Scourge Messenger

Chapter 113 Online Treasure Exchange
No longer burdened with worries, nor showing any resentment.

Shang Xinlei seemed to have truly made peace with herself, found a new goal, and had new aspirations. Therefore, there was no longer any doubt or confusion in her eyes, and she could move forward without hesitation. But thinking about it carefully, it made sense. After all, she had thought she was going to die. Now that she found a glimmer of hope, it was like being resurrected from the dead, or like a virtuous monk who had achieved enlightenment and seen through the illusions of the world.

But Yan Qing always felt that she seemed to be full of expectations, as if cutting ties with the Thieves' House was a good thing for her.

Suddenly, Yan Qing shoved Shang Xinlei away, avoiding her restless little hands.

Shang Xinlei clicked her tongue, "Anyway, we'll be the infamous duo of bandits in Jiangnan from now on. Can't I just see what you look like? Just one glance, just one glance."

"After all that, you just want me to come back and save you," Yan Qing said with a feigned sneer. "Aren't you afraid I'll never come back?"

"I'm not afraid." Shang Xinlei crossed her hands behind her back, raised her head and chest, turned around and walked to the stone wall, tilting her head, her bright eyes and white teeth, smiling warmly: "Because I'm your friend."

"Besides, I'm no worse than Jiang Shi."

With her empty promises, emotional appeals, and explanations of gains and losses, Yan Qing was rendered speechless. It's no wonder she's Shang Xuanwen's daughter; despite being in a disadvantageous position, she cleverly turned adversity into advantage, giving off a "you've already invested so much sunk cost in me, you don't owe me anything" vibe.

Yan Qing felt something was off. Why was Jiang Shi mentioned?

And in what way are you no worse than Jiang Shi? Your figure?
It's impossible to talk about combat strength. Jiang Shi is under my control. How could you bunch of first-person, three-dimensional humans possibly beat a master of action games like me?

It seems there's no way to persecute Shang Xinlei now. Yan Qing sighed, put the return token into his storage ring, and pointed to the glass cabinet containing the five protective mirrors, saying, "Go and open it."

"Why?" Shang Xinlei asked, her face full of confusion. "You want to loot the place again before you leave?"

"You just said you'd grant me any request, and now you're asking all sorts of questions?" Yan Qing tried to maintain her aloof persona, saying coldly, "Aren't you going yet?"

"Fine, I'll go then." Shang Xinlei pouted and returned in less than five minutes with five breast-protecting mirrors: "Here, take it."

At this moment, Shang Xinlei noticed that Yan Qing had another token, but it wasn't a return token. The token had the words "Treasure Hunt" written on it. This wasn't the first time she had encountered this token. Back when she opened the treasure chest in the Mansu Forest, the treasure chest had provided a "Treasure Hunt Token," but she didn't know its purpose and needed a rare flying ring more, so she missed the token.

Where did the yellow dog get this token? Is it a spoil of war from another secret realm?

"Red Serpent," Yan Qing said slowly, "Can I trust you?"

"Do you even have the right to ask that question, you ugly monster who's afraid to take off your mask?" Shang Xinlei said irritably. "I've never even seen your face, but you know who I am, where I live, and just now I jumped down and bet my life on you, just as you told me to. And now you're asking if you can trust me?"

Yan Qing blushed slightly at her words, but thankfully she was wearing a mask and could continue coldly, "What happens next must be kept a secret. Once it leaks out..."

"If my father hears my thoughts, or if a messenger with a similar token hears them, will you punish me too?" Shang Xinlei asked immediately.

Yan Qing was speechless, but fortunately he had a flash of inspiration: "If you are discovered, you'd better think about how to escape before I punish you."

"If I get caught, will you come to my rescue?"

Damn it, my gut feeling was right. You're the kind of brat who gets really annoying once you get to know you. Yan Qing started to regret not going with Black Wolf and White Fox tonight, instead of sticking to watch Shang Xinlei.

He took the breastplate with his left hand and pressed the treasure-hunting token with his right. The trading house's light screen immediately appeared before his eyes. He glanced at Shang Xinlei beside him and found that the latter's expression was normal. It seemed that no one else could see this light screen.

Taking a deep breath, Yan Qing silently recited a sentence, and a message immediately popped up on the screen:

"Should we list the Heart Protection Mirror? The price range is 300-8000 Spirit Jade (or the item specified by the player), and the tax is 30% of the transaction amount."

"Given that the highest selling price is ≥1000, you can choose the auction mode."

It works!

The biggest challenge in listing items using Treasure Hunt Tokens is knowing the item's system information. This is impossible for locals, and it's also very difficult for Yan Qing—he can only see the system information through a secondary account, and if he forgets it or if an item he hasn't seen before appears, he won't be able to list it using Treasure Hunt Tokens.

Fortunately, there were plenty of chest protectors here, and he had just reviewed the system information for the chest protectors a few days ago, so he still remembered it very clearly.

Next comes the crucial part.

"Red Serpent, repeat the items required for the secret realm gate." Although she didn't know what he was going to do, Shang Xinlei obediently replied, "A scholar's pen, a tailor's needle, a dancer's shoes, and a gambler's dice."

Yan Qing looked at the screen, selected to list the 'Heart Protection Mirror', and requested to exchange it for the item 'Scholar's Pen'. As he typed the words 'Scholar's Pen' in his mind, he saw a corresponding item pop up in the item box, indicating that the item did indeed exist in the trading house catalog and had been recognized by the system.

If the system recognizes it, the secret realm will naturally recognize it as well, since they are all part of the same game.

Note: Barter transactions will be exempt from transaction taxes and fees.

"Successfully listed."

……

...

In the Everlasting City, at the Hall of Eternal Life.

Apart from the braziers burning around the stage, the rest of the space was dark. Twenty-five young girls sat below the stage, dressed in gorgeous dance gowns, their faces filled with fear and despair. They dared not move, all staring intently at the beauty on the stage.

On the stage sat a small table, upon which rested a shelf, on which sat a fan that appeared rather dirty. When the beautiful woman extended her snow-white hand to touch the fan, there was a strange beauty, like a white lotus being defiled.

Musicians hidden in the darkness began to play, and the beauty unfolded her fan, covering her fair, jade-like neck. Only then did the girls realize that the fan was not filth, but congealed blood. The fan surface was covered with dark red bloodstains resembling plum blossoms, making one hesitant to contemplate the cruel treatment the person who left behind the bloodstains had endured in life.

I still remember the drums of war from back then.
How many young people have been misled by this?

Springtime dreams are cold, silk robes are folded in vain, and letters arrive without a trace.

Who will gather the fallen heroes? Their souls, gathered in the netherworld, are now but solitary travelers.

A few remaining stars illuminate his annals, writing poignant verses.

The beautiful woman danced and sang, her voice filled with desolation, harmonizing with the musicians. Her bright red dress attracted everyone's attention, and even the fearful girls were unconsciously captivated by the beauty's dance, their minds filled only with the mesmerizing figure on the stage.

The dancing skirt was embroidered with white magnolia flowers, but as the beauty moved faster and faster, the magnolia flowers gradually turned into withered bones on the battlefield in everyone's sight, the red dancing skirt turned into a sea of ​​blood, and the fan in her hand was a blooming battle scene.

It is said that dancers who are proficient in basic dance steps can make people appreciate the beauty of dance, while dance masters who are proficient in advanced dance steps can make people remember them for a lifetime. Their performances are always packed, and even messengers become their admirers.

The beauty on stage far surpasses even renowned dancers. With just her singing and dancing, she can conjure up images of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, transforming the Hall of Longevity into a battlefield of withered bones. She makes all the audience feel as if they are in the center of the battlefield, surrounded by flying flesh and blood, stepping on white bones and corpses, unable to extricate themselves, as if they have fallen into purgatory.

When the music stopped and the beautiful woman lay half-reclined, the twenty-five audience members remained deeply moved. Their faces, though still filled with fear, were completely different from before; their pupils seemed to reflect their own deaths.

"Did you see it clearly?" the beauty asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the girls quickly replied.

"Now, it's your turn to dance."

Ying Le stretched out her hand, and the braziers around the girls were immediately lit by the evil spirit guards. She withdrew her hand, and the braziers around the stage were extinguished instantly. Now it was her turn to sit in the audience, hidden in the flickering light. She was languid, but her eyes were filled with an eerie red, like a monster hiding in the shadows, watching the world.

Next, it was the girls' turn to dance. Even if they danced terribly at first, Ying Le didn't mind, because this was part of her training program. However, unlike other dance troupes that slowly trained their dancers, she didn't have that kind of time. She only needed the most talented dancers, so she would gather girls at the Hall of Longevity, perform a dance herself, and those who learned it could stay.

As for what you can't learn, you just have to keep dancing, dancing, dancing until you do.

Or dance until you die.

Ying Le slowly closed her eyes. The demon warriors were used to the following procedure: if a young girl grasped His Majesty's essence, His Majesty would wake up and point at her. However, based on past experience, His Majesty would only wake up once or twice a night at most, and often he would sleep until dawn.

However, just as Ying Le was about to fall asleep, a demon warrior suddenly broke into the palace, disturbing His Majesty's time to teach.

"Your Majesty, a new transaction has just appeared on the trading board. The item for sale is a breastplate from the Liang Kingdom!"

(End of this chapter)