Chapter 52: Oh, How Terrifying! (Mass Update)

Su Yunyun paid no heed to their protests, snatching her own coin pouch back from the hands of the little beggars. She patted off the dust with distress and tucked it carefully into her bosom.

One of the beggar boys curled his lip. “It’s just a shabby purse. Look at how stingy you are! What, do you have a treasure map in there or something?”

Fuming, Su Yunyun raised her hand, ready to smack the boy, but Liu Ling’er hurriedly intervened. “It’s wrong to hit people. Just hand them over to the authorities and let the officials deal with it!”

At that, the beggar boys immediately protested. “You can’t turn us in! If our boss finds out, he’ll come looking for you one by one. Don’t blame me if you suffer for it—I warned you!”

Su Yunyun bent down, her tone mocking. “Your boss is that formidable? Oh dear, am I in trouble? Please, tell me what I should do, I’m ever so frightened!”

Though she feigned fear, Su Yunyun effortlessly lifted one of the beggar boys by his collar, showing she wasn’t the least bit intimidated by their threats.

A flicker of unease crossed the boys’ faces. By rights, their boss should have arrived by now. And besides, this girl was far fiercer than anyone they’d ever tried to intimidate—usually, a little bluster would get them off the hook, but she was relentless.

It was just their bad luck today; not in their wildest dreams had they realized Su Yunyun was actually a boy. Faced with this sort of trouble, he would never back down.

Perhaps the beggars’ silent prayers were answered, for a clear, ringing voice suddenly echoed from afar: “Who are you, daring to cause trouble in my Shrine of the Divine Consort? Release my people at once!”

Though the voice originated from several miles away, it seemed to carry straight into the temple by some mystical means, and before the last word had faded, a shadowy figure had already appeared at the temple entrance.

Liu Ling’er and Su Yunyun exchanged startled glances, horror in their eyes. Liu Ling’er thought, What incredible speed! How could anyone in the world move so fast? Even at the peak of my inner strength, I couldn’t manage half that speed.

In the blink of an eye, the beggar boy in Su Yunyun’s grasp vanished. Looking again, he was already in the newcomer’s arms. Su Yunyun was inwardly shaken to the core: Is this even human speed? If he’d attacked me just now, I’d have had no chance to defend myself!

Liu Ling’er peered closely, curious to see just what sort of person the beggars’ boss might be—and was utterly astonished to find that he, too, was merely a child of seven or eight, and seemingly the youngest of the lot.

She waved dismissively at the child. “So you’re their boss? You don’t look very old at all! Don’t your elders keep you in check? Stealing is wrong, you know.”

“Brat!” the little boy’s brows knit together, then he actually laughed. “Who are you calling a brat, little girl? I’ve lived for thousands of years! Even in Dongchu, I’ve had a lifespan of three hundred years. By age alone, you ought to address me as Great-Grandfather!”

Liu Ling’er and Su Yunyun stared at each other, their minds reeling. Su Yunyun lowered his voice. “Hey, kid, is something wrong with your head? Did you forget to take your medicine today?”

He tapped his temple and circled a finger, clearly suggesting the boy was crazy. The child rolled his eyes at Su Yunyun. “You’re the crazy one! In all these centuries, only the Empress Ma dared insult me. No one else is worthy!”

Liu Ling’er pulled Su Yunyun aside and addressed the child, “You say your name is Xu Junfang, and you claim to have lived for centuries. What are you, a vampire? Ordinary people can’t live that long. And if you’re so remarkable, why haven’t we ever heard of you? That doesn’t make sense!”

Xu Junfang seemed unsurprised by her skepticism. He glanced up at the shrine’s statue and sighed. “Those who know me are not of this world. I, Xu Fu—Xu Junfang—have lived too comfortably in this backward place. If not for a promise I made, I’d have traveled beyond Yunfeng and made my name known across the land.”

Liu Ling’er’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the child. “Did you say your real name is Xu Fu? The legendary Xu Fu who achieved immortality and sailed east to Japan? How did you end up here?”

If this was true, Liu Ling’er had finally found a kindred spirit. Though she couldn’t be sure the legends were accurate, at least they were from the same world—perhaps there really was a way to return to the modern era!

Xu Fu was momentarily stunned, then his face lit up with joy. “I can’t believe someone actually recognizes me! Ma Ling’er didn’t lie to me! Quick, tell me your surname!”

It really was him. Liu Ling’er felt the world had gone mad, but after all, if she could travel through time, what else was impossible? Following the principle of never changing her name, she answered honestly, “My surname is Liu.”

There was no reason to lie—facing a monster who had lived for thousands of years, Liu Ling’er thought it best not to provoke him. If she angered him, wouldn’t that be her own undoing?

“Is your name Liu Ling’er? Do you have a phoenix jade pendant?” Xu Fu asked urgently, his face alight with hope as he awaited her reply.