Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 658 - 649: The Best Candidate?

"Miss, have you ever shown this image to anyone else?" Yuan Man was both furious and somewhat relieved.

The trip to Wo Hu Temple Market really paid off!

Not only did we randomly encounter Du Li’s avatar, allowing us to settle old scores; we also happened to discover that a guardian had leaked secrets about the Underground City, exaggerating them. As long as it’s not too widespread, there’s still hope to mend the situation.

If worst comes to worst, we can commit murder and kill all those in the know, at least ensuring the city’s safety.

The spirit medicine garden in the Underground City is crucial; sacrificing all cultivation, even life, is worth it!

"I only showed it to the young lord. He said it was top secret and mustn’t be leaked from our hands, otherwise Cloud City could suffer..." Miss Hu Jiu confessed, leaving nothing unsaid.

Yuan Man frowned slightly, "Who is this young lord?"

From her words, he seemed to be a righteous cultivator. If he could keep the secret, there would be no need to silence him.

"It’s Mr. Jiang," the little fox’s face reddened, and she coyly said, "Mr. Jiang is so good, kind-hearted, and skilled, conducts himself righteously. Even my most critical third sister couldn’t find a single fault with him, and instead admires him deeply, willing to repay his kindness with her life..."

Qu Luming covered his ears, looking aggrieved, thinking to himself, Aren’t you even going to avoid me, boss?

Hearing such secrets, are you planning to silence me?

I wish I could cover my ears like a mortal to avoid hearing the usual conversations, but both are demon cultivators, and I myself am a ghost cultivator of great strength, so even breaking my eardrums wouldn’t help.

"Has Du Li really changed so much and become tight-lipped?" Yuan Man glanced at him disdainfully, sneering, "He has long known the secrets of Cloud City, yet never even told his avatars. Clearly, he has other more favored avatars. You don’t need to put on such an act; with the vine cage on you, you can’t escape my grasp."

Qu Luming: ...

Just wait, I must settle this with my original!

He’s got other avatars? It’s infuriating!

"How should I refer to you, miss?" Yuan Man looked at her blushing face, inexplicably charming, and suddenly had a thought—since there’s a traitor among the guardians of the Underground City, there might be others willing to divulge secrets under temptation.

Why not take this opportunity to have the little fox demon lure and clean out those with weak wills?

"Me? According to demon race customs, I don’t deserve a name until I’ve reached Foundation Establishment and can only go by ranking, so I’m called Hu Jiu. I finally cultivated to Foundation Establishment and wanted to pick a nice name, but my sisters have already taken all the nice-sounding ones, so I still haven’t thought of a good and memorable name, and everyone just calls me Miss Hu Jiu."

The little fox pouted pitifully, her eyes a bit dazed, "That Cloud City guardian Cai Wenyi said, if I could get a prettier name, I’d definitely be more popular..."

"Miss Hu Jiu, have you told anyone other than Mr. Jiang about the secret of the underground cave?"

"I also told my third sister; she’s my real sister and treats me very well! But I only showed the image to Mr. Jiang, and he said it was crucial to keep it secret, so I haven’t mentioned it to anyone else. However, since he’s an Alchemist looking to buy some rare spirit medicine, I contacted Cai Wenyi about it, and he readily agreed."

She said while opening the communication stone’s contents for the other party to see, "But he’s been stalling recently, saying he needs to discuss it with the manager, and Cai said he wanted to meet me at Thousand-Year Mountain to discuss it during a tour."

Yuan Man: ???

This empty talk is full of sweet words to deceive an inexperienced young girl, with many promises but not a single truth, probably to fool this naive little fox who knows little of the world.

"Miss Hu Jiu, who exactly is Mr. Jiang?" Qu Luming, after being mocked by the other party, had already given up hope. Unable to escape their grasp, he might as well use this opportunity to satisfy his curiosity.

Even if I get slapped to death on leaving, at least some of my doubts would be resolved.

"His origins?" The little fox was stumped by this question. She tilted her head to think and shook her head, "I don’t know. When I met him, it was at the Cyan Fish Mountain Market, and he was mysterious even then.

He knows Alchemy and how to grow various crops. My third sister said that even ordinary wild fruits he plants become extraordinary! There are two cherry trees in Mr. Jiang’s small yard, blossoming, fruiting, and ripening every day in spring, full of bright red fruit hanging on the branches every morning, it’s so magical!

Even my well-informed third sister has never witnessed such a spectacle. Do you think he is amazing?"

Cherry trees? Ripening in one day?

Yuan Man was a bit confused. She had a rare dual earth and wood spirit root, allowing her to sustain the vast enterprise of the underground cave.

Regarding cultivation, she dared no one else to claim first in the world, yet she had never heard of anyone who could make cherry trees ripen in one day!

"Are you sure it’s ordinary cherries and not spirit fruits?"

"I’m sure. I’ve eaten them; they’re just ordinary cherries without spiritual energy." Miss Hu Jiu nodded vigorously, "The ones Mr. Jiang personally cultivated taste much better than ordinary fruits!

"Those two trees are still in the courtyard now. It’s really amazing that one day they’re full of fruit, and the next day it’s like they suddenly stopped bearing fruit on the first day of summer. Not a single fruit!"

As the saying goes, an outsider watches the excitement, an insider sees the trick. Yuan Man was immediately intrigued by this person called "Mr. Jiang."

If it were Spirit Fruit, using abundant Spiritual Power to forcibly ripen them might be possible. It’s generally used for showing off skills, and at worst, a bit of Spiritual Power is wasted and requires a longer rest;

But how could ordinary trees possibly manage this?

They can’t even withstand the potential squeezed by Spiritual Power. Even a little Spiritual Energy would cause them to explode. But if you don’t use Spiritual Power to ripen them, how can you make them flower, fruit, and mature all in one day?

The Little Fox Demon’s description already completely defies normal understanding. After all, there are Heavenly Dao Laws and fixed rules in the Cultivation Realm, so how can fruit mature as one wishes?

She was skilled in planting and questioned professional knowledge, but Qu Luming, who didn’t know much about cherries, curiously asked, "Alchemists are all Fire Attribute, the cultivators skilled in planting are either Earth Element or Wood Element. Could this Mr. Jiang be a rare genius with dual Spirit Roots? Otherwise, how could he simultaneously master two skills?"

"Two?" Even with her mind controlled, Miss Hu Jiu couldn’t help but express admiration when she heard this, boasting, "Sir is not just skilled in two techniques. What is really breathtaking is his Construction Technique. I was fortunate enough to witness it once, and the scene is indescribably shocking.’

She spread her arms to illustrate, "A large cloud of gray mist suddenly appeared, and the sounds of chopping, chiseling, and carving faintly came through. But after a few breaths, the gray mist dispersed, a magnificent building stood before us! Not only that, places like Furong Spirit Pool, tree houses, and the cave where my third sister lives continuously emit abundant Spiritual Energy..."

Qu Luming’s overly fair face twisted slightly, looking in disbelief at the bigwig, whispering, "The more you speak, the more exaggerated it sounds. Is it that this Little Fox Demon is too good at boasting, or is senior’s magic making her dream?"

"I personally performed a Truth Spell on her, which is impossible to overcome, so either everything she says is true, or she was deceived, but the little fox believed it to be true and revealed it sincerely."

Back when Yuan Man ascended her Realm and was robbed of her Life Origin, it was the power of the dual Spirit Roots that saved her from death.

Since then, besides the shortage of Lifespan, what troubled her more was the insufficiency of Life Origin. She knew that Lifespan might be possible to remedy, but compensating for the loss of Life Origin was as difficult as reaching heaven.

In other words, Yuan Man was quite pessimistic, believing that her Lifespan would soon end inevitably. Now, searching for Lifespan-extending Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures was merely a way to prolong her life as long as possible and find a suitable successor for Cloud City.

If everything the Little Fox Demon said was true, wouldn’t that unfamiliar "Mr. Jiang" be the best candidate?

Thinking of this, she flicked her fingers, and a refreshing leaf scent wafted through the air. The Little Fox Demon instantly regained her senses, unaware she had been controlled moments earlier.

"You two, would you like to try your luck in Cloud City?" She was still in the memory from before she was controlled, smiling lightly, "If you trust me, you can leave your contact information. Whether it’s an Immortal Peach for auction or if there’s any response from Sir, I can inform you in time."

Yuan Man’s lips curved slightly upward, getting straight to the point, "Miss Hu Jiu, I am Yuan Man, City Lord of Cloud City. I’m already aware of Cai Wenyi leaking secrets of the underground cavern and his boasting. Currently, there are two things I’d like to discuss with you.

First, please contact Mr. Jiang immediately. I have something very important I wish to discuss in person with him; second, I want to hire you as a spy to go to Cloud City, use your charm to investigate which guards are unqualified. You will be generously rewarded for your success!"

Upon hearing this, Miss Hu Jiu was stunned, City Lord? Cai Wenyi? Mr. Jiang?

Oh no, is this aimed at me?

Who would have thought Fellow Daoist Cai’s secret leaking would even alert Lord City Lord!

It seems this matter is no small affair. They must have traced it to the Treasure Pavilion, but I wonder if this City Lord knows about the images, will it implicate my sweetheart...

"I-I don’t have a direct contact method for Mr. Jiang either. The message must be conveyed indirectly." She blurted, thinking she must tell her sweetheart soon to be very cautious.

"As for the spy thing, I-I need to discuss it with my sister. I have tasks in the Treasure Pavilion, it may not be convenient to head to Cloud City..."

Qu Luming eagerly blinked at her, silently urging, thinking to himself that indeed, the naiveté of the young often leads them to squash fear, not knowing the fearsome nature of High Level Cultivators, even daring to refuse?

You’re walking a fine line between life and death!

"Take your Communication Stone and send a message to Mr. Jiang now." Yuan Man pushed the Communication Stone on the table towards her with a smile, but the pressure escalated abruptly.

The low-realm Little Fox Demon felt her heart skip a beat under the pressure, her body was instantly covered in cold sweat.

Why is my Communication Stone on the table?

Her eyes sneakily looked at the somewhat cool Spirit Tea and suddenly realized that the other party had been sitting there for a while, so why couldn’t she remember anything? Did they use some kind of magic? Oh no! Could I have leaked out sweetheart’s matters?

Charm Technique? Dual Cultivation? Meeting at Mount Wu?

My third sister! If I told these two strangers all those little secrets in my heart...

Miss Hu Jiu was on the brink of tears, silently realizing that even though she appeared to be sitting there, she had already left for a while.

Picking up the Communication Stone silently, her heart felt like a herd of galloping horses, filled with fear, and grievance she hardly knew how to express.