Of course, this price is pretty steep for ordinary cultivators, but for a rich guy like Ian Song, a single mid-grade spirit crystal is really nothing.
So he just booked three premium rooms without a second thought.
Watching Ian Song and Lila Li walk into a room together, Wendy Lin couldn't help but feel a trace of sadness in her eyes. She thought to herself, Brother Ian and Sister Lila are a perfect match made in heaven—you're just a plain, weak girl, totally unworthy of Brother Ian.
City Lord’s Mansion, Council Hall.
The atmosphere was suffocatingly tense. In the center of the hall, a teenage boy and girl knelt, both wearing expressions of terror and unease.
Seated at the main seat was a blue-robed, long-bearded middle-aged man. His face was especially grim, and deep in his eyes was an intense look of worry.
More than a dozen officials sat on either side of the hall, none of them smiling—some looked worried, others sighed softly.
After a long silence, the blue-robed middle-aged man barked coldly, "You two little troublemakers! Look at what you've done—now the entire Immortal Maple City is going to suffer because of you!"
"Father, we know we were wrong!"
The kneeling boy trembled and spoke in terror.
Seeing this, the blue-robed middle-aged man’s eyes flashed with a trace of pity, but he knew all too well: this time, his son and daughter had caused a disaster far too great. If handled poorly, it would be a catastrophe for Immortal Maple City.
But the girl, unwilling to accept it, protested, "Father, it was the serpent demon who kidnapped me first! This whole thing isn’t our fault at all!"
"Quiet!"
The blue-robed middle-aged man snapped, making the girl feel even more wronged—her tears streamed down like broken pearls.
Seeing this, the city lord sighed inwardly. He knew perfectly well it wasn’t really his son and daughter’s fault—but the problem was, the one they killed was the Serpent King’s son.
Gaius the Serpent King usually kept to himself in the Black Sky Mountain Range, and normally got along peacefully with Immortal Maple City. In fact, he even had a private agreement with the city: cultivators from Immortal Maple City could hunt in the outer regions of the Black Sky Mountains.
Today, his son and daughter had taken a team of guards to hunt in the outskirts of the Black Sky Mountains. There, they happened to run into Gavin, Seventh Prince of the Serpent King, who had just formed his Golden Core, taken human form, and snuck out from the mountain depths to see the human world.
Because the Serpent King doted on his youngest son, Gavin was utterly lawless in the Black Sky Forest.
This time, sneaking out to the mountain’s edge, he happened to run into the brother and sister who were out hunting.
Serpents are naturally lustful. The moment Gavin saw his daughter Stone Ling, he was overcome with desire. Thanks to his father’s indulgence, he’d already victimized plenty of female demons in the Black Sky Forest.