Chapter 969: Carefree Tower

The group quickly turned the corner and arrived at the carriage depot.

It was a very common, low-end carriage depot. The carriages were dilapidated, the drivers' fingernails were caked with dirt, and the air was thick with the stench of horse manure.

Pei You instinctively frowned. It was hard to reconcile such a squalid place with what Gao Ying had described as a "den of indulgence."

Gao Ying ignored the drivers and walked directly inside. The counter owner was leisurely drinking wine, appearing indifferent even as guests entered.

However, when Gao Ying produced the few receipts from Purple Tea House, the owner's expression immediately turned serious. "Please, this way, gentlemen."

He instructed his employees to handle matters 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 some unknown flowers bloomed, making the air immediately fresher.

The horses there looked far more magnificent. Their manes were neatly combed, and they were plump and muscular, clearly well-fed with high-quality fodder, a stark contrast to the unkempt horses outside.

What was even more striking were the carriages themselves. Unlike ordinary carriages, there were no windows around the body, making them resemble iron canisters.

At this point, the owner 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 owner held up three fingers. "Three taels of gold, three taels of silver."

Pei You raised an eyebrow, thinking, "This guy is ripping us off!" Even the best carriages in the capital wouldn't cost this much. However, he suspected there was a code embedded in the conversation, so he suppressed his urge to complain.

As for Zu An, his expression was peculiar as he wondered about their connection 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 for ourselves, so don't take any other customers. Each of us will pay you five taels of gold and five taels of silver."

The owner gave a thumbs-up, admiration on his face. "You gentlemen are truly generous. May I ask what line of work you are in?"

Gao Ying replied, "I rely on the Four Great Mountains. For friends, I have mountains of gold and silver. I value friends as highly as Mount Ding, and meeting friends is like arriving at Mount Liang."

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

Mount Liang, on the other hand, was a gathering place for righteous outlaws and had become synonymous with chivalry in this world.

Hearing this, the owner's face immediately broke into an eager smile. He quickly retrieved a stack of masks from a corner and handed them to the three men. "Please choose a mask, esteemed guests."

Zu An noticed that the owner's address had changed from "guests" to "esteemed guests," and his tone was much more respectful, indicating that their identity had been acknowledged.

Pei You frowned. "What is the meaning of this?"

The owner explained with a smile, "The main reason is that the place you are going often involves sensitive matters where it's inconvenient to show your face. To protect the safety of every guest, everyone wears masks to conceal their identity."

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

Gao Ying chose a tiger mask. Seeing that both of them had made their selections, Pei You, despite his many doubts, also put one on. He picked a white ghost-face mask.

Zu An couldn't help but laugh inwardly. He was indeed a gloomy and reserved youth; the mask suited his temperament perfectly.

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

Pei You exclaimed, "What 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, no light can enter. To prevent guests from feeling like they're in a dark prison cell, they installed luminous pearls for illumination."

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

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

Sealed windows could only block the sight of ordinary people, but skilled cultivators could perceive their surroundings using their aura, which is why Carefree Tower employed this double security measure.

Zu An also secretly tried, and sure enough, his aura still couldn't penetrate the carriage body.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. He directly employed the jade cong's telepathy. Immediately, a strange scene appeared before his eyes: trees receding continuously and the ground flashing by rapidly.

Zu An was delighted. To use telepathy, the most convenient targets nearby were the horses pulling the carriage. He hadn't expected the jade cong's ability to bypass the sealing formation.

The scene in his mind was strange because it was from a horse's perspective. Since he started using telepathy, he had seen too many odd perspectives. The most exaggerated was a fly's compound eye, where the image was a dense multitude of tiny frames combined, enough to make one's head explode just by looking.

"What if someone has ill intentions?" Pei You asked worriedly. Inside this sealed carriage, they wouldn't know what was happening outside, which was extremely dangerous.

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

Zu An chuckled, "Brother Gao, it seems you're quite the experienced hand. Yet, your temperament doesn't seem like someone who frequents such places. Why are you so familiar with this spot?"

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 adept in these sorts of matters. I accompanied him to protect him and, in doing so, witnessed a few things."

Zu An thought, "No wonder." However, all three recalled Liu Yao's sacrifice in the secret realm, and the atmosphere in the carriage became somber for a moment.

Unconsciously, the carriage came to a stop. Pei You was both nervous and expectant. "Are we there?"

"It should still be a while," Gao Ying said, experienced in these matters.

Zu An, through the horse's perspective, saw the external situation. The carriage had just entered a mass grave site. Crows occasionally flew by, and with the eerie will-o'-the-wisps and pervasive fog, it was quite chilling and terrifying.

Zu An secretly marveled. Choosing such a location was indeed brilliant. Ordinary people wouldn't dare approach it, and the authorities would never expect someone to build a den of indulgence in a mass grave.

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

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

With a clatter, the carriage door opened. The three exchanged glances and alighted one by one.

Soon, maids came to greet them. These maids also wore masks, but only covering the area around their eyes, revealing their delicate noses and alluring red lips.

The maids were dressed extremely scantily. Even courtesans would blush upon seeing them, as their clothing was made of very little and transparent fabric.

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

Zu An, however, felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if he had returned to his previous life. Everywhere he looked were bandeau tops paired with extremely short skirts.

Gazing at the maids' revealing attire and their alluring, swaying walk, Pei You's eyes widened. When had he ever seen such a sight? "The long legs of northern girls are truly legendary!"

"Please enter, gentlemen!" the maids bowed in unison, their voices exceptionally sweet.