Chapter 246 - 27: City-wide Search, Seven Stars’ Invitation

Chapter 246: Chapter 27: City-wide Search, Seven Stars’ Invitation

This also confirmed he hadn’t been exposed, and his heart finally settled.

With that thought, Chen Ye clapped Yun Heqing on the shoulder. "Alright, stop looking. Time to get to work."

"You got it!" Yun Heqing immediately perked up, casting his fear of the Government Office to the far corners of his mind. After all, making money was what mattered most!

The little trio was now working together with increasing synergy, and business was absolutely booming.

During this time, they overheard plenty of gossip about the city-wide search.

"Did you hear? I heard they caught several spies from the Blood Soul Sect in the west district last night!"

"That’s nothing! I heard the Demon Slayer Department even cornered a Squad Leader from the Black Death Sect in a rat hole. It was a brutal beating!"

"Tsk, tsk. Celestial Sword Manor is furious this time. They’re planning on tearing this place apart! I wonder which poor bastard caused all this trouble."

Listening to the chatter, Yun Heqing couldn’t help but shrink back, while Su Yuan listened with great relish. Only Chen Ye’s expression remained as placid as a still well.

’He almost wished Celestial Sword Manor and Qingzhou Prefecture City would make an even bigger scene. The more fiends and scoundrels they rooted out, the better.’

’That way, everyone’s attention would be focused on those who were caught, making him even safer by comparison.’

The sun set, marking the end of another busy day.

The trio packed up their stall and prepared to return to their inn.

Today’s haul had been excellent. Yun Heqing was grinning from ear to ear, humming an off-key tune the entire way back, while Su Yuan contentedly nibbled on a tanghulu.

Watching these two characters, Chen Ye felt a rare sense of relaxation wash over him.

’Still,’ he thought, ’the trading convention is drawing to a close. Many Cultivators are leaving, so these days of quietly raking in cash won’t last much longer.’

’But it’s enough. The silver I’ve saved up will support my Cultivation for a good long while.’

Lately, Chen Ye had also felt a premonition during his Cultivation—it wouldn’t be long before he broke through to the Sea Condensation Realm.

’Anyone else would be utterly flabbergasted by this Cultivation speed, but I’m not surprised. Leveling up my Profession also boosts my Cultivation; the two are intertwined.’

Just as Chen Ye was pondering his next move, two figures suddenly appeared at the mouth of the alley ahead, blocking their path.

They were a man and a woman, both dressed in matching, well-tailored cyan martial attire. The fabric was high-quality, and embroidered on their chests in silver thread was the pattern of the Big Dipper.

Both looked young—the man handsome, the woman beautiful—and they both exuded an air of sharp competence.

Though they were just standing there, the faint fluctuations of Energy they emanated revealed they were both Cultivators of at least the Unobstructed Realm.

Seeing this, Chen Ye stopped in his tracks, his gaze turning cold.

Beside him, Yun Heqing’s face went pale with fright, and he quickly ducked behind Su Yuan, who was in the middle of eating her tanghulu.

As for Su Yuan, her round face instantly turned serious. She swallowed the rest of her tanghulu in two bites and demanded coldly, "What do you want?"

Having made money hand over fist the past couple of days, Su Yuan had grown quite fond of running the stall. She wouldn’t let anyone interfere with her business.

Just as Su Yuan was about to unleash her poison, the man smiled and said, "Miss, please don’t misunderstand."

"We mean no harm. We just want to get acquainted with our friend here, Chen Ye."

His gaze passed over Su Yuan, landing on Chen Ye behind her.

"Get acquainted with me?" Chen Ye raised an eyebrow.

"That’s right." The man nodded and offered Chen Ye a cupped-fist salute, his attitude perfectly polite. "I am Lu Feng, and this is my companion, Lin Yue. We’re from the Seven Stars Pavilion."

"Seven Stars Pavilion?" Chen Ye mentally searched for the name but came up blank.

Clearly, it wasn’t a renowned major Sect in the Qingzhou region.

"It’s understandable that you haven’t heard of the Seven Stars Pavilion. We’re just a loose alliance of Treasure Hunters, formed to help each other out, share information, and work together for mutual benefit," Lu Feng explained with a smile. "And we’ve been observing you for a while now, Chen Ye."

As soon as he said that, a chill ran through Chen Ye.

’So it’s true,’ he thought. ’Even though I did my best to keep a low profile, I was still noticed!’

"Your eye for treasure is truly admirable," the woman, Lin Yue, spoke up from the side. Her voice was clear and pleasant, tinged with a friendly smile.

"To unearth a valuable treasure with nearly every purchase... even the veterans in our Pavilion would struggle to do that."

Chen Ye’s expression didn’t change. He looked at Lu Feng and Lin Yue and said flatly, "And? What is it you want?"

The smile on Lu Feng’s face widened. "Here’s the thing. Our Pavilion Master has taken a great liking to you, Chen Ye. He sent us to invite you and your two friends to the Drunken Immortal Tower for a drink, so we can get acquainted and discuss some business."

"There’s no need." Chen Ye refused without the slightest hesitation. "If you have something to say, say it here. If I’m interested, we can talk more. If not, we can all go our separate ways and save each other’s time."

His attitude was direct, bordering on rude.

Lu Feng and Lin Yue exchanged a glance, seemingly unsurprised by his reaction.

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Feng nodded. "Very well. Since you’re a straightforward man, I won’t beat around the bush."