Chapter 431 - 271: Eternal Night Forest, Part 2

Chapter 431: Chapter 271: Eternal Night Forest, Part 2

But the foreman just spat lightly. "You’re giving them too much credit, young man. Of that million in protection money, at least eighty percent goes to their higher-ups. After it lands in their pockets and they’ve paid for treating injuries and supporting families, there’s not much left!"

"Gangs like Blood Blade, which are only supported by a few Inner Qi Martial Artists, are the lowest-tier gangs here in Mengchu City."

"They can’t get a piece of the really profitable businesses."

Yu Fei moved closer to the foreman and asked, "Then what kind of business is profitable?"

But the foreman just gave a strange smile. "What kind of business is profitable, you ask? The kind that costs nothing to start, of course!"

"I can see you’re a man of means, so let me give you a word of advice. If you’re just looking to have some fun in the city, that’s fine. At least these big shots have to save face, so public order is decent enough. As long as you don’t get involved in gang activities, your safety is more or less guaranteed."

"But if you want to leave the city, you must find a reliable team to protect you!"

"I’ve said my piece. You think it over..."

With that, the foreman left.

Yu Fei watched his retreating back and let out a soft laugh, then continued to enjoy his meal.

’This guy seems enthusiastic, but... is there truly such a thing as unmotivated kindness in this world?’

He didn’t want to stir up trouble. This Wilderness Inn also offered lodging, so Yu Fei decided to stay there.

His strolls through Mengchu City over the past two days hadn’t been aimless.

Using his powerful perception, he had already figured out the city’s superficial rules and gotten a handle on the common scams and traps.

In a Martial Arts Extraordinary World, true power comes from within.

Perception Secret Techniques were Divine Powers that only direct disciples of major sects could master in ancient times. Nowadays, the prodigies from the Seven Greats were no different in status from those direct disciples.

With the passive perception mode of the Void Clearing Mirror, Yu Fei easily gathered the information he needed.

The city’s rangers all belonged to gangs. When leading groups, some were responsible, while others specialized in stabbing their clients in the back. And then there were those in between, whose actions depended on how great the profit was.

Yu Fei didn’t want any unnecessary complications. He found an agency with a decent reputation and planned to hire their services.

For an ordinary person arriving in a strange place, it would be impossible to figure things out. The information available was a chaotic mix of truth and lies, making it hard to distinguish one from the other.

Yu Fei had no such troubles. Using the auditory aspect of his Five Senses Secret Skill, combined with his clairvoyant ability, he could glean enough information from their private, hidden conversations.

Celestial Guidance.

This was his target. It was managed directly by the Iron Banner Gang, one of Mengchu City’s eight top-tier gangs, and it offered the highest level of ranger-led group services.

The storefront of Celestial Guidance was a twelve-story pagoda built from extraordinary wood in an antique style.

As soon as Yu Fei entered, two rows of twelve beautiful women dressed in antique-style maiden outfits bowed in greeting, their voices synchronized and melodious.

"Wel~come~"

’How elaborate!’

Yu Fei gave a slight nod to the hostesses and saw a beautiful woman approaching to greet him. She wore a purple qipao and high heels, her long hair pinned up high, and had a pure and gentle smile.

’Hmm! This woman is at the Inner Qi Realm, but her cultivation is quite superficial.’

Yu Fei judged instinctively. As for the hostesses, they were all uniformly at the third realm, which was rather common.

"Hello, sir. Celestial Guidance is pleased to serve you. I am the five-star manager, Su Wei. This way, please!"

Yu Fei nodded and followed Su Wei to a reception room on the second floor. No sooner had he sat down than another hostess in a miniskirt came over to pour tea. On the table was an assortment of local specialty fruits, which contained a fair amount of extraordinary energy.

’The local gangs offer pretty good service.’

"Hello, sir. May I ask for your esteemed surname?"

"Hmm... Gao. Gao Yunxiang."

"Mr. Gao, hello. We at Celestial Guidance offer a wide variety of services at multiple levels: realm exploration, searching for Spirit Plants, exotic beasts, mid-to-high-grade spirit wood, scientific research..."

"What kind of help do you require? In the fields I just mentioned, Celestial Guidance is absolutely the most professional team in this realm. You can rest assured!"

"Here is some information we can show, with permission from our clients."

Yu Fei’s interest was suddenly piqued. "You handle research projects too?"

He picked up a brochure and flipped through it.

Su Wei explained patiently, "We don’t have the capability to conduct research ourselves, but we’ve had the honor of handling business for Tianwen University. The specific details of that business, however, cannot be disclosed!"

"What other business have you done for the Seven Greats?"

"You must be joking, sir. It was our good fortune to even handle business for Tianwen. But truth be told, while Celestial Guidance has some expertise in exploring this realm, if an entity on the level of the Seven Greats had a project they were interested in, our level of strength would be nowhere near enough to participate."

"That’s true!"

Yu Fei understood. The "business" Su Wei mentioned handling for Tianwen probably wasn’t official. Perhaps a student had privately hired them for something, and now they were using it to bluff and bolster their reputation.

Mengchu City was said to have eight major gangs, but there were only four resident Grandmasters in the city, and not a single expert at a higher level.

The city’s Gang Qi combat power was far inferior to that of the Red Sun Realm.

"I need a guide to take me to the vicinity of the Eternal Night Forest!"

Yu Fei spoke, enunciating each word clearly. Su Wei’s expression instantly soured, and she even shot to her feet, looking at him in disbelief.

"Sir, are you joking? The Eternal Night Forest? Are you sure you want to go to a place like that?"

Yu Fei raised a hand and peeled an orange-like fruit. Its peel was white, and its taste was surprisingly sweet.

He popped the segments into his mouth one by one and asked unhurriedly, "Why? You can’t do it?"

Su Wei immediately calmed down and slowly sat back down. A professional smile appeared on her face as she began to speak slowly:

"Mr. Gao, you misunderstand. The Eternal Night Forest is far too dangerous. Since you’ve mentioned it, you must be well aware that the weakest desolate beasts in the Eternal Night Forest are at least 6th-rank, equivalent to our human Gang Qi Martial Artists. Furthermore, 7th-rank desolate beasts are very common, and it’s dangerous even for a Grandmaster to go there."

"Moreover, desolate beasts have thick hides and tough flesh, and some even possess innate Divine Powers, making them stronger than the average Martial Artist. And that’s not to mention the omnipresent distorting force within the Eternal Night Forest. The desolate beasts there are constantly evolving, and 7th-rank ones are extremely common!"

"You must be aware of the dangers involved!"

Su Wei said, emphasizing each word. ’Could he be a sacrificial pawn sent by a rival gang?’ she wondered, suspecting his motives.

’Mr. Ye, the Grandmaster, is currently away. Escorting someone into the Eternal Night Forest is impossible without the power of a Grandmaster. If this man makes the request and Celestial Guidance refuses due to insufficient strength, it will undoubtedly damage our reputation.’

’If he makes a scene, it’ll be big trouble!’

’But if we agree...’

’No, if he insists on going, I’ll just quote him an exorbitant price to make him back down!’

Su Wei made up her mind.

Yu Fei picked up an unfamiliar red berry. It burst with juice in his mouth, the sensation cool and refreshing. It tasted pretty good.

’I should buy some of these later,’ he mused. ’I can put them in my storage space and add to my snack collection.’

"The Eternal Night Forest is exactly where I want to go, and I’m well aware of the dangers!"

"I need a guide to show me the way. It’s all forest out there, and thick fog is common. It’s easy to get lost!"

This was Yu Fei’s real concern. He had no idea how long it would take to fight his way there alone.

Without the ability to fly, it was difficult to get a bird’s-eye view. This world was full of mountains and forests. Even though he didn’t lack supplies, finding the Eternal Night Forest would likely take a great deal of effort.

The smile remained on Su Wei’s face, but it had lost all its warmth, becoming more of a professional mask.

"I’d like to confirm with you, do you need to go *inside* the Eternal Night Forest, or is just getting near it enough?"

Yu Fei looked up at Su Wei, wondering what sort of scenarios she was inventing in her head. She had suddenly developed a fair amount of animosity toward him, though it wasn’t intense—more like disgust.

’How strange. They’re running a business. If they can do the job, great. If not, then just say so.’

"You just need to get me to the edge of the Eternal Night Forest. My main concern is getting lost and wasting time!"

’If Gao Yunxiang had insisted on going *into* the Eternal Night Forest, he was definitely up to no good,’ Su Wei thought, suddenly unsure. ’But just the outskirts...’