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Qing Xuanling and the others walked briskly toward the city's eastern district—the clandestine auction would take place in six nights… or at least, that's what Qing Xuanling would've preferred.
"Sixth Sister, look, look! That guy's selling grilled vampire wolf legs!" Qing Haha excitedly tugged Qing Huayan toward a food stall.
"Seventh Brother—isn't that the kind of stone you like?" Qing Tanwei smiled sweetly while guiding Qing Xixi to a trinket vendor.
Meanwhile, Qing Muyu and Qing Rannuan examined some attractive accessories. Not to mention Qing Xunwei, who wandered from stall to stall grabbing whatever caught her interest—and earning insults for it…
The only relatively normal one was Qing Hanlin, sleepwalking behind Qing Xuanling and Qing Wentian.
Or rather—he held absolutely no interest in the city, so he simply followed those least likely to wander off…
Qing Xuanling sighed at everyone's scattered state. She understood their excitement and even felt somewhat reluctant to stop them—but time was pressing.
"Everyone, please don't go off alone!" Qing Xuanling sighed and quickly reined in the "children." "We can play once we reach the eastern district! Don't you remember—this city is damn huge! Even if we hurry, it'll take three hours to get there!"
The others froze and stared at Qing Xuanling in disbelief.
"Three hours? You're joking, Ninth Sister?" Qing Rannuan's eyes widened in surprise. "We can cover dozens of kilometers in three hours!"
Qing Wentian smirked ironically. "This is what it means to be hothouse flowers…? Fifth Sister—we won't be running through the city. We can walk quickly, but we might start fights if we sprint around. And remember—we can't reveal our identities…"
The others nodded. Indeed, that would be counterproductive. They'd even removed all clothing items that might identify them as Qing Clan members to remain inconspicuous. Drawing attention now just to save time would be foolish.
No one got distracted by roadside attractions after that small scolding—though all expressed amazement at the city's environment.
Though a cultivator city, it still housed several mortals going about their lives. Few in number, they could still be seen walking with heads bowed among crowds of rogue cultivators.
Fortunately, rogue cultivators completely ignored mortals—unconcerned with their activities.
Qing Tanwei frowned. "Isn't this a bit dangerous for them…? I can't say much about rogue cultivators, but I know Mo Clan members have a habit of testing poisons on mortals."
Qing Xuanling scratched her cheek. "Now that you mention it—yes, it is somewhat dangerous… But strangely, I've never encountered cultivators killing or torturing mortals…"
She felt perplexed too. Though more experienced than the others, she was still a child among cultivators. Her knowledge of the outside world remained somewhat lacking.
"Oh—I think I know the reason!"
The answer came from an unexpected source.
Qing Huayan brought a hand to her chin, thoughtful. "Once my parents told me that decades ago, a mortal protection organization emerged—founded by cultivators who still had mortal families. Apparently, they've been rapidly expanding through the shadows of every city not fully controlled by a clan or sect."
Everyone was quite surprised. None had heard of such a thing. The others asked Qing Huayan several questions—but she couldn't answer further. She didn't know much either.
The journey to the eastern district felt extremely short for Qing Xuanling thanks to everyone's conversation.
Soon, they arrived in the eastern district—controlled by the Ink Sword Sect.
The sight made all of them frown.
It wasn't that they wished to praise their clan—but if there was one thing they could say about the Qing Clan-controlled district, it was that it was well-maintained with acceptable security.
Each city zone was maintained by its controlling power—so the three districts looked vastly different from one another. Qing Xuanling and the others finally understood this.
The buildings before them—though made of brick and wood—were in terrible condition. Bricks seemed on the verge of collapse; wood was moldy. No grand structures or plazas existed—only one- or two-story houses.
Most notably—the streets held minimal foot traffic. Barely five or six people could be seen. As for mortals—they were nowhere in sight.
"…This looks like a ghost town." Qing Muyu shook his head, stunned. "I've heard from some elder brothers that zones controlled by the other two powers couldn't compare to ours—but I thought that was an exaggeration…"
"Not everyone is as benevolent as the Qing Clan. This place may look bad—but if we went to the Ink Sword Sect's territory, it might even appear more magnificent than our clan's." Qing Tanwei smiled disdainfully.
She truly despised the Ink Sword Sect. Not only were they cowards who sent assassins after their clan's young geniuses—they were also so short-sighted as to ignore the benefits of maintaining their territory well.
If that wasn't stupidity—she didn't know what was.
She sighed and briefly scanned the city before whispering, "Let's split into two teams. I'll lead one. First Brother, Sixth Sister, Ninth Sister, and Tenth Brother will come with me."
"Good idea. Let's regroup here in two hours." Qing Muyu nodded—his expression suddenly turning serious. "Please—no one cause trouble. Though no one here should recognize our faces, we'll be in trouble if they identify us as Qing Clan members."
The others nodded solemnly. Since what happened to Qing Xuanling, the Ink Sword Sect attacked any Qing Clan member they encountered. Of course—no one blamed Qing Xuanling. Only they despised the Ink Sword Sect's audacity.
But despite all that contempt—the Ink Sword Sect remained a force on par with the Qing Clan within the city. Confronting them was impossible for youths like them.
The two teams separated afterward—each taking a different path.
"Ninth Sister—do you have any ideas for gathering information?" Qing Huayan suddenly asked Qing Xuanling. "As you can imagine—neither Fourth Sister nor I have much experience… And First Brother is already sleepwalking. We can only rely on you and Tenth Brother."
Qing Tanwei nodded with an apologetic smile. "Though I'd like to be more helpful as the eldest here—my outside experience pales compared to yours. So we'll follow your lead."
She didn't mention Qing Wentian—since in prior conversations, he'd revealed he also lacked much experience venturing out, rarely finding reason to leave clan territory. Still—he had more experience than the pampered children from family branches…
As for Qing Hanlin… no one mentioned him. If not for his absurd strength, they likely would've beaten him awake.
Qing Xuanling sighed at the girls' request.
"Of course—I expected we'd do this." She brought a hand to her chin, considering the matter seriously. "Normally, going to a tavern would be best. Many rogue cultivators drink there and spill juicy information—but they also grow more aggressive… and lustful. I don't know how they'd react seeing Fourth and Sixth Sisters."
Qing Tanwei hugged her own shoulders, shivering. "Do such things really happen in real life? I thought everyone would fear offending young ladies from important clans…"
"Don't expect much from drunk people." Qing Wentian shrugged. "Once I went to a tavern with Xuanling—and several men tried to threaten us even while we were wearing clan robes. According to them—it was just an imitation… Those people are already dead inside—truly only seeking immediate pleasure without considering consequences."
Qing Huayan frowned. "Then what can we do? We have three quite lovely girls here. We'll likely attract trouble if we go to a tavern."
Qing Xuanling smirked ironically when Qing Huayan also called her "lovely"—not truly believing it—and scratched her cheek.
Suddenly, her ears turned red.
"T-there's… another option." She took a deep breath, avoiding everyone's gaze. "According to a friend—the best and safest information source isn't a tavern… but a p-pleasure house…"
The others' eyes widened in surprise. Qing Wentian swallowed hard.
"Xuanling—you're not suggesting we…?"
Qing Xuanling looked away, slightly embarrassed. However, Qing Tanwei found nothing wrong with Qing Xuanling's suggestion.
"Not a bad idea. Though I hadn't considered it before—it's true a pleasure house meets the same conditions as a tavern for being a good information source: people lost in pleasure. The only difference is—they'll already have targets for releasing their lust… so we shouldn't encounter problems…" Qing Tanwei analyzed everything logically.
"True!" Qing Huayan nodded, eyes sparkling with interest. "Beyond being the best place to gather information—it sounds quite interesting! I've never been to a pleasure house! Maybe I'll find a handsome boy to serve me…?"
Everyone rolled their eyes at Qing Huayan's jokes. The little one was quite bold whenever she found something interesting.
Amid lighthearted banter that eased Qing Xuanling's embarrassment, the small group asked for directions until reaching the finest pleasure house in the eastern district.
"Fragrant Lotus House…" Qing Wentian smiled a bit too widely. "Hehe—I wonder what we'll find here."
Qing Xuanling rolled her eyes and ignored him—focusing on the Fragrant Lotus House building. To her surprise—although she was already somewhat expecting it—the building was in excellent condition.
In fact—it was a luxurious, elegant five-story pavilion crafted from reddish wood and orange tiles. The entire pleasure neighborhood they stood in was filled with similarly styled buildings—though this one looked the finest.
Since they were visiting a pleasure house—they'd chosen the best available. Of course—this would make their information-gathering session more expensive—but they didn't need to worry about that.
They had a walking wallet with them.
"Ugh… Do they really promise I can sleep as much as I want?" Qing Hanlin yawned while pulling a bulging pouch from his spatial ring. "I don't care much what you do with this—but just make sure to gather the necessary information. I really don't want to fail this trial—yawn…"
Though he spent most of his time half-asleep, Qing Hanlin was aware of the trial's importance. The resources they might obtain in coming months could depend on this trial—so even he took it seriously.
He merely looked lazy—in truth, he paid close attention to avoid ambushes. As for money—he didn't care much. It was the accumulation of his monthly allowance over recent years—but since he did nothing but sleep, he'd amassed a considerable sum…
He closed his eyes after saying what he wanted—ignoring the temptations of the Fragrant Lotus House.
For the first time, the others felt slight admiration for Qing Hanlin. His love for sleep ran so deep he could even resist the hidden temptations within the building before them.
The others exchanged one last solemn glance before Qing Tanwei stepped forward and positioned herself before the door.
She took a deep breath—and with a solemn expression—opened the door.
An intense, strange yet pleasant aroma assaulted everyone's noses—sending chills down their spines that didn't feel entirely unpleasant…