The inn's runner had a look of nonchalant impudence, which instantly caused Feng Yi to gradually lose his smile. A fire ignited in his heart, anger rising from within and evil thoughts creeping to the edge of his courage. Suddenly, he grabbed the corner of the runner's clothes, and then reached for the weapon at his groin.

"What, you're thinking of drawing your sword?" The disdain in the runner's eyes towards Feng Yi intensified. On second thought, he wondered, is this guy about to publicly draw a gun? He had no interest in men, cute as the other may be.

The next second, a wad of cash was stealthily passed over.

Upon seeing this, the runner's expression paused momentarily. It turned out to be Federal Coin, and his cold face suddenly bloomed like a radiant chrysanthemum, baring his yellow teeth as he ushered Feng Yi into a private room. It seemed he was willing to engage in some self-deprecating business dealings for the sake of money.

"Honored guest, honored guest, if you have something to ask, please do. If you don't ask, how can I speak? As an old saying goes..."

"Alright, alright, alright..." Feng Yi uttered three affirmatives in a row, saying, "Enough already, I've got it, I know." He didn't want to listen to the runner's caterwauling. Although he was let into a private room, everyone in the house could still hear them. The tugging and pulling made it seem as though he was skimping on payment, which could tarnish the great reputation of Sir Feng if word got out. Not to mention, it wouldn't do to disturb the flowers and plants.

As the saying goes, a clear person doesn't talk in riddles. Feng Yi went straight to the point and asked the runner what exactly was meant by Immortal Mountain.

The moment the runner heard the question, he gave off an air of arrogant aplomb. He looked left and right, surveilling his surroundings, then quietly leaned in close to Feng Yi's ear and began to mutter softly...

Feng Yi's expression changed continually as he listened. He nodded at times, shook his head at others, sometimes showing surprise, sometimes an epiphany, at times a face full of anxious trepidation, and at others, a bewildered and clueless countenance, leaving the onlookers outside the private room completely bemused and at a loss...

"Runner, bring the wine." A handsome man and a beautiful woman stomped into the doorway. It wasn't until their arrival that the waiter swiftly went up to greet them.

Seeing him leave, Feng Yi finally let out a long sigh of relief. From the intelligence he had gathered, this place seemed to be on the edges of the Jade Clear Sect, and as the runner had explained, many disciples out on errands would drop by for a bite if they had enough time. Or they might even stay at the foot of the mountain for a few days.

He claimed that he had once been a disciple of Immortal Mountain himself, albeit of the most external order. His entry into Immortal Mountain was partly for the sake of strengthening his body, but his main goal was to engage in business dealings.

After all, with an ordinary person's capabilities, it was very difficult to ascend to the level of an elite disciple, let alone think of entering the inner sect. Coming here to run a small business and earn a living was his primary goal.

Despite the large bustling marketplace with a constant stream of people, there were few inns and taverns nearby. The reason being, ordinary people didn't have the rights to run such establishments. It was because he had once been a disciple of Immortal Mountain that he was eligible to carry out a small business in this area.

It's common knowledge that Immortal Mountain sits within the Chimera Star, a planet that was permanently acquired for land use by the sect even before it was developed—an acknowledged fact even by the Huaxia Republic's government. Only disciples of Immortal Mountain and the locals born and raised here have the right to use the land, and the rent is exorbitant.

Beneath Immortal Mountain, the land is so valuable it could be described as worth its weight in gold. However, with the multitude of sect disciples, compared to the business itself, these land costs aren't considered much.

As for the exact number of disciples, no one has really taken a detailed count. But it's possible to make an educated guess based on the hierarchy.

Over the years, the number of inner disciples has typically ranged between 50 and 100, with the position of head disciple being elected every four years. In other words, any one of the inner disciples within these four years could potentially become the head disciple.

However, that's not what's important; what's crucial is the number of elite disciples, about 6000 — what he had entrusted the sect with was indeed a branch of the Daoist school, continuing the traditions and customs of Huaxia. Not only was the hierarchy within the sect extremely strict, but the requirements for official disciples were also exceptionally demanding. It was difficult enough to even see the proud and aloof inner disciples, let alone the esteemed elders who uphold the law; the expectations and requirements for them as compared to those for the novice disciples were simply on two different levels. That is to say, the aforementioned group was the true body of official disciples.

As for himself, a trainee not even at the level of an outer disciple, the sect had relatively lenient expectations for these individuals. They were allowed to indulge in eating, drinking, and merrymaking without restraint, as long as they weren't caught — and even if caught, there wouldn't be much consequence, merely a rebuke. Even if someone cursed the sect leader behind his back and was overheard, the result would only be a slight punishment.

But it should be noted that the Immortal Mountain was a kingdom of ceremonies that embodied Confucian thought. If an inner disciple was disrespectful to a superior, the issue could escalate significantly! Since outer disciples could not overcome the inner ones, this eventually formed a hierarchy of the inner disciples fearing the higher echelons, and the outer disciples fearing the inner ones. The two individuals who had just arrived were evidently elite disciples referred to by the inn's second server; thus, they received no negligence.

Comparing oneself to others could indeed be disheartening. Feng Yi, overwhelmed by the torrent of conversation, realized he had barely heard anything of importance — but he was fairly certain, with about an eighty percent certainty from the mentioned status of the law-upholding elders, that this place must be the Jade Clear Sect.

It was said that the law-upholding elders were mostly concerned with external affairs, suggesting that there might be a separate internal institutional division, completely different from the intelligence he had previously acquired. Intent on uncovering the full extent of this, Feng Yi decided to stay here temporarily to find out more about the Federal conflict and, furthermore...

He was deep in thought, rapidly calculating his next move when he suddenly heard a series of quiet conversations.

With his current acute and refined senses, he might not have ears that could hear the wind, yet he was able to identify someone's voice within a hundred steps. Could it be that Zhan Yu and the junior law-upholder had stepped into the tavern?

This is bad, Feng Yi suddenly thought, as his pursuers were following the same direction as his escape route. Moreover, the market below the mountain was bustling, and their proximity to the market meant they had inadvertently run into these people.

Indeed, misfortune often comes from a mouth that has been opened too widely, a saying that truly applied to the situation at hand.

The problem was that the opponent was in top fighting condition, while his own body suffered from a severe hidden ailment, leaving him with virtually no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation.

Feng Yi swiftly contained his aura, trying his best to align his body's magnetic field with the surroundings to achieve a high degree of camouflage. He quickly pulled the curtain closed, silently drew out his military saber, and prepared to strike at any moment, although if given a choice, he would prefer not to engage in combat with them.

Fortunately, aside from the junior law-upholder and Zhan Yu, he didn't hear anyone else's footsteps nearby, which slightly eased his tension.

As the consistent footsteps of the two drew nearer, Feng Yi's forehead broke out in a fine sweat. Even the noise he made when picking up his chopsticks was precisely maintained at a level that just suggested someone was inside.

It was apparent that the other patrons in the tavern were unfamiliar with them, including the two elite disciples who had arrived later; they hadn't greeted the pair, who walked past Feng Yi's curtain with ease. If not for the angle, they would have surely seen his lower body.

What Feng Yi found unsettling was that, with a creak, the two chose the room right behind him, separated by just a thin partition.

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