"It’s not as good as what we make ourselves."
The Shopkeeper brought over nuts, pastries, and drinks. Bai Ke immediately popped a piece of pastry into her mouth, critiquing it with a serious air before nodding. "But it’s barely edible, I suppose."
The Shopkeeper bowed obsequiously. "How could such mundane fare be worthy of a Mage’s palate?"
The Silk Embroideress ruffled Bai Ke’s hair. "It’s quite good, actually. They used goat’s milk in addition to the malt sugar and lard. It has a very sweet and pleasant aftertaste."
Bai Ke smacked her lips. "The sugar-to-oil ratio is wrong. If not for the goat’s milk to enhance the aroma, it wouldn’t even be barely palatable."
Chen Zhi stifled a laugh. "Xiaobai, you’re quite the gourmand. I can’t taste the difference at all."
Bai Ke placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest. "Well, of course!"
The group couldn’t help but chuckle. Then, they watched as Bai Ke took a sip from a glass of what was advertised as fresh fruit juice.
Her brow furrowed, and her face contorted.
"So sour!" Bai Ke stuck out her tongue.
"HAHAHA!" The group roared with laughter.
On the theater’s main stage, a performer began the opening act. The Shopkeeper hastily excused himself, and the group gradually fell silent.
Gu Zhao had the Silk Embroideress pour him a glass of juice as well. He took a small sip. It was sweet, then sour, with a faintly bitter aftertaste.
It was indeed fresh juice, and they had even added sugar, but that couldn’t quite mask the inherent sour and bitter notes. Still, the natural, fresh aroma of the fruit came through.
In the next moment, the performance on the stage began.
The singing and opera performances in this world were actually quite lengthy, each one essentially telling a complete story.
A song was a third-person narration, whereas an opera involved actors playing the characters, making the story more detailed and rich—and naturally, much longer.
Men and women took to the stage in succession. Their performances were emotionally rich and captivating. The musical style was elegant and natural, bearing a strong resemblance to the traditional operas from Blue Star.
The performers were exceptionally skilled, their singing voices lilting and beautiful. Gu Zhao found himself listening with keen interest.
At the same time, audience members were still coming and going from the theater.
Some patrons with other business to attend to departed, while others who had just found some free time arrived.
Gu Zhao glanced around. In addition to the common folk, there were officials, merchants, Scholars, and squires. There were even Darts Masters, Martial Artists, street performers, and a pair of Fairies who possessed no Evil Qi.
Daluo Palace kept watch over Changping Prefecture. Its mission was to stamp out evil and wickedness by Exorcising Demons and Evil Spirits, but it didn’t prohibit ordinary Demons and Ghosts from coexisting there.
In truth, besides Daluo Palace, Changping Prefecture was also home to a handful of minor Ghost God factions, independent Mage lineages, and reclusive Demon Spirit Monarchs hidden among mortals.
Not everyone aspired to join Daluo Palace. Some simply preferred a life of freedom, unburdened by rules.
The same was true for Xiuyue County. In the various houses along Spring Street, one could still find Banshees and Female Ghosts who practiced Absorbing Yang and Nourishing Yin, afterward using medicinal remedies to restore the men’s vitality. There were also old ghosts running clinics and apothecaries, earning a bit of Incense by treating the sick, and even Fairies diligently running pawnshops to make a living.
As long as they did no evil, Daluo Palace left them be.
Gu Zhao glanced at the two Banshees. They had very little Evil Qi and were dressed so flamboyantly that several men nearby found it hard to keep their attention on the stage.
The two Banshees, however, were completely engrossed in the opera. They seemed utterly lost in the story, their expressions rapt and their eyes shimmering with emotion.
Gu Zhao smiled to himself, paying them no mind. But just as he turned his gaze back to the stage, the Five Thunders Order in his Sea of Consciousness began to pulse.
"Hm?"
Gu Zhao’s eyes narrowed, and he subconsciously swept his gaze across the theater’s main entrance.
People were still trickling in and out of the entrance. Just then, two men who looked like Scholars were on their way out as a handsome young man, also appearing to be a Scholar, was walking in.
At that exact moment, the handsome young man seemed to feel Gu Zhao’s gaze and looked up toward their private box.
Gu Zhao’s gaze, however, swept past him in an instant. He immediately looked away and raised his drink.
The man didn’t detect Gu Zhao, who had concealed his aura, but he did see the women with him. His gaze locked onto Bai Ke, and a Divine Light flickered in his eyes.
"Hm?"
As accomplished masters of Cultivation, they were all extremely sensitive to being watched.
If one deliberately concealed their presence by retracting their aura to seem like a mortal, it would be nearly impossible to detect anything unusual—unless the other party’s Cultivation was several realms higher, or they forcibly probed with Divine Thought Magical Power.
But this man made no effort to hide his gaze, so Bai Ke noticed him the moment she looked up.
Seeing Bai Ke’s strange reaction, the Silk Embroideress, who was in Harmony with her, also sensed the disturbance and turned to look at the handsome young man who had just walked in.
A moment later, Zhuo Qingyan, Ye Ruyan, Miaoyun Princess, Bi Yingying, and Chen Zhi all looked up too.
Holding his cup, Gu Zhao finally turned his gaze toward the handsome young man.
Their eyes met. The man gave a sly chuckle, then looked away. He leisurely found a seat near the back, ordered some pastries and tea, and began to watch the show.
"That guy’s laugh was definitely up to no good!" Bai Ke snarled, baring her teeth.
The moment the man’s eyes had landed on her, Bai Ke had felt her heart pound, overcome by a sense of impending doom.
"He’s a cultivator," Ye Ruyan said quietly. "And his Dao Practice is quite high."
Chen Zhi, however, was unconcerned. "He’d better not get any funny ideas."
’Are you kidding me? If it were just me and Bi Yingying out here, I might be a little worried. But who’s with me right now?’
’Gu Zhao!’
’The Sect Leader of Daluo Palace!’
’One of the most powerful experts alive!’
’Unless this guy is an expert on the level of the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Spirits, I have nothing to worry about.’
This was Xiuyue County, and they were surrounded by ordinary people. Although Bai Ke, Ye Ruyan, and the others had spotted the handsome man, they didn’t actively release their Divine Sense or auras.
It was unclear what the man was thinking, but he, too, kept his Divine Sense and aura contained.
In other words, while both sides recognized the other was no ordinary person, neither made a move to test the other’s strength, so they couldn’t gauge just how powerful their counterpart was.
But Gu Zhao had a general idea.
Because the other party’s Evil Qi was extremely dense.
An expert with such dense Evil Qi couldn’t possibly have a low level of Dao Practice. At the absolute minimum, he would have no less than a thousand years of it.
That was why Gu Zhao didn’t make a move right away, lest he injure the surrounding civilians.
He wasn’t worried, though. The man had clearly set his sights on them. All Gu Zhao had to do was wait for him to deliver himself to their doorstep.
And so, the group went back to quietly watching the opera.
In the main hall, the handsome young man leisurely ate his pastries and drank his tea.
In the private box, Gu Zhao and his companions were just as relaxed, eating their pastries and nuts and sipping their drinks.
The sun slanted west, and the sky began to dim.
"That was amazing!" Bai Ke declared, downing the last of her sour juice in one go.
"A fine new opera," Zhuo Qingyan commented. "Just as you’d expect from the Futai Opera Troupe. They’ve been a respected name for decades."
Miaoyun Princess nodded, her gaze sweeping down over the main hall. "He’s gone."
Chen Zhi’s eyes narrowed. "Don’t tell me he’s planning to corner us in some deserted alley?"
Ye Ruyan smiled faintly. "And if he is, wouldn’t that be perfect?"
Gu Zhao nodded, then spoke to the two Outer Disciples waiting by the door. "Get the carriage ready. We’re leaving the city and heading home."