Chapter Sixteen

1

"Qin Yang, there are probably more people in this forest than just those old men."

"I can't be sure if they are friend or foe, but we need to make sure it's safe for us up there."

Shi Xueqi looked up and saw that the sunlight permeating through was all city. It was just set to a very high transparency, but it was really hard for anyone to see through the sunlight completely without reservation.

"There shouldn't be any monkeys following us this time, right?" Shi Xueqi leaned against Nofice, looking around. It was very quiet.

"Well, I didn't see any other creatures, but I still managed to get close here. It's strange."

I read through the floating writings and inscriptions in front of me once again, and indeed, they could filter out non-human entities. Even though Nofice was an advanced Angel with multiple wings, it couldn't be unharmed in doing so.

We walked into the light, and a scene of bustling people and vehicles appeared before us.

"Number 1043?" There was an iron signboard hanging in front of the door, with elegant artistic words as decoration.

"It's the number of the teleportation point, like a street sign."

"There are so many people here. The 'Wanhua Hui Building' in Jincheng is the grandest festival of the year, with the most tourists." After Shi Xueqi confirmed the surroundings, she said, "This is the core area. The banquet at Huilou will be held in this community. We chose the right teleportation point. I was worried earlier that if we chose the wrong community, we would have to travel a longer distance."

Ten minutes later, I sat on the big bed, took off my shoes, and saw that the wall where the socks were hanging was a bit damp.

"The old area's hotel is quite rudimentary."

"Well, Qin Dashao, having an available room is already good enough. Only these kinds of rudimentary places that people don't really want to stay in have vacancies."

Behind the damp wall, Shi Xueqi's voice came with the sound of dripping water.

"Hey, Xueqi, you seem to be my servant, so why did you take a bath before the master?"

"Remember, I am your lifesaver. Even if I am a servant, I should still be a servant with certain privileges."

Shi Xueqi poked her head out of the bathroom, her hair dripping with water droplets. The bathroom door was simple in construction, with a frosted glass door. At this moment, Shi Xueqi only used this blurry glass door to shield her body.

"If you want privileges, then tell me how you begged the old military doctor to remove the bullet for me."

"That requires two privileges in exchange."

I unbuttoned my collar and said, "Greed is not good."

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Undressing, after you finished bathing, it's my turn. Are you going to perform your duty as a servant and help me change clothes?"

Shi Xueqi quickly hid behind the door, stuttering.

"You... can you pass me the towel?"

"Passing you the towel will require one privilege in return."

"You stingy person! If you don't pass it to me, I will scream harassment. I felt from the moment we came in that the boss here was very unfriendly to you."

I took the socks off the wall, looked at the soaked socks, and said, "The two of us came in here shabbily dressed. With the expression on your face, it's no wonder the boss didn't think I was a good person."

"Then..." Shi Xueqi wanted to say something, but she stopped when she saw me handing over the towel.

"What is this?" Shi Xueqi took the towel and found something under it.

"Oh, my sock..."

"Damn it, Qin Yang!"

I heard Shi Xueqi scream frantically in my ears, and my ears buzzed!

2

"Master! You two look like a TV couple after a night at the Clock Hotel." Nofice burst into the room with a smile, seeing me and Shi Xueqi wearing bathrobes, sitting separately at the edge of the bed, feeling inexplicable.

"What kind of TV shows do you usually watch with Nofice, Qin Yang?" Shi Xueqi sounded very angry.

"I'm telling you, Nofice, I don't like your master!"

"Did you buy the clothes?"

"Yes, look!" Nofice unfolded the clothes she bought and asked, "Do you like them? Oh? Master, why are your socks torn?"

"It's hard to explain..."

Shi Xueqi looked at the light pink dress in front of her, feeling a sense of beauty and elegance.

"Is this a Hanfu? Or is it a new style of 'Jiu Shi Hua Yi'? It's expensive!"

"Is 'Jiu Shi Hua Yi' a brand?" I took the men's clothing from Nofice's hand, a three-layered suit with many accessories.

"'Jiu Shi Hua Yi' is a brand that specializes in studying and adapting traditional clothing from before the war between gods and demons. Hanfu is one of their series. People from 'Wan Hua Hui Lou' traditionally wear this kind of clothing, but it's too expensive and not everyone can afford it. Some people wear clothes from other brands, but the craftsmanship is not good." Shi Xueqi touched the texture of the clothes and noticed the beautiful bamboo carving of the brand name "Jiu Shi Hua Yi" on the clothes.

"Is it expensive?" Nofice didn't pay much attention to the price.

"With my money, she definitely doesn't think it's expensive. You only call me out when you want to change clothes." I took the clothes and walked into the bathroom. Since the clothes had already been bought, there was no reason to return them, even if they were really expensive.

3

After about thirty minutes, I squatted on the toilet and waited for a long time. My phone almost ran out of battery, but still no one came to call me.

I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror. If it weren't for the simple background, the dignified and elegant aura of the clothes could definitely be felt. However, the modified style with short hair didn't look out of place either.

Wearing this dress was indeed a bit troublesome, but it shouldn't be this difficult. It could become troublesome if too much time passed.

"You guys..." My eyes fixed on the two girls with different styles in front of the bed... their makeup.

"Wow, are the two beautiful ladies here for a beauty pageant? And the bun hairstyle... Don't you know that time is running out?"

Nofice jumped in front of me, showing me her bun. It looked messy and seemed like she had been playing with it for half an hour.

"Master, do I look good? In the past, could I have been called a fairy?"

"Fairy? It's similar to a goddess. You were originally an angel, so being beautiful is natural."

"So many sweet words. Do you know that you're wearing it wrong, Qin Yang?"

"Call me master, I'll only say it once."

"Alright, master, you're wearing your clothes wrong!" Shi Xueqi's contemptuous gaze made me uncomfortable.

"Where?"

"Hanfu's right collar should be crossed over the left side. Wearing it the other way signifies a foreign or... dead person." Shi Xueqi couldn't stand my appearance and unbuttoned my clothes to rearrange them.

"Is it really that particular?"

Shi Xueqi looked up, her serious gaze indicating that she cared a lot about these traditions.

"Although we don't know how many people are still of Han ethnicity, it's already very difficult for these things to be passed down to this era. We have a responsibility to protect and abide by these traditions."

Shi Xueqi seemed to have a strong interest in these traditional things, and she was very familiar with them.

"It looks good."

After Shi Xueqi finished rearranging my clothes, she smiled, unable to hide her joy as if she was looking at her own completed masterpiece. She really loved this style and the quality of the clothes was simply outstanding.

"Cough cough, can we go now? With two beauties by my side, I feel like an emperor on a trip."

"Master, aren't you..."

"Nofice."

"Oh."

Nofice wanted to confess that I am a Demon Dragon, but I refrained from doing so as it would only make Shiqi find me more abhorrent.

4

There were more people on the streets than at the previous amusement park, and it was more crowded and noisy. This situation actually gave me a headache because I disliked trouble, and the noise made my brain feel fuzzy, so I didn't like it.

"Master, where are we going?"

"Hualou. Whenever this festival is held at Hualou, it's a peculiar phenomenon. I don't know when the flowers here started blooming on Hualou itself, and around Hualou, not just flowers but also people gather."

"People?"

"Beauty pageant, the courtesans." Shiqi's gaze was directed towards the area where the beauty pageant was taking place. There were far more people who enjoyed the "flowers" than those who appreciated the actual flowers.

The gathering place of courtesans was full of allure. It was already night time, and the beauty pageant was about to begin. Although they were wearing attire similar to Hanfu, it was light and glamorous, and their enticing figures were semi-visible. Each of them exuded their own unique temperament, with a mix of fire and ice.

"What do you think we can do at Hualou?"

"Finding people. I have already informed Qin Ying. We must not leave Ziliesong, and she is here. Right now, our first priority is to find the emperor and take him away. As long as he is not in Jincheng, Jincheng is safe."

"Qin Yang, what do you actually know? Ever since we saw that monkey earlier, things have felt off."

"Shiqi, remember this, call me Master."

"Master..."

"That monkey shouldn't have appeared, because based on its level, it wouldn't like living in the forest below. Strong magic would interfere with the prohibitions in the forest, and animals that forced themselves to live there would feel uncomfortable. But animals are simpler than humans, and even humans wouldn't willingly stay in an uncomfortable place. However, that monkey stayed, which suggests two things. First, the prohibition magic has been resisted, and second, the monkey is native to these woods and evolved to its current form in this forest."

"You've been rambling on, what's the main point?"

"Someone in the forest has created a powerful magic array. One of the blue-robed men who injured me yesterday was one of the spellcasters!"

"One of them! That means..."

"That's right, all the 'Le' organizers who stayed in Othrie are spellcasters, but it would take a lot of time and people to activate such a large-scale magic array. They needed sacrifices! However, based on the current situation, it seems they haven't found suitable ones yet, otherwise, that magic would have been unleashed."

Actually, I saw very compelling evidence in the memories of the old military doctor and his team, but I hadn't mentioned it because doing so would worry Shiqi and Shimen.

Before I found Shimen, the elderly men were hunting in the forest and encountered the people who attacked us. They overheard snippets of conversation about the magic array and the whereabouts of the "Corona Mask"...