Doomsday: Grinding EXP Through Hunting

The environment at Four Seas Camp was excellent.

Armored guards patrolled back and forth, and the streets and alleys were peaceful, with no disturbances in sight. Even the ground was clean and tidy.

The Bai family's contact within Four Seas Camp was a rather sizable medicinal shop.

On either side of the shop's entrance hung a white board with a pair of couplets written in black characters:

"May the world be free from illness and suffering, even if it means the medicine on our shelves gathers dust."

Disguised as a middle-aged man, Tang Wen entered the shop. He nodded at the clerk who approached him and was led to a side room for tea.

He picked up the cup, which didn't contain tea leaves but rather small solid particles resembling barley tea.

The taste, however, was quite pleasant—rich and slightly sweet.

As he sipped the tea, he waited patiently for about half an hour.

Finally, the person ahead of him left, and Tang Wen leisurely entered the inner room.

An elderly gentleman sat behind a black wooden desk, scrutinizing Tang Wen.

The process of observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking began.

"If I'm not mistaken, you are in excellent health," the old man said.

Tang Wen, still in disguise, inwardly scoffed. "I'm here to buy century-old ginseng."

"How much do you need? A few qian? Or one liang?"

Up to this point, the conversation was normal.

But Tang Wen shook his head. "Three jin and four liang!"

The old doctor's expression changed as he carefully studied Tang Wen. "You must be joking. Century-old ginseng is extremely precious. How could there be so much?"

"So, your shop doesn't have enough?"

"Not enough."

"If it's not enough, you can always restock from your supplier."

The old doctor clasped his hands together, stood up, and hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door.

Turning back, he whispered to Tang Wen, "What do you want me to do?"

"Go to Four Seas Inn to meet someone."

"Now?"

"Yes."

Tang Wen provided the room number, which was a new room, not his current "Room B."

The old doctor tidied up and left through the back door, while Tang Wen took a package of insect repellent for the Sand Wolf and returned to Four Seas Inn through the front entrance.

Back in his room, he changed into his previous attire and entered the inn's lobby.

He ordered some barbecue and beer, slowly eating and drinking.

The lobby was filled with ice buckets, and outside the window, a large wooden fan powered by flowing water spun steadily, bringing in cool breezes.

The remarkably attentive waiter recognized Tang Wen as the distinguished guest from "Room B."

He immediately sent over a charming woman carrying a plate of food, claiming it was a complimentary dish from the inn.

The plate held a half-foot-long prawn, cooked to a bright red, topped with large sections of chili peppers and sprinkled with green scallions—a truly appetizing sight.

Noticing that almost every table in the lobby was occupied by women in cheongsams, Tang Wen didn't refuse.

He nodded, and the woman sat down to peel the prawn.

"Where are you from, sir?" she asked.

"The north."

"And where are you headed?" she continued in a casual tone, her hands busy peeling the prawn, occasionally dipping it in sauce and feeding it to Tang Wen.

Tang Wen initially wanted to avoid this, but seeing that none of the other men in the lobby were doing so, he reluctantly accepted the gesture.

"You should have some too," Tang Wen said after a moment of thought, deciding not to hide his intentions. "I'm planning to go to Mountain Chasing City."

At the mention of the name, a flicker of fear passed through the woman's eyes, though her expression remained calm. She continued in her well-practiced, gentle tone, "Many guests want to go there."

Tang Wen's heart stirred: Could it be that Four Seas Commerce Guild has connections? A pathway to join one of the major factions in Mountain Chasing City?

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

He pulled out a piece of silver and shamelessly stuffed it into the woman's bosom.

Her eyes lit up, and without waiting for Tang Wen to ask, she immediately said:

"The Four Seas Commerce Guild has connections with all the major factions in Mountain Chasing City. If you pay five hundred taels to the guild, you can meet the Commanders of the outer city's major factions. The Commanders will personally recruit you. A thousand taels will get you an audience with the Elders, who will arrange for you to be placed under their jurisdiction..."

One should never underestimate anyone.

A woman who was peeling shrimp actually knew so much.

It seemed the Four Seas Inn was also in the business of selling information.

Commanders are usually Martial Masters.

Elders and Vice-Leaders are Transcendents.

The Leader is at the Astral Martial Realm, which is the same level as the Queen.

After finishing her explanation, the woman blinked her sparkling eyes at Tang Wen.

Tang Wen took a sip of wine and said with some pride, "I'm not even twenty-three yet, and I'm a Beast Tamer with a Mid-level Exotic Beast, a Sand Wolf."

This was the information tied to his identity.

  It was public knowledge.

The people at the Four Seas Inn had seen him arrive with a Sand Wolf.

"You're truly impressive, sir!" the woman said with exaggerated enthusiasm.

But Tang Wen felt her praise lacked sincerity.

His true prowess was known only to...

Well, actually, no one knew yet.

The woman continued, "Beast Tamers are rare. You'd be welcomed anywhere you go."

After saying this, she leaned in close to Tang Wen under the pretense of feeding him shrimp and whispered, "Sir, I don't know your actual strength, but if you're a Martial Practitioner, you could save five hundred taels."

"How so?" Tang Wen asked without changing his expression.

The woman didn't answer immediately and peeled several more shrimp.

Tang Wen reached into his pocket, pulled out another ingot of silver, and stuffed it into her ample bosom.

The woman immediately beamed with joy, "Thank you, sir! If you stay here for ten days to half a month, you're bound to meet people from Mountain Chasing City. You can directly interact with the leaders of the major factions here. Or, the Four Seas Commerce Guild can introduce you for a small fee."

As she spoke, her eyes glanced toward the lobby.

The innkeeper was standing there, chatting with someone.

Tang Wen smiled and thanked her.

The woman didn't say more and casually chatted while pouring wine and serving dishes for Tang Wen.

Staying in a "Room B" for ten days to half a month would cost over a thousand taels. Why not just spend a thousand taels to join a faction in Mountain Chasing City?

Perhaps sensing Tang Wen's generosity, the woman naturally started promoting "Room A" to him.

Silk bedding, pure silver utensils, fine crystal glasses... needless to say.

Even the restroom had dedicated attendants.

Tang Wen mentioned hot towels.

The woman shook her head and straightened her posture.

She implied that using a hot towel wasn't enough; one needed to show more sincerity.

"Then what about not using hands?"

Men and experienced women know that one needs to shake after relieving oneself.

The woman smiled without answering. Instead, she picked up her wine glass, took a sip, and then skillfully licked the rim of the glass.

Seeing Tang Wen's look of realization, she added, "There are twelve beautiful maids serving inside. If you're not satisfied, you can switch until you are."

Testing me again.

Who could withstand such a test?

"How much for one night?"

"Only a thousand taels."

Hearing the price, Tang Wen instantly cooled down: Your use of the word "only" is quite apt, but please don't use it again.

The woman was quite adept at reading expressions: "Eight hundred taels will do."

Tang Wen smiled without speaking. Earlier that day, while wandering the streets, he had passed by a place called Hundred Flowers Pavilion, which was actively soliciting customers even during the day.

For eight hundred taels, one could enjoy everything except the top courtesan.

"We also have virgins!"

The woman leaned in, her posture submissive, not minding at all that her charms were on display.

Tang Wen felt a surge of desire but knew he couldn't afford to be tempted. He quickly changed the subject, asking about which experts in Mountain Chasing City possessed dark abilities.

Unfortunately, the woman was merely a salesperson and drinking companion. Although she had seen many Transcendents, she had never witnessed them in action and thus couldn't provide any useful information.

Tang Wen didn't press further. After eating and drinking his fill, he paid a few taels of silver for the meal.

He leisurely returned to his residence, where Bai Youruo had already finished her meeting with the contact and returned.

"We need to part ways."

That was the first thing Bai Youruo said that evening.

Tang Wen took a deep breath; he had anticipated this.

"Earlier, I didn't show myself during the meeting. Bai Xue spoke with him through the wall."

"Do you find him untrustworthy?"

Bai Youruo shook her head with a complex expression: "Human hearts are hard to fathom."

Tang Wen nodded. He had gone to the meeting with an additional layer of disguise, so he wasn't too worried.

Bai Youruo continued, "I've made some preparations here before. After this, Bai Xue and I might stay at the Four Seas Camp or move to nearby cities."

"How will we stay in touch?" he asked, looking at her.

"We'll choose a spot. When you need to contact me, pile up three stacks of stones there. I'll have someone check periodically. The person will be dressed in white above and black below, wearing a bamboo hat with a green ribbon tied to it. You can have the Blood Raven keep watch there. When you see this person, pass the message to them."

Tang Wen nodded.

After a moment of hesitation, Bai Youruo suddenly placed her hand on Tang Wen's palm.

(End of Chapter)