Chapter 264

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Protagonist:

Xuan Ge

Bai E watched the dense, motley crowds on the street.

Chatting and laughing, everyone's faces were full of anticipation.

He stood in place watching, and unconsciously uttered a line: "So many people. At a glance, like wheat fields."

"There aren't that few people."

Lai Gu Shi stopped at his side, waiting for the Shen Wu Corps' guards ahead to guide the flow of people.

"The Xian Zhou is in a golden age; representatives from across the Huan Yu have come. The Fools, too, and the Monarchs of Extinction — all squeezed onto the same street."

He tilted his head, his gaze sweeping past a tall blue-haired guy by the roadside who was being bullied by two girls, one on each side, waving his hands repeatedly.

Lai Gu Shi withdrew his gaze.

"Heh." Bai E tugged his hood, the corner of his mouth twitching, not replying.

"There's still time. If there's anywhere you want to go, I can take you." Lai Gu Shi turned his head to look at him.

Bai E was silent for a beat, then said blandly: "Is there a market? I want to buy some things."

He was very unwilling to accompany Lai Gu Shi, but there was no choice.

He was unfamiliar with the place; just walking from the Hang Jian to this street a moment ago, he felt that two turns would definitely get him lost.

"Naturally there is. Come with me." Lai Gu Shi pulled up the Shen Wu Xian Zhou map he had just gotten; the market was set on the main avenue of Shen Wu Da Jie.

That avenue, normally only for military and officials, had now been entirely cleared to serve as a temporary market.

Bai E followed him onto a public transit star skiff, silent all the way.

The star skiff arrived; the hatch slid open. Bai E had just set one foot on the ground when he looked up and saw an endless sea of backs of heads.

"... People, too many."

Before his voice fell, his back was bumped by someone. He turned his head.

"Sorry, sorry—" a pink-haired girl was dragging another gray-haired girl, apologizing repeatedly.

The one being dragged scratched her head, smiling with zero remorse: "Hehe~~ too many people, really sorry~~"

Bai E glanced at the gray-haired girl, said in a low voice: "It's fine."

He turned back, and discovered Lai Gu Shi was already gone.

He subconsciously slipped his hand into his inner pocket; that thing called a "phone" was vibrating.

He picked it up; there was a message notification on the screen.

Under a white bar hung Lai Gu Shi's avatar; the content behind it only showed half a line.

He wouldn't use it.

He toggled between black screen and lit screen several times, his finger poking at the screen relentlessly, yet he simply couldn't open that message.

"Broken... should've asked earlier." Bai E stared at that line of text on the screen — he couldn't even unlock it.

When disembarking the Hang Jian, Lai Gu Shi had stuffed the phone to him, saying to find him if anything came up.

At the time, seeing Lai Gu Shi's expectant expression of "aren't you going to ask me how to use it," a surge of annoyance rose in him, and he didn't ask a single word.

March 7th retreated back to Dan Heng's side, leaned over and lowered her voice: "Dan Heng~~ that person is so weird~~ could he be some big villain?"

"March, don't talk nonsense. The Shen Wu Corps guards are right beside us."

Dan Heng's gaze also fell on that black-robed figure.

He was repeatedly pressing the phone's power button in a rhythm like Morse code; the screen brightened and dimmed, brightened and dimmed.

March 7th turned and saw a squad of Shen Wu Corps guards marching past, and immediately waved with a smile: "Hey~~ hey hello there——"

"March... uh, cough cough, greetings, Miss March 7th of the Astral Express." The guard returned the salute with a faint smile, and led his team away.

March 7th tiptoed to gaze into the distance, and at a glance spotted the clothing store's sign.

She had just wanted to tell Xing to go buy two outfits first, but turned her head and saw Xing had already sidled up next to that mysterious black-robed man.

"Like this, like this, then like this~~~" Xing's fingers gestured back and forth on Bai E's phone screen.

"Oh~ oh oh~~ oh oh oh~~~" Bai E watched the screen finally light up with the main interface, his voice carrying visible delight, "Thank you for your instruction, sir."

"Then, the message is viewed here." Xing helped him pull up that unread message, then looked away.

Bai E looked up toward March 7th and Dan Heng standing not far off, and politely nodded in greeting.

He could tell these three were together: "I am Bai E. I've just arrived, here to compete. I truly don't understand how to use this item; many thanks to this young lady for lending a hand."

"Wow~ you're a competitor?" March 7th sized him up, "You're participating in the Wu Dou Sai Chang, right?"

"Exactly." Bai E smiled and nodded, then lowered his head to look at the message Gu Shi sent.

【Lord Bai E, I have matters to attend to first and will leave; the money aspect I have prepared.】

Attachment: Phone operation manual and development — from beginner to burial handbook.

Bai E opened that attachment.

The screen was instantly drowned in dense code.

His eyes visibly cleared up.

Within that pile of from-entry-to-burial development guide, there was a small amount of phone usage instructions.

"This young lady.... I still have a few things I don't quite understand." Bai E smiled sheepishly, turning his gaze back to Xing, "May I ask, how do I spend money?"

"I'll do it, I'll do it~~" March 7th raised her hand, crowding up to Bai E.

Bai E lowered his head, watching this pink-haired girl approach; a faint floral scent came from her hair.

He suddenly thought of Xi Lian.

He thought that he should buy more gifts for Xi Lian to take back, and also bring a share for each of the partners.

March 7th tapped the screen twice, bringing up the amount interface.

She blinked — one hundred billion credits.

But she had seen Xuan Ge's small treasury; the zeros following that number she had counted three times and still couldn't count clearly, so the figure before her eyes only counted as a drizzle.

She began teaching Bai E how to use the payment function.

Bai E listened seriously, nodding as he listened.

He also caught sight of that number, was slightly startled, didn't expect Lai Gu Shi to have prepared this much.

"To thank everyone for your help, I'll treat you all to buy some gifts." Bai E raised his hand and flipped down his hood, revealing a head of clean white short hair.

March 7th and Xing both turned their heads to look at Dan Heng.

Sister Ji Zi had instructed that the two of them on the Shen Wu Xian Zhou had to listen to Dan Heng.

Dan Heng's gaze paused on Bai E for a beat: "Together then. Since he's a contestant, perhaps we'll run into each other."

He hadn't spoken just now; actually he was confirming this contestant's identity in his mind.

He didn't know Bai E, but he knew Weng Fa Luo Si.

And on Bai E's background information, it wrote Weng Fa Luo Si.

Chang Ye Yue previously went to Weng Fa Luo Si to investigate but returned without success.

Since Bai E is here now, him traveling with Bai E is just right to ask about the situation over there.

Reporting back to Xuan Ge, also doing preliminary information groundwork for the Astral Express's next stop.

"Great! Thank you all." Bai E saluted again, the revealed smile finally carrying a few parts of the sincerity and lightness a young man ought to have.

Lai Gu Shi's side.

Lai Gu Shi pushed open the tea house private room door; Polka was already sitting inside.

The mosaic on her face wasn't removed, revealing those exquisite-to-the-point-of-unreal features, holding a cup of tea, slowly savoring it.

"Didn't expect you'd actually use this method to deal with Xuan Ge; the face of a genius, you don't want it anymore?"

Lai Gu Shi sat down opposite her; the mockery in his tone didn't even bother to be concealed.

Polka had no way against Xuan Ge, so she entered the game herself, preparing to take the concubine route.

Genius?

Joke.

"Heh~ don't laugh at someone fifty steps laughing at a hundred steps." Polka laughed, putting the teacup back on the table.

"If you have the ability, bring out the Tie Mu, drag it before Xuan Ge and parade it around a couple laps."

"Fifty steps laughing at a hundred steps" again.

Lai Gu Shi still remembered, Xi Lian had poked him with this phrase once before.

Now Polka poked him with this phrase again.

Really think he, Lai Gu Shi, is someone anyone can manipulate?

Lai Gu Shi still endured it.

"You sought me out to come, what matter?" he spoke coldly.

Polka raised her hand, poured a cup of tea, deliberately pushed it to his opposite.

She suddenly seemed to recall something important, took the cup back, lowered her head and took a sip:

"Sorry — I forgot you're a Zhi Neng now."

Lai Gu Shi didn't move a muscle.

He had absolutely no intention of raising his hand to receive it, nor any reaction of being humiliated.

Lai Gu Shi spoke calmly: "The Tie Mu's birth cannot be avoided. The fall of Wisdom, lies in Xuan Ge's single thought."

"Polka, how this game piece falls — not you, not I, can decide."

"So you want to offer the Tie Mu to Xuan Ge, giving him a way to kill Wisdom?" Polka's gaze suddenly turned cold, the cup rim pressed against her lips, she didn't drink further.

"Aren't you a genius? Think yourself." Lai Gu Shi stood up, gave her one last look.

"I am the genius. You all are not."

He turned and walked out of the private room.

Polka sat in her original spot, watching the door close behind him.

She lowered her head, suddenly chuckled lightly, as if talking to herself.

"Actually you, or you all — have no way against Xuan Ge. Right?"

Lai Gu Shi's anger, she understands.

A subject worked on for several hundred years, trampled to shreds by Xuan Ge in one kick.

This feeling she understands.