662: Peeking Crow's Inn

Peeking Crow's Inn

As they went their separate ways, Ming Yue went down a few twists and turns, following the directions that Fengtian gave her. She soon found herself in a more isolated part of the capital city, much quieter than the main streets. It was an unfamiliar area for she hadn't seen every part of the city. 1

There were fewer stores and more homes alongside some public courtyards for people to bask in the sunlight. 

But she moved past that, entering an area that seemed eerier than everywhere else. Things weren't as well maintained, there were a few abandoned buildings, trash scattered on the streets, and a few beggars and drunks laying on the side. 

Walking through it all, there was a tingle on her neck as she glanced behind her. 

"Are they targeting me?" she thought to herself. 

Frankly speaking, she was quite eye-catching and didn't quite fit in with the surroundings. Anyone that didn't know any better might consider her a target. Nevertheless, she wasn't here to waste time. Her figure suddenly vanished, escaping these wary gazes and arriving before the Peeking Crow's Inn. 

As she stood in front of it, she studied the inn. 

"I wasn't expecting this."

The Peeking Crow's Inn wasn't like any other inn. In fact, it truly didn't fit in with the area or even the city itself. It didn't look like an ordinary inn at all, rather it didn't resemble one in the slightest. 

"Is this an inn or a forest?" 

Instead of a building, Ming Yue was standing in front of a thick forest in the middle of a city. The stone road that she stood on stopped right at its entrance, replaced by a dirt one. 

"Oh, how interesting, a teleportation tunnel, to think that I'd see one here", Senior Zhen spoke with an impressed tone. 

"A what? Teleportation Tunnel? It's not a formation?" she asked. 

"Mmm, not quite..."

The Sword Spirit paused for a moment, trying to think of a way to explain. 

"Rather than call it a formation, it's more a formation within a formation. Rather than having to stand and wait, you just need to walk through and you'll find yourself in a different place altogether. To put it bluntly, it is more advanced than a teleportation formation", he explained. 

"Really, has this inn always been here then?"

She felt somewhat doubtful, in her time traveling, she had never come across such a thing. For something as incredible as this to be in some random place in the city, it made things much more suspicious. 

However. Fengtian recommended this place and he didn't seem like the type of person to trick her like this. 

Giving it one more look, Ming Yue took one step forward and started walking. As she entered the strange entrance, she felt a force come over her. It didn't feel dangerous or anything, just uncanny. Of course, she knew that it was the power of the Teleportation Tunnel and she had used a teleportation array before. Still, the sensation was as uncomfortable as ever. 

Xiao Yin and Hei Yue looked at their surroundings, moving closer to her. 

It wasn't a very long walk. 

Strolling down the road, trees shifted out from the corner of her eyes. Soon enough, something came into view, a mountain of sorts, one with little houses that seemed to connect into the depths of it. 

Her eyes widened at the sight. 

"This is the Peeking Crow's Inn?" she muttered to herself, "Of all the things, it could've been called, they called it an inn."

Standing in front of it, something suddenly flew down, a crow in fact. Flapping its wings, it came down with a letter in its mouth. Xiao Yin flew forward, looking at the crow curiously. 

Ming Yue took a step forward and bent down, grabbing the letter that was in the crow's beak and opening it to read. 

"Welcome to the Peeking Crow's Inn, I am the manager of this humble place and this crow shall be your guide. It will first lead you to the gate to pay for your stay before bringing you to a vacant spot! We guarantee complete secrecy and your privacy is our utmost priority. Of course, you may leave whenever you please, just whistle for your guide to lead you out. If you'd like to go to a different destination, please let them know as well."

It wasn't a very long message but there was quite a bit to digest. 

She folded up the paper before looking at the crow. It stared back at her with curious eyes, waiting to see what she'd do. 

"So not only can we stay here and come out, but we could also go to other locations? How extensive is their reach? Does it expand to the other continents?" 

Listening to her questions, the crow took it as a sign that she wanted to pay and flew off. Ming Yue and the others followed suit, being led to the gate where there was a large wooden box. Seeing it, she looked at the sign above. 

"One night is 100 gold, one week is 500 gold, one month is 1500 gold, one year is 15000 gold."

After reading it, she took a look at what she had in her spatial ring. 

"Mm, I have enough for a few months but I'll only need it for one, long enough for the tournament."

She took out a small pile of gold coins and dropped them into the box. There was no sound of clinging from them as the box seemed to be bottomless. But with the payment made, the crow whistled before flying past the gates and towards the mountain. 

Ming Yue's group followed along, climbing up the mountain until they stopped in front of one of the houses. 

It was a quaint place, big enough for one or two people. It was lit up inside and warm to the touch. The crow cawed at her before perching at the top of the roof, letting her know that this was the place. 

"Thank you."

She lowered her head to the crow as it did the same. And then she went in. 

The inside was well-lit and spacious compared to its outer appearance. There was plenty of furniture, all of it cushioned. The was along with a bed large enough to fit her and the two beasts with ease. 

"Even Liang Wei might fit here", she thought.

She looked around while the other two turned loose, picking a spot to call their own. 

Moving further in, the house extended into the mountain, changing from a wood home to a stone cave. There were torches everywhere, illuminating the entire way through. And at the end of it, there was an empty stone room that she could only surmise to be for cultivating. 

"To think that someone was able to turn this into a business, remarkable! I don't think anything like this ever existed back then!" Senior Zhen remarked.

Ming Yue nodded.

"It's quiet and the environment is nice. The energy here is definitely a bit thicker here, maybe it's because of the mountain. But if it's here, might be a good chance to really focus on the Sky Realm."

She still had a few more days before the tournament began and there was quite a bit of treasure that she obtained from hunting down evil cultivators. Taking it all out, there was a small hill of things that nearly filled up the room. 

Since she had nothing to do at the moment, it seemed like a good time to organize everything and use whatever treasures could be used for her cultivation. 

"Mm, I'm only a quarter of the way through the First Sky. To reach the Second Sky, I'm going to need to collect a lot more energy. How much would I need to reach the Fifth Sky?"

Looking at the pile, she went to work. 

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