Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!
Chapter 198: The Gossip-Loving Little Fox

Chapter 198: Chapter 198: The Gossip-Loving Little Fox

Jiang Yuan still remembers the first time he entered the Cyan Fish Mountain Market, going to Miss Hu Jiu’s Cloth Shop to buy clothes. At that time, she still had a fluffy fox head, but now she has transformed into a silver-haired fox-eared maiden.

Although they are sisters and indeed share some resemblance, their temperaments are completely different.

Hu Zhile has a typical charming and seductive aura unique to a fox spirit, sometimes sly, sometimes gentle, with eyes full of tender feelings yet sharp-witted;

In contrast, her younger sister, Miss Hu Jiu, is petite, adorned in luxurious court dress with waterfall-like silver long hair, looking like a cute anime figurine walking out of the second dimension.

Especially those round, blinking big eyes, her gaze pure and completely unlike a fox spirit.

"I’ve bought clothes from your shop," Jiang Yuan greeted with a smile, opening the door smoothly, "There are no tables or chairs in the shop; let’s talk in the courtyard."

Though she heard her third sister mention the mysterious nature of the young gentleman, seeing with her own eyes the shop door closing and reopening, instantly transporting from the Cyan Fish Mountain Market to a courtyard filled with pastoral scenery, Miss Hu Jiu’s eyes widened, filled with stars, "Wow! It’s amazing! Is there an array set up in the gentleman’s shop? No, even if there were a teleportation array, there should be spiritual power overflowing when it operates!"

Seeing her naïve look, Hu Zhile poked her younger sister’s back, signaling her to speak less to avoid giving off the impression of probing.

Being poked twice, Miss Hu Jiu realized the slip of her words, quickly changing the topic: "The gentleman’s courtyard is so well managed, the night breeze is cool and the moonlight beautiful. I really love this pastoral courtyard of peace and quiet through the years!"

"Sir, my little sister has lived in the market for long without venturing outside, has no other skills but constantly chatting about market rumors. I hope you don’t mind," Hu Zhile tried to smooth over.

Jiang Yuan thought to himself, I invited her because I need market gossip to find clues; if she were not talkative and knew nothing, I wouldn’t have let her come and waste precious time.

After a few pleasantries and sitting down in the courtyard, he got straight to the point: "I’m new to the Cyan Fish Mountain Market and don’t know anything about it. Could Miss Hu Jiu tell me some interesting rumors?"

Being poked repeatedly by her third sister, she didn’t know what to say, only twitching her ears and wagging her tail to act cute.

Hearing that the young gentleman actually likes gossip, Miss Hu Jiu immediately got excited, her eyes lit up, furry large ears perked up, "If you want to hear market rumors, you’ve come to the right person. I’ve been around the Cyan Fish Mountain Market for so long, maybe not skilled at other things, but there’s no secret rumor I don’t know! Which aspect of secrets would you like to know, sir?"

"We’re just chatting casually; pick the most explosive ones to tell," Jiang Yuan wasn’t comfortable mentioning the heart, liver, lung related rumors directly, so he let her talk freely first.

Finally encountering her strong suit, Miss Hu Jiu’s naïve large eyes blinked, filled with the glow of gossip wisdom, "If we talk about the most explosive rumor in the Cyan Fish Mountain Market, it must belong to the most prosperous and mysterious Money Shop and Auction House.

It’s said that the owner of the Money Shop is a changeling from the Demon Realm; whether male, female, young or old, even the most experienced Head Shopkeeper doesn’t know, since each appearance varies in looks, height, weight, and can only recognize the person by the aura emitted by the owner."

As she mentioned exclusive secrets, she leaned over and lowered her voice, mysteriously saying: "But I think the Money Shop and Auction House’s owner is actually the same person!

Because half a year ago, I was at the Auction House for fun and really liked a hairpin that was too expensive. Liu Wanhai, the Head Shopkeeper of the Auction House, arranged a person to bid up the price, the customer who wanted it didn’t continue, so the arranged person pretended to buy it and took it to the back hall.

I thought of privately asking Manager Liu the price, ended up in the Auction House back hall, and detected a familiar aura in the most inconspicuous storage room—the scent of the Money Shop owner!

There was also a cold aura belonging to Qing Wu, specially hired by the Auction House, whispering unknown things with him, but even Manager Liu can’t command Qing Wu.

Yet I clearly heard a stranger’s harsh male voice commanding Qing Wu, ’Stop nagging, give me all those in stock!’ Now, you think, who could that be if not the owner, who commands Qing Wu and accesses Auction House’s stock?"

[Side Quest 2: Gather Cyan Fish Mountain Market Rumors, Clue +1: Auction House Qing Wu and Money Shop Owner Private Transaction]

As expected of a fox spirit skilled in gossip, hitting the clue right from the start, Jiang Yuan felt quite pleased, and asked, "What’s Qing Wu’s background? Why can’t the Auction House Head Shopkeeper give orders?"

The young gentleman’s eagerness fell into Miss Hu Jiu’s eyes, filling her heart with joy, haha, he loves listening!

Isn’t it coincidental?

The young gentleman loves gossip but doesn’t go out much, whereas no one is better at it than me; we are indeed a natural match!

Key being, after taking off his cloak and no longer covering up, whether it’s his broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, handsome looks or age, all are delightful to the eye, far better looking than most demon cultivators who frequent the market.

Now he likes to chat with me, doesn’t it mean we have mutual affection over time?

"Qing Wu is a demon cultivator!" She continued with gossip: "It’s said he was specially invited by the Auction House owner from the Demon Realm, bypassing the Head Shopkeeper, so how could he command and reprimand him?

In fact, I’ve only seen him a few times, and Qing Wu looks really scary, both hands are white skeletal bones without any flesh.

I heard from a leopard cultivator at the Auction House who frequently visits my shop that Qing Wu lacks combat power, his deadliest skill is cursing. It’s said that anyone cursed by him will inevitably die!

The leopard cultivator, a chief enforcer at the Auction House, though skilled, speaks too crudely for my liking."

Demon cultivator, cursing... Beware of heart, liver, lung!

Almost instantly, the incidents involving Eagle Twenty-One’s subordinates all linked together, Jiang Yuan suddenly realized, "The Auction House hired Qing Wu for dealing with the cultivators who couldn’t pay after malicious bidding. Not long ago, I personally witnessed an Ice-winged Eagle getting cursed, saying it was ’used as a heart, liver, lung’. At that time, the cursed Ice-winged Eagle indeed got devoured starting from its heart!"

Hu Zhile immediately perked up her furry large ears’ smart hairs, realizing a connection to the heart, liver, lung! Could clues about what was stolen from the Empress really be found in the Cyan Fish Mountain Market?

"Ah? There’s such a curse technique?" Miss Hu Jiu’s eyes widened, thinking to herself she was so adept at gathering gossip yet never heard of this, even using heart, liver, lung, truly eerie and strange, better stay away in the future.

She continued to share some gossip, like Auction House Manager Liu’s true form as a toad, liking to nurture handsome and fair-skinned human men, eating them when bored, but none of these triggered system prompts anymore.

"Oh right, I heard the Black Market has been chaotic lately, with many cultivators mysteriously disappearing! It’s rumored that some demon cultivators’ friends planned to buy things from the Black Market but went missing without a trace, don’t know if it’s related to the Black Market."

[Quest 2: Gather Cyan Fish Mountain Market Rumors, Clue +1: Frequent Disappearance of Cyan Fish Mountain Market Cultivators]

Jiang Yuan looked at another clue, a bit dazed, could it be...the missing cultivators might be related to Auction House, Money Shop’s demon cultivators? Was the loot stolen from Yin Mountain’s female corpse by people from the Demon Realm?