This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Chapter 119 A Charlatan

Just like a coin has two sides, Yong'an also has two sides. When Xiao Xingchen first stepped onto the other side, even though he was somewhat prepared, his heart still skipped a beat.

At the end of the passageway were numerous interconnected corridors, each only about one person high. An average person could touch their head while standing, and anyone slightly taller would have to bend over to walk.

"These are the roads of this underground city. After passing through these passages, you'll find commercial and residential areas, where the space is more spacious and won't feel suffocating."

Ruoxue noticed his question and walked ahead, explaining from time to time.

How do the people here make a living?

"Feed,"

"What's the meaning,"

"It's about picking up the garbage left over by the people above. Do you know why it stinks so badly here? It's because all the garbage that can't be disposed of above is thrown down a manhole, and the scraps of food in that garbage are the only hope for the people here to survive."

Ruoxue's words left Xiaoxingchen feeling somewhat choked up. Now he understood that the living environment in this anthill was extremely harsh. The people above Yong'an City didn't consider the people here as human beings at all. Perhaps in their eyes, the people here were no different from animals.

"We're almost there. This is the last safe haven I've made for myself. If I'm ever hunted down by my enemies, I plan to hide here. Now that you know, if you leak this out, I'll definitely kill you."

Will many people come here to seek refuge?

"Yes, the anthill is just like a real anthill. Although life here is very difficult for the people, the complex terrain has also made it a refuge for many heinous criminals."

Xiao Xingchen understood. This terrain was indeed a good place to hide, but it also meant that the people here were a mixed bag, including not only convicted criminals and refugees, but also wicked individuals who had committed serious crimes.

"Why did you bring me here?" he couldn't help but ask the question that had been on his mind.

"I'm bringing you to safety. Once we're here, they won't scold you anymore. Don't you like peace and quiet?" Ruoxue replied with a smile.

“But we have many ways to get out of here. It’s not easy to get out now. I have to attend Chen Haoran’s promotion banquet tonight. I can’t stay here forever, can I?”

"You do not trust me?"

"No, if I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have followed you in."

"That settles it. I wouldn't hurt you. Or are you missing your little mute wife?"

As Xiao Xingchen gazed at Ruoxue ahead, his doubts only deepened, becoming more gloomy. He truly disliked this place; it was like hell, forcing him to see things he had never dared to look at before.

Faced with a cruel truth, a person's instinct is to hide, and it is precisely here that the truth about human existence is so starkly revealed.

In a place devoid of the constraints of good and evil, morality, and law, the inherent evil in people's hearts will be amplified.

Imagine having to scavenge scraps from other people's food around a large well every day, panning for gold in the dung. What a cruel scene that would be! The elderly, women, and children would have almost no hope of survival there. In a world where the strong prey on the weak, anything can happen.

As they emerged from the passageway, a growing commotion gradually arose. Xiao Xingchen guessed that this was likely a gathering place.

Sure enough, after exiting the passageway, a huge space appeared before him. This space was oval-shaped and as tall as a thirty-story building, filled with facilities such as restaurants, shops, stalls, and a flowing river. Although small, it had everything he needed.

"Didn't you say the people here live by feeding animals?"

"People are divided into different classes, even here,"

Ruoxue responded calmly, then grabbed Xiaoxingchen's shoulder, leaped down, and landed in front of a long-uninhabited thatched hut.

"This is the place. Let's stay here for now and go out once things calm down."

Ruoxue turned and smiled, then walked straight in, closing the door behind her and leaving him alone, staring helplessly at the surroundings.

Just then, an old fortune teller appeared out of nowhere, dressed in rags, behind Xiao Xingchen.

"Hey, new guy? Want your fortune told? I see you have a peculiar destiny; it seems you're facing some bloodshed soon. Since it's your first time here, I'll give you a 20% discount, only nine coins. How about that?"

"How much was it originally?"

"Ten coins for one divination,"

Xiao Xingchen was exasperated. What the hell is this 20% discount? Can't this guy even do math?

However, he didn't say it aloud; it was better to keep a low profile when first arriving in a foreign land. He ignored the comment and walked straight into the courtyard.

At this moment, Ruoxue also opened the door and came out, but in the blink of an eye, Ruoxue had changed her clothes.

"That's more convenient,"

Ruoxue was dressed in men's clothing this time, and even her hair was messy.

Why are you wearing men's clothes?

"It's a habit, do you even need to ask?"

Ruoxue's answer left him stunned. Was it really that simple? For some reason, his intuition told him that Ruoxue bringing him here wasn't so simple.

"Fortune telling! Fortune telling! No money back if it's inaccurate! No money back if it's inaccurate!"

The fortune teller hadn't left yet; he was already shouting into the house through the gate. Ruoxue, seeing a fortune teller, waved him over.

"Fortune teller, come here, tell his fortune."

"I won't do it," Xiao Xingchen immediately refused. You can't even do basic accounting, why would you ask someone like me to tell fortunes? Are you bored?

"It must be calculated, it absolutely must be calculated."

"What the hell? If you're really that free, just send me out. I have a lot of things to do."

"No, I'm not afraid to tell you, you can't get out of here,"

Ruoxue's words startled Xiao Xingchen, and his expression instantly turned ugly. He knew it wouldn't be that simple.

Ruoxue seemed to realize she had said the wrong thing and quickly changed the subject.

"You're one, right? I wouldn't lie to you, would I?"

At this moment, the fortune teller walked in. Only then did Xiao Xingchen notice that the fortune teller was disabled; the old man was missing his right leg and his left hand.

He was walking with a cane in his right hand, muttering to himself as he went.

"The ways of Heaven are vast and unfathomable; mortals set up restrictions. How can a mayfly possibly comprehend the workings of Heaven and Earth?"

"A charlatan," Xiao Xingchen scoffed, having absolutely no interest in fortune telling.

"Hehe, young man, your vision is still narrow. Seeing me is like a frog at the bottom of a well looking up at the moon. When you one day reach beyond the stars, seeing me will be like a mayfly seeing the blue sky."

"How dare you boast like this, old man! You can fool others, but you've miscalculated. I believe in my own destiny, not in the hands of heaven."

Xiao Xingchen looked annoyed. He was blaming Ruoxue, and also blaming himself for falling into Ruoxue's trap. With so many things waiting for him outside, he didn't have time to waste here.

Putting everything else aside, if it really comes down to fortune telling, isn't Daji better than this old man? The Demon Emperor is right beside her, and she finds a crippled guy to tell her fortune, and he even speaks so arrogantly to her. No wonder he doesn't have anything nice to say to her.

"interesting,"

Far from being angry, the fortune teller limped in, even more energetic than before.

"Hey girl, give me a hand, put this thing outside your door."

The old man tossed a Bagua compass to Ruoxue. Upon recognizing the compass, Xiao Xingchen was startled; it was the innate Bagua of China. So it was here too!

His doubts deepened once more. He thought to himself, "Fine, let's see what this old man is up to. The Chinese innate Bagua has appeared; I want to know where this thing comes from."

"Okay, I'll go put it away."

Ruoxue gestured for Xiaoxingchen to calm down, took the Bagua plate and set it aside, while the fortune-telling old man stood in front of Xiaoxingchen, staring at him intently.

His gaze seemed to be directed at a naked woman, making him extremely uncomfortable.