Ling Boat, inside the Red Sleeve Square.
Chen Mu sat alone in a compartment, eating his meal.
A small paper figure drifted into the compartment on his left.
A pudgy young man with pale and tender skin, in his twenties, entered the sightline of the Five Ghosts Yin Spirit.
Beside him was a lady with a petite frame, sporting a pair of fluffy cat ears, looking quite beautiful.
“To choose this line of work, you must have been driven by desperate circumstances,” the white fatso said, holding the lady’s hand, full of pity.
“Isn’t that the truth,” the cat-eared lady replied with a melancholy look, “Life is tough, every step is a struggle.”
“For these cat ears, I spent all my White Jade Coins to buy a single Heavenly Demon Rebirth Pill.”
“But to advance further, I need to continue taking pills.”
“I’ve mined disgust iron, grown Yellow Bud Rice, and raised Golden Pearl Clams, yet the little money I earned is still not enough to buy a Heavenly Demon Pill.”
“With no other choice, I could only come here, sigh…” her meek and gentle voice let out a soft sigh that was enough to bring listeners to tears and wrench their hearts.
“How pitiful!” the chubby man said, his face brimming with sympathy.
“If Brother truly pities me, why not order a Through-the-Heavens set meal, so we can drink and chat merrily,” the cat-eared lady suggested with her delicate voice.
Hearing that he could have a candid chat with the lady, the chubby man gripped her hand tightly, his face full of excitement, “Why don’t we talk first, if we come to an agreement, then we’ll order.”
Chen Mu: “…”
Is this a booze peddler encountering a freeloader?
Tsk tsk…
Chen Mu felt profoundly shocked.
But, the Heavenly Demon Rebirth Pill? Is this the source of the exotic beings?
Chen Mu, observing the dancers on stage sporting various non-human parts, suddenly understood.
They use special pills to acquire Exotic Beast bloodlines, thus easily achieving a change in their physique.
But to advance further, it seems one must continuously take the pills.
Hmm… it is indeed quite expensive.
The cat-eared lady’s life was so inspirational, yet she couldn’t even save enough money to buy the pills, which shows just how extraordinarily pricey those pills must be.
…
Listening to the fierce exchange between the two, Chen Mu shook his head and sighed.
Appearances can be deceiving indeed.
That seemingly shy and honest fatso was actually a shameless scoundrel, how the world has declined…
Chen Mu, once again engrossed in listening to their conversation for a while, shifted his attention to the compartment behind him.
There, five robust men were each embracing a lady with small horns on her forehead, engaged in animated discussions.
“Zhuo Brother is truly formidable. Following Prefect Wang to guard the borders and hunt Exotic Beasts, making a fortune in White Jade Money,” one short and stocky man expressed his envy.
“Not like us, just patrolling the Lower Courtyard, tracking down rampaging Exotic Beasts.”
“But the Exotic Beasts that run in here are all slippery.”
“Medicinal Fields destroyed, people injured or killed, yet the Exotic Beasts just vanish. Many times, we busy ourselves for ages, and not even a hair can be seen,” the short and stocky man complained.
Zhuo Brother gestured modestly, “Exotic Beasts are powerful; to hold our position and coordinate with Prefect Wang is essential. At most, we can only hope to get a sip of the soup.”
Then, he curiously asked, “So, many people died in the Lower Courtyard? That many Exotic Beasts broke through the nodes?”
The short and stocky man leaned in and lowered his voice, “Some were genuinely caused by Exotic Beasts, while others…”
He gave Zhuo Brother a meaningful glance.
“That’s audacious,” Zhuo Brother exclaimed.
“Where there is money, hearts are easily stirred, and some people will take risks out of desperation,” another powerful man chimed in.
“Didn’t the Inspection Courtyard do anything about it?” Zhuo Brother furrowed his brow.
“I heard that outsiders from the Evil Path are trying to break the defensive nodes, so the elite guards of the Inspection Courtyard have been sent out to patrol. That’s why they can’t attend to these thieves,” he explained.
“Troubling times indeed…” Zhuo Brother couldn’t help but lament.
…
People posing as Exotic Beasts to kill and rob?
Chen Mu couldn’t help frowning.
One can never escape the greedy villains, no matter where they are!
“Forget it, I should have gotten used to this by now,” Chen Mu shook his head.
Such is the way of the world, what can be done?
Compared to the chaos of Da Liang, where most homes are empty, Jilong Road’s Lower Courtyard could be considered a haven of peace.
At least there was no need to worry about being mysteriously fed to a Ghost.
“I think I’ll stick to living in a cellar.”
“The cautious rabbit has three burrows; gotta set that up again.”
“Fortunately, since I came here, I’ve always been careful and cautious, keeping any wealth I’ve gained well hidden.”
“Even when selling medicine to make money, I’ve always been careful to control the amount I put out.”
“That little bit of business, naturally, doesn’t attract any prying eyes.”
“As long as Shang Huan doesn’t tamper with it and increase the sales volume, there absolutely won’t be any…” Chen Mu thought to himself, pausing abruptly.
The Calming Pills were given to Shang Huan in the identity of Gongsun Sheng; that fatty wouldn’t dare to mess around.
The grilled meat seasoning with the special taste of Yellow Bud Rice couldn’t be tampered with by Shang Huan either.
But the Hidden Qi Powder was different!
Given Shang Huan’s 100% no-refund logic, this fatty might really dare to mess around!
Chen Mu suddenly had a bad premonition.
…
“Are you Shang Huan?” Ai Ji looked at the small-eyed fatty with great interest.
“That’s me, what do you need?” Shang Huan asked with a smile on his face, “I’ve still got some tricks up my sleeve.”
“Nothing too precious.”
“But I can get my hands on items like Calming Pills and Yellow Bud Rice.”
“But what I’d really like to recommend to you two is the Hidden Qi Powder.”
“I’m sure you know, recently, Exotic Beasts have been wreaking havoc, and many people have been eaten.”
“But if you use my Hidden Qi Powder and sprinkle it around your house, the Exotic Beasts will treat you as invisible, guaranteeing your safety 100%.”
“How about it? Want some?”
“Can it really fend off Exotic Beasts?” Ai Ji asked, his smile almost a smirk.
Shang Huan, with all sincerity, replied, “If it’s fake, I’ll pay back tenfold, no lies.”
“Hehe…” Ai Ji chuckled, “Come with us; your scam’s been exposed.”
Shang Huan’s brows furrowed tightly, and he looked at Ai Ji displeased, “Are you two here to make fun of me?”
Whoosh!
Xu Rao’s right hand formed a knife, scraping by Shang Huan’s neck and easily penetrating the stone wall behind as if a hot knife through butter.
Shang Huan turned his head for a glance and looked seriously at Ai Ji: “Can you tell me which incident it is I’m being busted for?”
“Calming Pills? Yellow Bud Rice?”
“Probably the Hidden Qi Powder, right?”
“The inherited family recipe indeed isn’t reliable,” Shang Huan said with a bitter face.
“Had I known, I would have sold less.”
“Mixed in too much sawdust, didn’t I.”
Ai Ji: “…”
So all these things you sold, not a single one was real, huh!
“Who made these things?” Xu Rao, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
“What kind of nonsense are you talking? Of course, I made them myself. With something like counterfeiting, how dare I entrust others and risk being sold out?” Shang Huan glanced sideways at Xu Rao.
“You made them? Heh…” Xu Rao’s lips curled slightly.
“You don’t even know if things are real or fake; how could you make them?”
“What do you mean?” Ai Ji asked, clearly confused, “Isn’t Lu Ku impressed with this guy’s skills in faking and selling fake goods?”
“Were the things he sold actually real?”
“Not real, but not fake either,” Xu Rao said indifferently, looking at Shang Huan, “It can only be considered a slightly less effective knock-off.”
“What Lu Ku is after is not just this unscrupulous merchant, but also the Pharmacist behind him.”
The look Ai Ji gave Shang Huan suddenly became eerie.
This fatty isn’t being honest at all.
Shang Huan was also utterly baffled.
It turns out the grilled meat seasoning and Hidden Qi Powder Brother Chen gave me were actually all real goods?!
Shang Huan: “…”
I’ve sold them at a loss!