vrcanaries Chapter 1824 Gray rat?
Chapter 1824 Gray rat?
The inn's interior appeared more spacious than the exterior. The first floor was the lobby, furnished with dozens of rough wooden tables and chairs, which were about 70-80% full and extremely noisy.
The smell of alcohol in the air was stronger, mixed with the stench of sweat and blood.
Behind the counter, a one-eyed, gaunt old man with a scar on his face was lazily fiddling with an abacus.
Upon seeing the five people enter, the one-eyed old man raised his eyelids and glanced at them. A glint of light flashed in his cloudy eye, but then it drooped again, and he said weakly:
"Stay at the inn or have a meal? There are rooms on the second and third floors for ten low-grade spirit stones a day. If you want to eat, find a seat yourself; food and drink are extra."
"When checking into a hotel, you should also ask about some things."
Ye Yan walked to the counter and casually put down a small bag of spirit stones, the weight of which was clearly more than the room fee.
The one-eyed old man narrowed his single eye, weighed the bag in his hand, a slight smile appeared on his face, and his voice became warmer:
"No problem. Is this your first time in Shaquanji? You look unfamiliar. What would you like to ask? The roads in the desert? The latest prices? Or the whereabouts of some important person?"
He lowered his voice, his tone suggestive.
Ye Yan lowered his voice and went straight to the point: "The Black Viper Mercenary Group. Their leader, and they recently landed a big job."
The one-eyed old man's expression changed slightly, his single eye flashing with a sharp light as he carefully examined the five people, especially giving a second glance to the unfathomable Lingxu Zhenren and the Crimson Flame Fox.
He hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "The Black Viper Gang... is the local tyrant of Shaquan Village, not to be trifled with. Their leader, Black Viper, is elusive, but their lair is in Viper Cave on the west side of the village; that's their property, their base for selling stolen goods and making rendezvous. As for big deals..."
He looked around and lowered his voice even further: "I have indeed heard recently that the Black Viper Gang has taken on a mysterious job, quite a big deal, and has sent out a lot of skilled fighters, even the deputy leader Zhan Xiong is personally leading the team. As for the details... hehe, sir, this information is quite expensive."
Ye Yan then calmly pushed over a small bag of spirit stones.
The one-eyed old man quickly put it away, his smile widening as he leaned closer and said, "I heard it's related to the Dragon Roar Temple, and the reward is incredibly high. But who the specific target is, I'm afraid only Black Viper and a few of his confidants know. If you want to find out more details, you can try your luck at the Viper Cave, or you can look for Gray Rat."
"Grey mouse?"
"The most well-informed broker in Shaquan Village, bar none. As long as you can afford the price, he can even dig up some scraps of information about the major powers in the Holy Domain. He often hangs out at the Old Camel Tavern in the south of the village. His distinguishing feature is that he always wears a drab gray rat-skin vest and has half of his left ear missing."
"Thank you." Ye Yan nodded, asked no more questions, took the room number, and led everyone up to the second floor.
They requested two adjacent upper rooms and installed soundproofing measures.
"Let's rest for a while and then act after nightfall," said Master Lingxu. "We can try to find out what Gray Rat is up to, but the key probably still lies with Black Viper himself. Tonight, we'll make a trip to Viper Cave."
Crimson Flame Fox grinned: "It should have been done long ago! Why play tricks on these local bullies? Just go straight to their door, ask them what's going on, and beat them until they submit if they're not satisfied!"
The blue-faced fox gently reminded, "Don't be careless. The Black Viper has been able to entrenched itself here for so many years, it must have something to rely on. It is true that it is at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, but we must also be wary of its rumored backing as a Deity Transformation cultivator. As its lair, the Viper Cave must be heavily guarded and riddled with traps."
“It’s alright,” Mingchuan said calmly. “We’re just going to ask questions, not to wipe out the whole family. If that Black Viper knows what’s good for him, that’s for the best. If he doesn’t…”
A glint of silver flashed in his eyes: "I have my own way of getting him to talk."
As night deepened, the hustle and bustle of Shaquanji had not completely subsided, but compared to the chaos of the daytime, it had taken on a more mysterious and dangerous air.
Many shady deals and meetings take place at this time.
Mingchuan and Master Lingxu left the Shaxing Inn silently, like ghosts, and disappeared into the night, heading west towards the market.
Ye Yan, Qingmianhu, and Chiyanhu stayed at the inn to provide backup, just in case, and were also responsible for monitoring other movements within the group.
To the west of Shaquanji lies a more rudimentary and chaotic cluster of buildings, mostly converted from abandoned mines and caves. This area is home to many outlaws, fugitives, and low-level mercenaries.
Viper Cave is not hard to find; it is the largest and most heavily guarded entrance to an underground building in the area.
The entrance was disguised as a huge abandoned mine, but several powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators guarded the entrance. Inside, there were faint lights and noises, while deeper inside, there were faint array fluctuations and the smell of blood.
Mingchuan and Master Lingxu did not force their way in.
With a flick of his sleeve, Master Lingxu and his companion vanished into the shadows, their presence completely disappearing. Even the gatekeepers were unaware as they passed by and disappeared into the mine.
The cave passages twist and turn downwards, with stone chambers of varying sizes carved out on both sides. Some chambers emit noisy sounds of people playing drinking games, while others are filled with suppressed conversations or painful groans.
The air was filled with the smells of cheap alcohol, sweat, blood, and a faint, fishy-sweet odor.
The deeper you go, the tighter the defenses become, and the more array nodes there are.
But these were meaningless to Master Lingxu.
He seemed to know the formation of this place like the back of his hand, and led Mingchuan through the warning lines with ease, all the way to the deepest part.
This is a rather spacious underground hall, brightly lit.
In the center of the hall, a huge fire was burning, with sizzling, oily meat from an unknown animal roasting on top.
Animal skin chairs were scattered around, and more than twenty people were sitting there. Each of them exuded a fierce aura, and their cultivation level was at least at the Core Formation stage, with the leaders even reaching the Nascent Soul stage.
In the main seat sat a thin, gloomy-faced middle-aged man dressed in black scale armor.
He toyed with two jet-black, writhing fangs in his hands, his eyes as cold and cunning as a venomous snake. He was none other than Black Viper, the leader of the Black Viper Mercenary Group.
To his left, below him, was an empty seat, which originally belonged to the deputy commander, Zhan Xiong.
On the right sat a mysterious figure wearing a hood, whose face was obscured. His aura was concealed, but he gave off a faint sense of danger.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the hall was somewhat heavy.
"Commander, Vice Commander Zhan Xiong has been leading the team out for almost a day now. According to the plan, regardless of success or failure, news should have come back by now." A leader at the mid-Nascent Soul stage frowned and asked, "Could something have gone wrong?"
Black Viper gave him a cold glance: "War Bear brought the Mountain-Moving Array and over a hundred elite troops, and they're waiting in ambush at the Yangtong Mountain Pass. Even if the target is troublesome, they should be able to slip away and send a message. Unless..."
A cold glint flashed in his eyes: "Unless they've kicked a hornet's nest, they won't even have a chance to send a message."
"That bounty... could there be a problem?" another person hesitated. "Anonymous, high reward, vague target, and the requirement to disguise it as Longyin Temple... it all feels a bit strange."