Chapter 62: Coming to Catch Them in the Act?

"This is..."

Lu Li looked at the millstone-sized iron cauldron in front of him, feeling somewhat puzzled.

"It's just a pot." The traveling merchant brushed the soot off his hands, and then pulled a huge spatula out from under his clothes.

"Didn't you buy out all my goods? There's a set of body-strengthening herbs inside. Using them with this pot and this spatula will yield even better results."

Lu Li raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see! A pot for medicinal baths..."

"No." The traveling merchant scrambled up onto the deer's back in a flurry of movement.

"Make sure you read the manual carefully later, and don't waste those herbs. It took me a long time to collect them, and I'm honestly a bit reluctant to sell them to you..."

A surge of joy welled up in Lu Li's heart, knowing that the increase in favorability was at work. He quickly nodded and expressed his gratitude.

"Thank you for the reminder."

Watching the red-robed traveling merchant tear through the void and depart, Lu Li took Alisa and found a hotel nearby.

"Sweet Honey Couple Hotel..."

Alisa slowly read the large characters on the sign, her face turning crimson.

True to form, her master said he didn't want to, but his body was being very honest.

However, Alisa didn't feel any fear or resistance because of this.

On the contrary,

she felt a sense of joy at finally being accepted.

It was just that...

Such things were a first for her as well, and she wondered if she would be able to satisfy Master Lu Li.

Lu Li had no idea Alisa had such a rich inner monologue.

Right now, his mind was entirely occupied with the desire to get some sleep (the genuine, innocent kind of sleep).

"This is the closest hotel. Let's make do and rest here for a bit."

"Yes, as Master wishes." Alisa nodded obediently, fully prepared to offer herself.

The two walked into the hotel side by side.

Little did they know that this scene happened to be witnessed by a group of passing survivors.

Unlike the ragtag group Lu Li had encountered earlier,

this group of survivors consisted almost entirely of women, every single one of them fully armed.

Although the leading woman was not clad in heavy armor, an air of capability radiated from her entire being.

Not only that,

among the crowd were three classmates whom Lu Li knew all too well—

Wang Chao, Ma Han, and Xu Xiao, who was wrapped tightly in a thick blanket.

"Fatty, my eyesight isn't great. Help me check if one of those two people who just went in was Lu Li?"

Ma Han made a face and poked Wang Chao beside him.

"Looks like him, but didn't Lu Li leave with that wealthy woman named Lin Qinfeng? Why would he show up here..."

Wang Chao scratched his head foolishly.

"Maybe they just look alike!" Seeing that Wang Chao missed his point, Ma Han reached out and poked him again.

Xu Xiao bit her lip tightly, remaining silent and not joining their conversation.

Instead, the leading woman turned around curiously upon hearing this and asked,

"You guys know those two?"

"It was too far away, couldn't see clearly." Wang Chao and Ma Han quickly glanced at Xu Xiao and spoke in unison.

The leading woman narrowed her eyes and looked at Xu Xiao.

"Xiao Xu, do you know those two? Are they friends of yours?"

Xu Xiao bit her lip even harder. After a moment of silence, she shook her head.

"Sister Wu, I couldn't see clearly either. They must just be strangers who look similar."

"So you don't know them." The lead woman, addressed as Sister Wu, nodded.

As if she had made up her mind about something, she turned to the people behind her and said,

"I'm going to go check out the background of those two survivors."

A warning immediately came from the crowd:

"Sister Wu, this is Song Siming's territory after all. We shouldn't stay here long..."

Before the person could finish speaking, someone else immediately interrupted:

"What are you afraid of? With so many of us, should we still worry about trash like Song Siming giving us trouble?"

"I saw that guy dragging a young woman into a couple's hotel; he doesn't look like any good. Could he be one of Song Siming's men..."

"Then isn't that all the more reason to go up and ask? We might even save that girl's life."

"Ask my foot, that little sister is definitely being forced. Didn't you guys see her face turn red with anxiety?"

"If you ask me, we should just charge right in and hack that guy to death..."

"But what if we kill someone on Song Siming's turf and he comes after us?"

"What's to fear? Our next stop is the sanctuary in the center of Yongcheng. By the time Song Siming reacts, he won't be able to find us anymore..."

The women chattered endlessly.

In their words, they had already sentenced Lu Li to death.

Sister Wu raised a hand, signaling everyone to quiet down.

"We're just checking out the situation. If that man really isn't a good person, I'll bring the girl back."

With just a single sentence, she completely unified everyone's opinions.

Ma Han grinned and sidled up to her:

"Sister Wu, it's too dangerous for you to go alone. Fatso and I will go with you!"

Wang Chao had a head full of question marks: "Huh? I'm going too?"

"Yes, Xiao Xu is coming too." Sister Wu nodded, giving Xu Xiao a meaningful look.

Xu Xiao opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately swallowed the words back down.

The four-person team set off immediately, quietly slipping into the Sweet Honey Couple Hotel.

As it happened,

Wu Siyuan—the very Sister Wu everyone referred to—

possessed a Platinum-grade innate talent called [Tracking].

This was a 'perception-type' talent extremely well-suited for finding people.

As long as Wu Siyuan pictured the target she needed to find in her mind, her talent would provide guidance, pointing her toward the general direction.

It was precisely because of this that Ma Han and the others chose to join Wu Siyuan's group.

After all, their primary objective was still to find their families and reunite.

The entire hotel was empty.

Thus, Wu Siyuan located the room where Lu Li was staying with almost no effort.

Pausing for a moment, she prepared to knock directly on the door.

However, before her hand could touch the wooden surface, a voice suddenly rang out from inside, interrupting her movement.

Girl: "Do we really have to do this right now? Can't we wait a little longer?"

Man: "No way, I can wait, but it can't! Hurry up and take off your clothes, it'll be too late if we delay!"

Wu Siyuan's delicate brows furrowed slightly, thinking to herself that something was indeed wrong. The hand she had extended clenched into a fist, intending to pound directly on the door.

Yet Xu Xiao, who had remained silent on the side, suddenly reached out and grabbed Wu Siyuan's sleeve.

She bit her lip, mist welling up in her reddened eyes.

"Forget it, Sister Wu, let's leave..."

"Leave?" Wu Siyuan realized something and said with a hint of heartache,

"We haven't even figured out that man's background yet. Why leave?"

"I know them." Xu Xiao closed her eyes as she answered, tears rolling down her face:

"That man is not a bad person. Let's not disturb them, let's go."

Hearing Xu Xiao say this, Wang Chao glared fiercely at Ma Han.

Seeming to feel that wasn't enough to vent his frustration, he reached out and pinched the soft flesh at Ma Han's waist.

Ma Han winced in pain, but unable to cry out, he could only shrink his neck and bear it, his face filled with the guilt of good intentions causing trouble.

"You're really not going in?"

Wu Siyuan asked to confirm while tilting her ear to listen.

The man inside seemed extremely impatient, continuously urging the girl to take off her clothes.

At the same time, the sound of clattering and crashing kept echoing outward.

It sounded like quite a wild affair.

"We're not going in."

Xu Xiao turned and walked away, as if having made up some kind of resolve:

"It's getting late, let's hurry to the sanctuary..."