Chapter 74

The three men frowned upon hearing this, but did not refute it.

"Ah, no, wait, perhaps you don't even have the spirit stones to enter the Heavenly Maiden Pavilion."

The voice grew clearer, and Gu Xuyao also saw its owner.

Wearing a white dress that swayed naturally, her long hair flowed like a black waterfall, her clear eyes twinkled brightly, and her slightly round oval face had a high nose bridge. Her skin was as fair as milk, smooth and delicate.

Seeing this person, the three men immediately became entranced. Gu Xuyao, however, didn't feel much, as although Zibi and Yixia had different styles, they were not much inferior in appearance.

"Ha ha ha, good, good, indeed, you live up to the legend of being the first beauty of Meteor City. I finally get to see you, my lady!"

The voice came from behind Gu Xuyao. Turning to look, he saw a man in a green robe with golden edges, holding a golden folding fan, his face full of pockmarks, and his eyes shining with unbridled lust as he looked at Su Yun.

"Hmph, I wondered why these ruffians dared to cause trouble in my shop. It turns out you, Master Liu, are backing them. No wonder, no wonder." Su Yun glanced at the man in the green robe with disgust and then ignored the three ruffians.

The man in the green robe laughed awkwardly but did not respond to Su Yun's words.

"Miss Su, how about we have a little chat at the Intoxicated Pavilion tonight? You know, spirit stones mean nothing to me, Liu Fu. How about this, I'll treat you to a 300-year-old wine from the Intoxicated Pavilion in Meteor City. It's very beneficial for cultivation, you know."

Liu Fu clearly came from a wealthy family. With a single thought, Gu Xuyao discovered that his cultivation was only at the third level of the Root Formation stage, yet these three Root Birth cultivators followed his orders.

However, in the cultivation world, having a good family background and a powerful sect as a backing was also a form of strength. Although Su Yun was beautiful, she did not dare to offend Liu Fu in Meteor City. She covered her mouth and smiled, glancing at Gu Xuyao.

"Master Liu, your kindness is too much for Su Yun. However, the fact is that I just agreed to drink and discuss the Dao with that fellow cultivator. You are a bit late, Master Liu."

Everyone's gaze followed Su Yun's slender finger and focused on Gu Xuyao. Now, Gu Xuyao was not only disheveled but also lacked a complete set of clothes. Under such scrutiny, he felt uncomfortable.

"Hmph, is that true?" Liu Fu looked at Gu Xuyao with hostility. Su Yun was just looking for an excuse to refuse, but he took it seriously.

Gu Xuyao glanced at Su Yun and saw her looking at him brightly. He sighed.

"I was just passing by and wanted to ask for a set of clothes. If you don't give me one, that's fine. Why are you pushing things onto me? Fellow cultivator, you are really not being fair."

One shouldn't always play the hero, especially when Gu Xuyao didn't even know Su Yun.

Liu Fu was taken aback, turned to look at Su Yun, who shrugged helplessly and shook her head, indicating she couldn't go to the Intoxicated Pavilion with him.

"Fine, since Miss Su has said so, let's follow the rules of the cultivation world. If I defeat him, you must go to the Intoxicated Pavilion with me. How about that?"

Liu Fu was all about saving face. This matter couldn't be easily resolved. As he spoke, he took out a miniature flying sword from a gourd at his waist. With a puff of air, the sword grew to three feet and hovered above his head.

"Let's do as Master Liu says." Su Yun said, bowing slightly.

Liu Fu nodded in satisfaction and then looked at Gu Xuyao with a fierce expression.

"Hey, you, you can't even afford clothes. Now, I'm giving you a chance. If you let me hit you with one strike and lose, I'll give you ten spirit stones, no, fifty spirit stones, enough for you to stay in Meteor City for a while. Don't worry, I won't use too much force. Although my magical treasure is a sixth-grade flying sword, you can rest assured, I..."

Actually, Gu Xuyao had long found Liu Fu annoying. Hearing these words, although he knew he should be patient, his temper was such that he couldn't control it when he was angry.

"Hey, why are you getting so close? I haven't finished talking. You don't have to rush to die!" Looking at the taller Gu Xuyao, Liu Fu broke out in a cold sweat.

Gu Xuyao frowned. He wanted to teach Liu Fu a lesson, but he also knew he couldn't be too harsh. With a flash, he grabbed the flying sword hovering above Liu Fu's head, exerted a little force, and a flash of lightning appeared. The flying sword was broken in half by Gu Xuyao.

"You!" Liu Fu was stunned, speechless. The three ruffians, seeing Gu Xuyao dare to destroy Liu Fu's magical treasure, immediately moved to attack.

But before they could act, several white silk ribbons appeared from nowhere, binding them into a large bundle, rendering them immobile.

"I said I'm just a passing cultivator. I didn't want to get involved, but you insisted on challenging me. According to the rules of the cultivation world, I have no choice but to accept."

With that, Gu Xuyao threw the broken sword on the ground, glanced at Su Yun, and turned to leave.

Offending a rich and powerful person like Liu Fu, regardless of the strength of his backing, it seemed he couldn't stay in Meteor City anymore.

He quickly determined the direction, feeling that the city gate should be to the east.

In the cities of the cultivation world, cultivators were not allowed to stay overnight on the streets. If discovered, they would be immediately expelled. Gu Xuyao, penniless and having offended someone, couldn't stay at an inn. Finding a job at a shop seemed difficult, and it wouldn't be good to involve others if he got into trouble. It was better to leave.

"Fellow cultivator, please wait."

Not far away, a voice suddenly came from behind. Gu Xuyao looked around and realized he was the only one there. Stopping, he turned to see the first beauty of Meteor City approaching.

"Miss Su, I've already been implicated by you and offended someone. Why are you stopping me now?"

It had to be said that Su Yun was very good at reading people. She felt that Gu Xuyao was a righteous cultivator and used him to deal with the troublesome Liu Fu.

"Fellow cultivator, may I ask your name?"

"Gu Xuyao."

"Brother Gu, I'm truly sorry for using you to make Liu Fu back off, but Su Yun is not the kind of person who forgets kindness." Su Yun bowed deeply in gratitude. "My clothing shop is short of someone like Brother Gu to manage it. Would you be interested? As for the pay, one spirit stone per day, how about that?"

Su Yun's sudden words surprised Gu Xuyao.

"Managing a shop? That sounds like an easy job, but I have a question." Gu Xuyao looked at Su Yun, who nodded solemnly. "Can I get a set of clothes as part of the job? Otherwise, I doubt anyone will come to the shop."

Su Yun was taken aback, then chuckled, her eyes curving like the bright moon.

Thus, Gu Xuyao stayed in Meteor City and got a set of clothes, though they were just ordinary Daoist robes.

Staying in Meteor City had many benefits. First, Gu Xuyao could rest and recover, quickly improving his cultivation. The atmosphere here was relatively peaceful, and he could meditate and practice when there were no customers in the shop. Additionally, although Meteor City was a small city, it allowed Gu Xuyao to gain a deeper understanding of the cultivation world.

Two months passed. During this time, Liu Fu came once. Seeing the tall Gu Xuyao in a black robe, he didn't cause any more trouble for Su Yun. From Su Yun, Gu Xuyao learned about Liu Fu's background. His family, the Liu Clan, operated in the spirit stone mining business, with headquarters far from Meteor City. Liu Fu was just a descendant of a minor branch of the Liu Clan, with no real power compared to the main lineage. Moreover, he was unskilled, and no one in the clan paid attention to him.

Through Aunt Xu and Su Yun, Gu Xuyao also learned about some significant entities in the Lingxiao Realm.

For example, the Heavenly Maiden Pavilion and the Intoxicated Pavilion were said to be run by two large organizations. No one knew where these organizations were or how big they were, but it was certain that their power was formidable, as they had branches in every cultivator city, regardless of size.

Such entities were deeply embedded in the lives of cultivators, like the Child's Hut.

In addition, many other shops had similar powerful backing, such as the Hongyu Pavilion, which specialized in magical treasures, and the Yellow Paper Shop, which supplied talismans. These were present in all cultivator cities.

Of course, what Gu Xuyao was most concerned about was the flying boat issue.

Through Su Yun, he learned about a place called the Divine Travel Post, which had flying boats to other places at regular intervals. These boats were protected by cultivators from the post, making them a popular choice for low-cultivation cultivator merchants.

"The Blue Supervisor Pavilion must know something about the Taiheng Sect. If I want to restore the Taiheng Sect's reputation, I must leave the jurisdiction of the Blue Supervisor Pavilion, no, it's best to leave the jurisdiction of the Three-Color Supervisor Pavilion..."

Gu Xuyao silently calculated. He felt unsafe here. Although Real Man Qiming wouldn't tell others about the Heavenly Evil Pearl, the death of so many Blue Supervisor Pavilion cultivators in the Taiheng Sect would be taken seriously by the Pavilion Master. A little investigation would reveal the truth about the Heavenly Evil Pearl, and he would secretly search for survivors of the Taiheng Sect.

But these were future concerns. What Gu Xuyao needed to do now was cultivate, break through to the Root Birth stage, and improve his strength. That was the most important thing.

As the sun set and the stars shifted, three more months passed. Gu Xuyao thought he could continue to cultivate peacefully until a person walked into the shop...

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