âNow that weâre on topic, Sir Thirteen, how come you are here in Dan City?â After their initial joyous reuinion, the brothers soon became curious over why Ling Yue would be here in this remote region.
Regarding this Sir Thirteenâs background, the He Lao brothers had always been in the dark. The only thing they knew was that sheâs from a family of exceptional background and was likely a favored female confidante of North Qingâs Phoenix Lord.
Then thereâs the matter with the infamous Ghost Emperor. The relationship on that end was very messy, a topic the brothers didnât want to bring up on their dear life.
Ghost Sectâs master? Or a lady of a noble house? In their opinion, itâs simply too mysterious.
âI wonât deceive the two of you. Iâm here at Dan City because of a reassignment. Iâm the new Chief Alchemist.â Since Ling Yue wants to cooperate with the Treasure Cave, she figured its time she came out into the open and stop concealing her identity. Allies shouldnât keep holding back with each other, otherwise issues of trusts will form between the parties.
âHa! You are that âVicious Bitchâ from the capital!â He Lao San (third) exclaims like a child learning a great secret.
Poor He Lao Er (second), because of his younger brotherâs idiotic outburst, he nearly lost his grip on the teacup wet his crotch in the process.
Why is my younger brotherâs brain so damn slow sometimes? Vicious Bitchâ¦â¦ what the heck is that and is this the time to be saying something like that in front of the person? Glaring fire at the muscular dote, he really wanted to smack his young brother right now.
Getting dark lines running through her face, Ye Ling Yue had no idea she had such a nickname, When did I get such a name?
âSir Thirteenâ¦. wait no, itâs Princess Yue. Please donât blame my third brother, heâs not very good at watching his words.â The second elder awkwardly apologizes.
The nickname âVicious Bitchâ was something the common folks coined for her. At first it wasnât all that popular, merely a name usually used by her enemies at times. However, things all changed right after the crown prince incident. Rumors began to spread like wildfire, claiming itâs her who caused everything after the crown prince offended her.
And since Lan Ying Wu and the others wouldnât have the heart to mention it in front of her, the girl wouldâve most likely been kept in the dark forever until today where the elder had a slight slip of mouth.
âSecond Boss need not worry about it. Vicious Bitch is indeed a worthy nickname for what Iâve done.â Shrugging her shoulders, Ling Yue had no qualms about taking responsibility for her actions.
Whatâs more, her methods are nothing but little drizzles compared to what Hong Fang and his people have done over the years.
âThank you for not being offended Princess Yue. But then again, I gotta ask, is that Dan Dragon phenomenon in the sky and the rumor about an alchemist killing himself also related to you?â He Lao San (third) dives deeper with his questions.
âApparently it was I too,â Ling Yue continues to sip her tea calmly like its no big deal since she expected the brothers to ask her this.
Now it was the elders turn to be unsettled because they now realizes how true that nickname was â itâs no lie! Theyâve just been had by a girl young enough to be their granddaughter and even openly offered up their own heads on a platter with that vow of always being by her side!
âPrincess Yue, please donât blame me for being a busy body, but your actions are way too big this time. No matter what, this is still Dan City and not the capital, the kingâs might wonât be able to reach a place like this when itâs plagued with turmoil. And according to what we know, that Alchemist Wang is General Suâs men. You need to be careful.â He Lao Er offers his warning out of concern and goodwill.
âThe truth is I am also here today for that matter. Iâve only just arrived recently and have no information regarding the various forces and powers in play. About that General Su, what do you know about him?â Ling Yue went straight for the point without beating around the bush.
She had already inquired about that general from her godfather and that General Wolf Tiger. Sadly, the information in their hands were also limited, forcing her to come here as a last resort.
âThat Su Muâs (General Su) reputation isnât bad around here. Unlike the other garrison commanders, he doesnât differentiate between foreigners and locals, thatâs why we came here in the first place to set up shop. However, make no mistake, the man isnât as simple as he seems on the surface.â He Lao Er explains with a stern expression.
âI also know Su Mu isnât going to be easy to deal with. Iâve checked the books last night actually. From what Iâve discovered, a lot of the accounts have been tampered with and itâs likely the ones in my hands arenât even the real thing. I suspect itâs in Su Muâs hand and even some of the alchemists are working under his command.â Ling Yue was skeptical to begin with, now it only confirms her suspicion after getting the warning.
âIf Princess Yue trusts us enough then we can look for a way to sneak into the generalâs estate. Iâm sure there will be something we can use.â Picking up on the girlâs intent, He Lao San (third) cleverly offers up his help.
They are after all best known for their ability to steal. Sneaking into a manor at night would be simple for these specialized night thieves.
âThen I will have to trouble both elders to help me on this one. I also have one other thing to mention, Hong Fang and that Xia Hou Hong (crown prince) is now in the Northwestern Plains. Do be careful.â Though Ling Yueâs reminder sounded inadvertent and careless, itâs definitely intentional.
Sure enough, her plan worked and easily riled up the two elders. They are people that operate outside the law, royalty or nobility means nothing to them. In fact, if not for the high level of security in the capital, they wouldâve long ran off to repay the debt of being forced to relocate to this frontier.
While the He Lao brothers were steaming and ranting about how they will mess with Hong Fang and the prince, Ling Yue on the other hand was screaming delight in her heart. Anything to vex those people was a boon for her.
With her mission complete for the day, she soon changed back to her female outfit before returning to the Alchemist Hall.
âChief Yue, General Su is requesting your presence.â Two uninvited soldiers had blocked her path at the doorway.
So itâs finally here eh, Ling Yue sneers inside.
Doing as told, what awaited her at the generalâs estate was General Su himself and a dozen or so alchemists in the back, their faces all showing dissent and cheekiness at the sight of the girl.
âChief Yue, I heard you released a new notice today on the bulletin board. I believe the content is somewhat inappropriate, hence the reason why I called for you.â The generalâs tone can still be called polite, but the strong attitude cannot be misplace.
âGeneral Su must have made a mistake. I dare to ask, where was the notice posted?â Ignoring the strong front, Ling Yue was rather calm and relaxed in her reply.
âIt was attached to the bulletin board inside the Alchemist Hall.â Confused by the question, General Su couldnât understand why the girl would ask something so strange.
âThen thatâs it. The notice was posted inside the Alchemist Hall, making it the sole business of the Alchemist Hall. His Majesty the King assigned me to oversee the operations of the Alchemist Hall, meaning I have full custody of those who work there. Since these alchemists here wonât accept my authority then I will have to ask them to pack their bags and leave.â Without giving anyone a second to object, several assistants had come inside the meeting hall with dozens of parcels in hand.
Just like that, the cheekiness were instantly erased from these peopleâs faces and replaced with a horrified expression.