Chapter 689: Chapter 408: Familiar Feeling_2
"His office is in a room at a hotel in the city. The hotel is called Black Lion. Go to second floor, room seven, and knock, then tell them you need Gao Yan. They should let you through," Xu Biao explained. Yan Xiaobao nodded to indicate he understood and to express thanks to Xu Biao. Yan Xiaobao and Cai Jie left home and began making their way across the city. Muchuan City was full of humans, but the two young men walking through town still attracted strange looks.
At first, they were in the district of nobles and wealthy merchants. These streets were mainly traversed by guards in carriages and aristocrats. The roads weren’t very busy at first, but as they moved closer to the city center, the streets became increasingly crowded. Commuters packed the streets, forcing carriages to crawl along at a snail’s pace. Children darted through the throngs of people, occasionally snatching wallets.
Yan Xiaobao and Cai Jie steadily advanced over time and soon arrived at one of the largest marketplaces in the city. Many carriages from outside the city were parked here, and merchants hollered out the prices of their goods one after another. As they ventured further into the marketplace, the crowd filtering among the stalls made it easier to navigate the surrounding streets. Yan Xiaobao and Cai Jie walked through the market while keeping an eye out for the Black Lion.
After spending some time wandering the expansive market, Yan Xiaobao finally let out a sigh and grabbed a young thief who happened to rush past them. Taking out a large Gold Coin from the storage stone hanging around his neck, he held it up for the young thief, whose eyes glimmered with both greed and disbelief.
"If you tell us where the Black Lion is, this is yours," Yan Xiaobao said with a smile. Following the boy’s guidance through a series of narrow alleyways, they eventually reached a derelict and grimy section of the marketplace and found themselves at the edge of one of the poorest areas in town. Here stood a large hotel with a broken sign hanging askew from one hinge. Most of the paint had peeled off, but one could make out a crude black lion on the sign. Upon seeing this, Yan Xiaobao raised his eyebrows in surprise but quickly handed the Gold Coin to the child. Together with Cai Jie, the two young men entered the shabby hotel, ready to find Gao Yan. Standing before the inn, both Yan Xiaobao and Cai Jie stared at it intently. The building looked so decrepit that no one would assume it was safe. Through the broken doors, they could hear loud voices and rowdy gatherings. The smell of beer and food wafted out from the broken windows and doors. Exchanging a glance, Cai Jie finally shrugged, and they opened the door to step into the dilapidated inn.
Both were startled to see that, despite its dilapidated exterior, the interior wasn’t in ruins as they had expected. As soon as they entered, the room fell silent, and Yan Xiaobao noticed everyone had turned to look at them. Behind the counter, a man eyed the two newcomers suspiciously. Yan Xiaobao sighed as he walked toward the man.
"I’m here to visit a friend who’s staying at this place. His room is on the second floor, room seven," Yan Xiaobao said softly. Because the inn was so quiet, everyone overheard him. Upon hearing these words, the atmosphere suddenly grew hostile, and Yan Xiaobao couldn’t help but brace himself. If it came down to fighting the experts in the inn, it wouldn’t be hard for him to take them down—especially with Cai Jie by his side.
"Just go up and tell him Yan Xiaobao is here to speak with him," he sighed again. The man behind the counter made a gesture, and a young boy immediately dashed upstairs to relay the message. As Yan Xiaobao glanced around the room, he noticed some of the civilians had no cultivation base, while the cultivators present wielded Gold cultivation power. There were no Emperors or Saints, but representatives from all other levels were present. Everyone kept a close eye on the two unknown men who had arrived at the inn, growing more vigilant by the second.
Yan Xiaobao said nothing and simply waited for the boy to carry the message. After a while, they suddenly heard a door slam against the wall, followed by the sound of footsteps rushing down the stairs. Gao Yan soon appeared on the staircase. His hair was disheveled, his eyes scanning eagerly for whoever had come to see him. The moment he spotted Yan Xiaobao, a smile broke across his face, and he hurried forward with his arms outstretched, ready to give his friend an embrace.
"You should have told me you were coming!" Gao Yan exclaimed loudly as he pulled the white-haired young man into a hug. The sudden display of affection made everyone in the room stare. Gao Yan was not known for being overly affectionate, so his behavior toward Yan Xiaobao made it immediately clear that Xiaobao was someone very special.
"Hey, how are you? We’re here for some information. We’re hoping you can help us," Yan Xiaobao said with a cheerful smile. The older man released him from the hug and immediately nodded, his expression turning serious. "I’m doing well. It’s good to see you. Let’s head upstairs—I’ll tell you everything you might need to know," Gao Yan answered as he turned and walked toward the staircase leading to the second floor. This time, no one tried to block or glare at Yan Xiaobao and his companion; instead, their expressions were filled with curiosity and interest. Amazingly, the general perception of the pair had shifted in such a short amount of time.
Once they left the ground floor, the inn underwent a sudden transformation. It was no longer dilapidated or run-down. Though it wasn’t lavishly decorated, everything within it was made from solid, high-quality materials. The stairs didn’t creak, nor were the walls riddled with mold, as might have been expected when viewing the hotel from outside. Examining the room, it seemed warm and sturdy, entirely unlike its exterior. Yan Xiaobao’s curiosity was evident as he glanced around, prompting Gao Yan to smile and explain, "We don’t want to mislead people." He added, "This is our headquarters. I work with the downtrodden citizens of the city. The shop needs to look like somewhere our clientele would feel comfortable visiting." Hearing his reasoning, Yan Xiaobao mostly understood but still nodded to express gratitude for the clarification.