Chapitre 40: Tianshi Makes Her Move

"Milady, do you want us to accompany you?" Two servants at the Spirit Lord Stage bowed as their lady prepared to leave the palace.

"No need, I have some matters to take care of. Don't tell anyone that I'm gone." With that, the maiden pulled a cloak over her head and left the room.

The servants exchanged a look and nodded. One followed her while the other went deeper into the palace. She arrived at a door with a golden phoenix imprinted in the middle, bowed, and said, "Little Yu asks for an audience with the master. I have information about Milady."

"Granted." A deep voice resonated from within, and the door opened.

Inside, a middle-aged man sat behind a wooden desk cluttered with papers and information disks.

"Master Xiao, Milady sneaked out of the palace," the female servant reported. They were tasked with monitoring their lady and reporting any unusual behavior.

Xiao Feng, the master of the Xiao family and Tianshi's father, frowned. After her suicide attempt, he had placed two Spirit Lord servants by her side to prevent any future incidents.

"Did Yi follow her?" he asked.

"Yes, master," she confirmed.

"Do you know where she is going or what her objective is?" Xiao Feng continued.

"We have some assumptions. Milady asked us a few days ago about the best place for gathering information in the capital. We told her it was the Information Pavilion from the Trade Union. Yesterday, she asked for drawing materials, and today she left with a drawing of a young man with blond hair. I suspect she plans to search for that man with the help of the Trade Union's Information Pavilion," the servant speculated.

"So that's why she didn't want to marry. She was hiding a man from me. Let me see who she thinks is worthy to be my son-in-law," Xiao Feng laughed as he suddenly stood up.

"You did well, Yu. I will handle this matter myself." Praising her, he disappeared from the study.

Tianshi tried to stay anonymous and carry out her plan without anyone knowing. Unfortunately, it was hard to outsmart one of the strongest men in the Earth Realm.

She headed towards the Information Pavilion to find Xuefeng's whereabouts. She hadn't acted earlier because she wanted the incident with her suicide attempt to die down. She was also worried that her father would hurt Xuefeng if she mentioned him.

How could she explain that she loved a stranger she had never met? What if he was far away? It would be strange to claim they had met before.

She wore an oversized cloak to hide her identity as she passed through the busy streets of the Central Region Capital.

Fortunately, her destination was close to the Xiao Family Palace, and she arrived soon after.

She entered the Trade Union building and saw two signs, one for the Information Pavilion and another for the Spirit Pavilion. One was for buying information and the other was for trading Spirit Artifacts, medicines, and Spirit Arts. She turned left towards her goal. The lobby resembled a bank, with multiple employees behind glass counters selling information.

After acquiring what they needed, cultivators paid with Spirit Stone Cards, similar to credit cards used to transfer money. Unfortunately, she didn't have one.

"Good morning, Manager Kong."

"Manager Kong, you look great today."

The quiet hall suddenly turned noisy as a middle-aged man descended the stairs. Everyone greeted him, but he only nodded. He scanned the hall, and his eyes lit up when he spotted Tianshi.

She was surprised to see Manager Kong approach her.

'Am I discovered?' She became worried.

"Hello, I'm Manager Kong. Can I help you with your business?" he asked politely.

"I wish to buy information," she answered, trying to disguise her voice.

"Perfect. How about I invite you to my study on the upper floors?" Manager Kong proposed.

Tianshi felt something was wrong but had no reason to refuse, so she nodded.

After following him upstairs, the people in the lobby continued to watch the stairs in shock. Conversations erupted.

"Who might that lady be to require Manager Kong's greeting?"

"That's what I was thinking. Maybe she is a young mistress of some rich family."

"Even if it were the Princess of the Xiao family, she wouldn't get much attention from Manager Kong."

"Well, it's not like we will find out anyway. Let's get this information about the hidden domain as soon as possible."

"Yeah, you're right. It's going to open soon, and we don't want to miss it."

On the second floor, Manager Kong made a cup of tea for Tianshi before pouring one for himself. She looked around the office and was impressed with the interior. Her mother on Earth was a house designer, and Tianshi had inherited an interest in design. If she could replicate these designs on Earth, she would become famous overnight.

"So, Lady Xiao, how can we help you?" he asked after taking a sip of tea.

"I want to find a person." She lowered her hood, revealing her beautiful appearance, since it was clear he already knew who she was. With Spirit Qi nourishing her skin daily, she looked even more stunning than Xuefeng remembered.

"I knew Lady Xiao was dashing, but I never thought it would be so true," he complimented her.

"Oh, how many times I've heard that line," she chuckled. Her father often invited important people, so she wasn't intimidated by Manager Kong.

"Can you tell me more details about the person you want to find?" Manager Kong got down to business after the pleasantries.

"His name is Liu Xuefeng, and this is his picture. I have no idea where he is at the moment. He might be anywhere, even in other regions," she explained after handing him the drawing she pulled from her ring. She figured he would also have a similar name and appearance after reincarnating.

"That will be quite challenging, but we will try our best. There is no information our Trade Union can't gather." He assured as he examined the picture. He seemed surprised when he heard the name but quickly hid his reaction.

"After you locate him, I want you to ask if he knows Tianshi and remembers what he did for her on the cliff. If he does and asks where I am, tell him I'm in the Xiao Family in the Central Region Capital," she instructed.

"Okay, we will try to find him soon, but it will take some time. Searching the whole Realm will take at least one or two months."

"Thank you. How about the payment?" She was prepared for a hefty sum but Manager Kong waved it off.

"You don't need to pay, Lady Xiao. We often buy many Spirit Artifacts from the Xiao Family, so we are partners. We will treat this as a small request."

"Then I must thank you again, Manager Kong. I hope this deal will stay between us. I don't want to involve my family," she reminded him before standing up.

"No problem, Milady. We never leak confidential information," Manager Kong promised.

"Then I will take my leave. Please, let me know when you find him," she said before pulling her hood back up and leaving the private room.

After a moment, another person appeared before Manager Kong. It was none other than Xiao Feng who had been concealing himself in the corner.

"You owe me a new Spirit Artifact for this deal," Manager Kong said, sipping his tea. He wasn't bothered by Xiao Feng's presence, despite his powerful status.

"What do you know about the boy?" Xiao Feng got straight to the point. Tianshi might not have noticed the small change in Manager Kong's expression, but Xiao Feng did. He knew Manager Kong was hiding something.

"Indeed, I know something. This morning, I received information about this boy from a small country in the Eastern Region. What about my Spirit Artifact?" he teased.

"Okay, you won. I will make you one when I find time. Now talk," Xiao Feng conceded.

"Hehe. I received news of a new Black Talent awakening in the Aurora Country's Liu Clan. Interestingly, he was originally a red talent but advanced to black after consuming a Six Petals Lotus Flower. Not only that, he survived a Six Lightning Heaven Tribulation with only slight injuries. Our Trade Union Branch reached a partnership deal with the Liu Clan after this," Manager Kong recited, satisfied with his promise.

"Interesting… Leave this to me. I will send someone to check on this boy. If he is not to my liking, I will not allow him to meet my daughter," Xiao Feng quickly decided as he picked up Xuefeng's picture from the table and disappeared on the spot.

"I'm sorry, Lady Tianshi. Business is business," Manager Kong sighed to himself before going back to sipping his tea.