Page 269
"The secret believers are called... their core members."
"…But this seems to be a little different from what you said about acting in secret?"
So what was the purpose of our swaggering into the city? To inform the other side in advance that we were the rescuers invited by the monkeys?
Kong did not complain about the fortune teller's reckless behavior, but turned to Tingyun.
After all, she was the one driving the boat.
"The old lady must have a deep meaning behind her arrangement. I'd better not speculate rashly~"
"The secret cannot be revealed, right?"
It really fits Cocolia's words, "The whole world has the same virtue."
"Should I just wander around and pretend to accidentally meet the other person?"
"Ah... Taibu said that you can have a good effect by just walking around Changletian...'Go on a date as usual'."
Qingque scratched his head and said, "'We can form a group of a few people, and we can be with anyone.' That's all he said."
……Dating?
Kong raised his eyes subtly, as if he was looking across the void at the Taibu who knew a lot of things he shouldn't know, but seemed to know nothing.
"...What a strange request. Wait, I understand."
Although the surrounding vision was mixed, Sora did not see any red dots appear on the small map, either when he landed or after the silly face of the little ponytailed kid in front of him passed by for a moment.
Regardless of whether there are secret spies nearby, he probably wants to use gossip and fanfare to pass the information about his "patrol" here to the other party, but he can't be too deliberate. He has to show that he "has not yet realized that the situation of Xianzhou is more dangerous than it seems."
There just happens to be a point about Kong that would be of interest to both the secret disciples and the people of Fengrao, so there's no reason for the cultivators not to get in touch with him, as long as he doesn't keep "fooling around" with the Yunqi and Dihengsi people. As for whether he came to help Xianzhou, or was accidentally involved in this mess, or even if he had other intentions... it made no difference to those people.
"… Let's go for a walk separately, but not too far away—"
"How big is the range of activities?" Old Yang's glasses flickered, and he seemed to understand Taibu's profound meaning.
"Let me check out Xianzhou Review... It's near Ruomuting, right? It has everything you need for food, drink and entertainment. What do you think, Miss Tingyun?"
"My benefactor has a good eye. This Ruomu Pavilion is an elegant place. There are often beautiful women playing music and dancing in the pavilion. Doctors from the Danding Division also come to consult for free. There are many gourmets around, and most of the food is good for the eyes, relieves internal heat and stimulates the appetite."
"Stop talking, you have to be with me."
"Hey, this... this little girl... does your benefactor mean to have some fun with me?"
Tingyun's smile froze again.
She may have never seen such a shameless person - or she may have never seen anyone who is so awesome but still shameless.
"This is to cooperate with our actions. Why, you are not happy?" Kong didn't know whether he was in a playful mood or really intended to use this fox man as a disguise.
"What can I do... Well, since this is an invitation from my benefactor and a mission, I will..."
The blush on Tingyun's face was fake. She was actually scared to death, afraid that she would be taken along when they fought with the bad guys.
"Old Yang and Ruan Mei, you guys take care of Xiao Sanyue and Alan, and bring them some food. Cocolia, you, Yuyun, and this... Miss Qingque, do you want to go to Baoyu Hall to rest for a while? This is a place with high reviews. If there is a lot of noise over there, we can still go over there in time."
"Hey, boss, don't you need a fortune teller to go with you?" Qingque felt relieved, but from what Kong said, she didn't expect her to provide additional intelligence and liaison support at all.
In fact, Fu Xuan did not give her any more specific instructions. After handing over the jade omen, he still had to follow the team or not.
"Since you, Si Taibu, asked me to be more normal, I can't bring two people sent by the authorities with me - Liu Yun, Shen He, let's go."
"...Ah? Hey, benefactor, you want to be with me..."
Tingyun had just prepared an expression that was charming yet somewhat reluctant, when he heard Kong inviting the master and disciple to go for a walk again. The two women followed without hesitation and naturally, and he was stunned.
"It's not surprising that the ferry service was stopped. Kong usually goes out with three or four people on dates, otherwise he wouldn't be able to take care of them all."
Seeing her hesitate again, Shen He explained to her with empty eyes:
"He has no bad intentions towards you, he just needs a guide to follow him... maybe the way he spoke was wrong, so you misunderstood."
"Ah? Yes, yes."
...Thank you, Science Immortal, otherwise I would still be kept in the dark——
The more Tingyun came into contact with Kong and his group of "bad friends", the more he could not maintain his external appearance.
It was really infuriating! She was a famous beauty in Xingcha Sea and even in half of Luofu!
If you really push me into the alley, won't we have a chance to talk about more dirty things? Now we have to find another opportunity -
"My benefactor is truly generous..." There was a hint of resentment in the fox man's charming tone.
"...Don't be so mean to me. If you hadn't tried to run away so many times, I wouldn't have forced you to do that. It's reasonable for a group of outsiders like us to run around with a ferryman, but if you go with a fortune teller or a judge, it will scare people away, right?"
"So that's how it is... Well, I actually panicked for a moment. I'm still not well-trained enough."
"Haven't you encountered this kind of situation when you were guiding other visitors? Then you are doing your job very smoothly."
"Of course, it's because the benefactor is so important that I hesitated~"
"Don't worry, you'll be safe, in every sense of the word."
"My benefactor...if you continue to tease me like this, I will get angry..."
[Your attitude towards that girl... is... you like her? ]
When Tingyun was pouting, Liuyun's glasses had reflected the light several times.
She was not a cunning immortal master. If Kong had not been more sensible and chosen to take them for a walk first, and only called a light bulb, she would have had a stern face by now.
[Tingyun must have collected a lot of information about me before, and has a favorable impression of me that exceeds the threshold. I want to try to find out where she got the information. Although we are at peace now, I at least need to know who she works for privately - that's why I brought her with me to observe her.]
[Heh, I thought you were thinking about the pot again while eating what's in the bowl.] Liu Yun pushed up his glasses.
[…The fox has already gone bankrupt, and I really can’t eat any more. ]
His appropriately cowardly attitude in the public channel was rewarded with Shen He taking a step forward without hesitation - he grabbed the C position before his master and stuffed all of Kong's arms into the cloth cover.
[…Shen He…]
【Master, first come, first served. 】
[Alas, I don’t necessarily want to steal the limelight from the younger generation, but your lack of humility is really...]
[With Senior Sister Ganyu in front of him... I can only wait patiently if I give in. Besides, Master has never held his hand in public, right? ]
[Of course I did.]
...when you weren't seeing.
Liu Yun sighed rather miserably.
This is probably the pain that teachers have to endure.
Watching Kong leading the three beauties away, Sanyue, who was full of energy just now, suddenly became depressed: "He was talking so nervously... why is he so relaxed now? Has he been influenced by the immortal boat people?"
"As the saying goes, more haste makes waste, Miss March Seventh... Anyway, if the sky falls, Taibu and other big guys will back you up. Hey, I have an idea. Since we are just killing time and ready to support at any time, why don't we just play a few hands near the card hall? I'll treat you~"
Qingque took the opportunity to suggest——
As long as we let our guests know the beauty of playing cards, we won’t have to worry about being held accountable afterwards, right?
344. Caring for the Lonely Old Crane
Less than 300 meters west of Ruomuting is the reception point of the Shen Ce Mansion. Naturally, this is also a place where every inch of land is worth a lot of money. Qingque dared to invite everyone to play cards here. In addition to Fu Xuan's promise to reimburse all operational expenses and be a financial thief, it was also a helpless choice after Lao Yang's repeated requests.
"One tube."
Looking at the reliable adult, Mr. Old Yang, he still had a serious expression on his face, but he was no different from those middle-aged men who went in and out of the mahjong hall. It seemed that his mind was no longer on the mission.
After letting go of the sense of responsibility, letting go of the desire to help others, and respecting the fate of others, life suddenly became a lot easier - even Xiao Sanyue, who had been very nervous before, no longer had a stiff shoulder.
The people of Luofu themselves are not in a hurry, so why would they be in a hurry?
"Mr. Yang, have you ever played with Qiongyu before?"
It was like meeting an old friend in a foreign land - it was not quite accurate to say this, but Qingque saw Walter's skillful movements when he threw the cards, licked his lips, and felt that he had met a master.
"The rules are pretty much the same. In the past, when there was no war, I would occasionally fight with the Captain and Himeko."
"Hey, but I've never seen Uncle Yang and Sister Ji Zi playing this game in the car? Fifty thousand!"
March threw the cards into the shuffler in the middle with great momentum.
In an era when most chess and card games pursue lightweight and convenience, there are still offline Qiong Yu that can provide the "feel" of playing cards, a demand that only old Xianzhou people have.
For Qingque, the sense of security of holding something in his hands is far greater than the joy of winning a game of cards.
She watched March pinching the cards, as if she was admiring a rising star in the card world under her careful teaching.
In order to keep her interested, Qingque deliberately did not use too much force to grab some small cards.
"...After all, we adults can't teach the young ones to lose their ambition by playing cards."
Old Yang changed the subject and realized that he had said something wrong again.
He would only be so relaxed when talking to someone he trusted. Fortunately, Xiao Sanyue didn't understand the difference between Wuliang Tower and the navigator.
"Oh, Mr. Walter, what are you talking about? Playing cards, making pancakes, and selling melons are called the three major covers of Xianzhou Plain Clothes and Diheng. I wonder if you have heard of it~"
Qingque hurriedly fed Walter some magic potion - she couldn't let the distinguished guest think that she was addicted to cards: "This is also part of the mission."
"It's the same everywhere... hehe."
Cocolia, who had always acted bitter and vindictive and scrutinized everything, finally laughed, and after thinking for a long time, threw out a cake.
But Xiao Sanyue not only has good luck, but also seems to have a longer novice protection period than some people -
"Hey, it's a tie!"
"Oh! We tied again! Miss March is unstoppable. No, I have to seriously protect the honor of my old poker friend!"
It could be said that it was a deliberate move, as none of the three who were careful or took the game seriously could win, but March, who played recklessly, was able to draw.
After lighting the firecracker, Cocolia's hand froze. After a light sigh, she stared at March for a while with a rather maternal look.
She felt a kind of vitality from her that was different from that of her own daughter...but the two of them bore completely different pressures. Was she being too harsh on Yaya?
"Hehe, this girl does have some talent! Alan, do you want to come to the table?"
"No, I have to pay attention to Brother Kong's back."
"Then Brother Yuyun, are you coming?"