Infinite Mask Game.

Wei Miao wandered around the soup kitchen for a while before heading back.

The burly man in charge of the ladle glanced at her back as he continued to serve the old woman porridge without hesitation, occasionally offering words of comfort.

Wei Miao walked slowly, her boots covered in mud that was difficult to remove.

A gray rat darted across the stinking ditch, its two front paws clutching a rotten vegetable leaf.

Normally, beggars would pick up vegetable scraps. But with the soup kitchens, beggars have temporarily disappeared from the streets.

"This plague is too vicious. It doesn't harm the powerful and corrupt officials, but it specifically harms the poor and ordinary people. If the effects could be reversed, that would be very gratifying."

A woman's voice, filled with resentment, entered my ears.

Upon hearing this, Wei Miao shifted her gaze, which lightly landed on the four people walking towards her.

There were three men and one woman in total. The young man from the left was the one who was subtly in the main position, and most of everyone's attention was on him.

The young man was at most in his early twenties, with clear and handsome features. His hair was tied up in a jade crown carved with two intertwined fish. He wore a moon-white brocade robe, and although he was covered in dust, he still had an air of nobility.

Two swords were crossed behind him, hidden in leather scabbards.

His eyes were silvery-white, gentle and full of vitality.

To his right was the girl who had spoken, who was probably in her early twenties. She was dressed in a dark purple, fitted outfit, tall and neat, with striking and beautiful features.

His posture conveyed arrogance and defensiveness, while his slightly upturned eyes exuded a distant coldness.

To the left of the young man was a scholar-like man with handsome features, wearing a feather fan and a turban. His brocade robe was of excellent quality, and the ink marks on the fan were faintly visible, indicating that he came from a wealthy family.

To his left was a young man who looked like a pageboy. He was short in stature, with an indifferent expression, carrying a bamboo book on his back. He had a mature appearance.

The four of them walked openly down the street without any attempt to conceal themselves, which was quite novel.

Many martial artists act covertly, either because they have many enemies and cannot walk openly, or because they harbor ill intentions and are afraid of being investigated later.

"Which noble young master is here, new to the martial world, just to broaden his horizons?"

People of this age and temperament are mostly recent graduates who enjoy joining in the fun and dream of becoming famous one day.

She continued listening to the four people's conversation, and as she passed by them, she took the opportunity to probe their cultivation levels.

Surprisingly, the page and the scholar possessed concealment techniques, making it impossible to discern their cultivation levels from their auras. The young man and the woman, however, were at the super-first-class and first-class levels respectively.

He can be described as a young genius, and even in the entire martial arts world, he would be considered one of the best.

The young man in the main seat said, "Zhou Fan, can you reverse the effects of this plague?"

The scholar chuckled and replied, "My art of reversing things isn't omnipotent."

Young man: "Cao Hai, can you tell me who is causing this trouble?"

The three of them looked at the pageboy with expectant expressions.

Bookboy: "..."

He shook his head helplessly and explained, "This matter involves a huge cause and effect, it can't be calculated, or I'll die suddenly."

"The capital is a place where dragon energy converges, the eye of the world's destiny. If I were a member of the royal family, blessed by the dynasty's fortune, perhaps I could give it a try. But now..."

Wei Miao glanced at him a couple more times: "You actually know the art of divination?"

As mentioned before, very few people who practice divination and numerology possess genuine skills.

It's amazing that we bumped into someone in this remote corner of the southwest.

The young man sighed, "Alas, that damned emperor! This is clearly aimed at him. Now he sits comfortably in the palace, while the people become the victims of this power struggle." The woman sneered, "Those who spread the plague are just as hateful; none of them are good people."

Zhou Fan laughed and said, "It's rare to find a ruler who has attained enlightenment. I wonder to whom this destiny will ultimately fall? If you ask me, Brother Xie, it's not impossible. Haven't you heard that kings and generals aren't born with their titles?"

By this time, Wei Miao was already some distance away from them, but her hearing was excellent, and she heard every word they said.

So she spun around and slowly hung behind them.

“Brother Zhou, you flatter me. I have no such ambition.” The young man smiled and said, “I came here because I heard that my two elder brothers are in the capital and I wanted to catch up with them. Since they left home, one of us has been wandering the martial world and the other has been serving in the imperial court. The three of us brothers have not seen each other for a long time. Of course, I also want to do something to help the people.”

"That eldest brother you always mention, I heard he participated in a night raid and fought a fierce battle with one of the Seven Sects." Zhou Fan's information network was clearly more advanced. "Isn't your second brother working in the Secretariat? If you want to know the whole story, he's the best person to talk to."

"I'm afraid he won't tell me. You don't know, my second brother is wholeheartedly devoted to serving the court. Last time he came home, he almost made our father sick with anger." The young man said indignantly, "I don't know what kind of bewitching potion that dog emperor gave him."

Hearing this, Wei Miao roughly guessed the young man's identity.

He is the third son of the Xie family of Yinhong, and if I remember correctly, his name is Xie Jingming.

The person beside him, whose identity was unknown, sounded quite extraordinary.

Wei Miao threw an eye seed at Zhou Fan and Cao Hai, which successfully contaminated them without any abnormalities.

She deliberately shattered her eyelids to memorize the faces of several people, and then stopped following them.

After she left, Cao Hai glanced back furtively and whispered to Zhou Fan, "Young Master, someone followed us for a while. His aura was strange and gave me a vague sense of threat. He's probably someone important. Moreover... I sensed a crimson-purple aura emanating from him, which seemed to be influencing the energy of all directions, indicating that he was at a critical juncture."

These words naturally did not escape Xie Jingming's notice. He looked back curiously, but Wei Miao had already disappeared.

He recalled that a person who was completely covered up had indeed brushed past them.

Zhou Fan asked, "Can it be calculated?"

Cao Hai: "Let me find a secluded place and give it a try."

The four continued on their way and soon came into view the soup kitchen at the fork in the road.

The men in the porridge stall were still working hard serving porridge. When they saw a few guests who were clearly from the upper class, they smiled kindly and asked, "Would you young heroes like a bowl?"

The woman glanced at the people queuing around her; their eyes held a deep-seated malice and fear.

She shook her head and said, "Forget it, the medicinal porridge is limited, let's leave it for others who need it more."

The people in line were all staring at them with a kind of numb, terrifying look.

Xie Jingming felt a chill run down his spine and left with his friends.

He knew that he was ultimately from a prominent family, and while he might be able to empathize with the common people, the common people would never empathize with them.

There is no goodwill, only hatred.

After leaving the southwest corner, they found an inn to stay in.

"Shopkeeper, four rooms, I'll stay for a month."

Xie Jingming readily tossed out silver to pay, as he possessed considerable wealth acquired through "robbing the rich to help the poor."

Then, the three of them went into Cao Hai's room and watched eagerly as he performed his divination.

When it comes to fate, everyone has desires and curiosity.

Even though the group had been together for half a year, Cao Hai had only used his divination skills a handful of times.

Cao Hai was at his wits' end with these guys. (End of Chapter)