The night in Chang’an was even more dazzling than the day. Exquisitely carved wooden lanterns hung from tree branches and under the eaves. Crowds bustled about, accents from all corners of the land converging. This noisy, lively scene seed as if it would never fade.
Li Ang walked through the narrow alleys. Thanks to the Chang’an canal renovation project completed earlier this year, the streets were much cleaner and neater, with no sewage flowing freely.
Passing through Xiu Zheng Square and Qinglong Square, he arrived at the banks of Qujiang Pool.
As always, the river was lined with nurous painted pleasure boats. Li Ang walked along the river for a while and found a boat with four red and two white lanterns, just as described on the Zhao Ming Token. It was moored at the bank, and from it ca bursts of music, laughter, and the clinking of cups.
Li Ang adjusted the dicine chest on his shoulder and stepped onto the boat.
The boatman, upon seeing him, showed no surprise. He smiled, bowed, and said, "Sir, this way."
Li Ang stepped into the cabin. Inside, two rows of tables were arranged where several scholars and enchanting won were laughing and drinking rrily, completely oblivious to Li Ang’s presence.
THUD—
The boatman pushed off from the shore twice with a bamboo pole. The painted boat silently glided into the mirror-like waters, heading toward the south side of Qujiang Pool.
Amidst the continued laughter and chatter on the painted boat, the young attendant, who had been bustling about earlier, casually stuffed a towel into his belt. With his hands on his hips, he calmly asked Li Ang, "Is this your disguise?"
Li Ang nodded. "Yes." He had applied a series of disguises after leaving ho, including wearing height-increasing insoles, padding the bridge of his nose, and adding shadow under his cheekbones to appear more mature and sculpted, resembling a man in his twenties. To enhance the effect, he had even placed two soybeans in his shoes—this would passively alter his walking posture, more than enough to deceive the bad people of Chang’an Wannian County.
The young attendant, his voice now taking on Ya Jiu’s characteristic tone, nodded. "Not bad, the makeover. But you’d better wear this." He pulled a leather mask from his clothes and tossed it to Li Ang. "We’re going to the Ghost Market. Wear the mask so my junior martial brother and the people in the Ghost Market don’t recognize you."
SNAP.
Li Ang caught the leather mask. It still depicted a middle-aged man’s face, but it was different from the one he had used last ti.
Li Ang put on the mask. "Your junior martial brother?" he asked.
"Another disciple of my master, Jun Qianzi," Ya Jiu said indifferently. "You can call him Wu Huo. This ti, we’ll be working with him. Your identity is a Doctor with partial inheritance from the Forr Sui Sect’s Lihua Valley."
Li Ang nodded. "Oh." His mind raced. What did Ya Jiu an by ’so my junior martial brother...don’t recognize you’? Didn’t Wu Huo know Li Ang’s real identity? Or had Ya Jiu brought him into the group and given him the Zhao Ming Token without Jun Qianzi’s permission? Or was it simply that Ya Jiu and his junior martial brother, Wu Huo, mutually despised each other and couldn’t stand the sight of one another?
And why did Ya Jiu arrange for him to play the role of a Lihua Valley Doctor and tell him to bring a dicine chest? Was there soone he needed to treat...
Ya Jiu took sothing out of the Brocade Bag on his belt and tossed it to Li Ang. "Also, take this."
It was a conical, sharp claw tied with golden thread. It was black and shiny, reflecting a warm luster under the candlelight, and resembled a Tomb Raider Talisman.
"A Mountain Rat Claw, from a Second-level Demon Beast," Ya Jiu said. "It’s enchanted with the Tunneling Technique and can be used up to three tis when infused with Spiritual Power. Since it’s a natural talent of the demon beast, its effect is stronger than the Tunneling Technique used by a Cloud Patrol Realm cultivator. It’s for saving your life. Be mindful of when you use it; if you exhaust its uses while deep underground, you’ll be trapped alive down there."
So this was the advance paynt?The Tunneling Technique could lt through soil, allowing travel underground. In an ergency, diving underground could save his life. It could also be used to flee or advance stealthily. Indeed, it was a fine Mutated Object—and with no negative effects.
Li Ang had seen information on such items in the Book Collection Pavilion of the Academic Palace. He nodded at Ya Jiu, slipped the Mountain Rat Claw into the Brocade Bag on his belt, and asked, "What am I supposed to do?"
According to Mo Si’s emotional sensing, the attendant in front of him wasn’t Ya Jiu’s main body. But since this person could offer a Second-level Mutated Object as an advance paynt, they likely wouldn’t deceive him or put him in a difficult position.
As Ya Jiu said, "Stitch up a wound," the painted boat once again docked at the shore.
A heavy CLOMP sounded from outside, and a long boot stained with mud stepped onto the boat’s plank.
CLOMP. CLOMP. CLOMP.
The footsteps drew nearer. A muscular young man with thick eyebrows and a bronze complexion boarded the boat, making his way to the cabin. He had a lazy expression, his right hand scratching his well-defined abs through the open front of his clothes, while in his left, he carried a huge and heavy iron box.
The young man known as Wu Huo casually dropped the iron box onto the cabin floor. "I brought the goods."
THUD.
The impact created a heavy, visible dent in the sturdy wooden planks.
An Innate Martial Artist. Li Ang subtly smacked his lips. Both Ya Jiu and this so-called Wu Huo possessed Cloud Patrol Realm-level strength. It was a mystery what the two were plotting.
Wu Huo sat down carefreely. Looking up at the silent Li Ang, he casually asked Ya Jiu, "Is this the Doctor you found? Is he reliable?"
Ya Jiu replied indifferently, "More reliable than you." He crouched down and opened the iron box.
Inside the box, the walls were etched with complex runes, and the base was lined with a thick layer of protective straw, designed to cushion against shocks and impacts.
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