"You?!"
Lu Saomei clearly recognized Ye Feng as well. Her eyes were filled with intense surprise.
Because Xiao Xiao had been well-nourished during this period and was in her prime, she had grown considerably. Her clothing was no longer the thick cotton coats and cold-weather gear from the City of Ice. Thus, Lu Saomei failed to recognize Xiao Xiao, but she quickly identified Ye Feng.
"I didn't expect you to also make it out of the City of Ice alive!"
After her surprise, Lu Saomei's expression turned vicious and triumphant. "Kid, you've walked right into hell's gate! You're here by choice!"
"You've finally fallen into my hands. I'll make you regret ever being born! Guards, seize this brat and the little vixen next to him!"
As Lu Saomei spoke, the two fierce, burly men Ye Feng had thrown a considerable distance away were almost back. Hearing Lu Saomei's command, they immediately lunged at Ye Feng.
"Bang~ Argh~"
"Crack~ Argh!~"
"Help!"
After a series of noises, Lu Saomei and the two fierce, burly men all lay on the ground. Ye Feng, Xiao Xiao, and Qiao Ying had already left.
………….
"Ye Feng, the woman just now was surnamed Lu. She might be related to the Lu family, one of the four great families of the Adventurer's Guild!"
Qiao Ying said as she walked down the street, eating a skewer of roasted lamb.
"Possibly... The drink stall we just passed seemed to belong to the Misty Night family. That woman was so arrogant and overbearing, yet she only wanted to drive Xiao Xiao away rather than directly threaten the stall owner. She was probably considering that too!"
Ye Feng drained the remaining freshly squeezed corn juice and changed the subject. "Let's go. It's a bit difficult to gather information about the Reinforcement Fruit auction out here, and it feels like trying to grasp an elephant by its tail. Let's just find Ling and ask her directly!"
…………
The three walked and rested, stopping at places selling tea and snacks occasionally.
"Big Brother, this Adventurer's Guild is so much more prosperous than Mech City. There are all sorts of food, drinks, and interesting toys!"
Xiao Xiao held a cartoon hydrogen balloon and ate maltose, sounding quite excited.
"Mmm!"
Ye Feng nodded. "This Adventurer's Guild has a Miao family specifically responsible for agriculture. The vast rice paddies we visited yesterday, as well as the livestock like cattle, sheep, chickens, and ducks."
"There's also some industry, although the primary energy source is arcane energy... Plus, the vast number of adventurers trading with each other means the variety and quantity of goods are very rich."
"Mech City is more lacking in agriculture and doesn't have high demands for supplies; as long as there's food and drink, it's fine. Instead, it focuses heavily on mecha construction. Mech City values combat effectiveness more..."
Ye Feng recalled and analyzed.
"That's indeed the case!"
Xiao Xiao nodded in agreement, while Qiao Ying looked around with a hint of worry in her brow.
"Let's go, the Misty Night Adventurer's Guild is just ahead!"
………….
A moment later, Ye Feng and the other two arrived at the Misty Night Adventurer's Guild. However, Misty Night Ling was not there, and her subordinates didn't know where she had gone.
Although the staff at the Misty Night Adventurer's Guild told Ye Feng they could stay by presenting Misty Night Ling's token, Ye Feng didn't do so. He decided to go for another walk...
"Lei Zi, I'm telling the truth! I really met a celestial being and a fairy, or maybe an angel!"
As Ye Feng, Xiao Xiao, and Qiao Ying just exited the Misty Night Adventurer's Guild, they heard a male voice that wasn't entirely unfamiliar.
"Wen Jing, celestial being, fairy, angel... What nonsense are you spouting? You've been talking about it all day, and my ears are about to get calluses!"
Following that, a male voice Ye Feng was quite familiar with rang out.
Ye Feng looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the familiar male voice belonged to Lei Jian. Beside Lei Jian was a clean-faced young man, who was the beggar Ye Feng had met on the street earlier, suffering from a蛊符.
However, at this moment, he wasn't disheveled and filthy, looking nothing like a beggar!
"Lei Zi, it's true! I know it's hard to believe, but I really saw a fairy or an angel. Otherwise, the poison in my body wouldn't have disappeared mysteriously. A passing immortal kindly cured me..."
"I just slept, and then I was fine. And the person immediately recognized that the poison in my body was... a fairy... fairy... celestial being... angel..."
The beggar trailed off as he spoke, his voice trembling at the end.
Because as Ye Feng looked at him, he also saw Ye Feng, Xiao Xiao, and Qiao Ying.
"Hey, Wen Jing, what's wrong? Don't tell me you're having an episode again?"
Lei Jian's tone was somewhat impatient, but his expression was quite concerned.
"Celestial... Celestial being... Fairy... Angel..."
The beggar trembled, extending a hand and pointing in the direction where Ye Feng and the other two were, his face filled with astonishment.
"Huh?"
Lei Jian followed the beggar's gaze and also looked surprised. "Ye Feng, Miss Xiao Xiao, Miss Qiao!"
"Oh, it's you!"
Ye Feng greeted Lei Jian. "Lei Jian, you're here at the right time. Do you know where Ling is? I need to find her for something!"
"Ling..."
Lei Jian frowned slightly and pulled Ye Feng aside. "Ye Feng, is it urgent? Ling went to investigate the arcane energy firearms matter!"
"Arcane energy firearms?"
Ye Feng looked at Lei Jian with some confusion.
"Mmm!"
Lei Jian nodded, lowered his voice, and spoke rapidly to Ye Feng. "Do you remember the group of raiders we encountered on our way back? The firearms they had came from the Adventurer's Guild, and it's highly likely to involve high-level personnel. Ling personally led a team to investigate! She should be back by nightfall!"
"Oh, then I'll come find her again tonight!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Feng said immediately.
"Then... esteemed immortal... thank you for saving me!"
Just as Ye Feng and Lei Jian finished their conversation, the clean-faced man walked over, his eyes red, and thanked Ye Feng.
"Uh... I'm not an immortal..."
Ye Feng scratched his head. "You were the beggar on the street earlier, right? Did you go to trouble the Huang family?"
"The Huang... Huang family's trouble?"
The clean-faced man was confused by Ye Feng's question.
"You were poisoned by a 蛊符, which had seeped into your bone marrow, and you almost died. After recovering, you didn't go to trouble the Huang family?"
Hearing the man's words, Ye Feng couldn't help but feel disappointed. "Did you not bring that 蛊符 upon yourself?"
"This... I..."
The clean-faced man was momentarily at a loss for words, his face showing embarrassment.
"Ye Feng, what's going on between you and Wen Jing? 蛊符?"
At this moment, Lei Jian spoke, which also helped to ease the awkward atmosphere for the clean-faced man.
"Oh, it's like this. At that time, he..."
Ye Feng recounted the events of the past few days.
"Wen Jing, the celestial being you're talking about is Ye Feng?"
After hearing Ye Feng's account, Lei Jian looked at the clean-faced man with some astonishment.
"Mmm-hmm!"
The clean-faced man nodded, looking at Ye Feng with gratitude.
"Wen Jing, is it? That name sounds like a girl's name! Are you really not going to trouble the Huang family?"
"It took me a lot of effort to remove the 蛊符 from you!"
At this point, Ye Feng spoke again.
"Um... Ye Feng, his name is Miao Wen Jing..."