204. Twins

A common theme in every conversation he’d had about the pagoda was simple: He couldn’t trust anyone.

He didn’t know Princess Yanyue for long, but he was sure she wouldn’t betray him. From everything he’d seen of her, she valued him in her own chaotic way, and he could rely on her guards. After all, she needed him and his dao. But for Anji and Zi Wen, the situation was different.

From the information he had, there was a high chance that once they entered, everyone would be separated for a while. At least for some floors. That gap was what worried Chen Ren the most.

Zi Wen could handle himself.

But Anji was still a mortal, even if she had started learning offensive soul arts from Wang Jun. And Wang Jun wouldn’t be with her—he had insisted on going with Chen Ren instead, saying Anji could survive on her own.

Chen Ren didn’t like the risk.

After thinking about it for a long time, he decided he needed to hire extra help.

Hence, he moved down the stairs of the inner wall, heading toward a small restaurant built into the structure three floors below their rooms. According to Li Xuan, rogue cultivators, mercenaries, and certain merchants used it as a meeting spot. Perfect for hiring people if he could somehow vet them to be honest to their job.

When Chen Ren rounded a corner, he spotted it. A wooden sign hung over the door, painted with the name Bonepath Diner.

He gave the sign a quick glance and stepped inside.

The room was bigger than he expected—wide, warm, filled with the smell of old spices and cheap liquor. Immediately, his eyes swept over the people inside. There were about twenty of them, all cultivators, most of them wearing mismatched armor pieces or carrying weapons openly.

He didn’t linger on any of their faces. He didn’t want to look like he was judging or picking targets yet.

Instead, he went straight toward the counter.

There was a young man standing, scribbling something into a wooden note. Probably recording tabs or orders. He looked only slightly older than Chen Ren but there was an ease to his actions that suggested that he had worked here for a long time. And was probably a cultivator himself.

Good enough.

The young man immediately put on a polite smile when he saw Chen Ren and said, “Are you looking to have breakfast? We have a special menu prepared today.”

Chen Ren shook his head. “For now, I need information.”

The man’s expression changed instantly. The warm smile faded, replaced with a cautious look.

“I have zero information about the Pagoda of Eternity,” he said quickly. “You should try your luck somewhere else.”

“I’m not looking for that information,” Chen Ren replied calmly. “I want information about mercenaries that I could hire. I’m pretty sure you can give me some right names.”

The man stared at him for a moment, long enough to judge whether Chen Ren was serious. Then he leaned forward a bit and said, “Only if you can pay the price.”

Chen Ren didn’t bother arguing. He slid a low-grade spirit stone across the counter with one finger.

The man snatched it subtly and lowered his head to inspect it. A second later, he nodded.

“Well… fair enough,” he said. “I know a lot of scavengers and mercenaries who try their luck in the Corpse Lands and are currently staying around the wall.”

Chen Ren raised an eyebrow. “Scavengers?”

“Cultivators who practically live in the Corpse Lands and go in often to grab anything of value. They’re used to the undead, the terrain, and the dangers. Mercenaries, on the other hand, usually escort merchants here and aren't regular. They mostly go in the Corpse Lands with some rich brat of a clan or a small lord's son who wants to fight zombies. There’s always a mix of both types around here.”

Chen Ren considered it.

Scavengers were practically locals—they understood the Corpse Lands better than outside mercenaries. More importantly, they seemed to be used to dealing with trouble and surviving it. That was exactly what he needed.

“I’ll take information about scavengers,” he said. “People who are reliable, with no strange history, and at least in the qi refinement realm. At the peak of it, if possible.”

The man behind the counter looked like he was in thought for a while, probably thinking of names. Chen Ren patiently waited.

After half a minute, he cleared his throat. “I know a few that fit what you’re asking for. But you should understand something—no scavenger is completely innocent. Anyone who works in the Corpse Lands ends up doing… weird shit. Comes with the job.”

“I don’t care about innocence,” Chen Ren said. “I just need someone who won’t betray me. No matter what.”

That made the man smile.

“Oh, that kind of requirement. You should’ve said it earlier. Is it for going into the pagoda?”

Chen Ren hesitated for half a second, then gave a small nod.

“Yes.”

The man’s smile widened knowingly. “Then I believe I have a pair for you.”

He lifted his hand and subtly pointed behind Chen Ren.

Chen Ren turned.

At a table in the corner sat a man and a woman—both in patched travel clothes, both armed lightly, both eating steaming meat buns like they didn’t have a care in the world. Yet, he could tell that their eyes were alert, even if they didn’t utter a single word to another, they were assessing the room.

Because the moment his eyes laid on them, they noticed,

immediately.

But Chen Ren didn't turn and kept his eyes on them for a moment longer. Both of them had the same striking features—pitch black hair, pale grey eyes, and a collection of old scars across their faces that easily told him that they were veterans of the place. It wasn’t a look one forgot easily, and Chen Ren took in every detail before the man behind the counter spoke again.

“They’re siblings. Twins actually. Reliable scavengers. Don’t take jobs often, but when they do… they finish them. Cleanly. I heard they want to enter the pagoda, but the big sects and clans didn’t offer them good conditions, so they’re still free.”

Chen Ren nodded once. “Thank you.”

He didn’t waste time. He walked straight toward their table.

Before he could say anything, the young man glanced up and said, “What are you looking for?”

“Just a place to sit,” Chen Ren replied.

“There are plenty of empty seats,” the sister added with a raised eyebrow.

Chen Ren smiled lightly. “I’ll be straightforward. I want to hire both of you for a job involving the pagoda. May I sit?”

The twins exchanged a long look—silent conversation passing between them—before the brother finally slid a seat out with his foot.

Chen Ren sat immediately.

“The owner spoke highly of you both,” he said. “And I heard you’re trying to enter the pagoda.”

Both of them grew more attentive at those words.

The girl studied him for a moment before slowly nodding. “Yes… but why don’t we start with introductions? Who are you?”

Chen Ren smiled lightly. “I’m Chen Ren, sect leader of the Divine Coin Sect.”

The girl raised a brow, then tapped her chest. “I’m Li Qingxue.”

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The boy followed with a nod. “And I’m Li Qingfeng.” He tilted his head. “Divine Coin Sect… never heard of it. And you look young to be a sect leader.”

Chen Ren chuckled. “Not every sect leader comes with a long white beard. What matters is simple—I have money, resources, and I pay well for a job done right.”

Li Qingxue leaned back. “But the job is in the pagoda.”

“Yes,” Chen Ren said without hesitation. “I want the two of you to protect someone from my sect who’s entering it.”

Li Qingfeng frowned slightly. “I thought sects were planning to stick together?”

Chen Ren shook his head. “No, that's not possible. The pagoda is designed to test people individually. The first floor will separate everyone, and it will only be later that everyone will be able to join back with their group. Even then, a lot of people will get stuck on certain floors, and that's why I'm looking for protection for someone I know.”

Both siblings froze immediately and shared a look.

Li Qingxue narrowed her eyes. “… How do you know that?”

“I can’t tell you that,” Chen Ren replied calmly. “But it’s not a guess.”

Li Qingfeng tapped his fingers on the table, thinking. “That does make sense. Everything we’ve heard about the pagoda says it was made to find a successor. You can’t do that with groups.”

Chen Ren smiled. “You’re smart. And yes, the pagoda is designed for individuals rather than groups. The first floor will separate everyone and it would only be possible to meet at the third one, second if one is lucky. I believe the person I want you to watch over—Anji—will pass the first floor. After that, I want you two to form a party with her.”

Li Qingxue raised an eyebrow. “Is she that weak?”

Chen Ren didn’t answer right away. He couldn’t expose Anji’s details, so he thought for a second before saying: “She’s… a different type of cultivator.”

The girl narrowed her eyes. “What does that even mean?”

Chen Ren kept his expression steady. “Not my place to say. You’ll understand when you talk to her yourself.” Then he leaned in slightly. “So? Are you two interested?”

The twins exchanged a long silent look, clearly communicating without words again. Finally, Li Qingfeng spoke.

“What’s the price?”

“Twenty low grade spirit stones,” Chen Ren said. “To protect her inside the pagoda.”

The boy let out a short chuckle. “That’s too little. The inside is going to be full of unknown dangers—beasts, traps, and especially cultivators from sects and clans who’ll attack anyone not backed by a major power.”

“And taking this job solves both your problems,” Chen Ren replied evenly. “I have inside knowledge of the pagoda, so you won't be going into the unknown. And my sect is aligned with Princess Yanyue. You’ll be able to use her name to protect yourself—at least inside the pagoda.”

Both siblings froze immediately. Li Qingxue even choked on the bun she was eating, quickly grabbing a cup of water, coughing hard. Her brother patted her back and waited for her to calm down.

“You’re aligned with a princess?” she sputtered. “Don’t bullshit us.”

Chen Ren sighed. “You have enough time to confirm it yourselves. My sect and the princess entered the wall together. You can ask around.”

The siblings went quiet again. Li Qingfeng opened his mouth to ask something , but Li Qingxue shot him a glare strong enough to glue his mouth shut.

“We’ll talk,” she said. “But only after we confirm what you said. Then we can negotiate.”

“Feel free,” Chen Ren said calmly. “But there’s one more thing I want to know if we agree on the deal.”

Li Qingxue narrowed her eyes. “What’s that?”

“I need the best path to reach the pagoda,” Chen Ren said, “and everything you know about the undead near it.”

***

Three days passed quickly inside the wall.

As Chen Ren had expected, the twins agreed to join him after confirming his story. They settled on twenty-five spirit stones, with one firm condition—they would keep all the spoils they earned inside the pagoda and wouldn’t share anything.

Chen Ren didn’t mind. It was a fair price for two reliable fighters. And he had also moved to confirm that they had no history of betrayal, and were known as trustworthy.

Anji, however, wasn’t pleased.

To her, it felt like he had hired personal bodyguards for her, and she had argued that she didn’t need anyone to babysit her. He had to explain several times that the siblings weren’t there to restrict her—they were only a backup plan in case things went wrong. When Wang Jun also agreed that having support was the wise choice, Anji finally relented. She even started talking to the twins to get to know them better.

Unfortunately, a new problem arose the very next morning.

Somehow, the rumor that someone connected to Princess Yanyue was hiring scavengers spread across the entire wall. Chen Ren had no idea how that even happened. The siblings swore they hadn’t breathed a word to anyone… which meant the only answer was the restaurant owner who had overheard their conversation.

Because of that rumor, dozens of scavengers tried to approach him—many clearly spies from various sects and factions hoping to get close to the princess. Chen Ren had to reject every single one of them, and even Princess Yanyue warned him to be careful.

She invited him and Yalan to dinner every night, and most of the conversations were about the powers entering the pagoda—who was ambitious, who was dangerous, who had brought how many cultivators and who would most likely be an enemy.

One name came up repeatedly.

Thunder Blade Sect

Out of the four Guardian sects, they were the most likely to target Princess Yanyue—or anyone siding with her—inside the pagoda. They didn’t like her, and more importantly, Thunder Blade disciples were infamous for attacking without hesitation if it benefited them.

According to Princess Yanyue, Thunder Blade Sect had a long-standing superiority complex. They were the only Guardian sect that openly pushed back against the empire whenever they could, and they especially disliked her because of some of her views. Chen Ren quietly stored that information away. Thunder Blade Sect was already on his list of people to avoid, and this only confirmed it.

During these dinners, he also told the princess about his plan to reach the pagoda without losing anyone along the way. After listening carefully, she nodded with a small smile and agreed, saying that she herself had similar plans in her mind.

Most of his remaining time inside the wall was spent working on the invisible talismans and testing them by carrying Wang Jun through the hallways. And the results were better than expected. The talisman didn’t just hide Wang Jun from regular cultivators, even Princess Yanyue’s artifacts failed to pick up his presence. Knowing how powerful her detection tools were, Chen Ren immediately made a few extra talismans for himself. Something that reliable could easily save his life inside the pagoda.

Thankfully, nothing else happened. Prince Yuelan hadn’t caused any more trouble after the first meeting; in fact, he had left the wall on the same day. That alone gave Chen Ren a small sense of peace, and the atmosphere remained mostly calm.

And like that, their time on the wall finally came to an end.

When dawn arrived on the third day, their group gathered, checked their supplies one last time, and followed Princess Yanyue and her guards toward the Pagoda of Eternity.

***

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