With a sufficient offer presented, the man was finally willing to speak.
"Aight, fine. There is someone. Hooded fellow, just like you said. Came 'bout a month ago. Rented a room. Ain't said more than ten words the whole time."
Daoist Chu's gaze sharpened. "Is he here now?"
The man shook his head, reaching for his cup again. "Left early this morning. Don't know where he goes. But he's always back before sundown. Like clockwork. Never stays out past nightfall."
"And he's the only one staying here?"
The man nodded. "Only one. You're the first others I've seen walk in here in weeks."
Daoist Chu silently compared the man's words with what the twin snakes had sensed earlier. Just one scent—faintly fermented, male, human. Everything matched.
He then took out a single high-grade immortal stone and placed it on the desk. The man's eyes nearly popped from their sockets. He grabbed it immediately, tucking it into his shirt like a prized heirloom.
