Chapter 455: The Yuan Family and Information About Wan Snake Island
After wandering around the city center for about half an hour, Mo Yu and Qingzhi finally stopped at an inn called "Xuan Heaven."
From the outside, the inn looked luxurious and extravagant, and there was a steady flow of people at its entrance. As a temporary resting spot, it seemed quite suitable.
With that in mind, Mo Yu didn't hesitate and led Qingzhi into the inn.
"Welcome!"
At the door, a servant noticed Mo Yu's extraordinary aura, his eyes lighting up as he hurried forward to greet them.
As a capable doorman, even though the servant held a low position, his eye for detail was sharp. He instantly recognized that Mo Yu and Qingzhi were no ordinary individuals.
"You must be travelers. Are you here to dine or stay?" the servant asked respectfully with a smile.
"Just prepare two of your best rooms," Mo Yu replied after a brief pause.
"Of course, sir. Please wait a moment while I inform the manager."
The servant, excited to serve such esteemed guests, smiled broadly and led Mo Yu and Qingzhi to the waiting area. He then hurried off to the front desk.
A short while later, the servant returned, now holding two keys forged from dark iron.
"Sir, these are the keys to our best rooms, designated 'A-grade.' Each night costs 50,000 gold coins, and you may stay as long as you wish. Payment can be settled when you check out," the servant said with a smile.
"50,000 a night?" Mo Yu raised his eyebrows. That price was steep, even by Central Plains standards.
What piqued Mo Yu's curiosity even more was that the inn allowed guests to pay after their stay. Weren't they worried about people running off without paying?
The servant, noticing Mo Yu's curiosity, smiled and said, "Sir, since you're from outside, you might not know the background of the Xuan Heaven Inn. This inn belongs to the second master of the Xuan family, the most powerful of the five great families in the Southern Sea.
"The Xuan Heaven Inns are spread all over the Southern Sea. With the Xuan family backing them, very few dare to skip out on the bill. Anyone who tries would be foolish to think they could leave this sea alive."
Proud of this, the servant gave a self-satisfied smile, as if he were part of the Xuan family himself.
Hearing this, Mo Yu was taken aback, once again gaining insight into the power of the five great families.
"Right this way, gentlemen."
After handing Mo Yu and Qingzhi their keys, the servant bowed and gestured for them to follow.
"Lead the way," Mo Yu nodded.
The servant guided them deeper into the inn, eventually stopping at two adjacent rooms.
The area was quiet and peaceful, and the rooms seemed to be built from special deep-sea stone, providing both comfort and security.
"Here are your rooms, sirs. If you need anything, just ring the bell inside. I'll take my leave now."
The servant smiled as he bowed again, preparing to leave, but Mo Yu stopped him.
"Wait, do you know anything about Wan Snake Island?"
Realizing the inn's powerful backing, Mo Yu decided to ask the servant for information.
The servant frowned slightly before shaking his head. "Sir, the Southern Sea is vast, with countless islands. Even the big players probably aren't aware of every single one. As for Wan Snake Island, I've never heard of it."
Hearing this, Mo Yu furrowed his brow. Wan Snake Island was his destination, yet he had found no information on it so far.
"If you're really looking for information on Wan Snake Island, you might want to visit the Tianshui Auction House tomorrow. It's owned by the Shui family. Although the Shui family has declined and is on the verge of losing its status among the five great families, they still have a deep foundation. They might know something about Wan Snake Island," the servant suggested.
Mo Yu paused for a moment, then nodded.
Regardless of the Shui family's situation, he had to gather information about Wan Snake Island. Wandering around aimlessly wouldn't get him anywhere.
With some initial information, Mo Yu waved the servant off. Once the servant left, Mo Yu turned to inspect the room.
He wasn't picky about accommodations, but the quietness of the A-grade rooms and the privacy they offered pleased him. The money spent was well worth it.
"It's getting late. Rest up tonight; we'll take care of business tomorrow," Mo Yu instructed Qingzhi before entering his room.
As the night slowly descended, the entire city of Kongming was draped in the serene, mysterious glow of the evening.
In his room, Mo Yu stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sparkling stars in the sky. After a long while, his brow furrowed slightly.
"That servant didn't know anything about Wan Snake Island. Could it be that the island is too mysterious, or is its status too high for someone like him to be aware of it?
"Either way, this journey won't be as easy as I thought," Mo Yu murmured with a sigh.
Before arriving in the Southern Continent, Mo Yu had thought the trip would go smoothly. With Qingzhi, a Dou Zun, by his side, he figured they could crush any opposition.
But after arriving, Mo Yu realized how unfathomable this sea was.
The three great magical beast clans, the five great human families, the eight branches of the Sea Tribe—all of these forces seemed no weaker than the Four Pavilions or even the Three Valleys.
Even though he had formidable strength comparable to a Dou Zun and Qingzhi at his side, Mo Yu couldn't claim to dominate the Southern Sea.
"Never mind. Tomorrow, I'll check out the Shui family's auction house. Hopefully, I can get some useful information."
With that thought, Mo Yu put his concerns aside and sat on the bed, closing his silver eyes in meditation.
...
The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight touched Mo Yu's strikingly handsome face, his silver eyes slowly opened.
This was Mo Yu.
After opening his eyes, he got out of bed and stretched.
Hearing the movement, Qingzhi knocked on the door. Mo Yu called him in.
"Go pay for last night's stay, and then we'll head to the Shui family's auction house in the city center. If we find any useful information, we'll leave immediately," Mo Yu ordered.
"Yes, Young Master!" Qingzhi replied, nodding respectfully.
True to form, Qingzhi quickly took care of everything.
After leaving the inn, the two made their way through a few streets and finally stopped outside an ancient-looking auction house in the city center.
The auction house was bustling, with countless people coming and going. The noise outside gathered into waves that seemed to spread endlessly.
"This must be the Tianshui Auction House. Impressive," Mo Yu remarked.
Upon entering the auction house, Mo Yu glanced around. The interior was surprisingly spacious, much larger than the Mittel Auction House in the Jia Ma Empire.
Inside, there were people from all over, dressed in various styles, moving about busily. It was clear that this place attracted more than just locals.
"Sir, I'm an attendant at the Tianshui Auction House. How may I assist you?"
A maid with alluring peach-blossom eyes, dressed in a revealing outfit that covered only the most important areas, approached and asked with a smile.
"I'm looking for information. Does the Tianshui Auction House deal in such things?" Mo Yu asked, glancing at the maid.
"Information?" The maid was taken aback but then smiled warmly.
"Of course. Please follow me; the information trade is handled in the southern section."
The maid smiled again and led the way to the southern part of the hall. Mo Yu and Qingzhi quickly followed.
When they arrived at the area where information was sold, there was already a long line.
Seeing this, Mo Yu frowned and turned to the maid. "I'm in a hurry. Is there any way I can cut the line? I'll pay double."
Hearing this, the maid's peach-blossom eyes lit up. "Of course. Wait here for a moment while I make the arrangements."
Mo Yu nodded and watched her walk away. Out of habit, he took a small step back, but his back bumped into something soft.
"Ah!"
A soft voice exclaimed behind him. Mo Yu quickly turned around to see a young woman, who had fallen onto the ground after their collision. He swiftly reached out, grabbing her arm and pulling her up in an instant.
After helping her to her feet, Mo Yu frowned slightly. For some reason, when he touched this girl, he felt as though something about him had been exposed.
Looking at the girl, Mo Yu noticed something unusual and a flicker of surprise crossed his silver eyes.
On the girl's chest was a badge with a wave-shaped emblem, resembling rippling water.
"A member of the Shui family?"
The girl seemed young, around eighteen or nineteen, with a delicate figure and a beautiful face.
But it wasn't her appearance that caught Mo Yu's attention. It was the wave-shaped badge on her chest.
He had seen this same badge the day he arrived in Kongming City, on the mysterious white carriage. He knew it was the crest of the Shui family, one of the five great families of the Southern Sea.
"Are you alright?" Mo Yu asked, still curious about the Shui family.
"I'm fine," the girl replied politely, despite being from the Shui family. There was no arrogance in her tone.
However, as she looked at Mo Yu, a strange expression flickered in her eyes.
Noticing the girl's gaze, Mo Yu shifted his focus away from the Shui family's crest and furrowed his brow.
During their brief contact, he had sensed a special energy, a kind of water wave energy hidden within her. It felt as though it could peer into the secrets of his heart.
As Mo Yu pondered this, a group of people entered the southern section, and the atmosphere suddenly shifted.
"It's the second young master of the Yuan family! What's he doing here?"
"The Yuan family is much stronger than the declining Shui family."
"I've heard that the Yuan family and the Shui family arranged a marriage ten years ago. It seems the time has come."
...
Hearing the chatter around him, Mo Yu turned his gaze toward the new arrivals.
At the front of the Yuan family group were two old men dressed in black robes. Their expressions were cold, and their powerful aura filled the space. With their hands tucked into their sleeves, they clearly weren't ordinary figures.
But the most attention-grabbing people weren't the two black-robed elders. It was the elderly man in a gray robe leading them and a young man wearing a black Yuan family badge.
The gray-robed man looked very old, with deep wrinkles covering his face, but his position at the front indicated that he held great importance.
Anyone with a bit of strength could sense that, while his aura wasn't as overwhelming as that of the two black-robed elders behind him, the danger he radiated far surpassed theirs.
As for the young man with the black Yuan badge, he was quite handsome but carried an air of arrogance that was hard to miss.
Of course, given the badge on his chest, this arrogance was understandable.
The black Yuan badge marked him as a direct descendant of the Yuan family, one of the five great families of the Southern Sea!
"Mu Xue, I've found you at last. Have you decided when we'll have our wedding?"
As the crowd whispered, the young man wearing the black Yuan badge looked over at Mo Yu, or rather, at the Shui family girl standing next to him.
"Yuan Ling, the Shui family has already retracted the engagement. We admit we were wrong, but your family didn't raise any objections back then. Now you show up making a big scene—what is your intention?"
Seeing Yuan Ling, Mu Xue's expression changed slightly, and she spoke coldly.
The young man shook his head, smiling, "You're mistaken, Mu Xue. Marriage is no small matter, and I must give an explanation to my family."
"Don't twist the facts, Yuan Ling! Everyone knows your family's ambition to take over the Shui family. Stop using this as an excuse!" Mu Xue's face turned pale with anger as she shouted.
"Heh, no matter what, I'm still your fiancé. It's rather improper of you to yell at me like this. Once you've joined the Yuan family, I'll teach you some proper manners," Yuan Ling replied, still smiling.
Hearing this, Mu Xue's face flushed with fury. The marriage between the Yuan and Shui families had originally been arranged to strengthen the Shui family's position among the five great families.
However, over time, the Shui family realized that the Yuan family wanted to take them over, so they had broken off the engagement. But the Yuan family refused to let go.
As Mu Xue fumed over the Yuan family's actions, a thought suddenly occurred to her. She turned her gaze to Mo Yu.
Noticing her look, Mo Yu frowned.
From what he'd overheard, he had already pieced together the situation and had no desire to get involved, even though Mu Xue was quite beautiful.
The whole "hero saving the beauty" act or intervening in someone else's quarrel no longer appealed to him. He was past that stage in his life.
But just as Mo Yu was about to walk away, a soft voice reached his ear, causing his expression to shift slightly.
"Sir, if you help me, the Shui family can take you to Wan Snake Island."
(End of Chapter)
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