Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Jon

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

Seeing that Yang Kai remained calm and collected in his presence, Gong Sun Hong secretly approved of the young man's temperament.

After taking a few sips of the tea, Gong Sun Hong said, "Little friend, this Old Master has read your notice of debt and understands the purpose of your visit. You've said that you're from First Inn, but do you have a Faith Token with you to prove your identity?"

"Of course," With a smile, Yang Kai fished out the Jade Token given to him by the Proprietress and passed it to him.

After taking it, Gong Sun Hong infused his power into the token, and the next instant, the token shone brightly for a short moment. His expression changed slightly as he stared at Yang Kai, his face was visibly twitching as he asked, "Your shopkeeper is Madam Lan?"

"Indeed," Yang Kai had no idea whether anything profound had been hidden in the Jade Token, which allowed the elderly man to immediately recognise who his backer was; however, judging from the elderly man's expression, it seemed that he was wary of the Proprietress.

That was good news for Yang Kai as he secretly became elated. As long as the elderly man was wary of the Proprietress, he could easily collect the 10 million pill debt.

"Has Madam Lan arrived in this city?" Gong Sun Hong asked.

"Yes."

"When did that happen? Why haven't I got wind of it?"

"A few days ago," Yang Kai replied with a smile, "The Proprietress prefers to act low-key and we've only hung up a signboard for the reopening today."

Gong Sun Hong's expression turned awkward as he coughed, "Madam Lan… is indeed a low-key person." As though he had recalled something, his brow started twitching harder.

After a pause, he went on to say, "The reopening of First Inn is an important event that this Old Master should have gone over to congratulate Madam Lan about; however, since she doesn't want to make it widely known, she must have her own reasons for doing so."

Yang Kai chuckled, "This Junior is simply a subordinate, so I cannot speculate about Proprietress' intentions."

Gong Sun Hong nodded gently and tapped on the table as though he was pondering on something. A moment later, he said, "Little friend, this Old Master is not aware of the incident mentioned in the notice of debt. Can you tell me why that person from Nine Stars Paradise made a move in First Inn and even destroyed it?"

Yang Kai shook his head, "I can't reveal the details of the incident to Shopkeeper Gong Sun. If you're interested to find out, you should ask Proprietress directly."

With a forced smile, Gong Sun Hong raised his hand, "Let's drink..."

Yang Kai took a sip of the tea and stared at him, "Shopkeeper Gong Sun, this Junior is here to demand payment from you. Our Proprietress has said that Nine Stars Paradise is a famous great force, and Gathering Virtue Emporium is a profitable business, so the amount of payment would be insignificant to you. I also have to collect debts from a number of other great forces, so I am tight on time and burdened with work. Would you please make the payment now?"

A surprised Gong Sun Hong asked, "You're going to other places?"

Yang Kai replied, "That's right…" He then went on to name a few shops.

Gong Sun Hong was astonished, "Did so many of them make a move in First Inn?" Those shops were all backed by great forces as well.

"There were indeed quite a number of them." Yang Kai nodded, "To be honest with you, the reason the Proprietress has come all the way to this Star City is to collect these debts. She said that all of you have to pay what you owe. Proprietress said it would be best if she can receive the payments without incident, but if she can't, she doesn't mind going to the headquarters of those great forces to reason with them. She has also mentioned that the Cave Heavens and the Paradises are supposed to be on the same side, so it isn't necessary to make things unpleasant for everyone over such a trivial matter."

Gong Sun Hong could be seen frowning, but it wasn't certain what was on his mind.

Yang Kai looked around and went on to say, "Gathering Virtue Emporium is such a big industry, so this Junior is certain you earn lots of money every year. Although 10 million is indeed a large sum, it shouldn't be a burden to Shopkeeper Gong Sun. If it's alright for you, will you please help this Junior carry out his mission so he can go back and report to the Proprietress promptly?"

Gong Sun Hong nodded, "Since you're from First Inn, and you have Madam Lan's Faith Token with you, this Old Master is sure the incident you've just mentioned is true and that this payment is duly warranted. But…" His tone changed, "This is only your version of the story, after all. As for what really happened, I'll have to send a message to headquarters to ask for further details. If the incident is just like what you've described, Nine Stars Paradise will naturally not default on its debts."

Yang Kai knew that he couldn't achieve his goal so easily. If he could collect 10 million by just demanding the payment, it would make it look like Nine Stars Paradise was afraid of First Inn; therefore, he wasn't disappointed as this scenario was within his expectations. After a nod, he agreed, "That is a reasonable position. How long does Shopkeeper Gong Sun believe it will take for you to send a message to your headquarters to inquire about the situation?"

"One month," Gong Sun Hong replied, "I'll give you an answer in one month."

Hearing that, Yang Kai rose from the chair and cupped his fists, "Then I shall have to trouble you, Shopkeeper Gong Sun."

"En, please." Gong Sun Hong extended his hand.

Upon leaving Gathering Virtue Emporium, Yang Kai immediately saw Luo Hai Yi standing across the street; then, he beckoned to her, whereupon she approached him and asked in a hushed voice, "Sir, have you completed your task?"

"It went smoothly." Yang Kai nodded as he had somewhat achieved his goal, "Let's go to the next shop."

It took them the entire afternoon to visit three shops. Besides Gathering Virtue Emporium, there was one more shop that was backed by a Paradise. Similar to Gong Sun Hong's reply, they requested time to send a message to their headquarters to ask about the situation.

The last shop was only backed by a Second Class force, so they were not as haughty as the others with First Class backing. Upon learning that someone from First Inn had arrived to demand payment, they appeared afraid and treated Yang Kai politely. However, they still couldn't make the payment immediately.

Even as night descended, the Star City remained a lively place. After running around for the entire afternoon and dealing with so many people who were far stronger than himself, Yang Kai felt exhausted. Therefore, he told Luo Hai Yi to go home, and he'd look for her the next day.

Before they parted ways, they traded means to contact one another, and Yang Kai told her that they would continue moving around the next day. Naturally, Luo Hai Yi agreed to it.

Upon returning to First Inn, Yang Kai realised that the place was bustling with noise as the lobby was crammed with people. He was dumbfounded at the sight of so many drinking and chatting with one another.

On the other hand, the Proprietress could be seen walking around the hall and talking to each of the customers. Yang Kai fell into a dazed state as though he was still inside the First Inn in the void.

It had only been one day since the reopening, but the inn was already filled with patrons, which went to show that the inn was truly famous.

Seeing Yang Kai, the Proprietress beckoned to him, upon which he hurriedly walked up to her.

After they entered the inner part of the inn, the Proprietress turned around and took a seat as she gazed at Yang Kai to ask, "How was it?"

"Not bad." Yang Kai walked over and poured himself a cup with tea before taking a few sips, "First Inn is extremely famous, so no one has dared to make things difficult for me."

"That's not what I wanted to know." The Proprietress shot him a glare, "Have you collected any money?"

Hearing that, Yang Kai put down the tea cup and burst into laughter, "It's not so easy. They each asked for time to contact their headquarters, seemingly wanting to validate the incident before deciding whether they'll repay us."

"How many shops have you visited?"

"Three, and they all said the same thing."

The Proprietress nodded, "That's expected, but make sure it's within an acceptable time limit."

"Don't worry. They've promised to give me a reply in one month's time, which should be acceptable."

"One month… En, good. You can start working now." The Proprietress waved her hand.

"What do you mean?" Yang Kai stared at her in shock.

The Proprietress batted her eyes, "You're a shop hand of this inn, so don't you have to serve the customers? There are many customers in the lobby now, and we're short on staff. Go help out."

"I…" Yang Kai was lost for words. He had never served customers in an inn before.

"What are you hesitating for? Go now, or do you want me to serve the customers myself?"

Yang Kai glared at her for a long time before he admitted defeat, as the Proprietress was in a more important position than him. Then, he said through clenched teeth, "Fine. You win." After finishing his words, he turned around and stormed out of the room.

Behind him, the Proprietress crossed her legs with a faint smile on her face.

Upon reaching the lobby, Yang Kai looked around and directly snatched a white towel from a shop boy before hanging it over his shoulder. Then, he entered the kitchen to get some dishes.

Everyone was a cultivator full of energy, so the inn was never closed. It wasn't until the next morning that Yang Kai had time to take a rest. What enraged him was that he hadn't seen Bai Qi since his return. Bai Qi must know that he'd have to continue working if he came back, which was why he decided to stay overnight somewhere else.

Yang Kai secretly decided that he wouldn't come back the next day. After he was done with his break, he left the inn and sent a message to Luo Hai Yi to inform her to wait for him in front of the previous teahouse.

When Yang Kai reached the teahouse, she was already waiting for him.

Seeing that Yang Kai appeared knackered, she went over and asked, "Sir, didn't you have a good night's sleep?"

"Let's not talk about it," Yang Kai said with some frustration. It wasn't that he didn't have a good night's sleep, but that he didn't sleep at all. Although it didn't really matter to an Emperor Realm cultivator, Yang Kai still felt pretty tired.

Since he wasn't willing to talk about it, Luo Hai Yi wouldn't dare to keep asking. Then, they set off for the day.

Just like what had happened on the previous day, after visiting several shops, Yang Kai got similar replies. After giving it a thought, he realised that it wasn't so surprising. If he were faced with such an incident, he wouldn't believe only one side of the story, even though First Inn had an excellent reputation.

He had entered every shop and had a chat with those shopkeepers. On this day, he managed to visit 7 shops. At this rate, it would take him two to three days before he could finish visiting them all, causing him to wonder about Bai Qi's progress.

Thus, he sent a message to Bai Qi to ask him about it, but he didn't receive any reply, causing him to wonder what the latter was up to.

That evening, Yang Kai brought Luo Hai Yi to a restaurant and ordered some food and drinks for her as a gesture of gratitude. She had worked hard guiding him around all day and attending to his needs.

Luo Hai Yi didn't want him to waste any money on her, but upon his insistence, she had no choice but to let him be.

During the meal, she still respectfully poured drinks for him, but Yang Kai wasn't quite comfortable with such formality because, just like himself, she was also an Emperor Realm Master, so there was practically no difference between them. He didn't think she should keep calling him 'Sir' as he didn't deserve it.

After they drank for a bit, Luo Hai Yi's face had reddened, and her vision had become blurred. It seemed that she was a light drinker.

Yang Kai had always been curious about one thing, so he asked, "How do Emperor Realm cultivators in the Outer Universe advance their Martial Dao?"

He had condensed his own Dao Seal in the Profound Heavens Temple, an experience every Great Emperor in the Star Boundary had gone through. Apparently, the other Great Emperors in other Universe Worlds had had similar experiences. Nevertheless, the capacity of a Universe World was limited, so only a small number of people could condense their Dao Seals this way. How did people in the Outer Universe achieve this then? Since Luo Hai Yi was a local, he decided to ask her about it.