Chapter 4: Little Lady's Happy Date
Zhang Ruochen sat on the bluestone steps, his eyes tightly shut, his brows deeply furrowed. The pain in his mind was like ten thousand needles piercing simultaneously, causing his entire body to tremble uncontrollably.
This was the backlash from forcibly using the "Sword Heart Illumination" state. His mental strength was insufficient, and he had overexerted himself, causing his soul to suffer severe damage.
If it weren't for the fact that he had cultivated the "Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture" and possessed a powerful physique, he might have already collapsed into a coma.
"Damn it, I was too reckless."
Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the pain in his mind, and slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze swept across the surroundings, and he couldn't help but feel a bit dazed.
This was a completely unfamiliar street, lined with ancient-style buildings, and the pedestrians on the road were all dressed in strange attire. Some wore armor, some wore long robes, and some even wore animal skins, looking like they had traveled through time and space.
"Where is this?"
Zhang Ruochen's heart tightened. He clearly remembered that he had been in the Yunwu Commandery's Martial Market Academy, so how did he end up here?
Just as he was puzzled, a voice suddenly came from beside him.
"Hey, kid, are you alright?"
Zhang Ruochen turned his head and saw a middle-aged man with a full beard looking at him with concern.
"I'm fine." Zhang Ruochen shook his head, then asked, "May I ask, where is this place?"
"This is the Black Market First Class Hall's territory, the outer city." The middle-aged man replied.
Black Market First Class Hall?
Zhang Ruochen was slightly startled. He had never heard of this name before.
"Could it be that I've traveled through time again?" Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself.
He had already experienced a time travel, so he wasn't too surprised. But this time, he had clearly just used the "Sword Heart Illumination" state, so how could he have traveled through time again?
"Could it be that the 'Sword Heart Illumination' state triggered some kind of space-time passage?" Zhang Ruochen pondered.
Just as he was deep in thought, a delicate shout suddenly came from not far away.
"Hey, you over there, move aside!"
Zhang Ruochen looked up and saw a fiery red figure rushing toward him like a gust of wind.
It was a young girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a delicate and lovely face, but her temperament was extremely fiery. She was riding a strange beast that looked like a horse but not a horse, covered in fiery red scales, and its four hooves were wrapped in flames, charging straight toward him.
Zhang Ruochen's expression changed slightly, and he quickly dodged to the side.
But the girl's riding skills were clearly not very good. Seeing Zhang Ruochen dodge, she panicked and pulled hard on the reins. The strange beast neighed, its front hooves raised high, and then crashed heavily to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Zhang Ruochen was choked by the dust and couldn't help coughing a few times.
The girl jumped down from the beast's back, walked up to Zhang Ruochen, and looked him up and down, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
"Hey, you're pretty fast, huh?" The girl said with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly, not saying anything.
Seeing that he ignored her, the girl wasn't angry. Instead, she became even more interested and circled around him twice, sizing him up.
"Interesting, really interesting. I've been in the outer city for so long, and this is the first time I've seen someone who can dodge my 'Little Flame.'" The girl said with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen still didn't speak, just looked at her calmly.
The girl was a bit annoyed by his stare and pouted, "Hey, I'm talking to you, why aren't you saying anything?"
"What do you want?" Zhang Ruochen finally spoke, his tone indifferent.
"I want to... hmm..." The girl thought for a moment, then suddenly clapped her hands and said, "How about this, you be my follower, and I'll take you to have some fun, how about that?"
"Not interested." Zhang Ruochen turned and was about to leave.
"Hey, don't go!" The girl quickly grabbed him and said, "I'm not done yet. Do you know who I am? I'm the little princess of the Black Market First Class Hall. If you follow me, you'll have plenty of good things to eat and drink, and you won't suffer any loss."
Zhang Ruochen stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at her, a hint of a strange expression flashing in his eyes.
"Black Market First Class Hall? Little princess?" Zhang Ruochen murmured to himself.
Seeing that he seemed interested, the girl immediately became spirited and said, "That's right, I'm the little princess. My father is the hall master of the Black Market First Class Hall. As long as you follow me, no one in the outer city will dare to bully you."
Zhang Ruochen was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Do you know where the 'Space Teleportation Array' is?"
"Space Teleportation Array?" The girl was stunned, then shook her head and said, "I've never heard of that. But if you want to find something, you can ask my father. He knows a lot."
"Take me to see him." Zhang Ruochen said directly.
"Ah?" The girl was startled, then quickly shook her head and said, "No, no, my father is very busy and doesn't have time to see you."
"Then forget it." Zhang Ruochen turned and left again.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't go!" The girl hurriedly chased after him and said, "How about this, I'll take you to find someone who knows about the Space Teleportation Array, but you have to promise me one condition."
"What condition?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Promise me first, then I'll tell you." The girl said slyly.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at her, then said calmly, "If you don't say it, then forget it."
"You..." The girl was so angry she stomped her foot, but had no choice but to say, "Alright, alright, I'll tell you. The condition is that you have to go with me to a place."
"Where?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Happy Date." The girl said with a smile.
"Happy Date?" Zhang Ruochen was puzzled.
"That's right, Happy Date. It's a very fun place. I've heard that many interesting things happen there. I've wanted to go for a long time, but my father won't let me. This time, I finally sneaked out, so I have to go have some fun." The girl said excitedly.
Zhang Ruochen was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go with you."
"Really? That's great!" The girl jumped up happily, then grabbed Zhang Ruochen's hand and ran forward, saying, "Come on, come on, I'll take you there."
Zhang Ruochen let her pull him along, a hint of deep thought flashing in his eyes.
This Black Market First Class Hall seemed to be a force with considerable influence in this area. Perhaps he could find some clues about the Space Teleportation Array here.
As for the "Happy Date" the girl mentioned, he was also somewhat curious. Maybe he could gather some useful information there.
The two of them walked through the streets, passing through bustling crowds and rows of shops, and finally arrived in front of a magnificent building.
This building was extremely luxurious, with golden tiles and jade walls, and the door was decorated with colorful lanterns and streamers, looking very lively.
"Here we are, this is Happy Date." The girl said excitedly.
Zhang Ruochen looked up and saw three large characters written on the plaque above the door: "Happy Date."
These three characters were written in a flamboyant and unrestrained style, exuding a seductive charm.
"Let's go, let's go in and take a look." The girl pulled Zhang Ruochen and walked inside.
As soon as they entered the door, a burst of music and singing assailed their ears. The hall was filled with all kinds of people, some drinking and having fun, some dancing, and some whispering to each other, creating a scene of debauchery and pleasure.
"Wow, it's so lively!" The girl's eyes sparkled as she looked around, full of curiosity about everything.
Zhang Ruochen, however, frowned slightly. He didn't like this kind of place.
Just as they were looking around, a waiter suddenly came up to them, smiling obsequiously, and said, "Two guests, would you like to go to the private room upstairs?"
"Private room? Sure, sure, take us there." The girl said without thinking.
"Please follow me." The waiter led the way.
The two followed the waiter up the stairs to the second floor and entered a elegantly decorated private room.
"Two guests, what would you like to order?" The waiter asked respectfully.
"Bring us your best dishes and the best wine." The girl said generously.
"Yes, yes, right away." The waiter responded and then withdrew.
After the waiter left, the girl sat down on the soft couch, looking very comfortable, and said, "This place is really nice, much better than staying at home."
Zhang Ruochen sat down across from her, picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and then asked, "You said you would take me to find someone who knows about the Space Teleportation Array. Where is that person?"
"Don't rush, don't rush. Let's eat and drink first, then we'll talk." The girl said with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen put down the teacup, looked at her, and said nothing more.
Soon, the dishes and wine were served, filling the table with a rich aroma.
The girl didn't stand on ceremony and started eating and drinking heartily, looking very happy.
Zhang Ruochen, however, only drank tea quietly, not touching the food or wine.
"Hey, why aren't you eating?" The girl asked, puzzled, while chewing on a chicken leg.
"I'm not hungry." Zhang Ruochen replied calmly.
"Not hungry? Then have a drink. This wine smells really good." The girl pushed a jug of wine in front of him.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said, "I don't drink."
"Tsk, you're so boring." The girl pouted, then continued eating on her own.
Just as the two were talking, the door of the private room was suddenly kicked open, and a group of people rushed in, led by a young man in luxurious clothes, looking arrogant and domineering.
"Yo, isn't this the little princess of the Black Market First Class Hall? What a coincidence, running into you here." The young man said with a frivolous smile.
The girl put down the chicken leg in her hand, wiped the oil off her mouth, and said impatiently, "Shang Zihong, what are you doing here?"
"I heard you came to Happy Date, so I came to keep you company." Shang Zihong said with a smile, his eyes sweeping over Zhang Ruochen, a hint of malice flashing in them.
"Who needs your company? Get lost!" The girl said angrily.
"Don't say that. We're old acquaintances after all. Since we've run into each other, why not have a drink together?" Shang Zihong said as he walked toward the girl.
"Don't come any closer!" The girl stood up, a hint of panic in her eyes.
Shang Zihong, however, ignored her and reached out to grab her.
Just then, a figure suddenly stood in front of him, blocking his way.
"Who are you? Get out of the way!" Shang Zihong said coldly.
Zhang Ruochen looked at him calmly and said, "She said she doesn't want to drink with you."
"Ha, where did this reckless fool come from? Do you know who I am? I am the young master of the Shang family. If you know what's good for you, get lost immediately, or else..." Shang Zihong said threateningly.
"Or else what?" Zhang Ruochen asked lightly.
"Or else I'll make you regret it!" Shang Zihong said, waving his hand, and the group of people behind him immediately surrounded them.
The girl's face turned pale with fright, and she quickly hid behind Zhang Ruochen, saying, "Zhang Ruochen, be careful."
Zhang Ruochen, however, remained calm, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Interesting."