14 Chapter Fourteen - The Mysterious Merchant (2)

Following Yue Chen's gaze Li Li spotted a completely white caravan that was being pulled by demon beasts.

Demon beasts that specialized in speed were often caught by powerful cultivators and used for transportation such as the caravan or some simple rode them as mounts.

"One Horned Ground Dragons" it was near impossible for Yue Chen to not recognize the Nascent level demon beast, as they had a single horn protruding from the forehead and were covered in dense black scales all over, while they weren't the most suitable for speedy transportation, these demon beasts were capable of carrying at least 1200Kg for thousands of miles without the need for rest.

"Is it royalty?" Li Li drew closer to Yue Chen and asked discreetly, trying her utmost best not to be overheard.

"I don't know, let's go" grabbing Li Li's hand Yue Chen prepared to leave. A foreboding sense was demanding he leave as fast as he could.

"Young Miss, little brother, don't be in such a hurry to leave" a bland voice floated around in the air.

"We are in a hurry to return home, could senior be so kind as to allow this little brother to leave with his companion?" Yue Chen shielded Li Li behind himself and made a polite fist-palm salute.

"There's no need to be so cautious little brother you see I am looking for some customers and hope you could help me to promote my sales" the bland voice travelled from the caravan unhurried and relaxed.

"We aren't very good at being spokespersons, ask someone else" Yue Chen flatly refused.

Turning around Yue Chen held Li Li's hand and pulled her along to leave the square immediately. The longer he remained the stronger his mind urged him to leave.

"Surely you want a chance to strike down the emperor of the Xuan Empire for how he wronged you, lost child of the Bai family." the voice rang out again.

"Who are you? have you been following me? Do you know my parents?" Yue Chen halted in his tracks. more than his desire to get even with Emperor Zhao he had always wanted to find out more about his birth parents but to no avail.

"Hehe I'm only here for business, business yes if you want to know more visit the All Seeing Pavilion in the Red Water Empire and give this card to a man called Warden" as the voice finished it's piece a thin purple card appeared before Yue Chen's feet, it's edge partially digging into the floor of the square.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Yue Chen clenched his fists and glared at the caravan "how do I know this isn't a trap by that bastard emperor?"

"A trap? for a broken cultivator like yourself a mere slap would be enough to send you to your grave, you standing here alive and well should be proof enough" the voice laughed strangely. "I will be in the city for one week, you may visit should you have an inquiry"

"Very well then, thank you senior" Yue Chen bowed once more and left with Li Li in tow.

On the way back the journey was silent as neither Yue Chen spoke a word. Li Li constantly gazed at Yue Chen who seemed to be lost in thought with furrowed brows.

"Li Li" Yue Chen finally spoke up.

"y-yes?" Li Li who had been staring at Yue Chen thinking about how to break the silence suddenly had her thoughts thrown into disarray.

"I... think, no I will leave this village soon, when I do, I don't know if I'll be coming back anytime soon"

"Oh" Li Li responded in a resigned tone. She had already prepared for this mentally but she was barely able to keep from tearing up.

"Don't tell little Gila nor miss Jia about what happened today" an unnatural frown formed on Yue Chen's face.

"Didn't you.. say you would become a scholar? pursuing knowledge and casting the world if cultivation aside?" Li Li looked into Yue Chen's eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of how he was feeling right now.

"...." Yue Chen didn't reply, instead he looked into the evening sky and frowned once more.

Meanwhile in a remote corner of the Xuan Empire sat two robed individuals in a luxurious inn. Seated on opposite sides of the table both wore contrasting colours as one wore an azure blue while the other wore a dark red robe that was riddled with holes and looked more like a rag than a robe.

"I heard he was severely injured while in the beast forest and his trails were completely lost afterwards. Until recently I was told he took refuge in a small town a few empires away and his precise location remains unknown" one of the robed individuals reported while tapping the table slowly.

"I trust your information is reliable I will find him myself, thank you for your cooperation" the red robed individual took out a small bag of cold coins and slid it across the table before standing to leave.

.....

Yue Chen and Li Li returned home without speaking, opening the door Yue Chen was greeted by the cheerful Little Gila who charged right into his arms.

"Big brother,guess what Gila did today?" Gila asked with a proud smile.

"Did you master Miss Jia's Vessel Severing Method?" Yue Chen guessed while patting little gila's head.

"Yup!" Little Gila placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head like a morning fowl with a satisfactory smile. "How did you guess big brother?"

Hugging onto Yue Chen's arm Gila begun talking about trivial and unimportant matters until she finally burned out and fell asleep. Yue Chen looked down at the sleeping Gila who still hugged his like a blood sucking leech and had entered the realm of dreams. Yue Chen carefully took the sleeping Gila into his arms and brought her to her room and placed her down gently.

Li Li had returned to her own room and didn't even bother to say goodnight. Her anger was visible. Yue Chen skipped the thought of grabbing a midnight snack and went straight to his room where he sat on his bed with a serious expression.

"Even a scholar has death grudges that warrant blood" Yue Chen while taking out the card the mysterious person had given him earlier.

Yue Chen's back landed on his bed with a soft sound and he lifted the card above his eyes. It was a small card that was shone purple even in the dark, on its surface intricate lines ran in all directions creating a unique array and located at the top right corner was a golden eye.

"The All Seeing Pavilion..."

The Next Morning

The sun hung high in the morning sky, shining down brilliant rays of light to signal the start of a new day.

Dressed in a emerald green robe Yue Chen set out for the town square. He wanted to find out more about his parents even if it meant putting himself in harm's way.

Almost half an hour later Yue Chen arrived at the entrance of the Phoenix Carving Inn. Yue Chen had been told that the Phoenix Carving Inn was the branch of a bigger organization and most visitors were more likely to reside there for it was know for it's superior services compared to regular inns.

Striding into the inn Yue Chen inquired at the front desk for the owners of the caravan parked outside.

"I am sorry sir but it is against our policy to reveal information on our customers without their permission" the lady at the desk bowed with an apologetic look.

"I was told to find them here"

"Please wait a moment" after saying that the lady ran off up the stairs.

After a few minutes she returned with a subtle smile and nodded. "Sir Chen please follow me"

Yue Chen nodded and followed the receptionist up the stairs and across the corridor where they came to a stop at the third door. On the door were the numbers 604 and they seemed to be made of pure gold.

After escorting Yue Chen to the desired room the receptionist returned to her station.

"Please do come in" the same bland voice from the caravan came from the room, inviting Yue Chen inside.

"Mn" Yue Chen pushed the door open and entered at a leisurely pace.

"Take a seat" the voice came from the only person in the room besides Yue Chen, who sat comfortably not even bothering to glance at Yue Chen.

Yue Chen sat opposite the mysterious person and his eyes widened in surprise. He was surprised to see that the bland voice belonged to the young lady before him!

Though he could make out her facial features through the veil she wore Yue Chen could guess she was definitely not lacking in beauty.

"Yesterday you spoke of the Bai family, what do you know about them?" intending to inquire about his origins Yue Chen didn't ponder long and immediately fired off his first question.

"Ah, The Devil Eradication Faction, the Bai family" the young lady said leisurely "this empress won't waste words, I will answer a maximum of 2 questions per day should I count this as the first?"

"Devil Eradication Faction?" Yue Chen asked in surprise. He had never heard the name before.

"A prominent faction in the wester seas" the young lady nodded with a tone of respect. "1 to go"

"Does that count as an answer?" Yue Chen said feeling wronged.

"Does this count as your second question?" the young lady asked sarcastically.

"No no no!" Yue Chen shook his head with vigor and could help but cry inside! "big sister! that wasn't my second question at all have mercy!"

"hmph!" the lady snorted while staring at Yue Chen indifferently.

"Do you know where to find the Bai family?" Yue Chen inquired hopefully.

"No way" the young lady gave an unenthusiastic reply.

"I see" Yue Chen accepted the result silently with a bitter look.

"All I know is that the Bai family is somewhere within the western seas of the mainland, our intelligence network isn't able to infiltrate this specific family" the young lady shook her head slightly.

"I understand" Yue Chen stood up and prepared to leave.

"Yue Chen don't you regret losing the ability to cultivate?" the young lady laughed lightly as she asked. "What if I gave you....a chance?"