Chapter 2129: Forming Relations with Rogue Cultivators
Chapter 2129: Forming Relations with Rogue Cultivators
The shopkeeper looked at Zhao Hai and couldn’t help but smile. Zhao Hai didn’t have too extreme of a response, which means that Zhao Hai can stay in the town. If he’s as arrogant as the disciples of the sects, he can’t stay in the nameless town. When sect disciples enter the town, they would always command others. In the end, they would be driven out.
These people from the sects have thought of dealing with the people in the town, but they also knew that it was useless. The people in the town were all rogue cultivators. If the people from the sects come, the rogue cultivators could just leave. It was impossible for the sect to occupy the town forever. And because they would be attacked by the demon beasts regularly, they would lose more than they could gain.
And as soon as the sect leaves, the rogue cultivators would just return. It was akin to fighting guerillas. The sect would lose their patience and would no longer care about the affairs of the town. In other words, they deliberately forget about the town.
It was because of this that there was such a saying in the nameless town. No matter where you came from, as long as you were in the nameless town, you’re just an ordinary cultivator.
The shopkeeper looked at Zhao Hai and nodded, “Since Mister agrees to the rule, then everything else is easy. There aren’t too many rules in this town. But one of them is that all houses with open doors are ownerless. You can move in whenever you like. But after you move in, you’ll have to take responsibility for the house’s repairs. Not only the house, you also need to take care of the street right outside.”
Zhao Hai nodded and said, “Alright, it’s no problem. Just a bit of effort.”
The shopkeeper smiled, “That’s good to hear. Since you agree, then there’s nothing else to say. We also disallow private fights in the town. No matter how much enmity you have, you have to go outside the town to settle it.”
Zhao Hai nodded, “It should be like that.”
The shopkeeper also nodded, “Then I have nothing else for you. Just like outside, we transact with spirit stones and jade essences. Naturally, if you want to trade, it’s not impossible to exchange. As long as the two parties agree.”
Zhao Hai nodded, “Thanks, Brother.”
The shopkeeper smiled, “There’s no need to be polite. Call me Brother Two like the others. I originally have a Big Brother, but he died on the Mountain of Demon Beasts. Because of this, everyone calls me Brother Two.”
Zhao Hai cupped his fist towards Brother Two and said, “Thank you very much, Brother Two.”
The shopkeeper waved his hand and said, “Don’t be too polite. Right, even if you claim a house, but you don’t appear for three months, the door will open on its own. If you want to go into seclusion, place a jade token outside your door. A town representative will see it and instruct other people to not disturb you.”
Zhao Hai nodded, “Thanks Brother Two, I really troubled you.”
The shopkeeper waved his hand as he smiled, “Although I don’t have a lot of strength, I still know quite a lot about the town. I also know a bit about the mountain. If you need information, just come to me. I promise that the information I give you is a hundred percent true.”
Upon hearing Shopkeeper Two say this, Zhao Hai couldn’t help but pause for a moment. Then he smiled bitterly and said, “Since Brother Two said this, then I won’t be polite. I really don’t know much about the Mountain of Demon Beasts. I was just looking for someone to ask. If brother is not busy, please have a seat. Let me offer you a few cups.”
When he heard Zhao Hai, the shopkeeper smiled and said, “Tell me what you want to know. From what I can see, you aren’t from here. And yet you still came despite not knowing anything. Are you here for a trial?”
Zhao Hai smiled bitterly and said, “I’m not on a trial. But I have no choice. I came here because someone asked me to come. I wouldn’t have come here on my own.”
The shopkeeper was obviously a man who liked to gossip. His spirits were immediately lifted when he heard Zhao Hai. He looked at Zhao Hai and said, “Oh? What’s going on?”
Zhao Hai replied, “I’m a rogue cultivator working for a gang in Roaring Flame City. A junior of our Gang Leader’s family decided on his own to come to the Mountain of Demon Beasts for a trial. When our gang found out about it, the junior had already disappeared for a few months. Knowing that junior’s actions and capabilities, the clan found that he came to the mountain. That’s why I’m here. I’m looking for them.”
Hearing Zhao Hai, Shopkeeper Two couldn’t help but ask, “He came to the Mountain of Demon Beasts for a trial? When did this happen? Perhaps I can give you a clue.”
Zhao Hai replied, “At least six months ago. Nobody has seen him for the past six months. Originally, we thought that they were in seclusion. We didn’t expect that he would actually come here.”
Shopkeeper Two knit his brows, “Six months ago? A lot of cultivators came here during that period. Two of them are still living in the town. The others have died on the mountain. How old is that junior from your Gang Leader’s clan?”
Zhao Hai replied, “He should be around 20 years old. He likes to wear red clothing and is somewhat handsome. The weapon he uses is a sword around four chi (1.2 meters) long.”
Hearing this, Shopkeeper Two frowned, “Four chi (1.2 meters)? A sword and likes to wear red clothes? I haven’t heard of anyone like that.”
Zhao Hai smiled and said, “I’m only here to scout the area and take a look at the mountain. It would be good if I can find any clues. But if I can’t, then forget it. I’ll just head back and report.”
When Shopkeeper Two heard Zhao Hai, he couldn’t help but be stunned, “You’re here as a scout? Are there more people coming from behind? If that’s the case, then you should’ve offended someone. The Mountain of Demon Beasts isn’t any better than other places. Even the periphery carries great danger. If you aren’t careful, your life will perish here.”
Zhao Hai smiled bitterly and said, “I don’t have a choice. If I don’t come, what would happen to my wife and my kid? If I die here, at least the gang can take care of them. If I didn’t come, they would come after me. I know how the gang works.”
Hearing Zhao Hai, Shopkeeper Two couldn’t help but look at him, “You have a wife and kid? I must say, as a cultivator, you seem to have married early. You must be careful when you go to the mountain. The mountain is full of demon beasts at this time. Even if something doesn’t look like a threat, it might kill you in the end.”
Zhao Hai nodded, “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”
Shopkeeper Two nodded, “If you must go to the mountain, you can form a team with the others. Our small town has good people. As long as you aren’t enemies, anyone can form a team. This way, it would be safer.”
Zhao Hai smiled bitterly, “It’s fine. I have a different goal than the others. I’m looking for someone while they want to kill demon beasts. If we form a team, we will definitely clash. Everyone will be unhappy when the time comes. I think I will act alone. In any case, I’m only walking on the periphery. If I can’t find any clues, the gang won’t blame me.”
Shopkeeper Two couldn’t help but laugh as he heard Zhao Hai, “It’s better if you think about it like that. Alright, that is also good. I have lived in the town for quite some time. If there’s anything else you need to ask about, don’t hesitate to come to me.”
Zhao Hai smiled and said, “Then I will have to trouble Brother Two in the future. Brother doesn’t know this, but the Gang Leader has invested a lot of money in order to look for the clan junior. I definitely won’t treat you unjustly. Brother, don’t be embarrassed to ask for money if I ask you for help. In any case, this money isn’t mine. Don’t be polite when the time comes.”
When he heard this, Shopkeeper Two laughed harder. He patted Zhao Hai’s shoulder and said, “Then I’ll be impolite. How about we start with this food?”
Zhao Hai nodded, “Of course. Brother Two, is this enough?” After he said that, he took out a spirit stone and handed it over. Although the spirit stone wasn’t a jade essence, it was a huge chunk. Huge spirit stones like the one Zhao Hai handed over were more valuable than its equivalent in smaller stones.
Shopkeeper Two received Zhao Hai’s spirit stone and laughed, “Good. But I won’t make you suffer a loss. Wait for me here, I’ll give you an additional two dishes as well as a pot of wine.”
Zhao Hai smiled faintly when he heard Shopkeeper Two. Then he threw another spirit stone and said, “Brother Two, I’ll leave this spirit stone to you. This is my first day in the town, I want to treat everyone to a drink. Is that enough?”
Shopkeeper Two laughed, “It’s enough. Nobody has been so generous for a long time. These guys are lucky today.” After saying that, he turned around and left.
Although Shopkeeper Two had already left, the other people in the restaurant heard Zhao Hai’s words. All of them couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment before applauding. Rogue cultivators were very direct. They didn’t have any conflict of interest with Zhao Hai, so he definitely wasn’t an enemy in their eyes. Since Zhao Hai has shown kindness, it would be rude for them to decline. At the very least, Zhao Hai has left a good impression on them.
They all heard the conversation between Zhao Hai and Brother Two. Although Zhao Hai’s words were quite dubious, his approach was understandable. If it were them, they would have done the same. Zhao Hai’s words didn’t disgust them, instead it made them feel closer to him.