The group quickly turned the corner and arrived at the car dealership.
It was the most ordinary, lowest-class kind of carriage shop, with dilapidated carriages, coachmen with mud under their fingernails, and the air filled with the stench of horse manure.
Pei You frowned subconsciously, finding it hard to connect this slovenly place with the den of iniquity Gao Ying had described.
Gao Ying ignored the drivers and went straight inside. The owner of the counter inside was drinking his wine with an air of nonchalance, and he didn't seem to care when he saw the customer come in.
However, when Gao Ying took out the receipts that Zi Ming Xuan had given him earlier, the shop owner's expression immediately turned serious: "This way, please."
He left his men to handle things here while he led a few others to the back room.
There were several carriages in the backyard, and the back was shaded by green trees, and even some unknown flowers, making the air feel fresh all of a sudden.
Those horses looked much more magnificent, with neatly combed manes, round bellies, and robust builds. They were clearly well-fed and carefully raised with the best feed, unlike the slovenly horses outside.
However, what attracted more attention was the carriage. Unlike ordinary carriages, it had no windows or anything like that around the body, making it look like a tin can.
At this moment, the owner stepped forward and said, "As you can see, our carriages are all top-quality, so the fare is naturally different from those outside."
"I don't know how much it costs?" Gao Ying asked.
The shopkeeper held up three fingers: "Three taels of gold, three taels of silver."
Pei You raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that this guy was robbing people. Even the best carriages in the capital wouldn't cost this much. However, he knew that the conversation was probably coded, so he suppressed his urge to complain.
Zu An looked at him strangely, wondering what their relationship was with the Heaven and Earth Society.
Gao Ying shook his head: "Such a fine carriage is not worth this price. We'll charter this carriage, and you don't need to solicit any other customers. We'll pay you five taels of gold and five taels of silver per person."
The boss gave a thumbs-up with admiration: "You guys are so generous. I wonder how you make a living?"
Gao Ying replied, "I rely on the four famous mountains. When friends come, there are mountains of gold and silver. I value my friends as much as Mount Ding, and meeting friends is like visiting Liangshan."
Dingshan is a majestic and famous mountain in this world. The imperial court often went there for official sacrificial ceremonies, much like Mount Tai in the previous life.
As for Liangshan, it was a place where outlaw heroes gathered and became synonymous with loyalty and righteousness.
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper immediately put on a fawning smile and quickly brought out a stack of masks from a corner, handing them to the three: "Please choose a mask each, distinguished guests."
Zuan noticed that his address had changed from "guest" to "honored guest," and his tone was much more respectful, which meant that the other party had acknowledged their status.
Pei You frowned: "What does this mean?"
The shop owner explained with a smile, "The main reason is that there are many things you're about to do that are inconvenient to show your face at the place you're going to. To protect the safety of every guest, everyone will wear masks to conceal their identities."
“Interesting.” Zuan smiled and picked out a fox-shaped mask to put on. Thinking of Daji, he now felt a strange sense of familiarity when he saw a fox.
Gao Ying then picked out a tiger mask. Seeing that the two of them had made their choices, Pei You, despite having a lot of doubts, still put one on as well. He chose a white ghost face mask.
Zuan chuckled to himself. He was indeed a gloomy and repressed young man; the mask suited his temperament perfectly.
After the three entered the carriage, the door slammed shut from the outside, and then a faint light appeared overhead. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be several small luminous pearls.
Pei You exclaimed, "What a grand gesture! They even use luminous pearls for lighting on the carriages."
Zuan said, "It must be necessary, since the surroundings are completely sealed off and no light can get in. To prevent guests from feeling like they are in a dark cell, we installed luminous pearls for lighting."
Pei You was startled. He checked it privately and found that there was no gap at all. He activated his Qi and his expression changed quickly: "My Qi cannot extend to the outside. I can't sense anything."
“Don’t worry,” Gao Ying explained, “The vehicle is surrounded by special enclosed arrays, which are used to isolate the cultivator’s aura and prevent people from discovering the route to Xiaoyao Tower.”
Sealed car windows can only block the view of ordinary people, but cultivation masters can use their qi to sense their surroundings, so Xiaoyao Tower used double insurance.
Zuan also secretly tried it, and sure enough, his aura still couldn't penetrate the car body.
Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he immediately used the spiritual power of the jade cong. Soon, a strange scene appeared before his eyes: trees that kept retreating and ground that flashed by quickly.
Zu An was overjoyed. If he wanted to communicate with spirits, the most convenient thing around him was the horse pulling the carriage. He hadn't expected that Yu Cong's ability could break through this sealing formation.
As for the strange image in his mind, it was from the horse's perspective. Since he began using his spiritual powers, he had seen too many strange perspectives. The most exaggerated was the compound eye of a fly, which was a dense collection of countless miniature images combined together, making his head feel like it was going to explode.
"What if they have ulterior motives?" Pei You asked worriedly. It was too dangerous to know what was happening outside in such a sealed carriage.
"Don't worry, they have a good reputation, nothing will happen," Gao Ying reassured her.
Zu An laughed and said, "Brother Gao, it seems you're a seasoned pro. But you don't seem like someone who comes to places like this often. How do you know this place so well?"
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