âNorthern region of Veluriyam Capital, Bluesky Nation, Goldtower City...â By next morning, Jiang Chen had memorized all the roads and pathways on the map in the jade token. He kept a low profile when he left Sacred Peafowl Mountain. Once heâd exited the main territory of the Capital, he activated Kunpeng Meteoric Escape, which increased his speed by three times.
The feeling of absolute speed cheered him up a little. He was worried about his father, but there was little he could do. Worrying wouldnât help the situation one bit. The only thing he could do right now was find his father as quickly as he could. Father, the heavens will surely favor a good person like you. Please be safe so that we may reunite one day. If someone really took mother away, you can rest assured that I will set things straight. It doesnât matter how powerful motherâs family is. I will not turn a blind eye to this!
He was no longer the same person as before. He had improved by leaps and bounds and could now hold his own in the Upper Eight Regions. Also, he was the young lord of Sacred Peafowl Mountain, the future ruler of Veluriyam Capital. Nobody would ever dare to ignore a person of his stature.
In the past, Jiang Chen would have taken three to five days to travel from Veluriyam Capital to Bluesky Nation. But now, he reached his destination in just half a dayâs time. There was at least a hundred cities and nations, big and small, under Veluriyam Capitalâs rule. Each nation or city was on par with a third-ranked sect. There were some even on the same level as a second-ranked sect, but not that many of them. Veluriyam Capitalâs most important stronghold in the northern region was a notable nation on par with a second-ranked sect.
The gate checks were much more lenient this time because Jiang Chen was traveling to Goldtower City from the inner regions of Veluriyam Capital. When he entered the city, he realized how influential the Veluriyam Pagoda was in the entire region. There were also three pagodas in the middle of Goldtower City. They copied the layout of the Veluriyam Pagodas at a one-third fraction.
It seems that Bluesky Nation has a great sense of belonging with Veluriyam Capital. Thatâs a good thing. Jiang Chen immersed himself in the hustle and bustle of Goldtower City. It couldnât be compared to the main district of Veluriyam Capital, but this was the most bustling city Jiang Chen had ever seen outside of the Capital.
The Prancing Pony was a second-rate inn in the city. It was a place mostly visited by wandering cultivators and located in a more isolated part of Goldtower City. It was built on a bigger piece of land because of the distance, which was why the inn grounds spanned further than most. When he arrived at the inn, he matched it with the map in his mind. Brother Ji said that the information station is right over here.
Jiang Chen was dressed plainly in a disguise. He seemed just like a common wandering cultivator. The associate didnât seem particularly enthused when he saw him.
âWill you be staying? Thatâll be three thousand spirit stones for a night in the sky grade rooms. Thereâs a five percent discount if you stay more than three days. The earth grade rooms are one thousand spirit stones a night, and the regular rooms are three hundred spirit stones a night. The same discount applies for all three rooms.â The associate had memorized his lines well, but there wasnât the slightest hint of a professional smile on his face at all.
âIâm looking for someone.â Jiang Chen smiled faintly.
The associate immediately frowned when he heard those words. âYou can register for bounty missions over there.â The Prancing Horse Inn ran as an inn and also as an information station. They also provided bounty and headhunting services.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âIâm looking for Niu Wuhua.â
âNiu... youâre looking for Steward Niu?!â The associate was surprised at first, but his surprise quickly turned into mockery. âThere are at least ten cultivators looking for our shopkeepers every day. However... they donât recognize these visitors most of the time. Esteemed guest, youâre not asking for our shopkeeper so you can ask for handouts, right?â It was evident that the associate didnât think that Jiang Chen was qualified to meet the shopkeeper. He was judging based on appearances.
Jiang Chen smiled and didnât mind. He swept his eyes across the counter to find someone easier to talk to. Someone dressed as a manager coincidentally walked out from a door behind the counter and heard the associateâs words. He frowned immediately. âXiao Wang, youâre not minding your tongue again! How many times must I tell you to not be impudent and disrespectful to the customers?!â
The manager was clean shaven and seemed a little scholarly. He was much more likable than the associate.
âMy sincerest apologies, dear customer. This associate is new and is still rather unfamiliar with our rules.â The middle-aged attendant apologized.
The Prancing Pony was a business. They would never want to offend their customers. Besides, one should never judge others by their appearances. There was no need to offend others, even if they were only a wandering cultivator. The world of martial dao was simply too chaotic. Offending someone could potentially result in a series of disasters. The associate had been too tactless and in fact usually offended at least five customers every day. He would have been fired from the inn in less than ten days if his brother-in-law wasnât one of the shopkeepers here.
The associate felt humiliated after being reprimanded. âManager Qiu! What do you mean by being new? Iâve been working here for at least eight months, alright? You have no right to say that Iâm unworthy! This one here doesnât know the rules, alright? All he talks about is looking for someone, and even mentioned Steward Niu by his name! Iâm only teaching him manners! Is that such a big deal?â
Teaching him manners? Manager Qiu snorted coldly. How could he teach something he knew nothing about to others? That was the joke of the century! However, the manager didnât want to pursue matters further in front of the customer. He didnât want others to think that the inn had management issues.
âXiao Wang, just let it go for now,â he responded noncommittally and looked back over. Manager Qiu promptly got back to Jiang Chen. âHonored customer, youâre here to see Steward Niu?â
Jiang Chen smiled, as he had a good impression of Manager Qiu. âIs Niu Wuhua the shopkeeper here? Iâm not sure if weâre speaking about the same person.â
This complicated things a little for Manager Qiu. âDear customer, why are you asking to see Steward Niu if you donât know his identity?â he asked with a wry smile. Manager Qiu was starting to agree with Xiao Wang. Was this unremarkable guy here to ask for handouts? Steward Niu was well known for being charitable. He had helped many with their financial woes and was loyal to his friends and generous to the needy. He was actually a heroic figure in Goldtower City.
âIs he here or not?â Jiang Chen was running out of patience.
Manager Qiu sighed gently. âItâs been a few days since heâs come to the inn.â
âOh? Doesnât he own this inn? Why wouldnât he come? Has he run into some trouble?â Jiang Chen frowned.
âHis inn? That wonât be true in a short while,â Xiao Wang interjected with a cold laugh.
Manager Qiu was obviously unamused by Xiao Wang. He conveyed his displeasure thoroughly with a cold hard glare. Xiao Wang was also incredibly thick faced and just leered back, as if he had done nothing wrong. He obviously didnât respect Manager Qiu very much.
Jiang Chen sniffed coldly at Xiao Wang. âWith an associate like him, I can understand why the Prancing Pony is going under.â
It was almost as though he had stepped on Xiao Wangâs tail. The associate recoiled in fury and began to throw out expletives like a firecracker, âYou damn bastard! What are you trying to imply with that? Are you here to pick a fight? Somebody get in here! This man is here to pick a fight with the Prancing Pony!â
A group of fighters swarmed into the inn from behind after they heard Xiao Wang yell. They seemed incredibly vicious.
âWhich bastard is it? Whereâd he get all that brazenness from? How dare he cause trouble in our inn?!â
âLittle brat! Is it you?!â
Manager Qiu immediately tried to resolve the situation. âLeave, all of you! This is the front of the inn! Weâre here to do business! How can you be so rude in front of our guests!â
The fighters glanced at Manager Qiu, but none of them backed down. Xiao Wang yelled arrogantly, âThis bastard is clearly not here to do business! Iâm almost certain that heâs only here to pick a fight! Our innâs reputation will be ruined if we donât show him whoâs boss!â
There wasnât all that many people in the innâs hall. A few wandering cultivators were there, but none of them wanted to be involved. They were only interested in watching from the sidelines.
Jiang Chen clicked his tongue disapprovingly. A manager powerless against a mere associate! Moreover, the fighters were ignoring the commands of a manager and instead following the orders of an associate. Management here was a mess. He began to doubt the authenticity of the inn. Did Brother Ji make a mistake? How can a place as disorganized as this have valuable information? It wasnât that he didnât trust Ji San. His first impression of the inn was simply rotten beyond belief.
The group of fighters was actually quite strong. Three of them were at initial sage realm, while the other three were at half-step sage realm. They were good enough to serve as punching bags. Jiang Chenâs gaze swept across the fighters. âWhat, are you going to fight me?â He sounded cold and ruthless.
âBrat, youâve insulted our inn! Iâll let you go if you kneel before us and apologize.â
âIf you donât, weâll break your legs and make you crawl out of the inn!â