471: Chapter 471 Black Spider Lady

"A lot of unfamiliar faces have arrived in the city recently, and none of them are easy to deal with.

Some say they are here for that ancient altar to the north.

If you are also here for that thing, you'd better be careful not to end up as someone else's stepping stone."

The ancient altar!

Ye Tian and Shui Qingdie exchanged a look, both seeing a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.

It seemed they weren't the only ones eyeing that ancient altar.

"Thank you for the warning," Ye Tian thanked him again, then led Shui Qingdie toward the southern part of the city.

...

The Spiders Nest.

Although the name was crude, the place was unexpectedly elegant.

It was a three-story wooden building with outer walls covered in vines, dotted with tiny white flowers that emitted a faint, refreshing fragrance.

An ebony plaque hung in front of the building, with three words written in silver powder—The Spiders Nest.

There was no greeter at the door, only a black cat squatting on the threshold, lazily licking its paws.

Seeing Ye Tian and Shui Qingdie approach, the black cat raised its head, stared at them for a few seconds, then let out a meow, turned, and leaped inside as if leading the way.

"This cat... is quite spiritual," Shui Qingdie said, somewhat surprised.

"An owner who can raise such a spiritual cat in a place like this is surely no ordinary person," Ye Tian said as he followed it inside.

The teahouse's interior decoration was in perfect keeping with its elegant exterior.

A few ink landscape paintings hung on the walls, and an incense burner was lit in the corner, its curling smoke releasing a soothing sandalwood scent.

In the entire first-floor lobby, there were only three or four tables of customers, each talking in low voices. When they saw Ye Tian enter, they all looked up for a moment before lowering their heads again.

Behind the counter sat a woman.

She looked to be in her early thirties, wearing a dark green dress, her hair swept up high and secured with a silver hairpin.

Her features weren't stunning, but she had a unique charm, especially those eyes, which were so sharp they seemed capable of seeing right through people.

At this moment, she was holding a silver needle in her hand, repairing a damaged spiderweb.

It was a decorative spiderweb hanging next to the counter, its threads crystal clear and shimmering with silver light under the lamps.

"Mending a spiderweb?" Ye Tian walked up to the counter and remarked casually.

The woman didn't look up, continuing her work. "If the web is broken and you don't mend it, you won't catch any prey. Young man, don't you think that makes sense?"

"That depends on what kind of prey it is." Ye Tian placed a small piece of High-Grade Spirit Stone on the counter. "Some prey don't need a web to be caught."

The silver needle in the woman's hand paused slightly. She looked up, her gaze lingering on Ye Tian's face for a few seconds before sweeping over Shui Qingdie beside him, a smile slowly curling the corners of her lips. "How interesting.

Have a seat. What would you like to drink?"

"A pot of tea will do." Ye Tian sat down near the window, and Shui Qingdie took a seat opposite him.

The woman set down her silver needle, stood up, and walked toward the back kitchen. A moment later, she emerged carrying a set of purple clay teaware, set it before Ye Tian, and personally poured them two cups of tea.

The tea was a bright, clear golden color, with a pure and long-lasting aroma. It was obvious at a glance that it was no ordinary brew.

"This is Sea Buckthorn Silver Needle, unique to the Northern Wilderness. Only one catty is harvested every five years, so it counts as my private stash."

The woman sat down opposite Ye Tian, crossing her legs with an easy posture. "Speak, what do you want to ask about?"

Ye Tian picked up his teacup, didn't drink, but merely brought it to his nose to sniff before setting it down. "The ancient altar to the north."

Hearing this, the smile on the woman's face faltered slightly before returning to normal, but how could that split-second change escape Ye Tian's eyes?

"That altar..."

The woman picked up her own teacup and took a slow sip. "That is an ill-omened place.

A lot of people have come to the city recently, and they're all here for it.

But let me give you a piece of advice—that place isn't something just anyone can meddle with."

"Why?" Ye Tian asked.

The woman fell silent for a moment, set down her teacup, her gaze turning somewhat distant. "Because out of ten people who went to that altar, nine never returned. The only one who did return went mad."

"Mad?" Shui Qingdie couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, mad."

The woman nodded. "When he came back, he was covered in blood, and he kept repeating one phrase—shouldn't have opened it, shouldn't have opened it...

Within two days, he died. When he died, his eyes were wide open, and he still had a smile on his face. That smile... I'll never forget it as long as I live."

At this point, the woman glanced at Ye Tian, her tone growing a bit more serious. "Young man, I'm only telling you this because you look decent.

If you're just looking for treasure and wealth, there are plenty of other ruins in the Northern Wilderness. There's no need to touch that place.

If you're here for something else..."

She paused and said meaningfully, "Then you need to think it through even more. Some things are not necessarily better to know than to remain ignorant of."

Ye Tian fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly, "Thank you for your kindness, Proprietress. But I have a reason why I must go."

The woman stared at him for a long while before finally sighing and shaking her head. "Very well, I've said all I should. You make your own decision.

If you insist on going, I can give you a clue—there's an information broker in town named Vulture, who has a map of that altar.

However, that man's movements are unpredictable. If you want to find him, you'll have to go to the Blood Hand Arena in the west of the city to try your luck."

"Blood Hand Arena?"

"The largest underground arena in the City of Buried Bones."

The woman picked up her teacup and took another sip. "Vulture is a regular there, watching a few matches almost every night. If you want to find him, just wait there and you'll eventually run into him."

Ye Tian stood up and cupped his hands in a salute. "Thank you for the guidance, Proprietress. How much for this pot of tea?"

"Forget it," the woman waved her hand. "Consider it my treat.

After all... it's not easy to meet a young man who is pleasing to the eye in a place like this."

Ye Tian did not decline further, thanked her again, and then left the Spiders Nest with Shui Qingdie.

Walking out of the teahouse, the sky outside had already darkened.

"Are we going to the Blood Hand Arena now?" Shui Qingdie asked.

"No rush," Ye Tian shook his head. "Let's find a place to stay first and learn about the rules of the Blood Hand Arena. Rushing into a place like that blindly makes it easy to suffer a setback."

The City of Buried Bones was very large, and since there were many people coming and going, there were naturally many inns.

Ye Tian and Shui Qingdie randomly found an inn in the city to settle down.

The innkeeper was an old mercenary missing an arm. He collected the money straightforwardly, asked no questions about their background, and didn't speak much, simply pointing to two empty rooms on the second floor before going back to his drinking.

After settling in, Ye Tian was in no hurry to go to the Blood Hand Arena. Instead, he first took a walk around the city to familiarize himself with the terrain.

The layout of the City of Buried Bones was chaotic, with streets winding and turning. There was no unified planning in the city; whoever had the hardest fists could seize the best locations.

The east of the city was where the wealthy and merchants gathered, while the west of the city was the slums and the territory of underground forces.

The Blood Hand Arena was located in the deepest ruins of the western part of the city.

When night fell, the entire city actually became lively.

All kinds of people who had been lying low during the day came out. From time to time, groups of three to five burly men could be seen gathered around campfires, drinking and eating meat.

"This place... day and night are practically like two different cities," Shui Qingdie said in a low voice.

"The day is for show; the night is the reality," Ye Tian said calmly. "Let's go, to the Blood Hand Arena."