After a moment of contemplation, Wu Tao spoke, "Little sister, if you have nothing else to do, why don't you stay with me."
Hearing this, Teng Ling'er couldn't help but smile happily. Ignoring the dissuasion of the four Earth Spirit Masters around her, she quickly said, "Okay, okay, I'll stay with Brother Si."
As she spoke, she lifted You Meng and giggled.
Wu Tao looked at You Meng in Teng Ling'er's hand, lost in thought. He couldn't quite understand why this little girl, with her prominent background, was so fond of You Meng.
Seeing that a connection had been established, Wu Tao proposed treating them to a meal.
The group of six set off grandly towards the "Four Poles Immortal Tower," a high-class immortal restaurant in Tongguan City.
After walking a few streets, a tall, luxurious eight-story restaurant appeared before them.
Shortly after entering, various dishes and fine wines were served on the table.
Through a conversation, Wu Tao couldn't help but sigh, realizing that a good upbringing indeed made a significant difference in one's perspective.
Teng Ling'er recounted the major and minor events that had occurred in the underground world. As the Spirit Tribe was one of the ten major powerful clans in the underground world, Teng Ling'er naturally spoke of these matters with great familiarity.
Wu Tao listened and remembered every word, unwilling to pass up such an opportunity to broaden his knowledge.
Cultivation wasn't just about arduous training; otherwise, one could never achieve the Dao.
Many ascetics chose to interact and discuss the Dao with each other to gain experience. Only then was success possible.
After the group had eaten and drunk their fill, Wu Tao and Teng Ling'er began to discuss the exchange of rare treasures between their two races.
Items such as the Nine-Colored Immortal Water, the Ice and Fire Dual Spirit Ganoderma, the Ten Thousand Treasures Blood Ginseng, the Thousand-Year Monster-Creating Grass, and the Li Xuan Immortal Grass were mentioned.
Teng Ling'er's expression became somewhat awkward after hearing only the first few items. After Wu Tao finished speaking, she said a moment later, somewhat embarrassed, "These elixirs and spiritual materials that can enhance cultivation are extremely rare in the underground world, and our Spirit Tribe is also very short of them."
"Even if we had them, those old guys wouldn't trade them with your human race."
"Little sister, the items you are offering in exchange are definitely not inferior in value to the items mentioned above, and may even be more valuable in the eyes of your Spirit Tribe," Wu Tao said, unfazed, without any disappointment.
"If that's the case, it's not entirely impossible to obtain them, but it would still be quite troublesome. I don't have them on hand right now..." Teng Ling'er hesitated slightly, not immediately refusing.
"As long as these treasures can truly be collected, everything else can be discussed," Wu Tao said with surprise and joy.
"Well... you shouldn't have any侥幸心理 about this. I can only try, as some of the things you mentioned are contraband, and are in principle forbidden to be sold to outsiders," Teng Ling'er stated.
...
After spending the day dealing with Teng Ling'er, Wu Tao returned to his cave and lay motionless on his bed.
He hadn't known that the little girl had such a capacity for alcohol; he had almost thrown up after drinking with her for a whole day.
With several days still left before the auction, Wu Tao, for some reason, suddenly felt a desire to go to the mortal world and experience what it was like to be a mortal.
...
As he thought, so he acted. Wu Tao left Tongguan City and found an inn in a nearby mortal county town.
This inn had four floors.
The first and second floors were for ordinary mortals who ate simple meals. The third and fourth floors were for mortals with some status and position.
Wu Tao, of course, wouldn't eat on the third or fourth floor; that would be meaningless.
The "Fa Wang Lou," a century-old establishment, greeted him with a scent of wine and food as he entered the first floor.
Then came the noise, considerable noise – the calls of the waiters, the chatter of guests, the hawking of street vendors, all sorts of sounds filled the air. Although noisy, it was also a sign of liveliness.
And this liveliness was precisely what Wu Tao wanted to experience now.
It was noon, and the first floor was packed with people, and it seemed the second, third, and fourth floors were also full.
"Oh, greetings, esteemed guest. Are you here for a meal or a room?" a waiter asked as Wu Tao entered the restaurant.
Looking at the crowded restaurant, Wu Tao pondered for a moment, then said, "Reserve a superior room for me, but I want to eat here. See if there are any seats available."
After speaking, Wu Tao threw a small piece of gold to the waiter. The waiter bit it first, and upon confirming it was real gold, accepted it with delight and became even more attentive.
"Sir, you should go to the fourth floor. There's a private room available there..."
Having received the gold, the waiter's address also changed, upgrading from "esteemed guest" to "sir."
Waving his hand, Wu Tao indicated that he wanted to eat on the first floor.
"Sir, please have a seat!"
The waiter led Wu Tao to a table by the window and even used his white towel to wipe the wooden chair several times before motioning for Wu Tao to sit down with a smile.
As soon as Wu Tao was seated, the waiter respectfully asked, "Sir, what would you like to have? Our restaurant has several signature dishes that are quite famous."
"Bring me one of each of your signature dishes. I'm not short of money, but the taste must be good!"
Upon hearing this, the waiter repeatedly nodded and bowed, rushing off to place the order.
Around them, many men, flushed red from drinking, were boasting about the so-called great deeds they had accomplished in their lives.
These people were present in every restaurant, and this one was no exception.
As soon as he entered the restaurant, Wu Tao clearly heard the voices of those few loudmouths, their voices strong enough to be heard clearly by everyone in such a noisy environment.
One had to admire the voices of these loudmouthed gentlemen; they were truly remarkable.
However, there were also three or four tables of people who, like Wu Tao, seemed out of place in this environment.
One table, in particular, drew more attention. Although the patrons on the first floor were busy drinking with each other, their eyes kept darting towards a mother and daughter.
They were two beauties, one older and one younger, who looked like mother and daughter. They were sitting in an inconspicuous, secluded corner.
The mother ordered a few small dishes, and the two of them ate with their heads bowed, their faces etched with worry.
From their demeanor, it appeared they had encountered significant trouble.
Looking at this somewhat unusual pair, Wu Tao couldn't help but glance at them a few more times. The woman who seemed to be the mother looked to be in her thirties and was exceptionally beautiful. She was wearing simple homespun cloth.
Even though the woman, dressed as a village girl, wore simple homespun clothes, it could not conceal her beauty. Her eyes were as alluring as autumn ripples, her eyebrows like a crescent moon, possessing five parts maturity, two parts charm, and three parts grace.
Furthermore, this woman had an excellent figure; even the homespun cloth couldn't hide her voluptuous, mature curves.
She was like a ripe apple, making one want to take a bite.
This young woman was very alert; after sitting down, she scanned her surroundings.
When she saw the lecherous glances from the drunken men, she snorted coldly and drew the sword from her waist.
The sword gleamed with cold light. The drunken men, who had been harboring lustful thoughts and intending to make advances on the solitary mother and daughter, instantly became well-behaved.
Compared to the mother's vigilance, her daughter was much less cautious.
The little girl looked to be eight or nine years old, with large, round eyes that were bright and full of spirit.
Her powdered face and jade-like features indicated that she would undoubtedly grow into a great beauty.
After sitting down with her mother, the little girl looked around curiously.
She rarely visited such lively places since she was young and was full of curiosity about everything.
At this moment, the little girl, looking around, also saw Wu Tao looking in their direction.
Seeing Wu Tao staring at her mother, the little girl was not shy at all. She even glared at Wu Tao and raised her small fist as a warning.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside, accompanied by the sound of rapid hoofbeats. In an instant, the entire restaurant was surrounded.
"Damn it, what's going on?"
"You bastards, what is all this?"
"Damn it, what big thing has happened?"
Upon hearing the noisy and chaotic sounds from outside, the patrons in the restaurant cursed one after another.
"It's the Nangong family..."
Upon seeing the blue banners fluttering on the horses, all the patrons' faces changed, and they were so scared they stammered.
Some of the more intelligent patrons even lay flat on their tables, pretending to be dead.
At this moment, the young woman sitting in the secluded corner also turned pale. She immediately pulled the little girl behind her.
She made her hide behind her, her right hand tightly gripping the hilt of her sword.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed. These footsteps were agile and powerful, neat and orderly, clearly belonging to trained individuals, each with extraordinary martial skills. In an instant, dozens of burly men in tight-fitting clothes entered the restaurant.
Among these dozens of people, the leader was a middle-aged man.
This middle-aged man wore a luxurious robe, had an imposing demeanor, and exuded authority without anger. His tiger-like eyes were exceptionally bright.
One could tell at a glance that he was a high-ranking superior.
...
"Oh my, my dear young master, what... what... what is happening?"
"I, have I offended you in any way, young master? If so, I will immediately kowtow and apologize?"
The innkeeper, who knew the identity of the middle-aged man, became extremely nervous, sweat beading on his forehead. He quickly apologized, saying, "No, this has nothing to do with you. This is a private matter for my Nangong family."
The middle-aged man's gaze swept across the room and landed on the mother and daughter. Then, he said to everyone present, "Everyone, today my Nangong family needs to handle a private matter..."