Chapter 333: The Get-Rich Plan |
Three days later.
A streak of lightning darted across the sky, descending slowly to the ground.
When the lightning dissipated, it revealed the figure of a burly man.
"The speed really isn’t bad. If the Tribulation Gu evolves once more, it might completely surpass the speed of the Star-Stepping Technique. The Star-Stepping Technique can be retired now."
This figure was none other than the disguised Long Xuan. On his journey, he had been developing the abilities of the Tribulation Gu.
One of its abilities was to envelop the entire body in lightning, enabling flight with lightning-like speed.
This move not only allowed flight but also provided the capability to hover in midair.
Long Xuan had spent considerable time mastering it during his journey and had finally become proficient.
From afar, he could see a massive black city, so he descended from the air.
Yes, the enormous black city before him was none other than the 'City of Sin'.
The City of Sin was immense—the largest city he had ever seen. Even its gates were towering, like the gaping maw of a giant black beast.
It seemed that the city was about to hold a large-scale auction, attracting a significant number of Gu Cultivators.
Many Gu Cultivators from the three great empires had come, resulting in a massive crowd at the city gates. Entering the city required standing in line.
With so many people, chaos was inevitable. At that moment, two individuals were brawling—apparently, someone had tried to cut in line, sparking a conflict.
The person who cut in line drew a blade, chopped off the other’s head, and then casually took the deceased’s storage pouch before continuing to line up as if nothing had happened.
The surrounding crowd watched coldly—no one stepped in to mediate or maintain order.
Everyone's expressions were indifferent, as if they were accustomed to such occurrences.
Witnessing this, Long Xuan's eyes narrowed.
From Song Qian's memories, he had learned that in the Land of Sin, outside the City of Sin, there was no order—killing was unrestricted.
However, he hadn’t expected that even at the city gates of the City of Sin, people could kill at will.
The city’s order only extended within the walls—outside, it was nonexistent.
At that moment, the guards at the gate merely cast a cold glance at the corpse on the ground and then casually threw a fireball to burn it to ashes.
Judging by their skillful movements, they had likely done this countless times and were clearly used to it.
As Long Xuan was lost in thought, a seductive woman approached. Before she reached him, her voice arrived first.
“Well, isn’t this Master Song? Have you finished making the insect armor I requested?”
Hearing the voice, Long Xuan immediately realized this person was a customer of Song Qian.
Song Qian operated an Insect Armor Shop in the City of Sin, dealing in insect armor and naturally attracting many customers.
Long Xuan, initially worried that the city would be crowded, leaving no inns available and forcing latecomers to sleep on the streets, suddenly remembered he was now impersonating Song Qian.
He could simply take over Song Qian’s shop and stay there while also seizing all the insect armor in the shop.
If all the insect armor was sold, it would be a decent fortune.
“You must be Madam Yue. Your insect armor has been prepared and is ready for collection as soon as I enter the city,” Long Xuan replied, quickly gleaning her identity from Song Qian’s memories.
This woman, known as Madam Yue, ran a small-scale brothel in the City of Sin. Despite its size, her brothel earned her significant wealth, making her a wealthy woman.
However, few knew her secret—that the "women" in her brothel were not living beings but corpses.
Madam Yue controlled corpses using a type of Gu called Corpse-Control Gu, which allowed her to manipulate the dead.
All her top courtesans were corpses, and the clueless clients were unknowingly indulging in them.
The mere thought made Long Xuan feel nauseous—this was truly grotesque.
He had often heard that everyone in the City of Sin was a villain, devoid of goodness. Now, he had an even clearer understanding—this place was indeed a haven for all manner of depravity.
Madam Yue flashed a satisfied smile. “Your efficiency is impressive. Once we enter the city, I’ll visit your shop to pick it up.”
“I’ll also bring Xiangxiang, my top courtesan, to accompany you for a night. It’s my treat—no charge!” Madam Yue laughed coquettishly, covering her mouth.
Hearing this, Long Xuan’s mouth twitched, and his hair stood on end.
That was a corpse—no way he could handle that.
Madam Yue, of course, had no idea Song Qian knew her secret. Otherwise, she would have silenced him long ago, leaving no room for leaks.
This secret had to remain buried. If those clients ever found out, they would surely go berserk and seek revenge against her.
Faced with the offer of a corpse, Long Xuan naturally had no interest.
But he dared not refuse outright. Being cautious by nature, he feared that refusal might arouse Madam Yue's suspicions, which could lead to trouble.
After all, who would refuse a beauty delivered to their doorstep? Moreover, Song Qian was a lecher by nature and had once been a notorious flower thief in the Glorious Moon Empire.
Due to committing numerous crimes, he became a nationally wanted criminal.
Eventually, he could no longer stay in the Glorious Moon Empire and had to flee to the City of Sin, a haven for all sorts of criminal elements.
It was precisely because of his deep "research" into women that he immediately realized that the top courtesans in Yue Niang's hands were corpses, not living people.
Thus, Long Xuan could only feign delight and said with a smile, "Alright, send her to my room then."
Long Xuan quickly decided to accept the courtesan named Xiangxiang. At worst, he could find an excuse to avoid touching her later. For now, he couldn't let Yue Niang grow suspicious.
After chatting casually with Yue Niang for a while, the two lined up at the city gate to enter.
After waiting for about five minutes, it was finally their turn. Long Xuan paid the city entrance fee and, relying on Song Qian's memories, made his way to his shop in the city.
After a series of twists and turns, Long Xuan found the shop with a signboard reading "Master Song's Insect Armor Shop" and unlocked the door with a key.
The shop was quite large, spanning three floors:
- The first floor was the sales area, with many huge shelves displaying various styles of insect armor.
- The second floor served as a warehouse, packed with insect armor, including Yue Niang's orders.
- The third floor was the workshop, filled with unfinished products and a large stockpile of materials.
Long Xuan inspected all three floors and nodded in satisfaction. If all this inventory were sold, it could fetch a considerable sum.
He even began contemplating producing his own insect armor to sell here.
Previously, during the voyage in the Shenlong, they had ventured into the Unfrozen Sea and found many treasures.
In the Unfrozen Sea, there was an abundance of cold iron, and the crew aboard the Shenlong collected a large amount of it.
Although cold iron was slightly less valuable than mithril, its sheer quantity made up for the difference.
At this moment, Long Xuan had a towering pile of cold iron at hand, and he desperately needed to convert it into funds. He planned to participate in the auction for the Moon Tree, but with his current spirit stone reserves, he was far from prepared.
Selling raw materials wouldn’t be as profitable as selling finished products, so Long Xuan decided to turn the cold iron into insect armor for sale.
With a pensive expression, Long Xuan concluded that this business venture was worth pursuing.
Producing insect armor wouldn’t take too much time, especially since he had exploited a 'minor bug' in the City of Divine Mechanisms. Puppets would normally disappear upon death, but those controlled by his split soul didn’t count as dead, allowing him to bring them out intact.
With so many puppet laborers at his disposal, it would be a waste not to use them.
A smile crept across Long Xuan's face as he promptly stored the abundant materials from the second floor into the Heaven-Devouring World Toad. Then, on a floating island, he instructed his puppets to begin mass-producing insect armor.
Some time later, Yue Niang finally arrived, bringing with her a shyly blushing beauty.
Long Xuan knew she had come to collect her order, so he carried her custom-made insect armor downstairs.
"Your insect armor is ready. You can inspect it if you'd like," Long Xuan said, placing the sizeable armor on the ground.
"Haha, there's no need. I trust Master Song's reputation," Yue Niang said with a chuckle.
"I’ve brought Xiangxiang for you. She’s new—still warm. You must treat her gently!" Yue Niang teased with a flirtatious wink, stowing the insect armor into her storage bag and leaving behind the bashful young girl.
"Still warm?" Long Xuan felt a chill run down his spine. Others might not understand the implication, but he certainly did.
Looking at the shy yet stunningly beautiful girl before him, Long Xuan was astonished.
Her shy demeanor, the coquettish look in her eyes—was this truly a corpse?
Could those insects mimic such expressions? It was uncanny.
However, he had no doubt about the reliability of Song Qian’s information. This girl was definitely not alive, as her brain clearly contained a progress bar unique to the insect parasites.
“You, go inside, clean yourself up, and wait for me.”
Long Xuan gave her a pat on the back and walked toward the Master Wei’s Pill Shop across the street.
This street was a commercial hub, lined with shops of all kinds.
Master Wei’s Pill Shop was located directly across from 'Master Song’s Insect Armor Shop. Though they were neighbors, their relationship was far from friendly. However, given their proximity, they couldn’t avoid casual conversations.
"Well, well! A rare guest indeed! What wind has brought you here today? Come in, come in!"
Seeing Master Song enter, Master Wei, a rotund man, greeted him with exaggerated enthusiasm.
"It’s the first time you’ve come to my shop. What kind of pills are you looking for?"
“Let me tell you, I dare claim that in all of Sin City, my pill shop offers the most comprehensive selection of elixirs,” Master Wei said confidently.
“I’ve recently broken through to the Spiritual Sea Realm in Gu Cultivation, so I’m looking to buy some Foundation Strengthening Pills. Do you have any in stock?”
As Long Xuan spoke, his eyes scanned the shelves in the store.
It was clear that Master Wei didn’t craft all these pills himself. He must have a group of apprentices laboring for him, as the sheer variety of pills on the shelves far exceeded what one person could produce alone.
Long Xuan instinctively used the magnifying power of his Heavenly Secret Eye to examine the pills on the shelves. His heart jolted in shock—hidden within many pills were tiny insects!
These insects were so small that the naked eye could hardly detect them. Any buyer would likely swallow the pills directly, completely unaware of the creepy occupants inside.
“What’s he planning by stuffing insects into the pills?” Long Xuan thought. "Why is he selling these bug-filled pills to others? What’s his real motive?"
Long Xuan was astonished. Sin City was truly a den of evil, filled with scoundrels of all kinds—people who used corpses as prostitutes, people who hid bugs in pills for profit—it seemed there was no bottom to their depravity.
Suppressing his disgust, Long Xuan discreetly glanced at the pills while making sure not to let Master Wei notice anything unusual.
There was no doubt: this secret must not be revealed. Otherwise, the buyers of his pills would tear him apart once they discovered the truth. If anyone else learned this secret, like 'Madam Yue', Master Wei would definitely silence them.
“Foundation Strengthening Pills? Of course, I have them. But you know how the market works—these pills aren’t cheap.”
“Don’t accuse me of overcharging later,” Master Wei said, a sly smile tugging at his plump face. He waddled over to one of the shelves, retrieving a bottle containing a golden pill, and handed it to Long Xuan.
“Take a look—this is the Foundation Strengthening Pill. It helps stabilize your cultivation after a breakthrough.”
“But I, Master Wei, am a man of integrity. Go ahead, inspect the pill before we discuss the price,” he added.
Long Xuan silently cursed in his heart. "Integrity? This man has none! He thinks I can’t see the fat insect lurking in this pill? Whatever happens when that bug enters someone’s body can’t be good!"
However, Long Xuan kept his composure, putting on a delighted expression and laughing.
“Hahaha… Master Wei, your reputation for honesty is well-known. No need for me to inspect it.”
Feigning generosity, Long Xuan took the bottle and said, “I won’t even ask about the price. But you know, I recently broke through and need to upgrade my Gu insects, so I’m strapped for cash right now. How about this: I’ll let you have Xiangxiang, the top courtesan from Madam Yue’s establishment, for one night. She’s a flower yet to bloom, untouched and utterly charming. What do you think?”
Hearing this, Master Wei’s eyes instantly lit up, and a greedy look appeared on his round face.
Earlier, he had caught a glimpse of the young woman standing near the entrance, and her stunning beauty had left an impression. Her shy demeanor and enchanting gaze were irresistible, stirring the beast within him.
Long Xuan noticed his reaction and smirked inwardly. He added, “She’s no ordinary person, either—she’s a peak-level Marrow Cleansing Gu cultivator.”
“You know how rare it is for female Gu cultivators to enter this line of work. Such high-end ‘goods’ are incredibly scarce and naturally expensive.”
“She’s not only beautiful but also a Gu cultivator—an unmatched treasure. Her worth is equivalent to your Foundation Strengthening Pill…”
“Deal! Say no more—we’ve got a deal!” Master Wei exclaimed, unable to suppress his lust any longer.
With that, he handed the pill to Long Xuan while laughing heartily.
Long Xuan sighed in relief. At least he had managed to deal with that corpse subtly. This arrangement shouldn’t arouse Madam Yue’s suspicions either.
He wasn’t wrong—female Gu cultivators rarely entered the prostitution business. Those who did demanded exorbitant prices. Otherwise, why would Madam Yue resort to using corpses animated by Gu insects? It was because living, high-quality Gu cultivator prostitutes were nearly impossible to find.
Especially someone as beautiful as Xiangxiang—her nightly rate would be astronomical. Madam Yue offering her for free for one night was indeed unusual, and Long Xuan couldn’t help but stay vigilant.
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