Chapter 7: Peerless Gentleman

Forced by circumstances, Ye Wenxin settled the room fee and went to rent a room at another inn.

“Innkeeper, are there any interesting places nearby?” Ye Wenxin’s cultivation had already reached the ninth stage of Soul Transformation. Even if she continued her seclusion, it would be difficult for her to advance further. After some thought, Ye Wenxin decided to first familiarize herself with the surroundings before seeking a place for closed door training.

“This is the foot of the Azure Wings Sect’s mountain, of course there are many interesting things to see, but I don’t know what you have in mind specifically, miss.” The innkeeper answered enthusiastically, leaving Ye Wenxin unsure of what she should ask.

“Um, just tell me anything. I want to explore.”

“If you’re looking for magic items and divine weapons, you can head straight to the trading market.”

“If you want to enjoy delicious food, you can turn left to reach the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.”

“If you’re looking for ladies, ack, curse my loose lips…” It seemed like a slip of the tongue, as the innkeeper nearly revealed the brothel’s location to Ye Wenxin.

“Um, where would one go to find… ladies?” Ye Wenxin asked curiously. The innkeeper’s expression darkened considerably, and then he asked cautiously, “Has the young lady encountered any trouble?”

Ordinary young girls at the age of twelve or thirteen were usually cherished by their parents, but it was rare to see someone like Ye Wenxin wandering alone in the world. Seeing her dressed plainly, looking so young, the innkeeper’s heart overflowed with sympathy. He thought of his own daughter who was around the same age as Ye Wenxin.

“No, I haven’t run into trouble, I’m just afraid of accidentally wandering in there.” Ye Wenxin hastily waved her hands to explain. The innkeeper breathed a sigh of relief and told her where the brothel was.

“Although we’re at the foot of the Azure Wings Sect’s mountain, it’s crowded with people. If the young lady wants to explore the surroundings, it’s better to do so during daytime. It would be too dangerous for you at night.” The innkeeper reiterated, fearing that Ye Wenxin might be abducted as soon as she stepped outside.

“Thank you, innkeeper. I’ll go take a look tomorrow.” With that said, Ye Wenxin wandered around the inn for a while before finally stepping out, heading straight for the trading market.

Unlike at the Wind and Moon Palace, there was no one to protect her here, and she had no magic items or divine weapons either. Ye Wenxin planned to seclude herself, but she still needed to purchase some essential tools to prevent any accidents during her closed door training.

Disturbances during closed door training were minor, but the cultivation techniques Ye Wenxin was learning were extremely sinister. It could stray very easily and lead to Qi Deviation. If she lost control for even a moment, it could spell the end of all living beings, which was the most terrifying thing of all.

Although the Demon Lord had killed countless people, Ye Wenxin was no longer the ruthless Demon Lord Gu Qingcheng. She was now just Ye Wenxin, who had recently ventured out into the world.

“Come take a look at the finest divine weapons!”

“Auctioning off a portrait of Fairy Fengya…”

“Chopsticks used by the Peerless Gentleman, only for ten thousand spirit stones!”

The trading market’s layout matched Ye Wenxin’s expectations, and she even saw many portraits of famous individuals, depicting the countenance of people from the martial world using ink and brush. However, whether it was the portraits themselves or their subject, they failed to evoke any sense of aesthetic pleasure.

Ye Wenxin glanced around and fixed her gaze on the section with second-hand weapons, spotting a pile of scrap metal. Not only that, but several of the items also exuded a malevolent aura, indicating that they had been looted from the hands of the deceased.

The stall owner was still bragging when a cloaked man dressed in white stopped in his tracks and picked up a malevolent weapon.

His voice was quite neutral, yet very pleasant to hear.

“Stall owner, how much for this?”

“One hundred spirit stones.”

The stall owner saw that he had hooked his prey and immediately inflated the prices. But in reality, these kinds of broken weapons cost not even ten spirit stones each.

“I’ll take it, and that one, and that one too; how much for all of them?” The man picked out the malevolent weapons from the pile without leaving any behind, leaving Ye Wenxin questioning his intentions.

As malevolent objects, they could enhance the cultivation of demon cultivators. However, this man exuded righteous energy throughout his body and displayed considerable strength, which puzzled Ye Wenxin about the purpose of him wielding malevolent objects.

However, the stall owner paid no heed to these concerns and reported the weapons’ prices to the man. After paying, the man immediately stored the malevolent objects in his bag of holding and turned to leave.

This man piqued Ye Wenxin’s interest, and he happened to catch a glimpse of her as well. However, their eyes quickly passed each other, and he left right after.

He left in a hurry, as if afraid of being followed, and swiftly moved towards the mountainside. The more he hurried, the more curious Ye Wenxin became about the secrets this man was hiding, so she followed closely behind him.

He traversed towering mountains, crossed a river, and finally stopped after nearly an hour of walking. His agility was impressive; without Ye Wenxin’s skills, few people in the world would likely be able to follow this man without being detected.

It seemed as though the man was aware of this fact too. He remained cautious, looking around repeatedly before finally opening his cloak, revealing a remarkably handsome face.

Ye Wenxin was somewhat surprised. After drifting in this world for so long, it was the first time she had seen such a handsome man. His prettiness surpassed gender norms, even outshining the women on the list of unparalleled beauties.

However, this kind of handsomeness made Ye Wenxin feel somewhat uneasy, as if there was something unsettling about it.

With this in mind, she began to examine the man, attempting to find any issues with his body. But after observing him for a while, she found no indication of cross-dressing and determined that this man was indeed a man. Despite this, the sense of unease lingered, and Ye Wenxin wondered why she felt this way.

In her quest for answers, Ye Wenxin disheveled her clothes and casually picked a few herbs, adopting the appearance of an ordinary peasant as she approached the man. Just as she stepped closer, she heard the man’s alarmed voice.

“Who goes there?”

“Please, milord, don’t be alarmed. I simply got lost in these desolate mountains and wilderness, then I spotted a flicker of light here, so I…” Ye Wenxin appeared before the man, explaining her reason for being there.

The man, however, still kept his guard up as he regarded Ye Wenxin, determining she posed no threat before relaxing. As he unfurled his folding fan, it seemed to complement his exceptionally handsome face, resembling that of a celestial being.

Ye Wenxin could not help but pause for a moment, suddenly reminded of the admiration and infatuation that an ordinary person should feel in the presence of such a handsome individual. However, she could not bring herself to display the fawning expression expected of her, and instead kept her head bowed low.

The bonfire burned brighter and brighter. Ye Wenxin sat across from the man and was even given a fur blanket.

Despite interacting with a commoner like Ye Wenxin, the man remained gentle and courteous, leaving a favorable impression.

“This humble girl is Ye Wenxin, may I inquire the young master’s name?” Feeling the warmth, Ye Wenxin intended to ask for the identity of the man before her, considering it as a prelude to a night filled with conversation.

“The name’s Ling Jue.” The man gave his own name. Ye Wenxin silently repeated it in her mind, and suddenly felt it sounded somewhat familiar, but she could not recall where she had heard it before.

But if she had an impression, then this should be a figure from the immortal sects.

Seeing Ye Wenxin had no apparent recognition of his name, Ling Jue’s attitude became even more amiable.

“By the way, Miss Ye, why are you out here in this wilderness?”

Ye Wenxin then told Ling Jue the circumstance of her six months early arrival at the Azure Wings Sect. He nodded in understanding, “But if you wish to become a disciple and learn martial arts, you could also approach the other immortal sects. Why are you so persistent about joining the Azure Wings Sect?”

His tone was probing, as if he was curious about Ye Wenxin’s reasons for joining the Azure Wings Sect.

“I’ve always heard that Fairy Fengya is ranked first on the list of unparalleled beauties, so I’ve wanted to have a look at her.”

“Just that?”

Ling Jue was quite surprised by this answer. There were countless people seeking to join the immortal sects for enlightenment and cultivation, but few were as straightforward as Ye Wenxin.

“Yes, indeed, but I didn’t think I would be here so early, and I’ve also heard that Fairy Fengya is always in closed door training, so even if I get into the Azure Wings Sect, there’s no guarantee that I would see her.”

When Ye Wenxin mentioned Fairy Fengya, there was a subtle change in Ling Jue’s expression, as if he was contemplating other matters.

“You only wish to see Fairy Fengya, not to become a disciple?”

Ye Wenxin shook her head, “If I have the opportunity, of course, I would like to get in. That’s why I’ve been working hard alone in the deep mountains, trying to see if I can find the medicinal ingredients needed for a Golden pill.”

Upon mention of the Golden pill, Ling Jue’s eyes lit up, showing more interest in the pill than in the Azure Wings Sect’s Fairy Fengya.

But upon careful consideration, Ye Wenxin realized that the demand for alchemists were extremely high. It not only required strong willpower but also considerable financial and material resources. If an ordinary person claimed to practice alchemy, it would indeed be surprising.

Ye Wenxin slightly regretted saying those words, but it seemed to have piqued Ling Jue’s interest.

“You’re an alchemist?”

“Not really, I’ve just dabbled a bit, so I wanted to see if I could succeed on my own. But you see, I’ve been searching for so long, and I’ve only found two kinds of materials.” Ye Wenxin took out two materials from her bag of holding, and Ling Jue glanced at them. “Not bad, this is one of the five materials needed for a first-grade Qi and Blood Pill.”

The conversation had fully expanded, but Ye Wenxin found herself struggling to keep up and decided to end the topic, quickly adding, “Unfortunately, I haven’t found the other three yet, so I can’t conduct an experiment.”

Ling Jue laughed, his handsome face adorned with a smile that could make anyone’s heart skip a beat. Ye Wenxin’s heart tightened, expecting her pulse to quicken, but instead, she sensed that something was amiss with Ling Jue.

Seeing his demeanor regarding alchemy and medicinal knowledge, Ye Wenxin was reminded of where she had heard the name Ling Jue before.

Ling Jue, Medicine King Valley’s junior valley master, also known as the Peerless Gentleman, was the only male among the top ten on the list of unparalleled beauties. Observing his appearance, it was undeniable that the title was well-deserved. But why would such a man be wandering around the Azure Wings Sect’s vicinity?

Aware of his identity, Ye Wenxin felt a shiver of fear, but Ling Jue had already picked up on the previous topic, “No worries, I happen to have the other materials.”

“But I don’t have an alchemy furnace.”

“No problem, I have one here.”

Ling Jue enthusiastically took out the remaining materials and the alchemy furnace, seeming very curious about how an ordinary person like Ye Wenxin would go about alchemy.

“Thank you for your help, milord. Then, I’ll begin,” Ye Wenxin said, regretting her loose tongue. But now that things had come to this, she could only steel herself and proceed.