Suffering in Luofu City 4

"Do you still remember where your hometown is?" Qingye asked softly.

Huaiwen shook her head listlessly; she knew nothing of her past. From what she could remember, all she knew was the place of demons and monsters. Since that was the case, Qingye didn't press further and instead asked about Huaiwen's master.

"Didn't your master, Liu Xi, tell you anything about the city lord?"

Huaiwen stared at Qingye, who tilted her head and darted around for a while before answering, "My master has always been a man of few desires, indulging in eating, drinking, and merrymaking. He doesn't like to talk about the past. Could it be that the city lord knows my master? Is there some reason for it?"

Qingye smiled calmly: "Of course I don't know you. It's just that you demons have always been aware of our plight, but I didn't expect you to be in such a sorry state that you know nothing about the outside world."

Hearing this, Huaiwen leaned back, scratched his temples, and grinned sheepishly. Although he knew that Qingye hadn't meant to belittle the transvestite community and was just stating the facts, it still felt awkward.

"You should know that you are the last transvestite institution in the world."

Huaiwen nodded with a hint of skepticism at Qingye's words. She bit her lip, raised an eyebrow, and tentatively asked, "You asked so clearly, could it be—"

Qingye sat up straight, still smiling gently, and asked, "What is it?"

"Do you want my Transgender Affairs Bureau to do something for you? Don't worry, our Bureau is always thorough in its work. Sister Qingye, don't worry, I'll definitely help you. Tell me, what do you want my Bureau to do for you?"

Aoba exhaled and smiled kindly again: "In that case, I will definitely come to you when I need you."

The two chatted for a few more minutes, then Qingye dismissed Huaiwen. After Huaiwen left, she sighed, her eyes betraying a hint of disappointment. But she quickly composed herself and headed towards Xuan Ye's study.

After some time, Huaiwen counted on her fingers and realized that she had been here for half a month.

Putting aside the fact that she worked every day until she was so tired that she fell asleep the moment she hit the ground, she could barely see Oni-slayer twice. She wanted to find a way to leave this place, but she found that she seemed unable to leave the Drunken Dream Pavilion.

How did she find out?

A couple of days ago, she realized that she had been at Zuimenglou for quite some time but had never gone out to explore, so she decided to go out for a stroll after her shift ended.

To her surprise, the moment she stepped out of the Drunken Dream Pavilion's doors, she was back in the main hall. Undeterred, she tried again and again, but nothing changed. She was frustrated and furious; others could come and go freely, but she couldn't.

Does working at Zuimenglou mean we're restricted from going out?

That heartless Xuan Ye!

Just as Huaiwen was angrily about to ask Qingye for an explanation, she saw Xiaoyao, who shared a room with him, slip out with a small bag slung over her shoulder, and even said to Huaiwen with a grin, "Let's go play."

It's obvious that she's the only one who can't leave the Drunken Dream Pavilion.

Huaiwen couldn't help but wonder why she was the only one who couldn't go out. Even if they were afraid she'd run away, it didn't have to be this bad. She had already agreed to stay and work here...

Or perhaps, Ruan Shiyun, the senior from the demon-human sect mentioned in Oni Slayer, did something here that made Zui Meng Lou afraid she would repeat the same mistake, thus restricting her.

It seems she needs to get to the bottom of this.

Huaiwen, however, failed to find Xuan Ye. She seemed lost in the Drunken Dream Pavilion, unable to locate Xuan Ye's room. Later, she inquired and learned that the Drunken Dream Pavilion could change floors and also hide floors. If Xuan Ye didn't open the doors, she couldn't reach them.

Having failed to find a solution, she had no choice but to seek out Aoba.

Qingye's reply was that her status was different from the others here; the others were free people working here. Huaiwen, on the other hand, was a debtor and thus came here without freedom of movement, and therefore could not come and go as she pleased.

Of course, it's not impossible to leave the Drunken Dream Pavilion and go outside the Fallen Floating City. Just come and get Qingye's approval before you go out.

Hearing this, Huaiwen muttered, "What's the difference between this and prison?"

Even though it was very soft, Aoba still heard it. Aoba replied to Huaiwen, "Of course it's not what you think. Do you see that others can't go out?"

Having been cheated, Huaiwen left dejectedly.

On her way back to her room, she saw the setting sun shining through the window and onto the ground. Another day was about to end, and she was still here acting as a waitress. But looking at the sunset outside, Huaiwen felt that it wasn't beautiful at this moment.

She will absolutely not sit idly by and wait to die.

She had made up her mind. If Xuan Ye refused to let her go, she wouldn't have anyone accompany her. Finding the reason for the curse on her, breaking through her limitations, becoming stronger, and ultimately achieving immortality were the most important things. She couldn't stand still and stagnate.

Drunken Dream Pavilion is about to welcome another sleepless night.

Since she couldn't find Xuan Ye's room, she could only find him through one method—torturing herself.

Spells can cause each other to feel pain.

Huaiwen brought over some hot tea. She wanted to put her hand in, but the steaming tea made her pull her hand back. She immediately changed her mind; she wanted to bang her head against the wall to make her head hurt, and to make Xuan Ye hurt too.

But she stopped abruptly after walking over. Huaiwen couldn't help but imagine how painful it must have been to bump her head against the wall. Her strategy of injuring the enemy eight hundred while harming herself a thousand was unacceptable!

After much thought, Huaiwen had a flash of inspiration and came up with a last resort, but it was still a good idea!

Huaiwen got up and went to the kitchen. Taking advantage of her good relationship with the person, she asked the head chef to make her a bowl of super-spicy noodle soup. It was said to be topped with a ghost pepper, the number one chili pepper in the demon realm, which was terrifying.

Before eating, Huaiwen asked the kitchen staff if they had any ice. The kitchen staff member scratched his head and asked her why she needed ice. Huaiwen confidently replied that she felt hot and wanted the spiciness to be even more satisfying. The kitchen staff member was skeptical, but out of respect for the other demons who were on good terms with Huaiwen, he handed her a small piece of ice.

After everything was ready, Huaiwen took the spicy noodle soup from that night and found an inconspicuous corner. He faced the direction of the transvestite center and prayed three times.

Finally, she gritted her teeth and ate the bowl of super insanely spicy noodle soup!

After just one bite, Huaiwen couldn't hold back any longer. Her whole body seemed to explode; her face turned red, her tongue felt numb, and she felt like she was about to burst. But seeing that her body didn't seem to sense Xuan Ye, she could only endure the pain, jump around on the ground once, and then continue eating.

By the third bite, Huaiwen had run out of ice. She was in excruciating pain but couldn't speak. She gradually lost her sense of taste, and tears fell silently. Finally, before she was about to faint from the spiciness, she was moved away.

When Huaiwen woke up, he found himself lying in his own bed.

She no longer felt pain in her mouth, although it still felt numb, but her body was fine. The only problem was that she hadn't seen Xuan Ye yet! So, wasn't she just at a disadvantage after causing all this trouble?

“Come up here and find me.”

Xuan Ye's voice echoed in the room, startling Huai Wen. But she quickly regained her senses, got out of bed, and hurried away.

Upon entering the room, Huaiwen saw Xuan Ye sitting tall and imposing on his throne, staring at her indifferently. Knowing what she was going to say later, Huaiwen casually raised her right hand, forced a smile, and said, "Good evening, Lord City Lord."

Xuan Ye ignored her and coldly asked Huai Wen if she wanted to die.

Huaiwen chuckled and shook his head. Xuan Ye then said, "If you want to die, I can let you experience it slowly."

This made Huaiwen tremble. But since things had come to this, she had to muster her courage: "Um... Lord City Lord, I have something I want to tell you. It's just... I should have settled my debts by now, right?"

Xuan Ye ignored him, meaning it wasn't ready yet. Huai Wen, still forcing a smile, said, "It seems it's about time. Well then, Lord City Lord, it's time for me to leave Zui Meng Lou and set off to collect my debts. I'll take my leave now."

Xuan Ye glared at her: "Who told you you could leave?"

“Lord of the City, I don’t owe you any money, so of course I have to leave.” Huaiwen sighed and continued to explain her purpose, but she didn’t tell Xuan Ye directly that she wanted to leave because she wanted to remove the curse shackles on her body.

She cleverly told Xuan Ye that she would go with him to collect debts, and the reason for leaving today was still that she was going to collect debts, as her scroll contained many people who owed her money.

"You don't have a single penny, how are you going to set off?" Xuan Ye asked abruptly.

“I…” Huaiwen paused for a moment, then subconsciously touched her purse, which was empty. Although she was short of money, she still had ways to survive, so she said, “I don’t need you to pay for my travel expenses! I can take care of myself!”

Xuan Ye's lips pressed into a straight line, speechless.

Huaiwen blinked, looking like an innocent child, which was quite endearing. Xuan Ye gasped, then tossed an account book in front of Huaiwen and said, "I've already had someone calculate how much this trip will cost. I'll lend it to you."

Huaiwen picked up the ledger from the ground, flipped through it, and felt that she could never repay it even if she worked like a slave and a waiter for him her whole life. She asked her first question: "Is it really that much?"

Xuan Ye scoffed: "Otherwise what?"

Huaiwen felt dizzy and immediately asked a second question: "You're not going to charge me interest, are you?"

What do you think?

Huaiwen slumped to the ground, clutching her head and shaking it several times: "This isn't real, it's not real..."

Seeing this, Xuan Ye sighed helplessly. He thought, this person is not a capable person. After a while, Huai Wen finally sorted out her thoughts. She stood up again and solemnly said, "Lord City Lord!"

Xuan Ye raised an eyebrow at her, then listened as she continued, "I already said, I don't owe you anything. Besides, I've been working here for seven or eight days, staying and eating here, so any expenses incurred can be considered payment for food and lodging..."

"Get to the point."

Startled by the shout, Huaiwen immediately declared righteously, "I've decided! I'm not going to go collect debts with you! I can manage on my own! So, Lord City Lord, farewell! Goodbye!"

With that, Huaiwen turned and quickly left. But she had only taken two steps when Xuan Ye stopped her and moved her to his side. She could clearly see the displeasure on Xuan Ye's face. Soon, the displeasure on his face disappeared, replaced by a smile: "But aren't we tied up by the curse? Of course we have to go together."

Huaiwen deflated like a punctured balloon; she hadn't expected to be so wary of herself in the end.

Looking down at Huaiwen, Xuan Ye felt a renewed sense of unease.

But soon, Xuan Ye straightened up and looked at Huai Wen, his eyes shining. He thought, since fate had brought Huai Wen to see him time and time again, then he would fulfill A Jun's wish—peace and prosperity for the world and the continuation of her lineage.