Chapter Twenty-One: Deliberation After Composure

After seeing Ye Feifan off, Gu Fangxiang and Zhang Zheng carefully packed the blueprints into spatial pouches and sent word to the royal household to dispatch some loyal and powerful cultivators to take over.

Everything in the appraisal room no longer concerned Ye Feifan. He knew that although he could monopolize these items temporarily, eventually they would flood the streets. The profits were too great for one royal house to consume alone.

Even if they dared to swallow his share of the profits, he wasn’t afraid. By contributing some points, the system could help him recover resources and items of equivalent value.

Gu Fangxiang had embedded a miniature tracking formation in her jade token. Ye Feifan thought that in the future, he could use them to pave the way for him free of charge. The jade token still had some utility; once stored in the system space, it could isolate the formation.

After circling around several times, Ye Feifan shook off some tailing figures, swapped into a leather coat, and discreetly entered an inn.

“Waiter, a room upstairs, please.”

Compared to the long-haired men of ancient times, Ye Feifan looked more like a modern man. After being expelled from the Xun family, he had cut his long hair into a short buzz cut. Coupled with the Dream Mirror’s disguise changes, even those familiar with him found it hard to recognize him.

“Right away, sir. Please come this way.” The waiter was stunned for a moment before snapping back and promptly leading Ye Feifan to a clean room. Being well-traveled, the waiter sensed Ye Feifan was no ordinary person and treated him with due respect, quietly retreating after arranging the room.

Ye Feifan sat on the bed and exhaled deeply. The past while of acting had been exhausting. He now owned three impressive outfits—his horse-riding gear, leather coat set, and military coat set—but hadn’t bought any others yet.

He always presented himself as Martin Xiao. The leather coat was purchased for a side mission related to the Zhang family, the horse-riding black cloak set was for cooperation with the appraisal auction house, and the remaining outfit he hadn’t yet decided when to wear, needing careful thought.

Others who transmigrated usually possessed all kinds of martial arts and combat skills, but he had nothing of the sort. Instead, he relied on subtle breathing techniques to cultivate, which was unsustainable. He had to find a sect to join temporarily.

Joining a sect would serve as a stepping stone to grow stronger gradually, with the protection of a sturdy backing. The fabricated “Bottomless Pit” faction would have to disappear for a while to avoid the scrutiny of those with malicious intent.

Closing his eyes, Ye Feifan slipped into a dream again, only to suddenly realize his points were depleted. Without dream bait, he could no longer fish in dreams. He needed to earn points first.

Unable to fish for dreams, Ye Feifan could only meditate and absorb dream breaths to cultivate. Side missions had a chance to reward points, so he had to grit his teeth and complete at least one before continuing to fish for dreams.

“Next time, I must save some points for fishing dreams; otherwise, I’ll be too passive,” he silently admonished himself. He raised his hand to check the time, but froze strangely.

His watch was gone!

Had he left it at the appraisal auction house?

Unsure if it had been left there, he knew returning now would be risky. For the time being, that item could only be safely stored at the auction house.

“Activate all story cards.” Without hesitation, Ye Feifan activated three cards. The scenes on the cards were shrouded in darkness, with only important elements faintly glowing.

The card titled “Before Death” showed a scarred hand, pale like a woman’s, wounds still bleeding, evoking the image of someone clawing out of a grave. If this hand were to be named, “Survivor” might suit it best.

The “Weeping Heart” card depicted a woman in a phoenix crown and ceremonial robe. Her red dress was embroidered with golden phoenix patterns, regal and festive, yet gave off a chilling, dangerous aura.

The “Tick Tock” card showed a blood-dripping needle, the drop of blood unsettling against the dark background, perfectly matching the card’s ominous name.

“Side Mission [Before Death]: What do you see? What do you wish to say? We can help you, you give, we return… Patrol Tianzi City by midnight and find them. Survive until dawn to complete the mission. Rewards vary based on the storyline, with a minimum of 500 points, a lottery ticket, and a newspaper clipping. Failure requires a one-week cooldown before retrying.”

“Side Mission [Weeping Heart]: Who will save me? Whom must I save? Come, all of you, accompany me, sobbing... Arrive at the Liu residence by midnight, uncover the truth, and survive until dawn to complete the mission. Rewards vary with the story, guaranteed a lottery ticket and a newspaper. Failure triggers a one-month cooldown.”

“Side Mission [Tick Tock]: The dark streets hide many unseen things, especially the life-threatening ticking sound. Are you next? Tick tock... Arrive at the Northern Star Teahouse by midnight, explore the truth, and survive until dawn to complete the mission. Rewards vary by storyline, guaranteed 500 points, a lottery ticket, and a newspaper. Failure requires a one-week cooldown.”

Along with the earlier missions—“Late Night Knock” and “Deadly Bus”—Ye Feifan faced six side missions. Meanwhile, the main quest, “Love of Blue Star,” was beginning to exert its influence.

Tonight, many lives would be lost.

Ye Feifan felt uneasy. “Late Night Knock” and “Deadly Bus” required a thunderstorm night to proceed. Among the remaining missions, he had to judge which to tackle first based on difficulty from their descriptions.

Of the three, only “Tick Tock” seemed feasible. Judging by the system’s offered rewards, “Tick Tock” and “Before Death” both guaranteed 500 points, enough to solve his immediate problem. However, the ominous wording suggested more than one danger.

The “Before Death” mission mentioned the senses of hearing and speaking, along with “we,” “give,” and “return,” implying some kind of transaction for mutual benefit. “Before Death” seemed to suggest the unlucky would pay with their lives and other items. The number involved was uncertain, so Ye Feifan dared not take risks. Since his life was at stake, careful consideration was best.

The inn where Ye Feifan stayed was called “Welcome Inn,” situated in a red-light district. Beyond the brothel area lay the Northern Star Teahouse. On one side of the inn ran the route of the deadly bus, and on the other side led to the Liu residence. The proximity of these mission locations might be coincidental or a system addition.

To complete “Before Death,” he had to patrol the vast area of Tianzi City, but there was no way to pinpoint where “they” hid. He would have to find clues about the deceased in news the next day.

“Weeping Heart” centered on the Liu family. Ye Feifan was unfamiliar with them. Although a prominent family, they were a notch below the Xun family. A stranger entering would be a sitting target. He didn’t want to be targeted and planned to wait for the Liu household to become anxious before having the Zhang family introduce him.

The mission’s plea for rescue indicated the Liu family had done something terrible, filled with grudges. Failure meant a one-month cooldown.

The card’s image also hinted at a woman in red, different from the red-clad driver in another mission. Charging in ignorantly would have disastrous consequences, so he decided to wait before proceeding.

That night, the two servants’ bodies mysteriously shattered at the outpost. Ye Feifan learned it was a strange place nicknamed “Sand Dam.”

Both “Weeping Heart” and “Tick Tock” gave him the feeling that ominous events clustered near him. From this, he inferred the outpost might be a hideout related to “Before Death.”

All missions revolved around Ye Feifan’s surroundings, essentially a system-designed novice protection period with clear hints. The only option was to complete the side missions.

[PS: Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity, friendliness.]