Chapter 144: Information Exchange

Third Seat took Ye Jun to the dining hall, though it was only after he agreed to pay for the meal. There was no way Ye Jun was going to pay for anything after going broke.

Surprisingly enough, Third Seat chose a room on the first floor. From there, Ye Jun had a good view of the mountains, cliffs, and the clouds drifting by leisurely.

The incense burning in the corner soothed his mind too, which made him relaxed and calm. He enjoyed the delicious Spirit Food, as they had decided to eat first.

Once he was finished, he rubbed his belly and smiled in joy, “This was my second best meal. Spirit Food is really something else.”

He could also feel an abundance of Qi waiting in his Dantian, ready to be refined and used. This was the magic of Spirit Food. If one consumed meat of Spiritual Beasts directly, then they would be consuming wild Qi mixed in with the Beast’s lingering Will.

A Spirit Chef could remove that Will while preserving the Qi and other good parts. That was why they were so valuable to any organisation.

Third Seat poured wine for both of them and said, “I’ve heard about your shamelessness, but I’m still surprised. You’re really letting your senior serve and treat you.”

“It’s because I respect you that I’m asking you to do that,” Ye Jun smiled at him and said. “Think about it, will I drink something from someone’s hand whom I don’t even trust and respect? You can literally add poison to it, you know.”

“Smooth talker,” Third Seat shook his head and leaned back, casually holding the wine cup. “So, about the Winxuan Inn…”

“I did it,” Ye Jun admitted honestly. “I stayed in another inn, but an assassination attempt was made on my life. I traced it back and found Yuan, the owner of that shop beside the inn.”

“Continue.”

“There’s nothing much,” Ye Jun shrugged. “I got information from him and gave him a chance, but he almost contacted his superiors so I killed him right there.”

“Hmm, you do know you’ve just confessed before a Law Enforcement Enforcer,” Third Seat narrowed his eyes at him. “What makes you think I’ll believe your words?”

“Because I have a witness,” Ye Jun said, leaning forward on the table between them. “I spared the assassin, so he can give the testimony. Besides, you won’t find anything there, not a single trace of me being there.”

Third Seat stayed silent for a while, contemplating something. Then, he nodded and said, “I’ll believe you, but share the information.”

Ye Jun didn’t mind it. In fact, he was hoping to get some help from the Third Seat. From their interactions, he knew the man was basically a herald of justice.

“He was under an oath,” Ye Jun said.

Third Seat got confused, “Then, how did you get the information? If he had tried telling you, his Soul would have collapsed.”

“Easy. I just asked for clues rather than the full truth.”

“Ah! That makes sense,” Third Seat nodded. “So, what are the clues?”

Ye Jun told him about them and also showed the silver coins. As Third Seat was about to take them, he said, “They’re mine now.”

“They’re stolen goods,” Third Seat scoffed before snatching the three silver coins.

Ye Jun clicked his tongue, but didn’t say anything. It wasn’t like he didn’t hide the majority of that money already. Only an idiot would show his full cards.

The room remained silent for a minute, as Ye Jun just enjoyed the wine while Third Seat continued to check the silver coins.

“Silver Fang Association.”

Ye Jun turned towards him and said, “That kind of makes sense. Are they powerful or something?”

“They are quite infamous,” Third Seat said. “I will look into this matter, but don’t leave the sect for now.”

“I have no plans of leaving,” Ye Jun smiled and said. “Still, I didn’t expect you to help me so readily.”

“It isn’t hard to guess this was done by someone from the Sect,” his voice turned low and dangerous. “And the Law Enforcement Hall doesn’t tolerate disciples killing each other, even if it is outside the sect. I will find whoever did it and punish them.”

’That actually is very helpful. I can focus on other matters then,’ Ye Jun thought, though he wondered if Third Seat was involved in this and was only helping him to cover his tracks.

Thinking about it, he asked, “Thanks, but why are you doing it? I mean, a crime in the city should be common, so why is Third Seat himself investigating it?”

Third Seat stared at him for a bit longer, making him uncomfortable, as he finally said, “You don’t have to trust me. I can understand.”

“Well….”

“Your doubts are valid,” Third Seat said, his voice even. “As for your question, it’s because we’re short on personnel. After the incident in Greywood Village, everyone has been busy.”

“Ah! That makes sense then.”

“As we’re on that topic, can you tell me about Greywood Village?” Third Seat asked. “I checked the logs and found you took the mission to check up on it. That’s when everything happened.”

Ye Jun looked out of the window and replied calmly, “If you’re looking for information, then it’s futile. I’m sure Pavilion Master already gave enough information about it. If he didn’t, then he withheld it for good reasons. I can’t exactly go against him, can I?”

“Fair enough,” Third Seat rubbed his nose in annoyance. “Still, anything you can tell me?”

“Just that be careful of anything related to that entity,” Ye Jun said in a somber voice. “I would run the opposite way actually. He’s just way too dangerous and if allowed to grow, I don’t think our Sect will be able to face him.”

Third Seat’s face turned grave, “I’ve heard about it, but I still can’t understand how that entity came about without anyone’s knowledge?”

“Could be some Ancient Ghost waking up,” Ye Jun shrugged and after some thought, asked. “So, what happened with the villagers? Pavilion Master sent me away, so I’m still unsure about their whereabouts.”

“They’re dead.”

Ye Jun paused, his grip on the wine cup tightening.

Meanwhile, Third Seat continued, “That entity had messed up their entire being. I don’t know the details but even Flower Maiden’s disciples failed to do anything for them.”

Ye Jun had heard about the Flower Maiden, the most accomplished Alchemist and Apothecary in all of the North. If she couldn’t save anyone, not a single soul in the entire North could change that. If even her disciples failed…

“Apparently, even after waking up, they remained brainwashed and worshiped that entity, calling out his name like fanatics. Then, they took their own lives, saying that He needed their sacrifice.”

Third Seat finished his wine in one gulp and added, “This is why I was hoping for more information, but your stance is better. I should put my trust in Pavilion Master.”

He stood up and patted Ye Jun’s shoulder, “Take some rest. I know these events can heavily impact one’s mental health, so take my advice and rest for a few days. Don’t even think of Cultivating.”

Then, he left the room, not minding Ye Jun’s silence. Just thinking about the events made his heart heavy, so he couldn’t even fathom what Ye Jun must be feeling to have gone through it.

Inside the room, Ye Jun sat silently by the window, gazing outside as thoughts of the villagers weighed on his mind. All those innocent lives had been snuffed out like candles for no reason other than their weakness and another’s strength.

After over a minute, he sighed and rubbed his eyes, “Give power to intelligent life, and it reveals its true monstrosity.”

Back on Earth, humans didn’t have such power but they weren’t any less of a monster. They created a different kind of power, an illusive one that they eventually turned real and used it.

In this world, it was a tangible force and reality was no different. It truly made him wonder if power corrupted one, or if it simply brought their true self out.

He drank another bottle of wine before leaving the Dining Hall, his destination was the tall mountain where every disciple resided. His mood was a lot better now, maybe because his emotional side was dealing with it or maybe the wine was doing its work.

Or maybe he was just growing numb to the cruelty of the world. Or maybe the irony of how his surroundings remained the same even after he died and changed entire worlds.

“Life is nothing but a big fat joke.” He chuckled to himself before returning to his abode.

Once he reached there, he contacted Meihui and told her to come to his abode. Though he got no response, he knew she would come soon.

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