Minglong

Chapter 325 Misty Wave City

Three days later, in Yanbo City.

Spring rain turned the earth a dark blue-green color, and ferries laden with laborers slowly emerged from the misty clouds on the river, gradually approaching the bustling dock.

On the second floor of the ship's deck, a lump of coal, now resembling a speckled chicken, stood on the windowsill, persistently tapping on the window with its claws.

Da da da……

The room was filled with a faint fragrance of feminine scent. The tables and chairs, which had been neatly arranged, were now somewhat messy. A black dress and a light blue dress hung on the screen, barely touched for three days. Shoes, socks, and magical artifacts were scattered on the floor.

Between the curtains, Xie Jinhuan leaned against the pillow and let out a soft breath, feeling how quickly time had passed.

Lin Wanyi lay weakly on the chest, her cheek buried in the shoulder, half asleep.

With nothing to do during the three-day voyage, Xie Jinhuan practiced his martial arts. The mother with the big and small eyes got along very well, taking turns going back to handle the affairs of the hall and managing the hall in an orderly manner. The only drawback was that Wanyi was not familiar with the capital at first and was a bit like stepping on the gas. If it weren't for Sister Bu's martial arts background, she wouldn't have been able to handle it.

Nangong Ye dared not switch shifts with his disciple to go back and practice, as the training was endless. At this moment, he lay slumped to the side, unwilling to move.

Realizing the coal briquettes were about to rebel, Xie Jinhuan patted the bespectacled woman on the back and sat up:

"Here is the place."

"Oh……"

Lin Wanyi sat up groggily, instinctively clutching her head to help Xie Jinhuan wake up. She closed her eyes to sense her surroundings, but after a moment, she opened them again, her gaze completely changed. Then she raised her hand and patted her side.

"Hey, hey, hey, Fairy Hoho, still sleeping? Get up..."

Upon hearing this despicable nickname, Nangong Ye was instantly enraged. He flipped her over and began to beat her while pinning her down.

"are you crazy?"

"Is there something wrong with this form of address?"

"You... other martial arts practitioners practice on plum blossom stakes, who walks like you,..."

"You didn't leave?"

"You think I wanted this..."

Crackling...

Xie Jinhuan dared not laugh, feeling extremely uncomfortable holding it in, and quickly stepped between the two to break up the fight:

"Alright, alright, just kidding. You guys rest, I'll clean up."

"Humph……"

……

Two quarters of an hour later.

Nangong Ye changed into a simple black dress, wore a veiled hat, and carried a sword. She looked like a ceremonious female knight-errant, untouched by worldly dust, standing on the riverbank and looking at the city that was difficult to see in the rain and mist.

Bu Yuehua was also dressed neatly, her face hidden by a veil, her eyes filled with amazement:
"I thought Yanbo City was a small city, but I didn't expect it to be so big. Where are we going now?"

Xie Jinhuan, cloaked and with a throwing knife at his waist, handed the speckled chicken that kept trying to beat him to Sister Bu:
"I'll go find the people from Blood Rain Tower to ask about the situation in the city. You guys go find a place to stay near Moon Pavilion and we'll meet up there later."

Bu Yuehua nodded slightly, took the coal ball, and watched Xie Jinhuan disappear into the crowd before turning and heading towards the vast city. Although she felt somewhat ashamed of what had happened on the ship, she still walked lightly and gracefully to keep the flirtatious nun in check, and approached to ask:

"Hoho Fairy, are you comfortable?"

Nangong Ye had been losing for over half a year, and now he had finally pinned the blame for 'not even daring to have a mistress' on the witch's head, which actually made him quite satisfied. However, this was also the only thing she could use to ridicule the witch, so to avoid being exposed, she still feigned shame and anger, and lashed her with the hilt of her sword:

"Xie Jinhuan is gone. If you continue to spout nonsense, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Ha~"

Coal Ball had no idea what the two were talking about. Hearing "so strong" made him think of salt, and then of a big grilled fish. He shook his head and kept grumbling, as if to say, "Stop arguing, stop arguing, let's order first..."

……
-
Shortly after.

Outside Yanbo City, inside a gambling den.

A large number of gamblers gathered around the table, shouting and yelling. The air was thick with a musty smell, and there were hardly any well-dressed people to be seen.

There was a considerable amount of silver in the accounting room on the second floor. Xie Jinhuan stood by the window, gazing at the misty buildings in the distance, his gaze fixed on the palace-like structure in the central area:
"Shang Lianbi lives over there?" Fan Hai Nie, who arrived almost simultaneously, also wore the same mask as the lord and stood respectfully to his side.
"The disciples of Yanbo City all live there. It is considered the sect's residence. Outsiders are not allowed to enter. However, we do not know where the city lord is. The person in charge of Yanbo City is currently called Shang Mingzhen. His cultivation is unfathomable. He is in charge of all sects in Longgu Beach, as well as trade routes and taxes."

Shang Lianbi's successor holds the same status as Wuxin Monk and Lu Wuzhen, but Yanbo City maintains a low profile and does not serve as the sect leader to spread the teachings. Little is known about his disciples within the pass.

Xie Jinhuan suspected that this Shang Mingzhen was the one who had seized the opportunity in Xirong sixty years ago, but having never met him, she couldn't be certain. She then asked:
What was the likely situation regarding the opportunity at Dragon Bone Beach?

"Hmm... As is customary, the opportunity usually appears after Qingming Festival. It's hard to say exactly where it will be. Last time, Yanbo City gave us the approximate location, and it should be the same this time..."

After saying a few words, Fan Hai Nie took out a card from his sleeve:
"Yanbo City is not a charity. If they give away an opportunity that comes from their own territory for free, they will definitely want to make a profit from the people who come. Therefore, they have been playing all sorts of tricks before Qingming Festival, and even sent out invitations to the patriarchs of all parties to participate in the Mountain and Sea Pavilion. When they heard that people from my Blood Rain Pavilion had arrived, they also sent out an invitation."

Xie Jinhuan took the post, which was signed Shang Mingzhen. The content was quite formulaic, roughly meaning, "Our company is holding an event at Shanhailou, and we sincerely invite Master Wei to attend," and so on...

Xie Jinhuan glanced around but still didn't understand what they were going to do, so he asked:
What kind of tricks is Yanbo City up to?

"They brought out a lot of rare and precious materials, auctioning them off to the highest bidder. In addition, they somehow learned a method to put rare treasures from mountains and seas into boxes and let visiting cultivators choose blindly. They also made it clear that there were no restrictions on supernatural powers or spells. It is said that someone was lucky enough to get a Rejuvenating Grass with two ounces of Dragon Yang Flower, which made all the patriarchs extremely envious..."

Two taels of Longyang Flower can fetch over a thousand taels in the market. Although it is not cheap, Longyang Flower is a high-grade herb that can ward off disease and poison, cleanse the marrow and strengthen the bones, and even heal root damage. The price difference is therefore considerable.

Xie Jinhuan became interested upon hearing this, since with A Piao's strength, wouldn't this kind of game be tantamount to giving him a free opportunity?

"Are you sure you don't restrict any spells? This box was personally sealed by Old Demon Shang?"

Fan Hai Nie nodded: "Only the City Lord himself could make such a boast, otherwise Yanbo City would go bankrupt. I advise you to go and make friends with a few heroes, and definitely don't gamble. Last night, Lu Yan from Wuling Mountain spent half a day making wild calculations at Shanhai Tower, and ended up exchanging his Yellow Scale Seal for a bottle of Qi Nourishing Pills. It was almost laughable..."

"what?!"

Upon hearing this, Fan Hai Nie assumed Xie Jin Huan didn't believe him, and spoke earnestly:

"Absolutely true. How could they possibly take advantage of them on Yanbo City's territory? I suspect anyone who's trying to get something for nothing is a shill. If they misjudged, it's their own fault for not being good enough, and nobody would dare to cause trouble..."

Xie Jinhuan wasn't disbelieving, but he felt that old man Lü Yan probably had a death wish, so he immediately put the post away.

"I'll go check it out tonight. By the way, where is Yuezhuo Tower located?"

"It's near the Mountain and Sea Pavilion, the largest inn in Yanbo City. Many sect leaders stay there. If you need a room, I'll go book one..."

"No need."

……
-
On the other side, there is the Moon Pavilion.

A five-story building stood on the wide street, with countless pedestrians carrying knives and swords walking outside. Nearby, outside a mansion, several wizards dressed in white robes stood.

Nangong Ye sat on the second floor of a restaurant by the street, gazing out the window at the distant mansion, and said softly:
"You're all members of the witchcraft sect, but look at the priests, their demeanor is spotless, unlike you bunch of poisonous rats..."

Even after taking the fasting pill, Bu Yuehua had little appetite and was being fed coal balls that she wolfed down. Upon hearing this, she retorted:
"You can know a person's face but not their heart. A person who looks upright may not be as honest as they seem. For example, someone who wears a black and white Taoist robe and a jade crown on his head. When he goes out, everyone praises him for his otherworldly demeanor and purity. But what about his private life..."

Nangong Ye turned his gaze: "Are you never going to stop?"

Bu Yuehua blinked: "I meant Li Chimo, why are you in such a hurry?"

? ?
Nangong Ye was speechless for a moment. He gritted his teeth and turned his gaze back. As he was looking around, he saw a shrine maiden wearing silver ornaments and a veil walk out of the house and board a carriage.

Although her face was not visible, the priestess exuded an aura of mystery and holiness, completely unlike any mortal. Nangong Ye couldn't help but glance at Bu Yuehua and compare them back and forth; the difference between them was as vast as heaven and earth.

Bu Yuehua had heard of the Zhuji Sect before, but this was her first time meeting the Holy Maiden of the Beiming Sect. Seeing the seductive Daoist nun's gaze, she calmly said:

"So-called saintesses are all evolved from sorceresses. Communicating with the gods is a trick to fool the common people; no one in the higher echelons of witchcraft believes in it. Besides, she only appears to be untouched by worldly affairs. You were the same before, and look at the result..."

Nangong Ye, unable to bear it any longer, was about to get up to feed the demoness a cake when he unexpectedly noticed that the witch in the distance glanced in their direction before entering the carriage. And it wasn't just a casual look; she looked directly at the window where the two of them were.

?

Bu Yuehua, who had been looking casual, stopped talking and sat up straight when she saw this.

Nangong Ye frowned, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and waited until the priestess got into the carriage and drove away before whispering:

"She can hear you talking nonsense from this far away?"

Bu Yuehua was a top-grade cultivator, and she had deliberately lowered her voice to avoid being overheard by other diners in the restaurant. Logically, the other party shouldn't have noticed. After thinking for a moment, she said:

"This witch is no ordinary person. Either her cultivation is unbelievably high, or she has something extraordinary about her. Let's wait for Jin Huan to come back and discuss it with him. Let's leave first, so we don't get targeted."

Nangong Ye knew that Yanbo City was full of hidden talents and that he had already been noticed, so he didn't dare to be careless. He grabbed the speckled chicken that was still showing off its head and quickly left the restaurant...

(End of this chapter)