LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 23 News
```
In the stronghold, a three-story tavern made of bamboo looked primitive yet had the charm of a traditional drinking establishment.
Lu Qingshan had already inquired about it, and this was the tavern with the highest patronage in White Flower Snake Village.
And taverns and brothels were always the best places to gather information.
Lu Qingshan found an empty seat in the tavern, casually ordered a few dishes and drinks, and started eating on his own.
Interestingly, at the table next to him sat a middle-aged sturdy man wearing a grey headband, with a fierce face and an oddly absent nose, apparently shaved off since there was a long scar in its place, looking particularly terrifying.
What was even more chilling, however, was that this middle-aged man ordered a pot of strong liquor called "Bamboo Leaf Green," and after pouring some into a small cup, a small green snake, emerald green like jade, wriggled out from his sleeve.
The strong man carefully held the cup in front of the small green snake, which immediately extended its crimson tongue and began sipping the liquor from the cup with quick flicks.
Yet, the people around them seemed unfazed by this spectacle.
It seemed to be a trait of the Witch Cultivator Tribe, as though all the patrons in the tavern were common folk, Lu Qingshan had already seen seven or eight people with poisonous snakes on them.
However, Lu Qingshan's attention was currently focused on a pair of young men sitting in a corner.
One of the men had a scar from a knife on his face, while the other had a black mark on his neck resembling a centipede; they wore brown headbands, and according to Sang Ku, they should be from the Palace Guard division.
"Big brother, White Flower Snake Village really is becoming more and more lively," the scar-faced man observed the scene in the tavern and murmured softly, "Who would have thought that half a year ago, White Flower Snake Village almost perished, on the brink of decline."
"It was also their good fortune; they were at the very edge of being eradicated, but then at that critical moment, Wizard Wu Shao managed to turn the tide by concocting spiritual medicine.
Not only did he save the lives of almost ten thousand villagers, but he also brought a massive turnaround for White Flower Snake Village. In just half a year, it has developed into this bustling place; it's really a blessing in disguise.
Given this trend, in a few decades, White Flower Snake Village becoming a large tribe would naturally follow their course.
Because of Golden Snake Granny, the Spirit Snake division has long been the dominant force among the five divisions. Ah, these days for us other four divisions are getting tougher and tougher!" the centipede-marked man sighed helplessly.
"At the beginning, the establishment of the five-division alliance was supposed to enable the divisions to support each other better, yet ever since Golden Snake Granny took up the position of Great Elder, she hasn't seen the other four divisions as equals at all, only focusing on hoarding resources and benefits for her Spirit Snake division and herself," the scar-faced man angrily said.
"Shush, don't talk recklessly. On the Spirit Snake division's territory, talking so loudly about Golden Snake Granny is seeking death!" the centipede-marked man smacked the scar-faced man on the head as a caution.
He then looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them, before he pulled the scar-faced man closer and whispered, "Might makes right. Golden Snake Granny is powerful; in each of the three witchcraft conferences, her strength has increased. It's said she has reached the realm of Nascent Soul Perfection."
"I also heard that at the last witchcraft conference, the other four divisions—as if they had long harbored resentment towards Golden Snake Granny's dominance—joined forces and tried to force Golden Snake Granny out of the position of Great Elder!" the centipede-marked man said mysteriously.
"Really? No way!" the scar-faced man exclaimed in astonishment with his mouth agape.
"Lower your voice, why react so loudly?" the centipede-marked man smacked the scar-faced man's head again, displeased, then continued, "Would I lie to you? My second uncle told me this."
The scar-faced man no longer doubted, for the centipede-marked man's second uncle was one of the Foundation Establishment Great Witch Cultivators in their village, with high status and authority; it made sense he knew some secret information, "So what happened in the end?"
"My second uncle isn't very clear about the specific situations, but Golden Snake Granny is still the Great Elder of the alliance, so you should understand what that means, right?" the centipede-marked man said gravely.
Hiss—
```
The scar-faced man took in a sharp breath of cold air.
Golden Snake Granny's renown had spread throughout the Five Faction Alliance, but he really hadn't expected that Golden Snake Granny would be so powerful that even the combined efforts of four factions couldn't pull her down from her position as the Great Elder.
"Why bother thinking so much, we two Qi Refinement juniors?
The Spirit Snake Sect is now an existence we cannot afford to provoke. All we need to do is to honestly bring back the Rejuvenating Spirit Liquid we bought to the village.
With the aid of this Rejuvenating Spirit Liquid, the toxins in the village chief's body can be cleared out a bit more. That's what matters most, the rest isn't our concern to worry about," the centipede man cautioned.
The scar-faced man nodded, and their conversation gradually shifted to other matters.
However, both men failed to notice that, at a table far from theirs, a Golden Core Cultivator was not only paying attention to their hushed conversation but had even set his sights on them.
After having their fill of food and wine, the two lower-grade cultivators from the Guardian Temple were ready to get up and leave the tavern.
Watching the backs of the two men as they departed, Lu Qingshan's eyes flickered with thought.
From their conversation just now, Lu Qingshan had gleaned a lot of useful information, but it was still not enough.
And these two men, who knew quite a bit and were not from White Snake Village, wouldn't attract attention if they disappeared; they were surely the best candidates for extracting intelligence, weren't they?
It was as if they had delivered themselves right to his door.
Lu Qingshan mumbled to himself.
...
The scar-faced man and the centipede man left their stronghold, preparing to head back to their own village, both in quite good spirits.
But abruptly, a green light flashed, and a youth appeared before the two of them.
The youth was very handsome and tall. He merely looked at them quietly, but both of them couldn't help but feel as if a rabbit was being watched by a ferocious tiger, and a cold sweat broke out on their backs.
One who comes uninvited is usually an ill-wisher, and furthermore, the complexion of the youth didn't seem to belong to a witchcraft practitioner.
Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire
Although various thoughts flashed through their minds, the centipede man's reaction was by no means slow. With a flick of his right hand, dozens of long, black, worm-like insects appeared and rushed towards the youth.
Lu Qingshan's eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at these black insects.
These must be the Poisonous Insects bred by witchcraft practitioners. They looked quite uncommon, but to dare to take action against himself, a mere Qi Refinement junior cultivator, was simply overestimating themselves.
To deal with a cultivator of this level, Lu Qingshan didn't need to use his Life-bound Sword at all. He simply extended a finger and lightly tapped.
A flash of Sword Qi vanished in a blink of an eye, splitting into fine threads in the air, effortlessly slashing the onrushing black insects to the ground.
It turned out they were just a group of black geckos, each no longer than a finger.