The masked man scratched his head, then clasped his fists and replied to Tuluo Cheng. "Reporting to the Military Advisor, this subordinate just held the tips over the flame and... they lit right away."
Recalling the earlier events, he reached into a small pouch at his waist and pulled something out.
Showing Tuluo Cheng a few pieces of braised chicken feet, he added, "After this subordinate prayed sincerely to Fairy Bai, her golden statue suddenly glowed, and these chicken feet appeared out of nowhere."
Tuluo Cheng’s brows furrowed as he slammed the table. "Impossible! There is no god in this world!"
Looking at his agitated looks, the masked man gently placed the remaining braised chicken feet on the table and said cautiously, "If you don’t believe me, Military Advisor, why not pray to Fairy Bai yourself tomorrow and see if it’s true?"
Hearing this, Tuluo Cheng clenched his fists so tightly that his fingers turned white. After a long silence, he rubbed his aching forehead and said, "I’m tired. You may all leave."
The masked men looked at each other for a second, then clasped their fists and bowed to him.
"Then, we will take our leave now," the leader said, and they quietly exited the room.
Left alone, Tuluo Cheng stared at the braised chicken feet for a long time before muttering stubbornly, "There is no god in this world."
The next morning, activity in Xiqiang City began even before the first sunlight broke through the eastern horizon.
Hearing the sounds of people greeting one another and children’s laughter coming from the outside, Tuluo Cheng woke from his light sleep.
Opening his eyes, he got out of bed and went to open the window. Looking outside, he saw commoners carrying buckets as they walked in the same direction.
Feeling curious, Tuluo Cheng put on his outer robe and went downstairs.
Seeing him coming, the servant who was wiping the table smiled and greeted him. "Good morning, customer. The soldiers haven’t brought the food yet. Please wait a moment. We will serve it as soon as it arrives."
Tuluo Cheng wasn’t in a hurry to eat, so he pointed to the people outside and asked, "What is happening outside? Where are those people going?"
The servant followed his gaze and smiled. "Oh, they are going to get the daily water supply."
Hearing this, Tuluo Cheng’s eyes flickered briefly before he asked again, "Where can I get some? I want to wash up."
The servant smiled and pointed toward the barracks as he explained, "Those people are heading to the barracks for drinking water. But if you want to take a bath, customer, you will need to go outside the west city gate. There is a small section of the river there where people usually go to wash clothes or bathe."
After getting the information he wanted, Tuluo Cheng placed a few copper coins on the table and said, "Thank you."
Seeing the coins, the servant gently pushed them back and politely declined. "Sir, we don’t use copper coins anymore. You can take them back."
Tuluo Cheng was a little bit surprised when he heard this. He pondered for a moment, then took the coins back and asked, "Since copper coins are no longer used, how do you trade with others?"
The servant chuckled and replied, "We trade using food, water, or other supplies. As long as both parties agree, the transaction is successful."
Hearing this, Tuluo Cheng thought, ’Since they no longer accept money, we can’t bribe them. As expected of Feng Xiyan. He is truly cunning.’
With that in mind, he nodded to the servant and said, "Thank you for telling me all this."
The servant chuckled and continued with his work.
After the brief exchange, Tuluo Cheng glanced at the elite soldiers standing by the main door of the inn and fell into deep thought.
A few seconds later, he walked to the door and said, "Sir, I want to take a bath, and then I would like to go pray to Fairy Bai in the temple. Could you inform General Tan for me?"
One of the elite soldiers standing at the entrance turned to him and replied, "I’m sorry, Military Advisor Tuluo. We are not allowed to leave our post. If you have anything to say, please wait for General Tan to visit you later."
When the elite soldier ignored him after that, Tuluo Cheng could only grit his teeth and return to his room indignantly.
While Tuluo Cheng was processing the new information he had just received, time passed slowly.
When the first ray of sunlight finally broke over the eastern horizon, Bai Hanyun’s sleep was interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing.
Stirring groggily, she reached out to grab her phone on the bedside table without opening her eyes. Answering the call, she sleepily said, "Hello? Who is this?"
A second later, a man’s voice came through the speaker. "Miss Bai, it’s me—Tan Hao. We just harvested a batch of vegetables yesterday. Would you like some?"
Bai Hanyun opened her eyes, sat up, and replied, "Yes. I want it all. Send them over to me."
Tan Hao chuckled at her answer and said, "Alright, I will arrange the delivery right away."
After hanging up the call, Bai Hanyun got up from her bed and went to wash up. Before long, she came out of the bathroom feeling refreshed.
Grabbing her keys, phone, and backpack, she headed downstairs.
Unlike her usual routine, where she would go straight to the backyard and pull out the antique mirror, Bai Hanyun went to the kitchen to make breakfast first.
As she walked past the dining table, she suddenly paused on her track.
Turning to look at the dining table, Bai Hanyun frowned slightly and muttered, "Huh? Where are the leftover braised chicken feet? I remember putting them here last night."
Scratching her head in confusion, she set her backpack, keys, and phone on the table, then walked into the kitchen.