After Yun Xian's persistent lobbying, the shopkeeper finally gave in and the deal was closed at one thousand taels.
First give 750 taels, and if you can catch the person and bring him back to report, then you can hand over the remaining 250 taels - judging from the shopkeeper's face as dark as the bottom of a pot when the two men left, this number must have some deeper meaning.
When Yun Xian and Qiao Lingshan returned home with 750 taels of silver, Feng Ye was still sleeping soundly.
He is quite careless. When he first arrived here yesterday, he was still complaining about how it was so dirty that there was no place to even put his feet. Now he is sleeping soundly on the dirty bench with his piano in his arms, almost drooling.
There were only two side rooms, and Qiao Lingshan would never sleep side by side with Yun Xian, so naturally she had to let him sleep here.
Yun Xian went over and grabbed him without mercy, saying, "Wake up!"
The voice was like thunder, and Feng Ye woke up instantly: "What what?!"
"We went to accept a bounty." Yun Xian got straight to the point and said, "Maybe we can use you there."
"Reward?" Feng Ye was still a little confused. "Are we short of money? Is there anything we need money for?"
Look what this kid is asking?
The hard currency in the secret realm is spirit stones. Spirit stones replenish the energy of heaven and earth and increase cultivation speed. Once inside the secret realm, no matter how much gold and silver you bring, they are just scrap metal and useless. However, spirit stones are precious, and many people are willing to exchange them for them. Those with good color and rich spiritual energy are extremely valuable. But it's clear that they don't even have gold or silver, let alone spirit stones.
Feng Ye might have come here to enjoy the scenery, and he only had five hundred taels of silver on him.
Qiao Lingshan had never considered the possibility of running out of money before, but now she was forced to start planning. She had to buy the necessary fasting pills and herbs for the secret realm. Before the battle, she and Yun Xian's swords had to be sent to the swordsmith for filling cracks, polishing, and sharpening. Even with the 1,000 taels of silver reward for capturing the succubus, it still wasn't enough. She needed at least another 1,000 taels to barely squeeze out a surplus.
They were so poor, it was outrageous. Especially the swordsmiths, who made up the bulk of the workforce. No wonder so many sword cultivators had changed careers; they simply couldn't afford it.
His left arm began to ache inexplicably again, the pain was unbearable. Yun Xian frowned, but said nothing. After the pain subsided, he said, "Let's go to Liuqing Street."
The red-light district was bustling with activity, with colorful buildings and festive gates everywhere, and the sound of people was deafening.
The shopkeeper's information was too general, saying only that it was on this street. Yun Xian, walking in front, masked, marveled, "It's already reached such a scale..."
On the left was the outside of the singing and dancing brothel, while on the right were several different Nanfeng Pavilions. Standing at the entrance were several demon youths, their eyes sparkling, one fox demon's tail was actually broken; over there stood several mighty and sturdy monks, their shirts open, their muscles gleaming, each of them with a superior appearance and figure.
I just don't know why it always smells like sweat.
Do female cultivators really like this?
Yun Xian still prefers the more handsome ones, and in the blink of an eye, he saw a rich woman stuffing spirit stones into the waistband of the strong man in the front.
The sturdy man was half accepting and half rejecting, and said in a hoarse voice: "Madam, you are so mean!"
Yun Xian: “…………”
The world is truly full of wonders...
Feng Ye was laboriously reading the wooden sign in front of the hall, translating, "This one is for both male and female cultivators, this one is only for male cultivators, and this one is only for female cultivators... They all choose their customers, so if you're not destined to be with them, please don't force them. Those who dare to cause trouble will have grass on their graves that is already five feet high... Ugh."
Qiao Lingshan walked silently with her head down.
Yun Xian glanced at her red ears and thought, this kid is really too thin-skinned. She can't just go into the battle like this. It seems that she made the right decision to take this mission.
The three of them squeezed in the huge crowd, preparing to find one of the victims to find out what happened.
Just as the crowd was crowded together, they heard the sound of horse hooves from afar. A luxurious carriage carved with gold and silver threads slowly approached from a distance and then slowly drove away. The curtain covering it fluttered without wind, and it was printed with the emblem of a golden silk magic grass.
Yun Xian had an inexplicable premonition that the person sitting in the carriage was probably the man from the Miaoshou Sect in the Southern Realm who was dressed like a scallion.
He could have walked down the street, but he insisted on swaggering through in a carriage. It was truly outrageous, a display of wealth so outrageous that it was outrageous. Some people couldn't stand it anymore and muttered, "Xue Lingxiu is too ostentatious..."
Yun Xian heard the name again.
So it was this medical cultivator who had offered 100,000 taels to buy Liu Shixiang's head? Was there some conflict between the two of them?
A gentle breeze moved, inadvertently lifting the curtains, and Yun Xian's gaze froze for a moment.
…She seemed to catch a glimpse of Zhong Changyao's handsome, somewhat gloomy profile beside Xue Lingxiu. It was a fleeting glimpse, but with her keen eyesight, she couldn't be mistaken.
really.
He came after all.
I just don't know how he got in touch with the Southern Realm. Could it be because of his gentlemanly demeanor?
"Yun Xian, what are you looking at?" Qiao Lingshan frowned, her gaze quickly shifting from the vibrant flowers and willows. "With so many places to go, how do we know where those succubi are hiding..."
Before she finished her words, they heard a muffled sound in front of them. Everyone was startled - no, they didn't scream, but just turned aside with a normal expression, avoiding the unknown thing on the ground.
Lately, there's always a few people being thrown out on this street; everyone's used to it. It's not just this street, either. Every day in the city, there's a fight going on. Fights happen everywhere, and it's normal for someone who's outmatched to lose and end up on the street. Those with good relationships have friends to pick them up, while those with bad relationships just have to pick themselves up. It's a good thing no one dies.
But Yun Xian noticed something was amiss. She went to take a look and saw that the man who had been thrown out was as pale as paper, with a haggard appearance and a frail look, as if he had run out of energy. However, he had no external injuries on his body. Most importantly, he was badly beaten. She immediately said seriously, "It was the succubus who did it. Look, it's just like the shopkeeper said, it looks like he was run over by a carriage."
Feng Ye saw the deep wheel rut on the man's face and said silently, "Yun Xian, it seems like he really got run over."
Qiao Lingshan: "The one that just passed by."
Yun Xian: “…”
Hey, you rich people are really lawless!
The three men fed him a ginseng pill to prevent him from dying, and then kindly dragged the man from the middle of the road to the side of the road, waiting there for his family or friends to pick him up.
Yun Xian was lost in thought again.
Since Zhong Changyao still came, it meant that although things were different, the world was still moving forward according to the storyline. Yun Xian was so interested in the succubus, firstly because she had no money to eat, and secondly because she wanted to see if she could still meet Zhong Changyao and how he would explain it to Jimo Shu.
The succubus was obviously Jimo Shu's capable subordinate, but in the end she detoxified Zhong Changyao in the secret realm, and at the last moment she transferred all her life's skills to him, forcibly raising Zhong Changyao's cultivation by two inches, and directly breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. After that, for a long time, she became like the white moonlight in Zhong Changyao's heart.
She racked her brains but couldn't figure out how Jimo Shu could not care.
Even if we don't look at it from the perspective of love between men and women, it's still annoying. This is my subordinate, how can I be so rude?
Before one wave of trouble subsides, another wave arises. Next to Liuqing Street is the largest gambling house in the city. Today is a special day. It seems that some huge gambling game is about to start. There is another round of excitement. Amidst the roaring and shouting, Yun Xian keenly heard the key part:
"Are you stupid? You're betting on the Southern Realm? The Southern Realm is full of medical practitioners. Look at Xue Lingxiu today... He didn't even know how to pick up the missing items!"
"In my opinion, the Western Frontier is more reliable."
"The West Realm is so unreliable! If you want to suppress the West Realm, you might as well go to the East Realm. No matter how powerful those monks are, they are no match for the fools. They always fall for the tricks, and they are so gentle. How can they possibly take first place?"
"I asked me to suppress the Eastern Realm, why didn't you do that?"
"Do you think I'm crazy? If I throw the money directly into the water hole, at least I can hear the sound!"
Yun Xian: “…”
Qiao Lingshan: “…”
Feng Ye was angry but dared not say anything: "It's not that bad...!"
It seems the simple folks of the various cities now have a stereotype of the East Realm as a weak, helpless little chicken. Even without going there, one can tell that the North Realm has the lowest odds, while the East Realm has the highest. After all, the North Realm was indeed quite powerful in the previous round, so it's understandable.
Furthermore, the rules of the Four-Way War favored the victor. If the Northern Realm prevailed, the Sword Sect would be able to bring more disciples, and even the number of independent cultivators from other sects would be significantly greater than that of the Eastern Realm. Yun Xian had some free time last time and counted the number of Eastern Realm participants who had come to Zhongcheng. Excluding those three, there were only a mere one or two hundred. The Northern Realm, not to mention anything else, would have to at least double that number.
The seven days left before the war were not only for the disciples who would participate in the war, but perhaps also for these people. They were allowed to observe the strengths and weaknesses of each sect carefully before making a decision.
Undoubtedly, the two most popular cultivators now should be the swordsman and the doctor, but one relies on his brilliance while the other relies on his wealth.
The three of them squatted and listened in the corner for a while, and found that the streets and alleys were indeed the best places to collect information.
Behind them was the window of a brothel. This time, what they heard was even more detailed. It actually talked directly about Jiange and the mysterious senior brother Su Chi, whom they had heard about many times.
"Is Su Chi not here yet? The last time I happened to see him exorcising demons in the dense forests of the northwest, I caught a glimpse of him. I swear I have never seen such a handsome man in my life."
"I heard his clan is also participating this time? I think the shopkeeper is very hopeful. She actually spent five hundred taels of silver to bet on the East Realm to win. My God, the East Realm was clearly defeated so badly last time..."
"I understand the shopkeeper's thoughts. Although I have never heard of him, I believe that such a brilliant person must have been able to educate a sect that was extraordinary."
"That makes sense. When you hear the name Jiange, don't you get a vague feeling of hatred for evil and a clear and bright moon?"
"Yes, yes! By the way, I also heard that Su Chi is cold as ice, not interested in women, and only cares about swordsmanship. He is most likely still a virgin..."
Seeing that the topic was becoming more and more inappropriate for children, Qiao Lingshan coughed twice, and the sound stopped abruptly, and the window slammed shut.
Qiao Lingshan frowned and looked at Yun Xian, who also looked at her seriously.
The two of them made eye contact, and each understood something. Finally, Yun Xian slowly opened his mouth and asked solemnly, "How old are you this year, Senior Brother?"
Qiao Lingshan jumped up: "You only listened to the last sentence?! Ah!!"
Just as chaos was about to break out, a woman finally came from a distance and stopped in front of the three people.
The woman was dressed in a simple silk dress, with no makeup on her face. She had thin eyebrows and a small mouth, and a look of melancholy. She staggered with every step. When she saw the beaten man on the side of the road, whose life or death was unknown, she whimpered and rushed towards him, shaking him desperately: "Husband! My poor husband!"
Yun Xian’s eyes moved.
Huh? Why wasn't her reaction the same as she'd imagined? Her husband had abandoned his duties and gone to visit a brothel. If she hadn't been slapped twice, why was he crying?
After the woman finished crying, she wiped her tears, picked up the man, and thanked the three men: "Thank you very much, my three friends. If it weren't for you, my husband might not have survived."
"Well." Yun Xian scratched her cheek, pointed at her husband's pale face, and said, "Your husband must have had his Yang energy sucked away by a succubus, which is why he became like this."
"I know." The woman took a deep breath and said angrily, "I swear here that I will avenge this!"
Three people: "?"
Seriously??
"You..." Feng Ye said cautiously: "Aren't you angry?"
Even without mentioning the visit to the brothel, family disgrace should not be made public. It is really shameful to be thrown into the street in this state.
"What do you mean?" The woman looked up in confusion, finally understanding what everyone meant. She smiled gently, "Why are you angry? My husband works so hard to support the family, and I can't share his worries. It's only natural for him to want to relax for a while. Besides, these women are different from me. They are just having fun. Why should I compete with them?"
Qiao Lingshan slowly opened her mouth: "..."
shock!
The woman seemed to be getting more excited and wanted to continue expressing her feelings. At this moment, the unconscious man in her arms moved slightly and opened his eyes.
The woman was caught off guard and her face suddenly changed.
When the man saw her, he was like seeing a ghost. He trembled all over and poked out a finger tremblingly: "She...it's her...suck...suck me..."
As soon as the words left her mouth, the woman threw him to the ground like garbage and fled away at lightning speed. The situation changed drastically in an instant. Before Qiao Lingshan and Feng Ye could react, they started chasing after her, subconsciously looking at Yun Xian while chasing: "Yun——"
Yun Xianren also disappeared.
At the end of the distant street, she followed the woman closely like a ghost, her clothes fluttering in the wind, and the two were only one step away from each other.
"A speed race with me?" Yun Xian slapped the hilt of his sword, and a shrill roar of sword energy filled the air. He grinned, "If I can let you escape, I'll write my name upside down today."
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