Li Guanqi had naturally sensed the person's aura as well, leaving him somewhat intrigued.
The other was young, looking barely in his early twenties, yet the faint, surging vitality within his body had secretly astonished him.
He had not expected such a frail-looking youth to harbor such terrifying power of vitality.
A spark of anticipation flared within him; after all, he had been tempering his physical body for so long, yet up to now, he had never struck with full physical strength, leaving him with an itch to test himself.
Casting these stray thoughts aside, Li Guanqi stepped out of the restaurant and began wandering the city.
After strolling for quite a while, he noticed that although the five great peaks were connected, the cities situated on each peak possessed distinct cultural heritage.
The mountain city closest to the center had the longest history; ancient buildings weathered by the passage of time lined the streets, holding a distinctive charm.
In contrast, the cities built in recent years featured pavilions and towers that were without exception extravagantly decorated.
Along the way, Li Guanqi ambled at a leisurely pace, relishing a steaming portion of rice cakes in his hand.
Just then, a commotion suddenly rippled through the crowd in the distance.
Curious, Li Guanqi looked up. His sea of consciousness stirred as his divine sense surged forward like a tidal wave.
Soon, he took in the distant scene: an immense six-story building.
The plaque above the main entrance bore three large characters in bold strokes: Treasure Pavilion.
People were swarming toward the Treasure Pavilion in droves.
Having nothing better to do, Li Guanqi shifted his feet and squeezed in alongside the crowd.
The densely packed crowd parted around him, whether by chance or unseen force, and he quickly made his way to the very front.
Looking at the magnificent, imposing building, Li Guanqi couldn't help but click his tongue in awe.
"Tsk, Treasure Pavilion really has money! Look at this facade! Look at this decor!"
Li Guanqi peered into the main hall, taking in the scene within at a glance.
An old man in a lavish robe was chattering away incessantly, brandishing a slip of paper in his hand.
"I don't care! Sixty years ago, Treasure Pavilion borrowed this much from me! With interest factored in per the contract, Treasure Pavilion now owes me ten thousand high-grade spirit stones!"
Upon hearing this figure, the onlookers widened their eyes, their mouths agape, completely at a loss for words!
Ten thousand high-grade spirit stones! High-grade spirit stones!
It was an astronomical sum!
The old man casually swept his gaze over the crowd, thoroughly pleased with their reactions.
Turning back to the steward before him, he pressed on, "Don't give me that useless drivel! Are you trying to welch on your debt just because I'm a mere rogue cultivator? Let me tell you, it's written in black and white, clear as day! It even bears your Treasure Pavilion's official seal!"
With that, the old man waved the paper toward the surrounding onlookers. On it was stamped a prominent vermilion seal with four large characters: *Treasure Official Seal*!
The old man did not look like someone hurting for money, and the fluctuation of his aura wasn't weak either—early Core Formation.
Yet the area between his brows was darkened with a sickly pallor; clearly, his lamp was running out of oil.
Before the old man could finish, the plump steward before him paled drastically.
Sure enough!
When the watching cultivators heard the old man's words, particularly that line about trying to welch on a debt to a mere rogue cultivator, the entire crowd erupted in indignation. Someone immediately cursed loudly:
"Hmph! If you ask me, Treasure Pavilion is trying to dodge the debt!"
"Exactly! Bullying customers just because you're a big business? It's written in black and white, plain as day, yet you keep dragging your feet!"
"If you ask me, we might as well boycott Treasure Pavilion! They aren't the only ones selling everything under the sun!"
"Tell me about it... With no integrity whatsoever, I'm never coming back."
Gradually, onlookers who knew nothing about the truth began chiming in with their own opinions.
In moments, the entire street fell into an uproar. Customers inside the hall who had already picked out goods set them down, and quite a few even demanded refunds.
The plump steward sensed that things were going downhill fast as the crowd grew more and more agitated.
Lowering his head with an appeasing smile, the steward said, "Elder, please don't be angry. This matter... is of grave consequence, and I cannot make the call..."
Hearing this, the white-bearded old man's temper flared once more.
Stashing the promissory note into his storage bag, he snapped, "If you can't make the call, why are you wasting my breath here? Bring out someone who actually has a say!"
Sweat drenched the plump steward's forehead. He wiped it away with his sleeve and bowed slightly, lowering his voice: "Elder, calm yourself. Our master isn't in the city at the moment. How about this... why don't you come with me to a private room and rest for a bit? Once our master returns, I'll have him speak with you personally."
This steward's strength was by no means low—half-step Nascent Soul!
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been appointed steward by the pavilion master. What he wanted was simply to usher the old man away first.
That way, he could effectively minimize the negative fallout before an even larger crowd gathered.
But the white-bearded old man was having none of it. His face darkened as he sneered, "What? Want to settle this behind closed doors? Let me tell you... not a chance! Today it's just me, but am I not representing every single person standing here? Is this how Treasure Pavilion handles matters? If so... I am thoroughly disappointed!"
The old man's words were exceedingly provocative, casting himself as the ultimate underdog while eliciting immense sympathy from the onlookers.
Standing in place and chewing his rice cake, Li Guanqi curled his lips into an amused smile.
Ever since the commotion began, he had noticed that the two individuals who first stirred up the crowd kept shifting positions to fan the flames.
Meanwhile, every word spoken by the old man inside had subtly swayed the crowd to his side from start to finish.
In his view, the Treasure Pavilion steward had handled things reasonably well, only showing a hint of haste. But with the instigators acting so covertly and surrounded by an impassioned mob, his footing had slipped.
Yet just as Li Guanqi was inwardly critiquing the situation, he suddenly noticed that the two agitators in the crowd had vanished without a trace!
Even he had only caught the faintest, most covert aura flash by for an instant, yet when he tried to trace it, the person had already disappeared.
A sharp gleam flickered in Li Guanqi's eyes, and he murmured inwardly, *An expert!*
Right then, a slightly pudgy youth walked slowly out of the main hall.
The moment the youth appeared, the plump steward let out a long breath of relief, and the maids and servants of Treasure Pavilion relaxed as well.
While the crowd was still clamoring in indignation, the youth's eyes turned sharp as blades, sweeping fiercely across everyone present as he barked in a low, resonant voice, "Enough! Quiet!"
A subtle aura of authority radiated from the youth, momentarily quelling every voice in the area!
When Li Guanqi saw who it was, he froze for a moment, forgetting even to lower the rice cake in his hand.
Because the person before him was someone he knew!
"Ziyang Palace's... Tang Ru?"
Chapter 313