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(Outskirts Of The Gobrean Jungle)

(White Lotus City- Unnamed Tavern)

Xu Lu walked towards the tavern with quiet steps. She could hear the sounds of raucous laughter, angry cursing and loud arguing coming from inside.

This was not a place where the high and mighty cultivators would usually visit. No… they would consider these mortals as dirty and beneath them.

Xu Lu raised up her hand and touched the edge of the metal mask that covered her face.

It was a habit that she had picked up after a few days of wearing the uncomfortable mask. Touching it helped to calm down the anxious emotions in her heart from the original Xu Lu.

The saintess moved through the crowd of rowdy drunks hanging outside the tavern and entered the building.

The scene inside was exactly how she had pictured it.

The tavern was in a state of disrepair. The wooden tables and chairs were broken, cracked or covered in mysterious liquids.

Rough looking customers grabbed dirty glass bottles and chugged their contents without any hesitation.

Plain faced barmaids with curvaceous bodies moved from table to table taking orders and flirting with the customers.

Some would receive harsh slaps on their asses from lecherous men who grinned wickedly when the barmaids protested.

A few muscular thugs leaned against the walls and watched the chaos with bored expressions on their faces.

Xu Lu drew quite a bit of attention as she stepped inside. She wore pure white robes with golden threads that were not stained with dust.

A sword was attached to her hip and there was a ethereal aura surrounding her body that made her seem like a goddess descended down to the mortal realm.

The mask covering her face only added to the mystery.

Xu Lu ignored the stares and made her way to the bar counter where an empty wooden stool had been placed in the corner.

She sat down on the stool and waved over the bartender who walked over and bowed his head respectful.

"What can I get for you tonight?" the bartender asked politely as his eyes shifted downwards towards the sword.

"Give me your finest stuff," Xu Lu whispered softly as she stretched out her hand and passed the bartender several silver coins.

"And send your boss to meet me."

The bartender quickly grabbed the coins and stuffed them in his pocket before anyone could see the gleam of silver.

One silver coin alone was enough to feed a family of four in the slums for at least three months.

This amount of wealth could only be described as lifechanging.

A subservient grin appeared on the bartender\'s face, and he bowed once more before rushing towards a door in the back of the room.

Xu Lu waited patiently for him to return and her eyes casually observed her nearby surroundings.

The loud conversations continued as normal but there was an undercurrent of tension in the room.

Even the muscular thugs seemed to be afraid, and no one dared to look at Xu Lu directly.

Not for the first time, Xu Lu realised just how terrifying cultivators must seem to ordinary people.

The customers inside the tavern knew that if they offended her… she could easily kill all of them without even the slightest bit of effort.

A bitter feeling rose up in Xu Lu\'s heart as she remembered the words of the mysterious girl who accused her of being just like the rest of cultivators.

Maybe she was.

She had killed that man simply for slapping his child and threatening him. Was that a crime worthy of death?

Was it right for her to be judge, jury and executor?

Xu Lu let out a heavy sigh and continued to wait with numerous thoughts running through her mind.

Fortunately she didn\'t have to wait for long as the bartender returned with a middle aged woman with strong forearms and a benign smile on her face.

"Lady Cultivator… it is an honour to have you in my establishment," the woman warmly spoke as she snapped her fingers.

The bartender rushed over to the stack of bottles lining the shelves and quickly pulled out several that looked considerably cleaner than the rest.

"Please… enjoy this hospitality on the house," the boss spoke humbly as she used her fingers to unscrew the top of the bottles.

Xu Lu picked up the nearest one and raised it up to the mask covering her face.

Unfortunately only her eyes were visible so the edge of the bottle only touched the metal surface of her mask.

She still forgot sometimes.

Xu Lu put down the bottle and pretended as though nothing had happened even though she felt slightly embarrassed.

"I need information," Xu Lu quietly spoke with her voice no higher than a whisper and drowned out by the rest of the noise filling the tavern.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bag. She slid the bag over to the tavern boss and motioned for her to open it.

The middle-aged woman dutifully followed her orders and her eyes widened in shock at what was inside.

Gold coins.

Xu Lu saw the expression on her face and knew that she would receive all the information that the boss knew.

Money was the root of all evil but… it also solved basically all problems.

It may seem as though she was just throwing money away, but Xu Lu had more coins than she knew how to deal with.

Before leaving the sect she had been given a pouch by the mission hall director containing currency to use in the mortal world.

Most skilled alchemists in cultivation sects could easily create silver, gold, and copper from ordinary metals.

Which meant that they were worthless… at least in the eyes of cultivators.

It was for this reason why the main form of currency in the cultivation world was in the form of spirit stones.

Rare materials that were capable of storing natural qi and aided in increasing the cultivation power of the one who absorbed them.

"Lady Cultivator… there are many eyes and ears here… please follow me…" the middle aged woman did not lose her cool and quickly spoke up.

Xu Lu nodded and then made her way behind the counter. The boss of the tavern headed for a secret door located in the back and Xu Lu followed.

The saintess did not think that she was in any danger but just in case she secretly extended a thread of her qi to scan the nearby surroundings.

The door led to a secret passage with many twists and turns.

Eventually the passage led to a small room no bigger than the size of a tiny shoebox-sized apartment.

There was a round table in the center of the room surrounded by three chairs and the roaring fireplace in the corner provided dim lighting.

The middle aged woman pulled out one of the chairs for Xu Lu to sit down and then hurriedly sat down on the chair opposite to her.

Xu Lu waited for the woman to settle down and then opened her mouth to ask the questions on her mind.

"I would like to know two pieces of information," Xu Lu calmly spoke as she tapped her fingers against the top of the table.

"The first is the power structure of this city. Who are the major players? Gangs, loose cultivators, the city lord\'s forces and other organizations."

"The second concerns the Gobrean Jungle. Have there been any rumors about mysterious ruins found in the jungle?"