Chapter 263: The City of Sin
Unlike the Heaven's Dome city, Shun Long had no knowledge of whether there were any exceptionally strong powers in the 'City of Sin', but he was certain that there was no one at the level of the 'Alchemists' Guild' and the rest of the peak powers of the Heaven's Dome city.
With Liu Mei next to him, Shun Long casually strolled through the crowded streets of the 'City of Sin'.
Without Little Black or the black panther in tow, a pair of rank 1 Spirit realm cultivators like Shun Long and Liu Mei were completely inconspicuous as they strolled through the busy streets.
Shun Long's handsome face did occasionally attract the attention of some young women, but he didn't seem to be interested in any of them, as he and Liu Mei continued with what seemed to be an aimless stroll.
Three hours later, the 2 of them had already left the southern part of the city, as they appeared at the east of the city.
Half a day passed until Shun Long and Liu Mei had strolled through the eastern, the western, the southern, and the northern parts of the 'City of Sin'.
During this time, Shun Long had found out, that aside from the so-called center of the 'City of Sin' where the strongest powers of the city gathered, the other 4 parts of the city were filled with lawless chaos.
Unlike the Heaven's Dome city, the 4 parts of the 'City of Sin' weren't controlled by any major power, and instead, only cultivators who were strong enough could thrive and prosper, while the weak would struggle to even survive in this city.
Turning her head to look at Shun Long, Liu Mei then asked curiously
''Long-ge, should we find a place to stay?''
Shaking his head, Shun Long looked at Liu Mei with a smile on his face as he said
''This time, things will be slightly different.''
Liu Mei didn't understand what Shun Long meant, but she still followed him as he casually walked to the northern part of the 'City of Sin'.
An hour later, they had arrived in a relatively busy street, in front of a two-story shop that was riddled with holes on its walls.
Liu Mei looked at Shun Long with eyes filled with curiosity.
She remembered that they had passed through this shop earlier, but Shun Long didn't seem to have paid any attention to it then.
After all, in the busy street, the shop really stood out.
The wooden door on its entrance looked as if it had been beaten down repeatedly and it was barely hanging on, while a single sign that was filled with dust was posted on the shop's front, with the words 'FOR SALE' on it.
As for the pedestrians however, although they visited many of the other shops on this street, no one chose to enter this run-down shop.
Shun Long had that same smile on his face, as he led Liu Mei inside the shop.
Although Liu Mei was stunned by Shun Long's actions and she didn't know what he was planning to do, she still followed him inside the shop.
''Does Long-ge want to buy this shop?''
As this thought flashed through her mind, Liu Mei followed Shun Long inside the shop, where she saw an old man sitting on a chair with his eyes closed.
The old man however, didn't seem to have noticed Shun Long entering inside the shop with Liu Mei, as he continued to sit there with his eyes closed.
Shun Long looked at the old man who was sitting leisurely on the rocking chair and easily discerned, that the old man's cultivation was at the peak of rank 2 in the Spirit realm.
Looking at the rest of the shop, Shun Long was stunned when he noticed that it was completely empty.
There was absolutely nothing inside the shop aside from some empty glass cases, which from their outer appearance, Shun Long guessed that they were probably used to sell weapons.
The old man's eyes twitched for a moment, and as he cautiously opened them, a shocked expression had appeared on his face as he looked at Shun Long and Liu Mei.
Shun Long was stunned as well when he saw the exaggerated expression on the old man's face.
He didn't believe for a moment that a rank 2 Spirit realm cultivator had failed to notice him and Liu Mei when they had entered the shop, since they hadn't retracted their auras in the first place.
The shocked look in the old man's eyes however soon turned into that of cautiousness, and looking at the 2 young people who had just entered the shop, he asked in a wary tone
''Can I help you? Let me tell you in advance, that if you are here to ask for protection money, there is nothing left in my shop for you to take.''
A look of realization dawned in Shun Long's eyes when he heard the old man's words.
''So he was feigning that he hadn't noticed us entering the shop earlier because he didn't want to pay for protection?
Hmm, I suppose that this also explains the reason why this shop is so run-down, and why people don't approach it in the first place.''
Liu Mei smiled beneath her white veil, and looking at Shun Long, she imagined him acting as a thug and going around the 'City of Sin' asking for protection money.
Shun Long however shook his head, and looking at the old man in front of him he said
''Old man, are you the owner of this shop? Is it still for sale?''
The old man's eyes widened when he heard Shun Long's question, before a bright smile suddenly appeared on his face.
The old man stared at Shun Long like he was looking at a treasure, and nodding his head repeatedly, his tone became extremely friendly as he said hurriedly
''Younger broth-, no... young master! Of course it is still for sale!
I can assure you that the price is also very reasonable.
It's only 2 million low-grade spirit stones!''