539: Chapter 539 Acting

The East Street of Fusang Main City is one of the busiest markets for Cultivators in the entire city.

The bluestone-paved street is wide and straight, flanked by rows of stalls, with spirit banners fluttering and various colors of spiritual light interweaving and flowing under the bright afternoon sun.

The scent of charred herbs and bitter vegetation drifts from the Medicinal Pill stalls, while the sweet, watery fragrance of fruit wafts from the fruit stands, and the shimmering light of flowing runes in the Formation Plate shops reflects on the faces of passing Cultivators.

The entire street is enveloped in a thin, swirling mist of Spiritual Qi.

Ling Hao walks down the center of the street, his gaze sweeping over the stalls on both sides with interest.

Mu Xiyao holds his left arm, while An Ruosu, on his right, hesitates for a moment before reaching out to gently wrap her hand around his right arm.

The two women are on his left and right, their gazes occasionally meeting in front of Ling Hao.

Mu Xiyao turns her head to glance at An Ruosu, a smile curving the corners of her lips.

When An Ruosu looks back at her, she instinctively shrinks away, like a startled fawn, but then immediately presses her lips together, lifts her chin slightly, meets the gaze, and then looks away as if nothing happened.

Ling Hao takes all of this in, feeling amused.

These two, when together, seem to have triggered some strange reaction and have already begun to secretly compete with each other.

Mu Xiyao's eyes suddenly light up as she looks past several stalls ahead, landing on an inconspicuous booth at the street corner:

"Senior, have you ever tasted Spirit Pill art?"

Ling Hao follows her gaze and sees that the stall is merely a low table, upon which rests a smooth jade slab, with a small copper furnace beside it, steam curling from the furnace.

The stall owner holds a slender jade spoon, skillfully outlining various shapes on the jade slab with the melted spirit liquid from the spoon—there are spirit birds with spread wings, coiled Auspicious Beasts, and lifelike flower branches, all glowing with an amber luster under the sunlight.

Ling Hao is slightly stunned: "Sugar art?"

He didn't expect to encounter such mortal snacks in this world of cultivation.

Looking closely, the sugar art is no ordinary thing; the sugar liquid is faintly infused with a bit of Spiritual Qi, shimmering with fine spiritual light under the sun.

He glances at the stall owner again—a Middle Stage Golden Core Cultivator; back in the old Qing State, this would be enough to be an Elder of a Sect, but here, they can only crouch by the roadside selling sugar art.

Life is hard; even a Golden Core Cultivator must sell their craft.

Mu Xiyao has already pulled Ling Hao to the front of the stall.

The stall owner is a female Cultivator in a moon-white dress with a beautiful face. When she lifts her eyes and recognizes the newcomer, her jade spoon pauses slightly, and she hurriedly stands up: "Mu, Young Miss Mu?"

Mu Xiyao's reputation in Fusang Main City is clearly significant, and this exclamation immediately attracts several gazes from around them.

Some Loose Cultivators crane their necks, whispering to each other: "The Young Miss of the Mu Family? Why did she come to East Street in person?"

"Who is that man beside her?"

"Look, she's holding that man's arm; their relationship must be unusual..."

"There's another one on the man's right side!"

Soon, someone recognizes An Ruosu: "Isn't that An Ruosu, the daughter of the former Sect Master of Qingmu Cliff? She's here too? And holding the man's other hand?"

As for the Young Miss of the Mu Family, even without counting the East Sea Chamber of Commerce, which is a ninth-grade power, the Mu Family itself has a Tribulation Transcendence Heavenly Venerable, making it a notable eighth-grade power.

Although An Ruosu has been expelled from Qingmu Cliff, she was previously the daughter of an eighth-grade Sect Master.

Two women from eighth-grade power backgrounds, one on each side, holding the arms of a strange man—this scene is more eye-catching to the Loose Cultivators in the market than any Spirit Pill or medicine.

Everyone's gaze immediately shifts from Mu Xiyao and An Ruosu to Ling Hao.

However, Ling Hao's face is no longer his own; he changed to an unfamiliar appearance before leaving, as per Mu Xiyao's request—clear features, a high nose bridge, and a faint, elusive smile on his lips, like a pampered Young Master from a noble family. Though his face is unfamiliar, he possesses an easygoing demeanor that makes one want to take a second look.

"Two women fighting over one man? Who is that man?"

"Yeah, does any big shot recognize him?"

"Me, me, me!"

"You recognize him?"

"No, I'm a big shot, but I don't know him."

"Tch! I think you're just a small fry!"

Mu Xiyao smiles at the stall owner: "Make one in my likeness."

The female Cultivator in the moon-white dress nods hurriedly, the spirit syrup tracing across the jade slab, and in just a moment, it outlines a slender figure.

A sea-blue wide-sleeved dress, coral branch hair ornaments, bright and beautiful eyes, with three parts smile and seven parts slyness in her expressions.

The sugar art solidifies in her hands, the lines smooth and full of spirit, as if Mu Xiyao herself had been shrunk down and sealed within the thin, golden sugar sheet.

Mu Xiyao takes the sugar art, raises it to her lips to blow on it, letting the slight heat on the surface dissipate, then turns and hands it to Ling Hao, leaning forward slightly until she is almost pressing against him.

"Young Master Liu, here, please eat."

This posture is just the right amount of intimate—using the pretext of the sugar art to solemnly offer her affection, while also closing the distance between them by another inch.

"Young Master Liu? Never heard of him."

Among the confused crowd, a thin Cultivator and another tall Cultivator beside him exchange glances and nod.

"It must be that Young Master Liu, right? —"

The tall Cultivator immediately agrees: "Yes! That Young Master Liu from the Fire Turtle Kingdom auction!"

"That's the Young Master of the Dongming Liu Family from the Central Continent! He ignored the Golden Crow Holy Son and bought the kan cauldron, and the Golden Crow Holy Son couldn't do anything about it."

"The look on the Golden Crow Holy Son's face back then, it was terrible..."

"No wonder the Mu Family Young Miss is being so attentive."

The discussions spread like a tide, and more and more people came to understand.

Ling Hao listens to the surrounding clamor, his expression unchanged. He tilts his head slightly and transmits his voice to Mu Xiyao: "Is this what you wanted me to cooperate with?"

Mu Xiyao transmits back: "Didn't Senior want to play the role of Young Master Liu? To spread the word so the Golden Crow Holy Son knows, we have to rely on the mouths of the masses.

If I hired people to spread it, how could it be as fast as gossip they've seen with their own eyes and told with their own mouths?

As for Senior's previous instructions, later I will have Sister Qingci coordinate with us to high-profile welcome us back to the Four Seasons Heaven and Earth Courtyard, and this news will spread throughout the entire Main City within a day.

By then, it will be hard for the Golden Crow Holy Son not to know."

Ling Hao chuckles inwardly.

This little girl has quite a lot of schemes.

By doing this, she not only accomplished what he asked but also solidified the ambiguous relationship between the Mu Family and the "Liu Family" through this intimacy under the public eye.

With this relationship established, the Golden Crow Holy Son will not easily make a move against the Mu Family before figuring out the truth, giving the Mu Family more time to be safe.

Ling Hao looks down at the sugar art, then at Mu Xiyao's slightly reddened ears.

Of course, in these little schemes, there is likely a point or two of her own personal feelings mixed in.

He laughs, without exposing her, and reaches out to take the sugar art.

"Very well, then this Young Master will eat you up properly."

Ling Hao bites off the edge of the sugar art, the amber sugar sheet shattering between his teeth, the sweetness spreading, and slowly eats the entire "Mu Xiyao" bite by bite.

After finishing the sugar art, just as Ling Hao is about to turn away, a slender bamboo stick is handed over from the other side.

He looks down and sees another piece of sugar art, but the figure in it is different from before—a flowing pale green gauze dress, a silk sash accentuating a slender waistline, gentle and delicate features, with the corners of her lips slightly upturned, as if smiling faintly.

It is drawn in the likeness of An Ruosu.

An Ruosu holds up the bamboo stick: "Young Master Liu, this is mine, also... please eat it."

Although she doesn't understand why Mu Xiyao suddenly started calling Ling Hao "Young Master Liu," she saw him change his appearance before they left, so she vaguely guessed the reason and followed suit.

Ling Hao glances at her.

This little girl is usually cautious and timid, even speaking in whispers, yet now she dares to take the initiative to hand out a piece of sugar art in front of everyone.

His heart flutters slightly; he reaches out to take it and smiles: "Very well."

Ling Hao eats that "An Ruosu" bite by bite as well.

The sweetness is a bit richer than before, as if the little girl's feelings were hidden deep, only slowly melting away once they touched his tongue.

When the sun slants to the west, a piece of news flies across the entire Fusang Main City.

Someone from the Dongming Liu Family has arrived!

That Young Master Liu, who outshone the Golden Crow Holy Son at the Fire Turtle Kingdom auction, has checked into the top-tier Four Seasons Heaven and Earth Courtyard in Fusang Main City, personally welcomed by Mu Xiyao, the Young Miss of the East Sea Chamber of Commerce.

Moreover, it is said that the Mu Family Young Miss and An Ruosu, the daughter of the former Sect Master of Qingmu Cliff, both have a deep relationship with this Young Master Liu, as the two walk by his side, one on the left and one on the right, in intimate postures.