Chapter 197

Only one person frowned and softly said to Ning Ning, “Miss Ning Ning, don’t listen to their nonsense. I’ve known Luan Niang since we were little; I understand her character the best. She’s not a malicious person and would never do such disgraceful things.”

It was Hongyu who spoke.

“She has always been determined. Once she sets her mind to something, she never lets go. When she wanted to save enough money to leave ‘Hundred Flowrer Deep’, she did everything she could to attract customers. If she wanted to marry the City Lord, it’s reasonable that she would study calligraphy and poetry to become the type of person he liked. How could this be related to spirits or ghosts?”

She was the oldest among the girls, and although the others were dissatisfied, they remained silent out of respect for Hongyu, listening to her soft voice continue:

“We were born poor. If anyone says they don’t want a better life, they’re lying. Even if Luan Niang changed herself to get close to the City Lord, I don’t see anything shameful about it.”

“Big Sister Hongyu, you’re still defending her?”

The cat-eyed girl snorted, “Ever since she married into the City Lord’s mansion, she hasn’t contacted us. Last time we saw her at the Lantern Festival, she acted like a stranger—clearly something’s off!”

Hongyu patted her head, “Given our status, it’s understandable she doesn’t acknowledge us. I was disappointed and angry, but I don’t want you to wrong an innocent person because of personal feelings.”

Though she said this, based on the clues Ning Ning had, it seemed likely that the truth behind the missing girls in Luan City was linked to Luan Niang.

But if she were to investigate, where should she start?

Ning Ning’s thoughts were in a jumble, with no beginning or end, when suddenly the half-closed wooden door was pushed open, and she heard He Zhizhou’s despairing voice: “Ning Ning, help! My money… it’s all gone!”

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He Zhizhou’s money pouch was completely empty.

He had obtained treasures from the Floating tower and collected many spiritual plants in the secret realm. He had happily sold them, filling his pouch with lovely little spirit stones.

However, after sobering up from his drunken state and feeling utterly despairing after the incident with his uncle, he wanted to cheer himself up by admiring his spirit stones. To his dismay, he found nothing left.

He felt even more hopeless.

Just like in romance novels where the female lead is the male lead’s life, those stones were everything to the poor He Zhizhou. Thanks to him, Ning Ning and Pei Ji entered the Jucidial Court of Luan City for the first time.

The Jucidial Court was similar to a police station. After receiving a report from the public, they quickly accessed surveillance footage recorded by phoenix birds.

According to the officer who received them, thanks to the City Lord’s spell, Luan City had been crime-free recently. Losing all his belongings in such a safe environment made He Zhizhou a unique case.

The footage wandered through the ‘Hundred Flower Deep’ at night. After some time, two very familiar figures appeared in the mirror.

It was still him and Tian Xianzi.

He Zhizhou remembered the incident at the Nuanyu Pavilion and almost lost his balance.

In the mirror, Tian Xianzi stood dazedly by the roadside, facing a strange man. The man held a lush potted plant and smiled: “This is our family’s money tree. If you give me money, I can double the spirit stones.”

He demonstrated by producing three low-grade spirit stones, waving them behind the pot, and then showing six stones in his hand.

—because there was a hidden pile in the pot.

This is an extremely idiotic street scam. Any normal person would never fall for it.

Unfortunately, Tian Xianzi wasn’t in his right mind.

“Amazing, so magical!”

Tian Xianzi clapped dumbly, grinning under the man’s constant urging. He took out a pathetic hundred spirit stones from his pouch: “This is all the money I have, please!”

The scammer realized Tianxian was a drunk fool but hadn’t expected him to be such a pauper. For a moment, he was speechless.

Still, a hundred stones were money. Just as the man pocketed them, they heard He Zhizhou’s righteous shout from not far away:

“Uncle Master, what are you doing?”

He Zhizhou, outside the mirror, laughed so hard he slapped his thigh: “See? Even when drunk, I remain so clear-headed!”

Then he saw himself in the footage laughing loudly, swaying over to the man, making a three with his fingers: “The money tree is so amazing; a hundred stones aren’t enough! I’ll invest more!”

He Zhizhou spat out the tea he had just drunk and took a sharp breath. Amidst his pounding heartbeat, he heard his own voice: “Add! Thirty Million!”

After saying that, he grabbed Tian Xianzi’s wrist, tears of excitement in his eyes: “Uncle Master, this is wonderful! All the miracles in the world are happening to us! We’re so lucky, so lucky!”

He Zhizhou: …

He Zhizhou couldn’t breathe and rolled off the chair, not realizing his entire fortune wasn’t even close to thirty million.

No matter how regretful he was, the scene in the mirror wouldn’t reverse or stop.

Having lost thirty million in the money tree scam overnight, Senior Brother He aged thirty million years, sitting despondently on the floor.

Suddenly, Ning Ning’s voice said: “Wait—what you gave him doesn’t look like money notes.”

He Zhizhou revived and sprang up like a stick figure.

In the mirror, he was seen writing furiously on paper, then happily handing it to the scammer.

The piece of paper clearly wasn’t a banknote. The man’s eager smile froze when he glanced at it, his expression changing instantly.

“The spring breeze brings warmth, and every household rejoices. Friends send you thirty million—”

As the scammer recited, he began to tremble violently; his teeth chattered with anger, and his voice trembled non-stop: May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be prosperous. With these thirty million, you’ll definitely have a Happy New Year. Damn you, little stinky brat! You dare to play tricks on me?!”

He Zhizhou, overwhelmed with emotion, experienced the heights of joy and the depths of sorrow within moments: “That’s so like me!!!”

The man’s final words caused the half-dazed Tian Xianzi to draw his sword.

In the swirling light of the sword, he frowned.

“Who are you calling a stinky brat?”

Though Tian Xianzi was drunk, his instinct to protect the calf was still intact.

His cultivation was extremely high, and just pointing his sword at the man, the latter spat out blood under the immense pressure and collapsed to the ground.

Even a fool could see that these two were not to be trifled with.

“You… just wait!”

Knowing he was in the wrong and no match for them, the man realized that if they truly fought, not only would he lose the hundred spirit stones he swindled, but he might also incur a huge medical bill or even funeral expenses.

A true man knows when to yield. He struggled to his feet and stumbled away, muttering the harshest words in the most cowardly tone: “Idiots! Don’t let me catch you again!”

And so, the scammer fled.

The plot twisted and turned so much that even He Zhizhou, one of the main characters, was bewildered. So, where did his money go?

“You, what are you doing here? This isn’t a place for you to wander!”

He was still dumbfounded when he heard the gruff voice of a Jucidial officer behind him, followed by a strangely familiar young voice: “I’m looking for someone—there, Mr. He!”

The three turned to see a sweaty young man in white.

“I finally caught up with you! No wonder you cultivators move so fast.”

He wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and smiled gently: “Mr. He, the cemetery plot you bought last night needs your finger print to confirm, otherwise, I can’t complete the transaction.”

He Zhizhou was completely stunned: “Wait, what cemetery plot?”

“The one you bought from me last night!”

The young man grinned: “Don’t remember? You bought dozens of cemetery plots, saying you wanted the entire cultivation world to become your grave!”

To make the entire cultivation world his grave.

He Zhizhou felt a pang in his heart.

“This,” the young man continued professionally, “you already planned it out last night: your head in Beihuang City, your body in Zhuluzhou, and your hands and feet scattered across the border cities. That way—”

He took out a map and connected the points, forming a stick figure shape:

“In the spring, plant a few He Zhizhous, and in the fall, you’ll harvest thousands of He Zhizhou. When all the He Zhizhous unite, a single spark can start a prairie fire, overthrow the feudal rule, and establish a great new socialist country. Although I don’t understand what you mean, this is what you told me last night.”

He Zhizhou: …

Another tear slid from his fragile eyes.

This wasn’t buying cemetery plots.

This was self-inflicted dismemberment.

Ning Ning shook her head, wanting to give him a thumbs-up: “That’s so like you.”

“That’s not the point.”

Only Pei Ji frowned and said in a deep voice, “Since the City Lord’s wife is suspicious, and she specifically made us drink the strange Jiuzhou Spring Return Wine… didn’t you notice? We didn’t see Senior Sister Zheng, who should have been with our master and senior brother, in any of the footage from ‘Hundred Flower Deep’.”