An inn, restaurant, brothel—such businesses require connections and background to establish themselves in a big place like Yong'an City.

The Immortal Residence is the largest inn in Yong'an, with exorbitant fees. To open such an inn, naturally requires substantial background.

Qingyi Tower is formidable, yet even they cannot dominate Yong'an.

Normally, to avoid any trouble, the shopkeeper would definitely report the situation to the owner, letting the owner make the decisions.

However, the shopkeeper privately accepted a bottle of Jade Marrow, which complicates things. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Because the shopkeeper didn't enter it into the accounts, as long as that person doesn't come in the next few days, no one will know about it.

As for the waiters, they understand nothing. They can't meet the owner and have no idea about the intricacies, so there's no fear of them tattling.

If Qingyi Tower quietly dealt with a few people, there wouldn't be a problem. What would be worrisome is if Qingyi Tower fails to handle them and causes a disturbance.

The shopkeeper has cultivated for many years and is quite knowledgeable about cultivation matters.

Seeing Celestial Fool casually take out a bottle of Jade Marrow just for a few days' stay at an inn, it's clear the old man is definitely wealthy, with no low cultivation.

Luckily, the old man doesn't look like an Immortal, and the young couple obviously are not very old and are dressed plainly; they're not from a Major Sect.

This world is very unsafe; disciples from various sects naturally wear sect robes to display their identities.

Although the Northern Province is vast, Major Sects are few and far between. Just by looking at Celestial Fool's attire, one knows they have no particular background.

The shopkeeper misjudged, but it's not because he's incompetent. Mainly, someone of Celestial Fool's status wouldn't wear sect robes.

Let alone Gao Xuan and Ripples, Gao Xuan has always worn the Netherworld Robe. This finely woven robe is made of special material and its style is different from both Buddhist and Daoist Sects.

Gao Xuan simply likes the indestructible characteristic of the Netherworld Robe; it's convenient to wear.

As for Ripples, dressed in white robes naturally transformed into Sword Intent. Even a Human Immortal cannot perceive the changes, let alone a shopkeeper among mortals.

All these factors have contributed to the misjudgment made by the shopkeeper and Qingyi Tower.

The shopkeeper balanced it out repeatedly and decided to pretend ignorance.

With Qingyi Tower's ability, dealing with a few foreign cultivators isn't difficult.

Qingyi Tower didn't go wild; they came to observe again the next day and had someone follow Gao Xuan and Ripples for a day.

During this time, they tested Gao Xuan twice: once by trying to steal something, and once by bumping into him. Both times, Ripples taught them a lesson.

Ripples certainly knew someone was tailing them, but she didn't connect it to anything and didn't think much of it.

Ripples is interested in everything, but her interest comes quickly and fades just as fast.

Mundane things, even if interesting, are very simple. Once she has seen or tried them, Ripples can perceive the details and then lose interest.

In the evening, Ripples and Gao Xuan found a restaurant to dine.

Ripples, having an Innate Spiritual Body, doesn't consume ordinary food; she just ordered a few dishes to enjoy the ambiance. The key was accompanying Gao Xuan.

Seated in a private room on the third floor, looking out at the sparkling lights on the lake surface, the atmosphere was quite pleasant.

Gao Xuan didn't eat much, just had two glasses of wine. Given his current cultivation, he can regulate his state, and even ordinary wine can taste flavorful.

As the two drank in the private room, there were already more than a dozen Qingyi Tower men outside.

Leading them was a man with triangular eyes, a hooked nose, and a large bald spot with the rest of his hair scattered, making him look particularly fierce.

He asked the group of subordinates beside him, "What's the progress?"

The group all had serious expressions, slightly lowering their eyes; no one dared to meet his gaze.

This man, nicknamed Vulture, is notoriously ruthless within Qingyi Tower. Rumor has it he often eats children and drinks women's blood, incredibly brutal.

A man in Qingyi attire bowed and said, "We've already put Thousand-Year Intoxication in the wine. Even if he's an Immortal, he'd be drunk for several days."

Thousand-Year Intoxication is a very special Spiritual Object; a single sip could make a mortal drunk for a thousand years. Even if a Spirit Immortal or Human Immortal accidentally drinks it, they would inevitably be drunk.

This kind of spiritual object isn't poisonous; rather, it can consolidate one's foundation, nurture the spirit, and gather energy, making it very precious.

Precisely because it's not poisonous, it's foolproof in dealing with cultivators, as they cannot sense any anomaly in the wine.

Qingyi Tower has done this many times and is very experienced. They even calculated for a Spirit Immortal.

That beautiful female Spirit Immortal, in the end, fell into their hands and was completely at their mercy.

Eventually, her Primordial Yin was drained, and her Divine Soul was refined into a Magical Artifact. Even her body was cooked and eaten, wasting nothing.

This time, they set their eyes on Gao Xuan and Ripples because Ripples' pure energy is such a rare find for a top-grade Furnace.

Gao Xuan is also exceptionally handsome and elegant, and such male beauty could fetch a good price. If he were made into a puppet, he'd surely be effective in deceiving women.

To acquire this pair of top-grade individuals, they didn't mind using such a top-grade Spiritual Object as Thousand-Year Intoxication. Mainly, they feared causing a commotion hard to resolve or injuring these two.

Vulture waited a while and asked again, "Is it done?"

The subordinate thought for a moment and said, "The timing should be right, I'll go check."

Vulture waved his hand, "No need to check, everyone go in. If it didn't work, just take them forcefully. Remember, do not injure them. Otherwise, I'll skin you all."

The group answered solemnly. If he said he'd skin them, it would truly happen, no joking.

The group pushed the door open and saw Gao Xuan and Ripples sitting calmly there, their eyes clear without a trace of intoxication.

Vulture, somewhat annoyed, smacked the face of the man beside him, "Useless."