Chapter 965: Carefree Tower

A few people quickly turned the street corner and arrived at the carriage depot.

It was the most common, lowest-tier carriage depot imaginable. Dilapidated carriages, drivers with dirt under their fingernails, and the air thick with the stench of horse manure.

Pei You instinctively frowned. It was hard to associate such a squalid place with the "den of luxury" Gao Ying had described.

Gao Ying ignored the drivers and walked directly inside. The counter boss, who had been calmly drinking wine, seemed indifferent to the arrival of customers.

However, when Gao Ying presented the vouchers from Ziming Xuan, the boss's expression immediately turned serious. "Please come this way," he said.

He instructed his subordinates to handle affairs at the front while he led the group towards the back hall.

In the courtyard behind, there were several carriages. Lush green trees provided shade, and even some unknown flowers bloomed, making the air instantly fresh.

The horses looked far more majestic. Their manes were neatly groomed, their bellies round, and they were plump and sturdy, clearly well-fed with excellent fodder – a stark contrast to the unkempt horses outside.

What was even more striking were the carriages themselves. Unlike ordinary ones, their bodies had no windows, resembling metal cans.

At this point, the boss stepped forward. "As you can see, gentlemen, these are our finest carriages, and naturally, the fare is different from what you'd find outside."

"How much is it?" Gao Ying asked.

The boss held up three fingers. "Three taels of gold, three taels of silver."

Pei You raised an eyebrow, thinking, *This guy's practically robbing us! Even the finest carriages in the capital wouldn't cost this much.* However, he knew there was likely a coded exchange involved, so he suppressed the urge to complain.

Meanwhile, Zu An had a strange expression, wondering what connection they had to the Heaven and Earth Society.

Gao Ying shook his head. "A carriage this good is worth more than that. We'll charter this carriage, and you won't take any other customers. We'll pay you five taels of gold and five taels of silver per person."

The boss gave a thumbs-up, full of admiration. "You gentlemen are certainly generous! May I ask what line of work you're in?"

Gao Ying replied, "I rely on the Four Great Mountains. When friends arrive, there are mountains of gold and silver. I regard friends as important as Mount Ding, and friends meeting is like reaching Mount Liang."

Mount Ding was a majestic and renowned mountain in this world, often visited for official imperial sacrifices, similar to Mount Tai in the previous world.

As for Mount Liang, it was a gathering place for outlaws and heroes, becoming synonymous with chivalry and loyalty in this world.

Hearing this, a cordial smile immediately appeared on the boss's face. He quickly retrieved a stack of masks from a corner and handed them to the three. "Please each choose a mask, honored guests," he said.

Zu An noticed that the boss's address had changed from "guests" to "honored guests," and his tone was much more respectful, suggesting their identities had been acknowledged.

Pei You frowned. "What's the meaning of this?"

The boss explained with a smile, "Mainly, there are many matters at your destination that aren't suitable for revealing your faces. To ensure the safety of every guest, everyone wears a mask to conceal their identity."

"Interesting," Zu An chuckled, picking up a fox-shaped mask and putting it on. Thinking of Daji, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity when he saw a fox now.

Gao Ying chose a tiger mask. Seeing that both had made their selections, Pei You, despite his numerous doubts, also put one on, choosing a white ghost face mask.

Zu An couldn't help but laugh inwardly. He was indeed a melancholic and reserved young man; the mask perfectly matched his temperament.

After the three entered the carriage, the door clanged shut from the outside. Then, a faint light appeared overhead. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be several small luminous pearls.

Pei You exclaimed, "What an extravagance! They even use luminous pearls for lighting inside the carriage."

Zu An, however, said, "It must be out of necessity. Since the surroundings are completely sealed off and no light can enter, they installed luminous pearls for lighting so guests wouldn't feel like they're in a dark prison cell."

Pei You was startled. He discreetly checked around and found no cracks or openings. He then tried to extend his vital energy, and his expression quickly changed. "My vital energy can't reach outside; I can't sense anything," he reported.

"Don't worry," Gao Ying explained. "The carriage body is carved with special sealing formations designed to block cultivators' vital energy, preventing people from detecting the route to the Carefree Pavilion."

While sealed windows could block the sight of ordinary people, master cultivators could perceive their surroundings with vital energy, which is why the Carefree Pavilion employed this double security measure.

Zu An also secretly tried, and indeed, his vital energy still couldn't penetrate the carriage body.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. He immediately used the spiritual connection ability of the Jade Cong. Soon, a strange scene appeared before his eyes: trees receding continuously and the ground flashing past rapidly.

Zu An was delighted. To establish a spiritual connection, the most convenient target nearby was the horse pulling the carriage. He hadn't expected the Jade Cong's ability to break through the sealing formation.

The strange image in his mind was from the horse's perspective. Since he began using his spiritual connection ability, he had witnessed many peculiar viewpoints. The most exaggerated was the compound eye of a fly, where the scene was a dense array of countless miniature images merged together, making his head feel like it would explode just by looking at it.

"What if they have ill intentions?" Pei You worried. Being in such a sealed compartment, with no knowledge of what was happening outside, was truly too dangerous.

"Don't worry, their reputation is at stake; nothing will happen," Gao Ying reassured him.

Zu An smiled. "Brother Gao, it seems you're quite the experienced hand. Yet, your personality doesn't strike me as someone who frequently visits places like this. How are you so familiar with it?"

Gao Ying sighed. "Actually, I came here with Liu Yao back then. As you know, he wasn't very interested in cultivation, but he was quite an expert in these kinds of establishments. I accompanied him to protect him, and I did get to see a few tricks."

*No wonder,* Zu An thought. However, all three were reminded of Liu Yao's sacrifice in the secret realm, and the atmosphere in the carriage grew silent for a moment.

Before they knew it, the carriage had stopped. Pei You was both nervous and expectant. "Are we there?" he asked.

"It should still be a while," Gao Ying replied, having experience with this.

Zu An, through the horse's perspective, saw the external situation. The carriage had just driven into a pauper's graveyard. Crows occasionally flew by, and with the addition of will-o'-the-wisps and pervasive mist, it was truly eerie and terrifying.

Zu An secretly admired their choice of location. It was indeed clever. Ordinary people wouldn't dare approach, and the authorities would never suspect that someone would build a den of luxury in a pauper's graveyard.

The carriage now stopped in front of a relatively large tomb. Then, the tomb suddenly split open, and the carriage slowly drove forward again.

After passing through a long tunnel, a light suddenly appeared ahead, and the coachman's voice came from outside the carriage. "Honored guests, we have arrived."

The carriage door swung open with a clatter. The three exchanged glances and alighted one by one.

Soon, waitresses came to greet them. These waitresses also wore masks, but they only covered the area around their eyes, revealing their delicate nose bridges and alluring red lips.

These waitresses were dressed in extremely revealing attire. Even ordinary courtesans would blush upon seeing them, as their clothes were made of minimal and transparent fabric.

They only covered vital and sensitive areas, revealing fair, slender waists and long, snow-white legs.

Zu An, however, felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had returned to his previous life, where the eye was met with bustiers paired with very short skirts.

Gazing at the waitresses' revealing outfits and their swaying, seductive gaits, Pei You's eyes widened. He had never seen such a display before. "The long legs of northern girls truly live up to their reputation!" he exclaimed.

"Gentlemen, please come this way!" the waitresses bowed in unison, their voices remarkably sweet.