Ye Xuzhang asked, "If you're heading to Qilin State, I assume you've already located the next Heavenly Book Fragment Box?"
"Of course I have."
Zhang Xiaoyu grabbed a bite of food, speaking slowly and deliberately: "It's at the Demon Cult Headquarters!"
Ye Xuzhang's heart skipped a beat. "You've got some nerve. The Demon Cult is filled with countless experts, yet you dare to go there and snatch something?"
"Who said I'm going to steal it? I'm just borrowing it for a while."
"And anyway, even if my skills are lacking, I have you, don't I?"
Zhang Xiaoyu grinned mischievously.
"Heh, don't count me in for troublesome matters like this."
Zhang Xiaoyu pouted, "The Fragment Box may be at the Demon Cult Headquarters, but as far as I know, they don't treat it as anything particularly valuable.
Getting our hands on it shouldn't be that difficult."
Ye Xuzhang sneered, "You mean you, not we."
"Same difference."
"Besides, aren't you even a little curious about the secrets of the Heavenly Book?"
Ye Xuzhang shook his head. "Not at all."
"Fine, if you're not interested, I'll figure it out myself. Hmph, but don't come crying to me with envy when I get the Fragment Box."
"Oh, by the way, are you attending the Heavenly Mechanism Grand Assembly this time?"
"What's the Heavenly Mechanism Grand Assembly?"
"You don't even know what that is? Are you really from the martial world?" Zhang Xiaoyu exclaimed in disbelief.
Ye Xuzhang replied calmly, "You've hit the mark. At the moment, I'm not exactly part of the martial world."
Zhang Xiaoyu gave him an odd look. "You're as powerful as a monster, but completely clueless about common knowledge. You're an enigma."
"The Heavenly Mechanism Grand Assembly, hosted annually by the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, is a grand event where you can buy anything you desire—spiritual herbs, elixirs, rare treasures, divine weapons, and even peerless beauties!"
"Hmm?" Ye Xuzhang's interest piqued.
He was currently in dire need of spiritual herbs, elixirs, and rare treasures. And for a long time, he'd struggled to find proper channels for obtaining spiritual herbs.
The Heavenly Mechanism Grand Assembly seemed tailor-made for him.
After pondering for a moment, Ye Xuzhang asked, "Where is the Grand Assembly being held this year?"
"It's held in a different location every year. This time, it's in Qilin State, which happens to be the second purpose of my trip."
Ye Xuzhang followed up, "What are the requirements to participate?"
"Anyone who attends must possess a Heavenly Mechanism Token.
These tokens are only issued by the Pavilion to renowned experts in the martial world."
"Fortunately, I happen to have two," Zhang Xiaoyu said with a sly grin.
She took out a Heavenly Mechanism Token from her pocket and placed it in front of Ye Xuzhang.
"This one belonged to my Sixth Uncle. I swiped it to avoid running into him at the Assembly. Since we're life-and-death companions, I'll give it to you."
Ye Xuzhang took the token and examined it closely.
It was half gold and half silver, engraved with intricate, mysterious patterns.
Just the token alone was worth a fortune.
The golden side was engraved with the words "Heavenly Mechanism," while the silver side bore the name Zhang Yufang.
It seemed that Zhang Yufang, Zhang Xiaoyu's Sixth Uncle, was the original owner.
"Are you sure no one will notice?" Ye Xuzhang asked, feeling a bit uneasy about using someone else's token.
"Absolutely not. Everyone at the Grand Assembly wears masks, and the Pavilion recognizes tokens, not people."
"Lucky for you, my Sixth Uncle recently deposited a million taels at the Pavilion. With this token, you can buy items worth up to that amount!"
Ye Xuzhang was dumbfounded. Zhang Xiaoyu's audacity in swindling her own family was truly something to behold.
At that moment, an emaciated old man entered the inn, immediately catching Zhang Xiaoyu's attention.
"The Netherworld Ghost King? What's he doing here?"
"Who is the Netherworld Ghost King?" Ye Xuzhang asked.
"That old man—he's one of the Four Ghosts of the Demon Cult."
"And what are the Four Ghosts?"
"The Demon Cult has four legendary figures: Ghost Granny, Ghost Duke, Netherworld Ghost King, and Ghost Emperor of Fengdu.
"They're all infamous, terrifying individuals in the martial world. Among them, the Ghost Emperor of Fengdu is the most formidable. Any one of them could wipe out a sect like Hun Tian Sect single-handedly."
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