Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

Just then, Xiao Hongye suddenly stopped flipping through the pages.

Her gaze froze on a certain page of the list.

"What’s wrong, sister?"

Seeing Xiao Hongye’s unusual reaction, Xiao Zhanbai immediately leaned in, her eyes also falling on the list.

It was a register of outside Cultivators who had recently entered Qingzhou Prefecture City. It had to be said that Celestial Sword Manor and Qingzhou Prefecture City’s population control was indeed very strict.

Each outside Cultivator’s name, origin, Cultivation, time of entry, and even the inn they were temporarily staying at were all recorded with perfect clarity.

And where Xiao Hongye’s finger rested was a completely unremarkable name.

"Chen Ye, from Yu Huo County, Cultivation... Unobstructed Realm? Companion, Su Yuan. Temporary residence, Yuelai Inn."

When Xiao Zhanbai saw the name and the Cultivation Realm listed after it, her brow furrowed instantly, a hint of confusion and doubt appearing on her face.

"Sister, why are you looking at this person?" she asked, perplexed. "He’s just a Junior Cultivator in the Unobstructed Realm. This Chen Ye... he doesn’t even qualify for investigation."

In her view, it was impossible for this Chen Ye to have any connection to the case.

"Haha, I’m not saying he’s a suspect." Xiao Hongye looked at the name, a nostalgic and amused expression on her face. "I just happen to know him, so it’s a bit of a surprise, that’s all."

"I remember he was only in the Qi Cultivation Realm back then. How long has it been, and he’s already reached the Unobstructed Realm? He really does have some Talent."

Xiao Zhanbai grew even more curious. "Sister, you know him?"

"Mm, you could say that." Xiao Hongye nodded, then briefly told Xiao Zhanbai about her experience in Yu Huo County.

"This little fellow Chen Ye is very interesting. He didn’t say much along the way and seemed perfectly ordinary, but he’s actually very calculating, and his strength is far greater than he lets on. Especially his Saber Technique. Although his Cultivation isn’t high, the angles and timing of his strikes are extremely tricky. There’s a real method to it."

Then, she spoke of the conflict between Chen Ye and the White Bone Mountain disciple, Lü Song.

"That Lü Song, relying on his status as a White Bone Mountain disciple, was arrogant and domineering. He looked down on Chen Ye, and as a result, Chen Ye sliced off his sideburns with a single saber strike. He lost face on the spot. I could tell that a feud had been forged between them."

After hearing her sister’s story, the expression on Xiao Zhanbai’s face remained one of disinterest.

In her eyes, this was nothing more than a minor squabble between a few Low Tier Cultivators.

A kid in the Unobstructed Realm, so what if his Saber Technique has some method to it? How strong could he possibly be? At best, he’s just a little stronger than those third-rate Loose Cultivators. He’s not even worthy of her serious attention.

"Sister, does any of this have anything to do with the case?" she asked, a little impatiently.

She felt her sister was wasting time, focusing on meaningless, trivial details.

"There’s no direct connection." Xiao Hongye smiled. She knew her sister had high standards and looked down on these Low Tier Cultivators. "I just saw a familiar name and thought I’d mention it."

As she spoke, she prepared to turn the page and continue with the rest of the list.

But just as her fingers were about to flip the page, Xiao Zhanbai suddenly reached out and pressed down on her hand.

"Wait!"

Xiao Zhanbai’s voice suddenly turned serious.

"Sister, what did you just say? That guy, Lü Song, is from White Bone Mountain?"

"That’s right." Xiao Hongye nodded. "He admitted it himself. Besides, the methods he used—eating bone ash, manipulating Yin Qi—they’re textbook White Bone Mountain techniques. There’s no mistaking it."

Xiao Zhanbai frowned in thought. ’Even though I don’t think this has anything to do with Chen Ye, since a disciple of White Bone Mountain is involved, it might be a good idea to check it out. We might discover more clues.’

"Sister!"

"Hmm?"

"Why don’t we go see this Chen Ye tomorrow?"

"Alright!" Xiao Hongye said with a smiling nod.

Meanwhile, at the inn, Chen Ye was taking stock of his earnings from the past few days.

After deducting the initial investment, the net profit was a staggering three thousand one hundred and twenty taels of silver.

Without any nonsense, Chen Ye immediately divided a portion of the money between Yun Heqing and Su Yuan.

Yun Heqing received two hundred taels of silver, which left him very satisfied. Including his previous shares, he now had several hundred taels of silver, which was no small sum for him.

Su Yuan was no exception. Although she wasn’t short on money, spending money she had earned herself felt completely different. Even the tanghulu tasted sweeter.

After the money was divided, there were still over two thousand eight hundred taels of silver left on the table.

Looking at the money, Chen Ye felt no great stir in his heart. He knew full well that this kind of bargain-hunting business was never meant to last.

Even if the people from Seven Stars Pavilion hadn’t come looking for him, the business wouldn’t have lasted more than a few more days anyway.

Quitting while he was ahead was the wise choice.

"The money’s been divided, so I guess we’re officially disbanded. Let’s go. One last farewell dinner," Chen Ye said.

Hearing this, Su Yuan lowered her head sadly, even though she had been mentally preparing for it.

Yun Heqing, on the other hand, was more composed. He sighed softly and said, "To retreat at the peak of success is a wise move indeed."

The farewell dinner was, of course, at the Drunken Immortal Tower. This time, Chen Ye extravagantly ordered a full banquet.

After they finished eating, Yun Heqing said his goodbyes and left. Chen Ye and Su Yuan returned to the inn.

The sky was gradually darkening. Just as he returned to the inn, Chen Ye stopped in his tracks.

Because he saw two people sitting in the main hall.

One of them, dressed in red, was smiling faintly. It was none other than Xiao Hongye.

Next to her sat another young woman.

Although the woman wore plain clothes, her posture was ramrod straight, her aura was cold and detached, and her eyes were astonishingly bright.

Chen Ye’s gaze swept past the woman, and then his heart suddenly leaped.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

’A master!’

’This woman... she’s definitely a master!’