A World That Judged By Their Looks

Ling Xiaoyue took a private notice from the announcement board.

The person who posted it was named Wang Fulai, a renowned local merchant, also known as the King of Alcohol. It was said that forty percent of the alcohol in Qingde City was supplied by Wang Fulai, making him a prominent figure.

Surprisingly, the post had nothing to do with the liquor business. Instead, it explained that the Wang family had recently been harassed by an evil spirit. Wang Fulai's only son, Wang Minghong, had nearly lost his life. With no other options, Wang Fulai had posted this notice, seeking help from extraordinary individuals.

Upon seeing Ling Xiaoyue holding this post, Fangzhou immediately understood what she meant by the secrets of how cultivators travel in the mortal realm. He immediately exclaimed, "This is your so-called secret?"

"That's right," Ling Xiaoyue nodded. "As cultivators wander through the world, they must not only refine their minds and bodies, but they also should exorcise demons to benefit the people."

Fang Zhou saw through her facade instantly: "Nonsense; you clearly just want to freeload."

Ling Xiaoyue smiled warmly and said, "You caught on fast. I'm testing you, and you're right. Not all cultivators are rich. We save money where we can. Some of us help by fighting demons, while others take from the rich to help the poor. That's the hidden side of our life."

Ling Xiaoyue's explanation shattered Fangzhou's fantasy of the cultivation world, leaving him exclaiming, "F*ck!"

"What did you say?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied.

Through asking for directions, the master and apprentice soon arrived at the Wang family's mansion.

As expected of a local magnate, two stone lions, as tall as a person, stood in front of the grand, vermilion door, which was even more magnificent than a government office.

There were many people, looking like merchants, waiting outside the door to meet with the Wang family. They were rudely stopped by the gatekeeper and could only secretly bribe him to send in a message.

Ling Xiaoyue handed the notice to Fang Zhou: "You go."

"Why should I be the one to go?" Fang Zhou discontentedly asked.

It wasn't him who wanted to freeload.

Ling Xiaoyue's eyes landed on Fang Zhou's face, and she smiled: "With a face like yours, it would be a waste not to use it."

Damn, she's planning to use his good looks.

Reluctantly, Fang Zhou took the notice and approached the gatekeeper to explain his purpose.

As expected, the female gatekeeper's attitude toward Fang Zhou improved significantly. She didn't ask for a bribe and went in to report their arrival.

It seems that in any world, appearances matter.

Soon after, a female steward came out and led the two into the Wang residence.

Her demeanor towards them was casual. She gave Fang Zhou an extra glance and then reminded both of them not to wander around, maintaining a lukewarm demeanor.

The steward took them to a side hall, where there was already a man and a woman.

The woman, in her forties, was wearing a Daoist robe, holding a duster, and sitting in a chair. She had a compassionate face and an otherworldly demeanor typical of a cultivator.

A young Daoist boy stood behind her, looking obedient and respectful. His appearance was ordinary, with a few freckles on his face.

"Master Ji."

The steward greeted the Daoist women first, then turned to Ling Xiaoyue and Fang Zhou: "Please rest here for now. I will arrange someone to bring you food. The master of the house will meet with you when she is available."

After saying this, the steward left. Ling Xiaoyue stretched lazily, then smiled at the Daoist woman and said, "Master Ji, is it? Nice to meet you."

Master Ji smiled warmly and bowed slightly, "It is a pleasure to meet you as well."

However, Fang Zhou noticed the Daoist boy standing behind Master Ji was giving them a scrutinizing look, which even contained a hint of hostility.

Fang Zhou was puzzled at first, but quickly realized that these two were also competitors.

He finally understood the steward's indifferent attitude and the immediate arrangement for a meal.

After Wang Fulai posted the notice, many people like Ling Xiaoyue, who have no shame, came to freeload. The Wang family has become accustomed to this. When someone comes, they directly arrange for food and drink. If the visitors were fraud, they might be kicked out before spending a night.

Soon, a servant brought up the food, which included a large plate of meat buns, a plate of dried meat, and a pot of wine. The meal was simple, but plentiful. The meat buns were steaming hot, and the wine was perfectly warm.

"Quick, eat it while it's hot," Ling Xiaoyue urged Fang Zhou to start eating.

This left Fang Zhou speechless, considering that he was carrying a huge sum of a thousand taels but still had to freeload a meal at someone else's house.

As Fang Zhou pondered where things had gone wrong, Ling Xiaoyue had already downed two large meat buns.

"Aren't you fasting?" Fang Zhou asked in surprise.

Throughout their journey, Ling Xiaoyue had barely eaten, drinking only wine. Her wine JUG seemed to have an endless supply; no matter how much she drank, it never ran out.

"Yes," Ling Xiaoyue replied, taking a sip of wine. She poured the rest into her own wine jug and continued, "You can't finish all of this. I'm helping you a bit to avoid waste. Wasting food is shameful."

Just as Fang Zhou was about to retort, he heard a scoff.

"Country bumpkins!"

Fang Zhou turned to look and found that the mockery came from the Daoist apprentice.

Seeing that Fang Zhou had noticed him, the apprentice seemed unfazed, instead displaying a disdainful look, as if he was looking at two newly arrived country bumpkins.

Master Ji had his eyes slightly closed, as if he were meditating, and showed no reaction to the apprentice behavior.

Fang Zhou, unaware of the duo's capabilities and not wanting to cause trouble, pretended not to hear. His gaze lingered briefly on the Daoist apprentice's average face, and he let out a soft chuckle.

Turning back, he found that Ling Xiaoyue had nearly finished a whole plate of buns, which instantly irritated him. "Leave some for me!" he exclaimed.

Seeing that Fang Zhou didn't dare to respond, the Daoist apprentice snorted with satisfaction. But he soon realized what Fang Zhou's soft chuckle meant—was he mocking his appearance?

The apprentice's expression twisted in anger as he glared at Fang Zhou.

This shameless wretch!

..

Wang Fulai felt extremely tired, with dark circles under her eyes that no amount of makeup could hide.

It wasn't because of troubles in her business, but due to a recent haunting that had disturbed her household's peace.

The trouble began a month earlier when her only son, Wang Minghong, suddenly fell ill. Despite consulting many doctors, his condition didn't improve. They claimed it was due to bodily weakness and excessive indulgence.

Wang Fulai swiftly started an investigation to find whoever dared to seduce her son. However, no culprits were found. Instead, she heard from servants that joyful noises occasionally came from her son's room late at night.

Upon questioning her son, Wang Fulai learned that he had met a beautiful woman while travelling a month ago. He had fallen for her at first sight, and the beautiful woman would mysteriously appear in his room every few nights.

With her extensive experience in business, Wang Fulai immediately recognized that her son was haunted by evil spirit. She promptly sought assistance from renowned cultivator in Qingde City, but it was all in vain. Instead, she lost the lives of several servants.

In desperation, Wang Fulai posted a reward notice, seeking help from extraordinary individuals.

The ones who responded to the notice, however, turned out to be frauds. They swaggered into her home to freeload, but when it mattered most, they did nothing except to provoke the evil spirit further.

Lately, the evil spirit had grown increasingly bold, treating the Wang residence like a marketplace. The household was on edge, and everyone was becoming nervous and frail.

Left with no other option, Wang Fulai continued to post notice while also sending someone to the provincial capital to seek skilled individuals, hoping for a miracle.

Today, Master Ji arrived. Reportedly a genuine cultivator from Qinghua Mountain, Wang Fulai knew she had to meet him.

Oh, and there was also a young man and woman, who, according to her steward, had come just to freeload under the pretense of being young and naïve. Clearly, they were up to no good.

Heavy-hearted, Wang Fulai made her entrance into the side hall. The moment she stepped in, her gaze instantly landed on Master Ji. True to the word, she radiated the remarkable aura of an illustrious immortal lineage.

Subsequently, Wang Fulai's attention turned to the pair who had had their fill.

As for appearance and demeanor, Ling Xiaoyue outshined Master Ji by a long shot. But after eating her fill, she carelessly leaned back and began picking her teeth audibly, showing not an ounce of the grace expected from a cultivator.

This made Wang Fulai frown, but after a few glances at Fang Zhou's face, she felt a slight sense of relief and decided to forgive these two freeloading youngsters.

After all, it was a world that judged people by their looks.

Fang Zhou was somewhat surprised to see Wang Fulai. He had originally thought that Wang Fulai was a man, but unexpectedly, this name belonged to a woman. Moreover, she had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and she looked very similar to a celebrity he knew back on Earth.

This almost made him blurt out: "Is this for real?!"

Fortunately, he held himself back.

But the woman, dressed as a cult leader, was quite an eyesore.