Chapter 097: Plans

Shen Duo, Feng Jun, and Wei Dong had completely lost their interest in strolling around the docks because of Zhou Anlan.
They quickly bought some daily necessities and returned to the "Yangfan."
Having traveled through the three perils of the Tianqing River in recent days and rushed back in a hurry, they were all somewhat weary. After exchanging greetings, they returned to their own cabins to rest.

Lou Jingbai hopped down from Shen Duo's shoulder and let out a long sigh of relief. "I can finally talk now—this is suffocating!"
In order not to reveal their strength and attract covetous eyes, Shen Duo and Lou Jingbai had agreed on a rule: no speaking in front of strangers.

Shen Duo half-leaned against the narrow bed in the cabin and gave him a speechless look.
Lou Jingbai shook his fluffy fox tail, leapt onto Shen Duo's thigh in a few quick bounds, and crouched there, tilting his fox head. "Little Duo, are you really not going to use Zhou Anlan's invitation?"

Staring at Lou Jingbai's adorable appearance, yet hearing a grown man's warm, mellow voice come out of his mouth—the dissonance was somewhat disillusioning.
Shen Duo nodded without hesitation. "The Zhou family only wants to find a hired fighter, a sharp blade. My strength isn't enough yet; I can't stand before others at this time."

After Lou Jingbai had signed the phantom beast contract with Shen Duo, Shen Duo's background had likely been fully revealed to him. He nodded with a world-weary air. "Little Duo, you've thought well. The priority now is to raise your strength. Don't think that just because you're a sword king and few people you've met are stronger than you, that means anything—it's because you haven't yet touched the pinnacle of Saint Mang Continent. I don't know much about the human world. But when it comes to magical beasts alone, I know there are over a hundred at the divine beast level. From my bloodline inheritance, I've learned that deep within the unfathomable Luohei Forest, there are even super divine beasts and existences beyond that. If the magical beast world is like this, then human phantom masters, who have endured for tens of thousands of years, won't have declined that much even after great upheavals."

Listening seriously to Lou Jingbai's words, Shen Duo was somewhat startled. Divine beasts weren't the highest existence? There were super divine beasts! And even more unfathomably powerful magical beasts!
She drew a quiet breath. Before such powers, her current level could truly be described as insignificant. The original urge to grow stronger surged within her once again, impatient and burning.

"Lou Jingbai, what do you suggest?"
Lou Jingbai's slender fox eyes narrowed slightly, gratified to have earned Shen Duo's regard.
He coughed, shook his large tail twice, and said, "This lord thinks you should first ask that big fellow Wei Dong—maybe he knows something."

Lou Jingbai had been sitting on Shen Duo's shoulder, and he'd long since noticed the strange look on Wei Dong's face. That guy was definitely hiding something from them. Hmph! If it weren't for the fact that Shen Duo treated the big oaf as a friend, this lord Lou Jingbai would have already roasted him with solar true fire for an interrogation!

Shen Duo hadn't expected Lou Jingbai to bring up Wei Dong. Earlier at the marketplace, she'd been entirely focused on Zhou Anlan and hadn't paid attention to Wei Dong's change. But throughout this journey, she could be certain Wei Dong wasn't the type to secretly harbor some hidden agenda—he likely had some unspoken difficulty.
Shen Duo knitted her brows and thought it over. Ultimately, she decided it would be better to ask him directly after resting. Between friends, no matter what happened, it was best to clear the air.

"I'll ask Brother Wei," Shen Duo said, not dwelling on the matter.
Tomorrow morning, when the warm sun first rose, the "Yangfan" would set sail. From Ai Si Port to Normans, the journey was only about two days. Even if they encountered a storm, they'd be delayed at most a day on the route. At the latest, they'd reach Normans in three days. Once there, she'd find an opportunity to investigate another plane and gather news about it.

Lorcadan, the Zhou family's main city, was an unavoidable stop on the way. By then, news of Zhou Anlan would surely have already reached the main city, and dealing with it would likely be a headache.
Shen Duo focused on planning her next steps, her gaze unconsciously falling on her wrist resting over her knee.
Suddenly she remembered the bracelet she'd won from Aisha. Earlier, she'd placed some living creatures inside its space, but with all the chaos that followed, she'd forgotten all about it.

She quickly sent her consciousness into the bracelet's space to check. To her surprise, the insects she'd casually tossed inside were still alive! Though many of them looked listless. Clearly, the space could sustain life, but not for extended periods.
Even so, this spatial storage bracelet was already quite rare.

Shen Duo shook her head with a faint smile, said a quick goodnight to Lou Jingbai, washed up simply, and lay down to sleep.
She slept until nightfall spread across the sky and the stars filled the heavens.

When she rose, she felt much more refreshed. Changing into a new black phantom master's robe, she neatly tied her long hair into a ponytail. Just as she was about to head out to find Feng Jun and Wei Dong, a knock sounded at her cabin door.
She opened it to find Feng Jun and Wei Dong standing at the entrance, carrying dinner with them. Shen Duo quickly invited them inside.

Wei Dong poured a round of the signature fire fruit wine he'd bought at the docks and set out some oddly shaped pastries on the table before sitting down.
Shen Duo looked at him strangely. Usually, Wei Dong was never this attentive—he was normally the one taking advantage of her. When had he ever bought things to feed her?

Under Shen Duo's searching gaze, Wei Dong's rough, dark face flushed slightly. "Try this fruit wine—it was recommended by Captain Dick!"

Shen Duo glanced at Feng Jun, who returned her look with an innocent expression, indicating he knew nothing either.
Not wanting to embarrass Wei Dong, Shen Duo took a sip of the fire fruit wine and said directly, "Brother Wei, if you have something to say, just say it!"
With his expression and his uncharacteristically eager attitude, even a fool could tell he had something to confess—which conveniently saved Shen Duo from having to ask him about it.

Wei Dong let out a couple of awkward chuckles, shifted his weight uncomfortably, and finally spoke. "Little Duo, Shen Jun, there are some things I've been keeping from you."
Shen Duo didn't respond, only letting her gaze rest on his face. Wei Dong laughed foolishly twice more.
"You've all heard of the great name of Lord Weilan, right?"
Shen Duo nodded, motioning for him to continue.
"Lord Weilan is my grand-master. My teacher is the fifth disciple of Lord Weilan. Actually, this trip for training is secondary—the key is to complete a task my teacher assigned." Wei Dong paused, glancing at Shen Duo.
Shen Duo lowered her head, swirling the fruit wine in her transparent, wide-mouthed cup, and said calmly, "Your teacher asked you to find talented swordsmen?"

Wei Dong's eyes went wide, clearly not expecting Shen Duo to have guessed it. He smiled bitterly and nodded. "Little Duo, you don't know—half of Qiaosilin Academy is now under the Zhou family's control. We swordsmen were never well regarded to begin with, and now the balance between the two professions on the continent is growing more and more skewed. Many young people who take up swordsmanship only do so because they lack the phantom master talent and are forced to switch paths. As a result, their talent is generally mediocre. Over the past few years, the Zhou family has deliberately squeezed the resources of swordsmen. If not for Lord Weilan holding the line, I'm afraid even Qiaosilin Academy—the last pure ground for swordsmen—wouldn't be able to survive."

*——*——*
Fixed a small bug: the academy where Lord Weilan resides should be Qiaosilin Academy, not Weier Academy.