Chapter 769: Chapter 249: How is this person even more arrogant than me?!
White Paper Immortal City.
The dire green flames roared on the giant paperman statue near the south gate.
Someone cast a spell, conjuring surging waves, attempting to extinguish the fire.
But as the tides rolled down, the green flames suddenly transformed into yellow flames, continuing to burn, using the power of the tides to cause the fire to grow several times stronger!
Ning Zhuo gazed into the distance, observing the scene, he thought to himself, “This fire has some peculiar properties, it seems to harness the Water Element and transform into Fire-attribute. If I can observe closely during battle, I might be able to discern the magic technique behind it.”
Ning Zhuo’s Five Elements Realm is very profound, and he himself knows many methods to use water to amplify fire.
Regardless of whether they are similar to the methods he has mastered, Ning Zhuo is confident that as long as he observes closely, he can deduce the hidden intricacies and definitely grasp them.
But soon, the waves dissipated, almost completely feeding the fire.
Yellow-green flames engulfed the entire statue, and the latter collapsed with a roar. The remnants struck the ground, causing tremors, and surging airwaves and smoke.
Ning Zhuo felt inexplicably oppressed.
He said to Sun Lingtong, “Boss, White Paper Immortal City is too chaotic. An esteemed Immortal City, clearly protected by an Array, yet someone still acts with impunity.”
“Not only do they fight violently, but they also can burn the city’s landmark buildings, what does this signify?”
“White Paper Immortal City has been infiltrated, with many internal spies, otherwise, just the Immortal City Array alone would suppress these people completely.”
Even just from afar, without seeing the actual battle scenes, one can understand from the stance alone that the suppressive power of the Array on these destroyers is very little, or even non-existent.
Otherwise, it couldn’t result in such massive destruction!
“White Paper Immortal City is beset by both internal turmoil and external threats, chaos is inevitable,” Sun Lingtong nodded, deeply agreeing.
The defense of the Immortal City is outstanding.
Compared to the front-line camp of Liangzhu Country, the defensive might is far superior.
The suppressive effect of the Immortal City Great Array on cultivation level and combat power is very evident. As the defending party, it possesses great geographical advantage.
If during the second grand battle at Thousand Peak Forest, Liangzhu Country’s army occupied an Immortal City, the entire battle situation would be completely different.
It’s even safe to say that the Alliance Army of Thousand Peak Forest wouldn’t even consider actively attacking an Immortal City garrisoned by Liangzhu Country’s army!
Just moments ago, Ning Zhuo had the thought of observing the battle from up close, now that thought has extinguished.
“Even though we haven’t had the chance to gather detailed intelligence before entering the city. But based on current experiences, White Paper Immortal City is troubled by both internal and external challenges, teetering on the brink.”
“The external threat is the Ghost Tide, the White Paper City Lord, as the key pillar here, seems to be in predicament, casting a huge shadow over the city’s defense against the Ghost Tide.”
“And the internal problem should be the City Covering Alliance. As of now, the only member of the City Covering Alliance I am aware of is the White Bone Crocodile Demon. As for Xie Sichao, the strategist of the Yin Soldiers, he should be from some Netherworld force. City Covering Alliance, as a local rebel force, has already colluded with external forces, becoming an even greater threat.”
“Alas, White Paper Immortal City has become a place of trouble, we shouldn’t stay long. Boss, let’s quickly find Sang Le Youling, have her perform a divination, and once we obtain the results, we’ll immediately leave here.”
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong communicated secretly.
Sun Lingtong had a different thought about this.
He slightly shook his head, transmitting thoughts with Divine Sense, “Come on, Little Zhuo. We haven’t experienced what the Ghost Tide is like. It should be worth experiencing.”
“Moreover, the greater the danger, the greater the opportunity contained within.”
“Think about it, our assets have increased by thousands or even tens of thousands of times compared to before. Why?”
“Isn’t it because we risked our lives, participated in Liangzhu Country’s great war.”
“In that case now, this time’s Ghost Tide crisis in White Paper Immortal City could also be our next major opportunity!”
Ning Zhuo remained silent.
Sun Lingtong continued to persuade, “Little Zhuo, now we are in an advantageous position. You’re now under the guise of a male concubine, able to access the city’s highest echelons!”
“If an opportunity arises, this identity will bring even greater opportunities.”
Ning Zhuo nodded slightly, “Makes sense.”
“But why do I feel like, Boss you just want to watch the fun?”
Sun Lingtong chuckled, “Just tell me, is what I said right? Are you tempted?”
Ning Zhuo remained silent again.
He was indeed tempted.
If he were in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, or during his time at Ten Thousand Medicine Sect, he would definitely hold a negative opinion, the sooner and farther he could leave White Paper Immortal City, the better.
But now…
Indeed, he has benefited greatly from taking risks, and the level of benefit is substantial.
The experiences on the battlefield have also triggered a deeper understanding of life and existence in him.
“Then let’s use this identity first, approach the higher-ups of the Immortal City, and see if there’s an opportunity,” Ning Zhuo said.
Sun Lingtong was almost overjoyed enough to pat Ning Zhuo on the shoulder, “Little Zhuo, you are becoming more and more suited to my tastes. If I knew it would be like this, I would have let you explore earlier years ago.”
Ning Zhuo supplemented, “But I see it’s a bit risky. If I were the City Lord, I’d definitely scrutinize any male concubine approaching me thoroughly.”
“We might not pass the first level of scrutiny.”
Sun Lingtong said, “Though my Stealing Technique has greatly increased, I definitely can’t guarantee facing the city’s examination.”
“Let’s take it step by step, even if we’re discovered, we can always explain our identity, Sang Le Youling’s status here isn’t low after all.”
“Even if they’re going to punish us, we can still use the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon to escape.”
The two discussed and reached an agreement, then continued on their way with the others.
Soon after, they arrived at a villa.
The door plaque bore three large characters: Cangyang Villa.
The gray paper lion at the entrance, upon seeing the group, took the initiative to speak: “Are these the new male concubines?”
The guide confirmed.
“Enter then.” The gray paper lion opened the door.
The group filed in one after another.
Just after stepping inside the villa, a paperman maid greeted them: “Please follow me, everyone.”
The group bypassed the screen wall, walked through the main hall, passed through three layers of green-tile corridors, and passed through five layers of Yin Qi barriers to arrive at a small garden.
“Please wait here for a moment, the manager will come shortly.”
After half a cup of tea’s time, a Human Clan Cultivator, appearing middle-aged and dressed in a silver robe, slowly made his way over to them.
He scanned the group, slightly tilting his head back with an arrogant demeanor and said, “Listen up, newcomers, first let me address the three matters of the day—dining, recognizing your place, and room assignments.”
“From today on, you will reside here for a period. I expect you to perform well in the future!”
After speaking, the manager walked away with his hands clasped behind his back.
“Strange, there’s no inspection?” Sun Ning and the others exchanged glances, finding it odd.
When noon came, a paperman maid arrived to lead the group first to the dining hall.
Upon entering the dining hall, Sun Ning and the others found it crowded with at least a hundred people.
“Are all these people…” someone questioned.
The paperman maid nodded: “That’s right, they are all this season’s male concubines.”
The group fell silent, exchanging looks.
The seating was not fixed, and everyone sat freely.
Just as Sun Lingtong was about to sit beside Ning Zhuo, a paperman guard shouted: “How dare you! A mere servant of the Ghost Clan dares to sit with a male concubine?”
Ning Zhuo, unwilling to be separated from Sun Lingtong, briefly explained: He is my savior.
However, the paperman servant seized the opportunity to reprimand Ning Zhuo further, showing no respect for his status as a male concubine.
Ning Zhuo was slightly taken aback, but looking at the male concubines filling the hall, he quickly understood their true status in the hierarchy.
Sun Lingtong gave Ning Zhuo a signal to separate and decisively went to eat crouched in the corner like the other servants.
Just as Ning Zhuo was about to taste his lunch, another paperman servant called out to him: “Jiao Ma, the chief manager summons you.”
“What for?” Ning Zhuo asked, puzzled.
The paperman servant simply smirked coldly: “You’re a newcomer, broke the rules as soon as you arrived, naturally you’re to be reprimanded. Did you think it would be something pleasant?”
Ning Zhuo was left speechless.
In a private room, he encountered the silver-robed chief manager once again.
The manager was enjoying a lavish meal, picking his teeth, and said to Ning Zhuo, “Jiao Ma, you’ve just arrived and already violated the rules, punishment is due!”
Ning Zhuo immediately cupped his hands in salute, responding with a smile, neither overbearing nor servile.
The manager, seeing his demeanor, slightly restrained his arrogance: “Looking at your manner, you must come from a wealthy family. So it’s not ignorance of the rules but rather overflowing with wealth. Tell me, how much money did you bring for me? Let me see your sincerity, so I can assign you a good room.”
Ning Zhuo was inevitably surprised.
He didn’t expect the manager to solicit bribes so openly.
He quickly recalled the manager’s earlier words in the small garden that there were three matters: dining, recognizing places, and room assignments.
“It seems the rooms vary in quality, the manager holds the power of allocation, and hence uses his authority to solicit bribes on a large scale.” Ning Zhuo suddenly understood.
Being new with no prior knowledge, he was keen to gather more information, so he asked: “Chief Manager, may I inquire about the cost of the rooms, please explain it to me.”
In response, the manager sneered dismissively: “Who am I? You expect me to explain to you? You came to be a male concubine, didn’t you do this bit of homework?”
“Give me the money, and I will arrange accordingly, understand?”
Ning Zhuo, being quite wealthy, knew that revealing his actual wealth would make the manager incredulous. Just revealing a tiny fraction would satisfy the manager greatly.
However, after some thought, Ning Zhuo chose not to.
He directly shook his head, and smirked back: “Hah! I despise your attitude the most, I was actually thinking of giving you something as a gesture to brush you off. But now? Heh heh.”
With that, he turned and left.
Leaving the manager dumbfounded, watching Ning Zhuo walk away nonchalantly.
“No, that’s not-”
“No!”
“How is he even more arrogant than I am?!”