Chapter 616: Chapter 285 Mingxi Waterman

“Looking for someone… I think you’re here to look for a girl, aren’t you?”

Huang Xi leaned slightly against the half-height counter, her gaze like autumn waters, eyes brimming with teasing allure.

“Not looking for a girl, really looking for someone…” Zhou Xuan, in ‘work mode,’ had no spare time for idle chatter with Huang Xi. He urged, “I’m looking for Zhang Sheng, the one selling cloth shoes on South Street… You’ve got to hurry. My physical body at the other end is still dazed.”

The “Zhou Xuan” in the tea room was sitting with eyes closed, appearing to be in a trance-like state, as if divining something. If he didn’t return soon, Xu Qing would probably think he had fallen asleep.

“So, just looking for someone? Not a girl?”

“Of course. Am I the kind of person who… looks for girls? Ha! Let’s talk about that next time.”

“…” Huang Xi.

Hearing Zhou Xuan was looking for someone, Huang Xi called for the tea house’s “Big Tea Pot.”

“Big Tea Pot” also had another widely known nickname—Turtle.

“Boss, what’s up?”

“You, go inform the disciples to find a man named Zhang Sheng, the one selling cloth shoes on South Street.”

“Got it.”

Tea Pot responded briefly and sneaked out. When passing by Zhou Xuan, noticing Zhou Xuan’s gaze, he dared not say much and hurriedly left the “Four Xi Building” with his head down.

“Really matches the stereotype.”

From television in his past life, Zhou Xuan had seen “Tea Pots”—big burly men, broad and muscular. After all, they had to do rough labor and act as bodyguards for the building. Now that he saw one for himself, indeed, the man was built like a tower.

When Tea Pot disappeared, Zhou Xuan asked Huang Xi, “What’s the price for today’s service?”

Doing business naturally comes with a price.

Huang Xi reclined back in her chair, her right hand lazily resting on her knee, and spoke with a meaningful tone, “Finding someone? That’s our Huang Family’s specialty. The fee depends solely on the speed you require.

If you’re okay with taking your time, slow progress, two Jing Country notes will suffice.

But if you need it done quickly, time is of the essence—then naturally, the price goes up. Even two or three hundred Jing Country notes might not cover the cost.”

“What’s the fastest you can do?”

“Within ten minutes. The Huang Family’s intelligence network spans all of Mingjiang Prefecture, and the number of yellow weasels exceeds the human population. For a speedy information relay, we’d need to mobilize a quarter of the disciples, which is no small expense.”

Huang Xi still used her business-like tone.

Zhou Xuan directly proposed terms, “Your family elders all revere that so-called Buddha. Previously, I etched a Patching Robe for you.

The Patching Robe is an Alien Ghost with decent Buddha nature—but let’s be clear, it’s just a ghost, not a Great Buddha.

This time, I will ink for you a Green Robed Buddha tattoo.

The Green Robed Buddha, as you likely know, is the one and only Great Buddha under the Heavenly Dome.”

Upon hearing the words “Green Robed Buddha tattoo,” Huang Xi’s delight was barely concealed. Though she tried hard to restrain herself, the upward curve of her lips betrayed her excitement.

“Really?”

“Not just for this one deal.” Zhou Xuan negotiated further, “Finding someone who sells cloth shoes like Zhang Sheng in exchange for one Green Robed Buddha tattoo—what a steal it’d be.

The Green Robed Buddha tattoo is one of the highest-grade tattoos under the Tattoo Hall. Beyond being revered by your Buddhist disciples, it has other incredible applications.”

“Then what do you propose for this business?”

Huang Xi, intrigued and overheated with excitement, secretly vowed to secure the tattoo from Zhou Xuan.

With it, the Huang Family elders would pamper her, and her position within the family would rise dramatically.

“I want Dragon Seeking Incense. Seeking people will likely be a recurring need. Over the next ten days, Huang Family disciples will help me locate individuals, and in return, I’ll provide the Green Robed Buddha tattoo.”

“Ten days? That long?”

“If you don’t agree, I’ll go to someone else.” Zhou Xuan urged, “Spirits and monsters aren’t exclusive to the Huang Family. The Fox, Weasel, Hedgehog, Snake, and Rat Clans—Grey Sect’s rat spirit disciples outnumber yours. If I go to them, the information might be even faster.”

“Fine, fine, ten days it is!” Huang Xi wasn’t about to let the coveted tattoo slip through her grasp and agreed in a hurry.

“No backing out.”

“No backing out, no backing out. Our Huang Family disciples—every one of them is quick-witted and efficient. Unlike the Grey Sect disciples, sneaky and dull.”

Well, for a yellow weasel to call rats “sneaky,” you’re not much better yourselves.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll wait here for your news. Act quickly—I want all of Zhang Sheng’s information within ten minutes.”

“Consider it done.”

Huang Xi walked to the door. Extending her right hand, a small yellow flag appeared in her palm. Chanting softly as she waved the yellow flag vigorously, a yellow whirlwind stirred at the entrance of the “Four Xi Building,” spreading rapidly across various corners of Mingjiang Prefecture.

Once everything was set, Huang Xi returned to the hall and lowered her voice to Zhou Xuan, “Young Master, it’s a good thing I’m a Little Flag Officer of the Huang Family. I can mobilize quite a number of disciples. If you’d gone to someone else, they wouldn’t have been able to dispatch so many disciples in such a short time.”

“That flag in your hand—is it a Huang Family magical artifact?”

“A knockoff at best. The true artifact—the Old Flag—is with the Huang Family patriarch. Each of the five Wild Immortal Clans has a flag of a different color, each with its own unique ability.”

“An interesting object,” Zhou Xuan complimented.

…

The Huang Family, as one of the Five Wild Immortals, excelled in two particular domains. First was making money—for good reason, they were honored as the God of Wealth among the Wild Immortals.

The second was finding people. With their numerous disciples, all sharp and agile, in this case, Zhou Xuan’s request was fulfilled within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

A long, lean yellow weasel bounded into the hall, climbing up Huang Xi’s figure before perching on her shoulder, whispering continuously into her ear.