“Hmph, easy. Besides the city lord’s family, there are four great families: Zhou, Sun, Qian, and Su. The number of young masters and young ladies in the first three is clear, but the last, Su Family, even has a ‘not really’ young lady!”
The pink-dress girl put her hands on her hips confidently.
Judging by her tone and knowledge of the Four Great Families, Hua Jian felt this bold volunteer was genuinely capable.
Then she chose her.
“All right, you it is!”
“Guests, how long will you stay? Fifty Spirit Stones per hour, minimum one hour. Overnight special: 175 Spirit Stones.” The girl began counting on her fingers. “I don’t provide special services, but I can recite poetry, play zither, or dance…”
“Two hours.” Hua Jian held up two fingers and signaled Linglong to pay.
Linglong blinked, feeling something was a bit off—Hua Jian was booking a girl at a Qinglou but wanted Linglong to pay?
But Hua Jian’s actions were normal—she was really gathering information.
“All right.” Linglong sighed and took out her Storage Pouch.
The pink-dress girl, though young, owned a small boat in the cluster, exquisitely decorated, full of life.
This was unusual, showing her high status among the women—possibly a flagship.
“No wonder you dared charge me so much.” Hua Jian whispered.
Without special services, fifty Spirit Stones per hour was steep pricing.
She hoped the information matched what Linglong paid. It didn’t matter if she wasted the money—it was Linglong’s, not hers.
If she came alone, she’d never spend that much; she’d mingle among the big boat crowds and pick information from overheard snippets.
But that was inefficient; it was better to ask directly. Since Linglong wasn’t short on money, Hua Jian chose this safer, more convenient method.
“You get what you pay for, and I’m the best looking here. Many want to meet me but can’t.” The pink-dress girl giggled, pointing at a wine jug on the cabinet. “If you want wine, just say so.”
Linglong shook her head first; she didn’t like such things.
Hua Jian wasn’t interested either. Not long ago, Penglai Senior Sister Ma had gotten her drunk with Penglai’s Spirit Wine, leaving her traumatized.
“What’s your name?”
“Huan Rui.”
“Tell us more about the Four Great Families, especially the Su Family’s young lady. I’m very interested.”
“Oh? Your questions are quite tricky, but no problem.”
Huan Rui smiled confidently, revealing many secrets of the Four Great Families, some even unknown to Medicine Miss herself.
“That Miss Medicine’s constitution is extraordinary. I heard many coveted her since childhood, but her parents protected her well; otherwise, she might have been assassinated long ago.”
“Sadly, a few years ago Miss Su fell ill and died, and the Su Family’s Elder Master’s health gradually declined, unable to control his subordinates.”
“Not long ago, I overheard that some Su Family members planned to gift that Miss to someone else. Whether it’s true, I don’t know.”
After Huan Rui’s report, a flash of surprise appeared in Linglong’s eyes. She hadn’t expected Huan Rui to be so capable, able to reveal such matters.
Remember, not long ago even Medicine Miss didn’t know about her own constitution.
If Huan Rui’s words were true, it explained why Medicine Miss was being hunted—it was the Su Family planning to sell her for greater profit.
“Now tell us about the Tokens. We just arrived in Huiyue City and heard that Tokens for this auction are fought over by strength, but many hide Tokens in Storage Pouches. Is there any way to make them surrender Tokens willingly?”
This question surprised Huan Rui, as if shocked that Hua Jian would be troubled by such a question.
“Simple. Miss, you snatch the Storage Pouch, and we can provide Storage Pouch unlocking services.”
Those who sealed Storage Pouches with Divine Sense by Spirit Kings—there were naturally Spirit Kings who helped unlock them.
The Divine Sense seals of Spirit King level could be broken by a skilled Spirit King.
In Smoke Willow District, Spirit King cultivators existed.
Otherwise, the large cluster of boats would have long been torn apart by various factions. It wouldn’t have lasted this long.
“Sigh, no, my Miss is very rigid. She won’t do bad things.” Hua Jian sighed, shaking her head helplessly.
This expression stirred a trace of sympathy in Huan Rui’s heart—she understood, having a naive young lady boss was tough.
Glancing at Linglong sitting upright with no expression, Huan Rui believed Hua Jian wasn’t lying.
Linglong looked like a young lady with little life experience; such a stubborn insistence was normal.
As a subordinate, Hua Jian couldn’t always contradict her Miss, so compromise and find another way.
“If you want to solve this in a good way… I can give you a list. The people on it have recently been harassed and targeted. If you gain their trust, you can trade Tokens with them.”
“Oh? That sounds great!”
“Of course, I’ll try my best to satisfy the guests. But you must be careful; those targeting the Tokens aren’t kind people.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”
“Phew, these two guests tonight were easy to serve.”
After sending the satisfied Linglong and Hua Jian away, Huan Rui packed up the seven-string zither she had just played, stretching lazily.
She rarely actively solicited customers, only approaching those she liked. This time, she had proven her good judgment.
One guest was quiet and stiff the whole time, seemingly uncomfortable with the environment—probably her first time here.
The other, a black-haired girl, was completely the opposite—an old hand, making Huan Rui feel like she was chatting with a colleague, not a customer.
When time remained after the intelligence questions, the black-haired girl even played a duet with Huan Rui on her flute, surprisingly skilled.
Dong dong dong…
Just as Huan Rui was thinking about the guests, a gentle knock came at the door.
“Oh? Who is it?”
“Me.”
Hearing the voice outside, Huan Rui quickly put down her things and hurried to open the door.
A beautiful woman in a bright red dress stood outside, her eyes scanning the room.
Without a word, she entered, circled the room, and picked up the bamboo flute Hua Jian had played.
“Senior Sister, what are you doing…” Huan Rui cautiously asked, following behind.
“I smelled a familiar scent and came to check.” The red-dressed woman tucked the flute into her sleeve, expression unchanged. “You’re lucky; stay in your room and cultivate these days.”
“Ah?”
“What ‘ah’?” The woman glanced sideways at Huan Rui.
“I believe you! Senior Sister, I trust you the most!”
Shhh!
“Who—ah!”
Thud!
Electric light flashed through the small room, knocking several fierce-looking cultivators to the ground.
A white-clad, masked, white-haired girl slowly entered, acting as if she hadn’t even noticed the instant kill, addressing a trembling man inside.
“Twenty Spirit Stones, I’ll buy the Token you hold. After the deal, I’ll get you safely out of the city.”
Before she finished, another white-clad masked girl entered, holding a small black pouch.
Upon entering, she began rifling through the fallen cultivators’ belongings, calmly taking all valuables amid their angry glares.
The man who had refused to speak finally took a deep breath. “Is what you said true?”
“Absolutely.”
Linglong, normally quiet, had more credibility now. At least this timid man was convinced.
He had hoped to find treasure or a bargain at the auction, but with things worsening and hearing threats behind his back, he gave up.
If not for hearing they’d make him regret it even if he kept the Token, he’d have sold it for Spirit Stones long ago.
The more afraid he was of death, the tighter he gripped the Token, enraging the blackmailers, a vicious cycle.
Linglong and Hua Jian’s arrival broke this loop, offering him another choice.
“We’ll send you out first, then the payment and delivery.”
“All right! I agree!”
The deal was swift. Having intelligence made this the easiest target—just gain a bit of trust and offer benefits to get the Token from someone desperate to escape.
If the blackmailers weren’t so rampant, Hua Jian wouldn’t have this chance to profit.
“Do you know who we are? We…”
The shocked cultivators barely managed to speak before Hua Jian cut them off coldly, “I don’t care who you are. You got hit once and all went down. You think you can threaten us?”
Who looked like a dead dog on the ground? Not Hua Jian or Linglong.
“I don’t want to know who you work for. I’m a businesswoman. If you want Tokens, you can buy them with Spirit Stones—five hundred per one, fair price. Interested?”
Linglong had already escorted the Token holder out. Hua Jian started bargaining with the men on the floor.
You’re in the wrong, but Spirit Stones are neutral. To make some pocket money, Hua Jian didn’t mind doing business with these scum.
“You bought that Token for only twenty Spirit Stones!”
The blackmailers were livid. They heard Linglong’s price but Hua Jian’s resale price jumped sky-high. Was this fair?
They made a four-hundred-eighty profit on the spot. How could there be such a ruthless merchant?
“Why he paid so little is for you to ponder. I believe many in this city would pay five hundred Spirit Stones for a Token.”
“You…”
“Oh, and your Storage Pouches. Fifty Spirit Stones each to redeem. If not claimed in three days, I’ll tear them up.”
“Bastards!”
“See? If we let go of unnecessary grudges, everyone gets what they want. Isn’t that better?”
Taking the pouch handed by the humiliated cultivator, Hua Jian opened it and counted the Spirit Stones, nodding in satisfaction.
Buying Tokens for five hundred plus redeeming Storage Pouches for a hundred fifty, totaling six hundred fifty.
“What about the other two Storage Pouches?”
“No redemption. This is far from over!” The cultivator, having completed his task, still felt deeply frustrated.
Too humiliating!
Being robbed in front of them, then sold back at a high price, all while acting like they were the big winners. How could the black-haired masked woman be so shameless?
“Heh, if you can so generously pay five hundred Spirit Stones for Tokens, I guess your gains exceed that price. So why fight us?”
Hua Jian giggled, voice growing colder.
“You should feel lucky. I only want to do business today, not take your lives. Otherwise, you’d already be floating in the gutter, eaten by rats!”
Cold sweat dripped from the cultivators’ foreheads; they realized Hua Jian wasn’t bluffing. She was serious.
She really would kill!
“Feeling generous today. Take your brothers back; they’re right behind you.”
At some unknown moment, a faint white mist rose in the night. The cultivator turned in terror, only to find his ambushers piled lifeless behind him.
When? Why didn’t I hear a thing?
He hurriedly looked forward but the mysterious figure had vanished.
Now he understood—he had provoked someone he could never afford to.
Such a skill was truly miraculous.
“These cultivators in Huiyue City are useless. They didn’t even pay attention to their surroundings during the sneak attack, falling into my Array of Bewilderment without realizing.”
After the deal, Hua Jian found Linglong nearby and immediately began criticizing the cultivators’ carelessness.
Geniuses were indeed geniuses—those she had dealt with in the Dragon City Secret Realm had reflexes several times faster than these guys. Hua Jian had to outwit and outmaneuver them repeatedly to knock them out.
Here, until they were stunned, they hadn’t noticed the white mist around them. Hua Jian felt a little embarrassed for ‘fishing with dynamite.’
“Few cultivators use arrays as attack methods, and your array is quite powerful. Them being caught is only natural.”
“Enough about that. What did you get?”
“I already sent three targets out of the city and took two Tokens from them.”
“Oh? Someone ran off?” Hua Jian clicked her tongue. Sure enough, there were still plenty of bad guys in this world.