Shi Lang raised his spear at the three people standing at the edge of the treeline. He could tell that these people were seasoned warriors. They had a thick killing intent laced over their bodies. His voice made Yun Mei and the rest of the people look over, and Xiao Gao exclaimed, “It’s big sister Ji Qui and big brother Ji Ma and Ji San.” 𝗈𝒱𝐋xt.𝗇𝓔t
Shi Lang asked, “Sister Yun, do you know these people?”
Yun Mei nodded and said, “Yes, they are our family members.”
Shi Lang lowered his spear and said, “Since you have experts protecting you now, I should get going.”
Yun Mei was surprised, and then Shi Lang turned around to leave. The people did not expect him to draw lines with them so quickly. Shi Lang waved his hand and stored all the corpses in his space ring.
He placed two fingers in his mouth and let out a whistle. Soon, the people saw a Lightning Mane Spirit Horse rushing from the tree line. The terran jumped on the back horse and was about to leave when a cold voice sounded from the other side, “What is the hurry about?”
Shi Lang turned to look at the lady with the bow, Ji Qui, and replied, “I have to get to the Teixian City. I have a test to attend.”
The lady asked, “The head hunter organization?”
Shi Lang nodded, and the lady said, “You can take the teleportation array from the cloud pavilion and get straight to the Teixian City.”
Thinking about the words, Shi Lang nodded and said, “Thank you.”
Ji Qui nodded and said, “Brother San, let’s get us back to the cloud pavilion.”
Ji San nodded and came to Shi Lang, and then they all moved from the forest to the nearest city. The terran was very vigilant in the city. He did not let his guard down at all. Yun Mei was walking beside him and asked, “Brother Shi, you do not look like someone who would be a head hunter. Why must you do it?”
Shi Lang replied with a faint smile, “I have just arrived in the central plains and need to find a source of income.”
Ji Qui asked, “You mean to say you are from the regions outside the central region?”
Her surprised expression was odd for Shi Lang. The terran asked, “Is it that odd?”
Ji Qui nodded and said, “Not many people from the outer regions are as strong as you are. A few can take on a pack of red-eyed jackals.”
Shi Lang nodded and said, “I see. Can you tell me where we are going?”
Ji Qui nodded and said, “We are the people of the Cloud Pavilion. That is where we are headed.”
Shi Lang asked, “What is this Cloud Pavilion?”
Yun Mei replied, “Cloud Pavilion deals in information. You can find all sorts of information in our pavilion.”
Shi Lang was surprised and asked, “Even if it is about a person?”
Yun Mei nodded with great pride in her eyes. She said, “Yes, even if it is about someone, you can ask the cloud pavilion manager. We operate all along the central plain. There is nothing hidden from us.”
Shi Lang nodded and asked, “This information should not be free if my guess is correct?”
Ji San nodded and said, “This information comes when you finish tasks for the Cloud Pavilion.”
The terran asked, “Does it need me to join the pavilion?”
Ji San shook her head and said, “You do not need to do anything like that. Cloud Pavilion is open to all; you only need to perform a few tasks to get the information you seek. The tasks can be handed in at all the pavilion establishments.”
Shi Lang was surprised and asked, “Really? Joining the pavilion is not necessary?”
Yun Mei nodded and said, “It is true, brother. You do not have to join the pavilion. We all are members of a big family, so we run the pavilion. The main family is located in a secret location. They only act when the situation is dire. Along with information, the Cloud Pavilion provides people with the best teleportation array service.”
Shi Lang nodded, and as he was about to ask for more details, they arrived at a building with blue roof tiles. The place looked very delicate, yet Shi Lang sensed a great deal of strength at the same time. He could not help but mumble, “Immortal Emperor.”
Ji Qui narrowed her gaze at him. She said, “You can sense the existence of the senior?”
Shi Lang cursed himself but, knowing he could not hide anything, said, “Yes, the spiritual pressure that washed over me as soon as I stepped inside the threshold, I guessed it out loud.”
Ji Qui and her two brothers looked at Shi Lang strangely. They did not expect him to be this sensitive. They exchanged glances, and Yun Mei said, “Brother, I will arrange a place for you to rest.”
Shi Lang asked, “Sister Yun, where can I go and find the information?”
Yun Mei and the rest were surprised, but when they saw his solemn expression, they thought he needed to find the information. Ji San pointed at a small shop in the courtyard and said, “You can go there and tell them you need some information. Do not worry. All the staff members have taken a dao oath never to reveal anything to outsiders, so your information will not be revealed to anyone.”
Shi Lang cupped his hands and thanked them all before he walked to the small shop. He entered the place and found a few people queueing up at the counter. Above the counter hung a board, ‘Task Queries.’
He looked around and found a delicate-looking young girl walking over to him. She bowed slightly and said, “Greetings, Sir. Welcome to the Cloud Pavilion. What can we do for you?”
Shi Lang bowed slightly in return before he asked, “I am seeking some information. Where can I find it?”
The girl was not surprised and said, “Please follow me. The Cloud Emissary will attend you.”
Shi Lang nodded and followed the girl quickly. He came to a door and was dumbfounded. This door was inside the main area, but he did not notice it. He could not help but conclude that this place was anything but normal. Shi Lang entered the door and found a middle-aged man sitting on a chair and playing chess independently.
The girl said, “Master Yuwan, this sir is seeking information.”
The man raised his head to look at Shi Lang and said, “You can leave now, Xiao Niu.”
The girl nodded and left the room. Master Yuwan waved for Shi Lang to come and sit across from him. The terran took their seat quickly and watched the game of chess. Master Yuwan asked, “What can I help you with?”
Shi Lang did not beat around the bush and said, “I am looking for a person who came over to the Immortal world from the ascension hall.”
The eyes of the middle-aged man flickered for a second and returned to normal. Shi Lang did not miss this and waited for the man before him to speak. Master Yuwan said, “We do have information for that, but it cannot be disclosed to you with such ease. You will have to complete a task.”
Shi Lang narrowed his eyes and nodded. The man took out a scroll from the space ring. He said, “You can see the details of this scroll only when you are sure to complete it or die completing it.”
Shi Lang nodded and said, “I will do it. You do not have to worry.”
The middle-aged man nodded and handed over the scroll to Shi Lang. The terran opened the scroll and looked at the content. He found that the mission needed him to kill a group of bandits. These bandits were not simple. They called themselves night lords. All of them were immortal lords.
They have attacked three caravans of the cloud pavilion or the forces related to them. There were thirty people in this group, and they were very close-knit. To ensure they were not implicated, they dwelled in a depth of the forest, and their leader was a beast tamer—one of the rarest side professions. They had a bunch of beasts protecting themselves. He continued reading and found that the deadline for the task was a month, and he needed to bring the corpses of the bandits to the cloud pavilion in exchange for the information.
Shi Lang asked, “Is anyone else who would accept this task?”
The middle-aged man was surprised and said, “Yes.”
Shi Lang asked, “They are also seeking this information?”
The middle-aged man shook his head and said, “No, there is only this one task for similar-level information. However, you do not have to worry. If someone finishes this before you, then you can get another task. However, you cannot find any other text if you do not finish this.”
Shi Lang thought about it and nodded. He took the scroll and left the place quickly. He did not have anytime to waste, he needed to strike the enemy before anyone else could.