Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1058: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (66) — Upholding Courtesy with Sincerity

“This gentleman seems quite distinguished,” Miss Maid said with a faint smile.

Seeing her expression, Da Zhe had a bad feeling—sure enough, Miss Maid was making a move.

Huang Baifu wasn’t foolish. He had no real intention of taking someone in as a follower; this was just a test. If they mistook him for some arrogant brute, that would be ideal.

He didn’t truly believe his luck could be that bad, but he also understood how unpredictable life could be. This place was strange, and after suffering a few setbacks, Huang Baifu had calmed down and decided caution was best.

Wouldn’t it be better to be polite, get along, and not provoke others unnecessarily?

But Huang Baifu also believed that people feared smiling schemers far more than loud, arrogant fools. Besides, he knew his own situation—his body had been assembled to look like this since birth. He couldn’t pull off the refined gentleman look.

Acting like a big, dumb brute was easier.

“I am Wang Hu, a personal guard under the young master of the White Tiger clan, Huang Baifu,” he said solemnly. “You saved me. My young master will certainly reward you. You needn’t worry about that.”

Luo Qiu raised an eyebrow at the mention of “White Tiger.” “White Tiger? As in the legendary White Tiger of the Four Celestial Spirits?”

Huang Baifu was briefly stunned and frowned. In Divine Land, very few were unaware of the White Tiger clan, especially in recent decades where his clan had suppressed the other three Celestial Spirit clans. Who were these guys—hermit cultivators from some remote mountain?Perhaps they stumbled upon some cultivation method in the mundane world and started practicing on their own. That type of rogue cultivator was not uncommon.

They might have found an ancient breathing technique and tried it out, gaining power beyond that of ordinary people. But the idea of them picking up some ancient deity’s artifact? Impossible.

Not to mention the Four Celestial Spirits—even the Daoist Association had embedded agents across the country’s heritage departments and had varying degrees of control over the antique trade market. If a relic from an ancient deity could slip through unnoticed by the Daoist and Demon factions, it certainly wouldn’t fall into the hands of clueless commoners.

Only overlooked or unremarkable items might end up with regular people.

The demon race had a simple way of gauging power: demons exuded demonic energy, and Daoists had mana fluctuations. Powerhouses like the True Dragon of Divine Land constantly radiated a subtle yet potent True Dragon force. At Huang Baifu’s level, very little could escape his perception.

These three, at most, seemed mentally unique.

Still, better to be cautious. Besides, he was the noble young master of the White Tiger clan—his name was known throughout Divine Land’s extraordinary world. Even if these three were unknown rogue cultivators unfamiliar with the extraordinary, if word got out that the White Tiger’s young master had been knocked out of the sky and lost an arm, that would be shameful.

He had his reputation to maintain.

“This is our first time seeing one,” Luo Qiu nodded calmly. “But as for becoming followers—no thanks. We already have jobs, so it’s not suitable for us to work for others.”

You Ye obediently took two steps back and stood behind Luo Qiu.

Not angry?

Huang Baifu noticed—was this deep self-restraint or simple indifference? He could tell… it was as if the man had just heard a joke and brushed it off.

But to remain so composed even after hearing “White Tiger clan”… could they really be just nobodies?

“This Mr. Wang Hu is thirsty—why don’t you all fetch some water?”

Luo Qiu gave the order, then looked at Huang Baifu with a smile. “We can’t accept employment, but there’s no problem traveling together for a while. I’d like to ask Mr. Wang Hu a few things about this place… no need for a reward. Just share your experiences here—as a form of exchange. We’ll probably be active here for some time, so it would help to understand the area.”

Huang Baifu felt like he’d just punched empty air. This guy was so level-headed, even continuing to act all tough and aloof felt embarrassing… He suddenly thought of that shameless old ghost—complete opposites!

“…Alright,” Huang Baifu—Wang Hu—nodded. “Since you’re unwilling, I won’t push it.”

“I’ll check nearby for water!” Da Zhe quickly offered.

It wasn’t for show—he knew full well that Miss Maid had tolerated Wang Hu’s rudeness to the limit. Asking her to fetch water too might just push her over the edge.

Boss was smart—he said “you all” instead of directly assigning it to Miss Maid… maybe that was a hint for him to take the job.

You Ye gave Da Zhe a kind glance. He grinned sheepishly and jogged off.

Wang Hu sat cross-legged.

He felt extremely weak—probably due to blood loss from losing his arm. He didn’t know how much tiger blood he’d lost, but he was clearly drained. Outwardly strong but hollow inside—just as the saying goes.

“I haven’t asked your name yet.”

Still maintaining his “dumb brute” persona, Wang Hu asked with a powerful voice after sitting down.

“My surname is Luo. The others are my shop employees,” Luo Qiu said with a soft smile.

“Oh?” Wang Hu replied casually. “They show you such respect—I thought they were your servants. Just employees?”

“Servants aren’t ideal,” Luo Qiu said gently. “Spending time together builds bonds. Once that happens, treating someone as a servant is no longer appropriate.”

Wang Hu didn’t respond—he noted that Luo Qiu hadn’t revealed much, just a surname. That wasn’t much to go on.

The man looked young, but his composure suggested he practiced a technique with anti-aging effects… Wang Hu nodded. “Then I’ll just call you Boss Luo.”

Respect goes both ways, and Wang Hu had no choice but to adjust his attitude.

Calling him “Boss” was no problem, and Luo Qiu accepted it with a smile.

“So, what exactly happened to you, Mr. Wang Hu?”

Wang Hu frowned and replied instinctively, “While scouting the gorge at night, both the Daoist and Demon parties got teleported to this place. I got separated from the main group. Then I ran into a shameless, despicable old ghost… never mind him. After that, something terrifying appeared!”

“Something terrifying?” Luo Qiu’s eyes sharpened.

He really didn’t know much about this place—of course, there was the option of buying information at the altar, but the cost-effectiveness was too low. See? As soon as he entered, he ran into Wang Hu, who could provide information for free.

Seems like his luck wasn’t all that bad… As long as he was willing to walk around and talk more, he could still gather useful intel.

“It was a little girl,” Wang Hu said seriously. “Though she looked like a young girl, she was more like some kind of weapon. Possibly a form of puppetry technique we haven’t discovered yet. That thing had unimaginable power—even I…”

Wang Hu shook his head and glanced at his severed arm, leaving the rest unsaid.

Still, as he came to his senses, Wang Hu was a bit surprised—he hadn’t intended to say so much, yet it all came out before he realized it.

It felt strangely natural to talk… a bizarre feeling indeed.

“Can you describe her more specifically?” Luo Qiu asked with a blink. “That thing… I mean, the girl.”

“Purple hair, purple eyes, looked about eleven or twelve, seemed capable of body transformation, and used some sort of strange force field.” Wang Hu thought for a moment, then picked up a stick from nearby. “I’ll just draw it for you.”

The stick scratched against the dirt with a rustling sound.

Soon, a delicate face was sketched on the ground. Surprisingly, this burly guy turned out to be unexpectedly decent at drawing—not lifelike, but it captured some essence.

The lifeless, cold face on the ground made Luo Qiu slightly part his lips in surprise after a careful look.

This was… Alaya?

No, Alaya had blue hair and blue eyes, but according to Wang Hu, this girl had purple hair and purple eyes.

“You… know her?”

Seeing Luo Qiu’s strange expression, Wang Hu frowned and couldn’t help asking, gripping the stick tightly.

Luo Qiu shook his head. “No. Just felt that this child looked a bit cold.”

Wang Hu observed Luo Qiu’s expression and replied flatly, “It’s not that I drew her this way on purpose. She really is like this—cold like a machine.”

“So it’s just a child after all.” Unexpectedly, Miss Maid smiled lightly at this moment and said, “Wang Hu, you were hurt by a little girl? She must be really dangerous.”

“Yeah… way too dangerous.”

Wang Hu nodded instinctively, then his face darkened as he realized what he just admitted. This woman… really knew how to rub salt in the wound.

Wang Hu felt like someone had just stomped on his pride—it hurt!

“So you’re saying your arm was cut off by that little girl too? What a misfortune.”

Miss Maid gave him an apologetic smile. “And you fell into this place mid-battle… meaning you don’t know what happened next, right?”

Shut up!!

He wanted to shout those words, but… Wang Hu’s heart still ached too much to speak.

Luo Qiu glanced at You Ye. Miss Maid tilted her head with a slight smile. Luo Qiu chuckled and said, “Go check on Da Zhe. He’s been gone for a while.”

“Alright.”

Miss Maid floated away gracefully, seeming to be in a rather good mood.

“Boss Luo, your employee has quite the sharp tongue,” Wang Hu muttered bitterly.

“She didn’t used to be like that,” Luo Qiu said softly, watching her leave. “She’s only become more lively recently. Don’t take it personally, Wang Hu.”

“Wang Hu… I was rude earlier. I hope Boss Luo won’t hold it against me.” Wang Hu shook his head.

Luo Qiu looked at this rough man with some surprise.

Wang Hu said, “I understand the principle of mutual respect. I may be crude, but I get it. You’re sincere and respectful. So I won’t put on airs in front of you.”

“What are your plans next?” Luo Qiu changed the subject.

Wang Hu wasn’t used to emotional topics either. He paused and said, “This place is dangerous, and its size is unknown. That thing now follows that shameless old ghost, making things even worse. Honestly, I don’t have a solid plan… but I should try to regroup with the Daoist and Demon folks. Since arriving, I haven’t seen any of them. By the way, what’s happening outside?”

Since being transferred here, Wang Hu had completely lost contact with the outside world. Given the commotion caused by the Spiritual Energy Pillar and the sudden disappearance of both factions, he figured the Management Bureau must be in chaos.

“The spread of strange phenomena seems to have been temporarily suppressed,” Luo Qiu replied. “I’m not exactly sure what’s going on outside. I don’t have much contact with either the Daoists or the Demons. I only came here for other reasons.”

Wang Hu nodded, temporarily believing him. Since Luo Qiu didn’t seem familiar with either group or show respect toward the White Tiger Clan, Wang Hu was more convinced that this guy probably stumbled upon a cultivation method by luck.

Still, Wang Hu didn’t ask about those “other reasons.” They weren’t familiar enough for that yet. His respect was just a natural response to Luo Qiu’s demeanor—not true admiration.

“I’ll meditate for a while.”

Wang Hu slowly closed his eyes. Luo Qiu made a casual gesture and closed his eyes as well.

This place was too quiet. Luo Qiu began trying to sense some living presence nearby.

…

…

Miss Maid was walking slowly through the forest—the scenery here was quite nice.

“Miss You Ye! Over here, over here!”

Da Zhe’s voice called from a dirt slope nearby, then he jumped down from above, holding a bunch of unfamiliar fruit in his arms and biting one.

Taking the half-eaten fruit from his mouth, Da Zhe chewed and said, “You came too?”

“Master asked me to check on you.” You Ye smiled.

Da Zhe nodded. “I didn’t find water nearby, but I did find a bunch of fruit. I picked some—sweet and refreshing, pretty good for quenching thirst. Want to try one?”

You Ye suddenly reached out and picked one from the bunch in his arms.

“Try it!” Da Zhe said honestly. “This place is clean—the fruit can be eaten right off the tree.”

You Ye just smiled. A black flash of light suddenly flickered in her hand, seeping into the fruit.

She returned the fruit to Da Zhe’s arms and said calmly, “Give this one to that tiger guy to quench his thirst.”

Da Zhe opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

“Is there a problem?”

“N-no…”

(End of Chapter)