Chapter 640
by fanqienovelChapter 640: A Great Grudge
"That’s correct."
The shopkeeper at Wanbao Pavilion explained with a smile, "The Dai Mei blush from Tianxiang Tower is in high demand, and we currently don’t have any extra stock, so it requires a reservation."
Yongle Immortal City did not have Tianxiang Tower; in fact, “Tianxiang Tower” was akin to a brand name from Wang Chen’s past life.
Since he couldn’t find it elsewhere, Wang Chen came to Wanbao Pavilion.
Judging by the shopkeeper’s expression, he suspected it was a luxury brand!
“No extra stock?”
Wang Chen caught the implication in the shopkeeper’s words: “So, there is still stock available?”
“Those are all reserved by others.”
The shopkeeper’s smile grew even more amiable: “If you want it right away, you’ll need to pay extra spirit stones.”
Wang Chen couldn’t help but ask, “How much extra?”
“A box of Dai Mei blush from Tianxiang Tower is priced at ninety Intermediate Spirits.”
The shopkeeper replied, “If you want to get it early, you’ll have to pay an additional twenty Intermediate Spirits.”
“What?!”
Wang Chen nearly spat out blood: “Ninety Intermediate Spirits?”
A box of blush sold for ninety Intermediate Spirits, which was equivalent to over ten thousand spirit fragments.
As a guard in the Forbidden Prison Office, Wang Chen’s salary was considered quite high in Yongle Immortal City, yet he would need nearly two months’ worth of wages to afford such a box of blush.
Not to mention the additional twenty Intermediate Spirits.
This was daylight robbery!
Wang Chen wanted to turn and leave.
But at the moment he turned, he suddenly remembered what Yu Fei had said to him in the end.
“Brother Wang, you are a good person. Once I get out, I will definitely find you a partner who has not lost their original yin in the sect.”
Forget the good person card.
Forget the partner who has not lost their original yin.
What did this enchantress from the Hehuan Sect mean by “getting out”?
Did she have a chance to leave the dungeon alive?
Considering what Yu Fei did in prison, unless the top brass of the Forbidden Prison Office had lost their minds, they would never release such a peculiar person.
The question arose: What did the Forbidden Prison Office want from her?
Why did the flower pin Yu Fei produced manage to breach the defenses of the iron-willed Warden Cao?
Wang Chen’s mind raced as he turned back and slammed a spirit stone onto the counter: “One hundred Intermediate Spirits, sell it to me now, or don’t bother.”
The shopkeeper showed a troubled expression, as if weighing his options.
Just as Wang Chen grew impatient, the shopkeeper finally said, “Deal!”
Wang Chen exchanged one hundred Intermediate Spirits for a box of Dai Mei blush from Tianxiang Tower, which weighed only a few ounces, including the blush box!
The next day, back in District J9, Wang Chen presented the box of blush to Yu Fei.
He grumbled, “Next time, don’t make me run errands like this! Even if you’re my family, I can’t keep up with it!”
Yu Fei laughed so hard that she seemed to tremble like a flower in the wind—though Wang Chen couldn’t see it.
After her laughter subsided, she said, “I knew Brother Wang was a kind soul; I wouldn’t let a good person suffer.”
Wang Chen shook his head, “Let’s just forget it.”
He wondered if he had lost his mind, spending one hundred Intermediate Spirits on blush for this enchantress.
“Let me sing you a song,” Yu Fei offered cheerfully, clearly in high spirits after receiving the blush. “My singing is among the finest in the sect.”
Before Wang Chen could respond, a melody of ethereal beauty drifted from the prison cell, weaving its way into his ears.
Wang Chen’s heart was stirred.
Strangely, he couldn’t understand the words of the song sung by this female cultivator from the Hehuan Sect; it sounded like a foreign tongue. Yet her voice carried an inexplicable charm that soothed his spirit and cleansed his soul, leaving him utterly relaxed.
When the song ended, Wang Chen felt as though he had awakened from a dream.
“That was beautiful,” he said, unable to resist praising her.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Yu Fei replied with a smile. “It’s been a while since I last sang. You should go now; don’t let your patrol duties be delayed.”
At that moment, Wang Chen realized he had lingered too long with Yu Fei!
He hurriedly left.
This incident left Wang Chen feeling cautious.
For the next few days, Wang Chen moved briskly, avoiding lengthy conversations with this female cultivator from the Hehuan Sect to prevent further complications.
However, as the saying goes, when the tree seeks peace, the wind refuses to cease. On this day, as Wang Chen arrived at the duty hall, he was summoned into a room.
“Wang Chen, someone has reported that you’ve been overly familiar with a prisoner,” a stern-faced middle-aged cultivator accused, his gaze cold as if looking at a dead man. “Moreover, you’ve been smuggling items to the prisoner. Do you understand the gravity of your actions?”
Who could have reported him?
Wang Chen’s mind raced: “It’s true that I brought a box of blush to Yu Fei, a female cultivator from the Hehuan Sect, but I had Warden Cao’s permission. Beyond that, I’ve done nothing else.”
“Warden Cao is away on official business,” the middle-aged cultivator replied impassively. “The truth of your claim remains to be verified, but your closeness to the prisoner is undeniable. Given that this is your first offense, I’ll let it pass for now, but your patrol route will be reassigned.”
His eyes held a faint, almost imperceptible trace of pity, as if he were observing prey caught in a snare.
Wang Chen bowed, “Understood.”
This middle-aged cultivator was also a supervising officer in District J9, named Wu Yi. Though his rank was slightly below Warden Cao’s, it was still formidable.
When Warden Cao was absent, Wu Yi acted as the acting Prison Official.
In short, he was not someone Wang Chen could afford to cross!
Wang Chen’s original patrol route was promptly changed.
The new route was longer and required traversing several areas marked by dangerously high concentrations of negative energy.
These areas were specially noted on the map!
Wang Chen couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.
Supervising Officer Wu Yi seemed to be deliberately targeting him.
The problem was, Wang Chen had never done anything to provoke him!
His confusion was soon clarified.
As Wang Chen began patrolling the new prison route, he was intercepted by a burly cultivator.
The man wore a smug grin and whispered, “Wang Chen, now you see what happens when you cross us brothers, don’t you?”
It was Hu Qi!
Wang Chen hadn’t expected that after more than half a month, this man would still be scheming against him.
Truly, petty people are hard to guard against!
Seeing Wang Chen remain silent, Hu Qi grew even bolder: “You still have a chance to make amends. Just hand over forty Intermediate Spirits and two bottles of Pulse Opening and Evil Dispelling Pills every month…”
Wang Chen had no patience for his nonsense and walked past Hu Qi before he could finish.
Hu Qi’s face flushed with anger, and he shook his fist at Wang Chen’s retreating back, “Fine! We’ll see how this ends for you. When the time comes, don’t come crawling to me. Even if you kneel and call me grandpa, it won’t save you!”
Wang Chen didn’t respond. Instead, he raised his hand and flashed his middle finger, making sure Hu Qi saw it.
Though Hu Qi didn’t understand the gesture, he sensed the contempt and insult in Wang Chen’s action.
His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and his eyes burned with fury.
This had become a deep and bitter grudge!