NABC Chapter 333 The Strange Old Man
Chapter 333 The Strange Old Man
Chapter 333 The Strange Old Man
After hanging up the phone, before Ye Nanxiao could even put away the encrypted communication soul guide, Ju Zi called again.
"Speak your mind if you have something to say, otherwise the court is adjourned," Ye Nanxiao said.
"No, think about it again! This is a great opportunity!" Orange urged.
"I'm telling you, you don't just want to see me in women's clothes, and not help me, do you?" Ye Nanxiao said through gritted teeth.
While stroking the sleeping phantom fox nestled on her lap, Orange suppressed a laugh and replied, "No way, how could that be? I really wanted to help you!"
Ye Nanxiao lowered his head slightly and fell silent.
Xu Tianran's recent actions have all taken Ye Nanxiao by surprise. Whether it's temporarily suspending Ju Zi's activities and relinquishing her authority, or the sudden influx of a large number of evil soul masters towards Mingdu, Ye Nanxiao has a feeling that a storm is brewing.
Especially with Feng Shiyi's recent missions and events, things have gone a little too smoothly.
"Perhaps I've become arrogant." Ye Nanxiao calmed down and quietly reflected on all his actions over this period of time.
He had achieved both research and gains, and apart from encountering the great Fork, he hadn't encountered any real problems.
Looking at the impressive battle records of Feng Shiyi and Lan Yuning on the table, Ye Nanxiao immediately said, "Let's make it clear first, this is the only time."
On the other end, upon hearing Ye Nanxiao's agreement, Ju Zi suddenly stood up excitedly.
The little phantom fox, who had suddenly rolled onto the soft cushion, was bewildered.
The phantom fox, who was squatting on the windowsill enjoying the breeze, turned around at the sound and looked at the little phantom fox who was hugging the orange's leg with a wronged expression. Then it turned its head back and continued to enjoy the breeze.
"Okay, I'll do your makeup then, but you have to stay close to me!" Orange said, suppressing her excitement.
"When?" Ye Nanxiao naturally heard the suppressed excitement in Ju Zi's voice.
"Two days from now, Xu Tianran will hold an open-air prayer ceremony to pray for His Majesty. Many noble families will be invited by Xu Tianran to attend the banquet at the palace. There will be a lot of people," Orange said.
"Okay." Ye Nanxiao agreed and then hung up the call.
Orange tossed aside the encrypted communication device in her hand, bent down, scooped up the little phantom fox, and hugged it tightly.
"Woo!" The little phantom fox let out a contented woof.
Orange blushed slightly, tapped the little fox's head with her jade-like finger, and chuckled, "Little thing! How can you be so improper? You're a girl!"
"Chirp~~"
The phantom fox jumped down from the windowsill and walked to Orange's feet, its fluffy tail gently wrapping around Orange's snow-white calves.
Since receiving Xue Di's promise, Huan Hu has truly regarded Ju Zi as his master.
Orange squatted down and hugged Huanhu into her arms, as if she were hugging a fluffy and soft pillow.
"Waaah~"
The phantom fox imitated the little phantom fox, rubbing against it.
Seeing that the mother and daughter were exactly the same, Orange snapped, "Are all foxes like this?!"
"So, is that bastard fox also interested in this?" Orange looked down.
After learning that Xu Tianran would be hosting a grand banquet for numerous noble families the day after tomorrow, Ye Nanxiao ordered Feng Shiyi to suspend her actions and take a paid leave.
Then Ye Nanxiao summoned Li Yuanren.
Without keeping Ye Nanxiao waiting, Li Yuanren, who was still walking his bird, ran straight to Ye Nanxiao's office with the bird in its cage.
"Boss, what's the rush?" Li Yuanren put down the birdcage in his hand.
Ye Nanxiao glanced at it and saw that the Emerald Bird, a small ornamental soul beast that resembled a piece of exquisite jade, was extremely expensive.
"Are there any factions among the noble families in Mingdu?" Ye Nanxiao asked.
Li Yuanren pondered for a moment and said, "There are roughly four factions: the business faction, the dove faction, the hawk faction, and the neutral faction. The dove faction are supporters of the Sun and Moon Emperor, while the hawk faction is also supporters, but many of their actions show that they admire the Crown Prince's decisiveness and ruthlessness. The business faction consists of pure businessmen who pursue profit above all else. The neutral faction is extremely low-key because they do not support any conflict."
"Boss, you're planning to target aristocratic families?" Li Yuanren asked in surprise.
Ye Nanxiao shook his head slightly.
The network of interests among aristocratic families is too complex. Even though the Aodu Chamber of Commerce has already subtly captured half of the underground market in Mingdu, it is still unable to openly penetrate the circles of these aristocratic families.
"Give me a list of information on the leaders of both the hawks and doves," Ye Nanxiao said.
At such an important moment of prayer, the appearance of an evil spirit master in Mingdu suggests that this palace banquet is unlikely to be a pleasant one.
Li Yuanren nodded in agreement, and within fifteen minutes, he placed the information on the leaders of the two major factions, the doves and the hawks, on Ye Nanxiao's desk.
Ye Nanxiao waved for Li Yuanren to continue walking the birds and picked up the documents to look at them.
Upon receiving Ye Nanxiao's order, Feng Shiyi decisively stopped all missions and activities.
A middle-aged woman who had been promoted by Feng Shiyi asked in confusion, "Sir, why did the higher-ups give us such instructions?"
She couldn't understand why they had to stop at this crucial moment when their mission had been going exceptionally well and yielded fruitful results, just when they were about to destroy several more gathering places of evil spirit masters.
Feng Shiyi gave the middle-aged woman a cold look and said, "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."
The middle-aged woman quickly lowered her head. Her current status was entirely due to Feng Shiyi's support, and she could be sent back to the bottom with just a word from Feng Shiyi.
Feng Shiyi led the team back to the safe base quickly.
Along the way, they came across a small herbal tea shop, and Feng Shiyi stopped to rest for a while.
The herbal tea shop was full of customers, chatting and drinking herbal tea.
A man dressed as a farmer sighed and said, "Recently, for some reason, a strange band of robbers has appeared outside the city. They are very powerful, and even the government troops can't defeat them! If this continues, I will have no choice but to take my family and seek refuge elsewhere! The harvest was already poor!"
Sitting opposite this man was a businessman.
The merchant shook his head and sighed, "Let's wait and see. The imperial court might send troops soon. No foreign land is as comfortable as my hometown, where I've been rooted since childhood."
"Yes!" the man sighed, then lowered his voice and said, "But let me tell you, you'd better leave quickly. Those soldiers died horribly; some were mutilated beyond recognition, and some had their heads gnawed off. It's so gruesome, I can't stay here waiting for the imperial troops to arrive!"
The two were sitting at the table behind Feng Shiyi, and since they had no soul power, their conversation was heard by Feng Shiyi without missing a single word.
"They are evil spirit masters." Upon hearing the two talk about the tragic state of the dead soldiers, Feng Shiyi immediately made a judgment.
Just as the man and the merchant were talking, an old man wearing a gray linen robe suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, the world fears evil spirits, and evil spirits do great harm! Hahaha!" the old man laughed loudly, but there was indeed a trace of desolation in his laughter.
The man and the merchant were startled by the old man and quickly stopped talking.
Feng Shiyi turned to look at the laughing old man. His face was thin and gaunt, with three deep lines on his forehead. His eyebrows were uneven, and his half-closed eyes held an unyielding sadness.
"This person..." Feng Shiyi suddenly felt a sense of familiarity with the old man, but this feeling quickly disappeared.
The old man's strange laughter caused many customers in the herbal tea shop to get up and leave, especially since his words involved evil spirits and evil sorcerers.
This is a terrifying word for ordinary people.
The man and the merchant gave the old man a strange look, then stood up and said, "Pah! You old man are really strange! Don't shout that you're attracting evil spirits!" After saying that, they hurriedly left.
Two-thirds of the customers left the herbal tea shop immediately; the rest were either people who loved watching the drama unfold or people associated with Feng Shiyi.
Seeing that all the customers had left, the owner of the herbal tea shop could only sigh and get up to clean up and wipe the tables.
"Little girl, do you also think that the reason why evil spirits are evil spirits is because they are born evil spirits? Are they born to grow into powerful evil spirits and then harm the human world?" The old man suddenly asked Feng Shiyi.
The people around Feng Shiyi immediately placed their hands discreetly on their waists, ready to take action and subdue the old man at the first sign of any strange behavior.
"Does it matter whether it is or not?" Feng Shiyi asked.
"Of course it's important!" The old man's eyes were filled with intense longing; he really wanted to know Feng Shiyi's answer.
"A slacker once said, 'One may be born evil, but if one's heart is set on good, then one is innocent.'" Feng Shiyi paused for a moment before giving his answer.
She would often ask herself this question: Are evil spirit masters really born evil spirit masters? Are they born evil?
Then, that figure, who always exuded a lazy, salty charm, gave her the answer.
"Human nature is neither good nor evil. In my opinion, there are no inherently bad people in the world."
"No one is born wanting to be a bad person. Life is unpredictable. Staying kind, protecting yourself, and having compassion are the best answers you can give yourself."
After Feng Shiyi finished speaking, she got up to pay the bill.
The old man's eyes were filled with shock; Feng Shiyi's answer had clearly surprised him greatly.
He traveled to many cities and crossed many mountains and rivers. For many years, he had been searching for an answer to a question that had puzzled him for a long time.
The golden dragon shadow that had captured him initially released him, provided he hadn't committed any heinous crimes, saying, "You are evil, but not too evil. I'll let you go this time; take care of yourself!"
Seeing out of the corner of his eye that Feng Shiyi was about to leave, the old man quickly stood up and appeared directly in front of Feng Shiyi.
Feng Shiyi instantly became alert and entered battle mode.
The old man quickly shouted, "I meant no harm! I just wanted to thank you for your answer. I request that you leave your name! I will surely repay you handsomely in the future!"
Seeing the old man's sincere expression and the look of enlightenment in his eyes, Feng Shiyi thought for a moment and said, "Aodu."
The old man bowed to Feng Shiyi, then disappeared from the spot.
"His strength is definitely above mine. He's so sincere; it doesn't seem fake. I hope I've made the right bet and can bring the boss a promise of a powerful figure." Feng Shiyi thought to himself, then reorganized his men and quickly left.
After Feng Shiyi left, the old man reappeared. Unlike his previous dejected and aged appearance, the old man now stood upright, with a faint black mist floating around him. The crooked lines on his forehead became straight, and a vertical line appeared faintly among the three horizontal lines, forming the character "王" (king).
With a look of sudden realization in his eyes, the old man seemed to have made a decision, and he forcefully crushed a small, pale gold flag and token in his arms.
"Aodu, it seems to be the Aodu Merchant Guild that's been mentioned in the church recently. I must go and see for myself who dared to say such things! Perhaps they can give me a reason to live!"
Thank you, dear readers, for reading this book!
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(End of this chapter)