After leaving the Papal Hall, Leng Xiyue wore a worried expression. Making money was no longer a concern: selling those thirty thousand guns would bring in at least several million Gold Soul Coins. That fortune would probably be enough for her to collect high-grade metals and upgrade her armor to a terrifying level. Given the right opportunity, she could also gather all the resources needed to reach level twenty in one go, so she could set aside worries about her combat strength for now.
Her main objective for the next stage was undoubtedly to make a move against Yu Xiaogang. She absolutely could not let him meet Bibi Dong, and with him still slacking off at Nuoding Academy, this was undoubtedly the best opportunity.
Unfortunately, her reach did not extend that far.
Doing it herself would be too dangerous. After all, Tang Hao might well be somewhere nearby. But entrusting it to someone else meant building a reliable team of her own, one capable of carrying out an assassination at the very least. Given her current age, the Shrek Seven Devils would probably have assembled by the time she managed that.
"Looks like getting rid of Grandmaster will have to wait another couple of years," Leng Xiyue said as she walked through the Martial Soul General Hall, turning the matter over in her mind.
The Martial Soul General Hall was quite deserted at night. Regardless of their profession, almost everyone in Spirit City worked only eight hours a day. Just a few dozen people remained at their posts to handle emergencies, though most of the time they gathered in the lounge to play cards and took turns standing guard at the entrance. If anything important came in, they could deal with it immediately without holding things up. The next day, they even got an entire day of paid leave. It really could not get much better than that.
Under the guards' deeply respectful gazes, Leng Xiyue stepped out of the General Hall. She was about to hail a carriage back to Spirit Hall Academy when she noticed a blonde girl of about thirteen sitting on the steps, staring blankly into the distance.
The girl had skin like creamy jade and a face of peerless beauty. Though she wore only a pale white dress, it could not conceal her otherworldly air, which stood in stark contrast to the casual way she sat on the steps.
Seeing her, Leng Xiyue went over and struck up a conversation. "Hello, big sister. What are you doing here?"
Almost everyone in Spirit City was handsome or beautiful, and natural blondes were hardly uncommon. Leng Xiyue had seen so many that she was growing a little numb to their looks. Right now, she was simply showing some concern for a fellow human being, with no other intentions.
The girl turned to glance at Leng Xiyue, then looked away again, asking a seemingly random question. "Do you think Spirit City today really is the holy land everyone yearns for?"
The question caught Leng Xiyue off guard, but she still answered, "Uh, of course it is."
"Is it? Look at all those people on the street, trudging through their ordinary lives. How many of them are truly happy? How much heartache lies hidden behind this facade of prosperity?" the girl said rather pessimistically.
Leng Xiyue found that difficult to respond to. As the old saying went, optimists saw the good in everything, while pessimists saw the bad in everything. She clearly belonged to the former, and she had little common ground with a melancholy girl like this.
After living here for two years, Leng Xiyue would not presume to judge the rest of the Douluo Continent, but Spirit City was absolutely a paradise out of her dreams.
"But at least people still have the right to choose, don't they? Elsewhere, most people probably don't even have the right to choose how they live." Leng Xiyue left the rest unsaid: most people who complained about Spirit City were simply so well-fed that they had nothing better to do, groaning when they had no illness.
But that was how humans were. The more comfortable their lives became, the more reasons they found to be dissatisfied.
Still, the girl before her seemed a little odd, so it was better not to provoke her.
"Perhaps." The girl lowered her head. Yes, most people became entangled in troubles involving family, friendship, and love, but ultimately, they still had the right to make their own choices. What about her? No matter how positive she tried to be, it would probably make no difference.
"All right, stop moping. Come with me." Seeing that the girl was still so downcast, Leng Xiyue simply took her hand and led her away.
The girl instinctively wanted to gather her Soul Power and resist, but soon abandoned the thought. She had nothing to do anyway, so there was no harm in going along.
Leng Xiyue hailed a carriage and took her to the outer city's shopping street with practiced ease. The evening lights had just come on, and stalls of every kind lined both sides of the road.
"Old Wang, two roast chickens!" Leng Xiyue found a stall with familiar ease, pulled out a small pouch of Gold Soul Coins, and tossed it over.
"Mind your manners. Call me Uncle Wang," Old Wang chided with a laugh. Then his gaze shifted to the girl Leng Xiyue had brought along, and he casually asked, "Oh? Little Yue, is this a new friend of yours?"
"You could say that. I think something happened in her family, and she's feeling pretty down. You'd better make it extra tasty. If she isn't satisfied, I'm snatching my money back," Leng Xiyue joked.
"Don't worry. Don't you know my cooking by now?" Old Wang patted his chest, then began preparing everything in a flurry of activity.
Before long, two roast chickens were served, glistening beneath the streetlights.
Leng Xiyue deftly tore off a drumstick and took a bite. Seeing that the girl had not moved, she said, "Aren't you feeling unhappy? Take a bite. I guarantee it'll cheer you up."
The girl looked at the noisy dining area around her, then at the Soul Beast chicken before her, which could only be considered average in quality. Her instinct was to refuse, but Leng Xiyue was simply too enthusiastic. She could only tear off a small piece with an elegant motion and eat it.
The moment it entered her mouth, a marvelous sensation unlike anything she had experienced surged through her. This roast chicken was hardly a delicacy requiring elaborate preparation, but the flavor, blended from who knew how many seasonings, won her over instantly.
"Well? You can't get this in your noble household, can you?" Leng Xiyue said smugly.
Though the girl's clothes were simple, one look was enough to tell they were not cheap. She clearly came from some distinguished family. But Leng Xiyue was particularly good at dealing with people like her. They might turn up their noses, but once something delicious entered their mouths, they fell right into line.
As the saying went, true masters were hidden among the common folk. Old Wang was no renowned chef, and roast chicken was the only thing he knew how to make, but he had made so many that, over time, his skill had reached the very summit. When it came to cooking chicken, he was hardly inferior to the finest chefs, and even surpassed them in some respects.
The presentation was just a little lacking, so ordinary nobles certainly would not come here. Leng Xiyue, however, loved this sort of food. Besides, all the ingredients were natural, and everything was fairly clean and hygienic. It was better than the roadside stalls of her previous life by who knew how much.
Winning over a young noble lady was a piece of cake.
"Unbelievable." The girl savored the taste, then shook her head. Suddenly, she began to understand why Leng Xiyue had brought her here.
Could such a cheerful, carefree atmosphere exist anywhere outside Spirit City? Even in Heaven Dou City, ordinary vendors had to worry about being squeezed dry by criminal gangs as well as the authorities. Under that kind of pressure, who would devote themselves to mastering a craft?
She almost never saw smiles on the faces of those at the bottom of society.
Now, watching ordinary people and Soul Masters mingle freely around her, she gained a little more understanding. Perhaps accomplishing certain things was not merely about proving something to her mother. Perhaps they held a greater significance as well.
Before you continue