Chapter 712: Something Happened, Call Me Anytime, Huh~

They chatted idly for a while longer.

Xu Xiaoshou realized that Xiao Wanfeng was actually quite talkative. Normally, even if he had ideas, his inferiority complex and low status in Tian Shang Di Yi Lou kept him from speaking up.

"From now on, if you have any ideas, you can always bring them to me," Xu Xiaoshou finally instructed. "Remember, you are also an important member of Tian Shang Di Yi Lou. Serving tea and water is just a formality—don't think of yourself as an outsider."

Xiao Wanfeng nodded gratefully, though his inner thoughts remained unknown.

At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou's ears twitched, as if he had sensed something.

He pondered for a second, then pulled a card from his ring and handed it over.

"There's an important transaction meeting tomorrow night, and you need to come with me. So, take this card now and exchange it for a few sets of luxurious clothes—something presentable enough for the occasion."

Xiao Wanfeng was stunned, unsure whether to take it or not.

"This is for the sake of Tian Shang Di Yi Lou's reputation!" Xu Xiaoshou said sternly, looking him up and down. "Though I don't mind your personal attire, if you keep wearing those ragged hemp clothes, it'll just make me look bad when we go out together."

"Uh..." Xiao Wanfeng lowered his gaze and looked at himself, finally understanding why Xu Xiaoshou had said that.

Indeed, in Tian Shang Di Yi Lou, he was probably the most shabbily dressed one.

"Thank you, Xu Xiaoshou." Without further hesitation, he took the card and expressed his gratitude.

Xu Xiaoshou nodded in acknowledgment, gesturing for him to leave immediately. But then he remembered something. "Oh, right—while you're at it, withdraw another ten thousand ling jing from the card. Consider it your work reward for this month. Take it now, so I don't forget."

Xiao Wanfeng froze mid-motion as he was getting up.

This...

In the past, he had only heard of bosses delaying wages and not settling accounts. How could Xu Xiaoshou do the opposite—settling the pay for his subordinate just a few days into the job?

And crucially, they had agreed on just one thousand ling jing!

Xiao Wanfeng didn't feel he had done any grueling work—maybe just risking his life in the Tianluo War?

But in the end, he had broken through to Jian Zong, which was reward enough!

How could the ling jing payment be increased tenfold?

"Go on!" Xu Xiaoshou waved him off casually, as if it were nothing.

Xiao Wanfeng double-checked several times until he realized that Xu Xiaoshou wasn't short on money at all. Only then did he feel overjoyed.

"Thank you, Xu Xiaoshou!" With that, he hurried out of Tian Shang Di Yi Lou with quick steps.

"Remember to buy something fancy," Xu Xiaoshou called out from behind, raising his voice. "It doesn't have to look good—just make sure it's expensive and presentable!"

"Got it..."

From the distance came Xiao Wanfeng's voice, tinged with a helpless laugh, and only then did Xu Xiaoshou nod in satisfaction.

Once the young man had left, Tian Shang Di Yi Lou felt empty.

Aside from the other Jiang clan Wangzuo, who was still locked away in the cultivation room without seeing the light of day, everyone else had gone out.

"It's fine now—you can come out!" Xu Xiaoshou scanned the surroundings and spoke into the void.

"Tap, tap, tap."

Promptly from outside the building came the sound of a cane striking the ground.

Xu Xiaoshou recognized that sound.

It was the noise of a cane on the ground, and without even looking, he knew who was approaching.

He had sent Xiao Wanfeng away precisely because of these two unexpected visitors.

A vibrant figure in a red skirt rushed in first.

Before she even arrived, a wave of fragrant scent reached him.

"Well," The storyteller appeared in a flash on the other side of the table, crossing her legs as she sat down. The high slit of her red skirt slid open, revealing a pair of shimmering jade-like legs.

She rested her chin in her hand, as if reuniting with an old acquaintance after a long time, her large eyes blinking as she stared straight at Xu Xiaoshou. Her red lips curved seductively as she said, "Little brother, you're quite the big shot, aren't you? Handling money and power so effortlessly, even insisting on the most expensive clothes."

"Heh..."

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the storyteller and leaned back slightly, pulling his chair away a bit before giving a dry laugh. "You're joking, senior. It's all due to my status—it's just what the task requires."

"Why call me senior? So formal!" The storyteller furrowed her brows, her pretty face showing displeasure. "Call me sister—it sounds more intimate."

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

"Sis-sister?" He had a face full of confusion, his fingers twitching slightly.

"Mm-hmm." The storyteller narrowed her eyes blissfully, a look of happiness spreading across her face.

Xu Xiaoshou was at a loss for a moment.

He turned his head to see Lei Shuixing slowly making his way to the table with his cane, pulling out a chair and sitting down without ceremony.

Since that night by the campfire outside Bai Ku, this was Xu Xiaoshou's closest encounter with these two from Sheng Nu.

But now, without Ba Zun An to back him up, he felt extremely uncomfortable.

If these two decided to cause trouble, he figured, as he was now—alone and helpless—he wouldn't be able to put up any meaningful resistance.

"So, you two came looking for me—what's the new instruction?" Xu Xiaoshou forced a smile and asked.

His arrival in Dong Tian Wang Cheng was to carry out the "stir-the-pot" task assigned by the Eighth Jian Xian.

Outsiders might not know his identity, but people from Sheng Nu could easily inquire in the city. Even if they didn't know before, a little thought would tell them he had become Xu Xiaoshou.

Naturally, it wasn't surprising that the storyteller had found her way to Tian Shang Di Yi Lou.

"Instruction sounds so harsh. It's just that I haven't seen you in a while and missed you, so I came to check in." The storyteller twiddled her fingers, blinking her eyes flirtatiously as she spoke in a coy voice.

"Received seduction, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou nearly died on the spot when he saw the notification pop up. A chill ran through him, and he leaned back further, creating more distance from the storyteller on a soul-deep level.

"What about the leader?"

"Has everyone come, all entered the city?"

Desperate to change the subject, Xu Xiaoshou first mentioned his biggest backer, hoping to keep the storyteller in check.

"Not at all..." The storyteller shrugged.

She understood what this little brother was thinking and drew out her words before continuing, "It's... not... possible. Big brother has his own matters to attend to. The main group hasn't arrived yet—I'm just the vanguard... the kind that's eager to meet you, so I came ahead!"

"I see..." Xu Xiaoshou's eye twitched as he glanced at Lei Shuixing, deciding to switch conversation partners. "So, what important wind blew you two into Tian Shang Di Yi Lou?"

"Two points." Lei Shuixing spoke succinctly.

He was tired of the storyteller's theatrics and didn't want her fussing beside him, so he explained on his own: "First, your pace is too slow. The trial is about to begin, but Wang Cheng hasn't descended into chaos yet. The leader sent me to hurry you along."

"This is slow?" Xu Xiaoshou thought he had misheard.

"You know, I've only been in Wang Cheng for a few days, and I've already figured out the local dynamics. This job is tough, and I have to hide my identity..."

He paused, then added, "Besides, the Night Cat's intelligence has just spread. If you had come a few days later, you'd see Wang Cheng in turmoil, with the 'Xu Kong Dao' matter causing chaos everywhere, leaving no one in peace."

"In summary, it's actually you who came too early!"

The storyteller's expression turned serious, her mind shifting to business. "Sheng Shen Dian Tang won't just let you stir things up—they have plenty of ways to suppress your intelligence before it even spreads."

"That's impossible." Xu Xiaoshou was confident about that.

"Oh?" The storyteller was surprised. "How so?"

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled. "The people I found are reliable. At least for this matter, Night Cat is going all out. As the leader in underground intelligence, they won't be suppressed unless they want to be."

"How can you be so sure they'll go all out for you?" The storyteller was skeptical. "This Wang Cheng belongs to 'Sheng Shen Dian Tang's' 'Sheng,' not 'Sheng Nu's' 'Sheng.'"

"Heh."

Xu Xiaoshou shrugged indifferently. He recalled the day Yuan Haisheng and Jian Lao were terrified by the Seventh Jian Xian, Mei Si Ren, and smirked mysteriously without elaborating.

"Relax, I'll handle things—just watch."

"Received suspicion, passive value, 2."

The storyteller fell silent for a moment.

Lei Shuixing was also doubtful.

Both knew how difficult Xu Xiaoshou's task was.

Without high-level help from Sheng Nu, acting as the stir-the-pot agent in Dong Tian Wang Cheng while staying safe and avoiding trouble was an incredibly tough job.

Where did Xu Xiaoshou get such confidence?

"You'll see—it's fine. If there's really a problem, I can always call for backup, right?" Xu Xiaoshou pulled out a communication bead and waved it.

This reassured the storyteller a bit.

The bead was given by the leader, allowing Xu Xiaoshou to contact Sheng Nu's higher-ups for help anytime.

The storyteller had come because the bead hadn't been used for over half a month, prompting her to check in person.

Little did she know, Xu Xiaoshou hadn't forgotten—it was just that he believed he could handle being Wang Cheng's stir-the-pot agent all on his own.

"Tsk, tsk, how charming!" The storyteller licked her red lips, impressed by Xu Xiaoshou's confidence.

"Received affection, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou shuddered and quickly turned to Lei Shuixing: "What's the second point? Any other tasks?"

"It isn't really a task..." Lei Shuixing said calmly, taking three palm-sized black tokens from his ring and slapping them onto the table.

The three black tokens were entirely dark, with no carvings, spiritual arrays, or Tianji Dao patterns on them.

As soon as they appeared, an inexplicable aura spread out.

Xu Xiaoshou's expression shifted as he casually picked one up for a closer look.

Aside from its black color, the token had no patterns, text, or marks of any kind.

"What does this mean?" Xu Xiaoshou put it down, puzzled.

"These are 'Xu Kong Ling,' three of them—from the leader." Lei Shuixing's casual words stirred up a storm in Xu Xiaoshou's heart.

"Xu Kong Ling?!"

Xu Xiaoshou shot to his feet, his expression blank and incredulous.

He recalled when Xiao Wanfeng had described digging up the tokens—saying they were entirely black—but hadn't elaborated further.

Through intelligence gathered in the past few days, Xu Xiaoshou knew that to enter the sacred secret realm of Xu Kong Dao, holding a "Xu Kong Ling" was essential.

So, he never imagined...

What Lei Shuixing had just pulled out were the highly coveted "Xu Kong Ling" tokens that Sheng Shen Dian Tang and Wang Cheng's top forces were all after!

And there were three of them!

"You're serious?" Xu Xiaoshou sat back down, swallowing hard.

"Mm-hmm."

The storyteller nodded from the side, picking one up and tossing it lightly. "This is a 'Xu Kong Ling.' They all look like this—remember it and keep it safe."

"As for the second task... I don't know what the leader was thinking. He just said that once you have the tokens, you can get things done."

Xu Xiaoshou was impressed by Ba Zun An's capabilities.

To obtain three "Xu Kong Ling" under Sheng Shen Dian Tang's strict control without a trace—this was no small feat!

He had heard before that these tokens were mostly under Sheng Shen Dian Tang's control, with outsiders at best finding mere "clues." How had they suddenly appeared out of nowhere?

"I can take the tokens, but as for what to do with them..." Xu Xiaoshou said curiously, deciding not to ask how they were obtained.

After calming down, he thought that since the Eighth Jian Xian had entered Xu Kong Dao and mentioned something about the "black and white veins all deferring to me," perhaps Ba Zun An had gotten these through internal channels.

"Stir things up, of course!" The storyteller replied with a charming smile. "It's still that same task. With these three tokens, you don't have to rely on bluffing anymore... Even if Sheng Shen Dian Tang suppresses your Night Cat intelligence, tossing out these tokens will make the Xu Kong Dao matter unstoppable—no one, not even the highest authorities, can suppress it."

Xu Xiaoshou's forehead veins throbbed as he listened.

He hadn't thought his actions were insignificant—in fact, he felt they were quite bold, especially stirring trouble right under Sheng Shen Dian Tang's nose in Dong Tian Wang Cheng.

Even a small matter could be fatal if his identity was exposed!

But now...

Touching the three "Xu Kong Ling" on the table, Xu Xiaoshou truly realized what Ba Zun An meant by "starting a war."

Sheng Nu wasn't joking around.

They really wanted to stir up a massive storm in Wang Cheng and ignite a full conflict!

They genuinely felt his efforts were all thunder and no rain!

In that case...

"Got it."

With a decision in mind, Xu Xiaoshou stored the tokens in his ring and nodded firmly.

With these, as the storyteller said, "No one can suppress the Xu Kong Dao matter."

—Wang Cheng was about to change!

"Alright, we're off."

After delivering the task, the storyteller shrugged.

She actually wanted to stay longer and have a private chat with Xu Xiaoshou in a room, but her spiritual sense detected people approaching Tian Shang Di Yi Lou, so she stood up.

"No need to see us out." Xu Xiaoshou was eager to send them off like unwelcome guests, ready to watch them leave.

"You..." But Lei Shuixing didn't leave immediately after rising. He hesitated, lowering his head as he spoke.

The storyteller's eyes sparkled with interest, glancing back and forth between Xu Xiaoshou and Lei Shuixing, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"What is it? Anything else?" Xu Xiaoshou realized Lei Shuixing was addressing him.

Lei Shuixing hesitated for a moment, tilting his head slightly without meeting Xu Xiaoshou's eyes, and asked, "Where's your friend?"

"Friend?"

Xu Xiaoshou frowned, unsure what he meant.

Then it hit him—Lei Shuixing must be referring to Xin Gugu and the others.

"They went out and haven't come back yet..."

"Never mind." At that, Lei Shuixing waved it off, turned with his cane, and headed toward the door.

"Tap, tap, tap."

The crisp sounds faded as his figure disappeared.

Xu Xiaoshou was left baffled, turning with a puzzled look to the storyteller.

"Take care, okay?"

The storyteller had somehow appeared at his side, gently patting Xu Xiaoshou's cheek with her slender hand, her breath warm as she whispered, "If anything happens, just call for me."

She was actually blowing hot breath near his ear!

Xu Xiaoshou's whole body prickled with goosebumps, and he quickly dodged away.

But like a persistent shadow, the storyteller shifted in an instant to his other side, whispering seductively, "Or if it's nothing serious, you can call me too—I'll come running."