Following the direction pointed out by the little beggar, Lu Li crossed the bustling streets and arrived at Zhang’s Sweet Water Shop, located in the west city.
This sweet water shop was not a common eatery that sold sugar water or desserts.
In Yicheng, the Imperial Capital of Jin with hundreds of years of history, it played a much more fundamental and vital role—water supply.
Yicheng was massive in scale, with a population of millions.
After centuries of growth, although there were many wells in the city, long-term discharge of domestic sewage and the infiltration of waste had long since made the groundwater bitter and astringent, even carrying a foul odor that was difficult to remove.
Such well water was fine for washing clothes or cleaning, but if it were to be consumed directly, it was truly hard to swallow.
Therefore, unless it was a household so poor they could barely make ends meet, everyone from the princes, nobles, and high-ranking officials down to the ordinary merchants and peddlers relied on water shops like Zhang’s for their daily drinking water.
The storefront of Zhang’s Sweet Water Shop looked unremarkable, yet the blue bricks and grey tiles of the shop carried a sense of history.
The front of the shop was crowded with traffic.
Uniformed water carts constantly moved in and out, and workers wearing matching livery were busy loading and unloading massive wooden barrels.
Every day, these water carts would travel to Mount Yuquan, located dozens of miles west of the Royal City.
The mountain springs there were clear and sweet, making it the primary water source for Yicheng.
Cartloads of sweet spring water were transported back to the city and then distributed to various mansions and shops.
The first few carts of “Head Spring Water” transported back every morning were reserved exclusively for the Royal Family.
It was said that this shop was originally just called “Zhang’s Water Shop.”
Because of its high-quality water source and attentive service, it gained the deep trust of the Royal Family.
After a former King tasted the water, he praised its sweetness and specially bestowed the name “Sweet Water Shop.”
This imperial plaque had become the pride of the Zhang family for generations.
In addition to supplying major clients, the shop also had a retail point at the front where a few copper coins could buy a pot of sweet spring water for ordinary citizens’ domestic use.
Lu Li stood not far away and observed for a moment, not stepping forward immediately.
He could sense that there seemed to be a faint Qi lingering around the shop.
Perhaps it was due to the subtle Spiritual Essence brought by the Mount Yuquan spring water delivered daily?
However, this sensation was extremely faint; if not for his keen perception as a cultivator in the Nascent Soul Stage, it would have been nearly impossible to detect.
He then restrained his aura and walked toward the shop like an ordinary passerby, intending to inquire as a customer first.
However, just as he neared the main entrance and before he could step onto the stairs, two brawny guards with sharp eyes reached out to stop him.
“Halt! This is a restricted area. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to approach!”
One of the guards spoke in a stiff tone, his gaze full of scrutiny.
Clearly, since this sweet water shop was related to the drinking water of the entire city, its security was much tighter than that of an average shop.
Lu Li paused.
His expression remained calm, and he did not grow angry at being blocked.
He then shifted his thoughts; since a low-profile investigation wouldn’t work, he would simply reveal his identity.
“I am Daoist Lu Li. I have come to investigate a case at the request of the King.”
Upon hearing Lu Li’s words, the guard immediately responded.
“If it is at the request of the King, do you have a token of authority?”
Faced with the guard’s counter-question, the originally confident Lu Li suddenly became flustered.
This was indeed a lapse on his part.
When Zhou Ruolin asked him to investigate the case, he truly hadn’t given him any token.
Realizing this, Lu Li quickly gave a sheepish smile.
“As for a token, I truly do not have one. However, I was indeed sent by the King to investigate, so I must trouble you two to go inside and inform the manager.”
“Just say that the cultivator Lu Li, sent by the Jin Emperor, wishes to ask him some questions.”
As soon as the guard heard that Lu Li could not produce a token, his face darkened again.
His arm remained blocking Lu Li, and his tone took on a businesslike rigidity.
“Without a token, how can we believe your word? The King is occupied with a thousand matters every day; why would he randomly send someone here? Please leave, sir, and do not linger here, or do not blame us for being impolite!”
The other guard also took a step forward, faintly forming an encirclement.
A weak fluctuation of a Qi Refining cultivator emanated from him; clearly, they were not ordinary martial artists.
Lu Li frowned slightly, considering whether to reveal his identity from the Xuling Sect or simply retreat for now to find another way.
Just as the atmosphere became somewhat stalled…
“Hmm? What is all the noise outside?”
A slightly raspy and lazy voice drifted out from inside the shop.
Behind the counter, a fat manager wearing a silk coat, who had been dozing with his head propped up, was awakened by the commotion at the door.
Rubbing his bleary eyes, he grumbled and looked over with dissatisfaction.
His gaze first swept over the two guards and then landed on Lu Li, who was blocked outside the door.
When his eyes met Lu Li’s face, and especially when he heard the guard’s low report that “this person claims to be Lu Li, sent by the King to investigate but has no token,” the fat manager’s squinty, sleepy eyes suddenly snapped wide open.
A sharp glint flashed through his murky eyes for an instant—though it disappeared in a blink, it was definitely not something an ordinary merchant would possess.
Immediately afterward, all the dissatisfaction and sleepiness on his face vanished as if by magic, replaced by a radiant and even somewhat fawning smile.
“Oh my! So it is Master Lu Li who has graced us with his presence! I am blind, truly blind! I deserve death! Truly deserve death!”
The fat manager shouted as he scurried from behind the counter with an agility that completely contradicted his physique.
He practically crawled and rolled to the door, scolding the two guards who were still blocking Lu Li.
“You two sightless fools! Why haven’t you invited the honored guest inside yet? This is the prominent figure close to the King, Master Lu Li of the Xuling Sect! Is he someone you can block? Move aside! Move aside!”
While scolding the guards, he personally bowed and made a “please” gesture to Lu Li, lowering his posture to the extreme.
The smile on his face was so warm it could almost melt ice.
“Master Lu, please come in! Please come in! The sun is hot outside; it is cool inside the shop! Your visit to my small shop truly makes it shine with glory. It is the honor of three lifetimes!”
The two guards were left stunned by the manager’s scolding.
Although they were confused as to why the manager’s attitude had changed so quickly, seeing him so certain of Lu Li’s identity, they didn’t dare block him further.
They quickly retracted their arms, retreated to the side, and stood with their heads bowed.
Lu Li observed the manager’s shift from arrogance to humility and his abnormal enthusiasm, and a trace of doubt inevitably rose in his heart.
This manager’s reaction… seemed a bit too intense and rapid.
He hadn’t fully revealed his status with the Xuling Sect, yet this manager seemed to know him in great detail?
However, since the other party had taken the initiative to invite him, it saved him a lot of breath.
Lu Li remained impassive on the surface and nodded slightly.
“The manager is too kind.”
With that, he stepped into Zhang’s Sweet Water Shop.
The light inside the shop was somewhat dim, and the air was filled with a fresh, moist water vapor and the faint scent of wooden barrels.
The fat manager followed closely by Lu Li’s side, his smile never fading.
“Master, please follow me. We have a quiet private room over here, which is convenient for talking.”
He led Lu Li around the busy unloading area toward the back of the shop.
Lu Li’s Divine Sense quietly spread out, perceiving everything around him.
The alertness in his heart did not relax in the slightest despite the manager’s enthusiasm.
This seemingly ordinary sweet water shop did not appear as simple as it looked on the surface.
This was because Lu Li could clearly feel that in the Inner Courtyard of this sweet water shop, there existed a Protective Array identical to the ones in the backyard of the Pill Cauldron Pavilion in Yangzhou City and the underground dungeon of the Lord of Yangzhou’s mansion—one capable of obstructing his Divine Sense.
“I did not know it was Master Lu Li visiting just now. I failed to welcome you properly; I hope you can forgive me, Master Lu!”
Zhang Defu stepped forward quickly and gave Lu Li a deep bow.
His tone carried exaggerated respect and even a faint, hard-to-detect hint of nervousness.
“The subordinates were ignorant and offended you, Master. I hope you have the magnanimity to overlook it! Quick, Master, please come inside! Bring tea! Bring the best tea!”
As he spoke, he personally led the way, inviting Lu Li into an elegantly decorated reception room at the back of the shop.
Faint sandalwood incense burned in the room, and the tables and chairs were all made of high-quality rosewood, showcasing the Zhang family’s considerable wealth.
After they were seated, a maid served fragrant tea.
Zhang Defu rubbed his hands together, his smile remaining, but his eyes didn’t dare to meet Lu Li’s for long.
He asked cautiously, “I wonder what instructions the King has for Master Lu to visit my small shop today? Or is there… anything I can do to serve you, Master?”
Lu Li did not touch the cup of tea.
His calm gaze landed on Zhang Defu’s fat, smiling face.
It seemed casual, but it was actually as sharp as a blade.
“Manager Zhang,” Lu Li spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but possessing an unquestionable penetration.
“I have a question in my heart. You and I have never met before. Just now at the door, how did you recognize me at a glance and know my name?”
He paused deliberately, observing Zhang Defu’s reaction before continuing, “Even if I were sent by the King, if there is no token, an ordinary person might not be so certain. Manager Zhang’s reaction… seems to be unusually fast.”
The smile on Zhang Defu’s face froze for a split second, and fine beads of sweat seemed to seep from his temples.
But he was, after all, a worldly merchant; his reaction was extremely quick.
He immediately used a tone mixed with admiration and trepidation, slapping his thigh as he spoke.
“Oh my! My dear Master Lu! Those words truly put me to shame!”
His voice was loud, carrying the exaggerated air of a marketplace merchant.
“Your reputation in the cultivation world of this Jin Kingdom and the surrounding regions is like a clap of thunder. Who doesn’t know of you? Who hasn’t heard of you?”
He leaned forward slightly, his face full of reflected glory, as if recounting a well-known fact.
“Yangzhou City! Not long ago in Yangzhou City, you led your talented disciples to root out those demon brats from the Yin Corpse Sect and rescued innocent Children, turning the tide! What majesty! What merit! Those deeds have long since spread far and wide!”
As he spoke, he carefully observed Lu Li’s expression.
Seeing that Lu Li remained expressionless, he quickly added more firmly, “As for why I could recognize you at a glance, Master… Hehe, to tell you the truth, yesterday when you arrived in our Yicheng and entered the palace to meet the King, I happened to be handling business near the Royal City. From afar, I admired your peerless style and divine appearance in the crowd!”
He held out his fat hands, gesturing to add persuasiveness.
“Master, your temperament is extraordinary and refined, like a banished immortal descending to the world. I was struck with awe at the time; the impression was extremely deep! So just now at the entrance, although it was sudden, these eyes of mine are still useful, and I recognized you immediately! I wouldn’t dare be the least bit negligent!”
This explanation sounded reasonable.
It both flattered Lu Li and provided a “coincidental” reason.
The smile on Zhang Defu’s face grew even more fervent, even carrying the excitement of “it is the honor of three lifetimes to see you again.”
However, the doubt in Lu Li’s heart was not entirely dispelled.
The manager’s words were seamless, and his emotions were expressed just right, but it was precisely this overly perfect response that made Lu Li feel it was forced.
Lu Li didn’t show it on his face, merely giving a faint “Oh” as if accepting the explanation.
He picked up the teacup and gently blew on the surface, but he did not drink.
“So that’s how it is. Manager Zhang is indeed well-informed and attentive.”
His tone was flat, revealing no emotion.
His gaze remained on Zhang Defu’s face as if trying to see through that layer of enthusiastic smiles to the real thoughts behind them.
Then, Lu Li suddenly spoke, asking Manager Zhang.
“Manager Zhang, my visit today isn’t for anything else. I mainly want to ask how much you know about that nursery rhyme the children in the Royal City have been singing lately—the one about the Red Moon!”
As soon as Lu Li said this, a look of panic instantly appeared on Manager Zhang’s face.
***
While Lu Li was investigating the case inside the sweet water shop, Gong Shangyu and Gu Qingying, who had completed their registration for the Dharma Assembly, finally discovered the fact that Lu Li had secretly fled the scene while they were signing up.
Gong Shangyu, who had long guessed that Lu Li would sneak away, had naturally expected this.
Looking at the note Lu Li had left behind saying he had temporary business to handle, she couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes.
Gu Qingying, who was slow to realize, picked up the note Lu Li had left and looked it over.
Her eyes shone with a light that was as clear and foolish as a college student from Lu Li’s Former Life.
“Huh? Where did Master run off to?”