Chapter 172: Since We’re Already Here
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Lin Muyu reached out to grab the girl, but found she caught nothing but air.
Using some strange movement technique, the girl nimbly dodged her attempt to stop her, disappearing into the bustling crowd on the street in the next second.
“Stole something and thinks she can just run?”
Lin Muyu stood in place, a hint of annoyance in her tone.
To think someone would steal from her! What baffled her even more was that she actually failed to catch the thief.
However, the strangest part was that the girl showed no trace of the spiritual energy fluctuations a cultivator should have. Since she wasn’t a cultivator, logically speaking, she couldn’t possibly have such swift movements.
But Lin Muyu didn’t dwell on it further, assuming it was just because the street was too crowded and the thief had used the flow of people to slip away.
If it had been in an open area where she didn’t need to worry about accidentally hurting bystanders, she would have simply condensed a spiritual energy hand and caught that thief directly.
Although she let the thief escape for now, that didn’t mean the girl could hide forever.
“Xiaotao, did you remember that thief’s scent just now?”
Lin Muyu asked Xiaotao.
“I remembered, but… Master, are you treating me like a dog?”
There was a hint of displeasure in her tone.
“Ehehe.”
“What’s ‘ehehe’ supposed to mean?!”
Lin Muyu smiled and waved her hand, not bothering to bicker with Xiaotao anymore.
Before going after that thief, she needed to handle the official business assigned by the sect first. After all, she could find the thief anytime.
She took out the mission jade token from her waist and lightly tapped her fingertip on the cool jade surface. A pale blue glow immediately projected a string of directional guidance.
Following the guidance for a short while, a magnificent and imposing estate appeared before her eyes. However, the vermilion main gate was tightly shut, with no sign of anyone around.
“With the gate so tightly closed, how am I supposed to get in?”
Lin Muyu circled around the main gate, carefully observing the door frame’s structure.
Soon, she noticed an obvious square indentation in the center of the gate. The size and shape of the indentation matched her mission jade token perfectly.
A thought struck her, and she immediately raised her hand to insert the mission jade token into the indentation.
With a soft “click,” as if some mechanism had been triggered, the tightly closed vermilion gate slowly opened inward. But beyond the gate was completely empty, there wasn’t even anyone there to receive her.
“Why is it so empty?”
Lin Muyu lightened her footsteps and carefully walked into the estate.
Her gaze swept across the stone paths and pillars in the courtyard. Even after passing through the front yard, she still saw no sign of Qinglan Sect disciples, which made her raise her guard.
After hesitating for a moment, she tried calling out toward the depths of the courtyard.
“Is anyone here?”
“Coming, coming! Junior Sister, if you’d arrived any later, you would have missed it!”
As soon as she finished speaking, a voice filled with amusement came from deep within the estate.
Immediately after, a young man wearing a brocade robe quickly walked out. He had a cheerful smile on his face, and his clothing was embroidered with exquisite cloud patterns. He looked more like a wealthy young master than a cultivator.
“Eh? Senior Brother, what do you mean by that?”
Lin Muyu was stunned, her eyes full of confusion.
“Nothing special, it’s just mealtime. Want to come eat something with me?”
The man suggested with a smile, his tone as casual as if he were inviting a friend.
Eat? Lin Muyu was even more confused.
Just looking at this senior brother, she could tell his cultivation was above Foundation Establishment. Cultivators at this realm basically didn’t need to eat anymore.
But she didn’t ask too many questions, it wouldn’t hurt to follow along and see. Besides, she hadn’t eaten in a long time and was indeed feeling a bit peckish. She was just looking for something good to eat.
“Then I’ll trouble Senior Brother.”
Lin Muyu nodded in agreement.
“Follow me, this way.”
The man smiled and turned around, but instead of leading Lin Muyu toward the main building inside the estate, he went around to a low wall at the edge of the property.
Before Lin Muyu could react, she saw him leap up like a nimble swallow, flip over the low wall, and land steadily in the neighboring estate’s courtyard.
“?”
Lin Muyu stood below the wall, completely confused. Why were they going to someone else’s yard?
But she didn’t think too much about it. She channeled her spiritual energy and leaped lightly, following over the low wall.
As soon as she landed, she heard the sound of lively voices and string music.
Lin Muyu looked up to see the courtyard before her decorated with lanterns and festoons, red silk hanging everywhere. Dozens of round tables filled the yard, laden with fragrant delicacies. Guests chatted and laughed, it was a bustling banquet scene.
“Senior Brother, what exactly is this place…?”
Lin Muyu looked at the scene before her and asked curiously.
“Oh, this is the wedding banquet for General Li’s son. You came at just the right time, you made it for the main course.”
The man picked up a pastry from the table and handed it over, explaining with a smile.
“So, the Qinglan Sect disciples on duty here all came to eat at this banquet?”
Lin Muyu took the pastry and bit into it. The crispy outer layer wrapped around a sweet but not cloying red bean filling, the taste was surprisingly good.
“‘Eat at this banquet’? Junior Sister, that’s quite the way to put it.”
The man was amused and laughed out loud.
“Indeed. This time, aside from the disciples who’ve already entered the secret realm, basically everyone’s here. But there aren’t many people, aside from me, there’s only Senior Sister Zhao over there, currently in a drinking contest with someone.”
Lin Muyu looked in the direction he pointed. Not far away at a drinking table sat a woman dressed in martial attire.
She had sharp features and a heroic bearing. With one hand pressing on the table and the other gripping the collar of a burly man, she urged in a clear voice.
“Drink up! Why’d you stop? Didn’t you say you’d drink with me to your heart’s content? Next one, who’s coming?”
Looking at the man whose collar she gripped, his face was flushed red, his head swaying back and forth. He was clearly already drunk out of his mind and could barely sit straight.
“This Senior Sister Zhao… is really intense, huh?”
Lin Muyu couldn’t help but click her tongue at the sight, instinctively beginning to wonder.
If her master and this Senior Sister Zhao had a drinking contest, whose alcohol tolerance would win?
But then she thought about it and couldn’t help but laugh. Cultivators could just circulate their spiritual energy to neutralize the alcohol, they fundamentally couldn’t get drunk.
If they competed in spiritual energy, Xinlian, being a Peak Master, would be more formidable.
“Your Senior Sister Zhao is truly impressive.”
The senior brother glanced at Senior Sister Zhao, his tone full of admiration, then turned to Lin Muyu and asked with a smile.
“By the way, I haven’t asked Junior Sister’s name yet. What’s your name?”
“I’m called Lin Muyu. And you, Senior Brother?”
“Me? I’m called…”
The man was just about to give his name when a bold voice suddenly interrupted.
A young man dressed just as lavishly quickly walked over, placing his hand on the other man’s shoulder and winking with a grin.
“Not bad, Li Menghua! You leave for just a little while and you’ve already hooked up with such a pretty young lady. Truly worthy of you!”
“What are you talking about?!”
The senior brother called Li Menghua’s face turned red. He threw a punch at the other man, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.
“This is my junior sister. She just arrived, and I just met her too. Don’t start trouble.”
“A newly arrived junior sister?”
The unfamiliar man’s eyes lit up. He immediately put away his joking expression and spoke seriously.
“Since she’s a new friend, why don’t you introduce us properly?”
“Fine.”
Li Menghua shook his head helplessly and introduced to Lin Muyu.
“Junior Sister Muyu, this is the City Lord’s son, Zhou Xing. You’d better be careful, he’s a notorious playboy. Don’t let his smooth talk fool you.”
“Hey, Li Menghua!”
Zhou Xing immediately became unhappy and patted Li Menghua’s arm.
“I treat you like a brother, and you badmouth me in front of a young lady? That’s really not cool!”
“Let’s keep things separate. I can’t let my junior sister suffer any losses.”
Li Menghua stubbornly retorted.
Lin Muyu stood to the side, watching the two bicker, secretly thinking to herself.
Even the City Lord’s son is this familiar with Senior Brother Li. Looks like this Senior Brother Li has even more connections in this city than I imagined…
Wait!
She suddenly came back to her senses. Wasn’t she here to learn about the secret realm situation?
How did she end up at a banquet?
Whatever. Since she was already here, might as well eat first.