Chapter 391: Chapter 378: The Mysterious "Master of All Things
Shen Lang left the Treasure Pavilion, acting rather out of character.
It was simply because he didn’t want to get too deeply involved with the Treasure Pavilion.
Many of the War Emperor’s memories were sealed away, and anything that was sealed was, for the most part, a significant matter.
And among those seals, there happened to be things concerning the Treasure Pavilion.
Even in the memories that weren’t sealed, the War Emperor’s entanglements with the Treasure Pavilion were very strange.
It seemed to involve romantic affairs.
That’s why Shen Lang truly wanted nothing to do with it.
The business with Xue Shiyin and the War Emperor was already giving him a massive headache, causing such a great shift in his emotions that he was being influenced by the entity within the Immortal Celestial Saber.
If there really was a woman in the Treasure Pavilion who had that kind of relationship with the War Emperor, Shen Lang could only resolve to stay as far away as possible.
...
After a sigh, Shen Lang’s gaze swept to a corner of the street.
In that corner, a boy of about thirteen or fourteen watched the people come and go on the street out of the corner of his eye.
Shen Lang waved the boy over.
"Hey, Big Bro, is there something you need help with?" The boy’s eyes lit up, and he immediately scurried over.
Shen Lang casually tossed him a bag of Gold Coins and said, "Find me the most well-informed person in Celestial Palace City. Have him meet me at the restaurant across the street. Once you do, I’ll give you another bag of Gold Coins."
The boy juggled the bag in his hand, listening to the JINGLING sound and feeling its weight, and his face immediately split into a wide grin.
"Got it! Don’t worry, Big Bro, I’ll go get the Master of All Things for you. There’s nothing he doesn’t know within a thousand-mile radius!"
Watching the boy leave, Shen Lang walked over to the base of the wall beneath the restaurant across the street. He extended a finger and began to draw on it.
Stone dust drifted down as a strange pattern was revealed on the wall.
The pattern resembled a flower, but its petals looked like sharp swords, giving it a piercingly sharp and strangely demonic aura at first glance.
What was even stranger was that the flower’s pistils seemed unusually large. There were five of them, fanned out in a semicircle.
In the middle of the pistils, a pavilion-like structure was drawn.
After finishing the drawing, Shen Lang turned and stood still for a moment, then headed toward Celestial Palace City’s South Gate.
It didn’t take long for him to exit the South Gate and walk into the dense forest outside the city.
The moment he stepped into the dense forest, Shen Lang turned around. Standing in the shadow of a large tree behind him was a man in black!
The man in black stood there silently, as if he had been there for a long time, completely motionless.
His entire figure was hidden in the shadows, not a single trace of his aura leaking out.
"I don’t recognize you, my lord. Who might you be? The pattern you drew is used by the Shadow Tower to contact our own people, not the symbol for posting a mission. However, I know that you are definitely not a member of the Shadow Tower."
The man in black’s voice was a bit raspy, as if he were deliberately disguising it.
With a flick of his wrist, Shen Lang produced a sheepskin scroll and tossed it over.
"This is the contract I signed with your Shadow Tower’s Young Miss, Nangong Jianqiu. She still owes me three Shadow Demon Flowers. Now, it’s time for her to fulfill her promise."
A contract, once signed, could not be broken by simply tearing up the parchment, unless the dominant party willed it.
Therefore, he wasn’t the least bit worried about what the other party might do.
Upon hearing the name Nangong Jianqiu, the man in black shuddered and immediately unfurled the sheepskin scroll.
He then stepped out of the shadows and stood before Shen Lang.
He was a middle-aged man with an ordinary face. Aside from his black clothes, there was almost nothing remarkable about him.
The black-clad middle-aged man bowed respectfully to Shen Lang and said, "So it is Young Master Shen Lang. This humble one is Qu Cheng. I have been waiting for you in Celestial Palace City for some time."
"Oh? Is it because someone told you I was heading toward Celestial Palace City?" Shen Lang asked lightly.
Qu Cheng nodded. "That is correct. A while ago, word came down from above that you, Young Master, had crossed the Chuyun Mountain Range and were heading toward Celestial Palace City. It was likely you would be staying here for a while, so our people have been monitoring your whereabouts."
"I see." Shen Lang took back the sheepskin scroll. "When can the Shadow Demon Flowers be delivered?"
"They should arrive in four days," the black-clad middle-aged man said respectfully.
"That fast?" Shen Lang couldn’t help but be surprised.
Qu Cheng’s stiff face twitched into an ugly smile. "It’s a huge coincidence. The Young Miss happens to be on a mission in Unrivaled City, two thousand miles away, and she has the items with her. There is a small-scale Teleportation Gate from there, so the journey will take less than a day. However, she can only come over after completing her mission, which is why I estimated four days."
"I see. I’ll be troubling you, then."
"You are too kind, Young Master."
Shen Lang didn’t linger. He went straight back to Celestial Palace City and up into the restaurant diagonally across from the Treasure Pavilion.
At that moment, in the restaurant, the boy who had received the bag of Gold Coins from Shen Lang was standing behind an old man, peeking around curiously.
Seeing Shen Lang approach, the boy’s face lit up with joy, and he gently tugged on the old man’s robe.
"Waiter, prepare a private room for me," Shen Lang said as he walked forward slowly, not bothering to greet the old man.
He followed the waiter into the private room, and the old man and the boy naturally followed him in.
Only after sitting down did Shen Lang get a clear look at the old man’s face.
The old man’s hair was as white as snow, and his face was as smooth and delicate as jade, without a single wrinkle. But his robes were filthy, and his eyes darted about restlessly. No matter how you looked at him, he gave off a sleazy impression.
Shen Lang took out another bag of Gold Coins and tossed it to the boy.
The boy grinned from ear to ear and thanked him profusely. "Big Bro, if you need anything in Celestial Palace City in the future, you can always find me! My name is Yang Mu, but everyone calls me Xiaomuzi. I’m a big shot around here, you know!"
After Xiaomuzi left the room, Shen Lang cupped his fists toward the old man and said, "May I ask for your name, Elder? There are a few things I would like to inquire about."
The old man’s expression turned serious. He stroked his beard and said, "This old man is Gu Feng, the nine hundred and eighty-first generation Sect Leader of the Xuanyi Sect. Others have given me the nickname ’Master of All Things’."
"The Xuanyi Sect..." A smile touched the corners of Shen Lang’s lips.
’A sect I’ve never even heard of.’
Gu Feng said proudly, "This old man knows everything from the workings of the cosmos to the most trivial matters on earth; I understand the future and know the past. What is immortal is not immortal, for all things between heaven and earth enter my magic eye; what is the Dao is not the Dao, for I hold all of time in my heart... Ahem, this old man’s craving for wine is acting up, I wonder..."
Shen Lang was taken aback. ’I just wanted to find a well-informed person to ask about Illusion Mist City. Why is this old man spouting all this nonsense about the heavens?’
’"Understands the future and knows the past," huh? That’s a pretty bold claim.’
The Witch Race, the most mysterious race in the Barbaric lands, did have such abilities, but it was said that their divination required the consumption of Life Energy as a price. ’To "understand the future and know the past"... how could it be so easy?’ Even a supreme expert would find it difficult to achieve.
Shen Lang beckoned the waiter at the door. "First, bring this elder two jars of your finest Daughter Red Wine. Then, bring us a portion of all your restaurant’s signature dishes."
"Right away, Young Master. Please wait a moment." The waiter nodded, but as he turned away, he muttered under his breath, "It’s been a while since Elder Gu managed to swindle a feast like this. I guess there’s no shortage of suckers in this world."
His voice was very quiet and mumbled.
But who was Shen Lang? With his current hearing, even if the waiter had walked eighty or a hundred feet away before saying it, he still would have heard every word clearly.
At this moment, Gu Feng sat upright and proper, putting on an even greater air of immortal-like dignity.
However, the moment the wine was served, the old man’s demeanor changed completely. He impatiently broke open the seal on the jar and began drinking it by the bowlful.
He looked as though he hadn’t had a drink in eight or ten years.
"Regarding Illusion Mist City, I wonder what you know, Elder? I’d like to inquire about the major events there over the past two months," Shen Lang asked, getting straight to the point.
Gu Feng took another large gulp of wine, smacked his lips, and said, "Young man, you’ve come to the right person. I can guarantee you won’t find a second person in all of Celestial Palace City who knows about the various happenings in Illusion Mist City. This old man isn’t boasting, but back in my day..."
"If you know, please tell me. You will be handsomely rewarded afterward." As Shen Lang spoke, he extended his hand and placed four Low Grade Spirit Stones on the table.
These were Spirit Stones, not Gold Coins. They were worth far more than gold.
Gu Feng’s eyes immediately revealed his greed. He covered the Spirit Stones with his sleeve, then put on a serious expression and said, "You’re too kind, young man... Oh, quite a few things have indeed happened in Illusion Mist City these past two months."
"A while ago, with a disciple from the White Rainbow Sect secretly fanning the flames, the Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps, Langya Mountain, and Lianyun Stronghold attacked Qingfeng Stronghold. But then a young man appeared out of nowhere and utterly defeated them."
"Later, the leaders of these three powers ignored the warnings of Illusion Mist City’s City Lord and hired an assassin from the Shadow Tower to deal with that young man. Unexpectedly, the Shadow Tower failed when success was within reach and even returned the mission."
"Returning the mission was one thing, but then, overnight, the heads of the leaders from the Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps and the other two powers were severed. It seems they were all killed by something called ’Celestial Silkworm Silk’."
Shen Lang’s eyebrows shot up. "Celestial Silkworm Silk?"
Gu Feng nodded. "Yes. It’s said to be a Celestial Silkworm Silk that can only be found in the Western Wilderness Forbidden Land. It’s incomparably sharp and can cut through anything. Those three leaders were killed by it."
"After that, the City Lord of Illusion Mist City, An Fengrui, was enraged. He led the other major powers to eradicate the Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps and the other two factions. Those three powers completely disintegrated and became a part of Illusion Mist City’s history."
"I see," Shen Lang nodded. "And what about after that? Do you know what happened then, Elder?"
"What happened after that..." Gu Feng put on a very troubled expression.
Shen Lang formed a hand seal with his fingers, immediately setting up a Restriction in the private room to seal it off from the outside world.
At the same time, he took out another four Low Grade Spirit Stones and placed them in front of Gu Feng.
Gu Feng immediately beamed with joy. "Young man, you’re a smart one. This old man likes smart people like you."
Shen Lang didn’t speak, just watched him quietly.
Gu Feng cleared his throat and continued, "Originally, the matter should have ended there. But who would have known that the leader of the Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps, Gao Jingtian, had another card up his sleeve? He has a relative in the Holy Light Sect, so as soon as he died, the experts from the Holy Light Sect started paying attention to you."
A sharp glint flashed in Shen Lang’s eyes. "Elder, you know who I am?"
