The sun sloped west, its halo soft.
It was already evening. Xu Mu had slept and awoken seven times, yet still, there was no sign of Alfheim.
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Xu Mu stretched lazily. As he did, he spotted a rugged, strange city below. Its architecture was ancient and dilapidated, with few tall buildings, shrouded in a pale yellow mist of sand.
"This is Tucheng, the last human town before Alfheim," Xu Mu said, examining the map closely. He then turned to Qiongqi and asked, "Shall we go down and rest?"
"Aren't we already resting?" Qiongqi lay comfortably in its fur, gently patting the back of the three-eyed golden beast beneath it. "Hey, aren't you tired?"
Hearing Qiongqi speak to him, the three-eyed golden beast below became instantly frightened, its fur standing on end. It wanted to say it was tired but dared not, so it could only let out a low, aggrieved whimper.
"Flying for seven days and nights with injuries, you must be tired."
Xu Mu rubbed the three-eyed golden beast's crystalline fur between his fingers, then pointed at Ye Que, who was bound below, and smiled.
"We can't take this fellow to Alfheim. It seems there's a branch of the Hunter's Alliance stationed in this Tucheng. I'll hand him over to them."
Qiongqi blinked, signaling it had no objections.
"Let's go down," Xu Mu said with a smile. The three-eyed golden beast suddenly accelerated, carrying the group towards Tucheng below.
As they drew closer, the outline of Tucheng became increasingly clear. From mid-air, Xu Mu could clearly see the city's layout. It was intricate and complex, with countless narrow alleys. Those pushing carts of grain for trade were all ability users.
They landed slowly on a wide street. It was similar to Black Horn City, filled with ability users and mounts that were great beasts. Therefore, their arrival did not attract much attention, only the imposing aura emanating from the three-eyed golden beast made people subtly glance their way.
"Please move aside. Parking mounts is not allowed here." As soon as they landed, before Xu Mu could figure out which way to go, he heard a female voice nearby. However, he looked around for a long time but couldn't find the source of the voice.
"Down here." The female voice said, a hint of anger in it. Xu Mu then looked down and saw a sword-wielding woman in plain clothes with a long braid.
"Apologies, we are not familiar with this place. Could you please tell me how to get to the Hunter's Alliance branch?" Xu Mu jumped off the three-eyed golden beast's back and asked with a smile, cupping his fists at a distance of three meters from the woman.
"The Hunter's Alliance? What do you want with them?" The woman sized up Xu Mu and then asked somewhat warily.
"That... it's not convenient to say. In short, it's something important," Xu Mu said with a smile after a brief pause.
The plain-clothed sword-wielding woman's eyes were suspicious. She then pointed to the incense and candle shop behind her and said,
"This is the Hunter's Alliance."
"My name is Le Lingyun, and I am the owner of this shop, as well as the deputy leader of the Hunter's Alliance branch. What business do you have with us?"
Xu Mu was stunned. He then lifted Ye Que, who was bound on the three-eyed golden beast's back, with one hand and said with a smile,
"Let's talk inside."
***
Inside the incense and candle shop, Xu Mu and Le Lingyun sat facing each other.
"So, that's the situation."
Xu Mu took a sip of tea and said calmly,
"This Ye Que is difficult to handle, so I'd like to ask you to keep him for me for three months. If I don't return after three months, you can let him go. I will cover all expenses incurred during this period."
Le Lingyun looked at Ye Que, who was bound and gagged on the floor, and a flicker of surprise crossed her willow-leaf-like eyes.
"You dare to tie up someone from the Ye family."
"Although Tucheng is a no-man's-land and the Ye family's influence doesn't reach here, it's still too close. It's risky to offend the Ye family, and this matter might be difficult to handle."
Le Lingyun's tone was calm, with a hint of hesitation. If it were anywhere else, she would have accepted without a second thought. But in Tucheng, their Hunter's Alliance's power was not enough. If Ye Que raised his voice, several factions might rush to rescue him.
This hot potato was too difficult to handle.
"Difficult to handle means it's possible to handle," Xu Mu said, rubbing his hands and smiling. He then took out a pink and green handkerchief from his embrace, embroidered with the character "Yun."
"I am an old acquaintance of an ability user in your alliance. This is a token she gave me, saying that whoever presents it is as good as her appearing in person."
Xu Mu handed the handkerchief to Le Lingyun. She took it and examined it carefully. Upon seeing the character "Yun," her expression suddenly changed drastically.
"This is Commander Yun of the Northwest's handkerchief!"
"How do you have this?"
"As I said, I am an old friend of hers." Xu Mu coughed unnaturally, recalling the events in the stone cave.
"Since you are a friend of Commander Yun, then even at the risk of the branch being destroyed, we must handle this matter." Le Lingyun solemnly returned the handkerchief to Xu Mu. He nodded with a smile and then said,
"I will still pay you. You shouldn't do this for free."
"I've already sealed Ye Que's meridians. His injuries are not too severe. Just don't let him die. Keep him for three months."
Le Lingyun nodded, then pointed at the three-eyed golden beast standing outside the house with a worried expression and asked,
"What about it?"
"We have limited space, and this fellow is a bit too big."
"Can you shrink?" Xu Mu asked the three-eyed golden beast. Soon, he saw a small yellow tiger the size of Qiongqi.
"Where... where is this?" At this moment, Ye Que also slowly woke up. Le Lingyun's expression became grave, and she hastily used a veil to cover her face, not wanting him to see her clearly. Seeing this, Xu Mu immediately struck out with his palm and knocked him unconscious again.
"Did you see her face clearly?" Xu Mu turned to the miniature three-eyed golden beast and asked.
The latter shook its head like a rattle drum, then, wisely, simply fainted.
Le Lingyun was dumbfounded.
"What exactly did you do to it for it to obey you so well?"
"I just kicked it twice," Xu Mu replied with a slight smile, his eyebrows raised.
"Never mind. I will take them both to the dungeon and release them after three months. You don't need to pay. My incense and candle shop doesn't earn much, but it's enough to live on," Le Lingyun said generously, waving her hand.
Xu Mu heard this and didn't stand on ceremony. He cupped his fists and bowed,
"Thank you."
"I have one more thing. I'm new here. Do you know anything about the forbidden land, Alfheim, and the Elf Kingdom?"
"What's there not to know? Aren't people who come here all heading for it?" Le Lingyun said calmly. "It's just that no one has ever found it. Most of the rumors about finding clues are just baseless talk and hearsay."
Xu Mu was surprised. "What do you mean?"
"Lately, every night, there have been theft incidents in Tucheng. Not only do they steal treasures, but they also absorb the vital essence of cultivators, making many people hate them. However, even after digging three feet into the ground for days, they couldn't find the culprit."
"So, the few ability users who have encountered the thief spread rumors that the thief isn't human but an elf. Can you believe how ridiculous that is?"
Le Lingyun said calmly. She didn't believe that elves existed in this world. And even if they did, why would they run to their town to steal things instead of staying in the Elf Kingdom of Alfheim?
"There's such a thing," Xu Mu said, pondering for a moment, and filed the matter away in his mind.
"Well, you've just arrived and aren't familiar with this place. You'll know in the future that there are many such incidents, but they always turn out to be man-made. I believe this time will be no exception." Le Lingyun said, handing Xu Mu a bundle of incense.
"This is a specially made incense for ability users. It has a pathfinding marker. Sandstorms often occur nearby, and they are much more terrifying than those outside. If you happen to get lost in one, it will be useful."
"Don't thank me. This is out of Commander Yun's consideration."
Xu Mu smiled and nodded, taking the incense.
"Since that's the case, I won't bother you any longer. Once I find an inn and settle down, I'll visit you more often."
"When you go out, walk south for a while, and you'll see an inn called Qingyun. You can stay there. It's cheap," Le Lingyun said, naturally taking Xu Mu's sleeve and stepping over the threshold to point the way.
Xu Mu didn't pay much attention to her pulling his sleeve. After all, Le Lingyun wasn't a young lady from a noble family like Yu Leyao. People of the martial world, with their constant fighting, were often uninhibited.
But while they didn't care, someone did.
"Let go of her!" an angry male voice sounded from behind. Xu Mu's eyebrows shot up, and he instantly retreated to the side, dodging the man's outstretched palm.
"Ma Chuan, why are you back so early today? Aren't you investigating the elf news?" Le Lingyun asked, surprised.
"Heh, investigating what elf nonsense? If I hadn't come back, you'd have been taken away!" the young man called Ma Chuan said coldly, glaring at Xu Mu. His face was weathered and sallow, and he was burly, the very picture of a man of the martial world.
"You've misunderstood. We are just friends," Le Lingyun said with a frown. "And you and I are only colleagues. Who I get taken away by doesn't seem to be your business."
"You're infuriating me, absolutely infuriating me!" Ma Chuan was furious at Le Lingyun's words but helpless. After a long period of impotent rage, he then noticed Xu Mu standing nearby.
"Kid, I'm telling you, you'd better stay away from her, or you'll regret it!"
Ma Chuan grabbed Xu Mu's collar, his blood qi surging, and his eyes wide open, he shouted.
Seeing this, Le Lingyun's face changed drastically. She quickly came forward to pull Ma Chuan away. "Quick, let go! This is Commander Yun..."
"I'll listen to you. Unless there's a real need, I'll visit less," Xu Mu interrupted Le Lingyun and said to Ma Chuan with a faint smile.
"You'd better be!" The young man snorted and, without looking back, strode into the incense and candle shop, leaving behind a resentful figure.
"I'm sorry, he's always like this. And lately, with all this elf business, he might have become a bit confused," Le Lingyun explained apologetically.
"It's alright. I don't mind. And please keep the matter with Commander Yun confidential. I prefer to keep a low profile."
Xu Mu said mysteriously. Le Lingyun nodded, blinking in understanding.
"Alright, then I'll head to the Qingyun Inn first. See you later."
Xu Mu said, picking up Qiongqi, who was the size of a tabby cat, and slowly walked in the direction Le Lingyun had pointed.
On the street, under the setting sun, Qiongqi licked its paws and said lazily,
"You have a good temper."
"It's easier to provoke the King of Hell than a minor demon,"
Xu Mu smiled faintly. People like Ma Chuan were petty. It was best to avoid them if possible. Moreover, he had just arrived in Tucheng and didn't want to offend anyone.
A moment later, Xu Mu, carrying Qiongqi, walked into the Qingyun Inn.
He looked at the innkeeper who greeted him with a smile and said,
"I'd like a room, the best one."