Chapter 238: Half an Hour
The biggest difficulty in finding Ling Xiaoshu was that Liu Sheng couldn't just grab passersby one by one and ask, "Have you seen Ling Xiaoshu?"
Because the answer would most likely be no.
So Liu Sheng could only rely on special methods.
With a turn of her body, she slipped into a small shop in that mixed alley, which had a sign that read, "Accommodation available, one Lingtual per hour."
The need was appropriate, the price was appropriate, so she decisively entered.
As soon as Liu Sheng entered, she said, "Please give me a guest room, for one hour… no… half an hour will do."
...Customer, are you sure?
The person's voice was hoarse, but he deliberately spoke in a high-pitched, effeminate tone, which was so melodious and charming it gave one goosebumps.
Liu Sheng suddenly looked up.
She saw a tall man, dressed in a flamboyant manner, looking at Liu Sheng with a puzzled expression, as if he thought she shouldn't be there.
Liu Sheng then looked at the group of men behind him, some standing, some sitting, all dressed in colorful clothes, their bodies exuding a strong fragrance.
They all looked at Liu Sheng with great curiosity, even whispering and giggling behind their hands, clearly discussing her, who was so out of place in this establishment.
I heard Chang'an has an open atmosphere, but I didn't expect it to be this open.
I just don't know who the target audience is.
But since Liu Sheng had already entered, it was awkward to withdraw, so she could only brace herself, clear her throat lightly, and say, "It says here that accommodation is available, right?"
...Yes. The man paused, then nodded.
Can it be calculated for half an hour? Liu Sheng, who had just spent fifty Lingtual and was feeling a bit stingy, asked.
...No. This was the first time he had heard such a request. The man hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
I've never seen a customer book for half an hour. It's not good to set this precedent. The man looked a bit troubled, subtly refusing.
I only need half an hour! Liu Sheng said indignantly.
That won't do either. This time, the man shook his head firmly, then showed a pleading expression, "I'm not the boss, I can't make decisions. Please don't make things difficult for me, customer."
Seeing his sincere expression, Liu Sheng thought, 'Forget it, we're all fellow laborers in this world.'
She gritted her teeth and said, "Then give me a room, I'm in a hurry."
That urgent? The man was a bit confused.
But business is good!
The man immediately brightened up, and in a syrupy voice, he said, "Alright!" Then he took the one Lingtual that Liu Sheng had fumbled out with trembling hands.
The group of flamboyant handsome men behind the man immediately stirred, fanning out like peacocks, striking poses, throwing coy glances, and pouting for air kisses at Liu Sheng, seemingly hinting at something.
Unfortunately, Liu Sheng's heart was like iron, seeing effeminate men as mere skeletons.
Which room? Liu Sheng saw the man still standing foolishly and not leading the way, so she asked proactively.
Huh? Customer, aren't you going to choose one? The man was stunned by Liu Sheng's question.
The other men also froze, stopping their seductive movements.
Liu Sheng felt their gazes like thorns in her back, her heart flustered, but her expression remained calm.
With her hands clasped behind her back, she said with confident pride, "No need, please lead the way!"
...Okay.
...
Upon reaching the room, Liu Sheng first ignored the various gaudy furnishings, the overpowering fragrance, and the strange devices and objects within.
She immediately activated the room's protective and anti-peeping formation, and then took out a portable, convenient formation from her Storage Pouch.
Double protection, double concealment.
Her sense of security soared.
Liu Sheng looked at the bed in the room, her gaze slightly narrowed, lingering for a moment, then she silently took out a meditation cushion from her Storage Pouch.
Sitting on the cushion, Liu Sheng closed her eyes, calmed her mind, and began to sense Ling Xiaoshu, who was bound to her Soul.
In Liu Sheng's endless sea of consciousness, there were countless points of light, like stars in the Universe.
First, surrounding her were countless golden light points, each representing a "Liu Sheng," colliding with each other yet drifting apart, and if one listened carefully, one could hear many chaotic voices, but Liu Sheng had habitually ignored them.
The most prominent in the sea of consciousness was a huge sphere of light.
Upon closer inspection, all the light on it was composed of countless "0"s and "1"s forming strips of light, circling around it and gathering into a sphere, on which a small piece of land seemed vaguely visible.
This is the World.
Between the light points, there were countless fine, dense, obsidian-colored veins shining with Holy Light, connecting everything—that was Little Tentacle, "Mom."
And Ling Xiaoshu?
At this moment, she was very far away in the sea of consciousness, just a tiny green dot in the distant darkness.
This little melon baby, ran so far!
Liu Sheng thought grumpily, then extended her psychic link, locked onto the green dot, and pulled it towards her.
In the sea of consciousness, the dimension of time is completely different from the outside world.
It's like when Liu Sheng and the others usually converse; the amount of conversational information that might take a full day of twelve hours to exchange in reality can actually be exchanged in an instant in the sea of consciousness.
She was doing the same now; although the green dot was far away, in reality, she successfully connected with it in a single thought.
Where are you? Liu Sheng asked.
Ling Xiaoshu's light dot trembled.
Sister, Sister! Ling Xiaoshu's voice was very excited.
Where are you? Liu Sheng asked again.
The green light dot dimmed a bit: Sister, I'm sorry...
What did your teacher usually teach you? Don't run off when you're out with your guardians! Liu Sheng's voice became more serious.
I... I actually just saw a bunch of children playing with toys... I watched for a while, and then Sister was gone...
And then?
And then! I was very scared and anxious, and then I met an old grandpa I had seen before. He was very kind and said he wanted to treat me to a meal...
And then?
Liu Sheng grew more and more speechless, feeling that her education had indeed gone wrong; how could there be no sense of caution at all?
And then... we went to eat! Grandpa is really, really good! He ordered so many delicious things for me! Ling Xiaoshu tried hard to compensate.
Liu Sheng could imagine Ling Xiaoshu's current appearance: her small mouth pouting, her face full of grievance, acting cute and spoiled.
But this tactic didn't work on her.
Let me see how good this grandpa is.
As Liu Sheng spoke, she directly plunged into the green light spot.
The green light dot did not reject her.
Just as she had done countless times before in the Seven Profound Decree World, Ling Xiaoshu accepted Liu Sheng's consciousness, allowing Liu Sheng to take over her body.
Liu Sheng lifted Ling Xiaoshu's eyelids and looked at the person across the table.
Just as she had said, she wanted to see how good this grandpa was.
And by the way, confirm where Ling Xiaoshu was and if she was safe.
As a result, her gaze paused, and the hidden anger quickly dissipated.
The rosacea nose amidst the messy beard, the round belly, and the iron sword on his back, these were all quite distinctive.
Even Liu Sheng, who had face blindness, found him quite familiar.
It must be said, he really was an acquaintance of a grandpa.
Moreover, the tables around her were all full of people, seemingly in a small tavern, though the environment was somewhat uncomplimentary, greasy and dirty everywhere.
However, judging from the leftover food on the table, it must have been flavorful and authentic.
It's a pity Ling Xiaoshu didn't leave her much.
Sister... I didn't expect you to come... Ling Xiaoshu felt secretly wronged.
Liu Sheng could only pick up a chopstick full of the remaining stir-fried dried tofu with meat and put it into her mouth.
It was indeed stir-fried with excellent wok Qi!
Xiao Shu, are you full? asked the old man, whom she had once seen on the rooftop of Taibai Restaurant. "If you're not full, you can order more."
He smiled kindly, as if he were a good person.
Liu Sheng was silent for a moment, then tried to imitate Ling Xiaoshu's innocent tone and said, "I'm full!"
She even exaggeratedly patted her round little belly.