Chapter 97: Clues to the Water Cloud Palace
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“Senior… Senior.”
Little Red panted heavily, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
The senior had been walking so fast earlier that Little Red couldn’t keep up, leaving her to jog behind.
“Little Red, do you know who in Southern Abyss City has lived here the longest and is the most knowledgeable?” Yu Zhao asked.
Having reached Southern Abyss City, Yu Zhao didn’t want to leave empty-handed. She decided to make one last attempt. If this effort yielded no clues, she would leave immediately and return when there was another opportunity.
“I know! It’s Grandpa Cha!” Little Red raised her hand excitedly. “Grandpa Cha is the tea master at the Fragrant Tea House. His tea is the most fragrant!”
“Take me to him.”
“Okay!”
With practiced familiarity, Little Red led Yu Zhao through a series of alleys, quickly arriving outside a tea house. Together, they climbed to the second floor. Following the scent of tea, they found the tea master brewing tea for some guests in a private room.
The situation was urgent, and Yu Zhao didn’t have time to wait for the tea master to finish. She kicked open the door to the tea room.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
Two cultivators enjoying tea inside glared angrily at Yu Zhao. However, upon realizing they couldn’t discern her cultivation level, their expressions instantly shifted to fawning smiles. They quickly rose from their cushions and greeted her respectfully. “Greetings, Senior.”
Yu Zhao casually tossed a high-grade spirit stone to one of them. “I need to speak with the tea master. Consider this your compensation.”
The moment they saw the high-grade spirit stone in their hands, their irritation melted away, replaced by joy so intense it nearly reached their ears. They were too thrilled to hold a grudge.
“Senior, we’ll leave right away!”
Without another word, the two hurried out of the room, even thoughtfully closing the door behind them.
The tea room fell silent.
“You seem to be in quite a rush. What do you wish to ask?” The tea master, his hair white but posture straight, set down his teapot with a calm demeanor.
“Tea Master, do you know if there’s a sect near Southern Abyss City called the Water Cloud Palace?” Yu Zhao asked directly, getting straight to the point.
“Water Cloud Palace?” The tea master looked at Yu Zhao in surprise. “Didn’t that sect perish twenty years ago?”
A spark of joy lit up Yu Zhao’s eyes. She had found the right person!
“Exactly. Do you know the location of the Water Cloud Palace?”
The tea master frowned, deep in thought. “I only heard about it from others back then. Let me think… I can’t recall clearly at the moment.”
“Grandpa Cha, this senior is my guest. Please help her,” Little Red chimed in, stepping out from behind Yu Zhao and clasping her hands together, pleading with a pitiful expression.
“Oh, it’s Little Red.” The tea master’s eyes softened, and the wrinkles on his face deepened into a smile. He looked at Yu Zhao disapprovingly. “If you’d said you were Little Red’s guest earlier, I might have remembered sooner.”
Yu Zhao: …
Don’t pretend, old man. You saw Little Red the moment we entered and were just waiting for her to speak up.
The tea master, seeing that the game was up, relented and provided Yu Zhao with the detailed location of the Water Cloud Palace.
Yu Zhao memorized it carefully and prepared to give the tea master five high-grade spirit stones as thanks.
The tea master, however, refused. “I merely said a few words. It’s not worth so much. If you insist on giving something, give it to Little Red. This child has had it tough.”
Yu Zhao had already noticed the close relationship between the tea master and Little Red, so this didn’t surprise her.
She added another high-grade spirit stone and took out a food box filled to the brim. Handing both to Little Red in front of the tea master, she said, “I’m leaving. These are your wages for guiding me today.”
Little Red’s face lit up with joy, holding the food box and spirit stones tightly in her hands.
Yu Zhao turned and left without hesitation, the new clue driving her onward.
Little Red stared blankly at the Spirit Stones in Yu Zhao’s hands, their crystalline glow captivating her.
“Are these… for me?” she wondered, her heart racing.
Flustered, she waved her hands in refusal. “No, Senior, this is too much. I can’t accept it.”
Nearby, the Tea Master grew anxious, almost tempted to snatch the Spirit Stones from Yu Zhao and hand them to Little Red himself.
“Take them. You’ve earned this,” Yu Zhao said firmly but not unkindly. Without giving Little Red a chance to argue, she pressed the Spirit Stones into her arms and added a warning: “Remember, you mustn’t let anyone see these. Only you and the Tea Master should know.”
Unlike Yu Zhao, Little Red lacked the strength to protect herself. If word got out, not only would the Spirit Stones be stolen, but her life could also be at risk.
“Also,” Yu Zhao continued, her tone serious, “you should stay close to the Tea Master for now. Don’t go out alone.”
Yu Zhao feared that the Nascent Soul cultivator from the Merfolk Pavilion, unable to track her, might target Little Red instead. This made her feel compelled to emphasize the danger.
Little Red, however, was too engrossed in the Spirit Stones nestled in her arms to fully grasp Yu Zhao’s warnings. The Tea Master, on the other hand, grew alert, sensing the peril in the situation.
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” he assured Yu Zhao.
Nodding, Yu Zhao disappeared like a gust of wind. In the blink of an eye, she was gone.
The Tea Master glanced at Little Red, still lost in blissful ignorance, and sighed deeply. “Whether this fortune is a blessing or a curse… only time will tell.”
The Water Cloud Palace was neither too far nor too close to Southern Abyss City, but it took Yu Zhao two days to reach the mountain peak the Tea Master had mentioned.
The towering peak stretched into the clouds, its misty surroundings lending it an ethereal beauty. A massive waterfall cascaded down its side, resembling a silver ribbon, spraying fine droplets that filled the air with mist.
Yu Zhao evaluated the place and concluded that it was indeed a spiritually rich location, perfect for establishing a sect.
Without hesitation, she darted up the mountain path. The higher she climbed, the more unusual things became. The spiritual energy here was far denser and more active than any place she’d passed through on her way.
She also began noticing signs of movement—footprints, crushed leaves, and faint traces of lingering energy.
“Could it be…?” A suspicion crept into her mind.
…
Meanwhile, on the fifth floor of the Merfolk Pavilion, a Merfolk soaked in the water of a tranquil pool, his thoughts tangled in chaos.
The Merfolk had always seen humans as greedy, treacherous, and shameless. After being deceived once, he had sworn never to trust them again.
Yet, the human female cultivator had fulfilled her promise, freeing him from the Heart Demon Mark. This act of integrity left the Merfolk confused, unprepared to reconcile it with his ingrained mistrust of humans.
Suddenly, memories of his kin being slaughtered by human cultivators flashed in his mind. Overcome with fury and sorrow, he slammed his head against the pool’s edge, the pain meant to anchor him to his hatred.
“Don’t forget their crimes. Don’t forget your vengeance!” he muttered through gritted teeth.
A chilling voice interrupted his thoughts. “Little Merfolk, you’re acting strangely today.”
Fear gripped him, instantly overshadowing his anger. He trembled uncontrollably, and the water rippled with his shaking.
At some point, an imposing figure had appeared at the pool’s edge, looking down at him with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. The Merfolk’s terror only deepened as the figure’s gaze glinted with amusement.
But in an instant, the amusement was replaced by a storm of rage. The voice boomed, “Who? Who dared leave their aura on you?”
Before the Merfolk could comprehend, he was seized and lifted, pain far more intense than before surging through his body. The torment was so overwhelming he let out a sharp, agonized cry. The blue blood coursing through his veins seemed to grow darker with his anguish.
“Don’t test my patience,” the figure growled. “Tell me everything that happened to you!”