticing Bai Fan's shock, Qiangzi quickly explained, “Because at Crescent Lake, not only can you secure lodging, but there are also auctions and diverse sources of information available. So, staying one night is definitely worth it.” “I see.” Bai Fan still felt it was somewhat overpriced. The items at the auction would also require spirit stones, and those diverse sources of information likely wouldn’t come cheap either. While Bai Fan was grappling with whether to go or not, Heyiman's voice broke her contemplation, "Lead the way." Qiangzi's face instantly lit up with a smile, “Alright.” Following behind, Bai Fan couldn’t help but feel her wallet ache. She calculated that it would cost her more than three hundred spirit stones for the three of them. Thinking about it made her heart bleed as she figured she’d need quite some time to earn that many, especially considering her previous expenditures at Xuanming. It seemed like she didn't even have three hundred spirit stones left. The thought of insufficiency made Bai Fan’s legs feel glued to the ground. The constant thought of not being able to pay and getting kicked out later filled her with unease. Swallowing hard, she caught up with Heyiman, shielding her mouth with her hand as she whispered urgently into her ear, “I don't have enough spirit stones.” A faint smile crept across Heyiman’s face, melting away like the snow in March. She responded softly, “It’s alright, I have enough.” “Really?” Bai Fan looked at Heyiman skeptically. Although she was aware that Heyiman had been away from the Floating Palace for a long time, surely, even if she had brought enough initially, she wouldn’t have much left after five or six years. “It’s fine. I don’t use spirit stones often, and this is a good opportunity to use them.” “Don’t you need to save some?” Mingzhu watched as Bai Fan and Heyiman whispered to each other. Feeling left out of the conversation, she was rather irked. It’s just spirit stones, isn’t it? When they got there, she’d pay. Maybe this would leave a good impression on Yehe. “Some things need to be spent appropriately.” When they arrived at Crescent Lake, Bai Fan felt as if she had reached the seaside. The lake's water was crystal clear, and the fine sand on the beach felt cool underfoot, devoid of the desolate heat, with a gentle breeze carrying a sweet and moist fragrance tickling her nostrils. Qiangzi enthusiastically introduced, “These are our famous Loulan melons. If you’d like, please try them, they’re delicious.” Bai Fan’s mouth watered as she eyed the yellow melons on a nearby stand. She wanted to try them, but everything here required spirit stones, which she couldn’t afford. As they reached the inn, she couldn’t help but marvel at this miracle. A large stone tablet stood outside, inscribed with the words “Crescent Lake,” and several robust cultivators were stationed at the entrance. All of them were at the late Golden Core stage, and the gazes that swept over Bai Fan made her skin prickle, as if they could see right through her. Standing at the entrance, Qiangzi quickly turned to them, “Wait here for a moment, I’ll get the tokens for you.” With that, the boy darted to the front desk, conversing with the innkeeper before finally receiving four jade tokens and rushing back to them. He handed out the tokens to each of the group, and pinned one on himself, explaining, “These jade tokens are vital for entering Crescent Lake. With this, we can choose our rooms on the second floor.” Bai Fan was puzzled as she held the token, “Don’t we need to pay spirit stones?” “This is just an entry token. You’ll only need to pay the spirit stones on the second floor to open the room. Generally, the tokens are used to count the number of people as some bring their subordinates. With the token, headcount can be precise.” “Oh, I get it.” Qiangzi led them inside, “Please follow me to the second floor.” Meanwhile, outside the city of Loulan, two men and a woman pursuing Bai Fan had arrived. At that moment, the muscular man’s pearl emerald bird chirped incessantly. “It seems that the dragon really did come here, although we might be too late, it already entered the city.” The effeminate man looked at bustling Loulan with frustration. The masked woman stepped inside, “Let’s follow it inside, locate it first without causing a commotion. Get close to her first.” Once inside, the trio exuded an aura that made the other cultivators avoid them. Loulan’s loose regulations meant many cultivators stayed clear of disturbances. The effeminate man sighed, “Looks like we’re attracting too much attention.” The masked woman gave him a cold look, “You find someone; I’ll check the inn with him.” With the masked woman and the muscular man blending into the crowd, the effeminate man became less conspicuous. He walked through the streets, the pearl emerald bird on his hand leaping about, serving as his guide. Smiling, he muttered, “Let’s go.” “Chirp, chirp!” The bird’s round body flitted like a tiny snowball, its wings flapping smoothly. It seemed to hover as it landed in front of an inn. “Here?” Before he could finish, a few male cultivators, one with a bandaged, mutilated arm, walked out of the inn. The emerald bird chirped again loudly. “Is it them?” The effeminate man hesitated before following discreetly. Walking along the path, one cultivator seethed, “They definitely did it. We underestimated those women. I’ll avenge this arm.” “I heard from the shop assistant that the three women left with a kid.” “Kid? There’s no kid in Loulan.” They continued down the street, grabbing a timid stall owner. “I’m asking you, have you seen a kid around here?” The poor stall owner, quivering, stuttered, “I s-saw him. He took a few female cultivators to Crescent Lake.” “Crescent Lake?” They had just arrived in Loulan and were unfamiliar with the surroundings. “Crescent Lake has an inn with rare item auctions and news exchanges. If you’re going there, make sure you bring enough spirit stones.” “What?” The angry cultivator flung the stall owner aside, taking his storage bag. Despising any more interaction, they considered him too insignificant to kill and walked away, leaving the desperate man holding onto his crippled arm, pleading not to lose his hard-earned savings. Other stall owners looked away, avoiding trouble, their cold indifference blanketing the city in a frosty atmosphere. “Ha, bargaining with me? Dream on.” With that, he kicked the stall owner, sending him flying into the wall, leaving a bloody, mangled mess behind him. The once bustling surroundings fell silent in grim acknowledgment. The effeminate man standing nearby merely smirked, commenting to the pearl emerald bird, “Pathetic worms.” “Chirp, chirp!” “Let’s head to Crescent Lake ourselves.” Upstairs, Bai Fan and her companions stood at the second-floor reception. Heyiman was currently negotiating with the Crescent Lake inn staff, handing over spirit stones. After the transaction, the staff member spoke. “Please hand me your jade tokens.” Bai Fan extended her hand and passed over the token, observing as the staff embedded it into a small formation. After a brief moment, the formation faded, and the tokens were returned to Bai Fan and the others. Qiangzi, seeing that Bai Fan and her group had secured their lodging, continued, “The auction is on the first floor, if you're interested. You can inquire about the news at the first-floor reception as well.” “Is that so?” Qiangzi nodded, feeling quite pleased. The cultivators in front of him didn’t bombard him with a slew of questions, making this the most carefree experience he’d had in a while. Previous clients often demanded exceptional service without wanting to pay, trying to be stingy even to the point of withholding tips. Unaware that Qiangzi also offered explanations, Bai Fan and her companions believed he was only there to show the way. Thus, Bai Fan readily handed him ten spirit stones—her most generous payment ever, especially since Heyiman had covered the accommodation cost entirely. Qiangzi, slightly flustered as he accepted the ten spirit stones, felt a twinge of guilt. The ease with which she gifted the spirit stones made him feel he hadn’t done enough. In an effort to make up for it, Qiangzi offered, “Since you currently have no other plans, I can guide you through the auction hall, free of charge.” Previous Chapter TOC Next Chapter Homepage Computer Version Bookshelf Novel List Popular Novels