Chapter 197
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Chapter 197: Title
Having toured the Underworld, Ye Linlang left a message within Ghostly Mountain’s palace—an enchanted response that would activate when Yanluo and the judge next sought audience with her.
Curious? The message’s content would adapt to whatever matter brought them.
Her gaze swept across the holographic screen before her. With a thought, she shifted her consciousness back to Hanjiang.
With no pressing matters on Blue Star, visiting Hanjiang now seemed prudent. She could return for the East-West exchange meeting in due time.
Hanjiang
Ye Linlang’s timing proved impeccable. As she awakened within Lilith’s body, the carriage’s deceleration pulsed through her senses like a slowing heartbeat.
She found her head pillowed on Yun’er’s lap. The servant girl started when their eyes met, hastily helping her mistress rise. Accepting the assistance with regal ease, Ye Linlang embodied Lady Witch’s authority—a Hell sovereign who commanded even Fallen Angels, accustomed to being tended by numerous retainers.
"Progress?" Her question floated with casual weight.
Hao Youqian’s voice carried through the carriage walls. "Master, we approach Xunyang City’s gates. The queue for entry lies ahead."
Yun’er presented tea with downcast eyes, the porcelain trembling slightly in her hands. "Your refreshment, Master."
The feudal deference made Ye Linlang feel like some exploitative aristocrat. She sipped the steaming brew. "Duration traveled?"
"Ten hours precisely." The servant’s reply came swift as a trained songbird’s. Since synchronizing Hanjiang’s timeline with Blue Star after the travelers’ arrival, temporal symmetry ruled both realms.
When silence lingered, Yun’er ventured, "We halted twice. Grandfather procured provisions and… made the inquiries you requested."
"Elaborate." Ye Linlang nibbled a candied plum, her expression revealing nothing.
Emboldened, the servant continued, "Our journey passed three small towns, five villages, and a city. Commonfolk require seven months to reach Xijing Prefecture, so Grandfather says."
Xijing Prefecture—the Dayong Dynasty’s jeweled capital nestled in the Eastern Continent’s fertile heartlands—lay worlds apart from their starting point in the southeastern wilds.
"Seven months." The words fell like frost crystals.
Yun’er rushed to clarify, "But at our pace, mere ten days remain!"
Their carriage streaked like the wind across main roads, leaving ordinary people rubbing their eyes at the phantom blur. Miles dissolved beneath them between heartbeats.
A noncommittal hum. Yun’er studied her folded hands, the air thickening with unspoken tension. Even in stillness, Lady Witch’s presence dominated the confined space.
Curiously, no guard had remarked upon the carriage’s slumbering beauty during inspections. Grandfather’s whispered words echoed: "The Master’s power transcends mortal comprehension."
"Xunyang’s reputation?" Ye Linlang’s query hung between servant and driver.
Yun’er froze, but Hao Youqian’s knowledge flowed readily: "A silk-draped metropolis, Master—foremost among Jiangnan’s treasures. Mulberry fields embrace its walls, and the Huai River kisses its western flank. They call it the Loom of Dayong."
Their path had unfurled from southeastern crags to Jiangnan’s lush plains, yet Xijing Prefecture still beckoned northward across the continent’s breadth.
Ye Linlang acknowledged with a hum. "Purchase some books."
"What sort does Master require?" Hao Youqian inquired cautiously.
"Astronomy and geography, medical texts and divination charts, legends and biographies, myths and historical records…" Her voice trailed into contemplation before concluding, "All knowledge concerning this world."
Beyond the carriage.
Guiding their vehicle through the queue, Hao Youqian suppressed shivers at his mistress’s icy tones. Other worlds existing beyond theirs? The servant shook his head, banishing treacherous thoughts. The debt owed to his benefactress demanded absolute loyalty, not philosophical musings.
The procession advanced swiftly. Within moments, their carriage approached Xunyang City’s gates. Though respectable for provincial roads, their transport appeared shabby amidst the capital’s splendor. Hao Youqian observed ornate carriages bypassing inspections entirely – gilded contraptions making their own seem less "modest" than laughable.
Yet the servant’s chest swelled with secret pride. What noble’s coach could rival spatial sorcery permitting two carriages’ worth of interior space within ordinary dimensions?
"State your business in Xunyang!" A guard’s spear-point lifted their curtain.
Hao Youqian intercepted the motion with practiced deference. "We journey to Xijing Prefecture and seek night’s lodging here." The parted fabric revealed merely a plain-clad girl sipping tea.
The guard snorted. "Ten coppers for wheels, two per head."
"Of course, honored keeper." Fourteen coins changed hands.
As wheels creaked forward, Ye Linlang’s voice floated through camphor-scented air: "Peel me an orange."
Yun’er fumbled with the citrus, cheeks flushing when presenting a segment to her mistress’ lips. "Please partake, Master." She’d witnessed the Zhao family’s second master receiving such service, though her imitation felt clumsy.
The immortal’s composure nearly fractured. Years of scheming behind Lilith’s persona hadn’t prepared her for feudal courtesies. Maintaining icy poise, she accepted the offering with regal indifference.
Yuefeng Inn
Xunyang’s most opulent establishment loomed ahead, its vermilion pillars putting their carriage’s weathered wood to shame. A waiter dubbed Little San emerged, lip curling at their rustic transport.
Hao Youqian squared his shoulders. Let silk-clad fools mock – none possessed a master who folded space itself. "We require your finest chambers," he declared, copper coins jingling with newfound confidence.
Although Little San harbored such thoughts, he stepped forward and inquired, “Might I ask where the honorable guests hail from? Are you seeking lodging?”
“We require your finest room,” declared Hao Youqian as he leapt from the carriage. After positioning the footstool, he addressed the drawn curtain: “Master, we’ve arrived.”
Little San stifled a derisive snort, fleeting contempt flashing through his eyes before resuming his professional demeanor.
The curtain parted to reveal a girl clad in blue floral cotton, indistinguishable from any commoner’s daughter in Xunyang City. Holding the drape aloft, she extended her free hand into the carriage’s shadowed interior.
A hand emerged – slender fingers of alabaster perfection resting against a wrist pale as winter moonlight. The woman who followed wore a red and black brocade skirt, her obsidian tresses secured by a black and gold hairpin. Jade earrings of exceptional quality graced her ears, complementing an ensemble of understated opulence accentuated by exquisite waist ornaments.
Yet these adornments paled before her visage. Eyebrows arched like distant hills dusted with twilight, a nose of regal proportion, lips needing no rouge to bloom crimson… Little San mused that even Xunyang’s acclaimed greatest beauty could scarcely rival this vision – though he’d never seen that paragon himself.
“Tend to our carriage with high-quality feed,” Hao Youqian instructed the gaping attendant before following his mistress indoors.
Though Hao Youqian and Yun’er had grown accustomed to their master’s presence, newcomers invariably succumbed to her spell.
Ye Linlang entered the inn fully aware of Lilith’s devastating countenance. Adopting the succubus’ signature beguiling smile, she let her lips curve faintly, scattering wits like autumn leaves in a gale.
“Innkeeper! We require accommodation!” Hao Youqian’s repeated calls finally pierced the manager’s trance when he slammed his fist on the counter. The master’s lengthening wait could prove dangerous.
The manager started, hastily wiping dry lips. “How many rooms?” he managed, eyes resolutely averted.
“Your best suite and two standard chambers for the night. Prepare your finest banquet in a quiet place – we’ll dine shortly.”
Tempered by recent trials, Hao Youqian now spoke with authority rather than his former timidity.
“Of course, honored guests!” The manager’s eyes betrayed him, darting toward Ye Linlang despite his efforts.
A cold glare from Ye Linlang swept the second floor windows where unseen observers lingered. “Steward,” she intoned.
“Your command, Master?” Hao Youqian responded instantly.
“This clamor displeases me.”
Understanding immediately, he barked, “Escort us now!”
The manager nearly tripped in his haste to lead them courtyard-ward. Normalcy returned to the common room only after Ye Linlang’s departure.
On the second floor, a blue-clad man fanned himself beside a woman in red. “Compared to this vision,” he mused, “Cloud and Sunset Palace’s so-called beauty seems but a pale imitation.”
“A peerless jewel,” the woman conceded tonelessly. “Yet perilous. Heed me, Seventh Brother – abandon whatever schemes brew behind your eyes.”
“When a gentleman beholds such beauty, how can he not seek her favor?”
“Eighth Sister’s tongue grows sharp. Would she not make splendid Seventh Sister-in-law? I dare say no greater beauty exists beneath heaven.”
