East courtyard, side room.
A day without Xiao Mei pestering him was much quieter.
Xiao Yan had planned to enjoy a good soak in a Spirit Liquid bath.
Who knew that the moment he stepped into the tub, someone would barge into his room?
The visitor was none other than Ling Ying!
"Young Master Xiao, I haven't disturbed you, have I?" Though steam filled the room and severely obscured the view, none of that posed a problem for Ling Ying, the Gu Clan's Strongest Dou Emperor.
Through the mist, he could clearly see the bruises covering Xiao Yan's body.
Only then did he understand that Xiao Yan's rise to become a Dou Di had depended not just on good fortune, but also on working ten times harder than everyone else.
Something long dormant seemed to awaken deep within him. Since becoming a Dou Emperor, he had forgotten how long it had been since he had worked as desperately hard as Xiao Yan.
"Elder Ling, did you need something from me?"
Coming back to his senses, Ling Ying replied with a smile, "Young Master Xiao, have you forgotten what this old servant promised you last night? Here are nine hundred thousand gold coins. There's no hurry to repay them."
He placed a black-and-gold card bearing five markings on the table.
"Nine hundred thousand... isn't that a little too much?" Nobody ever complained about having too much money, but to carry on five thousand years of fine Chinese traditions, the polite formalities still had to be observed.
Ling Ying smiled without saying more, cupped his fist, and prepared to leave.
Before he could step out of the room, Xiao Yan suddenly called him back.
"Wait a moment, Elder Ling."
"What is it, Young Master Xiao?"
Remembering what he had promised Xun'er that night, he hurriedly said, "Sorry for the trouble, Elder Ling, but please pass a message to Xun'er later. I'll take her shopping first thing tomorrow morning."
"Oh... all right."
Rear courtyard, side room.
Ling Ying was giving a truthful report about the gold coins.
"So the money has already reached Brother Xiao Yan?"
"Yes, young miss."
"Good." Upon learning that Xiao Yan had received the money, Xiao Xun'er's anxious heart finally settled, but she soon noticed something amiss.
"Wait, Elder Ling, where did you get that money?"
His aged face reddened, and Ling Ying stammered, "It was all... borrowed from others by this old servant."
"You were the mysterious person who robbed the Jia Lie Family last night, weren't you?" Xiao Xun'er's slender brows knitted as she said earnestly, "And that person in the Market District the time before last-that was probably you too, wasn't it?"
Seeing that he could no longer hide it, Ling Ying simply admitted the truth. "Just as you said, young miss. Both were indeed this old servant."
"Ah, Elder Ling, you've always been so careful in everything you do. Why are you being so rash now? Even I could figure these things out, let alone Brother Xiao Yan. If this keeps up, our identities will definitely be exposed."
"This old servant knows his mistake. I won't dare act on my own again." His young miss made so much sense that he had no idea how to refute her.
Looks like I'll have to be more meticulous when making my presence felt from now on, he muttered inwardly.
Just then, he suddenly remembered what Xiao Yan had asked him to do before he left, and continued, "Oh, young miss, Young Master Xiao invited you to go shopping with him tomorrow."
"Shopping?" At that word, Xiao Xun'er sprang to her feet, rushed to the wardrobe, and began rummaging through it.
An old piece of cured meat like Ling Ying really did not understand the world of youngsters. After standing there dumbfounded for several seconds, he finally could not help asking, "Young miss, what are you looking for?"
"Oh dear, I haven't bought any new clothes lately. Elder Ling, do you think this one looks nice?" At that moment, Xiao Xun'er displayed a girlish air entirely different from her usual serene, pure-lotus demeanor.
Ling Ying had no idea how to answer and stood rooted to the spot like a pine tree.
"I think I've worn this one before."
"Hmm, this one won't do either. It's already too small. It can't hold everything in anymore."
"Do I really have to wear this purple dress again when I go shopping with Brother Xiao Yan tomorrow?"
Just as Xiao Xun'er was struggling to decide, Ling Ying seemed to think of something. He immediately stepped forward and said, "Young miss, don't worry. This old servant may be able to find what you want."
"Really?" Xiao Xun'er stopped what she was doing and looked at him in disbelief.
Ling Ying nodded solemnly. "Please give this old servant the time it takes an incense stick to burn. I'll be right back."
With that, he vanished from the room like a phantom.
In a pitch-black corner somewhere, Ling Ying deftly opened the Myriad Worlds Chat Group.
[Gu Clan's Strongest Dou Emperor Ling Ying: @Omniscient and Omnipotent Great Immortal King, Great Immortal, do you have any clothes girls like to wear?] Omniscient and Omnipotent Great Immortal King was eating instant noodles with his legs crossed while watching a plot-heavy flick on 91 when the sudden message startled him. [Omniscient and Omnipotent Great Immortal King: What do you want girls' clothes for?] [Gu Clan's Strongest Dou Emperor Ling Ying: To be honest, Great Immortal, I'm asking on behalf of my young miss.]
Ling Ying's young miss?
Wouldn't that be Xiao Xun'er?
Why was he asking for clothes for her?
After their last conversation, Omniscient and Omnipotent Great Immortal King had specifically searched online for Battle Through the Heavens fanfiction, but unfortunately had found nothing.
The other members of the group could not help voicing those questions.
[Never Self-Castrating Yue Buqun: What is your young miss going out to do?] [Romantic Eunuch Wei Xiaobao: Shouldn't girls have lots of clothes? My seven wives buy heaps of clothes every time they go out. If you want some, I can give you a few.] [First Emperor Qin Shi Huang: Mine are better. Phoenix crowns, embroidered bridal capes-I have everything. Anyone who needs them can come trade.] [Xiong Ba of the World Society: This topic doesn't seem quite suited to me. Please continue, fellow Daoists.] [Gu Clan's Strongest Dou Emperor Ling Ying: Haha, thank you, fellow Daoists. My young miss actually has plenty of clothes too, but tomorrow is her first date with Xiao Yan. I'd like to offer this new couple a few blessings.]
Almost all the group members had downloaded and read Battle Through the Heavens, so they understood what Ling Ying was talking about.
[Omniscient and Omnipotent Great Immortal King: I can help you sort out the clothes, but there are a few things I need to ask you.] [Gu Clan's Strongest Dou Emperor Ling Ying: Please ask, Great Immortal.] [Omniscient and Omnipotent Great Immortal King: Has anything else unusual happened where you are lately?]
After thinking back carefully, he really did recall something.
[Gu Clan's Strongest Dou Emperor Ling Ying: Yes, actually. Last time I was in the Market District, I saw someone selling jars. You just pay to open them for treasures, and they contain all sorts of things. I tried my hand at it, and everything I got was something I'd never seen before. There were even Weilong Spicy Strips like the ones you sent in a red packet before, Great Immortal.] [First Emperor Qin Shi Huang: Weilong Spicy Strips?] [Romantic Eunuch Wei Xiaobao: Weilong Spicy Strips??] [Never Self-Castrating Yue Buqun: @Gu Clan's Strongest Dou Emperor Ling Ying, could the person you met also be a great immortal?] [Gu Clan's Strongest Dou Emperor Ling Ying: He's not a great immortal. He's called Immortal Li.]
After reading the group's chat history, Immortal Wang's eyes widened, and he nearly leaped straight up.
Opening jars and getting Weilong Spicy Strips?
This definitely wasn't ordinary Battle Through the Heavens fanfiction!
He was no fool. Putting that together with what Ling Ying had said before, he strongly suspected that the world Ling Ying lived in might contain more than one transmigrator.
To test his suspicions, an idea began to take shape in Immortal Wang's mind...
Before you continue