Half the city was dedicated to that kind of business, leaving Hua Jian deeply shocked.
Could Wanhuagu really be supporting itself through such trade?
And didn’t the people coming here realize something was fishy? With such an obvious abnormal gathering, anyone would know this place wasn’t normal.
When Hua Jian, now settled in the most luxurious room of the most luxurious inn in Cloud Mist City, asked this question, Hua Xinrui calmly stated that the people who came here were specifically seeking out Wanhuagu.
The Wanhuagu cultivators in Cloud Mist City were still absorbing spiritual power, but at a slightly reduced rate, and the experience they provided during absorption was quite pleasant.
Many didn’t mind paying a price in cultivation for a moment of ultimate bliss.
If it weren’t the Wanhuagu women serving them, they wouldn’t even be interested.
After all, not everyone in this world cared about achieving immortality. Many, upon realizing their talent had limits, chose to give up.
Coming to Cloud Mist City to taste the flavor of a Wanhuagu cultivator had become a small hobby for such people.
“Though these matters aren’t openly discussed, the business in Cloud Mist City is indeed very good. Even the outer disciples enjoy staying here long-term,” Hua Xinrui explained while rifling through the room.
Outside, Wanhuagu cultivators had to hunt for prey, slowly luring them in without going too far and exposing themselves to the Right Path.
But here, everything was reversed. Prey came to them willingly, no need to hide identities, and they could use every trick they had. How could they not love it here?
“It seems they haven’t been bold enough to place spying spirit tools here. Miss Hua Jian, you may move freely.”
After circling the room, Hua Xinrui gave her assessment of everything being normal.
She had essentially been looking for hidden cameras in the inn room.
Such things were common in Cloud Mist City—many cultivators who had enjoyed themselves here left behind leverage for Wanhuagu.
Eventually, that leverage would come back to haunt them.
But the Wanhuagu cultivators in Cloud Mist City clearly weren’t bold enough to try and trap Hua Jian.
In the eyes of these peripheral disciples who didn’t know the truth, Hua Jian was the lofty Wanhua Saintess, one word from her capable of deciding life and death.
“Let’s cultivate. We’re only staying here for one night.”
Even if there were cameras, it wouldn’t affect Hua Jian. She wasn’t going to do anything private in a place like this. Did they think they could spy on her cultivation vision?
“Alright. Miss Hua Jian, would you like some midnight snacks? There’s plenty to eat in Cloud Mist City.”
Though she said “alright,” Hua Xinrui’s second half was clearly tempting Hua Jian to go out and explore.
Though night had fallen, it wasn’t too late. There were still about two hours until normal bedtime, enough time to take a stroll nearby.
“Oh? Is that so?” Hua Jian scratched her head, but still had no intention of going out.
It was better not to wander around in a place like this.
“You go out and bring some back for me.”
As a Saintess, ordering her attendant to run an errand wasn’t a problem, right?
Hua Xinrui nodded immediately. “Got it!”
Being able to run errands for Saintess Daren was an honor!
She excitedly rushed to the door and pulled it open.
Hua Jian instinctively glanced toward the door. By coincidence, she spotted the Wanhuagu Ling Emperor staying in the room across from hers.
In the team, there was no clear hierarchy between her and the Ling Emperor, so their accommodations were naturally the same.
And clearly, the Ling Emperor knew how to enjoy herself better than Hua Jian.
When Hua Xinrui opened the door, the Ling Emperor was pulling two rather handsome-looking Ling Kings into her room.
What they were about to do hardly needed explanation.
‘It’s just one night, dear elder sister. No need to be so desperate, right?’
‘And bringing two at once? This perfectly fits my stereotype of Wanhuagu.’
‘Your reputation is ruined by people like you!’
The Ling Emperor felt Hua Jian’s complex gaze and looked back at her.
There was a clear provocation in her eyes, as if saying, ‘Jealous? Even if you are, I won’t share them with you.’
After provoking her with that glance, she led the two men into her room and closed the door.
It sent chills down Hua Jian’s spine. ‘Who would want to fight you over those trash?’
‘I have the Little Dragon Girl, much better than these worthless things!’
At that moment, Hua Jian fully understood—she and Wanhuagu were not the same kind of people. The sect’s overall style was completely different from hers.
Even if she fully accepted the identity of Wanhua Saintess, she’d probably only serve as a mascot and a fighter.
Because even she herself didn’t want to get involved in Wanhuagu’s mess. It was too cringeworthy.
Hua Xinrui, long accustomed to such sights, didn’t notice the brief exchange of glances between Hua Jian and the Ling Emperor.
She closed the door and went downstairs to buy snacks for Hua Jian.
About half an hour later, she came running back with two large bags of snacks.
By then, Hua Jian was already sitting cross-legged on the bed, engaged in her daily training. Colorful petals were flying everywhere in the room.
As soon as Hua Xinrui entered, she got a face full of petals, and her expression gradually turned dazed.
Xia Hui had to steady her, preventing her from dropping everything she bought.
Even so, Hua Xinrui fell into a strange state due to the cultivation vision permeating the room.
Her face flushed bright red, her eyes glazed over, and she clung to Xia Hui’s arm, rubbing against her like a kitten.
Hua Jian opened her eyes from her training and, upon seeing this, wore a very subtle expression.
It felt like her own cat and dog had gotten together behind her back.
As Hua Jian stopped cultivating, Hua Xinrui slowly regained her senses. Realizing what she had just done, her face turned even redder. Like a frightened rabbit, she quickly let go of Xia Hui’s arm.
“You and Xia Hui go find a new room to stay in. If you stay here, you’ll definitely get intoxicated into a fool,” Hua Jian said, lightly leaping off the bed and drifting over to the snacks on the table.
‘They smell pretty good?’
She used vines to untie the bag and picked up a small, delicate bun.
Taking a bite, her eyes lit up.
‘It’s actually delicious!’
Savoring it carefully, there seemed to be a unique flavor, especially savory, as if some kind of chemical had been added…
‘Huh? Could it really have been laced?’
She smacked her lips, searching for the catch.
The pastries tasted unnaturally good.
With that thought, she ate the snacks Hua Xinrui had brought back, one after another. The more she ate, the stronger this feeling became.
Eventually, she noticed her body growing a little warm, and a faint blush appeared on her face.
Not only that, her spiritual power seemed slightly affected, becoming restless.
But these changes were minor. Once she noticed, Hua Jian simply circulated her spiritual power and dispelled the effects.
“Miss Hua Jian, you ate it all!” Hua Xinrui’s expression turned aggrieved when she saw that Hua Jian had devoured all the snacks she bought.
She had wanted to have a couple herself!
Were they really that good, making Saintess Daren like them so much?
“They’re not good stuff. They’ve been drugged,” Hua Jian said, glancing at Hua Xinrui and guessing what the girl was thinking.
The amount of snacks was clearly not meant for one person, but for three. Now that she had eaten them all, it was only natural for Hua Xinrui to be a little upset.
But Hua Jian did it for the sake of her two little followers. The food in Cloud Mist City absolutely couldn’t be eaten in excess; eating it meant falling into Wanhuagu’s trap.
“Drugged?!” Hua Xinrui’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect this. It’s my fault…”
She had been careless. She never thought to test the poison before Saintess Daren ate. What a dereliction of duty.
“I’ll go arrest the stall owners right now!”
“No need. They weren’t targeting me specifically. All the food in this city is probably like this,” Hua Jian shook her head. The drug in the food wasn’t poison.
It was something similar to an aphrodisiac, increasing a cultivator’s desires. Considering what kind of place this was, the purpose of the drug was obvious.
Eat it, and your lust would rise. What do you do when your lust rises? Find a place to relieve it, of course.
See? Wanhuagu’s business came knocking.
This was Wanhuagu’s territory, after all. Everything was designed to lure people into a trap.
The schemes were deep, hard to guard against.
After listening to Hua Jian’s explanation, Hua Xinrui was momentarily stunned. As a legitimate Wanhuagu disciple with the Flower surname, she had been completely unaware of this.
The fact that Hua Jian had discovered it first was truly embarrassing.
“So that’s how it is…”
“Weren’t you hanging around in places like this in the Central Continent? How come you didn’t know?” Hua Jian was puzzled.
Hua Xinrui’s aura was indeed pure, meaning she was one of the few clean streams in Wanhuagu. But the place she grew up was anything but clean.
Logically, she should be very familiar with all these tricks.
“They had similar methods over there, but I didn’t expect Cloud Mist City to be the same…” Hua Xinrui scratched her head apologetically.
“Now you know. Be more careful from now on,” Hua Jian reached out and tapped Hua Xinrui’s head.
“Good thing I ate first. Otherwise, you two little ones would have fallen for it, and I’d have to take care of you.”
Hua Jian was practically immune to all poisons, but Hua Xinrui and Xia Hui were not.
If the two of them had gone to another room, the drug would have taken effect, making them lose control.
Then, when dawn came, they’d find themselves in the same bed, with some mysterious little stains on the sheets—how interesting that would have been.
Though Hua Jian would have loved to see that, for the sake of the two little ones’ mental health, she’d just keep it in her imagination.
‘…Wait, wasn’t she the youngest of the three?’
‘Ah, whatever. Mentally, she was older!’
“Hurry up and get a new room. I need to cultivate.”
“Mm-hmm!”
The rest of the night passed without incident. After all, this was territory controlled by Wanhuagu—equivalent to a city under the Saint Sect’s feet in the Central Continent. The chances of trouble were slim.
Even if some evil spirit wanted to cause trouble, they’d have to weigh their own strength against that of a Demonic Sect.
The next day, just before dawn, Hua Jian opened her eyes and stopped cultivating.
Opening the door, she found the Ling Emperor waiting outside, looking radiant, clearly having had a wonderful night.
Almost all the other team members were already waiting outside. Hua Jian was one of the last to rise.
“Did the Saintess have a good night?” the Ling Emperor greeted with a fake smile.
“Pretty good.”
“That’s good.”
With that brief exchange, they returned to their usual state of ignoring each other and began the day’s activities.
One day, two days, three days—all the same.
On the fourth day, the Ling Emperor finally said one more sentence.
“We will arrive at Qian Family Main City by this evening. When we do, please have the Saintess speak a few words with the Qian family members.”
“Me?” Hua Jian pointed at herself. ‘She had to do this?’
She thought she was just here as a tagalong.
The Ling Emperor’s expression shifted for the first time in front of Hua Jian, showing some helplessness.
Originally, she was supposed to handle the negotiations with the Qian family. But since Saintess Hua Jian had come along, she had to step aside.
Of course, she knew that Hua Jian’s status in Wanhuagu wasn’t that crucial. In this team, Hua Jian still had to follow her orders.
But outsiders didn’t know that. In their eyes, Hua Jian, as the Wanhua Saintess, should be the team’s leader. So naturally, the Saintess had to handle the reception.
If it were some minor faction, the Ling Emperor could have argued that Saintess Daren was too important to meet small fries.
But the Qian family was different. They were Wanhuagu’s old ally in the Northern Border, and both sides gave each other the highest courtesy. Thus, Hua Jian had to make an appearance.
The Ling Emperor didn’t hold any major grudge against Hua Jian. She simply disliked Hua Jian’s pretentious act of purity.
Since you’re in Wanhuagu, stop playing the good person!
“Don’t worry, Saintess. The Qian family won’t ask overly difficult questions. Just answer according to this,” the Ling Emperor said, handing Hua Jian a small slip of paper.
This was the cheat sheet she had prepared for Hua Jian, listing all the possible questions the Qian family might ask. Hua Jian just had to follow the answers.
“After that, you can move freely within the Qian Family Main City, while we will head to the Secret Realm’s area to assist the Qian Family with their exploration.”
Hua Jian had no particular mission on this trip—it was what they called slacking off, in common parlance.
But then again, even if she did have a mission, she wouldn’t know what to do. The abilities she had currently were quite scattered, and she wasn’t proficient in any of them.
She could handle fighting well enough, but when it came to more specialized tasks, she was truly useless.
Now, at the age of twenty, she had spent four golden years locked inside a Fruit Shell, forced to cultivate.
While others were learning knowledge and skills, she could only bitterly watch her cultivation soar day by day.
‘Sigh, how sad.’
Alright, that did sound a bit like humblebragging. If she actually said that, the Spirit Emperor’s gaze would probably be even more murderous.
‘…Hiss, wait. Why do I care what she thinks?’
Hua Jian thought to herself as she looked at the slip of paper in her hand.
Eventually, she reached a conclusion: she had no reason to care about others’ opinions at all.
She was the Saintess, not someone else. A little verbal jab here and there wouldn’t hurt anyone. Besides, she’d be running off soon enough.