Chapter 3104: Little Follower

Just a single mention of Shen Jie.

Ye Chen fell silent.

His silence made the woman tremble uncontrollably, and her seductive demeanor completely vanished. It seemed her courage had been completely extinguished. Bargaining with such an unfathomable senior was simply something she couldn't bear. The quiet in the room pushed her mind to the brink of collapse.

In the end, she knelt down with a thud, prostrating like an ant, as humble as could be. It wasn't the fear of death that made her like this—after all, she had died the day she was sold into the Qing Lou—but the fear that she wouldn't be able to avenge her clan before she died.

The door was half-open, and passersby, along with the patrons of the Qing Lou, looked on with curious expressions, stealing glances at Ye Chen. What kind of scene was this?

"Get up."

Ye Chen said indifferently. He wasn't pleased about being bargained with, but it didn't stir any murderous intent in him. Deep down, he harbored a compassionate heart. Even for ordinary people, that was true, let alone for a woman with such a tragic backstory.

The woman stood up, still trembling.

"Are we currently in Xian Jie?"

Ye Chen asked again.

"It's Xian Zhi Hao Miao Xing."

The female emperor replied hastily.

"How do I get to Shen Jie?"

"My grandfather once said that to reach Shen Jie, one must go to Shen Shan. There's an immortal ladder there; climb it, and you can enter Shen Jie." The woman continued, "Legend has it that you need cultivation at the level of Ban Shen, or perhaps someone from Shen Jie to guide you."

At this point, she paused, as if anticipating Ye Chen's next question, and added, "Shen Shan is in Wu Wang Hai. Anyone below Ban Shen can't set foot there. That's all I know, and my grandfather never told me where Wu Wang Hai is located."

Ye Chen said nothing, casually picking up a wine jug. It was true—the structure of these two universes was quite different.

Still, he had found where Zhao Yun was headed and the way to get to Shen Jie. As for what Ban Shen equated to in the Zhutian realms, he didn't care much. It was probably Quasi Emperor peak, or maybe Great Emperor level. With his cultivation, it was more than sufficient.

"Best to wait a bit."

Ye Chen murmured to himself. At least the restrictions were lifted now. In his current state, if he went to Shen Jie and ran into Zhao Yun first, that would be fine. But if he encountered other supreme beings, like that red-haired youth, he'd likely get beaten, and in the worst case, destroyed.

He understood the principle that a strong dragon doesn't suppress a local snake. Even the female emperor might not dare claim to be the strongest here, let alone him.

So, he needed to find the Dun Jia Tian Zi first.

Thinking of this, he pulled open his clothes, revealing his plump little chest.

"Have you ever seen characters like these?"

Ye Chen looked at the woman and pointed to the two Dun Jia Tian Zi etched on his chest. In his view, though her cultivation was weak, her knowledge far surpassed that of the people here. She might have seen them before.

The woman lifted her gaze, and upon seeing it, her mouth twitched involuntarily, her expression turning strange. Subconsciously, she glanced at Ye Chen's small face. Whether she was afraid anymore, she didn't know, but it certainly made her want to laugh.

It wasn't her fault; it was just that those two ancient characters were a bit eye-catching. Taken separately, they were fine, but together, they were rather offensive.

Jian Ren.

If she hadn't misread them, that's how those two ancient characters were pronounced. Precisely because she hadn't misread, she reacted this way. This short-statured senior had such peculiar tastes.

Ye Chen didn't mind. As a Quasi Huang Emperor, his mind was clear and unperturbed; he had no time for such trivialities.

Fortunately, Ming Di wasn't here, and neither were people from the Zhutian. If they were, they'd surely show a meaningful expression. It seemed the judgment in the Book of Life and Death about someone was spot-on. Even in another universe, it still applied. Using those two characters to describe him was fitting. Etching them on his chest was a bit understated; on his face, it would suit his aura even better.

"I've seen them before."

After three or five seconds, the woman snapped back and quickly lowered her head again, afraid she'd burst out laughing. This seemingly cute little figure was just too amusing.

"I didn't pick the wrong person to ask."

Ye Chen chuckled and covered up his clothes again.

"My family deals in intelligence."

The woman spoke respectfully, her voice soft. Though unintentional, it was deliberate. Having spent time in the Qing Lou, she'd encountered all sorts of people and developed a keen eye. She could tell Ye Chen was a senior out of touch with the world, seemingly knowing nothing.

People like him lacked a guide. By mentioning her family's work, she implied she could be useful, dealing in intelligence meant knowing things others didn't. In Ye Chen's eyes, that made her valuable.

This way, Ye Chen might take her along. As long as she survived, even as a servant, it would be worth it. This was her hope, her chance for revenge.

"You're not foolish at all."

Ye Chen smiled at the woman, seeing through her thoughts. Indeed, he needed someone like her. Those in intelligence knew a lot. Perhaps that's why her family had been wiped out—they knew too much.

As the saying went, those in intelligence needed a strong foundation and backing; otherwise, who knew how many forces would target them.

Some secrets or scandals—masters wouldn't want them leaked, so they'd strike hard.

"I'll be your beast of burden or servant; I won't hesitate, even in death."

The woman knelt down with a thud again.

"Talking to a smart person is always straightforward."

Ye Chen laughed and casually placed an immortal sword in front of her, as a reward. Whether she was scheming or bargaining, at least he'd gotten the information he wanted, including about the Dun Jia Tian Zi. Bringing her along would make things easier. Her weak cultivation didn't matter; she wouldn't need to fight. With him around, anyone below the supreme level wasn't worth his attention.

"Thank you, senior."

The woman wept with joy, quickly taking the immortal sword. She knew it—meeting a benefactor midway meant her fate wasn't sealed.

"Boss, it's all sorted."

Chi Yan Xiong Shi strode in, nearly tripping as he entered—his legs were a bit wobbly, likely from overindulgence earlier; he still hadn't recovered.

"Sister, you're free now."

Chi Yan Xiong Shi grinned, pulling out a plaque and handing it over. His heart ached a little; redeeming her had cost a fortune. The owner here was outrageously greedy, but since Ye Chen had ordered it, he'd emptied his pockets without a second thought.

"Thank you."

The woman bowed to receive it, devoid of any seductive pose. Compared to before, she was much more reserved.

That was natural; before, it was humiliation for survival, but now, it was the start of a new path, one where she could live with dignity.

Ye Chen didn't speak, tossing his wine gourd aside and striding out of the room with his proud little steps.

Chi Yan Xiong Shi followed.

The woman did the same.

Huh?

Chi Yan Xiong Shi raised an eyebrow, eyeing the woman up and down with a strange expression. What was this? Was she coming with them?

The woman nodded lightly and glanced at Ye Chen.

Chi Yan Xiong Shi understood.

Clearly, Ye Chen had taken on another little follower.

"I still don't know your name."

"Zi Xin."

The woman replied casually.

"We're all under the same boss now."

Chi Yan Xiong Shi said.

"Later, if I want to, you know, with you, you won't charge anymore, right?"

"Or maybe give me a discount."

The lion rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming. He assumed Ye Chen had found him a companion out of consideration for his loneliness, someone to chat with in bed about life's ideals when there was nothing else to do.

"Get lost."

Zi Xin said coldly, her face devoid of seduction or flattery, marked only by icy resolve. As she'd said earlier, after a lifetime of humiliation, she now lived only for revenge.

"Honestly, I preferred you before."

Chi Yan Xiong Shi stuffed his hands in his pockets. After a day of that, he was exhausted, but her single word "get lost" reignited his fire. Lions like strong-willed spicy peppers; those who threw themselves at him lost their appeal.

"It's him, just him."

"You little thing, you're not getting away today."

"How dare you ruin my fun."

Before they could go downstairs, shouts echoed from the first floor of the Qing Lou, where a crowd had gathered.

The two leaders were the ones Ye Chen had knocked out and thrown out earlier, their faces dark with rage, weapons in hand, barking like mad dogs.

No wonder—they'd come for pleasure, only to be disrupted and beaten. How could they tolerate that?

"Fellow daoists, please don't cause trouble."

"Get lost."

The madam tried to smooth things over with a fawning smile, but each attempt got her pushed away. Running a Qing Lou meant having connections, but today's chaos was beyond control; she couldn't handle it.

"This is getting a bit intense!"

Chi Yan Xiong Shi coughed, feeling nervous again. If even he was like this, Zi Xin was even more so—her face had turned pale. The scene was not just intense; it was overwhelmingly so. Clearly, Ye Chen had provoked some heavy hitters; many in the crowd she recognized, from major sects and schools. She wondered if her new master could handle it.

"This should be entertaining."

The patrons clustered together, sipping their drinks with leisure, their eyes full of interest. Compared to the dancing fairies on stage, this spectacle was more captivating. They were here for entertainment anyway, so why not watch? They wanted to see what made this little kid tick, what gave him the nerve to beat the holy sons of great sects—and two of them at that.

Ye Chen remained steady as ever.

As a Quasi Huang Emperor, what was he? In Xian Jie, he could walk sideways. This group was just small fry, not even worth a glance.

"End it yourself, or shall I do it?"

A silver-robed elder said calmly, stroking his beard, his chin held high. Perhaps because Ye Chen was so short, the elder looked down at him with blatant contempt. His aura of superiority was quite striking.

Ah-choo!

Ye Chen kept walking, letting out a childish sneeze.

That sneeze wasn't trivial. The silver-robed elder, who had been full of pomp moments ago, along with the entire crowd blocking the way, collapsed like a wall, fainting on the spot with foam at their mouths.

Gulp!

The watching patrons and the madam all swallowed hard collectively. The power of that sneeze was immense.

"This is too strong."

Everyone's gaze toward Ye Chen turned to one of shock. They knew he wasn't ordinary, but they hadn't expected him to be this formidable. He didn't even bother to lift a hand—a single sneeze laid them all out. If he really struck, he'd send them straight to the gates of hell!