Chapter 61
On the surface, both the host and the guests enjoy a meal, but in reality... in reality, no one cares whether this is the case or not. After all, people eat what they should eat and talk what they should talk about. Whether someone is happy or not is not anyone else's concern.
The time was almost up, so Qin Yan stood up and said goodbye. Qin Huan followed closely behind him, flanked and protected by his elder brother and Bei Qiao.
After following them all the way out without being able to gain any advantage, Third Uncle Shen was so angry that he stormed out on the spot: If I could beat them, I would have let you see what a scoundrel with all five poisons is!
"Brother, why is that bastard Third Uncle here again!" Shen Yu, who was eavesdropping in the next room, ran over after hearing the others leave.
"Who told him to be so good at making the old lady happy?" Shen Yuan put down his wine glass and hit her head with his fan in annoyance: "Why did you sneak out wearing servants' clothes again? If you've made enough trouble, change your clothes back and take the maids and guards you left behind with you. The martial arts conference is about to begin. There are all kinds of people in the city during this period. Don't let people who don't know you bully you."
"I know... humph." Shen Yu angrily took out a jade flute from his collar and summoned the guards.
"Oh my god, it's finally over." Outside the restaurant, Qin Huan pulled Bei Qiao into their carriage. After the curtains dropped, she relaxed her straight back and let Ying'er cushion her back. Even when no one was around, her demeanor remained impeccable, without any slumping or hunching.
Bei Qiao sat at the carriage door, occupying a position that could be left at any time. Outside, Qin Yan rode his horse and followed the carriage forward, with a team of guards in front and behind him, one leading the way and the other covering the rear, as they set off towards the inn they had previously stayed at.
"Please find a place to drop me off." Bei Qiao closed the fan and looked out the window: The performance is over, it's time to go.
"Ah? Are we leaving now?" Qin Huan adjusted himself to a more comfortable position. "Ying'er, get Miss Qiao a coat to change into. Don't make it too conspicuous."
Bei Qiao nodded and took it: "Thank you." This saved him the trouble of disguising himself.
"Thank you for nothing. I was the one who asked you to come here to help."
"By the way, Miss Qin, I have something I'd like to ask you." Bei Qiao changed his coat and held up the fan in front of Qin Huan: "Today on the street, someone who claimed to be a candidate disciple of the Canghai Sect asked me if I was from the Qin family. I said my last name was Qiao, and he immediately realized what I meant and asked if I wanted to come see you..."
"You're asking if he identified you by the fan, right? This specially made fan has the Qin family's hidden emblem on it. It's visible even in the sun, and anyone familiar with our family or a larger sect would recognize it." Qin Huan pointed his index finger at the lower half of the fan. "Right here."
Different from the hidden marks on the goods sold in the family business, this kind of hidden pattern is used to show one's origin and identify the identity of others. Those who do not recognize the hidden pattern are definitely not members of the family or sect.
"Mother left the fan to you, acknowledging Cousin Qiao's identity. As long as you don't do anything bad, you can use this identity to your advantage... Oh, by the way, who was that person you just mentioned? He seems quite well-informed."
"He calls himself Liu Ji."
"I haven't heard of Liu Ji. I'll ask around later." Qin Huan rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Are you interested in the Wulin Conference?"
Bei Qiao nodded slowly: "I am indeed interested in broadening my horizons, but I don't know much about the specific situation yet." There is a saying that goes, since you are already here, it would be a waste if you don't go.
"So, do you want to go? I have an invitation here. You can go as Cousin Qiao, but it's best to go with someone else. Going alone is easy to be targeted." Qin Huan gestured for Ying'er to pull a blank invitation from a box under the table and hand it to Bei Qiao. The Qin family received ten such invitations, but in the end, only she and her eldest brother came.
"Okay, thank you."
"You're welcome. If cousin Qiao gets into trouble, I can help him!" Qin Huan winked playfully.
Bei Qiao thanked him again: I understand, I am helping cousin Qiao, not escort leader Qiao.
In order to distinguish his cousin Qiao's identity from his own, Bei Qiao got off the carriage in a deserted place, took off his mask and wandered around the street for a while using his own identity.
The cities Bei Qiao had passed through in the past few days were all inland, with a particularly dry climate. She was so thirsty that she bought an extra water bag along the way. Now that she had arrived in Langyu City, she finally felt better. She had left her newly purchased large water bag at the inn, and she felt a lot more relaxed.
"I don't know if there are any fellow villagers here." Walking on the street, Bei Qiao would occasionally stop at a roadside stall. After walking hundreds of miles away from the Novice Village, the local delicacies he could eat were different.
There were more than one novice village for players, but Bei Qiao had been heading towards the more populous county town and hadn't seen any other novice villages. As for players from other novice villages, she might have seen them, but she wouldn't necessarily recognize them. After all, this wasn't a game; brazenly showing off one's differences in front of the locals was courting death.
There are very few scenic spots and historical sites to visit in this other world. The ancestral halls of celebrities are generally not open to the public. The only places that can be visited are temples and the suburbs.
"As expected, the more prosperous the place, the more magnificent the Earth God Temple." Bei Qiao went to the Earth God Temple to burn incense and pray for a smooth journey. Of course, in addition to the Earth God Temple, the God of Wealth Temple was also a must-see. Even if she had to wait in line, she would still burn three incense sticks in front of the God of Wealth.
Bei Qiao: Who can refuse the possibility of getting rich? I can't refuse it anyway.
There were many people praying for the God of Wealth's blessing. When Bei Qiao finished burning incense, the sky outside had begun to darken.
After walking back to the inn, Bei Qiao sat inside and opened the forum to read posts about Langyu City. This encounter with Qin Huan was too coincidental. Bei Qiao wanted to confirm whether Langyu City was really going to hold a martial arts conference, and whether this encounter was the prelude to a scam targeting him.
To put it bluntly, although she is just a nobody in this world, if she were sold, she could still be sold at a high price.
After opening the forum, she first checked the messages sent by others. The remaining donkey cart had finally been found. Stonemason Zhong Tian from the same village had passed the online interview two days ago and became a member of the escort agency.
Stonemason Zhong Tian: The market in the village is saturated, and the market outside the village is exclusive. I can only find a part-time job first, and then slowly look for other ways out... Why is the competition pressure in the other world so great!
Escort Agency Qiao Qiao: Is the competition fierce?
Stonemason Zhong Tian: No, there are only a few companies that buy things. As long as the quantity is sufficient, they will stop buying. If they don't buy, my living expenses for next month will be in danger.
There aren't many ways to convert money earned in "Issue Wuxia" into real money. Hunter Xin Ji, skilled and daring, relies on his skill and luck to gather and hunt all sorts of things in the mountains, then goes to a bank to exchange them for cash for real-world use. For stonemason Zhong Tian, who rarely leaves home, there are only two ways to earn cash: one, register your identity and lend it to others, or two, sell items to wealthy players and trade them through a bank. If you don't have a bank, you can still trade through the system, but there's a fee.
Zhong Tian previously had a regular buyer for his goods, but demand has decreased recently. Working part-time at the escort agency, Zhong Tian hopes to meet more people and find more buyers by taking orders, so he can earn more money and maintain his living standards.
Zhong Tian hadn't saved much money in the game, not enough for a down payment, so he pawned some of his belongings at the horse farm. In the days since his job application, he'd been taking on jobs everywhere, trying to save up enough for the deposit and redeem his pawned belongings. He'd been blasting through the system's task list, completely turning over pages. If the system hadn't forced players to log off and rest, he'd have done more.
Unlike him, Li Qingqing wasn't working so hard. Her main job was still selling paintings, and her sideline was working part-time at the escort agency. But in the past few days, she'd had some luck, landing several orders and earning more than she'd made from selling paintings.
After replying to Zhong Tian and Li Qingqing's messages, Bei Qiao opened the Langyu City forum and clicked to search for the Martial Arts Conference.
There were quite a few players in Langyu City. After leaving the Novice Village, some took up short-term jobs, some banded together to open shops, and some set up roadside stalls, roaming the streets and alleys of Langyu City. The forum was a place for them to relax and exchange information. To prevent freeloading, some posts required payment to access the content.
The people with the most up-to-date local news are usually the officials working as constables in the government office. Sometimes, constables will use their official accounts to post on forums, announcing recent matters of concern, such as today...
Daily pinned posts
(Official) Constable Zhen: Announcement: A player had a conflict with the natives yesterday and his account was almost destroyed.
(Official) Constable Zhen: The martial arts conference will begin tomorrow. Once again, we would like to remind all players to pay attention to safety during this period. Do not set up stalls in areas where there are no constables patrolling, and try not to conflict with outsiders unless you can beat them.
(Official) Detective Zhen: Don’t think you know how to make friends just because you’ve read a few martial arts novels. Pay attention to your own safety.
(Official) Detective Zhen: Finally, stop asking me who the murderer is! Detective Ming is Detective Ming, I am me, I didn't play Detective Ming, my last name is Zhen! You guys...
System: An abnormal heart rate has been detected and the user has been forced to log off. Healthy gaming, healthy life. "Issue Wuxia" wishes you a happy next time online.
Constable Zhen, who was forced offline in real life, said: "..." This game is damn fair! Even the officials don't have any privileges!
"It seems that Qin Huan is indeed here to watch the martial arts conference. I just happened to run into her." Bei Qiao nodded and closed the forum: "It turns out that I still have to go out more." Only by seeing more can one know more. Just like now, if I don't come here, how can I have the opportunity to see the martial arts conference?
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