"Young Miss Ling, welcome to our shop," said Mo Lai. Looking about, she clapped her hands and said, "Ladies, alas our weekly tea party must end. We are a shop and money needs making."
Several of the women, groaned in disappointment and reluctantly said their goodbyes.
Once everyone was gone, Mo Lai cupped her hands, "Fierce Leader, Mo Lai greets you."
"Sister Mo, did my ears hear right. Was my father referred to as Ling Dreamboat?"
Shensheng snorted, "Little Junjie, feel free to roam about. Progenitor will buy anything that you like."
Ling Fan's eye twitched.
With whose coin purse?
"Also, if you see anything your Queen may like. Be sure to alert her. Particularly a scarf to warm her neck as she's flying about in the skies.
With a couple of grunts, Junjie declared his understanding and pattered away.
Chuckling, Mo Lai said, "Leader you don't know Patriarch Ling was once considered Savant's City most handsomest man? Back in the day, he was well sought after. Mo Lai is embarrassed to say even her own Mother chased after your father. This was of course before she met my honorable father."
Savant City's most handsome?
Ling Fan's jaw fell open in a giant O.
Mo Lai continued, "Although the original Fierce Fairy herself, your noble Mother, was publicly given her title due to her defiance of Zhao Qiang. In actuality this wasn't the truth. Few know in Savant City's back alleys, there was a hidden war for Patriarch Ling's affection. Your Mother and Elder Bing were an unstoppable pair and earned their titles through innumerable battles. Isn't it true love when you crush all of your love rivals?"
This? Mom was a bad ass? Father was the root cause of a hidden war?
Junjie suddenly snorted wildly.
Shensheng scampered over. "You say you found something interesting? It's a sturdy pot to eat meals out of?"
Suddenly, Mo Lai stiffened. Pointing, to the Shensheng, she said, "Leader, your pigs appear particularly interested in our stock of chamber pots."
"Junjie! You've struck gold! These pots are indeed very well made. We shall buy several sets. Disciple, take out your coin purse!"
Ling Fan hurried over and whispered into Shensheng's ear.
"You say those pots are what!!" squealed Shensheng. The Divine Pig's paw itched as she wanted to slap the little boar one. However, surprisingly she suppressed her anger.
"Little Junjie, our Disciple says those pots are considered trash. There are sturdier ones of much higher quality. However, they are special order items."
Junjie snorted his disappointment. As he pattered away, Shensheng snorted, "Disciple, just now you saved Master."
Humph! I just saved my coin purse!
"Master, how come you don't show your anger on Junjie."
"Disciple, in their growing years Heaven Swallowing Boars, they're rabid berserkers. You don't want to rile one up, ever."
Ling Fan gasped, "Berserker? What's that?"
"They don't have berserkers on Bright Star World?"
Ling Fan shook her head.
"Disciple that's a good thing. Witnessing a rabid berserk Heaven Swallowing Boar rampaging...that's the Emperor of headaches."
Ling Fan rolled her eyes.
I wonder who the Empress is?
"Leader, how about you come try these robes?"
Ling Fan looked over and there were several pretty robes strewn on a table.
"These ones have the colors that look best on you," said Mo Lai.
Suddenly, through the wall, they heard voices.
"Sister Song, Yang Peizhi favors you so well. Everyone says he'll become the next leader of the Black Spear Gang. With the Death Ax Gang finished, his Black Spear Gang will also control their former territory. If you're lucky, he'll take you as his wife."
"Why choose him? Why not choose someone higher?"
"Who can be stronger than Yang Peizhi?"
"Savant City's fighting prodigy Gu Yang..Won't he be the future head of Savant Academy?"
"But his eyes always wander."
"Am I not Song Li Mei, Plum House's greatest beauty?"
"Mhm."
"So what do you think of these robes?"
As the conversation turned to more mundane topics Ling Fan mind buzzed with a thought.
"Sister Mo Lai, have you thought yet of your code name? If not, Little Sister has a suggestion."
Mo Lai sighed, "Leader, Mo Lai spent many hours last night pondering that same question. Please speak."
"You know behind every great force is a strong intelligence unit. Isn't your shop the best place to hear about all the happenings in Savant City. Who are your customers? Are they not all the wives and concubines of the most powerful men in city?"
Mo Lai's eyes brightened, "Then I'll be called Shop girl?"
"You think too low of yourself. What type of leader heads an intelligence network?"
Mo Lai twiddled her thumbs, "Well they do call me Gossip Princess. In fact I'd be #1 if it wasn't for that mysterious Gossip King. If we assassinate him, then I'll stand at the peak of all gossipers."
"If you were just a common girl, yes we could call you the Gossip Princess. But as the leader of Fierce Fairy intelligence unit, shouldn't you be called our Spymaster? Who would suspect, that an apprentice seamstress is actually the spymaster of Savant City greatest gang? Won't you be our eyes and ears?"
Mo Lai trembled. She fell down to her knees. "Fierce Leader, Fierce Spymaster accepts this duty."
Junjie snorted.
"What's it mean when human's fall to their knees? Little Junjie that's a really good question. Astonishingly you are proving more intelligent than your ancestors. If only your eyes weren't so bad? Sigh...Human's falling to their knees is another mysterious part of human mating rituals. Just now, one would call that a confession."
Junjie squealed.
"Confession? You don't know what that means. Junjie, Progenitor must invest in some education so that you understand the ways of the world. Truly you are nothing but a frog at the bottom of the well..."
Shensheng was about to continue, when Junjie grunted.
"Oh, you say Disciple may be sick because her eyes are unusually red? Disciple, hurry and approach. Master will check your constitution."
Ling Fan was about to run over and rap her fist a couple of times between the pig's ears when Mo Lai spoke.
"Leader, how should your Spymaster proceed?"
Shooting innumerable sharp glares at Shensheng, she replied, "Identify places similar to your shop. We must recruit spies in all those locations. Starting today, provide daily reports on everything you hear."
After realizing, Ling Fan was in fact not sick, Shensheng snorted, "You wanna spend the next hour as a fly? You saw how this Queen handled Mu Psycho."
"Che!" spat Ling Fan looking away.
"You think this Queen can't multi-task? Seeing as you are building her a spy network, the most important to investigate are incidents involving cockroaches. It's most imperative we find the little f*ckers and burn every last one of them. Tell her to investigate thoroughly."
Ling Fan winced.
Gritting her teeth, she looked to Mo Lai and said, "Should there be any unusual activity involving cockroaches, please investigate and report immediately."
"Eh!"
"Also, any cockroaches you find, make sure you burn them well."
Mo Lai chuckled, "Leader who would've thought we share the same thoughts. Spymaster didn't know you hate cockroaches as well. Although there's no better sound than hearing them being crushed to death with the heaviest of stones, Spymaster will be more than happy to use fire."
The Wang Sisters who earlier had gone perusing weapons, abruptly came in. Both their faces were pale. Wang Chunhua could barely speak. In a hoarse whisper she said, "Mu Psycho she-she's here. She wants to know who's spreading the lies that she was tricked into being betrothed to Zhao Tian Cai and she was exiled from Ninth Heaven. She's asking to see you."
"How does she know I'm here?"
The Wang Sisters pointed to Shensheng. Wang Chuntao said, "She detected Zhu Shensheng and said you couldn't be too far away. She also wants the person spreading the lies to step out too."
Horror drained all the blood from Mo Lai's face.
Was an Empyrean about to send her to the next life?
The Divine Pig pattered forward. "Disciple relax. Master has bound her to a divine contract. She cannot kill you. Should she kill you, she'll be erased from the Multi-verse."*1
"Divine Contract, erased?"
"Master will provide details later. Just now, she found robes she likes and is going to try them on."
"Is what you say true?" excitedly asked Ling Fan?
Ling Fan felt like a mountain of fear and trepidation has been lifted. She felt like she could finally breath.
Suddenly there was a blurting fart.
Ling Fan was about to scramble a way, when Shensheng snorted. "Humph! You call that a fart? Little Junjie you need to put more power into it."
Ling Fan shook her head. Wasn't it better to suffer the presence of Mu Psycho rather than stay in the vicinity of these two pigs?
"Come. See how this Young Miss handles Mu Psycho," she said, leaving rapidly towards to main area."
Reluctantly, Mo Lai followed. The Wang Sisters also trailed, wondering how they should escape with Ling Fan.
Upon seeing Ling Fan, Mu Huizhong stiffened.
Was she really going to do this?
Ling Fan's eyes narrowed. Just what was this crazy woman going to say?
Oddly, Mu Huizhong's started to huff and was pacing about as she though it hurt to stand still. Finally she groaned and turned about.
Stiffly, through a clenched jaw, she said, "Young Miss Ling, Mu Huiqing would like to ask a favor."