Minglong

Chapter 338 The gears of fate begin to turn...

Springtime still lingers in the room.

Several pairs of stockings were scattered on the back of a chair, a screen, and a table. Various erotic robes were also strewn everywhere. There were also a few small bottles of lotion and an empty wine jug. A faint cloud of smoke with a floral fragrance was still floating in the air.

The curtains were drawn, and Bu Yuehua, her mind in a daze, lay limply on the pillow, the spring quilt draped around her waist, her eyes filled with a hint of confusion.

Nangong Ye hid inside, cautiously peeking out. He still had the small bell that Mo Mo had worn tucked into his chest. His eyes held a hint of confusion as he whispered:
"Who is it... cough~"

Because his voice was a little hoarse, Nangong Ye quickly covered his mouth to avoid being laughed at by the demoness.

Xie Jinhuan arrived and quickly put away his various battle robes:
"Senior Sister Ye of Qingming Sword Manor, I told her I would send her medicine, but I forgot these past few days. She's probably worried that something might have happened to me. You all rest first, I'll go out and gather some information."

Senior Sister Ye...

Nangong Ye blinked his beautiful phoenix eyes, wanting to speak but his throat was sore, so he didn't open his mouth.

Bu Yuehua, like a bewitching white fox, rolled over and lay on her side on the bed, asking curiously:

"You really want to form a trio of sisters from the Azure Sword Manor? Fine, anyway, Fairy Houhou is just a useless brat, except for her loud voice..."

slap~
Nangong Ye, drugged and transformed into a vixen by this enchantress, had a hoarse voice and hadn't even had a chance to settle scores when she started mocking him again. He immediately slapped her.
"You...cough~"

Seeing that the flirtatious nun dared not speak, Bu Yuehua's arrogance grew even stronger. She raised her finger and hooked it around Xie Jinhuan's belt:

“We weren’t finished yet, it must be uncomfortable for her to walk like this. She also has a sore throat, could you help her clear it up…”

"Tch! What nonsense are you spouting?"

……

Xie Jinhuan originally wanted to go down immediately, but Sister Bu's seductive eyes and the icy white waves of her body made him unable to move. After glancing out the window, he decided to go forward and finish quickly, asking the two older sisters to help regulate his stagnant Qi first...

……
-
Outside the inn.

The servants from all corners of the world moved back and forth in the misty rain of the sky. Ye Yunchi stood under the eaves, exuding a scholarly air, looking like a female principal proctoring an exam. She would occasionally turn her head to look at him, thinking that he was a little slow.

I've only ever heard of men waiting for women to come downstairs for half an hour, how come it's the other way around in her case...

However, considering that the other party still needed to change their clothes, Ye Yunchi was not in a hurry. After waiting for a while, there was no movement behind her, but a figure appeared from the alleyway to the side and beckoned to her.

Upon seeing this, Ye Yunchi entered the alley and saw a figure dressed in a black and blue cloak leaning against the eaves of an inn with his arms crossed. He wore a bamboo hat and a mask, and had several throwing knives hanging at his waist. His demeanor was casual and unrestrained. Just by looking at his appearance, one could tell that he was a wandering swordsman who was neither righteous nor evil in the martial arts world...

?

A hint of doubt flashed in Ye Yunchi's eyes as he carefully examined the object, half believing and half doubting.

"it's me."

Ye Yunchi only confirmed the identity upon hearing the voice, and then came closer to examine him carefully:
"Where did you learn all this? How come you look like a completely different person just by changing your clothes?"

Xie Jinhuan straightened his posture:
"You need some skills to navigate the world, otherwise how can you hide your identity?"

Ye Yunchi thought this disguise was incredibly skillful; he could switch between being a wolf and a nurse with ease. Luckily, this young man wasn't particularly interested in women, otherwise he would be a genuine male seductress, and probably few women in the world could resist him. After a brief examination, she asked:
"By the way, I heard on the street that Blood Rain Tower got inside information and knows the location of the Azure Dragon's divine gift. Is this true or false?"

Xie Jinhuan, as the leader of the Blood Rain Pavilion, should have known the reason, but he had been busy carving up the flowers these past few days and had almost forgotten about the minions of the Blood Rain Pavilion. The reason he changed into this outfit was because he had overheard some gossip on the street while packing his things:
"The location of the Azure Dragon's divine gift couldn't possibly be known in advance. This is probably just a rumor circulating outside. I was just about to go check it out. Senior Ye, are you free?"

Seeing this, Ye Yunchi followed, perhaps worried that the boy might misunderstand and think she wanted to inquire about opportunities, and even replied:

"I came here mainly to retrieve my family heirloom, and also to see if there's any opportunity, but I won't insist. In my eyes, Xu Sheng's calligraphy is far more precious than any gift from the Five Directions Gods..."

Xie Jinhuan could indeed tell that this senior sister was a calligraphy and painting enthusiast, and said with a smile:
"What a coincidence, I also love calligraphy and painting, but I've never been able to find a master to guide me when I'm traveling around."

Ye Yunchi had wanted to volunteer, but having witnessed the boy's musical talent yesterday, he feared that showing off would only make him a laughingstock, so he simply nodded.
"I only know a little bit about it myself. We can discuss it sometime. I've been waiting at the inn these past few days, but it's a pity you didn't come. I thought you were overthinking things..."

"how come."

Xie Jinhuan remembered waiting for him, took out a bottle from his sleeve, and handed it to Senior Sister Naigua;

"This is 'Devoted Love Powder,' which can selectively suppress the venom of the Locust Serpent, but its effect is not very significant. Therefore, Senior Ye should be careful and avoid actually falling victim to it..."

Ye Yunchi took the bottle and, upon hearing the statement that "it only works if you have a Daoist partner, otherwise you'll become a marriage-obsessed maniac," he also felt that the antidote wouldn't be very effective.

However, the venom of the locust snake was difficult to neutralize, and since Miss Lin had shown such kindness, she couldn't very well say it was useless. So she put the snake in her bosom and nodded her thanks...
-
noon.

Outside the city, the port was bustling with activity as thousands of ships gathered, carrying a vast amount of supplies from all over the country, which were then loaded onto ships and shipped to all corners of the world. Meanwhile, the gambling dens located in the slums remained as lively as ever.

Holding a letter in his hand, Fan Hai Nie strode into the accounting office and respectfully said:

"Hey, this is a message received by the local temple leader, please take a look..."

Xie Jinhuan, wearing a mask, stood at the window, took the paper, and examined it. It was a tender document, roughly meaning:

The Western Regions demon lord, Old Man Sha Tu, has recently arrived at Dragon Bone Beach, and is suspected of hiding in the Hundred Miasma Swamp...

The Holy Fire Sect of the Western Regions, whose two towns were once slaughtered by the old man Sha Tu, offered a large sum of money to hire a master to eliminate this scoundrel. They asked the Blood Rain Pavilion to act as the intermediary, but hoped that the Blood Rain Pavilion would keep quiet to avoid alerting the enemy...

The reward was a tiger bone vine, plus a stalk of the mythical herb Datura from the Western Regions...

……

Ye Yunchi stood beside her, sword in hand. Since Xie Jinhuan hadn't made any effort to hide, she was also observing, and her heart stirred slightly upon seeing the contents.

For decades, Sha Tu has wreaked havoc in the Western Regions, hiding year-round in the desolate desert. Even Wu Xin, Duan Yuechou, and she herself have searched for his whereabouts but failed to find him, which shows his cunning. Now, he is risking his life to seize the Five Divine Gifts, which means that his cultivation has likely reached the late stage of the Fourth Realm. He has encountered a bottleneck and cannot break through, so he has no choice but to step forward to fight for a chance of survival.

To kill someone like this, one must be at the fifth realm to be safe. Under normal circumstances, even if you were given two immortal herbs, it would be difficult to find a suitable ancestor.

But now, an opportunity has arisen at Dragon Bone Beach. A powerful figure in the cultivation path has taken root in the city. According to the rules of the righteous path, when a righteous patriarch discovers a villain like Old Man Sha Tu, he has an obligation to kill him on the spot. Not to mention, while slaying demons and eliminating evil spirits and confiscating illegal gains, he can also receive an extra reward of two immortal herbs...

Ye Yunchi thought for a moment, found the idea intriguing, and asked:

"Would you like to take this job?"

Xie Jinhuan had heard of Sha Tu's infamous reputation before. This kind of wicked old monster, who had roamed the evil path for many years, must be quite wealthy. He figured he had to be completely honest with him. He thought for a moment and asked:
"Our Blood Rain Pavilion has reformed and should no longer engage in blood-related transactions... Has this news spread yet?"

Fan Hai Nie quickly responded:
“We remember your instructions, sir. We didn’t want to take this job, but the employer offered too much, so we stayed to discuss it with you. The pay is quite high and the job is clean. We wanted to keep it internally, but we might not be able to handle it. If you allow, sir, we can introduce the job to Lü Yan. He suffered a huge loss a few days ago and desperately needs to make up for it…”

Ye Yunchi was also a righteous and chivalrous person, and he still owed Shan Hai Lou money for buying paintings. How could a cultivator from Northern Zhou accept such a lucrative and prestigious offer? He said:

"Why don't I go? That old scoundrel Sha Tu has been a menace for years, and this would be a way to rid the people of a scourge."

Xie Jinhuan could sense that Senior Sister Naigua was highly skilled, but taking on the job alone was risky. Besides, he also wanted a taste of the game. If Senior Sister Naigua went alone, it would be difficult for him, as the sect leader, to collect his commission. Therefore, he said:
"It's safer if the two of you go together. Don't let this news get out. I'll go check it out later. By the way, what's the inside story about the Azure Dragon's Gift?"

"Alas, we don't know the location of the host, nor how to contact him, so we spread this false information. None of the elders at the mountain peak believe this rumor; only the host himself will come back to inquire about the situation..."

Ye Yunchi was somewhat surprised to hear this:

"As the sect leader, you didn't even leave your disciples a way to contact each other?"

Xie Jinhuan's main purpose was to conceal his whereabouts; he had no intention of relying on the Blood Rain Tower's henchmen. Finding their response somewhat crude, he replied:
"If there's any major news in the future, go to Yuezhuo Tower, book a room, and stand by the window. I'll come over as soon as I see it."

Fan Hai Nie nodded hurriedly, then his gaze shifted to the refined veiled female warrior beside him. He felt that she might be the future leader's wife, but he wasn't sure, so he didn't dare to ask any further questions.

Soon after, on the street.

Xie Jinhuan came out of the gambling den, holding a rough map of Dragon Bone Beach. He could see that the Hundred Miasma Swamp was a dangerous area in the center of Dragon Bone Beach, more than 800 li away from Yanbo City. However, compared to his cultivation level, this distance was not too far.

Ye Yunchi walked beside him, considering for a moment:

“Old man Sha Tu is just hard to find. He’s a rogue cultivator from the heretical path, so his foundation isn’t very deep. I can handle him on my own. However, Yanbo City has already issued a warning that no fighting is allowed in residential areas or along trade routes. We are to seek opportunities in the wilderness outside the city. If anything happens, we will be responsible for our own lives. So going out of the city is still a bit risky.”

Xie Jinhuan knew the gravity of the situation and immediately put away the map:

"The opportunity hasn't emerged yet, and the powerful figures are all observing from within the city. Few people will venture out to wander around. Even if there is one, it's hard to say who will snatch it from whom unless they encounter the City Lord himself."

"The mall owner is the host, how could he possibly get involved? Besides, we are righteous people, it is only right for us to fight back if the other party is malicious. Using the word 'rob' is a bit sinister."

"That's right, we're here to slay demons and monsters, and incidentally confiscate illegal gains for public safety..."

?

Ye Yunchi felt that these words sounded even more sinister, but since they were probably fine, he didn't say anything more and accompanied her out of the city. She acted like a female paladin, leading the apprentice warrior to the monster forest to level up.

Once they reached a sparsely populated area, the two of them vanished into the misty rain...

(End of this chapter)