Out of curiosity, Jian Junyao clicked on the weapon mall icon, which immediately displayed various cold weapons and firearms.
Cold weapons were manageable, but firearms were far too expensive—a revolver alone cost one million Space Coins.
However, there was an anesthetic gun priced quite cheaply at just ten thousand Space Coins. Even so, she couldn’t afford it.
Jian Junyao, currently so poor that her pockets were cleaner than her face, decisively closed the weapon mall.
At this moment, food was still the most important thing, so she opened the Food Mall to browse.
The variety of items in the mall could be described as all-encompassing—there was nothing you couldn’t buy, only things you hadn’t thought of.
Moreover, the prices were quite affordable. For example, a 600-milliliter bottle of mineral water cost only 2 Space Coins, and a large steamed bun was also 2 Space Coins each…
Jian Junyao swallowed her saliva—she couldn’t afford any of these.
Even if she could afford them, how would she take them out?
This was the most troubling problem for her.
Just as Jian Junyao was deep in thought, Xuan Zhan, seated in a specially made wheelchair, was pushed before her by Ling Ye.
When his gaze fell upon Jian Junyao, his dark eyes instantly narrowed.
The words he had intended to say were swallowed back.
Xuan Zhan waved his hand at Ling Ye, signaling him to withdraw first.
Now, the narrow space contained only him and Jian Junyao.
A slightly low yet magnetic voice rang out.
“Who are you?”
Hearing this question, Jian Junyao’s body trembled instinctively.
After sorting through her memories, the original host had not concealed her true identity.
Could it be that Xuan Zhan had already grown suspicious so quickly?
That was absolutely impossible. After the original host married Xuan Zhan, the two had little interaction, not even a chance to meet. Since she hadn’t done anything unusual, why would he have such doubts?
Jian Junyao slowly raised her head, her gaze settling on Xuan Zhan.
Damn, what a handsome man…
Xuan Zhan sat in the wheelchair. Although his brocade robes were somewhat dirty, they couldn’t conceal the kingly aura that surrounded him.
His jet-black hair was casually draped behind him, and his handsome features had no flaws—every part seemed like a masterpiece crafted by God.
His sharply defined face carried an air of unrivaled cold arrogance.
Especially those eyes, as dazzling as black obsidian, contained a murderous intent that made anyone who looked at them feel a chill in their heart.
Such a handsome man—even the top male stars before the apocalypse couldn’t compare.
For a moment, she was mesmerized.
“Answer this king’s question,” Xuan Zhan’s voice sounded again.
Jian Junyao tried her best to remain calm.
She replied composedly, “I’ve already told Nanny Song. I am Jian Junyao, not Jian Yanran.”
On Xuan Zhan’s cold face, an almost imperceptible hint of amusement appeared.
Since childhood, he had possessed a hidden ability—he had yin-yang eyes, allowing him to see things others couldn’t, such as ghosts.
He had come over just now, intending to tell Jian Junyao that when the emperor’s personal guards relaxed their vigilance, he would send someone to escort her away. However, as soon as his eyes fell upon her, he noticed something unusual.
Usually, possessed ghosts would emit a faint black aura, but Jian Junyao was different. Although he could see a somewhat ethereal soul, it was surrounded by a layer of white energy.
He was witnessing such a phenomenon for the first time, but one thing was certain: the person before him had undergone a soul replacement.
“Nothing escapes this king’s eyes. If you wish to avoid immediate death, speak the truth.”
Jian Junyao was bewildered. No matter how she thought about it, she never imagined that her soul could be seen by someone.
Previous time-travel novels had never mentioned such a phenomenon, so she had naturally overlooked this possibility.
“I truly don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve already told you everything I can.”
Seeing this, Xuan Zhan decided not to beat around the bush any longer.
“Where did you come from, wandering spirit? Why have you taken over her body?”
Jian Junyao was stunned…
What abilities did this man possess? How could he possibly detect that the soul in this body wasn’t the original owner?
After a moment of contemplation, Jian Junyao began to understand. The man before her must be well-versed in mystical arts; otherwise, she couldn’t explain any of this.
For a moment, Jian Junyao didn’t know how to respond.
Seeing her prolonged silence, Xuan Zhan grew impatient.
His wheelchair, as if equipped with machinery, slid to her in the blink of an eye without needing anyone to operate it. At the same time, Xuan Zhan’s large, bony hand tightly gripped her throat.
“If you don’t speak the truth, do you believe this king will make your soul scatter and spirit disperse right now?”
A suffocating sensation enveloped Jian Junyao. Coughing, she desperately clawed at Xuan Zhan’s bony hand with both of her small hands.
However, even with all her strength, she couldn’t budge that hand in the slightest.
She clearly realized that, in the presence of someone skilled in mystical arts, if she didn’t say something, she might truly face soul scattering and spirit dispersing.
After coughing violently a few times, Jian Junyao struggled to speak: “You brute, how can I answer you while you’re choking me?”
As her words fell, the suffocating sensation vanished.
Jian Junyao took several deep breaths of fresh air before her body began to feel somewhat better.
She glared furiously at the man before her.
“Xuan Zhan, what kind of man are you, attacking a defenseless woman?”
Xuan Zhan had no intention of engaging in a war of words. He said sternly:
“This king advises you not to struggle pointlessly.”
Jian Junyao…
This was absolutely a clichéd time-travel scenario. On her very first day, her Secret Identity was already shattered to pieces!
After much deliberation, she gritted her teeth. Since staying silent wouldn’t lead to a good outcome anyway, she might as well selectively tell some truths. Perhaps there was still a chance for a turnaround.
“I come from over two thousand years in the future, from a place called the Great Xia Kingdom.”
Xuan Zhan raised an eyebrow: “And then?”
Jian Junyao didn’t know where to begin: “Just ask me what you want to know.”
“What is your purpose in coming here?”
“I have no purpose. I accidentally fell off a cliff, thought I was dead, and then woke up in this body.”
“What happened to the original Jian Junyao?”
“She must have died; otherwise, how could I have ended up here?”
“From what I know, ghosts usually possess some abilities. What do you have?” Those souls tainted with dark energy in the past had minor offensive spells. Xuan Zhan was curious about what abilities this soul with white energy might have.
Jian Junyao…
This lady’s abilities are immense. Once I’m full, I can blow your head off.
Her small fists twitched eagerly a couple of times before she reluctantly withdrew them.
Judging by how the man had just choked her, this guy was definitely a trained fighter. She was no match for him, and it would be foolish to throw an egg against a stone.
Jian Junyao had just retracted her fist when she saw the murderous glint in Xuan Zhan’s eyes.
“Answer this king’s question.”
Jian Junyao finally understood: if she didn’t lay all her cards on the table, this man would send her to her grave immediately.
Since that was the case, she was doomed either way. Better to die with a full stomach than to waste this chance at a new life after crossing over.
So, she stretched out a hand toward Xuan Zhan.
“Do you have any silver? I’ll show you my skills.”
Without a word, Xuan Zhan took a banknote from his robe and handed it to her.
Jian Junyao looked at it—it was actually five hundred taels. Her furrowed brows instantly smoothed out.
Five hundred taels…
Chapter 21: I Will Not Treat You Unfairly
Although he had such thoughts, he still hoped that Jian Junyao would take the initiative to bring it up.
This way, he could turn passivity into initiative and make this woman more willing to contribute her resources.
“Could you elaborate on your idea?” Xuan Zhan pretended to be very interested.
Jian Junyao couldn’t detect anything unusual from Xuan Zhan’s expression, so she answered with rare seriousness.
“As long as there is silver, I can provide enough food and water here. As for the specific arrangements, you’ll have to handle those yourself.
All I know is that when we reach the Northwest, we can’t just settle with the hundred or so people we have now, right?”
This woman is indeed sensible—that’s exactly what I wanted to hear.
“Very well, I’ve decided to proceed as you suggested. From now on, I’ll provide the silver, and you’ll be responsible for food and water. When we reach the Northwest, I will not treat you unfairly.”
Jian Junyao…
Hah! Stop trying to sweet-talk me. Who cares!
“Enough, let’s get to the point. If you think my suggestion is feasible and the four girls are willing, we’ll take them with us to the Northwest.”
Jian Junyao couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. Once this was settled, she still needed to speak with Cui Liu!
“Fine, you handle it.”
With Xuan Zhan’s approval, Jian Junyao stepped out of the carriage again and asked the four girls. They all expressed their willingness to follow the Princess Consort to the Northwest.
As for whether it was a Ghost City or not, it didn’t matter to them.
Even if they didn’t go to the Ghost City, during this famine, a few defenseless girls like them wouldn’t be able to survive. It was better to follow the Princess Consort and take their chances.
Once everything was arranged, Xuan Zhan ordered the journey to continue.
Although it was nearly noon, considering they weren’t far from Qingping County, having lunch could wait a little longer.
The large procession set off once again, guided by the trafficker. In the span of an hour, they arrived at Qingping County.
Like the other counties they had passed through, Qingping County also had a dilapidated city wall standing prominently.
What was different, however, was that there were no refugees fleeing in search of a way out here, and no guards were stationed at the city gates.
If not for the trafficker’s earlier mention that the county magistrate was still here, Xuan Zhan would have thought this place had become an empty city.
The trafficker, trembling at the front, said to Ling Feng, “Sir, this is Qingping County.”
Ling Feng kept a stern face. “Lead the way.”
The trafficker walked cautiously at the front, with the large procession following closely behind.
Entering the city gates, Jian Junyao and Xuan Zhan, as if by mutual understanding, each lifted one side of the carriage curtain to look outside.
Even in broad daylight, there wasn’t a single passerby in sight. Not only that, but the shops around were also tightly shut.
This couldn’t help but remind Jian Junyao of the apocalypse…
Xuan Zhan, however, thought differently. Although the Biyuan Kingdom was suffering from drought everywhere, with countless refugees fleeing, not all commoners were without stored grain. Most of those who fled were the impoverished.
The desolation of Qingping County was definitely not as simple as everyone having fled.
Ling Ye grabbed the trafficker by the collar. “Where is the county magistrate?”
The trafficker trembled all over and pointed ahead. “Just one street ahead is the Qingping County Yamen. The county magistrate is there.”
Following the trafficker down one street, they finally saw something different.
Although there was no bustling market noise, at least a few figures could be seen.
Five or six people gathered at the entrance of the County Yamen, making as if to force their way inside, but they were blocked by two officers holding large swords.
An elderly woman who appeared to be in her fifties or sixties cried out, “Officers, I beg you, please let us see the County Magistrate! We had an agreement back then—if I sent my granddaughter to the County Magistrate, he would ensure our family had food and clothing.
Now, our family of five or six has been without food for several days. If we don’t get any grain soon, we’ll starve to death… Wuwuwu…”
The officer was extremely impatient. “Get out of here… Stop making a scene. That girl of yours didn’t know her place and has already been locked in the woodshed by the County Magistrate. How dare you still come here asking for grain? You must have a death wish…”
Immediately after, there was a loud bang as the main gate of the County Yamen was forcefully shut from the inside.
Just as the old woman was about to step forward and knock on the door again, a man in his thirties tried to dissuade her.
“Mother, let’s just go back. These officers wouldn’t hesitate to kill. If we anger them, our lives will be in danger.”
The old woman plopped down on the ground. “Oh dear… This old woman doesn’t want to live anymore. Heaven is giving us no way out…”
At that moment, a large group of people, guided by a human trafficker, arrived in front of the County Yamen.
Seeing that someone had arrived, the wailing old woman quickly got up and rushed over.
Without even looking to see who it was, she cried, tears and snot streaming down her face.
“Young man, please have mercy and give this old woman some food! We’re about to starve to death.”
Just as her tears and snot were about to smear onto him, Ling Feng nimbly dodged aside.
“How dare you!” Ling Feng rebuked angrily.
He despised people who made a scene like this.
Startled by the scolding, the old woman finally looked up at the newcomers.
Although this group appeared travel-worn, the innate authority they carried sent a chill down her spine.
“Mother, get up quickly. Don’t block their way.” The old woman’s son, quick-witted, hurriedly pulled her aside.
The old woman wasn’t foolish either. She quickly used her son’s pull to stand up and retreated far back.
Ling Feng had no desire to tangle further with these commoners. Seeing that the way was cleared, he stepped forward and knocked on the door.
The officer inside, assuming it was still the old woman and her group refusing to leave, opened the door with his sword already pointed at Ling Feng.
“What’s this? Didn’t I tell you to scram? Do you need someone to die before you’ll listen?”
As the sword swung toward him, Ling Feng raised his hand and snatched it from the officer’s grip.
“Audacious! In broad daylight, you dare to attack without cause. It seems you truly have a death wish.”
As he spoke, Ling Feng used the seized sword to deliver a fierce slash to the officer’s leg.
The officer howled in pain and collapsed to the ground, finally realizing that the newcomer was not the old woman from before.
Ignoring the pain in his leg, he stared at Ling Feng in terror.
“Sir, let’s talk this out, let’s talk this out.”
At that moment, another officer hurried over upon hearing the commotion. Seeing the scene before him, he proved more sensible than the previous one.
“Sir, may I ask who you are looking for?”
Ling Feng didn’t even spare him a glance. He kicked the fallen officer aside to clear the entrance.
Then, respectfully, he gestured toward the back in an inviting manner. If not for the Prince’s earlier reminder to keep a low profile, he would have already announced the name of His Highness the War Prince, scaring these arrogant, power-abusing scoundrels out of their wits.
Song Qing, with keen perception, stepped forward to remove the threshold and directed the people to drive the carriage directly into the courtyard of the County Yamen.