Chapter 24 really wasn't flirting, wow, this gay couple is practically...
Young Master Gu: "You are—"
Fu Ming's heart was in his throat.
Young Master Gu: "—Miss Kouxiang from Tianxiang Pavilion, isn't she!"
Fu Ming's heart sank back down.
He thought his flawless disguise had been exposed, but it turned out to be just some kind of formulaic flirting technique.
I really want to beat this guy surnamed Gu to a pulp, but he has other uses, so I can't beat him up now. Fu Ming smiled, which can be considered as acknowledging his new identity.
Seeing that Fu Ming remained silent, Young Master Gu waved his fan and tried to get closer, but a tall wall of people subtly squeezed him in between, separating him from the beauty.
Young Master Gu looked up with extreme displeasure and cursed, "Are you blind? Do you know who I am? Do you know who my father is? If you dare to offend me, you can forget about living in Yongcheng."
"Oh, who are you?"
Xiao Huaiyuan looked down at him from his high position, and as he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, inadvertently revealing the distinctive golden-edged dragon pattern of the Tianyan Sect.
It turned out they were from the Tianyan Sect, and Young Master Gu's momentum immediately weakened. It was common for some important figures to appear in the city when the Ghost Market was about to open. He had already been scolded by his father for going to great lengths to find someone these past two days. If he offended any Taoist patriarch or nobleman, his father would probably expose all his secrets.
However, he was unwilling to give up the beauty he had finally set his sights on, so he had to come up with another excuse.
"Brother, that's not right of you. Everything should be done in a first-come, first-served manner. How can you force your way into our friendship?"
"Who do you think arrived first?"
Xiao Huaiyuan pulled Fu Ming's clasped hands in front of him, and Fu Ming was caught off guard and lost his balance, the jeweled hairpins in his hair jingling loudly.
He was still thinking of using Young Master Gu's words to find out about the Ghost Market, but he was a little confused as to why Xiao Huaiyuan was suddenly jealous.
"Hey, it's windy outside, why don't we go inside and talk?"
From the outside, the pawnshop looked deserted, but inside there were a few people scattered around.
Through the gap in the screen, one could see the pawnshop clerk sitting high above the counter, rapidly calculating on his abacus, and arguing with a few men in front of him, their clothes patched with wrinkles.
"What's the point of pawning these tattered coats of yours? Can't you read the words on the wall? We only accept items from the immortals here."
The people opposite said, "Our youngest child is seriously ill, and we have no other choice... Please be lenient and give us some of the money."
“We’re not running a charity here. I think you’d be better off sending your money-losing son to Lord Yun. Maybe you can make some money back then, haha.”
It's Lord Yun again.
Fu Ming listened intently for a while and realized that the so-called Lord Yun appeared in a wide range of situations: he was on the invitation, mentioned by the innkeeper, and even by the pawnshop clerk.
"Hey, do you know Lord Yun?"
Fu Ming tilted his head to ask Young Master Gu, a hint of red at the corner of his eyes making his gaze even more captivating.
"That's natural. With Lord Yun's medical skills, it's impossible for ordinary people to understand him, but I'm different."
Young Master Gu clearly interpreted Fu Ming's expression as a flirtatious glance, and he approached with great delight, attempting to bypass Xiao Huaiyuan from the side and behind.
"I can introduce you, my beauty, to him, as long as you are willing to be with me..."
"What are you talking about?" Xiao Huaiyuan's surveillance was like a shadow, and the moment he discovered someone trying to smuggle themselves across the border, he stomped hard on that person's foot.
Aww!
Young Master Gu inwardly cried out in pain, but he couldn't show it to anyone: "...It's just a walk together, let's go this way."
Turning his head, he saw Fu Ming and Xiao Huaiyuan being all lovey-dovey again. Not only did Fu Ming not mind the hand around Xiao Huaiyuan's waist, but he also tiptoed over to whisper sweet nothings to him.
Damn it, are disciples of the Tianyan Sect really that precious?
In fact, Fu Ming was not flirting with Xiao Huaiyuan as he had imagined. On the contrary, they were discussing some serious topics.
Fu Ming: "Now that you've made contact with Young Master Gu, in what capacity will you meet Lord Yun later?"
Xiao Huaiyuan: "Elder Chen's disciple."
"That's true. We came here to investigate Elder Chen's matter. You also suspect that Lord Yun is involved in the matter of the Black Gold Mine Demon Realm Rift?"
Fu Ming poked the hand that Xiao Huaiyuan had placed on his waist. Although it was just for show, it was still strangely ticklish.
“The people of the Refining Peak don’t go to the battlefield and are far from the border. How would they know that demonic energy can stimulate the growth of mineral crystals? There is probably a mastermind behind this.” Xiao Huaiyuan was amused by Fu Ming’s little actions. He smiled slightly but did not let go.
Fu Ming: "I wonder if Lord Yun has learned of Elder Chen's death."
“Then he needs to contact the people of the Heavenly Evolution Sect again,” Xiao Huaiyuan said slowly.
Shouldn't Lord Yun be afraid of being exposed? Why would he take the initiative to contact him? Fu Ming hadn't figured out the logic yet. He frowned and pondered for a while before finally giving up.
This is the difference between Xiao Huaiyuan and him. In terms of combat strength, three Xiao Huaiyuans combined couldn't defeat Fu Ming at his peak. But in terms of political maneuvering and scheming, one Xiao Huaiyuan could manipulate Fu Ming to the point of near death.
As expected, whether in the past or now, his senior brother didn't quite understand the wickedness of people's hearts. Xiao Huaiyuan's restless hand moved up and smoothed down Fu Ming's slightly curly black hair that was hanging down on his chest.
Good heavens, those two are practically sticking their genitals together. Young Master Gu had been watching them flirt and banter the whole way, and he was seething with hatred.
Even so, he still sent his men away and dutifully led them to open the hidden door behind the entrance, as if he were a genuinely helpful person offering to guide them.
In fact, he was planning to get some medicine from Lord Yun to deal with them.
He's going to drug Fu Ming with aphrodisiacs and Xiao Huaiyuan with laxatives, so that Fu Ming will have no choice but to kneel down and beg him. Hahahaha.
Each of the three harbored their own secrets, and their footsteps were chaotic. The oil lamp hanging in the dark passage lit up in response, its warm light spreading far into the distance.
Fu Ming used the light to observe the surrounding environment. The secret passage gradually descended into the ground, and its structure was exactly the same as that of the Tai Xuan Mountain mine, indicating that it was the work of the same person.
"This mermaid oil lamp was also made by Lord Yun. It is said to be based on ancient texts and can be lit by the wind." Young Master Gu introduced as he walked, seemingly quite familiar with Lord Yun.
He turned out to be an inventor.
Fu Ming gave a perfunctory reply, then turned and whispered in Xiao Huaiyuan's ear again.
He asked Xiao Huaiyuan in his consciousness, "Did you sense any trace of Lord Yun's consciousness?"
Xiao Huaiyuan replied, "I haven't found any. It seems that only the abbot of Yunshan Temple on the mountaintop and the city lord of Yongcheng are at the Nascent Soul stage. The rest are at most at the Golden Core stage."
This is strange. Even with Xiao Huaiyuan's strong spiritual sense, he couldn't detect it. Could it be that this person's cultivation level far exceeds the Nascent Soul stage?
That would be a big problem. His main body is currently unable to move easily, and if he comes out, he will probably be chased and struck by the heavenly tribulation. However, with Xiao Huaiyuan around, he should be able to escape.
The secret passages twisted and turned like a spider web, and they wandered around for an unknown amount of time. Suddenly, after pushing open a door, a sliver of light shone through, and the space opened up before them.
"arrive."
Fu Ming looked up and around. There was such a large cave in the mountain. There were multi-story buildings on the rock walls, all connected by plank roads. Figures of people were moving around in the cave, all with white masks on their faces.
"To see Lord Yun, you must first enter the Ghost Market, but the most urgent thing is to get a mask." Young Master Gu's tone was unusually cheerful, but it sounded like he had ulterior motives. "See that small temple? Someone will tell you what to do once you go inside. I'm going to see Lord Yun now."
Seeing him pull out a mask and turn to slip away, Fu Ming quickly called him back. "Then how can we see him?"
"After it's done, come find me in the tallest building. I'll be waiting for you, my little beauty."
The lingering tone of voice disappeared into the wind along with the figure.
"Hey, are you leaving already?" Fu Ming was thinking that he didn't even know what Lord Yun looked like when he was pulled into the temple by a strong force.
Xiao Huaiyuan's tone was unfriendly, his words dripping with jealousy. "Do you really want to spend much longer with him?"
"Yeah, he can't beat me anyway, can't we stay a little longer and try to get more information out of him?"
Fu Ming's words silenced Xiao Huaiyuan, and then he saw Xiao Huaiyuan's face turn from white to green, a rare occurrence.
Oh dear, things have gone too far. Fu Ming, who values his life and property, decides to pet him for a while.
"Don't be angry, Master. Let's make a mask first, okay?"
The temple that Young Master Gu mentioned was a dilapidated temple the size of a sparrow, with unremarkable furnishings. If there was anything special about it, it would be the pool of incense ash filled with water in front of the Buddha statue.
The grayish-white incense ash settled at the bottom of the pool, forming a thick and hard layer of grime.
A monk stepped forward with his palms together and said, "Namo Amitabha Buddha, have you two come to offer incense?"
Fu Ming readily agreed: "That's exactly right."
He and Xiao Huaiyuan each took three sticks of incense, lit them, and knelt before the Buddha statue to bow three times. At this moment, Fu Ming's heart skipped a beat for no reason. He felt uneasy, but he didn't know why.
This golden Buddha statue is almost identical to the one he saw in the temple in his previous life, except that its lowered eyes, which should have been compassionate, are shrouded in shadow, making it appear ghostly.
After the incense burned, it produced a purple mist. Fu Ming inserted the burnt-out incense stick into the incense burner, and the ash, about the size of a fingernail, broke off and fell into the ash pool.
Just then, he felt a weight on the back of his head and was suddenly pushed into the water by a pair of rough hands.
Gurgle...gurgle.
Strings of bubbles rise in the murky pool water.
Fu Ming had difficulty breathing.
It wasn't because of the water. Logically speaking, a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him wouldn't suffocate even if he stayed in the water for half an hour.
It was because the ash from the incense at the bottom had choked his mouth and nose, and worse, the emotions of others were sweeping over him.
A perfectly fitting mask is taking shape.
Pain, resentment, disappointment, doubt—all sorts of sorrowful emotions flooded his mind. The child's wailing grew closer and louder.
The crying belonged to many children; he couldn't tell exactly how many, but the loudest one sounded very familiar.
"Waaah, Aunt Wu, why did you abandon us?"
Fang Xiaohui's voice.
The system also issued an alert at this moment: "Warning! Warning! The mission to protect the target is about to fail!"
Suddenly, the pressure on his head vanished, and he was pulled out of the water and into a warm embrace.
Fu Ming struggled to open his eyes, grabbed Xiao Huaiyuan by the collar, and said with difficulty.
"Ahem... Fang Xiaohui and the others, something has happened."
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