In the meantime.
On Xingbao Street, Ning Shiyue and Luo Xiyao passed by each other.
Luo Xiyao, who had been completely ignored, was instantly filled with rage. She turned around and caught up with Ning Shiyue, demanding loudly, “I called out to you—didn’t you hear me?”
“Who are you?” Ning Shiyue’s eyes sparkled with brilliance, her expression one of genuine puzzlement.
Ning Shiyue had long recognized this spoiled and overbearing young lady.
However, in light of what had happened at Qinghe Tower last time, Ning Shiyue had chosen to keep her distance from her.
“Never mind who I am! Let me ask you—did you or did you not buy a painting from some old man?” Luo Xiyao scrutinized Ning Shiyue closely.
Although Ning Shiyue didn’t quite match the description the old woman had given her, after searching for so long, Ning Shiyue was the only one who even vaguely fit the profile.
Maybe she really was the one who bought the painting, and she had simply changed her appearance to avoid being recognized.
“Painting? What painting?” Ning Shiyue looked genuinely confused.
When Ning Shiyue had first entered the black market, she had indeed run into a group of pushy merchants who tried to force people into buying their goods.
Among that group, it seemed like someone was selling paintings—but those people were far too persistent, so she hadn’t bought anything from them.
Seeing Ning Shiyue lost in thought, Luo Xiyao retorted, “You’re lying. You did buy a painting, didn’t you? You’re just too afraid to admit it!”
Ning Shiyue furrowed her delicate brows. This young lady was clearly picking a fight on purpose. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Could you please move? You’re blocking my way.”
“You… you… are you feeling guilty or something?” Luo Xiyao pressed on relentlessly.
“Did you forget to take your medicine before coming out?” Ning Shiyue really couldn’t make sense of Luo Xiyao’s logic, so she shot back with a sarcastic remark.
Just then—
Feng Qingran walked out of a nearby shop.
She spotted Ning Shiyue being blocked by Luo Xiyao and made her way over, speaking in a crisp voice, “Fifth Senior Sister, you’re here too?”
Hearing Feng Qingran’s voice, Ning Shiyue’s face lit up with surprise, and she immediately walked toward her. “Little Junior Sister, I’ve finally found you.”
Feng Qingran’s appearance made Luo Xiyao’s pupils contract slightly. Every move Feng Qingran made exuded an undeniable elegance and nobility—she matched the old woman’s description almost perfectly.
The only difference was that the woman back then had worn purple, while Feng Qingran was dressed in green.
Green robes?
Yellow robes?
Those two women she had encountered at Qinghe Tower back then—weren’t they wearing green and yellow?
It was just that their faces were vastly different from the two before her now…
Luo Xiyao took another look at Feng Qingran’s breathtakingly beautiful face, and the jealousy in her eyes was practically spilling over.
But how could there be such a coincidence in this world?
Luo Xiyao decided to go over and get to the bottom of it—after all, Uncle Zhong was still missing…
She walked up to them and demanded, “Have you two been to Qinghe Tower in Qingyun Prefecture?”
Feng Qingran and Ning Shiyue exchanged a glance, both choosing to remain silent.
“And you—hand over the painting you bought!” Luo Xiyao pointed at Feng Qingran, her tone bossy and commanding.
Smack!—
Ning Shiyue slapped Luo Xiyao’s hand away, then turned to Feng Qingran and said, “Little Junior Sister, this one seems a bit unhinged. Let’s keep our distance.”
Luo Xiyao was instantly furious and was about to snap back.
“Your token is glowing red,” Feng Qingran said, her beautiful eyes shimmering with light as she kindly pointed it out.
Luo Xiyao looked down and saw the token at her waist flashing red. Her expression immediately turned tense. Her master had warned her that once the token turned red, she had to leave the black market immediately—or else she would be trapped there forever.
After weighing her options, Luo Xiyao decided it was better to leave the black market first.
Just as she gripped the token and was about to recite “I wish to leave,” someone next to her suddenly bumped into her.
In that instant, the token flew out of her hand.
“No!” Luo Xiyao was horrified. Without the token, she wouldn’t be able to leave the black market.
The token flew toward the crowd, tumbling through the air back and forth, and within moments it was already several zhang away from her.
Many people stopped to watch, all wearing expressions that suggested they were enjoying the spectacle.
Luo Xiyao stared at the token flying farther and farther away, her face pale. She was filled with regret—was she really going to be stuck in the black market forever?
She tried to push through the crowded street to catch up to her token, but the people seemed to be doing it on purpose, all pressing together and refusing to make way for her.
Feng Qingran glanced up at the token flashing red. When the token glowed red, its owner had to leave within the time it takes half an incense stick to burn—otherwise, they would be trapped in the black market forever.
This was something everyone surely knew, yet seeing this, none of them made any move to clear a path. Instead, they deliberately blocked Luo Xiyao.
It seemed that the young attendant had been right—many people in the black market would go out of their way to stop others from leaving.
Watching the token drift further and further away, Luo Xiyao couldn’t help but sink into despair.
She deeply regretted bringing her master back to buy that painting. If it weren’t for that painting, she wouldn’t have been separated from her master!
With her master around, she would never have ended up in this situation.
The red light on the token grew increasingly intense, gradually turning into a deep brownish red. Once the token stopped flashing altogether, that would mean the five-hour limit was up.
Just as Luo Xiyao was sinking into utter despair and was about to give up—
A powerful wave of pressure swept toward the crowd, and the token that had been flying wildly through the air suddenly veered off course and landed in the hand of a white-haired old man.
