Undercurrents Surging

"Little Red, Little Elephant, it's Little Red Elephant, Little Elephant, Little Red, it's Little Red Red."

As the sun set, Xue Xi hummed a lighthearted tune while riding Little Wolf into the small county town. The surrounding area was no longer infested with beast hordes; instead, it was dotted with encampments of martial artists, looking every bit like a wasteland bazaar.

Hopping off the wolf, Xue Xi let Little Wolf run off to play while she wandered around. Arriving at a supply trading post, she curiously asked a middle-aged martial artist who was busy processing monster materials, "Uncle, why are you all setting up a market here? Wouldn't it be more convenient to go to the Military Base?"

The middle-aged martial artist didn't even look up as he replied, "Isn't it because of the reputation of the Cat Ear Restaurant? Nowadays, a large number of martial artists from different factions come here to eat every day. There are way more people here than at the Military Base. Plus, since the shop owner took some time off, we had nothing to do, so we decided to turn this place into a small supply base. It's convenient for the future, and the authorities even approved and supported it."

Xue Xi hadn't expected this uncle to be so unexpectedly talkative, spilling words like beans. Her eyes lit up: "Then, Uncle, can you get more ingredients to trade here? I promise I'll come buy them every day!"

What could be happier than running your own shop with a grocery market right next door? Xue Xi put forward what she considered a reasonable request.

The middle-aged martial artist was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Do you think you're the only one who thought of that? Those with a head for business already set up vegetable stalls out front, just waiting for the restaurant owner to buy from them. Oh, by the way, why do you need to buy ingredients every day?"

The middle-aged martial artist looked up, rubbed his eyes, and suddenly shouted: "Holy crap! The shop owner is back, brothers! Hurry, push Old Zhang out here to drink!"

Xue Xi was stunned by the shout. She saw a large group of people rush out from the tents behind the middle-aged martial artist and surround her. Among them was a man in a wheelchair, gripping the armrests and staring at her excitedly: "Shop owner Xue Xi, I want to buy your wine, that Highland Barley Wine that can heal physical injuries!"

The surrounding camps heard the commotion and ran over as well, all clamoring that they wanted to buy wine. The noise made Xue Xi feel a headache coming on. She took a deep breath, gathered her internal energy in her throat, and used her spiritual power to project her voice: "Everyone, please quiet down and listen to me!"

The voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally effective. The surrounding martial artists were stunned into silence. Xue Xi felt the area grow quiet, and only then did she respond to the eager gazes around her: "The new batch of wine will take another day to brew. Please wait patiently. Haste makes waste, you know. That's it, the restaurant will reopen the day after tomorrow, and there will definitely be enough wine for everyone then."

After speaking, she stopped wandering around and used her telekinesis to gently push through the crowd and walk out. The people around had no choice but to disperse and return to their own business.

In a newly renovated room in a tall building in the distance, a burly martial artist with a centipede-like scar on the corner of his eye was staring at the scene that had just unfolded. On the sofa next to him, a woman with a curvaceous figure wore tight combat armor, one hand resting on the back of the sofa while the other swirled a goblet containing a bit of red wine.

Venina took a light sip of the crimson liquid: "Yao, the latest news: this shop owner Xue Xi appeared at the War God Palace this morning. Not to mention the Extreme Martial Arts Hall and the Huaxia military backing her, just based on her own strength as a High-Level War God, should we still proceed with the original plan?"

The cup in Li Yao's hand shattered under his immense grip. Ignoring the wine dripping from his hand, Li Yao turned with a ferocious expression, his eyes red as he roared: "What other choice is there! That old thing Yan Hai refuses to step forward himself, and we have so many handles held by him. If we don't do as he says, won't those sanctimonious bastards at the War God Palace tear us to shreds?"

Standing up and swaying her water-snake-like waist, Venina put down her wine glass and leaned against Li Yao's chest. Her long fingers slid across his chest as she whispered into his ear like an orchid: "Yao, I support you unconditionally. After finishing this job, we will take Xiao Wei and go into seclusion with the family. Once you break through to the Planetary level, we won't have to be controlled by others anymore. How about that?"

Li Yao's anger was soothed by the beauty beside him. He looked at Venina with firm eyes, his rough palm caressing her delicate face as he promised: "Fine, we'll do as you say. Once this is done, we leave!"

Venina watched Little Wolf heading into the distance, a flash of ruthlessness in her eyes: "Yao, I actually have a way. We could do it like this..."

On the other side, a team of white martial artists was also reporting intelligence on Xue Xi to their superiors: "Officer Mike, the woman who disrupted the Water of Life market has entered our surveillance range. Should we take action immediately?"

A low voice from the other end commanded: "Stay where you are for now. The target has the strength of a High-Level War God. Wait for the sale of the so-called Highland Barley Wine. If the effects are truly as advertised, I will petition the Speaker!"

The seemingly peaceful small county town was actually rife with undercurrents. Xue Xi had returned to the area within a kilometer of the restaurant, where many more martial artist vendors selling monster meat had appeared, and some eccentric ones had even driven up large trucks with cold-chain storage compartments filled with all kinds of fruits and vegetables.