After quickly changing into decent clothes, Ye Anping hurried into the Therapy Hall to give "Senior Brother Chen" and "Junior Sister Liu" their treatments.
As expected, "Junior Sister Liu" displayed a slight reluctance when she heard that he would be touching her feet. However, since Bai Yuelin was watching, she reluctantly gave it a try and gradually relaxed.
As for "Senior Brother Chen," Ye Anping had him remove his upper garment and pressed a few times along the meridians on his back.
Though it made him cry out in pain at first, he felt his meridians much clearer afterward. He chatted and drank tea with Ye Anping for a while.
Ye Anping agreed to offer them a discount for future treatments, and they promised to recommend his massage shop to other disciples within Profound Star Sect.
Half an hour later, the two of them, along with Bai Yuelin, prepared to return to Profound Star Sect to report. Apparently, they had early classes or something. Bai Yuelin said she would come by later.
After seeing them off, Ye Anping reopened his shop.
However, "Massage therapy services" were still a relatively new concept in this world.
Throughout the morning, curious people came in to inquire, but not a single one was willing to pay for a treatment. They found his fees to be high.
He had originally thought of having some sort of first-day free promotion, but considering he was the only one managing the shop, he wouldn't be able to handle a rush of customers all at once. Instead, he entrusted the revenue of the Therapy Hall to Bai Yuelin, hoping she could bring more fellow disciples in the future.
Now, Ye Anping sat in the main hall, tallying accounts and planning for future expenses, as well as the elixirs his martial sister would need. Suddenly, a man dressed in black walked in.
"Welcome."
Ye Anping assumed he was another curious individual inquiring about massage therapy services. With a sigh, he moved to greet him, but he didn't expect the man to ask, "Do you have Vermilion Birds for sale?"
Vermilion Bird—one of the Four Divine Beasts, known to all Chinese.
The same legends existed in this world, claiming that they were divine beasts reigning over the four cardinal directions.
However, upon hearing these words, Ye Anping's brows furrowed instantly, freezing in place.
He remembered that this was the password used by the "Seven Killers Sect" in the game.
That "Seven Killers Sect" was mostly made up of powerful wandering cultivators, specializing in taking money to dispel disasters, whether celestial or demonic. As long as you paid, you could post bounties in there for all sorts of dirty work. They'd even sometimes help the elders of the Five Great Sects.
But now, a problem arose.
The market in Profound Star Sect didn't have a "shop" for the Seven Killers Sect. So how did this person find his massage shop?
Ye Anping hesitated over whether he should try responding with the following password.
After all, if they appeared here, it meant they were ready to cause trouble.
Impersonating a "shop" was risky; if their people found out, he would be hunted down.
However, he was well aware of the inner workings of the "Seven Killers Sect." If he had to impersonate them, it wasn't that difficult.
Seeing that Ye Anping stood there dumbfounded for a while without replying, the man turned to leave.
"Sorry for disturbing."
Seeing him about to leave, Ye Anping gritted his teeth and took a deep breath, finally deciding to use the password: "How could such a small place have Vermilion Birds for sale? How about you buy a Jade Sparrow instead to keep?"
...
...
Upon hearing this, the man immediately halted his steps and turned to examine Ye Anping. Then he continued, "Jade Sparrows have an annoying chirp."
"How about Yellow Sparrows then? They sing beautifully and look charming."
"Sigh... I thought this place wouldn't have a 'shop'." The man sighed and chuckled, "Is it just you here?"
"Yes, there are no other 'shops' nearby. This shop was opened by me only yesterday."
Ye Anping quickly spread his hands and led the man into the inner room. He cautiously prepared a cup of tea for him.
After some brief pleasantries, the man went straight to the point, asking, "Have you heard that the Grand Elder of the Poison Gu Sect died in the neighboring town, Martial Creek?"
Hearing this, Ye Anping felt that he had made the right choice by using the password.
It seemed that the Seven Killers Sect had come for the matter of "Wu You."
He had also been thinking about this issue for the past month and a half.
This was because the Poison Gu Sect had a "Badge." In other words, if "Wu You" died, the elders of the Poison Gu Sect would certainly know about it. They would definitely send people to investigate how "Wu You" had died.
Ye Anping nodded and said, "Of course, I've heard. It's said that a golden dragon appeared in Martial Creek Town that day."
"Yes, I went to an inn in Martial Creek Town to inquire about the people who booked rooms there in the last few days. I finally confirmed it was these people."
As he spoke, the man took out a piece of paper and handed it to Ye Anping.
Ye Anping took the paper and glanced at it. There were seven names written in a jumbled manner.
The man continued to ask, "These names are of people who checked out and left after the appearance of the golden dragon. The person who killed the Grand Elder of the Poison Gu Sect should be among these people. Take a look at these names. Do you recognize any of them?"
Ye Anping looked at the paper and saw his and Pei Lengxue's names written on two lines. He twitched at the corner of his eye and hurriedly said, "This Ye Anping. I remember that it was the young master of Hundred Lotus Sect. As for Pei Lengxue, she seems to be his martial sister. Both of them have poor aptitude and only have Qi Refining cultivation."
"Hmm... What about the others?"
"Chen Shengwu is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but he's probably over four hundred years old by now, so it's highly unlikely."
The man fell silent for a moment and then asked, "Among these names, are there any cultivators with exceptional aptitude?"
"Exceptional aptitude?"
"Yes." The man nodded and explained, "The golden dragon that appeared in Martial Creek Town is speculated to be an Immortal Emperor Dragon Soul. In other words, the one who killed the Grand Elder of the Poison Gu Sect is likely that person. Since they have the bloodline of an Immortal Emperor, their aptitude must be outstanding. The three people you mentioned can be temporarily ruled out. What about the remaining five names?"
...
Ye Anping fell silent for a moment and looked at the other names below. As expected, he saw the name "Feng Yudie."
After hesitating for a moment, he said, "This Feng Yudie seems to be a cultivator with Heavenly Spiritual Root. She attracted a lot of attention during the Sect Selection yesterday."
The man nodded as he listened and said, "Got it. I'll inquire further in the city."
"May I ask, what are the instructions from your sect?"
"There's a treasure in the Grand Elder of the Poison Gu Sect's storage pouch. I'm not sure what it is exactly. The reward is for us to quickly find his storage pouch. The reward for this task is ten thousand spirit stones. Many fellow disciples are investigating this matter in the vicinity."
"I see... So, what's your plan, Senior?"
The man contemplated for a moment and asked, "Could you help me investigate the content of Profound Star Sect's Sect Selection? You mentioned that Feng Yudie participated in Profound Star Sect's Sect Selection?"
"Yes," Ye Anping furrowed his brows slightly, "Senior, are you planning to capture someone during the Sect Selection? But that's Profound Star Sect... It's not some small sect..."
"You don't need to worry about this. I know the rules. It won't implicate 'shops' like yours that gather information. Just help me find out the arrangements for the upcoming days of the Sect Selection. I'll come to collect the information tonight."
"Understood."
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