Chapter 150: The Simple and Honest Customs of Bianliu County

Seeing the smile on Yan Jing's face, a tense Shen Youran couldn't help but smile back.

"You can still smile, Xiao Yanzi..."

"Never mind."

Shen Youran gave a helpless smile. "The survival rate in the Sun-Swallowing Tower was so low, but you still made it through, didn't you?"

"I'll head back now and put together a strategy guide."

With that, Shen Youran took a large gulp of the still-hot tea on the table.

"Just you wait, Xiao Yanzi. I'll make the most comprehensive guide possible for you!"

"Good luck, Teacher Shen."

Yan Jing clapped his hands.

Before leaving, Shen Youran shared a few final words.

"Xiao Yanzi, getting automatically assigned to Bianliu City in Minhu is a rare event. If my guess is right, this should be a solo dungeon for you."

"A solo dungeon?"

"Right."

Shen Youran nodded.

"The Inner World System keeps hidden scores for players. If your hidden score is high enough, it triggers special dungeons."

"Like solo dungeons. If your performance remains outstanding, you'll likely obtain a Personal Title."

"A Personal Title is the prototype for the Honorary Title you receive upon achieving prestige."

"However..."

She smiled. "My only request for you is the same as before, Xiao Yanzi."

Yan Jing nodded and smiled.

"I know. I'll survive."

Satisfied with his answer, Shen Youran left.

Yan Jing, meanwhile, began practicing his eerie killing stance.

From their meeting this morning until now, he had only taken the morning to rest.

Then, he went right back to preparing for the steps ahead.

Yan Jing closed his eyes.

This time, he didn't select the battle scenes of the Lesser Wandering Ghost.

Instead...

He chose the final battle in Old Sin City.

Starting right from his encounter with Meng Dansheng.

A long while later, Yan Jing gave a muffled groan and slowly opened his eyes.

He had benefited immensely from this mental replay of the battle. He was only a hair's breadth away from being able to directly slay Meng Dansheng.

But that slight gap was exactly what he needed to work on next.

Immediately after, Yan Jing opened the Ghoulish Life Role-playing Game.

[Character Selection]

[Luo Sheng]

[Loading Character...]

Yan Jing opened his eyes and returned to Bianliu County.

He had been in a rush yesterday and hadn't found the time to properly observe the city.

With time on his hands today, he didn't hail a rickshaw home. Instead, he chose to walk, corroborating the memories in the Young Master of the Luo Family's mind with reality.

Bianliu County was located in the southeastern part of the Minhu Domain, and Eldest Young Master Luo's home happened to sit on South Main Street in Bianliu County—the most remote corner of this remote place.

Just as Shen Youran had said, South Main Street was also known as the slum chaotic lanes.

The vast majority of the people here were poor.

The Inner World Pathways they chose were also impoverished, miserable paths that no one else wanted.

Beggar Cultivators, Actor Cultivators, Thief Cultivators, Prostitution Cultivation...

There were thousands of types of cultivators in Minhu, each with their own specific advancement conditions. But the conditions for these particular paths all shared one thing in common:

They didn't cost money.

"Big brother, my mom told me to deliver these sachets to East Main Street. Do you know the way?"

A little girl with pigtails ran over from a nearby alleyway and looked up at Yan Jing.

It seemed a bit cold out, and the girl sniffled.

Yan Jing smiled and replied, "This is South Main Street, you've gone the wrong way. Head back from here, take the sixth intersection, and turn left. There's a Wang Family Shop there that sells meat pies. Don't go to the wrong place."

"Okay, thank you, big brother."

The little girl sniffled again and took a sachet from the basket she was carrying, handing it to Yan Jing.

"This is for you, big brother."

Yan Jing looked at the sachet embroidered with a butterfly pattern. He thought for a moment, pulled a gui yuan note from his pocket, drew a few strokes on it, and stuffed it into her pocket.

"This is for you."

"Thank you, big brother."

The little girl nodded politely and ran off.

Carrying the sachet, Yan Jing headed home, gradually feeling a little drowsy.

He smiled but didn't show it much.

Drowsiness was natural, because there was a problem with the sachet.

Why was there a problem with the sachet? Because he was being targeted.

There was a rule in Bianliu County: if someone asked you for directions on the street, you had to be careful.

Only two kinds of people asked for directions in Bianliu County. The first were unlucky outsiders who didn't know the rules. The second were local bandits who specifically targeted outsiders that knew a little bit of the rules.

An outsider who truly knew the rules naturally wouldn't ask for directions in Bianliu County. But if a bandit asked you for directions and you couldn't answer, you were exposed.

Yan Jing was wearing a long gown, holding a pair of Jade Walnuts, and walking down this penniless South Main Street, so he had been marked.

But Yan Jing had clearly answered the directions correctly. Why had he still been hit with a trap?

Because his reaction was wrong.

A true local wouldn't have told the girl the way. Instead, he would have kicked her right in the backside and cursed her out with a few local obscenities.

That would have been the authentic flavor.

However, Yan Jing had done it on purpose. After all, he hadn't taken the sachet for nothing; at the very least, he had given her a drawing in return.

He sat down at the entrance of an alley, his eyes half-closed.

Several pairs of eyes appeared in the adjacent and opposite alleys, quietly watching him, hoping to pick off an easy mark.

Murderous intent spread.

But suddenly, a burst of wailing and howling came from the direction Yan Jing had just walked from, and the murderous intent paused.

Yan Jing raised his eyes and looked over. A simple line-drawn bird was chasing three people, pecking at them relentlessly.

Among them was the little girl from just before.

Only now, her true voice was exposed, sounding exactly like a woman in her fifties or sixties.

Beside her were two men, one skinny and one fat. At this moment, the line-drawn bird had pecked their heads until they were bloody.

When they reached Yan Jing, the three of them dropped to their knees with a thud.

"Sir! We were wrong!"

Immediately following that were three loud knocks. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" They kowtowed hard against the ground.

In Bianliu City, kneeling and kowtowing was the highest level of apology.

If even kneeling wasn't accepted, it meant you were dead meat.

After kowtowing, they lay prone on the ground, not daring to move. Even as the line-drawn bird pecked open their scalps and dug small holes in the backs of their heads, they remained perfectly still.

This was known as "begging for life."

The murderous intent in the surrounding alleys finally dissipated completely.

Those people could tell that this man was a tough customer.

Yan Jing smiled.

"Get up."

"Yes, sir!"

The bird flew back into Yan Jing's hand, and the trio immediately stood up, overjoyed.

"Sir, we had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. We're truly sorry!"

The Fat Man spoke, cupping his fists.

"You've let us off the hook today, sir. If you ever need anything in the future, just give the word!"

"Mhm. Take out whatever money you have on you," Yan Jing said evenly.

The group froze at his words.

They hadn't expected Yan Jing to ask them for money.

After all, given the methods Yan Jing had displayed, he certainly didn't seem like someone who lacked cash.

But Yan Jing gently stroked the bird's head.

"You don't want to hand it over?"

"We'll hand it over! We'll hand it over!"

They quickly patted themselves down, producing a total of over twenty gui yuan and two pieces of Fragmented Weird Silver, which they placed in front of Yan Jing.

"I also need you to do me a favor," Yan Jing said.

"This... Just say the word, sir!"

The Fat Man hesitated slightly. Since the man in front of him possessed extraordinary methods, the favor he needed probably wouldn't be small.

But realizing that agreeing meant they could leave, he decided to just agree first.

After all, Yan Jing had forgiven them so readily, making him feel that Yan Jing wasn't some experienced veteran.

If he were a veteran, they would have already been dead, without even the chance to kowtow.

"On East Main Street, at the Ten-Mile Winery, there's a man sitting in the corner. Go take a look for me and tell me what kind of wine he's drinking today. Once you do that, this matter is settled."

Yan Jing instructed.

"I'll wait here."

"This..."

The group exchanged bewildered glances, because what Yan Jing was asking sounded incredibly simple.

"Alright, sir. Leave it to us," the Fat Man said.

He rubbed his face, instantly changing his appearance, and led the other two away.

This was a troupe of Actor Cultivators—Actor Cultivators who had been eliminated.

Either their physical form wasn't up to par, or something else had gone wrong. Regardless, good Actor Cultivators wouldn't appear on South Main Street.

They would all be in the back rooms of wealthy patrons.

"Go on."

Yan Jing released the bird from his hand.

Then he stood up and returned home.

When he arrived at the house, Fei Yu was standing at the doorway, leaning against the doorframe and eyeing him sideways.

"You actually know how to come home? So tell me, are Miss Ruyan's hips wide enough?"

"Wide enough."

"And her chest?"

"Big enough."

"Then why didn't you sleep there for another night?"

Fei Yu sneered. "I could have saved myself the trouble of cooking a meal."

"Her place doesn't have Jadeite and White Jade Soup," Yan Jing said, shaking his head with a sigh.

Just as Fei Yu was about to deliver her next retort, Yan Jing produced two pieces of Fragmented Weird Silver from his sleeve and laid them out.

He then looked at her with a slightly helpless expression.

"Add some meat to the Jadeite and White Jade Soup tonight. Master Liu is injured."

Seeing the silver, Fei Yu's eyes went wide. In the blink of an eye, the silver on the table vanished.

Fei Yu beamed with joy.

"You should have said earlier that Miss Ruyan was the one who specifically requested you!"

Her eyes sparkled.

"Can you go again tonight?"

"Do you think your young master is a gigolo?!"

Yan Jing raised his voice. "I need to bathe today! You little maid, hurry up and boil some water for me!"

"Heh."

Fei Yu gave a cold laugh and went to boil water.

"Did Master Liu come back last night?" Yan Jing asked before Fei Yu left.

"Master Liu doesn't have your 'skills'!!!"

A short while later, Fei Yu finished boiling the water, and Yan Jing took a bath.

As he dried his head with a towel, he suddenly remembered something and said, "Add two more dishes tonight. We're having guests."

At this, Fei Yu's face instantly fell.

"You don't run the household, so you don't know how expensive daily necessities are! Are you trying to spend five days' worth of silver in a single day?"

Yan Jing said helplessly, "I'll go back tomorrow!"

"Alright then."

Humming a happy tune, Fei Yu headed out to buy groceries.

It wasn't long before Old Master Liu returned from a walk by the stream. He looked much better than yesterday. Yan Jing sensed that his current condition was about the same as before he had been injured in Rotten Vegetable Village.

"Master Liu, you're back?"

"I'm back, Young Master."

Old Master Liu smiled, seemingly in high spirits.

Looking at the food on the table, he said in pleasant surprise, "That featherless little phoenix must have lost her mind today."

"Heh, as if."

Fei Yu just happened to emerge from the kitchen carrying a plate of pork shoulder. She placed it in front of Yan Jing and shot Old Master Liu a glare.

"I should learn from you. Going out for a whole day and only bringing back some moisture from the stream."

Old Master Liu completely ignored Fei Yu's jab and sat down next to Yan Jing.

In front of him was the Jadeite and White Jade Soup.

In front of Yan Jing was the plate of pork shoulder, a plate of pig ears, and a dish of eggplant stir-fried with pork.

"Sigh..."

Old Master Liu sighed and looked at Yan Jing.

"If you ask me, Young Master, you should have dragged her to bed long ago. The older this maid gets, the wilder her temper becomes."

"Only the Young Master gets to eat the pork shoulder!"

Fei Yu pulled over a low stool and sat down as well.

"He sold his body for that!"

"If he loses his strength and they see it, he won't fetch the same price tomorrow!"

Yan Jing just smiled. He didn't speak, nor did he pick up his chopsticks.

Thus, Old Master Liu and Fei Yu also kept quiet and left their chopsticks untouched.

Until over ten minutes passed.

A knock came at the door.

Yan Jing walked over and opened the door himself.

Roll, roll, roll.

The moment the door opened, three heads rolled in.

Yan Jing cast a glance at them. They belonged to the exact same three people from before.

So it seemed the target had been found.

He broke into a smile, spreading his arms to embrace the visitor, and spoke enthusiastically, "Long time no see, Brother Wei!"

"Didn't we just see each other last week?"

Wei Bufan—the sole son of the leader of the Wei Faction Lineage within the Zhennan Army, stationed in Zhennan County, one of the Sixth Domains next to Bianliu County—spoke with an expressionless face.

And this very Wei Faction Lineage happened to be the one that wanted to support the Young Master of the Luo Family in competing for the position of county magistrate.