Chapter Five: A Habit of Theft

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Watching Li Chengzhu standing smugly to the side, the woman bit her lip and, from her ring, produced another piece of Celestial Stone. She reached it out to the little creature, her gaze fixed on Li Chengzhu. "Go ahead, little one. I have plenty of these," she said.

Li Chengzhu's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he looked at the Celestial Stone in her hand. It was a superior-grade Celestial Stone; all his wealth amounted to only two such stones, yet this woman was feeding it to the little creature. She must either have more Celestial Stones than she could possibly use, or she was simply mad.

"Squeak squeak!" The little creature excitedly hugged the Celestial Stone, then performed an action that made the woman instantly regret her generosity. Using the woman’s embrace as leverage, it darted back to Li Chengzhu’s shoulder with astonishing speed, clutching the stone in its paws and offering it to Li Chengzhu as if seeking praise.

Li Chengzhu’s brows lifted in delight. He cleared his throat and barked, "You planning to save it for dinner? Want me to hold it for you? Ungrateful brat!" With that, he took the superior Celestial Stone and, without a hint of embarrassment, slipped it into his storage ring.

The woman's once charming face was now clouded with fury as she glared fiercely at Li Chengzhu. "Shameless!"

Li Chengzhu spread his hands. "How am I shameless? The little one doesn’t want to go with you, what’s that got to do with me?"

The woman was speechless, and it took her a moment to calm her anger. She gazed wistfully at the little creature, then said to Li Chengzhu, "You’d best not let it appear before others. Though it’s not a Treasure Mouse, it looks far too much like one. Someone will surely try to take it."

Li Chengzhu straightened his expression and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for the advice!"

The woman snorted coldly, turned, and mounted her flying sword, soaring away.

Li Chengzhu watched her from below, his eyes lingering on her alluring figure, and shouted, "The green mountains remain, the rivers flow on, until we meet again!"

The woman nearly stumbled atop her flying sword, which spun in the air before she regained control. She threw a fierce glare back at Li Chengzhu before hastily departing.

Li Chengzhu burst out laughing below.

"Squeak squeak!"

Li Chengzhu pulled out the superior Celestial Stone from his ring, grinning as he stroked the little creature. "Good job! Another windfall." He then took out an inferior Celestial Stone and handed it to the little one. "Eat up."

Crunch, crunch!

This place, which could be called a small town for cultivators, actually hosted no fewer than five hundred practitioners. Li Chengzhu was astonished to find shops for medicine, weaponry, inns, and auction houses. What shocked him even more was the presence of a manager whose strength had reached the Immortal level.

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After hearing the woman's warning, Li Chengzhu decided to keep the little creature in his backpack whenever possible, to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

He wandered the entire town, and by dusk, he headed to the only inn in the area to find lodging.

As soon as he entered, the attendant greeted him cheerfully. "Welcome, sir. Looking for a room?"

Li Chengzhu discreetly sized up the attendant—this fellow possessed cultivation at the late Out-of-Body stage, which made Li Chengzhu roll his eyes and feel a severe blow to his confidence. He said no more, simply nodding. "Yes."

"Fifty stones per night, sir. How many nights will you be staying?" The attendant kept smiling.

Li Chengzhu was taken aback. "Fifty stones? Are they inferior Celestial Stones?"

"Precisely! Don’t you know, sir?" the attendant asked, puzzled.

Li Chengzhu replied awkwardly, "I’ve never stayed at an inn before, so I’m not sure." He handed over fifty inferior Celestial Stones from his ring. Silently, he cursed the inn for its exorbitant rates. Was there such a thing as a shady inn in the Immortal Realm?

The attendant accepted the stones and placed them in his own storage ring, then said, "Please follow me, sir. Since it’s your first time, you’ll need to know our rules."

Li Chengzhu followed, asking, "Rules?"

"Yes. First, no dueling with magical treasures or martial arts inside the inn. Second, no destruction of property. Third, no bringing unrelated guests. Fourth, no loud disturbances. Fifth, no forging or alchemy in the inn. Sixth, cultivators undergoing Tribulation are strictly prohibited."

Li Chengzhu was dumbfounded. "Who made these rules?"

The attendant opened a door, pointed skyward, and smiled. "Is there anything else you need?"

Li Chengzhu shook his head. "No, that’s all."

"Then rest well," the attendant said, heading back to the front hall.

Inside, there was only a bed with a simple mat—nothing else.

Li Chengzhu couldn’t help but curse aloud. "Damn, such a shabby place for such a price. This is outright robbery."

He set down his backpack, and the little creature shot out, shaking its bent ears vigorously.

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"Feeling stuffy, eh?" Li Chengzhu stroked the creature’s head.

He straightened the bedding and sat cross-legged. Though his master had repeatedly warned him not to advance his cultivation too rapidly, the setbacks Li Chengzhu had suffered today were overwhelming. Everywhere he looked, there were experts. In the Immortal Realm, his Divided Spirit stage cultivation was worth little, Tribulation cultivators roamed the streets, and only those at the Great Ascension stage could hold their own. Perhaps only Immortals could truly establish themselves here.

Driven by this stark contrast in power, Li Chengzhu tossed his master’s warnings aside, determined to cultivate diligently and strengthen his standing in the Immortal Realm.

Dawn arrived swiftly, and Li Chengzhu emerged from meditation. As soon as he opened his eyes, the little creature’s tongue licked his handsome face, its moist tongue grazing his pores, filling him with delight. He pulled out a Celestial Stone from his ring and offered it to the little one.

The creature grabbed its breakfast and began devouring it, quickly swallowing the inferior Celestial Stone.

Smiling, Li Chengzhu watched it finish eating, then dismantled the alarm array he’d set up the night before and grabbed the little creature. "Let’s go."

"Squeak squeak!" The creature clung tightly to Li Chengzhu’s arm.

"What is it? Don’t want to stay in the bag? No way, there are plenty of big bad wolves out there—one would make quick work of a little mouse like you... Huh!" Li Chengzhu stared as the little creature spat out a ring.

A storage ring? Li Chengzhu was stunned.

His hands trembling, he examined the ring—it was indeed a storage ring, and much higher quality than his own.

"Where did you get this?" He wished he could hug the creature and smother it with kisses.

"Squeak squeak!" The creature sat on the bed, paws suspended in the air, striking a triumphant pose as it called towards the neighboring room.

"Shh!" Li Chengzhu, like a thief, placed his finger to his lips.

"Squeak?" The creature tilted its head in confusion.

Li Chengzhu had no time to explain. He grabbed the creature, stuffed it into the backpack, and slipped a Celestial Stone into its mouth for good measure. Then he flung open the door and hurried out.

He had barely left the inn when a furious shout erupted from the second floor: "Damn it, who stole my storage ring?"