Chapter 45: The Old Woman Selling Eggs!

"No, why are we running?"

After being pulled into a hidden spot by Han Yuesu and waiting for the group of thugs from the Ash Stronghold to pass, Yu Le finally voiced his question.

Han Yuesu glanced at Yu Le with a look of helpless resignation, seemingly having no desire to explain.

Geng Xiao patted his shoulder and said, "There are some things you'll understand once you've experienced more. There’s a saying: a mighty dragon shouldn't challenge the local snake, right?"

"Uh..."

Han Yuesu cast a side-glance at him. "Don't think that just because there aren't many cultivators among these people, you can do whatever you want. Believe me, the moment you make a move, a constant stream of people will appear, and among them, there will be no shortage of those so-called gangs from the Ash Stronghold."

"Let's go. I'll explain it to you slowly on the way."

Following the coordinates for "Living Bead" provided by the Thunder-Gallop Team, Geng Xiao led the two of them, taking pains to avoid the areas where people gathered in the Ash Stronghold.

Along the way, listening to the explanations of Geng Xiao, who possessed ample social experience, Yu Le finally understood how things worked.

Beyond what Han Yuesu had just mentioned—that provoking these seemingly inconsequential hoodlums would stir up the various gangs of the Ash Stronghold—the most important point was that the people living in the Ash Stronghold, especially that group just now, were bottom-feeders. Petty theft was the norm, and they would stop at nothing, including deceit and trickery, for the sake of money.

Whenever outsiders entered the Ash Stronghold, these people would collude to find ways to extort them. This was the reason Geng Xiao had chosen to pay them off from the start. If a decent person were to get angry with these people, even if they weren't afraid of them, they would still end up mired in trouble. It simply wasn't worth it.

"And don't forget our goal. While the people in the Ash Stronghold can't exactly be called united, they are definitely xenophobic. Once you make a scene and turn the whole place upside down, do you think the person you're looking for won't get wind of it and escape?" Han Yuesu added with a hint of reproach.

Hearing this, Yu Le lowered his head in shame. "I was wrong, Team Leader Han."

"Alright, Yuesu, say no more. Little Yu just lacks social experience!" Geng Xiao didn't seem to mind.

Fortunately, the rest of the journey was uneventful. Following the coordinates provided by the Thunder-Gallop Team, the three arrived at a gloomy, narrow alleyway. At the entrance, an elderly blind woman sat with two bamboo baskets, calling out half-heartedly to sell eggs.

Geng Xiao exchanged a look with the others, then stepped forward. "Ma'am, how much for the eggs?"

A creepy smile spread across the blind woman's face. She fumbled to lift the cloth covering the baskets and said, "That depends on what kind of eggs the guest wants to buy."

The eggs in the left basket were normal, but when the right basket was uncovered, a foul, fishy stench assaulted them. It was a basket of rotten eggs—or rather, eggs that had failed to hatch; one could clearly see the forms of chicks, some even rotting and crawling with maggots.

Han Yuesu pinched her nose and stepped back, and Yu Le frowned in disgust.

Geng Xiao’s expression remained unchanged. He tapped the right basket and asked, "I want to buy the eggs in this basket. How much for one?"

"Guest, I don't sell eggs for money, I sell them for 'Yuan'. One egg is ten thousand Yuan!"

What kind of NPC dialogue is this?

"Then I'll take one hundred thousand Yuan's worth!" Geng Xiao pulled out a stack of cash. Before he could even count it, the money in his hand vanished.

The blind woman's smile didn't fade. "Generous, guest. Then this basket of eggs is all yours. I have more at home; would you like to buy those as well?"

"Then I'll have to trouble you to lead the way, Ma'am."

Watching the elderly woman, who seemed to have trouble walking, get up tremblingly—not even bothering with her basket of eggs—and turn to head deep into the pitch-black alley, Yu Le didn't dare to breathe. He followed, but curiosity got the better of him; he glanced back and his body shivered.

There were no eggs left in the bamboo baskets. Instead, snakes of various colors were slithering out, adding to the eerie atmosphere of the place and making one’s skin crawl.

***

"Creak~"

"Come in," the blind woman said, pushing open a door with practiced ease and beckoning the three inside.

Geng Xiao stepped in first, followed by the other two. The room was pitch black, and nothing could be seen until the sound of a match striking echoed. A dim candle flickered to life. Sitting at a table directly facing the three was a middle-aged man with deathly pale skin.

Where was the egg-selling woman?

"The three of you understand the rules. Please, sit," the middle-aged man gestured.

Geng Xiao sat down and looked at him. "Might I ask if you are 'Living Bead'?"

The man didn't explain. "Are you three here to buy eggs, or sell them?"

Still obsessed with eggs!

Han Yuesu whispered into Yu Le's ear, "Living Bead's destiny-martial ability grants him the power of disguise. That old woman selling eggs earlier was him in disguise. There are rules for doing business with him; if you don't follow the procedure, he won't receive you. And if you try to force him, he may not have other skills, but his ability to escape is top-notch."

Disguise? An optical illusion? Yu Le thought of the two baskets of snakes and felt extremely uncomfortable staying here.

"So, buying eggs and selling eggs..."

"Living Bead's primary business is human trafficking. So, you understand."

Yu Le caught the implication.

Geng Xiao leaned forward. "We aren't here to buy eggs, nor to sell them. We are here to inquire about the whereabouts of one particular 'egg'."

"Interesting. You come to me to find an egg. Is it one of your own?"

"Yes. Can this information be purchased from you?"

"I keep my doors open for business. Since you’ve come, I naturally won’t let you leave empty-handed. However, the price..."

"Name your terms."

The middle-aged man used his fingernail to carve three numbers into the table: 100!

"Yuesu," Geng Xiao said in a deep voice.

Han Yuesu nodded, brushed a ring on her finger, and a handbag appeared. Geng Xiao patted the bag. "Here is two hundred. Please, enlighten us."

The middle-aged man’s eyes narrowed, then his face filled with smiles. He waved his hand, and the handbag on the table vanished, just as the money had been taken from Geng Xiao earlier.

"Easy enough. Wait for me."

The middle-aged man disappeared into the darkness. A moment later, he returned with a stack of documents and placed them before Geng Xiao. As Geng Xiao reached for them, the man pressed his hand down. "You know the rules?"

Geng Xiao nodded. "The intelligence doesn't leave the room. I will read it and leave. This matter will have nothing to do with you."

Only then did the man satisfy, releasing his hand. Geng Xiao flipped through the thin stack of papers, and the two standing behind him clearly noticed his expression darken.

*Hoo~*

A flame ignited in Geng Xiao's hand, burning the documents and illuminating the entire room.

"Since I've finished reading, let's go."

***

"Wait a moment. The information you provided is too vague. We..."

"That is no longer my concern. If you can afford to offend the people mentioned, then go ahead and provoke them. If you can't, then give up on that notion. Please, leave."

Geng Xiao felt reluctant, but seeing the dark, inscrutable gaze of the man, he chose to stand up and leave.

Not long after the three had departed, the middle-aged man was counting his money when his body suddenly went rigid.

"Which expert is it?"

The next moment—*Bang!* His head was smashed onto the table, and the dimly lit, pretentious room was flooded with light.

A photograph was thrust before his eyes, accompanied by the voice of an elderly woman: "Take a good look. Have you seen this girl in the photo?"

"No..." Before he could finish, one of his hands was hacked off.

"Ah!"

"Last chance. Have you seen her?" Under the candlelight, the old woman's expression was chillingly murderous.

"I... I have, but the people behind her are not to be trifled with!"

"Whether they are to be trifled with is none of your business. You only need to tell me, or else..."

"I'll talk, I'll talk! During this time..."

*BOOM!*

After Geng Xiao and his team had left, a sudden explosion rang out behind them. The three were startled and turned back to see a raging fire erupting from the direction they had just come.

"That looks like Living Bead's residence."

"Let's go back and see!" Geng Xiao made a prompt decision.

When they returned to the alley, the entire building was engulfed in a sea of flames. They attempted to enter, but the fire was too fierce, and the three were forced to retreat.

The surrounding people were also shouting and screaming. "The Earth Fire is here! Run!"

For the people of the Ash Stronghold, this didn't seem to be an unusual occurrence, but for the three who had just come from there, a shadow hung over their hearts.

Silencing a witness?

In a corner no one noticed, a mass of shadows swirled, taking human form before following the fleeing residents of the Ash Stronghold outward.

"Damn it! Who was that old woman? Fortunately, outsiders don't know that my brother is the one responsible for selling the intelligence. It seems I can't stay in this Ash Stronghold anymore!"

Eggs have double yolks, and people have twins. The true "Living Bead" had escaped, passing right by Geng Xiao and his companions. Yu Le couldn't help but glance at him, but didn't pay it much mind.

At that moment, angry shouts came from behind: "Aha! So you fled here! Tell me, did you start this fire!"

It was that group of hoodlums again, blocking their path.

But now, their goal had been reached, and Living Bead's hideout had been burned to ashes. Geng Xiao cracked his neck. "Let’s end this quickly."