Abnormal!
Highly unusual!
Shen Tang couldn't help but look around, rubbing her eyes.
After confirming that the scene in front of her was not a dream, she asked Qishan, "Yuan Liang... Have we not accidentally entered the wrong place? Did we step into some strange illusion, or did we pass through a certain gate... Something is wrong with it..."
She couldn't help but turn her head to look at the city gate where she came from.
A queue that couldn't be seen to the end was still slowly moving forward.
Most of these people were shabbily dressed and spiritually exhausted, but the people in the city were full of red light and dressed neatly.
The visual impact caused by this strange difference made her doubt life.
Qishan had an expressionless face: "What's wrong?"
Shen Tang pointed in the direction of the city gate.
"Look outside the city and then inside the city. What's wrong?"
After seeing the desolate and bleak scenes familiar to her, and then seeing the bustling and prosperous scene inside the city, she couldn't help but wonder if these two scenes really existed under the same sky? But the reality was--they were separated by only a city wall and a moat.
Qishan, hearing this, lowered his eyes, and before she knew it, there was a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his lips, giving him an air of sophistication: "Shen Xiao Lang, you need to walk more and see more. Eventually, you'll get used to it."
Shen Tang was dissatisfied: "Are you saying I'm overreacting?"
No face at all?
"That's what I mean."
Yeah, no face at all!
Shen Tang: "..."
She wanted to jump up and do a brain surgery on this guy.
Passing by a tavern, Qishan pointed to a place beside the tavern door and instructed her: "Shen Xiao Lang, you wait here. I'll go inquire about something. I'll be back in about an hour. You must stay here and not wander around."
"Inquire about something? Looking for your creditor's whereabouts?" Seeing that Qishan didn't give a direct answer, Shen Tang waved her hand indifferently, "If you want to go, go early and come back early. We still need to find a place to stay at night. I don't want to sleep on the roadside or under a bridge..."
Qishan: "..."
The complex emotions that had been burning like a fire were suddenly interrupted by Shen Tang's words, leaving him feeling deflated and unable to pick up any emotions. The boiling emotions in his chest rolled into a long sigh.
Helplessly, he repeated, "Well, you too, don't wander around."
Shen Tang obediently stayed by the tavern door, watching Qishan's figure disappear at the end of the street, until it was completely out of sight. Her eyes suddenly brightened--although it had been almost a month since she crossed, she basically traveled with Qishan every day and had no personal time.
Naturally, she hadn't had a chance to properly explore this world.
After waiting for a while, she turned around and borrowed a small stool from the tavern owner, and the motorbike obediently lay down beside her.
"What should I call this young lady?"
After about a quarter of an hour, a deliberately dignified male voice came from above. Shen Tang looked up and saw a middle-aged man who looked slightly rich and had rough features, looking at her with interest.
She pointed to herself and asked, "You calling me?"
Only emoticons can express her feelings at this moment.
Oh my god()
After almost a month of crossing, someone called the right gender for the first time!
In the past, those commoners, without exception, were misled by Qishan.
It's really causing trouble, Yuan Yuanliang!
The middle-aged man smiled and approached, saying, "Yes, yes."
Shen Tang was born beautiful and handsome. At the age of ten, her facial potential could already be seen. With just one or two years of grooming, she could make money. With fair skin and a clean temperament, she just didn't dress richly. She probably wasn't from a wealthy family.
She looked around curiously, with the appearance of a country bumpkin who was curious about everything, clearly a child without experience.
Better to deceive her.
When Qishan and Shen Tang appeared, he noticed immediately.
Initially, he had no particular intentions, after all, Shen Tang was accompanied by Qishan—knowing that one of the most dangerous types in this world is the elegant male dressed as a scholar, adorned with hairpins and headdresses. Who knows if they have literary talents? It would be disastrous to provoke them. But since Qishan left, leaving only the solitary Shen Tang?
Their accents clearly marked them as outsiders.
With such a fat sheep before him, when would he open shop?
As long as the person was abducted and moved, Qishan's return would be useless.
At this moment, Shen Tang obediently sat on the small stool, her eyes innocent, and she even flashed a smile at the man, showing her kindness. "Is there something you need?"
The man smiled, "Well, the gentleman who was with you just now asked me to come and take you to the inn."
Shen Tang asked, "Yuan Liang asked you to fetch me?"
"Yes, I'm an assistant at the Fragrant Blossom Inn. Is the gentleman you were with a tall, slender figure, wearing a moon-white robe? He said you were to wait in front of this tavern." The man gestured as he spoke.
Shen Tang put on an innocent and pure appearance.
With just one sentence describing her, she nodded in agreement.
"Yes, yes, yes, that's Yuan Liang... But, didn't he say he was going to inquire about something and asked me to wait here..."
The man interrupted Shen Tang, "Well, it seems that the gentleman ran into an old friend and couldn't free himself for a moment."
Seeing that he "didn't seem to be pretending," Shen Tang was half-believing, half-doubting.
The man asked again, "Is the young lady worried that I'm a swindler? Then how about I accompany you here until the gentleman arrives? It's not safe for a young girl like you to stay on the street."
Shen Tang quickly shook her head.
"No, no, no, that's not what I meant."
With that said, she paused for a moment, then asked the man.
"Are you going to delay the inn's affairs by waiting here?"
The man waved his hand generously, answering with a hearty laugh.
"That's no problem at all. If it's delayed, it's delayed. I can't just watch a young girl like you stay on the street, it's very unsafe."
With this, Shen Tang seemed to waver.
This scene also caught the attention of passersby.
The tavern owner glanced at the man disdainfully, but didn't say anything to expose him. Other shop owners also knew this middle-aged man—known for his notoriety in this area, he often scoured nearby villages for children with potential looks, kept them at home for a couple of years, and if they didn't turn out crooked, he would sell them at a high price. Some unsuspecting outsiders were also his targets.
At the moment, it was obvious that he had taken a liking to this young lady.
The tavern owner spat inwardly.
But still, it's none of their business, best to leave it be.
These days, no one's business was easy to do.
Cutting off someone's wealth was akin to killing their parents.
Offending this kind of thug would also mean no more business in Xiao City. It's better to avoid trouble altogether, pretending not to have seen anything.
At the same time, there was also an inward sneer, mocking Shen Tang's naivety.
This man had a pair of narrow, oblong eyes. When Shen Tang wasn't paying attention, his gaze roamed her face and clothes, coupled with his frivolous demeanor, he was obviously unscrupulous. Only children from rich families who were ignorant of the world would fall for it.
He even conversed with people with a smile on his face.
Little did he know, Shen Tang had this patience for a reason.
Who made him the first person to call the right gender?
Shen Tang smiled, only then willing to exchange a few words with the other party.
And then—
If he'd dispel his intentions, it'd be fine, but if he continued mischief—
He'd be sent to the Pure Land early.