"That is spiritual water. I will give you that in exchange for information," Yi Ling said, her eyes fixed on Yu Weiyan. She needed details about her enemy to help Xiang He ascend the throne. Until she gained enough followers to form an organization, she would handle the tasks herself.
Yu Weiyan's eyes went wide as she stared at the vial. Slowly uncorking it, she felt the spiritual energy emanating from it. It was indeed spiritual water, and she knew how valuable it was.
"Young master, this?" She stared at Yi Ling, bewildered. Why would he give such a valuable item to her? If he was this wealthy, he could ask anyone in the kingdom for information, and they would eagerly provide it.
"I mean what I say. I don't want to cause a commotion in this Kingdom," Yi Ling explained, adding silently to herself, "not just yet."
Yu Weiyan finally understood. It would indeed cause a great sensation if people found out about the spiritual water. She carefully tucked the vial inside her dudou.
"Xiang Ren is the brother of the Emperor and the uncle of the Crown Prince. It was once rumored that Xiang Ren loved the late Empress. Since the Emperor married her, hatred grew in his heart. Though he acts like a doting uncle in front of the Crown Prince, he is a monster. Recently, a rumor spread in the Kingdom that Xiang Ren was the reason the Crown Prince is crippled. Though the monarch didn't believe the rumors, Xiang Ren wasn't idle either. I heard he killed all those who spread those rumors." She spoke quietly, refilling Yi Ling's cup of wine.
"Anything else?" Yi Ling took a sip of her wine, savoring the sweet yet tangy taste.
"He runs a hidden gambling house beneath an old manor. I heard you need a black token to get in. The ways of obtaining the black token are unknown to me. That will be up to you to find out." Yu Weiyan handed some dishes to Yi Ling to try. She wanted to serve him well, hoping he would return and look for her. Somehow, she felt less like a courtesan with Yi Ling beside her. It was a feeling she had experienced before. She shook her head as memories flooded her mind.
"That's okay, I don't need to go inside his lair. I can always lure him out," Yi Ling said, formulating a plan. She needed to unmask Xiang Ren's true self to help Xiang He ascend the throne.
"Suit yourself," Yu Weiyan shrugged, indifferent.
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After an hour of silent eating, Yi Ling paid for her meal and returned to her inn. She found Linyu and the Viridis arguing inside her room.
"What's going on here?" Yi Ling felt a headache forming.
The two argued nonstop. The Viridis seemed to enjoy teasing Linyu, finding it the only way to engage with his King. He'd rather make Linyu yell at him than be ignored.
"Master, you're back!" Linyu kicked the Viridis onto the floor and bowed to Yi Ling.
"Ugghh..." The Viridis didn't feel any pain, being stronger than Linyu, but he pretended to avoid embarrassing his King.
"Shut up!" Linyu kicked him again, irritated by the giant weed. He didn't like that the Viridis appeared more masculine than him, with firmer muscles from living in the wild, compared to Linyu's pampered life inside the Ring.
Yi Ling, exhausted by the thought of dealing with these two every day, ordered Linyu to stay in the same room as the Viridis. Since Linyu didn't want to return inside the Ring with the Viridis around his master, he was left with no choice. Though he disliked sharing a room with him, he reluctantly agreed. They left Yi Ling's room after handing over all the herbs she had sent them to buy.
Yi Ling waved her hand, sending the herbs into the Ring. She went to her bed and began to cultivate silently. Although the spiritual energy in Xiang Kingdom wasn't as dense as inside her Ring, she could still cultivate. The process might be slower, but it wasn't an issue for her. She had plenty of Qi cultivation concoctions to speed up her growth, which was why she needed so many herbs to grow more inside her medical garden.