Chapter 603: Something about the Young Ghost Emperor
They found an inn and took a short rest there. Then Ye Lingyue and Lan Cai’er asked the inn owner about the whereabouts of the alliance. After that, they headed for the alliance together with Little Squeak.
On their way, they met a great many mercenary soldiers.
According to the inn owner, the number of customers at the inn had increased dramatically since Qiankun Zijin Bamboo was found in Zizhu Mountain.
Some of them were mercenaries while others were alchemists or even people dressed like followers of sects and factions.
When Ye Lingyue and Lan Cai’er were walking across the street, there were two men looking at them from a room on the top floor of the biggest restaurant in the City of Mercenaries.
These two men were sitting together, in startling contrast to each other.
One of them was in his 20s. He had a handsome face with long eyelashes and bright star-like eyes.
His attire was also exquisite. The long silk-like hair was combed nicely. He was as elegant as a prince with a high-quality jade belt around his waist and a fan in his hand.
Such a person would surely draw great attention on the streets of the City of Mercenaries.
The other man was almost at the same age as the elegant one, but his appearance and attire were much poorer.
He had an ordinary face, a face that could be seen everywhere on the street. Worse still, there was a long centipede-like scar from his left ear to his chin.
It was this scar that made the man look much scarier.
But even such a man had two marvelous eyes.
The color of the two amber eyes could turn from light to dark with the changes in mood. They looked like two deep ponds of water and could not be seen through.
“We have followed them all the way. If you really worry about the girl, you can just show up. Why do you have to act in such a stealthy manner? For your sake, I have left behind the affairs of Yan City and come here to serve as a mercenary soldier.” The elegant man glimpsed at the two figures who had already disappeared on the street, curling his lips.
“Who is the real leader? You or me?” The ordinary-looking man sitting on the opposite side looked at the elegant man with dissatisfaction.
“Of course you. Wu Chong, do you really like the young girl who hardly has any experience? It may make sense for Feng San with that temper. When do you develop such a poor taste?” The elegant man was no other than Yan Jiu, the silver-faced governor of Yan City No.9.
But no one expected Yan Jiu, the third most powerful figure of the Underground Palace whose fame on the continent was second only to that of the Ghost Emperor Wu Chong, was a handsome-looking nobleman after taking off his mask.
Yan Jiu was also one of the few on the continent who knew that Feng Shen and Wu Chong were the same person.
The place where Yan Jiu and Wu Chong met each other for the first time was exactly the City of Mercenaries under their feet.
No one would imagine that the Ghost Emperor Wu Chong who could do anything on the continent had been a mercenary soldier at the very beginning.
At that time, Wu Chong was not called the Ghost Emperor and he did not wear the golden mask covering his appearance.
When Wu Chong was registering at the Alliance of Mercenaries, he met Yan Jiu who had just left home and prepared to do something.
At first sight, Yan Jiu marveled at the appearance of Wu Chong at a young age. The former had even mistaken the latter for a gorgeous female soldier. Yan Jiu could not resist the charm of Wu Chong and followed him all the time praising his good look. Yan Jiu was so brazenfaced that he even tried his best to form a team with Wu Chong.
Wu Chong had no option but to form a team with Yan Jiu who was always pestering him.
Later, when Yan Jiu knew Wu Chong was a man, he was disappointed for a long while. Considering that they two had cooperated for long and established fairly good friendship, he made do by accomplishing tasks together with Wu Chong all along.
In one task, Yan Jiu was ambushed due to false information. At that time, Wu Chong suddenly appeared and risked his life to save Yan Jiu.
Yan Jiu survived but Wu Chong was also seriously injured. Due to the injury, Wu Chong suffered a relapse of typhoid fever and changed back into Feng Shen. This revealed his secret to Yan Jiu.
Yan Jiu was grateful to Wu Chong and followed him ever since. It was when Wu Chong’s excellent martial skills, Feng Shen’s talent in operation and Yan Jiu’s tactful strategies were combined that the Underground Palace was able to develop into the most powerful evil force on the whole continent in just several years. For this, Yan Jiu had even severed his ties with his family.
Later, Wu Chong and Yan Jiu earned great fame on the continent and they were forced to put on masks.
Then no one remembered their past when two young men earned a living in the City of Mercenaries bravely together.
Recalling the past, Yan Jiu had mixed feelings. His encounter with Wu Chong had completely changed his life!
“I just like her. Any problem with that?” Wu Chong’s gaze sent shivers down the spine of Yan Jiu.
“I dare not. I am just a follower of you and Feng San, and I rely on you for a living. I will never go against your will. But are you really prepared to protect the little girl with this face? You two are really like birds of a feather. No wonder you attract each other. What a peculiar couple!”
Yan Jiu saw clearly how Ye Lingyue changed her pretty face into a pitch-dark “ink slab”. She should have treated herself better.
Wu Chong had taken off the silver ghost face and asked Yan Jiu to buy him a lively human face at a high price.
The face was exactly the same as the real human face in terms of both feeling and appearance.
Yan Jiu glimpsed at the disgusting face of Wu Chong. He had to admit that he was a face-judger, always like beautiful ones. That was why he grouped with handsome Wu Chong early on. Now the face of Wu Chong really looked strange and unfamiliar.
“Bullshit. If you have nothing to do, you can just report for duty at the Alliance of Mercenaries.” Wu Chong was somewhat annoyed. Yan Jiu was a man with double faces!
When facing a number of envoys in Yan City, Yan Jiu put on a look of a cool governor. After leaving Yan City, however, he took off the mask and revealed the characteristics of a real playboy.
While the two were talking, Ye Lingyue and Lan Cai’er arrived at the Alliance of Mercenaries.
“Is this the Alliance of Mercenaries? How come it looks like a restaurant?”
Lan Cai’er looked at the building before them in puzzlement. If she had not seen a large number of mercenaries moving in and out, she would certainly take this place as a restaurant.
When Ye Lingyue and Lan Cai’er were at a loss, a smart-looking young man moved closer.
“Ladies, are you green hands? Here you just need to spend 100 liang (a unit of money, equal to 120 yuan nowadays) to be registered as mercenaries and undertake all kinds of mercenary tasks.”