Misguided practice of sinister cultivation techniques: Slander! The problem lies with you all, not me!-Chapter 1178 - 607_2

At dusk, they couldn't help but go out to look for food.

They discovered that in this small city, there wasn't even a decent restaurant.

Many shops were closed, and even the ones that were open looked dull and dusty, giving off a feeling that eating there would turn you into a projectile warrior.

After wandering around twice, they finally had two bowls of braised pork noodles.

Having said that, these braised pork noodles tasted quite good.

Although the braised pork looked black and mushy, it was very chewy, with a flavor that grew more fragrant as you chewed.

While eating noodles, Ziyu couldn't help but ask, "Boss, why are so many shops closed here?"

"Customer, aren't you aware? We don't have many people here to begin with. For years, there's been ash falling often, and those who used to come from outside stopped coming because of the ash covering everywhere."

"The capable ones have all run away; we're the ones who are stuck here."

The noodle shop owner was rather resentful about this matter and complained.

"Ash falling? What's the story here?" Ziyu asked.

To be honest, Ziyu, who traveled far and wide, spoke the local dialect quite authentically.

Speaking with a Yu State dialect, it gave off a feeling like a sweet girl who could leave a five-finger mark on someone from Shu Dao San.

"How would I know indeed?! Some say the Mountain God is angry, and with a huff, ash blows from his nostrils. We don't stand a chance of offending the Mountain God."

It was then Duan Yun and Ziyu realized those open shops were dusty not only because the shop workers and owners didn't sweep often enough but also because ash frequently fell here.

Duan Yun couldn't help but mumble, "Is there a volcano nearby?"

Ziyu looked at him, surprised, "You actually know volcanoes can have ash fall."

Duan Yun shrugged and said, "Common sense."

Ziyu shook her head and said, "Even some seasoned travelers don't know such things. I only understood after specifically going to check it out. You, who haven't been out for many years, know this? Quite impressive!"

Listening to Ziyu's praise, Duan Yun even detected a hint of "small and cute" in her tone.

Damn it, looking down on those of us new to the game, are you?

Afterward, Duan Yun and Ziyu settled down in the only guesthouse there.

And their stay at the guesthouse lasted longer than they anticipated.

Earlier, Cao Wang had told them to rest at the guesthouse while he made some arrangements; they thought it would be at most two days.

But it was already their fifth day there.

In five days, Duan Yun and Ziyu had a fair understanding of this small town.

There really weren't many outsiders coming here.

There were only a few guests in the guesthouse, including them.

Duan Yun strongly suspected that this guesthouse was operated as part of the Bloodthirsty Storytelling Sect's property.

For a place near the headquarters to be this shabby, Duan Yun thought it was a first.

He had previously visited a branch altar of the Beggar Gang.

Those beggars begged during the day and switched to riding horses in splendid attire to report at the branch altars at night.

This felt even worse than the beggars.

On the seventh day, even Wang Lifei, who always praised the Bloodthirsty Storytelling Sect, started feeling uneasy.

He couldn't help but say, "Could this be a test for us?"

Duan Yun said, "A test?"

"Like look at the old shop assistant downstairs. Sometimes he doesn't sweep the floor well. If we take the initiative to help sweep it clean, maybe it shows 'having eyes for work,' indicating we are diligent."

"I heard from an elder that storytelling requires diligence."

Wang Lifei's words indeed provided some inspiration.

Duan Yun couldn't help but recall a modern-day interview scenario, like being tested unbeknownst to you, and if you excel, you get hired; if not, you might get embarrassed.

That test by the "janitor" might actually be the chairman.

Is the Bloodthirsty Storytelling Sect doing something like this now?

This is so boring!

While pondering this, Wang Lifei and another storyteller already rushed downstairs.

During this Deyun Conference, the top four remain, and they were like four newcomers in the same batch.

So on that day, Duan Yun and Ziyu watched Wang Lifei and Zhang Daqin scramble to sweep the floor, wash dishes, scrub toilets, bewildering the guesthouse staff.

Once such chores were done, wouldn't it mean the guests would be sent away by the boss?

But for a moment, they didn't dare to argue with guests over doing chores.

Operating a guesthouse, though business was bad, there were indeed bizarre guests now and then.

Such competition over chores, even to the point of washing their underpants, was a first.

This made the store staff worried that they might poison their underwear.

After all, in the Martial World, eccentric customers are often mad, who could tell.

After watching Wang Lifei and third-place Zhang Daqin do chores for three days, an elder finally arrived at the guesthouse, indicating they could head to the Main Altar.

Wang Lifei couldn't help but ask, "Are all of us going?"

The elder replied, "Naturally, you four are the future pillars of our sect."

With a bewildered expression, Zhang Daqin asked, "Not a test?"

Confused, the elder said, "What test?"

With that, Wang Lifei and Zhang Daqin's faces immediately showed expressions as if they had eaten dung.

So washing dishes, scrubbing toilets, and washing underwear these past few days were all for nothing.

The guesthouse staff and owner weren't part of the Bloodthirsty Storytelling Sect, let alone hidden Sect Leader or elder here.

After the four left, the guesthouse staff couldn't help but wipe his sweat, secretly sighing, "Finally, they left."

Indeed, if they didn't leave, he would worry about losing his job.

Walking down the street, thin ash floated in the sky.

This was Duan Yun's first time seeing ash floating over this small town.

The ash was grey-white, and some were particularly white, looking like snow.

Duan Yun picked up a few in his hand and felt it wasn't like volcanic ash because it had a bit of a crystalline feel, more like some kind of salt.

This ash started floating in the morning, and just as it floated, the elder arrived. Was it a coincidence?

This small town wasn't big; Duan Yun and Ziyu had asked about its name, and the locals called it "Little Mountain City."

The name was as mundane as the city itself, much like a bunch of people named Zhang Wei.

And having stayed a while, they had mostly explored what there was to see in this little town.

Now they walked down a street lined with three Phoenix Trees.

Besides a shop open at the street entrance, all other shops were closed.

Moreover, these three Phoenix Trees were tall and large, left unattended, thus shading the entire street.

Even though it was noon, walking through it felt like night.

Especially with the thin ash floating down from the sky, Duan Yun even sensed a faint apocalypse vibe.

At the end of the street was an abandoned dilapidated shop, with no windows, exposing dark holes.

And it was at this point the elder led them inside.

Inside the shop was scattered wood debris, with signs of burning, appearing as if deserted here following a fire.

Behind the shop was a tattered bamboo curtain.

The bamboo curtain was so worn that it would even seem uncomfortable if placed in a toilet.

The elder lifted the bamboo curtain, continuing to walk inside.

Here it opened to a deep, narrow alley.

The alley stretched inward, and judging by the terrain, it sloped downward.

This being a mountain city, varied terrain height was common.

At the end of the alley was another curtain.

But this curtain was made of cloth, with flowers embroidered on it.

Seeing this, Duan Yun thought about those alleys back in the past, filled with rooms needing female assistance.

Such alley rooms often had similar cloth curtains, and women would lift them to guide you inside to work, looking very informal.

And this curtain here gave off a similar feeling.

Too informal!

Lifting this unorthodox cloth curtain, a rich fragrance immediately wafted over.

This fragrance was akin to a woman's rouge scent.

Duan Yun couldn't help furrowing his brow, internally noting, "A woman's rouge smell, and so strong, is it really that kind of shady place?"