?


    "Is there anyone you know within the city?"The Owner of the Inn asked.


    "None that I can recall," Xu Shan replied, before casually asking, "Do I need to know someone?"


    The man took a long nce, before noting thisst detail. "It''s fine. Here is the key to your room."


    The man gave the key to Xu Shan and let a worker show him his room.


    Xu Shan didn''t know why, but he couldn''t help but feel that something was off. Still, he followed the worker in the Inn to the room that was on the top floor.


    Only when Xu Shan left, the Inn Owner noted down hisst answer, at the top of the form. He handed the form to a worker and instructed him to deliver this as soon as possible.


    ....


    Curiosity gnawed at Xu Shan as he settled into the room. He couldn''t shake the feeling that there was more to this Inn than met the eye.


    He searched the entire room, to make sure that no one else was here, and no secret formations were ced here. Even though he found nothing suspicious, he still couldn''t help but feel that way.


    Xu Shan''s thoughts were still preupied with the strange encounter at the inn, but he couldn''t put his finger on what made him so uneasy.


    As he stared out the window at the bustling streets, he noticed a peculiar figure moving through the crowd. It was a hooded man, his face obscured by shadows.


    The man had a piece of paper in his hand as he moved hastily. Usually, most people on the streets didn''t care about the man. However, Xu Shan was different since he could see a glimpse of what was in the paper even from such a distance.


    The piece of paper was the same form which the Inn Owner had filled. However, on top of the paper, something new was written. There was one word, which wasrger than the others and it was right at the top.


    It was, "No."


    From what he had known through the memories, the forms were mostly formality and all of them were sent together in the morning. Which made those isted incidents even more strange. Why was the Inn Owner in such a hurry?


    Another strange thing was that the hooded man wasn''t going in the right direction either.


    "Xun, can you follow him and see where he''s going?" Xu Shan asked the Book Spirit next to him, only for her to shake her head. "I can follow him, but I can''t go too far from you. If his destination is far, I would fail and would have to return..."


    "I guess I''ll do it myself." Xu Shan opened the window, and jumped out.


    Hended gracefully on the ground below and blended into the crowd, keeping a safe distance from the hooded man. The streets were busy, but the man seemed to move with a purpose, weaving through the throngs of people as he nced around carefully.


    Xu Shan tried to maintain his distance while keeping the man in sight, careful not to arouse any suspicion.


    The hooded man led Xu Shan through the bustling city, turning down narrow alleyways and sidestreets, as if he didn''t want to be followed.


    Xu Shan''s curiosity grew with each twist and turn, and he became even more determined to find out what was going on.


    Eventually, they arrived at an inconspicuous building on the outskirts of the city. The hooded man knocked on the door, and after a brief exchange with someone inside, he was let in. Xu Shan stayed back, still hidden from view.


    Deciding to investigate further, Xu Shan looked around for an alternate entry point. He noticed an old window on the side of the building, and with a careful climb, he managed to slip inside without drawing any attention.


    The interior of the house was dimly lit, and he could hear muffled voicesing from a nearby room. Stealthily, Xu Shan approached the door, trying to make out the conversation inside.


    "Not bad..." one voice said, sounding familiar to Xu Shan.


    "He might be lying or pretending not to know anyone. We can''t afford any loose ends," another voice replied, sending a frown on Xu Shan''s face.


    It was the Inn Owner''s voice but Xu Shan was sure that he had seen the Inn Owner back at the inn. How could he be here? And even if he was, why would he send the form to himself using a person? It appeared more as if the man had a simr voice, or was rted to the Inn Owner.


    The voices were too hushed, and it was apparent that they were speaking in code to protect the secrecy of their conversation. Moreover, something seemed to be interfering with all Divine Senses in the house, making it even harder to listen.


    "How many days will he be staying?" One person asked.


    "More than we need," the person, who was handed over the Form, replied after going through all the details.


    "He will be upying one of the suites for a long time, but we should still be careful. We can''t fail. We''re very close... Any failure now would be disastrous," the person added, tapping their finger thoughtfully against the table.


    The more Xu Shan heard, the more he grew interested in their conversation. It was clear that these people were after him. However, he didn''t know why.


    From their conversation, it appeared as if their goal was something bigger than just him. It didn''t look like they knew about him killing a City Lord and more.


    Xu Shan couldn''t shake off the feeling that he was somehow connected to theirrger n, but instead of worrying about it, he felt pleased as the corner of his lips curved.


    He felt as if he could use them instead... In a city that was so tightly controlled, what he needed the most were just the people who could create somemotion in his stead.