Chapter 157: Checking into the Inn

Bai Qingzhou and his two companions strolled leisurely into the bustling marketplace.

The market was loud and crowded with a constant stream of people, accompanied by sounds of shouting, quarrelling, and fighting.

Bai Qingzhou focused his gaze and was surprised to find two people engaged in a physical brawl. Many onlookers stood around watching, yet not a single person stepped forward to break up the fight.

Quite a few cultivators were even shouting and cheering loudly from the sidelines.

Seeing this, Bai Qingzhou smiled helplessly. When entering a foreign place, one should follow local customs. He stood in place with He Zuo and He Li, quietly watching the fight.

The two combatants did not use magical artifacts or talismans; they simply fought with bare fists and kicks. Before long, both of their faces were covered in blood. The brawl only stopped when one of them was beaten into unconsciousness.

Seeing the commotion end, the crowd cheered and immediately dispersed, leaving the unconscious cultivator lying rather unseemly right in the middle of the path.

Bai Qingzhou shook his head, paying no mind to such trivial matters. He turned to the two beside him and asked softly, "Do either of you have spirit stones?"

"Yes, we do!" He Li retrieved a few spirit stones from her bosom. "We saved up quite a few spirit stones back at the sect..."

Bai Qingzhou nodded silently. Although neither He Zuo nor He Li were formal disciples of the Profound Sun Sect, they had always enjoyed the same treatment as the sect's disciples, including their monthly spirit stone allowances, which were always distributed on time. Therefore, he was not surprised that they had managed to save some spirit stones.

"Well then, feel free to walk around and see if there is anything you'd like to buy. Oh, and if you encounter any danger, just call out to me loudly," Bai Qingzhou said calmly.

The entire marketplace was not large. If the two of them called for help, Bai Qingzhou was confident he could arrive within a few breaths, so he wasn't worried about their safety.

"Understood," the two replied and turned to leave.

"Wait..." Bai Qingzhou called out, stopping them. He pointed at the locust tree near the entrance and said, "After you finish looking around, you can find me right here."

"No problem!" He Zuo replied loudly, his expression full of excitement.

He Li smiled and nodded to show she understood.

"Go ahead."

Receiving the signal, the two of them stepped into the crowd, looking around eagerly.

Watching their retreating figures, Bai Qingzhou also began to wander around the market, hoping to find something rare.

Unfortunately, ever since he advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, he had grown accustomed to all sorts of items in the marketplace. After making a full round, he found nothing particularly attractive.

After looking around for a while, he returned to the locust tree at the market entrance and stood quietly.

Waiting for a moment, he lowered his head to look at the White Sand Sword hanging at his waist, a subtle thought stirring in his heart.

"Still haven't found a suitable movement technique. If one turns up, I must acquire it no matter the price..."

The attack patterns of his Ethereal Sword Manual were far too bizarre. In Bai Qingzhou's view, if it were paired with an agile and graceful movement technique, the power of the Ethereal Sword Manual could perhaps be increased by another thirty percent, vastly enhancing his overall strength.

However, as expected, a movement technique of that caliber was simply too rare in the marketplace.

Ever since he started searching more than half a year ago, Bai Qingzhou had frequently strolled through various trading markets, yet he still had not laid eyes on a suitable movement technique manual.

"I suppose I can go check out the most prosperous trading market of the Four Directions Alliance when the time comes..." He nodded, putting the thought aside for now.

Soon, after Bai Qingzhou had waited quietly for nearly half an hour, the two finished their shopping and came out to find him.

"What did you buy?" Bai Qingzhou asked with a smile.

"I bought a hairpin." He Li held up a silver hairpin high, saying happily, "The vendor said this is a magical artifact that can ward off attacks! It cost me ten spirit stones... Senior Brother, what do you think?"

At the end, she handed it to Bai Qingzhou with an expectant look on her face.

"Let me see..." Bai Qingzhou took the hairpin and examined it carefully. He found that the vendor had not lied; this hairpin could activate a protective light barrier capable of blocking attacks from a mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivator. It was quite a decent magical artifact for someone in the early stages of Qi Condensation.

"It's good. This artifact is quite nice, absolutely fine." Bai Qingzhou smiled, then casually pinned the hairpin into He Li's hair to secure it.

This gesture made He Li even happier, and she wore a proud expression.

"And you?" Bai Qingzhou turned his gaze to He Zuo, asking softly, "What did you buy?"

Unexpectedly, He Zuo let out a hearty laugh, spread his hands, and said, "I didn't buy anything. I couldn't find anything suitable."

Despite saying that, Bai Qingzhou could see a trace of lingering reluctance in his eyes.

Bai Qingzhou thought for a moment and said to him, "Was the item you had your eye on too expensive? If you felt it was pricey, I can pitch in a bit to help."

Hearing this, He Zuo shook his head vigorously and said, "There's no need to trouble Senior Brother. Truly, there just wasn't anything quite right!"

Bai Qingzhou smiled with satisfaction and said, "Alright then, let's go find a place to rest. You've been rushing about all day and must be tired."

"Where are we staying?" He Li asked curiously.

"Hehe!" Bai Qingzhou smiled mysteriously. "I'll take you to a rather mystical inn..."

...

Before long, the three of them arrived at the entrance of the No-Second Inn.

"Is this the place?" He Zuo looked up at the signboard with curiosity on his face. "It doesn't seem any different from worldly inns..."

"You'll understand once you go inside." Bai Qingzhou chuckled softly and walked in first.

The No-Second Inn was a chain establishment. Not only did it have numerous branches in the central region of the Infinite Alliance, but it even maintained branches in border trading markets like this one, showing considerable wealth.

The interior decoration of the main hall was much the same as those in other markets, with no notable differences.

It was a spacious hall featuring a long desk serving as the counter, behind which stood a receptionist cultivator.

Walking up to the counter, Bai Qingzhou glanced at the price board hanging on the wall and found it identical to the ones at the places he had stayed before, featuring the exact same rates.

"Three rooms, please: one Grade-B room and two Grade-D rooms," Bai Qingzhou stated directly.

"Certainly, that will be three low-grade spirit stones in total," the receptionist replied promptly.

"Mm." Bai Qingzhou retrieved three spirit stones from his storage bag and handed them over.

"Senior Brother..." He Li tugged at the corner of Bai Qingzhou's robe and asked in a low voice, "Three spirit stones? Why is lodging here so expensive..."

"Hahaha, naturally there's a reason for that. You'll know once you go inside," Bai Qingzhou laughed heartily.

Hearing this, He Zuo and He Li exchanged glances. Clearly, both of them still saw astonishment in each other's eyes, as it was their first time hearing of such expensive accommodation.

Led by the receptionist, the three of them slowly walked to their respective rooms.

"I'll be right next door to you. Just call me if you need anything," Bai Qingzhou said as he looked at them.

"Alright..." Upon entering their rooms, the two began looking around, seemingly curious about everything.

Seeing that both of them had entered their respective rooms, Bai Qingzhou finally walked toward his own Grade-B room.

The room's decor was similarly unremarkable. Bai Qingzhou closed the door securely, then walked over to the wooden tub placed in the middle.

He immediately stripped off his outer robe, cast a minor Fire-Ignition Spell to slightly heat the water, and stepped into the tub.

"Aah~" As soon as he got in, he couldn't help letting out a soft sigh of relief.

Having traveled continuously for fifteen days, even he felt slightly fatigued. Now, bathed in the medicinal water, the exhaustion washing over his body was largely dispelled, making him feel drowsy...