Chapter 489: Wusheng
The top-floor reception room.
A woman, dressed in men's attire like a young scholar, emerged from behind the door. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Bai Mo step out of the elevator.
Perhaps it was the intentionally crafted atmosphere, but the flickering candlelight around them coincidentally draped her in a thin golden glow, adding an extra touch of sacredness to her.
Her appearance couldn't be described as heavenly beauty; her facial features were quite strong and firm. Even the body double currently giving a press conference speech downstairs was considerably more alluring than her true self.
Yet, the imposing aura revealed in her eyes was something no double, no matter how skilled, could ever replicate. From her gaze, Bai Mo read only four words: "Ruling the world."
"You want to become emperor?" Bai Mo didn't bother with any preamble, making the thought in his mind the very first sentence of their conversation.
Undoubtedly, the moment his words left his lips, the atmosphere instantly turned deadly.
Even a battle-hardened Reincarnator had never encountered someone so blunt. Even if she truly harbored such aspirations, it would be incredibly difficult to confess them to a complete stranger she was meeting for the first first time.
In a world where free speech was nonexistent, merely nodding to such a statement could easily earn one the charge of treason.
The notion that "Princes, dukes, generals, and ministers; are they born to be so?" was an extremely rebellious sentiment in ancient times, not easily accepted by ancient people who had been indoctrinated with loyalist ideologies since childhood.
But for Reincarnators with modern sensibilities, the idea of traveling back in time to rebel and become emperor was likely something every single one of them had entertained at some point.
"Sir, you are truly... well, direct."
The Lu family's second young miss fell silent for a moment before finally squeezing out those few words. If not for her trusted subordinates surrounding them, a thorough purge would have been inevitable today.
The young man she had met by chance was indeed anything but simple; he had immediately pierced straight to her most deeply hidden ambition.
"Since Sir is already aware of this humble one's intentions, then please give a clear answer." She admitted it forthrightly.
Bai Mo noticed a considerable amount of hostility emerging around him. It seemed that if he refused this matter, a "cask-trapping-turtle" encirclement and kill would immediately ensue.
After all, the matter was of grave importance; a leak would bring utter ruin to the Lu family, leaving no room for carelessness.
"Sure." Bai Mo replied as casually as if he were deciding what to eat for lunch that afternoon.
Such an offhand response naturally elicited some displeasure from Lu Yuesheng.
In her eyes, rebellion was a life-risking endeavor, especially for a woman like herself who sought to conquer this world—the hope of success was incredibly slim. Yet, when recruiting an ally, the other party had agreed with such nonchalance, without the slightest hesitation. Anyone in her position would feel a touch of unease.
"Then what does Sir seek? The Dragon Qi of nation-building? Or the resources for cultivation?" Since Bai Mo was the fated one indicated to her by a certain divine weapon, she patiently continued to inquire.
"What do I want..." Lu Yuesheng's unintentional question once again stirred Bai Mo's thoughts.
"To make this world burn?"
...
Bai Mo's words sent a shiver down Lu Yuesheng's spine. Especially in his eyes, she couldn't discern even a hint of pretense; it was a completely natural emotional revelation.
"Is there truly someone in this world who seeks neither fame nor profit, who feels neither love nor hate for anything, but is merely bored?
Perhaps those utterly cold eyes require the burning of the entire world to slightly thaw?"
Many thoughts flashed through her mind, most of them associating him with the word "madman," but her excellent self-control prevented her from vocalizing them.
The young man in white, at that moment, appeared to her like a chaotic evil hell-demon.
"So what if he's a demon? I've lived two lives; a mere ancient demon is nothing I can't handle." As a Reincarnator from modern times, she naturally held a sense of superiority over the ancient natives.
It was the confidence born from a higher level of civilization, the informational crushing of an advanced civilization over a backward one.
It was precisely this advantage in information that had allowed her, over the past decade or so, to transform from a penniless secondary daughter born into a commoner family into the formidable merchant, Lu Bancheng, whose wealth extended into several neighboring cities.
"It seems this journey to another world won't be boring after all."
Bai Mo hadn't activated his divine sense, nor had he used emotional vision, yet he still discerned the changes in the spirited young woman's state of mind from the subtle adjustments in her brows.
"Why did you seek me out?" Bai Mo asked in return.
After sealing away the vast majority of his power within his body, the strength he could freely wield returned to the Five Tiers. Unless he chose to abandon this 'avatar,' his body would instantly explode from the inability to withstand it should he utilize Seven Tier power.
He had a premonition that by maintaining this reincarnated avatar, he might encounter even more interesting events later on.
And his Five-Tier "Heavenly Net" ability seemed to have been precisely interfered with by something of a similar level operating behind Lu Yuesheng, which was why he had inquired about the reason.
"Twilight Fire told me." Lu Yuesheng produced a short sword from her sleeve.
"Oh, by the way, I haven't asked for Sir's name." She suddenly realized that ever since the words "You want to become emperor?" were uttered, she had been led by his rhythm, and didn't even know the young man's name.
"Bai Wu Sheng." Bai Mo casually made up a name.
"Mr. Bai, come this way. Let me host a welcoming banquet for you." With their alliance tentatively established, she led Bai Mo to a side hall on the top floor of the Reed Pavilion.
The wine-red wooden table was laden with fragrant dishes and drinks. The price of each plate was enough for an ordinary family of three to live comfortably for over half a month.
Hanluo City's specialty, the 'Ice-Skin Fish,' rumored to keep one's skin smooth and thus hyped to astronomical prices, was now quite wastefully prepared as fish balls...
"Please."
She wondered if it was her imagination, but Lu Yuesheng noticed that the young man's movements with chopsticks seemed a bit clumsy, as if he hadn't used them in a very long time.
...
After three rounds of drinks, perhaps due to the alcohol, her blood ran hot, and she suddenly felt an urge to say something.
"The common people in this world live far too hard. Demons and monsters, everything, comes to bully them. I want to become empress and change all of this... Hahahaha... *hic*... Hahahaha... *hic*..."
Lu Yuesheng seemed like a different person, burping and spouting strange words.
"Forgive us, our lady has had too much to drink; we'll escort her back!" Several internal attendants, who had never seen their mistress so undignified, quickly rushed out to salvage the situation, helping her to a back room to rest to prevent further embarrassment.
"I'm not drunk! I invented gunpowder; I can definitely kill them all, hehehe..." She muttered reluctantly as the maids helped her away.
PS: Something came up on Saturday, so no update.
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