The ship sailed to the Wood Spirit Continent, arriving near the coastal line and traveling directly to the Wood Spirit Empire, bypassing the Ziwei Kingdom because the ship was able to do so and Wu Long was not as carefree with time since he found Wu Mengqi in his memories.

There were no ports or even big seaside cities in the empire since no normal ship could travel the inner sea even close to the coastal line, aside from the three small seas between the continents. Though the water around them looked ordinary, it was actually a lot less fluid than normal, since the laws of space were disturbed further into the sea. Less sturdy ships could accumulate serious damage in these waters and people would be squeezed to death in them. And even the air around the ship was applying light pressure on the protective formations.

Cao Xiang anchored the ship at a moderately remote place where her crew could venture to get food and other supplies from time to time as she was not sure how long they would stay on the continent. Only Cao Xiang, Cao Mei, and a few female attendants who took care of their daily necessities, followed Wu Long and his beauties and ventured to the nearest town. As they approached they immediately attracted attention, first because of the beauty of women with Wu Long but then because of the group’s high cultivation bases, which were not common in such remote small towns at all. This also saved them the trouble of dealing with anyone whose mind went wild because of the sudden appearance of such heavenly beauties, since no one wanted to mess with people who could wipe out the town without so much as a sweat.

They hired carriages and traveled to the Imperial Capital of the Wood Spirit Empire instead of the province governed by the Wu Family because that was the place Wu Long knew Wu Mengqi had been the last time he saw her. Their childhood was spent in the Wu family’s ancestral land, but they traveled to the capital for her coming-of-age ceremony and there she was noticed by the prince of the empire.

He was also hoping to find an information network that would help him fish out the culprits in the Wu Family.

While on their way they passed a few towns and cities, but only stayed for the night before moving on, as they reached their destination close to the evening of the fifth day since the capital was not far inland from where they disembarked.

As they went into the city, they chose a good inn, where they rented out an entire floor to themselves.

After settling in Wu Long went out into the city, leaving the others with Ye Ling, since the mother-daughter pair were under threat.

He ventured into the streets and asking for directions, since there were barely any memories of the capital from his time here, headed to the entertainment district, which was always an information hub in every country or city. The number of secrets and forbidden knowledge traded there was always the densest since there were tea houses, brothels, restaurants, bars, gambling houses, and more places where tongues became loose, and where greed and desires freely reigned.

As he entered the districts the distinct atmosphere of such areas, the smells of perfume, alcohol, and smoke from smoking pipes, as well as the hidden and naked shifty gazes surrounded him. He quickly gained the attention of the regular dwellers due to his appearance and cultivation base at the Qi Manifestation Realm which was already a high standard, usually indicating a young master of a noble family. Invitations to enter various establishments rained down on him but he emotionlessly ignored them, not showing particular interest in any of the places that were fishing for customers until he saw a mixed brothel-gambling house that caught his eye.

He smiled and approached the establishment.

“Hey handsome fella, you look like you are looking for some good fun, we have the best girls in the town, or are you in for some quick cash? The game is hot this evening…”

One of the many young men in plain robes before the brothel saw his interest in the place and his eyes shined as he started the regular pitch. .𝒐𝙧𝒈

Wu Long waved his hand indicating that he did not require persuasion as he strode to the entrance and the young man happily ran a little ahead to lead the prospective customer.

“You are in luck, we just received a new girl, and she is ‘DELICIOUS’, I’m telling ya! Premium stuff! If I had the money I would win the auction for her first time myself”

He said while half-turned and excitedly narrated with hands drawing an hourglass shape in the air and a suggestive movement of eyebrows. There was an ambiance of a ‘buddy’ around this guy, normal to such establishments where they exchanged knowing gazes and banter with the guests to create a good mood. But seeing Wu Long’s lack of any kind of reaction to his talk he restrained himself and his demeanor changed to a friendly but polite guide.

“Esteemed guest, what service would you like to purchase today?”

He said as he led him through the gates into the inner courtyard and beyond into a large lobby.

“Let me see that auction”

“Excellent, I will guide you to the venue, though if you would like you can purchase a private booth”

“Private booth would be good”

Wu Long casually threw a bag of gold slightly off the course but the young man expertly caught it, a bright smile on his face. Wu Long’s eyes looked normal but deep in them there was a small reaction to the movement of the young man’s hands.

“Certainly, Esteemed Master*, please follow me”

The young man led him to the second floor and through several passages to a door. He whispered something to a female attendant who stood by the door and she brightly smiled at him while opening the door to the booth as the young man deeply bowed, intending to keep this posture until the door closed behind Wu Long. When the door closed the friendly air around the young man who led him and the smile of the female attendant disappeared replaced by cold faces that had nothing in their eyes to indicate any kind of emotion.

Wu Long examined the private booth that was nothing more than a balcony on the side of the auction venue with some armchairs and sofas, with the formation shielding the people from being viewed from outside. He sat in an armchair and looked to the area below where people were accumulating. There was a table in front of him with a small array with which he could place his bid.

‘An auction for a maiden’s first time huh, what bad taste’

Wu Long thought to himself. His goal was to attract the eyes of the management, so any big expenditure would have done the trick. He was first planning on gambling lavishly but the young man leading him here presented him with a fast and efficient way to gain full attention from whoever managed this place, since such events, commonly called “Flower Banquet” were considered very important for the prestige and reputation of the place. He was not very fond of these kinds of events, but it was not to the point that he would usually interfere.

His first impulse was to arrive directly in the Wu family house since he was a little impatient to meet Wu Mengqi again, but he also knew that going prepared was a much better way to deal with the situation. It was always better to be informed than not, especially when dealing with noble families and willy old foxes that he was likely against. Not to mention that he was not sure about the situation the country was in at the moment.

After a few hours of waiting, the venue was full and it seemed that all the private balconies were also occupied as the concealing formations were as useful as thin air in concealing anything in front of Wu Long’s Chaos Origin Eyes.

He did not see any faces that were even remotely familiar, but he did see a young man roughly resembling Nie You in facial features occupy one booth with a flurry of bodyguards and attendants. He made a quick guess that it was likely a close relative of his, indicating just how influential of an establishment this was that even an Imperial Prince attended their event.

The curtains went up and the auctioneer made the usual speech, after which he raised his hand to guide the audience’s attention to the stage entrance.

A gorgeous young woman, with very long curvy dark brown hair that was collected into a thick braid, green eyes, and curvaceous shapes appeared on the scene, as she walked with grace in her posture and demeanor. There was a refined air around her, but also almost unperceivable despair and anguish in her eyes as she looked at a room full of people.

—————-

*Esteemed Master (DaRen – meaning big

/important person)