Inner City, Ruining Someone Else's Beloved Treasure

Night fell.

A Bronze Chariot departed from Cloud-Stepping Tower and entered the bustling streets of the Imperial Capital.

The Imperial Capital was divided into the Imperial City, the Inner City, and the Outer City, which, to use a somewhat inaccurate analogy, were roughly like the first, second, and third ring roads.

The reason it's not quite appropriate is that the imperial city was the residence of princes and nobles, and outsiders were not allowed to enter except under special circumstances.

The Inner City was more prosperous and spacious than the outer city. The buildings were not of the same style, but were exquisite and beautiful in their own way, showing ingenuity. Even the lanterns on the streets were replaced with sea crystal lanterns, which shone brightly and echoed the Map of Mountains and Rivers.

Bronze Chariots, in other contexts, represent understated luxury and sophistication, equivalent to luxury cars in later times.

But once inside the Inner City, it seemed quite ordinary.

Li Mo lifted the carriage curtain, looking quite surprised, as if he had learned something new.

"The Wind and Moon Cottage is even more luxurious, and its scenery is unmatched by any other place."

Xie Xuan sat at the front of the car.

He habitually wore a straw hat, which gave him the image of a free spirit.

Now, a virtuous gentleman and a refined young man are sitting in the carriage, yet he instantly appears to be the coachman.

"That's..."

Li Mo saw a building ahead, with the words "Weapon Forging Pavilion" written on its archway.

Xie Xuan had not yet spoken.

The handsome, icy Ice Block, his face half-hidden by a folding fan, said softly:

"That's the property of the Sword Furnace at the Heavenly Mountain Sword Villa. You can place an order there to have the craftsmen there for forging weapons."

"It is indeed Han Xian... Brother Han has insight."

Xie Xuan nodded, then picked a grass root from somewhere and put it in his mouth.

"Every Weapon Forging Conference has produced many outstanding craftsmen, some of whom will join the Sword Furnace, or at least be nominally affiliated with it."

"Speaking of which, this year's Weapon Forging Conference is just around the corner, but the craftsmen's skill level is getting worse with each competition, sigh..."

"Because of the Demon Summoning Cult?"

Li Mo suddenly remembered the rumors he had heard at Divine Weapon Peak: "Wasn't the Divine Strength Powder banned later?"

Xie Xuan was taken aback, surprised that Li Mo knew these things:

"There are always people trying to find ways to study unorthodox methods, and the forms in which the Divine Strength Powder appears are becoming increasingly bizarre and difficult to guard against."

"But knowing all this is useless."

Xie Xuan said, seemingly unwilling to say more to outsiders, "If you can really help me see her today, the weapons of the Hidden Dragon Assembly will be mine."

The weapons used in the Hidden Dragon Assembly must be provided by the Weapon Forging Conference.

This, to some extent, narrowed the gap in weaponry.

"Taitai, you have a say in the Sword Furnace?"

Xie Xuan clenched his fists upon hearing this address:

"I am a judge at the Weapon Forging Conference."

"Brother Xie is indeed a man of great insight and extensive knowledge; he truly deserves to be called the second Hidden Dragon!"

"?"

Xie Xuan found this sudden compliment rather abrupt.

Just then, a commotion broke out ahead.

Li Mo looked around and saw a scene that even he, a transmigrator, could not have imagined: the street in front of him was hundreds of meters wide.

At the end of the line of sight are three porcelain buildings.

Indeed, the material that makes up the building is similar to porcelain, radiating a lustrous glaze in the night. The three buildings, two small and one large, resemble three vases placed on a windowsill.

One is a sancai (three-color glazed pottery) vessel, one is a blue-and-white porcelain vessel, and one is an enamelware vessel.

The crowds were all dressed in fine clothes, while the servants and maids wore clothes that ordinary people could hardly imagine, made of a material that looked like gold paper, and their faces were painted with ink.

The decadent lifestyle has taken on a concrete form at this moment.

"The Wind and Moon Cottage is not small at all."

Xie Xuan smiled calmly, quite satisfied with the shock that Little Li had shown.

Li Mo and Ying Bing were from a small town, so they probably hadn't seen much of the world.

"Please come in, gentlemen."

The servant's smile was wide and enthusiastic, yet somewhat strange, like a lifeless puppet.

After Li Mo and Ice Block, who was dressed as a man, were welcomed inside.

He then looked at Xie Xuan expressionlessly:

"Hurry up to the back of the carriage. Be careful; if you offend someone important, even your master won't be able to protect you."

"I'm a guest too."

Xie Xuan slammed the riding whip to the ground with a 'smack'.

"Heh." The servant sneered, "You smell almost the same as me; I can tell just by smelling you."

"..."

After Li Mo explained a few things, Xie Xuan was finally allowed in.

"So it's Young Master Li. You... you're a rare guest indeed."

The madam, her face heavily painted, came forward.

The place of pleasure is the most well-informed. Although they didn't recognize Xie Xuan, who was hiding his face in a straw hat, or Ice Block, who was dressed as a woman, Li Mo, as the fourth-ranked Hidden Dragon, was still quite recognizable.

"We want a pretty girl!"

Xie Xuan's hushed voice came from under his straw hat.

The madam glanced at him, ignored him, and instead looked at Li Mo.

Li Mo coughed lightly:

"Yes, let's find a pretty girl."

The madam looked troubled. "Young Master Li is new here, so we certainly dare not neglect him. But Miss Nongying is different from other girls; she only sells her art, not her body."

"Her tea party spot is very valuable, and it's already full today."

"Oh? Then let's come again tomorrow."

Li Mo felt somewhat regretful.

Xie Xuan, who understood the intricacies of the situation, transmitted his voice:

"The madam means we need to pay more."

"You should have said so earlier..."

Li Mo thought to himself that the schemes in the Imperial Capital were far more intricate than those in Purple Sun Prefecture.

"Can we book the entire venue?"

Residing deep within.

In the bronze mirror, a face with sparkling, peach-blossom eyes, a face as beautiful as spring, and delicate, charming features was illuminated.

Judging solely from this intangible allure, her former third place on the Hundred Flowers Beauty Ranking is well-deserved.

Of course, it's fourth now.

"Madam, madam, someone wants to book the whole place!" a maidservant rushed in, calling out urgently.

"Making a fuss over nothing."

Hua Nongying, applying lipstick, said calmly, "No matter which noble family they are, I will simply refuse."

Countless people were drawn to her, captivated by her beauty, including high-ranking officials, nobles, and powerful individuals.

"Really? But the whole place was booked by Young Master Li."

"Which Young Master Li?"

The fingers that were applying lip rouge paused for a moment.

"That Divine Hammer Little Overlord you kept mentioning the other day, the one who's good at bringing good fortune to his wife, everyone said he and Cold Fairy were a couple, who knew they'd end up like this..."

The maid was speaking when she suddenly fell silent and immediately knelt down.

"This servant deserves to die..."

Ever since the top three beauties of the Hundred Flowers were snatched away, the name "Cold Fairy" has become a taboo here.

"Hehe... Get up."

Hua Nongying seems to be in a good mood today:

"Go in person and say that you've already promised the guests and received their gifts, so it's inconvenient to book the entire venue. Then invite him to the courtyard."

"Aren't you very interested in him? Mom seems to really want you to agree to book the whole place."

After all, Little Li gave them just too much.

"What do you know?"

Hua Nongying picked out a jade hairpin, squinted her eyes, and smiled sweetly:

"People are like this: what's at home isn't as good as what's outside, what's outside isn't as good as what you steal from someone else, and what you steal from someone else isn't as good as what you can't steal."

She cupped her face in her hands, a bewitching rose-red hue appearing in her eyes.

She was no different.

They have a particular fondness for ruining other people's favorite things.

The thought that he was the beloved of Cold Fairy, and also the fourth-ranked young hero of the Hidden Dragon, made her involuntarily squeeze her legs together.