She'd kept it for over a month now. Holding the Shadowless Veil, Yang Kai raised an eyebrow and said, "Proprietress, this thing…"
He had a vague sense that the Shadowless Veil seemed somehow different from before, though he couldn't quite put his finger on how.
The proprietress replied languidly, "I had someone refine it for you, enhancing the artifact's mystique to some degree. But since its form was already set, the improvement isn't that significant."
"Refine…" Yang Kai's heart tightened. He had experienced the Shadowless Veil's wonders many times — it was an excellent artifact. The fact that even something like this could be further refined meant the person who did it must possess extraordinary mastery in artifact crafting. The proprietress may have been of considerable standing, but hiring someone of that caliber must have come at no small cost.
Why was this woman being so good to him? Yang Kai couldn't understand. If her standing up for him and Old Bai a few days ago could be attributed to the First Inn's reputation and brand, then this Shadowless Veil business defied explanation.
Holding the Shadowless Veil, Yang Kai asked cautiously, "How much?"
She'd charged him five million just to borrow the seven-face version. Refining the Shadowless Veil couldn't have been cheap. Surely the proprietress wouldn't tack that cost onto his tab as well? At that rate, he'd never pay off his debts.
At these words, the proprietress cracked one eye open a sliver, stared at him steadily for a moment, then closed it again.
What did that mean? Yang Kai was thoroughly confused. But since she wasn't naming a price, he saw no point in pressing the matter. He might as well pretend it was free. Grinning happily, he asked, "So can it now evade detection by Middle-Stage Open Heaven cultivators?"
"Keep dreaming!" the proprietress scoffed.
"Then what kind of improvement is that?" Yang Kai was taken aback. The Shadowless Veil had always been unable to evade detection by Middle-Stage Open Heaven cultivators — it only worked if the observer wasn't paying close attention, which was exactly what had happened inside the Golden Crow Divine Palace. Yuan Xiaoman and the other Fourth-Stage Open Heaven cultivators had been so focused on exploring the palace that they'd failed to notice his hidden figure.
"I told you the improvement is limited," the proprietress replied at a leisurely pace. "Under the same conditions, if a Middle-Stage Open Heaven cultivator previously had a seventy percent chance of piercing the illusion, now it's only forty percent — or even thirty percent!"
Yang Kai went "Oh" and continued beaming. That wasn't bad at all — a significant reduction in the chance of being exposed was indeed an improvement. In critical moments, it could save his life.
"Thank you, Proprietress!" Yang Kai said with genuine gratitude. "Do you have any other requests?"
The proprietress settled onto the bed, propping her chin on her hands. Her long legs stretched out behind her, her round backside poised elegantly, the sinuous curve of her figure dipping into a heart-stopping arc at her waist. She drawled, "My shoulders are a bit sore."
Was she asking him to give her a shoulder massage? Yang Kai blinked.
But looking at the scene before him, it was genuinely captivating. Yang Kai suddenly felt his throat go dry, and he scratched his face awkwardly. "That's… not really appropriate, is it?"
Being alone together in a room was one thing, but if he started getting handsy and someone saw, who knew what they'd think.
The proprietress said nothing. Yang Kai stood there wavering for a good while before gritting his teeth, walking over, perching half on the edge of the bed, and reaching out to knead her shoulders.
If she wasn't afraid, what was he worried about? He'd treat it as a way of saying thank you.
With that thought, he felt much more at ease, his movements less restrained. He kneaded gently, and through the layer of clothing there wasn't much to feel. The proprietress had her eyes closed, and judging from her expression, Yang Kai could clearly sense her body relaxing.
Silence fell as time trickled by.
"I want some Snow Sky Wisp…" the proprietress suddenly said in a distant, wistful voice.
"What?" Yang Kai had been spacing out and didn't catch it at first. When it registered, his face drained of color. "Snow Sky Wisp?!"
Past experience was the best teacher. Last time he'd brought her Snow Sky Wisp from the Nine Nether Continent, she'd dragged him into her room to drink with her. Both had ended up dead drunk, and when he woke up, Old Bai and the others had chewed him out fiercely — and the cook had nearly split him in half with a cleaver!
All those memories were vivid as ever, still fresh in Yang Kai's mind. He had an instinctive revulsion toward Snow Sky Wisp.
According to Old Bai and the others, every time the proprietress ate Snow Sky Wisp, she'd sink into a deep melancholy for a long while and drink herself into a stupor. Yang Kai had no idea why she suddenly wanted it now.
The corner of his mouth twitched, and he forced a strained smile. "Eat what? There's no Snow Sky Wisp here!"
"I want some…" The proprietress turned her head, fixing him with a steady gaze.
Yang Kai chuckled nervously. "Even if you want it, there isn't any. That stuff is a specialty of the Nine Nether Continent — you can't get it anywhere else."
The proprietress didn't answer. She simply looked at him with those eloquent eyes of hers in silence.
Yang Kai ignored her and kept massaging, but suddenly furrowed his brow. "Don't tell me you want me to… make a trip to the Nine Nether Continent?" The Nine Nether Continent was located in the great domain where the First Inn had originally been situated, an immense distance from here. Last time, the journey had taken half a year. Even with the Space Escape Talisman to assist, a round trip would take at least a month or two!
The proprietress blinked, which was answer enough.
"You're dreaming!" Yang Kai erupted in fury. To expect him to trek all that distance just to pick fruit on a whim — this was absolutely outrageous!