Chapter 209: Opportunity for a Secret Meeting (2/2)

“If only I could join a great Sect like this, then I would be able to live without regrets,” Meng Hao said softly, gazing at the majestic main gate. His words were filled with longing.

“That’s pretty much impossible,” laughed the skinny man. “The Violet Fate Sect rarely recruits new disciples. Even when they do, it’s usually only from the Sects and Cultivator Clans within the State of Eastern Emergence. They almost never accept outsiders. If they did, the State of Eastern Emergence would be filled with people dreaming of joining. Young friend, it’s still early. What sort of things are you interested in buying, I can take you to find them?”

“There’s no need, I already found what I was looking for.” Meng Hao laughed, then took out a Spirit Stone and handed it to the skinny man. He gave him a slight bow and then walked out of the square.

The skinny man stared at him in surprise for a moment, and then pocketed the Spirit Stone. He had led the young man around all morning, showing him all around the city but not taking him to any markets whatsoever. Putting the matter aside, he walked off. There was still a whole afternoon in which to find other customers.

Meng Hao traversed the streets surrounding the public square. Halfway down one block, he suddenly stopped and glanced over at a nearby store. It was a medicinal pill shop. On the wall inside the shop, he could see some old, dried up medicinal pills, arranged to form the outline of a pill furnace. In the middle of the image of the pill furnace was an elliptical symbol.

Within the symbol were four dried up medicinal pills.

Nothing about it looked out of the ordinary or unique. However, after catching sight of it, a smile broke out on Meng Hao’s face. He walked around the corner into an alley. When he emerged, he was wearing a wide, bamboo hat and a long robe. He strode directly into the medicinal pill shop.

The shop wasn’t large. Other than the shopkeeper, there was no one else inside.

“I want one of these pills,” said Meng Hao, pointing to one of the low-priced pills on the shelf.

The shopkeeper opened his eyes and glanced at Meng Hao, then pulled out one of the pills Meng Hao had pointed to.

“This pill is useful during the fifth level of Qi Condensation. It costs seventeen Spirit Stones.”

Meng Hao grabbed the pill without even looking at it, and with the flick of a sleeve, sent it shooting toward the image on the wall. It immediately smashed into the middle of the elliptical symbol. Now, instead of four pills, there were five.

With that, he tossed some Spirit Stones to the shopkeeper and then left.

The shopkeeper watched all of this in surprise. Then his eyes began to glitter, and he clasped hands and bowed toward Meng Hao’s back as he walked off.

Time passed. Meng Hao had been staying in Violet Moon City for two days. On the same day that the Violet Fate Sect Pill auction started, he was sitting there cross-legged in the night when suddenly he opened his eyes and retrieved a jade slip from his bag of holding. It was glowing brightly.

This particular jade slip was an invitation medallion to a secret meeting! Recorded in the jade slip was a map, marked with the same symbol that was on the wall of the shop he’d visited earlier.

Outside, the moon was rising. Meng Hao put away the jade slip, and then left.

Soon, he appeared outside the same shop as before, wearing a wide bamboo hat, and voluminous robes. Without hesitation, he walked up and knocked on the wooden door.

After three knocks, the door slowly swung open. Inside was a nothing but pitch black.

His eyes flickered. After a moment’s examination, he walked in. Ripples flowed out across the surface of the blackness, as if it were water. Meng Hao saw a bright glow, and then he was in a different place. Up ahead of him was a princely palace.

This palace looked exactly the same as the place he had visited the first time he went to one of these secret meetings [1. The first secret meeting Meng Hao attended was in chapter 140]. An old man, hands crossed and folded up within his sleeves, stood outside the palace. He looked Meng Hao over wordlessly.

Meng Hao approached, pulling out the secret meeting invitation medallion. The old man lowered his head, and Meng Hao walked past him into the palace.

He could hear the sounds of singing and dancing coming from further inside, just like the last time. Beyond some ornamental rock displays was a pavilion, within which sat four Cultivators. All of them wore masks covering their faces, making it impossible to see who they were.

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This chapter was sponsored by Fan from WA, Melvin Smith, Anonymous, Quentin Niven, Atmasatriani Mannan, and Cole Hausner