Just like the pair from the Vermilion Bird Sect, Zhao Yunxiao's group left shortly after they were done with their meal as well.
Since they still had time to spare, Zhao Yunxiao and Gu Qiansi brought Lu Zhiying around to explore Moonrise City.
Then again, Zhao Yunxiao was a lot more familiar with the place. So, it was probably more accurate to say that he was the one showing both Gu Qiansi and Lu Zhiying around.
While doing so, Zhao Yunxiao ignored all the regular stuff, focusing only on things that he believed were more relevant to them.
"See that insignia that bears the look of curved swords on the sign of that weapons shop?" Zhao Yunxiao pointed out. "This shop is run by the Flying Swords Hall, and sells treasure equipment at quite a good value."
"See that accessory shop? It is run by the Armed Ape Tower. If you have any urgent need for miscellaneous items and do not have time to head back to the mountain, that is the place to go. They sell all sorts of things, ranging from basic array flags to elixirs."
As the city nearest to Purple Plum Mountain, it was only to be expected that Moonrise City would be frequented by members of the Black Tortoise Sect.
For that reason, many factions had decided to set up shop here with an agenda in mind.
Not only would this earn them access to the most updated information, but it would also provide them with a permanent base at which they could stay, should they be visiting the Black Tortoise Sect.
Of course, there were also some factions that simply bought a residence.
However, those who could afford it would mostly choose to set up some sort of business that pandered to cultivators. This helped in active information collection through building ties with visitors to their shop.
Even if the shop itself operated at a net loss, just the information that they could gather here might be enough to make it more than worth the effort!
Zhao Yunxiao led the group through the city with the familiarity of a local, pointing these places out to them one by one.
Those who were not in the know might find it difficult to locate and identify all the shops run by cultivators, but Zhao Yunxiao knew exactly where each of them was.
As they were going around, the group also entered some of these shops to check out the goods on sale.
But since these were treasure items suitable for cultivators, they were priced using spirit stones instead of the currency used by ordinary mortals.
The thrifty Zhao Yunxiao was naturally unwilling to spend unnecessarily, simply taking the chance to check out the newest batch of goods that had been put on sale.
After all, even if he was not intending to buy any of these items, he had to at least know what the items available on the market were. This way, he could be prepared to deal with anyone possessing these items in the future!
"What about the Vermilion Bird Sect from earlier? Do they have a shop here as well?" Lu Zhiying asked out of curiosity.
"They don't," Zhao Yunxiao answered. "However, they do have a private residence here in Moonrise City, as is the case for the other two members of the Four Great Symbol Sects. It's just like how our Black Tortoise Sect has residences and shops in other major cities as well. However, these residences are usually left rather empty, with only servants staying there to keep things in good condition."
"The pair from earlier are probably staying there now, though," Gu Qiansi added.
"Probably," Zhao Yunxiao agreed.
"In that case, do we have a residence here as well?" Lu Zhiying asked. "Or is it too near Purple Plum Mountain for that?"
"As a matter of fact, we do," Zhao Yunxiao nodded proudly. "Not just that, but our residence is also the nicest building in the city!"
As the unofficial ruler of Moonrise City, how could they not have a point of physical presence here?
And since they did, who would dare to build something that looked grander than the residence of the Black Tortoise Sect?
If anyone truly dared to do something like that, it would be akin to challenging the prestige of the Black Tortoise Sect on its home turf!
"Really? Let's go take a look!" Lu Zhiying suggested excitedly.
"Haha, there's no hurry. After all, we will be going to stay there tonight anyway," Zhao Yunxiao laughed. "Let's finish exploring the city before we go."
"Yay, okay!" Lu Zhiying cheered.
Since they had to wait till tomorrow for Redaxe Hall to draft the new contract, it only made sense that they stayed in the city tonight.
And since the Black Tortoise Sect had a private residence here, they had no reason not to take advantage of that fact.
By doing this, not only would they not have to pay a single coin for their stay, but the quality of their stay would also be far higher than any other inns in the city!
The group did not rush while exploring the city, taking their own sweet time as they strolled through the streets, familiarising themselves with the various shops affiliated to cultivation factions.
With the arrival of dusk, Zhao Yunxiao finally led the group to the private residence of the Black Tortoise Sect.
As Lu Zhiying stood before the gate to the residence, she could not help but gasp in awe.
Zhao Yunxiao was not exaggerating when he said that it was the nicest building in the city.
Three separate towers stood out from within the compound, with the tallest one reaching twenty storeys and towering over every other building in the city. There were lamps lit on every level, making the towers appear like shining beacons with the night sky as the backdrop.
And the residence was not all about the three tall towers, either.
It took up a seemingly unnecessarily large area within the city, with beautiful gardens and even its own private lake included within the compound.
In fact, it looked grander than most of the buildings back on Purple Plum Mountain as well!
"Welcome to the Xuanwu Towers – private residence of the Black Tortoise Sect," Zhao Yunxiao introduced with an obvious sense of pride.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Gu Qiansi chuckled upon seeing Lu Zhiying's reaction. "I was just as surprised when I came here for the first time."
"Mm," Lu Zhiying nodded profusely before pointing to the tallest tower. "Will we be staying on the top floor?"
Zhao Yunxiao lightly grabbed her hand and adjusted the direction a little, pointing it towards the shortest tower of the three instead.
"Yes, unless those rooms are occupied, we should be able to stay on the top floor," Zhao Yunxiao answered. "And by that, I mean the top floor of the third tower."
"Why can't we stay at the other tower instead?" Lu Zhiying asked with a frown.
"Each tower is meant for members of the sect with varying status," Zhao Yunxiao explained. "Inner disciples will be allowed to stay at the second tower, while the tallest tower is meant only for elders, deacons, protectors, and core disciples. As for outer disciples like us, we can only stay at the third tower."
"How discriminating!" Lu Zhiying complained.
"Unfortunately, that is how the world works," Zhao Yunxiao answered with a shrug. "There is, however, a way for outer disciples like us to stay in a better tower – by coming here in a group with someone of the corresponding status. So, if an inner disciple brings us in, we will be able to stay at the second tower."
"Still discriminating!" Lu Zhiying continued to express her dissatisfaction.
"Haha, it is not as bad as it sounds," Zhao Yunxiao laughed. "Come on, you will see when we enter."
With that, Zhao Yunxiao led the way into the luxurious Xuanwu Towers.
There were ordinary mortals employed as servants in the compound, responsible for making sure that the place was in tip top condition at all times.
After the group showed their disciple tokens as proof of their identities, the servants promptly led them to their rooms at the third tower.
Thankfully, there were no other outer disciples present at the moment. This gave them free rein to select any room they wanted in the third tower.
Without saying, they naturally chose to stay in the rooms on the top storey.
"Wow! This is amazing!" Lu Zhiying exclaimed as she made a spin around the room in excitement. "The view is great too!"
"Isn't it?" Gu Qiansi said with a smile.
While the third tower might not seem as good, that was only relative to the other two towers.
In actual fact, the third tower also provided an amazing experience for people staying there.
Standing at ten storeys high, it still provided an amazing view of the city. Each room was huge, probably more aptly described as a suite than a room.
After all, the rooms were even more luxurious and elaborately decorated than their residence back on Purple Plum Mountain.
If not because the world origin energy was far denser on Purple Plum Mountain, perhaps all outer disciples would prefer to stay here instead!
"I told you it isn't as bad as it sounds," Zhao Yunxiao said with a shrug. "In any case, have a good rest tonight. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
"We do?" Lu Zhiying looked at him in confusion. "Don't we just have to sign the new contract, and that's it?"
"What else have you planned for tomorrow?" Gu Qiansi narrowed her eyes at him.
"Nothing. I have nothing planned," Zhao Yunxiao denied immediately. "That's right. All we have to do is sign the new contract and collect the first batch of lumber. I simply meant that if we have some time left, perhaps we can think of other things to do as well."
"And what could those other things possibly be?" Gu Qiansi tried to probe further.
"Who knows? It's not like I already have something planned before coming on the trip," Zhao Yunxiao shrugged. "In any case, just make sure you have a good rest tonight. I'll be returning to my room to make sure I have a good rest as well. See you tomorrow!"
"See you tomorrow, Seni-" Lu Zhiying was answering halfway, but her words trailed off as she saw Zhao Yunxiao hurrying off. "Senior Martial Brother Zhao sure is in a hurry to rest for the night, isn't he?"
"He sure is," Gu Qiansi narrowed her eyes further. "How suspicious."
When Zhao Yunxiao first told them that he had taken on this mission, she had already found it strange since the rewards were not commensurate with the time needed.
Yes, it might be an easy mission that seemed to fit the bill as Lu Zhiying's first mission.
However, the Zhao Yunxiao she knew was not the type of person who would even consider significantly easier missions unless the rewards were well worth it.
After all, he was not known as one of the most hardworking outer disciples for no reason.
Rather than doing something easy for small rewards, Zhao Yunxiao would usually go for missions that provided the best rewards, as long as it was within his means to complete them in a safe manner.
Even if it was because he had Lu Zhiying's safety in mind, he could have easily chosen something slightly more difficult than this. At most, they could simply tell Lu Zhiying to observe from the back.
In comparison, this mission was unnecessarily safe, considering that it could even be done by those at the Foundation Building realm.
And judging from his suspicious words just now, Gu Qiansi was now even more convinced that there was more to this mission than what Zhao Yunxiao was letting them in on.
Unfortunately, Gu Qiansi could not think of anything, no matter how she thought about it.
Just what was Zhao Yunxiao intending to accomplish by coming on this simple mission?