626 Everything Does Not Go Well

It was a dark secret room.

After the death of Black Wing King of Hell, Shu Si was brought here by the young man in a red and white robe. He didn't even know where the secret room was located. At that time, he was grabbed on the shoulder by the other side, and then a blur appeared in front of him. After which, he inexplicably appeared here.

The red and white dressed cultivator asked him to sit down, brewed him tea, gave him snacks, and then asked about the situation.

It took a while for Shu Si to explain his situation clearly.

"Oh, you mean you don't know him at all. You just wanted to take a ride, but in the end, almost left your soul in that ride? So… you are really not his catamite?"

"Of course not!" Shu Si was so ashamed and indignant that he couldn't help but want to 'slap the table and stand up' to prove his innocence. However, when he thought how easy the red and white dressed young cultivator in front of him eliminated the mighty Black Wing King of Hell… this slippery teenager could not muster up even a little bit of courage.

Thus, the teenager had to euphemistically lament, "If I was really his catamite, why would I need to worry about being eaten?"

"You don't understand, these evil cultivators are the most perverted. The so-called personal catamite is actually just snacks to them. According to them, the recently used catamite is more delicious, probably similar to the feeling of cream-filled bread."

Shu Si said, "Though I don't understand what you are talking about, I always feel that it's nauseating."

The red and white dressed cultivator smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "In any case, welcome to the City of Immortals. Although you're just an ordinary mortal, this city will be your place as well. Believe me, it will be a feast which belongs to both the whole cultivators and ordinary mortals of Nine Regions!"

Shu Si nodded his head somewhat ignorantly. He didn't know much and could not understand the hidden information in the cultivator's words. He just felt that this young man's tone was great. Through those words, he only knew he was welcomed in the City of Immortals, or, perhaps, the grand competition is classified as a feast. Well, the cultivator before him really sounded like he was the master of the City of Immortals… which made people feel so strange.

However, that red and white dressed cultivator was obviously very busy. After saying that, he got up and was ready to leave.

"You can take your time playing here. I have to go around to inspect and maintain stability, I can't accompany you."

Just before leaving, the red and white dressed cultivator stuffed him with a small compass and said, "Think of the name and appearance of the person in your mind that you are looking for and then follow the compass. The dead face that you want to see is in the A17 area."

Shu Si ignorantly took the compass and saw the red and white silhouette flash away, while simultaneously, a bright and dazzling door was opened in that secret room. Holding the compass, the teenager stepped through that door. Once outside, the light receded, and he was met with a bustling crowd. He was already in the City of Immortals, however, behind him was only empty space. Where was the shadow of that secret room?

Shu Si fiercely pinched his thigh to convince himself that this was not just a dream… It was true, a young, handsome cultivator had saved his life from the Black Wing King of Hell and was kind enough to give him a treasure.

Thinking to this, Shu Si hurriedly scrutinized the compass in his hand, which was undoubtedly a tool used by the immortal, and was priceless in the world of mortals. For a while, the teenager was uncertain whether to keep the compass forever or simply sell it to the dead face along with the dozen mustard seed bags in his clothes. However, upon remembering the friendly smile of that red and white dressed cultivator, especially the tea and the snacks that he personally gave to him, the always greedy for small advantages Shu Si could not convince himself to give this small gift to others.

This was an immortal fate that belonged to him alone… Money could be earned again, but immortal fate could be met but not sought. Thinking of this, Shu Si saw the thin pointer of the compass was leaning to one side. And that direction was a long and empty corridor. The corridor was more than ten feet high, and at every distance, a signboard was hung from the top to indicate what the area ahead was.

"A17?" Shu Si wrinkled his eyebrows, barely able to recognize the neat characters on the top. "Is the dead face here?"

While muttering, the teenager walked quickly along the direction of the compass, but when he walked halfway through, he was startled and alarmed.

When did I tell others that I came to look for the dead face?

—

Area A17 was a complex area with scattered layers. The area had a circumference of several miles and was divided into ten floors. Each floor was neatly separated by several hundred overlapping lots used as the accommodation for the people who came to watch the fight. At this time, most were still vacant and uninhabited.

Shu Si boldly pushed open an empty lot and then saw that he had an extra key in his hand and there were more signs of inhabitation outside the house. Inside the house, there were two rooms and one living room. The layout was compact but not crowded. The decoration was simple but exquisite. However, the most stunning thing for Shu Si was that there were delicious meals on the dining table in the hall. Chicken, duck, fish, and all kinds of meat were available. Moreover, they were steaming hot, as if they were freshly made.

"Hahaha, it really is the means of immortal! The fool Old Mao the Third should've come with me! Just for this food alone is worth all the trouble, hahaha."

Shu Si wolfed down a bit until his belly turned round. After he finished his meal, the leftovers on the table disappeared automatically. The teenager stretched out and wanted to sleep for a while, but when he saw that the compass on the table was still pointing straight, he remembered he still had some things to do.

Following the compass' guide, the teenager stopped in front of a corner house on the seventh floor.

"Is dead face… here?"

He reached out for the door to knock, but before his knuckles connected with the door for the second time, the door was opened from inside. A completely expressionless and ashen face appeared in front of him.

Shu Si immediately grinned, revealing his row of teeth. "Dead Face, I finally found you."

The man in the room rolled his eyes and then made a hoarse voice, "Little Mouse1, how did you find me here?"

Shu Si laughed and said, "It's a long story. You wouldn't believe what I've gone through along the way!"

With that, without being invited in, he passed through the door from Dead Face's side and confidently went to the chair inside the hall and took a seat. "Feels a bit spacious here than over there at my side."

Dead Face didn't stop him, but just silently closed the door, turned around, and asked, "Why are you here?"

Shu Si raised his eyebrows. "What else? Of course, it's to do business." With that, he took out a dozen mustard seed bags.

Dead Face snorted. "Quite a lot of harvest there."

"Hahaha, who do you think this grandpa Mouse2 is!" Shu Si briskly introduced the origins of these mustard seed bags. He especially displayed how he skillfully manipulated those aloof and remote cultivators like a toy.

However, after a while, when he saw that no reaction was coming from the other party, Shu Si wiped his mouth and said.

"Dead Face, how much do you think these things are worth?"

"One hundred taels each, so for thirteen bags, the total is one thousand and three hundred taels."

For the inhabitants of the suburb, one thousand and three hundred taels of silver was already an unimaginable wealth. Although the little mouse knew that the price for these cultivator's bags must be more than that, he still happily accepted the banknote of the dead face.

"Since the goods and the money have been exchanged, see you later then."

With that, Shu Si fished out the compass and began to find his own way home. But right at that moment, the dead face's face suddenly changed. "Where did you get that compass?"

Shu Si said, "Of course it was given by someone."

"Who?" Dead face said, walked in front of Shu Si, and intently gaze at him. "Who gave it to you?"

Shu Si's heart turned somewhat cold and took two steps back. "What do you want? I warn you, if you dare to conspire against me, the person who gave me the compass would find you!"

Dead Face was startled for a moment, and then lowered his tone of voice, "What does that person look like?"

"Looks like he's in the early twenties. He was taller than you, dressed in a red and white robe, and has a pink sword by his waist."

The more Dead Face listened, the more surprised he was. In the end, he even widened his eyes. His facial muscles, which had not moved for many years, were constantly twitching, yet he didn't even realize it.

"Red and white robe, pink sword… could it be that the person you saw look like this?"

With that, Dead Face took out a picture book and opened one of the pages. The smiling picture of the young cultivator who warmly welcomed Shu Si was on that page.

Shu Si's eyes lit up. "That's right, it's him. Do you know him?"

Dead Face sighed. "Nearly all the cultivators in this City of Immortals know him… It's just that, why would such a big man like him waste his time on you?"

The teenager was, after all, a teenager. "Hahaha, maybe it's because I'm handsome?"

—

At the same time, in a place classified as Immortal One area in the center of the City of Immortals near the main fighting area, an old man strode back and forth anxiously with energy that was totally inconsistent with his age. After the door was opened, he immediately turned his head and became angry.

"Wang Lu, where have you gone just now?"

The young cultivator in a red and white dress smiled apologetically. "Hello Second Uncle, sorry for being late. Just now, I went out on a whim and wandered around the city to maintain stability."

"At this time… you still have the mind to wander around?" Liu Xian, the Second Elder of Heavenly Sword Hall, was stunned. "Moreover, when did you need to go to maintain stability? Are the thirty-six thousand golden men in the City of Immortals not enough?"

Wang Lu shrugged and said, "Man-made puppets are, after all, ultimately flawed. They are rigid and inflexible. There are many places that they do not take into consideration. For example, just now at the security check of the city gate, I dispatched a troublemaker."

Liu Xian doubtfully said, "Troublemaker?"

"Mm, a damn wretch called Black Wing King of Hell committed crimes in public, so I eliminated him with one sword strike."

Liu Xian was startled for a moment before turning furious. "Isn't he an official contestant in this Grand Competition? Moreover, he's the main force in the Beast Taming contest!"

Wang Lu said, "No wonder when my sword struck down, I felt it fat and succulent, with rich experience. Turns out he's an elite monster."

"Don't play dumb with me, what the hell is going on?"

Thereupon, Wang Lu simply told him about what happened at the gate, "At that time, there were no reliable passersby, no one realized that he was about to commit of violent crime of eating people. And although the security check detected the anomalies, he was automatically granted immunity because he was a contestant—this was a provision that a certain evil cultivator elder strongly insisted in order for them to join. Today, I really saw the evil consequence in that."

Liu Xian helplessly said, "Due to their strength, those people who walk on the crooked path were recruited in this grand competition, so there is bound to be some compromises."

Wang Lu said, "Yes, so I haven't changed the security procedures, but they can't charge me for doing a chivalrous thing as one of the enthusiastic masses right? Moreover, that guy had been cultivating for more than a hundred years, yet he couldn't even withstand a random sword strike from me, a younger generation, so he deserved to die."

Liu Xian was amused into smiling. Nowadays, there were not many people in Nine Regions who could withstand Wang Lu's so-called random sword strike.

"Moreover, if that bird doesn't die, those evil cultivators might become more unbridled, thinking that because of how big and important this grand competition is, we would refrain from making any moves against them. Luckily, I killed one of them today. Let him be the warning for the others, so they would not go into big trouble in the future, and I don't have to kill more people."

Liu Xian thought about it and found it to be reasonable. He then asked, "What about the child that you saved?"

"After a bit background check, I found that he is just an insignificant ordinary mortal gangster, so I gave him a novice kit and let him live in the city to thrive or perish on his own. However, I always felt that I have an affinity with that kid, so I conveniently put a small technique on him."

As Wang Lu said, he recalled that not long ago, he had asked old man Feng Yin to divine him a divination. That nearsighted old man was actually quite serious in deducting with the stellar divination. He then told Wang Lu that at the opening ceremony, it was best for him if he went out and do some chivalrous things. As a result, that scene at the city gate happened.

Just as he thought about it, the door was opened, and a tall and burly golden armored puppet informed them in a stiff tone, "The time for the opening ceremony has arrived."(In Chinese, mouse sounds the same as Shu in Shu Si)(reference: Shu sounds the same as mouse in Chinese, and mouse is also a symbol for thieves)