Although Qin Ping worked as a servant in the Qin residence, he usually hired a carriage whenever he had to travel long distances. It had been a long time since he last walked such a distance on foot, and the exertion had truly taken a toll on him.
He could feel a dull swelling in his heels, accompanied by a sharp, needle-like pain. Not to mention his throat, which had long become hoarse and uncomfortable from talking too much.
Yet, when he saw his new master still brimming with enthusiasm, peering into a small porcelain shop and looking around curiously, he could only grit his teeth and force himself to follow.
After all, if the master hadn’t complained of fatigue, how could he, a mere servant, dare to voice his grievances?
“I’m a bit hungry. Should we find a place to have lunch?”
Just as Qin Ping caught up to Han Li, he heard his master turn around and speak these utterly sincere words. Instantly, Qin Ping became excited and eagerly agreed, enthusiastically suggesting a small tavern not far away. He lavishly praised the tavern’s signature dishes, making them sound absolutely divine.
Han Li found it somewhat amusing but maintained a composed expression, indicating that Qin Ping could decide. Without delay, Qin Ping eagerly led him into the modest two-story tavern.
The first floor was filled with ordinary patrons eating simple meals, while the second floor was reserved for those of higher status and standing.
Naturally, Qin Ping wouldn’t let Han Li dine on the first floor, even though his master seemed somewhat tempted by the idea.
The second floor was sparsely occupied, with only three or four tables occupied.
One table, in particular, stood out—three men and two women dining together, a sight that was quite unconventional for the times.
When Han Li entered the floor, he couldn’t help but glance at that table, and what he saw gave him pause. All five of them were Qi Condensation stage cultivators with at least ten layers of foundational cultivation—an unusual gathering indeed.
“Could they be from the Six Devilish Sects?” Han Li wondered to himself.
Immediately, he restrained the spiritual energy around him, employing the “Qi Concealment Art,” a technique only cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage could master, to retract his spiritual energy into his body. To lower-level cultivators whose cultivation was far inferior to his, Han Li would now appear no different from an ordinary mortal.
“Young Master, please take a seat here!” Qin Ping endured the pain in his feet and guided Han Li to a table by the window. He diligently wiped the wooden chair with his sleeve before smiling warmly and inviting Han Li to sit.
Han Li wore an apologetic expression and promptly asked Qin Ping to sit with him.
This time, Qin Ping didn’t protest too much. After a few polite refusals, he obediently took a seat. His feet were in too much pain for him to care about formalities, and fortunately, the newly arrived Young Master Han didn’t seem to mind such conventions.
As soon as they were seated, a waiter swiftly approached and humbly asked, “What would you two esteemed guests like to order? Our tavern has several famous signature dishes.”
“Bring us a table of fine food and wine, and serve every one of your signature dishes. Use the best ingredients—my young master is from the Qin residence!” Knowing that Han Li likely wasn’t well-versed in ordering food, Qin Ping took the initiative to speak on his behalf. Mentioning the Qin residence instantly made him puff up with pride.
As expected, the name of the Qin residence worked like a charm. The waiter immediately began bowing and scraping, becoming even more obsequious before hurrying off to relay the order.
Han Li paid no attention to his attendant’s show of authority. Instead, he focused all his attention on the table of cultivators not far away.
Strangely, he felt that one of them, a blue-clad man in his thirties, looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn’t place him—definitely not someone he knew well.
The men at that table, including the blue-clad man Han Li found familiar, all wore gloomy expressions, silently drowning their sorrows in alcohol. The two somewhat attractive women, meanwhile, stared blankly at the table full of food without touching their chopsticks, seemingly without any appetite.
Their demeanor suggested they were facing significant troubles, making it unlikely that they were demonic cultivators infiltrating the State of Yue.
Among them, the blue-clad man was one of the younger ones, with only a woman in her twenties being younger than him.
“Young Master, the food is here. Please eat!” Qin Ping’s respectful voice sounded in Han Li’s ear.
The waiter had efficiently laid out the dishes, covering the entire table.
“Hehe, let’s eat together!” Han Li smiled sheepishly, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.
He then unceremoniously picked up a dish and began chewing vigorously. In reality, however, he was secretly releasing his spiritual sense to closely monitor every move of the cultivators.
Just as Qin Ping saw Han Li start eating and picked up his own chopsticks, the oldest among the cultivators, a dark-faced elder, stopped drinking and suddenly cast a soundproof barrier around their table. Once the barrier was in place, he spoke: “Everyone, eat something. Since our lives are now in someone else’s hands, we, the Meng Mountain Five, can only take one step at a time! At the very least, we didn’t meet a fate worse than death—that’s already better than what happened to others.”
Although the soundproof barrier was active and the elder’s voice was soft, every word was crystal clear to Han Li. The soundproofing spell of a Qi Condensation stage cultivator was as good as nonexistent to Han Li’s formidable spiritual sense.
The elder’s words piqued Han Li’s interest, as he realized he might overhear some secrets.
Perhaps the dark-faced elder’s persuasion had some effect, as the two women finally began eating a few bites in silence. However, their distracted expressions made it clear they were tasting none of the flavors.
“Big Brother, are we really going to let them manipulate us like this? If it comes to it, we can secretly inform the Seven Sects. Surely they can deal with these people!” the blue-clad man said fiercely after downing two mouthfuls of strong liquor.
“*Cough*, Fourth Brother! It’s not that simple,” the dark-faced elder shook his head gently, his face full of helplessness.
Hearing this, the youngest among them, a woman in white, couldn’t help but ask, “Big Brother, why not? Wouldn’t the Seven Sects want to eliminate these villains? Hundreds of our fellow cultivators in the State of Yue have already fallen into their hands.”
As she spoke, her face was filled with resentment.
In contrast to the passionate words of the younger man and woman, the other two, a man and a woman in their forties, exchanged bitter smiles. It seemed they understood the elder’s concerns.
Hearing this, Han Li grew surprised, feeling as though he had stumbled upon something significant.
Yet, his expression remained unchanged as he continued eating several mouthfuls of dishes, earning praise from Qin Ping for his hearty appetite.
Han Li smiled faintly, his face slightly flushed, as if realizing his behavior was somewhat improper, and slowed his pace of eating.
Meanwhile, the dark-faced elder sighed and began explaining to the blue-clad man and the woman in white.
“In truth, seeking help from the Seven Sects would be futile!”
“First, we loose cultivators are well aware of the current situation of the Seven Sects. They’ve already deployed all their forces to resist the demonic invasion, and it’s uncertain whether they can even hold their ground. How could they possibly spare manpower to help us loose cultivators? Moreover, these villains include Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. Ordinary cultivators would be useless against them. Otherwise, how could the five of us have been captured so easily?”
“Second, even if the Seven Sects were willing to help out of camaraderie, don’t forget—these villains always wear masks and never reveal their faces. Even the place where they cornered us was just a randomly chosen dilapidated temple. There’s no trail to follow! Worse still, they’ve placed strange restrictions on us. If we don’t receive their periodic treatments, we’ll likely die gruesome deaths! Can you guarantee that the Seven Sects can lift these restrictions? Remember, since they dared to let us go so confidently, these restrictions must be uniquely crafted and far from easy to break!”
The more the dark-faced elder spoke, the deeper his frown became. By the end, even he seemed disheartened.
“Then are we really going to help them commit evil? Assist them in trapping other cultivators?” the woman in white asked, her face pale with obvious reluctance.
“Fifth Sister! As Big Brother said, we can only take one step at a time now! Fortunately, we have some time. Let’s hope that we, the Meng Mountain Five, can come up with a way to free ourselves without compromising our morals!” a tall, thin man in his forties comforted her.
But everyone knew these words were merely empty consolation, a way to deceive themselves. If they couldn’t find a solution in the past two days, what were the chances they would devise a plan to escape months later?
After these words were spoken, the group fell into silence once more, their faces clouded with worry again.
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