Chapter 137 - 136: The Broker

Chapter 137: Chapter 136: The Broker

The shopkeeper leaned closer to the portrait, peering at it carefully in the dim light. A look of confusion crossed his face, and he quickly waved his hands. "N-no... I haven’t seen him, Sirs."

The disciple in the lead scowled, clearly displeased. He demanded in a harsh voice, "Think carefully! His surname is Bao! Have you had any suspicious lone travelers check in recently?"

Terrified by his demeanor, the shopkeeper shivered and shook his head like a rattle. "Truly, no, Sirs! My humble inn has had few guests these past few days, just passing merchants. No one like you described..."

The five disciples exchanged a glance, their gazes once again sweeping across the main hall like a fine-toothed comb.

Soon, their gazes landed in unison on a table in the darkest corner of the room.

There sat a lone man in gray robes, his head covered by a wide-brimmed conical hat and his face hidden by a mask.

He kept his head bowed, as if trying desperately to make himself smaller. Before him sat only a roasted chicken and a jug of unrefined wine, and his movements were stiff.

"Hey! You in the corner, with the hat!" a disciple shouted. "Take off your hat and mask!"

Gossip trembled violently. His voice, squeezed from behind the mask, carried a clear tremor. "S-Sirs, this... this humble one has contracted a shameful, foul disease. My face is already festering with sores and pus, it’s truly a ghastly sight. I’m afraid it will offend your eyes... I beg you, Sirs, be merciful..."

"Cut the crap!" another disciple interrupted impatiently. "I said take it off! Keep dawdling, and don’t blame us for what happens next!"

Terrified, Gossip began to tremble all over. He instinctively glanced toward Chen Li’s table, his eyes filled with desperate pleading.

However, Chen Li kept his eyes lowered, sipping his soup, turning a deaf ear to the conflict around him.

A hint of an amused smile played on Bai San’s lips as he watched the scene unfold with leisurely interest.

Linglong remained expressionless, sitting as still and poised as a lotus flower.

Chen Shouye frowned slightly, but seeing his father’s indifference, he too held his tongue.

Li Weikun and his two companions paid him even less mind.

No one responded to his plea for help.

"Damn it! Are you deaf? Looks like you’d rather do this the hard way!"

Seeing that Gossip still wasn’t moving, the disciple cursed and lunged to grab him.

At that critical moment.

THUD!

The last glimmer of hope in Gossip’s eyes died, replaced by a ruthless determination born of desperation.

He violently slammed a jet-black pellet, which he had been clenching in his hand, onto the floor!

With a muffled sound, a thick, acrid, grayish-white smoke instantly erupted, rapidly filling the entire main hall. The pungent odor sent everyone into coughing fits, their eyes streaming with tears as their vision blurred.

"COUGH, COUGH! What is this stuff?!"

"My eyes!"

From within the smoke came the furious shouts of the Celestial Sword Sect disciples, mixed with the CRASH of overturned tables and chairs.

The main hall instantly descended into chaos.

"Don’t let him get away!"

The furious shouts of the Celestial Sword Sect disciples rang out, but they were also hindered by the smoke, their vision temporarily obscured.

Amid the chaos, there was a loud CRASH as the inn’s back door was thrown open.

The five disciples cursed angrily, waving their sleeves to disperse the smoke. Ignoring everyone else, they all leaped out of the windows in pursuit, their footsteps quickly fading into the distance.

The main hall was in shambles. As the smoke slowly dissipated, only the dumbfounded shopkeeper and a few waiters, still choking and teary-eyed, were left.

Bai San leaned close to Chen Li and whispered with a troublemaker’s excitement, "Sir, it looks like they sent quite a force to catch Old Bao. Should we... go watch the fun?"

Chen Li put down his hot soup. "Jianghu feuds have nothing to do with us. Finish eating and return to your rooms. We have a long journey tomorrow."

Bai San rubbed his nose, looking disappointed, but said no more.

Their appetites ruined by the smoke from Gossip’s pellet, the group had no desire to eat anymore. They did as Chen Li said and returned to their rooms.

Chen Li’s guest room was pitch-black. He entered, lit the oil lamp on the table, and sat on the bench. "Come out," he said calmly.

The room remained silent. Not a sound, not a stir.

"If you don’t come out now," Chen Li snorted, "I can’t guarantee a sword won’t find its way under that bed."

His Divine Sense was incredibly sharp. Not just within his room, but throughout the entire inn, the slightest disturbance could not escape his notice.

He had noticed that when Gossip fled earlier, the man hadn’t actually escaped the inn, but had slipped into his room to hide.

"Don’t! Please, don’t! Sir, I’m coming out!"

Gossip cried out in a panic as he scrambled out from under the bed.

"Sir... Senior... Esteemed Master!"

Gossip crawled out on his hands and knees, his voice hoarse and trembling, on the verge of tears. "I didn’t mean to! They were just too close behind me! Please, for the sake of the goodwill from the information I gave you, save me! I’ll be your loyal servant to repay this debt!"

Chen Li frowned and took half a step back, his tone detached. "You must have the wrong person. I am just an ordinary traveler. What power do I have to interfere in a feud between you and a behemoth like the Celestial Sword Sect? Please leave at once."

Seeing Chen Li’s reaction, Gossip was so anxious he nearly kowtowed. "Senior, please don’t lie to me! I, Old Bao, came up as a Jianghu fortune-teller. I have no other skills; I make my living with my eyes. After decades of knocking around the streets, my greatest skill is reading people!

Your companions all have an extraordinary air about them. That young lady is definitely a Spirit Realm master, yet they all look to you as their leader! How could you possibly be an ordinary traveler? What’s more..."

He took a breath, his eyes showing a do-or-die certainty. "...in my line of work, I know a little about the art of observing auras. The aura around you is as deep as the sea and as solid as a mountain, with a hidden radiance contained within. Such a presence... I... I’ve only ever seen it on Grandmasters. You must be a Grandmaster! I beg you, show some mercy and save me!"

A flicker of surprise flashed in Chen Li’s eyes.

’He hadn’t expected this Gossip to possess such an esoteric skill, one that allowed him to discern his true level of power.’

’This man is talented!’

After a moment of silence, he spoke again, a scrutinizing edge to his voice. "Even if what you say is true, why should I offend a behemoth like the Celestial Sword Sect for a stranger like you?"

At these words, the color drained from Gossip’s face. His lips trembled and his eyes darted about, a fierce internal battle raging within him.

Chen Li turned, his tone growing cold. "If you have nothing of value to offer, then feel free to leave. Don’t bring trouble upon yourself and drag us into it."

"No! No! I have something to offer! I do!"

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Gossip lunged forward two steps, lowered his voice, and said hurriedly, "I’ll... I’ll be honest! I’m not an ordinary Jianghu information broker... I’m actually... from the Hidden Emperor Castle!"

Chen Li stopped in his tracks. He turned slowly, his gaze boring into the man.

Gossip kept his head bowed, speaking in a rapid-fire torrent. "Sir, don’t let my moniker, ’Gossip,’ fool you into thinking I’m all-knowing. In reality, who in this world has that kind of ability? If they did, they’d be a god, wouldn’t they? In the end, my title is just a front—I’m just a broker put forth by the Hidden Emperor Castle to be their face and handle their affairs.

All my information comes from the Hidden Emperor Castle’s spies and secret agents spread throughout Jiangzhou. Now that the Pig Emperor is dead, the only person in this world who knows the exact identities and contact methods for all of those agents is... is me! The real reason the Celestial Sword Sect is hunting me is because they want to seize that network!"