Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
âA mystical beast that doesnât hurt people?â Ye Chen was quite astonished and asked, âWhat mystical beast is that?â
âItâs a Serpent and it has wings!â The old innkeeper sighed.
âAre they going to leave or stay?â Ye Chenâs eyes darted to one side.
âTheyâre going to stay here tonight,â the old innkeeper replied, lowering his voice. He thought that Ye Chen was interested in that young woman. Cultivators were not to be offended, so he could only reply honestly.
Ye Chen hesitated momentarily. Did that woman come here for the mystical beast? A Serpent, with wings, that did not harm humans â Ye Chen did not know what mystical beast that was but its level was likely not low. Ye Chen became interested. If that woman sitting opposite him was interested in the mystical beast, then he would have no shot. After some thought, he decided to stay on and see what happened.
âIâll stay here tonight. If my Nightwind is devoured by the mystical beast, I wonât blame you. Hereâs the payment and keep the change.â Ye Chen fished out an ingot of twenty taels from the Heaven-Earth Pouch and placed it on the table.
âThis is too much,â the old innkeeper said in a shaking voice. Most customers, when they stayed for three days inclusive of meals, would pay a tael of silver at most. This was twenty taels of silver!
âKeep it,â Ye Chen said. His Heaven-Earth Pouch had plenty of silver and gold anyway. This old innkeeper was willing to be honest about the mystical beast and had decent character. There was no harm in giving him more.
âSir, you may stay in this humble inn for as long as you wish.â The old innkeeper was moved.
âMmm-hmm,â Ye Chen replied absentmindedly. At this point, the three Taiyi Sword Sect members from the left table could no longer hold back and they walked toward that woman.
âYoung lady, whose disciple are you?â The three Taiyi Sword Sect members had some level of perception at least. Although they were bowled over by her charm, they could see that this womanâs bearing was not ordinary. She was possibly a cultivator and they dared not act too rashly or overstep their boundaries.
Nonetheless, at sixteen years old, no matter how high her cultivation base is, surely it could not possibly reach the Tenth Level? They did not know what her background was.
That woman remained as cold as ice. She did not reply nor did she look annoyed. She only paid attention to her wine as if these three were not talking to her.
âA mystical beast might appear tonight but donât you worry, young lady. The three of us will protect you,â one of them said.
âMaybe you donât know where weâre from. The three of us are from the Taiyi Sword Sect. This is my First Senior, Zhou Yan. Heâs only thirty but heâs already a mid-Tenth Level powerhouse. Among the younger generation of the Taiyi Sword Sect, his talent is the most extraordinary. This is my Third Junior, Lin Tao. Iâm Wang Yue. Junior Lin Tao is the same as me, at the beginner Tenth Level,â the man to the left of the woman said.
âMay we learn your name?â Zhou Yan sounded rather haughty. A mid-Tenth Level fighter at thirty years old could be said to have a reason for being haughty. Nonetheless, no matter what the three of them said, the woman did not pay them much attention, which vexed them.
âTantai Ling,â as the woman spoke placidly, Tantai Lingâs nephrite-like right hand held up the wine cup and she took a sip. She still did not even spare Zhou Yan and the rest a glance. Conversely, she cast a look at Ye Chenâs side.
Although Ye Chen was relatively far away, her words rang clearly in his ears.
âLittle Tanuki, where did she come from?â Ye Chen used his Astral Body to communicate with Little Tanuki.
Little Tanuki shook her head. She did not even know what sort of Celestial Beast Tantai Ling was, only knowing that Tantai Lingâs power was formidable.
Zhou Yan and the other two looked pleased. They thought that because they introduced themselves, they finally managed to attract Tantai Lingâs attention.
âThe surname Tantai is rare indeed. Could it be that youâre not from the Xiwu Empire?â Wang Yue took this chance to interrupt.
âThe surname Tantai is rare but it exists. As far as I know, the Oracle Sect has this surname.â On one side, Zhou Yan looked closely at Tantai Lingâs face. He was inwardly guessing Tantai Lingâs origins.
After Tantai Ling gave her name, she fell silent again.
âStrictly speaking, the Oracle Sect isnât a sect from the Xiwu Empire. Those with the surname Tantai mostly came from the Central Empire. In the realm of the Xiwu Empire, the Oracle Sect isnât a major sect.â Lin Taoâs temper was more irritable. Tantai Ling kept ignoring them which made him upset. His temper was not as tame as his two seniors.
Lin Tao deliberately belittled the Oracle Sect to see Tantai Lingâs response but she remained as serene as still water.
âIâm going to rest. At night, a mystical beast will show up. Regardless of your level, youâd better leave quickly.â Tantai Lingâs voice was clear and cool, and she stood up, heading toward the stairs.
Lin Tao saw that Tantai Ling was being proud. The three of them had stood there, speaking for so long, yet they did not get any response. Clearly, she held them in contempt. Lin Tao nearly lost his temper but he was restrained by Wang Yue.
Tantai Ling did not pay any mind to their reactions and walked on. She passed by Ye Chen and went up the stairs.
A fragrance drifted under Ye Chenâs nostrils. He turned and looked at the departing figure of Tantai Ling. Her body was curvaceous and her feet were bare. Those precious feet were exquisitely shaped, like first-rate nephrite. Her feet and the jade bracelet above her ankle complemented each other. Moreover, her footsteps were light and graceful.
Ye Chen did not know what Celestial Beast she had transformed from to think that she could be so gorgeous.
When Tantai Ling was halfway up the stairs, she turned back and glanced at Ye Chen, her eyes narrowing slightly.
âWhat an interesting fellow. Itâs too bad your cultivation base is too weak. In a hundred years, who knows, perhaps you can battle me then.â Tantai Lingâs voice came to him like an oriole from a valley. Her crystal voice carried no hint of emotion and was transmitted through the Psyche. Zhou Yan and the other two could not hear her.
Ye Chenâs Astral Body shuddered suddenly, sensing an intense pressure. Before he could react, Tantai Lingâs figure had disappeared to the next floor.
Tantai Ling seemed to have detected his Astral Body but Ye Chenâs cultivation base was too weak, so Tantai Ling had no desire to attack. Ye Chen recalled what she had said to Zhou Yan and the other two. Tantai Ling had evidently come for the mystical beast. He did not know what level the creature was.
A wise man would not stand under a collapsing wall. Logically, at this point, Ye Chen should leave this small town far behind because Tantai Lingâs strength had exceeded his by far. However, Ye Chen had a burning curiosity which made him want to see what mystical beast exactly Tantai Ling was waiting for.
âSqueak squeak.â Little Tanuki seemed uneasy.
âLittle Tanuki, itâs alright. Weâll hide somewhere far away and weâll leave after we have a quick look. We wonât provoke any powerful enemies,â Ye Chen said. Tantai Ling said that she would not start a fight. A powerhouse at her level was likely to keep her word. Furthermore, the innkeeper had said that if he did not attack the mystical beast, it would not harm people. Thus, Ye Chen dared to stay on. Otherwise, with his personality, he would have fled far, far away.