NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23 - Strange creature
Every night, the three of them would gather the information they had collected and have the System summarize and analyze it, with Huang Ye explaining it all.
The two women's experience in the martial world was rapidly improving, and Huang Ye had also gained a general understanding of the City Lord's mansion.
However, they hadn't been able to find any information about him. The two women strategically asked some old servants, but they all claimed to know nothing.
"Tonight, I'm going out to check the situation outside and test my strength. I can't experiment inside the mansion."
"May the Young Master sweep away all obstacles when he goes out!"
"Haha, I love hearing that!"
As night fell, a shadow slipped out of the City Lord's mansion under the cover of darkness. Huang Ye effortlessly leaped over the five-meter-high wall of the mansion.
Outside the wall was a dense forest, a spot he had specifically chosen, as it was the only area without residential houses.
Looking at the towering trees, not bad, this is a good place to test my abilities.
With all his strength, he jumped up. "Whoosh!" Damn, how did I jump so high?
If I fall like this, won't I die?
With no other choice, he grabbed onto branches as he fell to slow down his descent.
After landing steadily on his feet, he felt it out. Not bad, even without slowing down, I should be fine landing. Just need to practice a few more times to get used to it.
He estimated the height of the tree beside him to be over thirty meters.
Damn, am I a superman now? With this ability, I should be embarrassed to call myself a slam dunk master.
I didn't expect the Dual Cultivation technique to be so powerful, and it's only been a month.
When I first got here, I could only jump six meters high, and now it's five times that. My strength has improved by leaps and bounds.
Let's test my strength again. Deep in the forest, he stood beside a large tree.
He threw a punch. "Bang!" Not only did his entire fist go into the tree, but even half of his forearm did.
Damn, this tree is too fragile. He pulled out his fist and looked at his hand, not a scratch.
He poked at the hole his fist made. Uh, it seems it's not the tree that's fragile, but the punch was too powerful and fast, creating a hole.
Not bad, this punch must have at least seven or eight hundred pounds of force. If it were a small tree as thick as a bowl, it would definitely be broken. Huang Ye didn't really understand the concept of strength.
The first time he punched the tree in the small courtyard, he could only break the bark. Now his strength has increased fivefold.
Satisfied, he nodded, his figure flickering a few times as he left the forest, bypassed a residential area, and arrived on the road.
There were many shops on both sides of the road. At this time, most of them were closed, with only a few pedestrians on the street.
Huang Ye strolled leisurely along the road. It wasn't quite midnight yet, and some shops on the second floor had lights on, probably mixed-use commercial and residential buildings.
Looking at the shop signs, not bad, they sell all sorts of things.
He was following a map, which Qing'er had brought back when she went out to order nightwear.
This road was a side road, with more shops on the main road.
According to Qing'er, some shops on the main road closed quite late.
In the bustling area, taverns, teahouses, and entertainment venues closed even later.
These shops resembled buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, made of brick and wood, with some reaching four stories.
It seemed the city's construction was quite good, a scene of prosperity.
Just as he finished marveling, he saw a shadow swiftly dart across a rooftop in the distance.
Oh, a thief, that was quick.
The shadow moved swiftly, and it was only because his eyes had undergone a transformation that he noticed it. Hmm, it didn't seem human.
The shadow used both hands and feet to move forward, resembling a monkey, yet it wore human clothes.
What the hell is that?
Moments later, three figures followed, chasing the strange creature.
Two men and a woman, their movements were not slow, pursuing in a fan formation.
Judging by their attire, they seemed to be from the same department, wearing matching clothes.
Watching the four disappear, Huang Ye pondered, were they Martial Artists or cultivators? What level were they?
"Thud, thud, thud!" Chaotic footsteps came from afar.
It was a team, their attire matching the three pursuers, indicating they were from the same unit.
As they got closer, Huang Ye saw the word Imperial printed on their chests.
Beside the word were numbers: 18, 29, 45, 108.
Uh! 108, that's quite a lot of restrictions.
"All non-essential personnel, return home immediately! There's a demon in the city!" the leader shouted.
Huang Ye quickly stepped aside.
The group ran past swiftly, and he watched their backs.
These people should be city soldiers, likely the Imperial Guard.
Judging by their running ability, these guards were much weaker, and he could easily handle them.
Ignoring them, he continued to stroll.
This seemed like an interesting world, where demons could transform into human form and blend in with the crowd.
This version was a bit different from novels, where beasts that could take human form were usually in horror stories.
In fantasy stories, beasts generally had to cultivate to a high level to transform.
The power of that beast just now shouldn't be high, not sure how it got discovered.
Maybe it just had a few drinks and revealed itself.
Little Qing and Little Bai were like that, turning into snakes after drinking, and Brother Monkey encountered shape-shifting monsters during his journey.
As he walked and thought, Huang Ye soon reached the main road, where there were more people.
The appearance of the demon seemed to have made these pedestrians hurry.
In the distance, a few more people dressed as guards ran over.
Huang Ye stepped aside again, watching them leave.
No wonder the security here was good, the guards responded quickly.
Hmm! What's that place, so brightly lit, let's go take a look.
Getting closer, Huang Ye saw the sign above—Shunfeng Tower.
Damn, is express delivery so popular here?
No, damn it, got it wrong again, this isn't express delivery.
People entering and exiting weren't carrying goods, and a few drunk people staggered out.
It seemed to be a tavern, a place where all sorts of people gathered, worth checking out.
He could gather some intelligence from the conversations of the diners and also taste the local delicacies.
It was a win-win situation, and Huang Ye swaggered in.
When he left the City Lord's mansion, Qing'er had given him ten taels of silver and explained the local cost of living.
In a normal tavern, two taels of silver could get you a hearty meal.
With these ten taels, he felt confident.
Though living off a woman was a bit embarrassing, the dignified Third Young Master of the City Lord was living off a maid, it would be laughable if others knew.
But he felt no shame, having just regained his senses, living off a woman was normal.
Besides, silver wasn't meant to be saved, spending it was its purpose, keeping it was just metal.
He had explained this theory seriously to Qing'er, and so she took out her savings.
A full hundred taels of snowflake-patterned silver, along with a few pieces of jewelry.
Huang Ye was moved by this little girl who was wholeheartedly devoted to him, feeling a bit guilty about his grand theory.
He only took ten taels, leaving the rest for her to keep.
He also taught her the principle of not flaunting wealth.
As soon as he entered the tavern, a waiter came over.
"How many in your party, sir?"
"Just one!"
"Would you like a quiet private room or to dine in the main hall?"
Huang Ye glanced around, seeing a few tables of people eating and drinking.
"In the main hall, that spot will do." Huang Ye pointed to a spot not far from a few tables.
"Alright! Please go ahead, I'll bring you the menu right away!"
After sitting down, Huang Ye ordered four small dishes and a pot of wine.
He hadn't had any wine since arriving here, curious to see how it compared to the wine from his previous life.