Ye Tian finally left the Xue Mansion, but never left the his eyesight from it. Within a distance at a nearby tree, Ye Tian was standing on one of the branches with tears in his eyes. He could never forgive himself for what he has done, but what other did he have? He stood there like a shadow until midnight. By that time he went back to his home. He looked around, no one else was there. It used to be the children, his sisters and himself living here with some sense of peace, but now it’s only himself. He tried to sleep but he couldn’t stop thinking about past memories. He laid on the floor and watched the white moon with a gradient blue color. The stars were shining bright white with a few of them reflecting different colors.

He kept staring until the sun started rising. He realized he didn’t sleep all through this while and decided to think what he was going to do next. In the early morning, he went back to Internal Healing Garden to inform elder Master Fan on the whereabouts of his sisters to not cause any worry. Elder Fan wasn’t angry as that was probably the best choice, giving the girls a safer and brighter future. She asked Ye Tian if he wishes to continue working here, but Ye Tian respectfully decline.

“If you decide to change your mind, you are always welcome here. I will give you some more scrolls and ingredients to concoct more advanced potions before you leave. You’re an intelligent young man, so I have no worried you can learn it without trouble,” Elder Fan said.

“Thank you elder master Fan. You are the first to have given me help when I came to this capital city, and I will never forget what  you and the others have done. Someday, I will repay the debts back,” Ye Tian replied while cupping his hand and bowing to elder Fan and the rest of the elders within the shop.

He left and looked at his map. Now he was planning to meet Ma Qian to get more information from him. He arrived at Pretty Flowers Inn, but he was frowning. This inn is actually a brothel and a very crowded one. The moment he went inside, a beautiful lady with such enticing lips wrapped around him and asked what kind of service he wants. But Ye Tian held his breath and told her that he was looking for a friend. As soon as the name came up, the lady suddenly yelled out, “Hey Rascal, someone is looking for you!”

The beautiful lady smiled at Ye Tian and left gracefully.  A few moments later, A figure jumped out from the second floor and landed right in front of Ye Tian. “Ye Tian, it’s been a while, what do you need?”

“Ma Qian, why are you living here? Do you…..do it everyday?” Ye Tian whispered.

“Hahaha my friend, I was raised by my Aunt and she’s been working here ever since I could open my eyes. All these ladies are like my sisters and aunties,” Ma Qian replied while patting Ye Tian’s back.

“I see…..” Ye Tian said.

“Ye Tian, how useful did you find my map?” Ma Qian asked.

“Very useful. I must thank you for that,” Ye Tian responded.

“Ye Tian, this is not just some whorehouse. Why do you think my map is filled with so much information?”

Ye Tian wondered on this question for a bit, but Ma Qian whispered to him, “this place is also an intelligence gathering. You can pretty much find any information that’s happening around the city, even some of the secret ones. A lot of important figures and nobles come here for pleasure, but don’t underestimate any of ladies working here. Every men that have come inside here have fallen deep within their trap. These ladies are very intelligent and crafty women.”

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Ma Qian was smiling at him, like he was part of the crew. Ye Tian could only smile back. This is not the kind of place he wants to be in right now.

“Can we talk somewhere private?” Ye Tian asked. “Right, we can go to my room, but it’s a bit busy right now,” Ma Qian answered. He had a devilish smile on his face. He didn’t want to tell Ye Tian that there were some guest doing some love-making in his room due to the full occupation. Even he was kicked out of his room by his aunt and hung around the second floor. He knew Ye Tian was too innocent and wanted to give Ye Tian “a first sight” of what love is. Ye Tian knew something was off when he saw that wicked face of Ma Qian.

“Alright, let’s go outside and talk then,” Ye Tian replied. Ma Qian was a bit disappointed.

They went out to a tea shop where rooms were divided for privacy. Ye Tian asked, “Is there a way you can identify the important figures in the city?’ Ma Qian took out a box, and some type of illusory sand hanging above the box. Then a small bird also came out of the box and started chirping on the sand so quickly a face appeared.

“This is the current emperor of Star Empire,” Ma Qian introduced.  Then he went on, “this is the current prime minister, this is the foreign minister, this is the head of the Jin clan….”. As Ma Qian kept introducing new figures, the bird was able to keep up and illustrate different figures swiftly. This went on for  a while and Ye Tian started remembering the important figures in his head. The higher cultivation realm, the easier it is to memorize things. At Ye Tian’s current realm, it shouldn’t be a problem memorizing hundreds of figures within a small period of time.

While Ma Qian was introducing all the important figures, he was also paying attention to Ye Tian’s reaction….but there wasn’t even a small reaction coming from him. Ye Tian kept a straight face and Ma Qian couldn’t figure it out, so he asked, “Are you looking for someone in particular?” Ye Tian replied, “No, I just need to know these figures for convenience only. Besides, I don’t want to offend anyone powerful. That’s asking for trouble I can’t handle.”

Ye Tian continued, “Can you tell me the relationships among these figures with other clans or sect in this empire?”

Ma Qian started explaining all the relationship each figure has, and who their enemies are. Ma Qian was like an encyclopedia. He knew every place, every one, every faction, and every issues the city is currently facing. Ye Tian quite admired such person, and he also knew Ma Qian had a pretty good cultivation at the mid stage of the great dao realm besides being a few years older. He could be considered as talented as any geniuses there are within this empire. And considering Ma Qian has no powerful clans or figures backing him, Ye Tian wondered what kind of cultivation technique he was using.

After introducing everyone, Ma Qian had some sweat on his forehead. Ye Tian then poured some wine for Ma Qian and said, “Come let’s drink, Thank you for your help today.” Ye Tian only drank tea and while he was sipping on his tea, he could see Ma Qian’s slightly gloomy face. Ma Qian worked very hard in introducing everything to Ye Tian, and he was expecting some kind of monetary payment for his phenomenal service, but things didn’t turn out as he expected. He didn’t want to make a big deal out of it since Ye Tian was still relatively new in the capital and he just made a new decent friend, which was rare in this capital.

They both drank and continued their conversation. After they finished, the left and stroll around the city where Ma Qian was explaining every place they went through like a tour guide. He was also able to sell some of his maps and other things while talking with Ye Tian. Ye Tian thought this guy will someday become a great merchant.

Just when things are going well, Ye Tian and Ma Qian both revealed a dark expression. What was in front of them to make them act this way?