Chapter 42

Since Ximen Shuai was wanted by the Cult of Demons, he kept a low profile. He landed more than forty miles away from Zhentian Pass with Yu Ming, then changed his clothes to become a carriage driver.

Although it was dangerous outside the pass, there were still many villages and towns. Moreover, there were wild ginseng and gold outside the pass, making it a popular activity for people inside the pass to venture out. The Emperor of Xizhou also exiled convicts to mine gold outside the pass, so the population outside the pass was not small, and the number of people entering and exiting Zhentian Pass every day was also very high.

Carriage drivers were one of these people. They transported goods from outside the pass to inside, and after the Zhentian Pass guards collected taxes according to the court's regulations, they allowed them to pass. Some people inside the pass also sold cloth and other goods to outside the pass, all of which required carriages.

Ximen Shuai wore a bamboo hat and a gray robe, while Lin Fan wore silk and brocade and put on a young master's hat. The carriage carried cloth, making them look like a young master and his servant going out to do business.

"Since there are the Nine Palace Protectors of the Cult of Demons and they have set up an array at Zhentian Pass, they will definitely see through our identities," Lin Fan worried. As a disciple of the righteous path, if the Cult of Demons found out he was with Ximen Shuai and questioned Yunqing Mountain, although it wouldn't be too serious, the Sect Master Sanzhen would think he had disgraced himself.

Ximen Shuai was unhappy, as he wanted to be the young master, but Lin Fan didn't want to drive the carriage either. They played a round of Xuanhe Pai, and Ximen Shuai, with a dark face, picked up the whip. Ximen Shuai, unwilling to answer, used the Heaven and Earth Reversal technique to write a '禁' (prohibition) character on Lin Fan's hand, making them undetectable by cultivators for two hours. However, during these two hours, Ximen Shuai and Lin Fan could not activate their true qi, making them ordinary people.

Zhentian Pass was large and magnificent. Since Xizhou was governed by Legalist principles, the law and order were very good, and the soldiers all performed their duties without extorting the people. Inside the pass, many people set up stalls to do business, selling goods needed both inside and outside the pass. On one side of Zhentian Pass, there were several wanted posters. Lin Fan specially instructed Ximen Shuai to pass by and saw his own portrait, with a reward of three taels of silver for information about his whereabouts.

"Three taels of silver?" Lin Fan laughed so hard his stomach hurt.

Ximen Shuai gritted his teeth: "Clearly a cultivator, yet they collude with the government's hounds. Truly unforgivable. I will take back the Cult of Demons sooner or later. Let's go!"

"I'm hungry," Lin Fan rubbed his stomach.

The Heaven and Earth Reversal technique had a drawback: it not only hid their status as cultivators but also made them experience the various physiological needs of ordinary people. Ximen Shuai said unhappily, "Bear with it!"

Lin Fan said, "Bear with it for half an hour to get out of the pass, and then drink the northwestern wind to fill up?" Lin Fan referred to abstaining from food and drinking wind and dew as drinking the northwestern wind.

"We are cultivators." As he spoke, Ximen Shuai's intestines rumbled. Ximen Shuai said helplessly, "There's a tavern over there, but I don't have money."

"Traveling outside without money?" Lin Fan looked down on him, but he felt a bit more fondness for Ximen Shuai. Did Ximen Shuai need money to eat? Using an illusion to turn a few taels of gold was very simple. The people of Yunqing Sect had rules against deceiving ordinary people, and the Cult of Demons did not bully the weak, which was a source of pride for them.

...

A tavern was close to the pass. It was large, with two floors. The first floor was mostly for common travelers and laborers, while the second floor had private booths separated by screens. It was noon, and the tavern was bustling with people. The first floor was filled with the sounds of conversation, shouting, and drinking games, making it feel like a market. Lin Fan liked this environment. Before he was nine, he loved going to the market, walking for miles just to squeeze through the crowds and spend the day there, even though he had no money to buy anything.

Ximen Shuai, however, didn't like the noise and frowned slightly. At this moment, a waiter approached and bowed: "Young master, please go upstairs."

"Okay!" Lin Fan nodded and said, "Give him a bowl of white rice and a dish of vegetables."

Who? Ximen Shuai was still wondering when the waiter pointed to a large table with people: "You can share a table over there."

Ximen Shuai looked at his clothes, gritted his teeth, and forced a smile: "Young master, the young lady just died. We should eat quickly and go out to collect the body."

Lin Fan slapped Ximen Shuai across the face: "Is the young lady someone you can talk about? Besides, if one young lady dies, there are still ten others."

No one had ever dared to slap Ximen Shuai. He was angry and ready to confront him, but at that moment, two men came down from the second floor. They wore cloth robes and carried swords, seemingly government officials, but their collars had a moon symbol, the mark of the Cult of Demons. Behind them was an old man. Ximen Shuai bowed his head slightly, puzzled. Why were the Nine Palace Protectors and two elite disciples visiting a tavern?

The Cult of Demons didn't notice Ximen Shuai and walked past Lin Fan. One of the men approached a waiter and whispered, "If you see her, report to General Zhang immediately. You will be rewarded."

"Yes," the waiter replied respectfully. People wearing such clothes changed every season, and there were always ten of them, personally dispatched by the Emperor of Xizhou to Zhentian Pass. The old man was likely a special envoy sent by the Emperor.

Strange, what is the Cult of Demons looking for? No, who are they looking for? Could they know I'm passing through Zhentian Pass? Ximen Shuai mused as he sat at the large table.

There weren't many people on the second floor, and it was quiet. The diners spoke in low voices, and occasionally, the soft laughter of a woman could be heard behind the screens. Lin Fan was generous and tipped a tael of silver, so the waiter led him to a private booth by the street. Lin Fan ordered five meat dishes... He had been drinking the northwestern wind for days and could only occasionally cook some wild vegetable soup, making his mouth tasteless.

The first dish arrived, and an old man and a young girl began to sing and play music on the second floor. Since Xizhou was governed by Legalist principles and Zhentian Pass was a military stronghold, there were no incidents of thugs forcing young girls, so Lin Fan had no chance to play the hero. Besides, with his current skills, he didn't have the ability to save anyone, and even his Green Jade Buddha Saber was 'banned' and lay quietly in the carriage.

There was some commotion outside the tavern. Lin Fan poked his head out and saw soldiers appearing on the street. Each squad had a leader with a portrait, asking people house by house. Soon, two soldiers appeared at the tavern. One pushed aside a screen, looked at Lin Fan, and unfolded the portrait: "Have you seen her?"

It was a portrait of a young woman with long hair and regular features, looking like a well-off family's daughter. Changing her hairstyle or shaving her beard would make it hard to recognize her from the portrait. However, Lin Fan noticed that the ink on the portrait was still wet, indicating it was freshly drawn. Lin Fan shook his head: "I don't know her."

"If you see her, report immediately, understood?"

"Understood," Lin Fan nodded.