The Perverted Couple, both in the Mortal Transformation Realm, could quarrel all they wanted. Ge Xian didn't care much and was happy to watch the show.
But he'd barely watched for a few moments before the fire reached him.
Lu Hualong, who had failed to refine him into a wraith, now turned his attention to Ge Xian and ordered, "You're a peddler who's taken a job with the County Yamen Propaganda Team. You should be doing your work properly. How dare you wander into this den of pleasure in the middle of the night?"
"I can see you're a man of talent. Come back to the county yamen with me, and I'll give you a better job."
"Hmph, Lu Hualong, you truly live up to your reputation as someone who cultivates the Gu Devouring Immortal Scripture. You couldn't get anything out of me or borrow my influence, so now you've got the nerve to turn your face against me."
"Today, I'm going to slap you in the face. Little peddler, choose now. Whose side are you on?"
Ge Xian himself hadn't expected this.
After a few words between the couple, they'd ended up making him choose.
Whose side?
If I could really choose, I'd pick the one where I smashed both your heads in.
The peddler cursed merrily in his heart, but his face showed extreme hesitation.
Still, he didn't keep them waiting long. The fellow gritted his teeth, then silently stepped behind Yelü Yuyan.
At the sight, Yelü Yuyan, who looked delicate and beautiful, burst into wild laughter.
Lu Hualong, meanwhile, looked surprised. He gave Ge Xian a meaningful glance, said, "You lustful fool," then flung his sleeves and left.
Clearly, he'd taken Ge Xian for a foolish libertine who cared only for pretty faces.
As luck would have it, Yelü Yuyan thought the same.
Though her preference kept her from coming over to reward him, she still waved her sleeve and said with a smile, "Qiu Niang, take this clever peddler downstairs and see that he's well entertained."
"Give him pleasure, but don't take his Primordial Yang."
"If he does his job well, he may choose one or two things from the storehouse's many resources to help him embark on cultivation."
There was no doubt that even Ge Xian could tell.
Those few words amounted to a generous reward.
It was almost as if she'd given Ge Xian a harem of Fox Women, letting him enjoy himself while forbidding the Fox Women and Fox Whores from taking his Primordial Yang. Wasn't that practically endless free pleasure?
Even the wealthiest patrons who came to Willow Oriole Alley had to offer the Fox Women some of their blood essence and vital energy, in addition to money and valuables.
Ge Xian, however, had been spared that this time.
But the peddler, mistaken for a lustful young libertine, wasn't all that pleased. He didn't consider himself that sort of man.
Of course, all of that was trivial for now.
Ge Xian's heart was pounding as he racked his brains over what he'd just witnessed.
On the surface, it was nothing more than a quarrel between husband and wife.
Especially since Lu Hualong was a "live-in son-in-law and fellow husband." By all accounts, this sort of dynamic with Yelü Yuyan was only natural.
But at that moment, Ge Xian keenly sensed something beneath the surface.
"It's only natural that Lu Hualong can't stand Yelü Yuyan. But in the past, he'd willingly let himself be abused, swallowing his grievances and currying favor with her."
"There's only one explanation for him acting as if he's nearly torn off the mask between them today."
"Lu Hualong... can no longer get anything out of the Yelü Family."
"But why? Not long ago, he was still conspiring with Yelü Yuyan to sell off Qiantang County. And his cheap father-in-law, Yelü Tianzheng, is still the chancellor of Jiangzhe Province."
"There must be some secret here that I don't know."
"Something with deep ties to Jiangzhe Province and Qiantang?"
As his thoughts surged, Ge Xian let the tall, alluring Qiu Niang hold him and lead him toward the Fox Women's lair, where pleasure could melt one's bones and soul.
But halfway there, the peddler suppressed the image of himself surrounded by Fox Women and indulging to his heart's content, then suddenly made his move on Qiu Niang.
A wisp of faint Qi Fragrance slipped into Qiu Niang's nose.
Before long, the Fox Woman, who at first had treated Ge Xian with cold indifference, was looking at him with tenderness in her eyes, her intense affection too thick to melt away.
Afraid her sisters would get their hands on him, she disregarded Yelü Yuyan's orders and pulled Ge Xian into a secluded room. In a fluster, she began taking off her clothes, eager to get to him first.
While the Fox Woman was overcome with desire, Ge Xian casually asked one question after another.
"Qiu Niang, dear sister, don't rush. You have to put my mind at ease first. I cruelly rejected County Magistrate Lu today. Will that bring trouble down on me later?"
"Heh, you don't need to worry about Lu Hualong. Before long, he'll be in trouble himself and won't be able to hold on to his post as county magistrate. How could he dare make things difficult for you, now that you're one of our young mistress's people?"
"How can that be? He was personally appointed Qiantang County Magistrate by the Imperial Court."
"The Imperial Court? The Dayuan Dynasty hasn't had anyone in charge for a long time. Rebel armies are rising everywhere. The myriad laws and gods are all looking out for themselves, and even Border Governors with a little ability have started trading their positions for resources... I'll tell you in secret, but you mustn't let a second person hear it."
"Don't worry, sister. Peddler Ge knows how to keep his mouth shut."
"Earlier, Lu Hualong was still trying to tempt our young mistress into selling off Qiantang County with him. He'd even found the first buyer: the terrifying Ghost Clan beneath Yin Mountain."
"Unfortunately, he was too slow. Before he could agree on a single condition, my young mistress's birth father, Chancellor Yelü Tianzheng, sold off all of Jiangzhe Province first... As payment, the buyer would help my lord change to a different Dao Path, take him straight from the Spirit Connection Realm to the Manifestation Realm, and give him a high position in that Dao Path."
"Lu Hualong, that Gu-Eating Spirit Monster, is only a live-in son-in-law. He's always tried to steal the Yelü Family's benefits to make himself stronger. Now he's lost everything. Not only will he never become county magistrate, he'll have to live entirely under someone else's roof and be made to serve the Yelü Family."
"That's why he's been restless and picking fights every day. Our young mistress thinks he's amusing, so she plays along with his little 'married-couple quarrel.' If she gets tired of it, she'll have him restrained and tortured ahead of time."
"Hm? Little brother, what's wrong? Did that great secret scare you? Don't panic, don't panic. It'll all be settled before long. Just stay close to our young mistress, and you'll have nothing to worry about. Your Dao Path will flourish."
As Qiu Niang quietly undressed Ge Xian, she tried to comfort him.
She hadn't misread him. The peddler was indeed shocked.
Good heavens!
What kind of father-in-law and son-in-law were these?
You sell Qiantang County, and I sell all of Jiangzhe Province—and you're even faster than me?
At last, Ge Xian understood why Lu Hualong's attitude had changed. So he'd tried to sell something and been beaten to it by his father-in-law.
At the same time, he didn't bother with anything else. He increased the "dose" a little, making the Fox Woman even more infatuated with him. Without realizing it, she began answering his next questions.
"This really is a great secret. You haven't deceived me, sister."
"But do you know who the buyer is? They have such enormous influence. Why buy Jiangzhe Province? There are so many common people to govern and care for. Even the Dayuan Dynasty couldn't manage it. Where did this buyer come from, with the ability to do so?"
"I know who the buyer is, but I can't tell you, little brother. If you let it slip one day while drunk or talking in your sleep, the trouble would be enormous."
"And as for caring for the people? Ha ha ha... That can wait a few years. It's a Chaotic World now, and none of the powers have any scruples."
"Buying such a vast province is naturally a way to accomplish something. Most Rebel Armies have already grown into a force to be reckoned with, and who knows how many spirit gods and Dao Paths stand behind them... Some powerful Dao Paths that lost the initiative don't want to start over, so they have no choice but to resort to extraordinary measures."
"If sacrificing a few consumable materials can raise a Demonic Army capable of sweeping across the world, it's a bargain."
Ge Xian knew exactly what "consumable materials" meant.
Nothing other than the people.
He kept trying to pry into who the buyer was and what they intended to do.
But he seemed to have reached the limit of what Qiu Niang was willing to reveal. No matter how he pressed her—even as she slipped off his clothes and exposed his lean, muscular body, still brimming with youthful vigor—he couldn't break through that last barrier in her heart.
Yet Ge Xian didn't dare increase the dose again. The Qi Fragrance had already reached its limit; any more, and something would go wrong.
He couldn't kill Qiu Niang this time.
That would surely expose him and drive Yelü Yuyan into a frenzy of pursuit.
He thought it over. As the Fox Woman pounced on him, he asked one more question.
"Do you know what the buyer will do with Qiantang County and all its people?"
"Qiantang? It's no different from other County Cities. Every last person here is first-rate material. It's just that those fellows who came here were too greedy. They wanted to claim credit first and thought ordinary people weren't enough, so they even used underhanded methods to lure in outsiders. They made such a big splash—weren't they afraid of causing trouble... Ah, little brother, you're quite the sly one. You tricked me with your words."
"All right, stop asking around. You've already acknowledged our young mistress as your master. Your Dao Path will be smooth sailing from now on. No matter how fierce the disasters outside get, they won't hurt you. Just spend your life having fun with us sisters. But I'm drinking the first bowl of the soup."
As she finished speaking, the Fox Woman's fragrant, warm lips and tongue came close, gently licking the youth, their alluring scent drifting over him.
Just as a fierce battle of passion was about to begin, the peddler called for a halt again.
His face was calm, but inside, waves were crashing. The shock in his eyes was impossible to conceal.
Even he hadn't expected it!
That last question had actually revealed such a huge secret.
The identity of Yelü Tianzheng's buyer was still unknown.
But now Ge Xian knew some of the people working under the buyer, and part of their scheme had been exposed before him.
Ancient Tomb Sect!
Li Wa!
The two names exploded in Ge Xian's mind.
"Had the Ancient Tomb Sect been under the mysterious buyer from the beginning, or had it joined them later?"
"Is the [Method of Mortal Transformation] that can break through the limits of Guǐ Wǔ real, or is it just bait?"
"Which faction is this mysterious buyer?"
"What does it mean to refine an army out of consumable materials?"
As all sorts of questions erupted in his mind,
Ge Xian once again thought of fleeing Qiantang.
Running with Yelü Yuyan was far too dangerous. He'd managed to conceal himself well and had escaped by hiding in plain sight this time.
But a man who often walked by the river was bound to get his shoes wet eventually. He'd be exposed sooner or later.
Besides, he didn't want to serve under a madwoman whose moods changed at the drop of a hat.
If he had to choose a faction to join, Liu Futong, Zhang Shicheng, Zhu Hongwu, and even the official forces of the Dayuan Dynasty were all waiting in line. There was no way Yelü Yuyan would get picked ahead of them.
For now, he needed to get away first.
Having quickly thought it through, Ge Xian grabbed the Fox Woman's hands, suddenly rolled over, and pinned her beneath him. Then he coaxed her, "Dear sister, don't be so eager. You'll be the first to drink the soup."
"But I did take on a job, so I ought to do it first. Whether it goes well or not is another matter, but I absolutely can't disappoint our young mistress."
"Good little brother, with such a clever mind, you're sure to make something of yourself... It's a shame you weren't born a girl. You'd win our young mistress's favor; the rest of us sisters would be left in the dust."
Ge Xian's face darkened a little at that.
He quickly put on his clothes. He'd planned to use Qiu Niang as a cover, pretend to go out and do his job, and then look for the Dragon Girl.
Before leaving, he suddenly remembered something and spoke to the Fox Woman again.
"By the way, sister, our young mistress asked me to find an Ugly Dragon Girl."
"Besides an ordinary Skin Sac, are there any other things we can use? Something that contains dragon Qi, perhaps, or a Secret Manual... Anything could serve as bait. Then I can use my talent to spread that aura, and precisely draw in female Dragon-blooded Beings. We might make quite a catch."
"Hmm? You have a talent like that?"
"It's no boast, sister, but who in ten li around doesn't know the name of Peddler Ge? I'm best at finding female ghosts and Female Fiends. Before I joined the Propaganda Team, my whole house was full of Lady Paintings, Green Umbrella Women, and Bamboo Ladies."
"Pah, pah, pah. Now that you're with Qiu Niang, all that junk has to go."
"I'll listen to you, sister."
"Wait here. I'll go to the storehouse. We don't have many things like that. I only remember we still have a few Dragon Blood Eels and a copy of the Immortal Lord Yinglong Scroll. You don't have permission to use them, but you made a good choice earlier, and our young mistress is happy. Besides, I can vouch for you, so I'll get them for you. It'll broaden your horizons."
"Excellent, excellent! Forget the Dragon Blood Eels; they're awkward to handle. Just bring me the scroll. I doubt the Dragon Girl will be able to resist its allure."
"But remember, sister, don't alert anyone else. I don't want an outsider interrupting our private rendezvous... If we really find anything, you can cast a spell to call for help, all right?"
"Good little brother, you really know how to play."
After this exchange between the "sly lovers," Fox Woman Qiu Niang hurried to the storehouse to fetch Ge Xian the treasure.
Poor Qiu Niang. She was an alluring, clever older woman.
She'd been caught off guard and drugged by Ge Xian.
Her soul gradually became entranced, and her own wits poured away like a waterfall. She didn't notice anything amiss at all.
Before long, she actually brought him a mysterious, ancient scroll, bound with what seemed to be the Skin Sac of some ancient beast.
Even though it was still sealed inside a jade box, it immediately caught Ge Xian's eye.
The dormant Dragon Transformation Chapter inside him nearly stirred into rebellion, almost bringing forth his Evil Dragon Demon Body.
He forced himself to keep his expression calm and said casually, "Take good care of the treasure, sister."
"Let's go to my house first. I have another treasure there that I want you to see."
"That thing is quite mysterious too. It can delight the soul and fulfill every desire... It'll be just the thing for us to enjoy ourselves."
Who would have thought that this Young Peddler could be so shameless? To coax the Fox Woman, he'd actually said such obscene things, describing an Evil Spirit and Strange Object as something to spice things up. He truly had no shame at all.
And so, the two of them, who looked like lovers lost in passion, embraced as they left Willow Oriole Alley and headed for Ge's house in Locust Flower Old Lane.
Before you continue