Chapter 199
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Chapter 199: Title
Wucheng.
This city near Hanjiang served as the closest settlement for the Blue Star travelers, and the very place where Li You and Xue Ming had successfully infiltrated.
After several days of posing as beggars, the duo had defeated a gang of aggressive panhandlers to establish themselves as leaders among the beggars. Their disheveled appearances—tattered garments, rag-wrapped heads, and grime-streaked faces clutching walking sticks—formed perfect disguises. Who could imagine these wretched figures bore bounties?
Both men hailed from respectable backgrounds; their former lives as travel streamers would’ve been impossible otherwise. Completing their daily rounds of street begging, they slipped into an alley behind an inn where kitchen remnants offered meager sustenance. The establishment’s original beggars had long since been driven off.
They timed their arrival perfectly as a kitchen hand emerged to discard scraps. Producing chipped bowls with practiced ease, the men collected their cold supper before retreating to squat against the sun-warmed wall.
"Damn this cursed crossing!" Li You’s 190cm frame trembled over the meager meal. "What kind of travelers endure such humiliation?"
Xue Ming’s chopsticks hesitated mid-motion before resuming. Though maintaining outward composure, he privately shared his companion’s frustration. Only the enhanced willpower from their cultivation training prevented desperate actions during their first days of this degrading existence.
The basic cultivation method from Zhongxia’s official portal granted limited power—insufficient for grand spells before reaching the Innate Realm, yet adequate for Spiritual Energy manipulation lethal enough against ordinary people. Their current squalor served as necessary camouflage.
"Patience," Xue Ming murmured. "Our speech betrays us as outsiders. Those notices…"
His gaze drifted to the bulletin board’s yellow parchment posted two days prior. The archaic characters resembled traditional Chinese but defied comprehension. However, the illustrations proved unmistakable—short-haired figures in T-shirts and pants, bearing backpacks. The likenesses clearly depicted fellow plane crash survivors who’d rejected the witch’s contract.
Spectators clustered around the notice displayed mixed reactions—some thrilled, others fearful. Though illiterate, the men recognized the three recurring characters as likely spelling "Wanted."
Wiping his mouth, Xue Ming observed, "I’ve deciphered basic phrases through eavesdropping, but full fluency requires time."
"All yours," Li You grumbled. While competent academically, he couldn’t match Xue Ming’s linguistic prowess.
The scholar nodded. Hanjiang’s language contained familiar phonetic elements beneath its foreign surface. Immersion in this rich language environment, combined with cultivation-enhanced cognition—sharpened memory and pattern recognition—would accelerate mastery.
…
Xunyang City.
Embroidery Pavilion.
Ye Linlang sipped tea with practiced patience until Yun’er emerged from the dressing chambers, trailed by Yun Niang and an assistant seamstress. Racks of finished garments filled the space, many requiring only minor alterations to fit the young woman perfectly.
“Master.”
“Hmm.” Ye Linlang glanced over.
Yun’er had shed her plain cotton dress, now adorned in a silk brocade ruqun with a crossed collar that accentuated her waist. Her hair had been intricately restyled into an elegant updo.
Clothes truly make the person—this refined transformation made her radiate like polished jade.
One might easily mistake her for a nobleman’s cherished daughter.
“Acceptable,” Ye Linlang remarked before turning her gaze to Yun Niang.
“Eight ensembles totaling three thousand eight hundred taels,” Yun Niang smiled ingratiatingly. “Might this humble one inquire about the young mistress’ residence for delivery?”
Yun’er paled at the sum—three thousand eight hundred taels! Her grandfather’s meager five hundred taels couldn’t possibly cover this. Panic flickered across her features.
Unlike the oblivious “Lilith,” Ye Linlang grasped the extravagance immediately. Here, silver held immense value—common folk survived on five taels yearly, paupers on even less.
Three thousand taels for garments? Preposterous.
Yet this was Xunyang City, merchant capital where gold flowed like rivers. The Embroidery Pavilion catered exclusively to nobility, its finest pieces costing hundreds per set—a trifle for the privileged.
“Master…” Yun’er’s voice trembled.
Ye Linlang silenced her by withdrawing a kilogram gold bar from her sleeve. “Sufficient?”
The unmarked ingot clinked onto the tea table, its twenty-centimeter length gleaming with telltale purity.
Yun Niang’s composure cracked—patrons often flaunted wealth, but none had ever nonchalantly tossed raw bullion.
“A moment, honored guest.”
As attendants verified the gold’s weight and quality, Ye Linlang waited impassively. When Yun Niang returned bearing thick stacks of banknotes, the cultivator merely flicked her eyes toward Yun’er to claim them.
Mortal riches meant nothing to one who treated Hanjiang as her courtyard and plundered Blue Star’s resources at whim. Only Fantasy Points and divine power crystals held value now.
At Yuefeng Inn, Hao Youqian scratched his head fruitlessly for business schemes. Finding his master absent despite repeated calls, he roughly seized the innkeeper’s collar.
“Where’s my mistress?”
“G-gone out!” The quivering man stammered. “A beauty like her draws eyes wherever she goes—ask around!”
On the second floor, a blue-robed youth snapped his fan shut. “That guard’s reached the Innate Realm. His red-clad mistress must be extraordinary.”
“Still scheming, Seventh Brother?” His companion rolled jade-like eyes. “You hesitated when she departed earlier.”
“Rushing startles the phoenix,” he chided, then brightened. “Ah! She returns!”
Below them, Ye Linlang entered to witness Hao Youqian manhandling the innkeeper. The brute instantly released his grip and prostrated himself.
“This lowly one begs punishment for tardiness!” His dramatic kowtow drew murmurs from onlookers.
“Rise.” Her frosty tone cut through the whispers.
Her gaze lifted to meet the blue-robed aristocrat’s stare—an anticipated chess piece in her designs. Seizing the moment, he vaulted gracefully from the balcony, landing before her with florid bows.
“Might this unworthy one share tea with Miss Ghost in Red?”
Above, his sister facepalmed as Hao Youqian swung a meaty fist. The dandy’s fan intercepted the blow effortlessly.
“Peace, good sir! Merely extending hospitality!”
Ye Linlang’s lips curved beneath her mask. “Lead on,” she commanded, setting destiny’s wheels in motion.
