Yefutidaolu

Chapter 237 Illusions of the Desire Realm

Ye Qingmu was traveling through the capital city.

Starting from Xuanyuan, the next cycle will arrive at the Imperial Concubine.

Then jump down, shift four points to the left, and you can land on Changyuan Fourth.

There is a blacksmith shop in Changyuan No. 4 with seven flues. Go out from the third opening to Lingtai No. 3. Go northwest and fly into the sky. After three minutes, you will fall directly down. No matter what, no matter when, there will always be a block below, because that is Mingtang, the palace of governance. Without governance, nothing can be accomplished, so there must be buildings in operation.

Ye Qingmu is now extremely grateful to her backer, that rotten old man who did all sorts of bad things but taught them very well.

When they were children, this man often assigned them to do those long, simple but time-consuming tasks. All the newcomers were assigned to do these rubbish things.

Everyone will call him an idiot for setting up such garbage tasks that are just a waste of time and energy.

However, it is often only after spending a few years here that they realize that these seemingly boring, elementary school-style jobs can familiarize newbies with the labyrinthine operation of the entire capital city, and allow them to learn these new skills without risking their lives.

but……

When she arrived at Lingtai No. 3, she saw a figure falling downwards.

He probably can't fly; he must be using other means to ride the wind, which is why his flight was awkward and he ended up falling.

It was that man from just now.

Ye Qingmu chuckled softly. Sure enough, they couldn't find their way.

Who knows where it will land if it falls? Maybe it'll end up in Xuanwu District, and then it'll be a real hassle to get back. It'll probably take at least a day.

Ye Qingmu thought to herself, and then landed on her spiritual platform.

With her mind focused, she began to fly upwards, and three minutes later, she began to fall.

This way, we can land in the main hall, which is also the only neighborhood that can be reached in a short time...

She was about to land at Mingtang. She could already see the bustling streets below, various shops, and the 'Mingtang' in the middle. That place was the location of the Jingzhao Prefecture, the seat of government. Those who walked here were either rich or noble, or at least officials.

Once you land here, within half an hour, you can walk down as you approach the 'Three Platforms' and eventually land in... well, it's winter now, which is the Xuanwu District.

Everything has been calculated.

Ye Qingmu looked relaxed.

However, when she landed in the Mingtang, she saw someone she knew below.

Gao Jian is waving: "You've arrived?"

They've caught up.

He actually caught up with us!
Ye Qingmu broke out in a cold sweat instantly!
How could he know the way?!
Could it be that he jumped from that direction because he already knew that the Mingtang was his only place to go?

Upon realizing this, Ye Qingmu immediately made a hand seal, and four or five clones rushed out in all directions. She mingled among the four or five clones and dispersed in all directions!

Stepping over eaves, traversing streets and alleys, walking across rooftops, and squeezing into narrow crevices—

Amidst a dazzling display of light, Ye Qingmu was fleeing through the streets!

Gao Jian stood still and said, "Stop running. Where else can you run to? Mingtang, right? The only place we can go around here is Mingtang."

“Let’s stop here. There won’t be any streets nearby for the next 15 minutes. Only after that 15 minutes should you be able to jump down to the Xuanwu District. According to the celestial divination, it should be the Wei constellation,” Gao Jian said from below.

Ye Qingmu heard the sound.

Is it a dangerous place?

She didn't know; she only remembered that she would jump to the Xuanwu District, but she didn't know which specific residence it was.

Is it made up?

Ye Qingmu was unaware that her heart was beating very fast.

It was due to exhaustion from running for too long and maintaining too many spells, as well as tension and fear.

To be honest, there are quite a few clues in front of us right now.

Each one... pointed to an answer that terrified her.

But she still felt a sliver of hope.

impossible.

She's been a con artist her whole life, swindling countless people, with hundreds of victims and thousands of dollars in earnings every year. How could she possibly get her shoes wet on the street like this?
Keep going.

She used illusion magic to conceal herself, moved through the pipes, avoided the shipping lanes, and hid in fear for half an hour.

Then, in a secluded place, he jumped.

Below is the Xuanwu District, Wei Su...

Ye Qingmu felt a slight numbness in her fingertips.

The constellation of Wei is associated with matters of the Heavenly Palace, the Heavenly Market, the construction of houses, and the storage of treasures. This area is the commercial and warehouse district of the capital, and it is incredibly prosperous and bustling with people.

Looking down, one sees all kinds of shops: grains, meat, clothing, jewelry, silk, boots, shoes, various crafts, and general merchandise. There are all sorts of shops and stores, and groups of Yangjing residents, with chewing gum in their mouths and whistling, strolling around, carefully examining and commenting on the goods. The scene is full of business people haggling over prices.

The drums beat loudly as people walk through the mountains at night, and the torches burn brightly in the small market.

In places like this, you might not be able to afford expensive souvenirs, but it's quite interesting to just look at these snacks without buying anything.

The residents of Yangjing spend their evenings in these places.

Naturally, this is also the time when crime is most rampant. Every night, all sorts of thieves flock to the market in Xuanwu District like a tidal wave. They cut the strings off wallets, steal fruit or small items from the stalls, and some of the bolder ones even beat up unfortunate passersby in the dark alleys and steal their wallets.

This is indeed part of the capital city, which is why there are executions almost every day.

In this environment, Ye Qingmu felt much more relaxed.

This is her home turf.

Her 'home,' or rather, her 'power,' is in this place.

She finally relaxed.

The other party probably didn't catch up.

Although they had calculated how the capital city would operate, they still couldn't catch up. This was probably because they weren't familiar with the route; they likely only understood the calculation method but didn't know the specific road conditions.

Just being able to read a map doesn't mean you know the way.

As Ye Qingmu thought this, he ran his finger across his face, and his body transformed into that of a man. He silently walked into the alley, and the outside world was instantly shrouded in mist, preventing them from seeing each other even face to face.

After walking for a while longer, she arrived at her hideout through the dense alleyways.

That wretched old man who always drains her water is inside.

I usually find him annoying, but today I really wanted to see him; it gave me a sense of security.

She opened the door.

Then, Ye Qingmu's vision blurred, and she was directly pushed to the ground.

She looked up and saw that the person who had pinned her down was the guard who usually showed her subtle kindness; this guard was also a member of the organization.

"Hey! What are you doing? It's me!" Ye Qingmu said immediately, her face full of confusion. The gatekeeper looked conflicted, but lowered his head and didn't say anything.

"Of course I know it's you!" At that moment, an old man's voice rang out.

"Old man, what are you doing?! I made a big score today! Over a thousand taels of gold, how come someone's holding me back?"

However, there was no response.

Only a cautious, even somewhat annoyed, voice could be heard: "My lord... please—"

"No need to invite me." Gao Jian waved his hand. "I know what you're thinking and what you're doing, so there's no need to explain too much."

After saying this, Gao Jian, carrying Dan Sha, walked to Ye Qingmu's side, who was being held down.

"You really are... I've been looking for you for ages." Gao Jian squatted down, looking at Ye Qingmu who had been pinned to the ground.

Ye Qingmu was soaked through in an instant.

She was drenched in cold sweat, as if she were giving birth. Her whole body was covered in sticky, cold sweat. The tension gripped her like a demonic hand, and everything before her eyes seemed to become a blur. The boundaries between light and color, shadow and light were blurred, and everything was mixed into a pot of soup.

All those previous 'ominous premonitions' were...

How did he do that?
People often say that if you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet, but Ye Qingmu always thought she would never encounter that kind of thing.

But now, she feels that this statement is truly... a profound truth.

Meanwhile, the dragon girl who had been so impatient and irritable earlier stayed in the back. Although her eyes showed that she was also quite agitated and finding it hard to let go of the fact that she had been deceived, she suppressed her temper and stood in the back without moving forward.

Behind the dragon girl, the old man, who was her leader, cautiously and constantly scrutinized the man.

All of this... is because of that man.

Ye Qingmu had almost figured it out.

He had indeed gotten his shoes wet by the river, and the person he had provoked... probably had an astonishingly powerful background.

Since that's the case, all I can do is smile wryly.

“Ye Qingmu, right?” Gao Jian spoke up at this moment.

He looked like a real big shot, all very ordinary.

Although Takami is usually a calm and unassuming person who rarely gets angry and seems very easygoing, his calmness in this situation is somewhat frightening.

"It's me," Ye Qingmu said bluntly. "Do you want me to pay with my life, sir?"

"No need. If I really wanted you to pay with your life, why would I chase after you? If I wanted to, I would have caught up with you long ago," Gao Jian said.

They caught up a long time ago?
To be honest, Ye Qingmu's first reaction was to scoff.

But she quickly realized that the other person always seemed to be one step ahead of her.

Even when searching for directions in Yangjing, his speed was ridiculously fast. He was more familiar with the workings of Yangjing than I was, and even... he arrived at my lair earlier than I was, and had already 'convinced' the leader before I even arrived.

So she lowered her head.

She had to admit defeat. There was nothing she could do; there were always some people in this world who were more capable. Coming from a background of thieves, she understood this all too well.

From a young age, there were always some people who just couldn't win her over.

So, naturally, there must be people she just can't catch up with.

I just happened to encounter this kind of person.

"Then... what does the master want me to do? You've come all this way to my place, and even made a special trip to see me. You must have some instructions, right?"

Ye Qingmu is a liar.

Scammers are very clever; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to fool anyone.

After the initial fear subsided, she keenly sensed that the important figure before her seemed to have something to discuss with her, and was not simply seeking revenge.

Therefore, she did not say 'purpose', but rather 'instructions'.

Let's get straight to the point.

Gao Jian nodded in approval at the other party's attitude.

This city truly lives up to its reputation as a divine capital; even a conman can possess such skill.

But thinking about it carefully... this swindler is actually at the fourth realm. It's only natural that someone who has cultivated to the fourth realm has this level of skill.

Then one can only sigh again... No wonder it's the capital city. People from the four realms can establish their own immortal sects and become true ancestors outside, but in the capital city they can only be swindlers.

When Gao Jian sighed, he didn't freeze. Instead, he lowered his head and said, "My name is Gao Jian. I already know your name. You are Ye Qingmu, right?"

"Yes...sir." Ye Qingmu bowed her head.

“You should have been taken down much earlier. You saw it yourself; Dansha could have caught up with you long ago, but she stopped in the third minute,” Gao Jian said. (See previous chapter for details)
Ye Qingmu couldn't help but recall the situation at that time.

Then, I didn't realize it at the time, but now when I think back... I can find all sorts of strange things.

That dragon named Dansha even dared to cause an explosion in the sky, clearing the airspace. If it wasn't a fool, it certainly couldn't be an ordinary person.

Regardless, the shipping lanes have been cleared, so... why doesn't she chase after them?
If she had accelerated in a straight line at that moment, she might have been able to catch Ye Qingmu, but she stopped at that time, as if waiting for a signal from behind.

At that time, this gentleman named Takami must have already thought of many things.

“Well… sir, I have something I’d like to ask…” Ye Qingmu said.

The old man behind suddenly shouted, "How dare you! It's already a great favor that the magistrate asked you a question, and you still dare to question him?!"

The loud noise startled Dansha, making her glare at it.

Ye Qingmu's attention was also drawn. She looked up slightly and noticed the old man giving her a meaningful look.

She couldn't help but smile.

Hey, this old man, he's still one of us after all. He won't expose anyone else after that, he'll just let himself die alone.

It's kind of funny.

What's the point of giving eye signals...? I can't understand it. Does anyone really think they can talk with their eyes?
Amidst a mix of amusement and exasperation, Ye Qingmu asked, "So... sir, what is it about a nobody like me that would make you chase after me so aggressively, even revealing your identity to intimidate the organization?"

"Could you... be more specific?" Ye Qingmu asked, her expression turning serious.

“Indeed, I saw something in you, which is why I stopped Dan Sha and started calculating where you were going.”

“Based on the direction you fled, I deduced that Xuanwu District should be your stronghold, so I followed the clues and found this place. Don’t be surprised, it’s not difficult. Just ask, and plenty of people will be willing to lead the way for me,” Gao Jian said.

Then, he stared at Ye Qingmu and got to the point: "Then I'll get straight to the point."

"Where did you get your cultivation technique? Did you have some extraordinary encounter? To be able to bewitch someone at the Six Realms level, that's no ordinary skill."

"My cultivation technique? My lord..." Ye Qingmu frowned.

“Let me guess, the Desire Realm? Have you heard of it?” Takami added.

Ye Qingmu took a deep breath.

(End of this chapter)