The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 858 - 473: Following the Trail

Her cultivation refined with each passing day, and her mental state was far removed from what it was when she was a mortal, so she ignored the gazes from the men.

After she sat down, she became quiet, and even if someone wanted to approach her, upon seeing Qi Zai sitting next to her with a sharp gaze, not seeming to be a good-natured person, they decided against it.

After a while, the tavern returned to its lively clamor, forming a stark contrast to the snowy world outside. A small-statured man began, "Yesterday evening, something big happened outside our town."

Throughout the long winter, most people had nothing to do apart from getting into bed early with women at night, so they passed the time by catching some Bagua gossip. Thus, as soon as he said that, everyone became interested and urged him to speak quickly. Some generous patron threw the bartender a cent to bring the skinny fellow a bowl of wine, calling it a fee to oil the throat.

The skinny man took a sip of wine, coughed lightly, and said, "Yesterday at 5 p.m., I was coming back from hunting at West Mountain, and saw several large carts stopped at the foot of the mountain, with people’s hurried and chaotic voices. Just as I was about to go forward, I suddenly saw radiant light below, then realized it was the immortals having a battle..."

Hearing this, Ning Xiaoxian’s heart skipped a beat.

The man continued, "I didn’t dare go down, but instead crouched on the hillside and peered below. Sure enough, there were about ten immortals fighting, and from nearby carriages came several shivering girls, looking panicked, seemingly wanting to escape amidst the chaos. However, they were pressed down by several immortals and thrown back into the carriages."

"It was the first time I saw immortals fighting. That scene, it was terrifying. One immortal roared angrily, and in an instant, turned into a huge, huge lion with a horn on its head, its entire body ablaze like fire. I crouched on the hillside feeling its heat. But his opponent wasn’t simple either; with a shake, he turned into a towering figure over seven meters high, wielding a Fangtian Halberd, battling the lion in a stalemate. The others displayed their divine skills, fighting pair by pair, and occasionally, someone would fall."

The skinny fellow stopped there and took a sip of wine, as someone doubted, saying, "You’re talking nonsense. If such a big event happened outside the town, wouldn’t the sounds of the battle be overwhelming? Why don’t we know anything about it?"

The skinny fellow disdainfully replied, "Immortals fighting, isn’t it easy for them not to let us mortals know?"

"Then which side of the immortals won?"

"Well..." He hesitated and said, "I saw the scene gradually shaking Heaven and Earth, even affecting the hillside where I was hiding, so I quickly ran away. When I came back two hours later, gosh, it was so peaceful, not a single person or car was visible, not even the bloodstains or traces of battle remained, only a few big trees bore some scars."

Others listened with skepticism, and someone said, "Boasting like it’s Heaven’s magnificence, do you have any evidence?"

The skinny fellow irritably said, "Where’s the evidence? Could immortals leave evidence for us to see?" After all that was said without proof, the crowd made a long "tsk" sound and mockingly chuckled at him.

Though Dou Er should be hurrying here from the west at this moment, judging from his description, it was likely Dou Er’s convoy was attacked while passing through West Mountain, and with this skinny fellow leaving midway, he didn’t know the outcome of who won or lost. However, Ning Xiaoxian didn’t rush out to investigate but continued to sit with eyes closed, resting until the skinny fellow drank three more bowls of wine, hiccupped in satisfaction, stood up, and walked out. Ning Xiaoxian knew if the battle indeed took place, it was already a settled matter from last night, and any twists would have concluded by now. If she wanted to take action, she should plan carefully.

On this snowy day, having a few cups of wine and going home to sleep soundly was truly comfortable. The skinny man walked with staggered steps on the snow, and as he was about to reach home, he suddenly saw two shadows appear ahead, which startled him. Fortunately, the wine wasn’t strong, and he could still recognize through effort that these two were the out-of-town guests who appeared at the tavern earlier. The woman’s face had a small dimple, making her easy to recognize.

Ning Xiaoxian took out a silver ingot weighing five taels, shook it in front of him, and said, "Brother, if you’re willing to take us to see the place in West Mountain where the battle occurred, this large silver will be your hardship fee."

In the Northwest, prices were extremely low; a bowl of inferior wine sold for one cent, watered-down wine was two cents, and fine Floral Sculpture spirits, for example, were about twenty cents a bowl. Five taels of patterned silver were enough for the skinny man to eat and drink for three months, so he certainly wouldn’t refuse, observing this group in front of him, he smilingly turned and said, "Okay, okay, it’s not far, please follow me."