Inside the Celestial Secret Pavilion.
The old man and Liu Zixuan were speaking in riddles, and Liu Zixuan replied in kind, causing a complex expression to flicker in the old man's eyes!
With a deep and meaningful smile, he said, "It's been a long time since I've met such an interesting young man!"
"I often encounter people like you." Liu Zixuan shrugged his shoulders; "I don't like to beat around the bush. Let's get straight to the point: you give me the information I want, and I will give you the reward you deserve."
"Straightforward!"
The old man laughed, "But before we start, I need to explain the rules here."
"Listening attentively!"
"The rules are simple, just one: to get the information you want, you must pay more than twice the cost of that information, and there's no bargaining!"
"No problem!" Liu Zixuan spread his hands. Before coming here, Lunatic Zhou and Zhou Nian had already told him that the information from the Celestial Secret Pavilion requires a high price!
"What do you want to know?" The old man leaned back in his chair, sipping some tea with a rather sage-like demeanor!
"The Seven-Star Tomb!" Liu Zixuan said each word clearly.
The old man, who was enjoying his tea, suddenly paused, his fingers trembling slightly, almost causing the cup to fall to the ground.
However, this action was fleeting. He slowly put down his teacup and carefully sized up Liu Zixuan: "You look young, and your demeanor doesn't resemble someone from the Six Gates. Why are you interested in a tomb?"
"I don't think I need to answer that question, right?" Liu Zixuan replied with a playful smile.
"Of course, I was just asking casually."
The old man stood up, walked to a small cabinet, took out a book, and flipped through it. Then he said, "The Seven-Star Tomb in Lingxiu Village and Ghost Wood City has already been visited. However, there are none in the surrounding cities."
Liu Zixuan's eyes narrowed upon hearing this. It seems the Celestial Secret Pavilion truly deserves its reputation, being able to accurately know where the Seven-Star Tombs are and even whether anyone has explored them!
This made Liu Zixuan view the old man in a different light.
He asked, "Then where are the other five?"
"Little bridges, flowing water, and homesteads, the smoke supports the willow trees, adorned with spring flowers."
After reciting a sentence that seemed like a poem or a couplet, the old man sat back down in front of Liu Zixuan: "Since this is your first visit, I won't trick you. I only know the locations of two of the other five Seven-Star Tombs. I'd need to go back to the headquarters to find out about the rest. So, you can choose now: either pay a certain price, and I'll tell you about those two!"
"Or wait for me to check it out at headquarters, and I'll inform you all at once!"
Liu Zixuan frowned upon hearing this: "You have a headquarters?"
"The Celestial Secret Pavilion holds all the secrets of the world. It wouldn't be worthy of the name Celestial Secret Sect if it were just this small establishment."
Watching the old man's mysterious demeanor, Liu Zixuan laughed, "Then tell me, what price do I have to pay to learn the information about those two Seven-Star Tombs!"
The old man was silent for a moment: "You're the first person to ask about the Seven-Star Tombs and the first non-Six Gates person to inquire about tombs. I can see that you're a bit different from those who usually come here for information!"
"So?"
"So this time, I'm prepared to make an exception!"
"An exception?" Liu Zixuan felt quite puzzled!
"It's said that the treasures within the Seven-Star Tombs are beyond imagination, encapsulating the wonders of heaven and earth—these are not artificially created tombs, and I, the old man, am quite interested in this Seven-Star Tomb."
The old man paused: "Therefore, I want you to give me a part of what's inside after you find those two Seven-Star Tombs!"
"This..." Liu Zixuan hesitated. The previous two Seven-Star Tombs didn't hold much, apart from what he wanted, there wasn't anything particularly valuable.
If the other Seven-Star Tombs only contain what he needs, how could he give something to this old man?
The old man seemed to see through Liu Zixuan's doubts and laughed; "I can tell you only need a specific item or items from the Seven-Star Tomb, not everything. So you can rest assured. I won't take what you need, and you can give me a part of what's left!"
"May I ask, is this exception-making a first for you?" Liu Zixuan had a nagging feeling that something was off!
Previously, Lunatic Zhou and Zhou Nian had mentioned that the Celestial Secret Pavilion always required payment first before revealing information. So why was it different for him, with information coming first and payment later?
Could it really be because he's too handsome?
The old man laughed, "I just said you're not from the Six Gates, nor are you someone making a fortune by excavating tombs. This uniqueness is one reason; the other is my interest in the Seven-Star Tombs! For so many years, even we at the Celestial Secret Pavilion have known very little about the Seven-Star Tombs! So we're eager to explore more deeply!"
Liu Zixuan frowned, not in a hurry to speak, still feeling something was amiss!
"If you still don't believe me, I'll trade you a piece of information you're interested in!" The old man suddenly said.
"What information?"
"The Ghost Gate Needle!" The old man smiled meaningfully, "It's not a surprise that the one who just obtained the Ghost Gate Needle at the Mandarin Duck Pavilion is you, right?"
"Do you know the whereabouts of other Ghost Gate Needles?" Liu Zixuan immediately showed urgency.
"No idea!" the old man chuckled, "The Ghost Gate Needle is a holy artifact in the Medical Dao, even a divine artifact. Moreover, our Celestial Secret Pavilion has a rule: we never investigate anything related to it. I don't know the specific reason; it's just an ancestral decree."
"Then what do you have to tell me?" Liu Zixuan felt a bit annoyed, having thought the old man knew something about other Ghost Gate Needles!
If there really was news, this trip would have been worth it.
"Because of the Ghost Gate Needle, some people are already watching you. Besides those who directly competed with you, others will also cause trouble for you as soon as you leave the Ghost Market, if no surprises arise!"
The old man rubbed his chin and smiled, "Don't say this news isn't important. The guy who competed against you for the Ghost Gate Needle is easy for you to handle, but those who are now watching you probably aren't something you can deal with!"
Liu Zixuan raised an eyebrow, "How do I know you're not just trying to scare me?"
"Would I need to? I'm giving you the information first and then asking for payment. Do you think I'd try to deceive you?" The old man joked with a mischievous smile.
Liu Zixuan nodded, "Fine, I agree. After obtaining the treasures from the other Seven-Star Tombs, I'll take what I need and give a part of it to you! Now, tell me where those two Seven-Star Tombs are!"
"I already said it just now!" Liu Zixuan repeated the poem: "Little bridges, flowing water across homesteads, the smoke supports the willow trees, adorned with spring flowers."
Liu Zixuan murmured the phrase twice and suddenly looked up: "Qian Nan?"