That day, Liu Xiaoshan brought back an exciting piece of news. There was a famous establishment in the martial world known as the Breeze Tower, which specialized in gathering intelligence. Rumor had it that as long as one could afford the price, they could even find out the specific pattern embroidered on the Emperor’s favorite concubine’s silk bodice. Li Xue was thrilled; she had never expected that this world would contain not only cultivators but a thriving martial society as well. She marveled at the fact that the Breeze Tower was essentially a professional intelligence agency. It seemed a visit was in order.
The Breeze Tower was located in the southern district of Tiandu. Li Xue donned a veil and boarded a carriage, with Liu Xiaoshan driving her into the city. One of the most unbearable aspects of this ancient world was the myriad of expectations placed upon women; for instance, Li Xue now found it necessary to wear a veil whenever she went out.
*Still, this isn't entirely bad,* Li Xue thought. *At least it helps me keep a low profile.*
The Breeze Tower was a small two-story building. Above the main entrance hung a plaque bearing three large, traditional characters written in a vigorous, powerful hand: "Breeze Tower." Two guards with sabers stood on either side of the door, lending the place an air of imposing authority. Liu Xiaoshan hopped down from the carriage and approached the guards, speaking to them in a low voice. After a moment, one of the guards walked over to the carriage. Liu Xiaoshan opened the door, and the guard, seeing Li Xue sitting composed and alone inside, signaled to his companion. Liu Xiaoshan then drove the carriage through the side gate of the Breeze Tower. This Liu Xiaoshan was a clever lad; in the short time since they had arrived in Tiandu, he had quickly familiarized himself with various information channels and learned to handle people with impressive tact. Li Xue appreciated his resourcefulness.
Li Xue was soon invited to the second floor. With her current cultivation at the mid-stage of the first level of Qi Condensation, she could easily sense at least thirty people hidden nearby. Five of them possessed breaths that were light and long, suggesting their martial arts prowess far exceeded the others. She was received by a middle-aged man with piercing eyes. He studied her for a moment before speaking slowly.
"I am Lin Tianchang, the manager of this humble Breeze Tower. May I ask how to address you, Madam?"
"Greetings, Manager Lin. My husband’s surname is Li," Li Xue replied calmly.
"Madam Li, the guards reported that you have important information you require our assistance with. Please, speak freely," Lin Tianchang said.
Li Xue found the flowery, pedantic way these ancients spoke somewhat tiresome. She disliked mincing words, so she organized her thoughts and went straight to the point. "I need detailed information regarding Mangyun Mountain on the border of the Kingdom of Yun. I also need to know the fastest and safest route from the Kingdom of You to the small nation closest to Mangyun Mountain, as well as how long the journey will take."
Lin Tianchang had clearly never encountered such a direct manner of speaking. He was stunned for a long moment before recovering his composure. While many people in the martial world were concise, hearing such blunt words from a seemingly refined lady caught him off guard.
"Madam Li, please forgive this old man’s dullness," he said with a hint of embarrassment. "Could you please repeat that in more detail?"
Li Xue sighed inwardly and repeated her request with more specifics. Lin Tianchang fell into deep thought for a while before saying, "The Mangyun Mountain you mentioned is on the border of the Kingdom of Yun. We will need to contact our branch in Yun to gather that information. The time and cost involved would be—"
Li Xue waved a hand dismissively. "The cost is not an issue. I simply need it to be as detailed as possible."
"Very well. Please leave a deposit of one hundred taels of silver. You may return in half a month with a Breeze Tower Guest Token to collect the information." Lin Tianchang’s face brightened with a touch of joy as he handed Li Xue a medallion. Li Xue accepted it, gave a slight bow of farewell, and departed the Breeze Tower.
Once outside, she let out a long breath of relief. She really couldn't get used to it—the way these ancients spoke was so incredibly stilted.
"Xiaoshan, let’s go look around the shops!" Li Xue commanded.
"Right away, Madam!" Liu Xiaoshan replied happily, steering the carriage toward the main thoroughfare.
Li Xue pulled back the carriage curtain. Through a thin layer of gauze, she could clearly see the scenery outside. People bustled to and fro, and the streets were lined with small vendors and stalls. This was the most prosperous street in the southern district, known as Nanshang Street, and the surrounding area was filled with the estates of wealthy merchants. In Tiandu, the residential areas were strictly categorized: the northern district housed the imperial palace and royal manors, the eastern district was home to government officials, and the western district was mostly for commoners.
As the carriage traveled along, Li Xue spotted the grand estates of the four great merchant families: the Ji, Shang, Yan, and Wang families. Their grounds were no smaller than those of the officials in the eastern district. Truly, wealth had its perks.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Li Xue caught sight of three characters: "Unnamed Abode."
*Unnamed Abode... why does that sound so familiar?* Li Xue repeated the name in her mind several times. Suddenly, her body jolted. "Stop!" she cried out.
Startled by the sudden shout, Liu Xiaoshan quickly pulled the carriage to the side of the road. He turned back and asked, "Madam, what’s wrong?"
Li Xue’s heart was thumping wildly. she circulated her spiritual energy to calm her inner excitement before saying, "It’s nothing, Xiaoshan. Just wait here for a moment."
Through the gauze window, Li Xue stared fixedly at a shop diagonally across the street. It was an unremarkable storefront with a plaque hanging above the door that read "Unnamed Abode." The calligraphy of those three characters was identical to the script found on the jade slip inside her storage bag—completely different from the script used by the neighboring shops.
This had to be the "Unnamed Abode" Li Ran had mentioned. The door was half-ajar, but the interior was pitch black, revealing nothing. Li Xue desperately wanted to go inside; she might find information about Mangyun Mountain there. However, she remembered Li Ran’s final warning. While the place might not trouble mortals, what about cultivators? Especially a cultivation fledgling like her, who was only at the first level of Qi Condensation? Would there be other cultivators inside? Would they try to kill her and seize her treasures?
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Ascended Without Me: Cultivating with a Genius Son | Chapter 5 | The Unnamed Abode | Novela.app | Novela.app
