Chapter 523: Deceiving People, Winning Hearts

Seven days later, on the Shang Jing Imperial River, an inconspicuous flower boat drifted downstream with the current; unlike other flower boats, the string and bamboo music from this boat was not so shrill and piercing.

In the lavishly decorated second-story cabin, this time only Xiao Yin and a flamboyantly dressed youth sat at a small table, drinking opposite each other.

Wow! It's been a long time since I returned, and there's actually such an interesting thing; alas, I didn't get to see it myself back then, truly a pity!

The youth in pink robes had a delicate, handsome face; his feminine appearance gave him an air of strangeness.

He stubbornly wore elaborate, embroidered floral robes all year round, dressing like a flower butterfly.

He was precisely the famous Bai Xiaosheng of the Southern Qi martial world, who made a living selling information, yet because of this he bore grudges and always hid in the shadows, never daring to show himself openly on the streets.

This time he leaned against the window, gazing at the deep autumn scenery outside; both riverbanks were already covered with a layer of yellow leaves, bringing a crisp, clear autumn beauty.

Xiao Yin today was not dressed very formally, wearing only an ordinary dark-blue brocade robe, with only a coiled chi pattern embroidered on the cuffs, revealing his status as heavenly nobility.

Xiao Yin pinched a white jade wine cup, looking at Bai Xiaosheng's naive expression, and curled his lip in mockery.

Looks like Master Bai enjoys a lively scene!

Bai Xiaosheng turned his face, smiling at Xiao Yin, and said: "This liveliness is unprecedented, with no equal to come!"

A prince actually being a sleeve-cutter—being a sleeve-cutter is fine enough, but to do it in front of all the people of Shang Jing… tsk tsk tsk… exciting! A sight to behold!

Xiao Yin's eyes flashed; he slowly set down his wine cup, looked at Bai Xiaosheng, and said lightly: "Since you enjoy the feeling of playing in the mortal world, how about something even more stimulating?"

Bai Xiaosheng stared for a moment, then quickly turned and rushed to Xiao Yin's front, nudging him with his elbow, waggling his eyebrows and said: "Prince, you're also my old customer; over these years you've expanded your influence in the martial world—none of it wasn't information I provided you."

Xiao Yin coldly chuckled: "Indeed, Master Bai hasn't spared me from his schemes either!"

False information passed off as true, and true information becomes priceless and baseless!

Hehe, Prince, you're not short of money, are you? Bai Xiaosheng gave an embarrassed laugh.

He actually was quite polite to Xiao Yin, at least not daring to swindle his silver, after all this guy is too good at fighting, and he fears a beating.

Prince, you didn't summon me just to joke, did you? You said you wanted to stimulate me—how exactly?

Bai Xiaosheng sat back down, poured himself a cup of wine, lifted the cup and took a sip, then fixed his gaze on Xiao Yin.

Xiao Yin set down his wine cup, slowly took out a piece of blood jade pendant from his bosom, and immediately presented it to Bai Xiaosheng.

Bai Xiaosheng's face had previously shown a hint of nonchalance, but upon seeing the jade pendant Xiao Yin offered, his expression changed slightly; he reached out to snatch it, only for Xiao Yin to grab it away, leaving him grasping at air.

Bai Xiaosheng suddenly sprang to his feet, staring fixedly at Xiao Yin before him.

Having sold information for so many years, this was the first time his own secret had been peered at by another; a chill ran up his spine, and his very soul felt icy.

Bai Xiaosheng panted heavily, looking at Xiao Yin in disbelief, moving his lips but unable to speak.

Xiao Yin sat cross-legged on the soft couch, admiring the jade pendant in his hand, the corner of his mouth curling into a playful smile.

Funny enough, these days I sent people to Mang Shan to investigate some matters; not only did I fail to find anything about my own affairs, but I discovered a village at the foot of Mang Shan.

Bai Xiaosheng's face had completely changed.

Xiao Yin's voice, however, remained infuriating as he lightly laughed: "A small village deep in the mountains actually has secret mechanisms and hidden weapon formations—even more than those of the major sects in the martial world."

I've heard that in the ancient village deep in Mang Shan, customs differ from those of our Southern Qi; there they practice a walking marriage system, knowing only the mother, not the father.

The women of the village are extraordinarily formidable, each a formidable individual capable of standing alone; the village chief, Miao Xiang, is highly respected locally, but this tribal leader differs from others—in fact, after a clandestine tryst with someone, he never sought another walking marriage partner, and so…

Enough! Bai Xiaosheng's face flushed red, he glared at Xiao Yin and shouted angrily.

Xiao Yin closed his mouth and gave a light chuckle.

That chuckle was a silent humiliation; if Bai Xiaosheng didn't feel he couldn't beat this guy, he would have wanted to rush up and sew Xiao Yin's mouth shut.

Bai Xiaosheng trembled slightly from rage due to his overexcitement.

After leaving that village, he never went back.

His mother hated the irresponsible, abandoning man, and by extension also hated him; besides, as a male child his status in the village was low, so she disliked him even more.

From childhood he not only went hungry, but was locked by his mother in a shed, tied with a dog leash, whipped repeatedly; he could bear it no longer, so he ran away, drifted into the martial world, and began his own legendary tale.

He remembered that as a child, his mother would take out this blood jade pendant and look at it, then give him a brutal beating.

She also said he was growing more and more like that man, his very bones base.

His mother hadn't not thought of going to find that faithless man, but the village rule was that once a woman took root there, she could never leave.

Every woman's body was infected with a gu; if she left the village by several dozen li, her skin would shrink away, like a walking corpse, and then she would actually turn into a desiccated corpse.

But the village's men were not restricted, so men often fled; however, the village's mechanisms and formations were tight, and anyone trying to escape would either die or at least lose a layer of skin.

Back then he stole his mother's hidden diagram of the mechanisms and formations; escaping then was also a near-death experience.

Fortunately he had also learned some things in the village, which later earned him the appreciation of the old sect master of the Hundred Knowledge Gate in the martial world; he inherited the Hundred Knowledge Gate, became the next sect master, wandered the martial world, and even engaged in deceit and fraud.

This time, the shady things he had hidden away were ruthlessly exposed by Xiao Yin, and he found himself hard-pressed to cope.

Xiao Yin, what exactly do you mean? Bai Xiaosheng's face flushed red as he stared fixedly at Xiao Yin.

Xiao Yin's fingertip slowly rubbed the 'gan' character on the jade pendant, then lifted it to Bai Xiaosheng's face: "You certainly got beaten plenty as a child, didn't you?"

It's just because of this jade pendant, but you're too afraid; you probably don't even know which scoundrel man left this jade pendant for your mother—he deceived her feelings, her body, and left you?

Bai Xiaosheng clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and said: "Who is he?"