Chapter 504: Fairy Fengya the Pawn

Ye Wenxin’s attention quickly shifted when she noticed how strange Liu City was. Compared to other places, the city felt overly bleak.

There were very few street vendors, and the food looked alarming. Most of it was barely cooked meat, still showing traces of blood. The texture was completely different from steak and hard to stomach.

However, the locals were eating it with relish, as if the raw meat was some delicacy. Losing interest in wandering around, Ye Wenxin asked a shop assistant for directions to Cosmos Academy.

The shop assistant’s face lit up with a broad smile when he heard her question. “Are you helping your child pursue education, madam?”

Ye Wenxin was about to tell him she was only fourteen years old but then remembered her disguise. She quickly nodded. “Yes, I’m here for my child’s education. I’ve heard that Cosmos Academy has an excellent reputation, and I’d like to check it out first.”

“Then you’ve made the right choice! Cosmos Academy is the finest academy in the world. See that tall building over there? That’s the academy’s library tower. It’s rumored to hold the most profound knowledge in existence.” The shop assistant pointed toward a distant tower outside.

The tower loomed dark and imposing, piercing through the clouds. If the shop assistant hadn’t pointed it out, Ye Wenxin would have thought it was some villain’s lair. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect it to be the library she was looking for.

Cosmos Academy was famous, and its library more so. It had existed for hundreds of years, housing countless books, and accumulating all important knowledge from across the realm. The subjects ranged from astronomy to geography, but the most important was a book known as the Heavenly Book.

This book was said to have its own consciousness. Aware of events over the past five thousand years, there was nothing it didn’t know. Every year, its reputation would draw in many. But few had the fortune to glimpse Cosmos Academy’s most valuable treasure.

It was from this Heavenly Book that Ye Wenxin hoped to find the answers she sought. However, as she looked at the demonic energy surrounding the library tower, she had a nagging feeling that the Heavenly Book was already destroyed.

Regardless, she intended to determine it with her own eyes. The shop assistant, full of enthusiasm, shared that the academy was currently recruiting new students.

The recruitment was in three days. A recent collapse that had taken the lives of a group of students had necessitated new enrollment. This official-sounding explanation made Ye Wenxin suspicious. She believed the demon must have devoured those students to nourish her strength.

Ye Wenxin asked more questions, and the shop assistant was eager to tell her all he knew. She was about to tip him with a spirit stone for the enjoyable conversation but suddenly remembered that Liu City prohibited entrance to cultivators. So that meant spirit stones couldn’t circulate here.

However, she had no silver coins either. Concealing her apprehension, Ye Wenxin contemplated leaving without paying. Just then, a man saw the shop assistant busying himself and quickly sat at the table.

Ye Wenxin frowned slightly, finding the man rude.

The overly friendly man asked her, “Madam, are you planning to send your child to study?”

Despite her bemusement, Ye Wenxin realized she was in someone else’s territory and could only nod in response. “Yes, my child has reached the age for schooling. Having heard of Cosmos Academy’s great reputation, I wanted to come and take a look.”

The man’s eyes sparkled with interest. “May I ask if it is a son or a daughter?”

“It’s a daughter.”

The man appeared even more pleased, which added to Ye Wenxin’s suspicion. However, acting as if she didn’t notice, Ye Wenxin explained her family situation to the man.

She said she had lands and houses. Her daughter was around thirteen years old and needed accommodation for her studies.

Each word seemed to delight the man, who finally chose to reveal his identity.

“I am actually a teacher at Cosmos Academy. My name is Wu Yong.”

“Is that so? No wonder you have that scholarly vibe.”

Ye Wenxin feigned surprise. However, after several glances at the man, she couldn’t find anything about him which screamed teacher. Instead, he seemed more like a professional human trafficker, specialized in delivering food to the kitsune.

“By the way, Madam, why isn’t the young miss with you?” Wu Yong finally asked the question.

Ye Wenxin smiled and explained that her daughter hadn’t come along this time. She felt a twinge of regret for not shrinking her body. It would have spared her the current awkwardness, and take her straight to the heart of the wolves’ den.

But now, she had to maintain a matron’s identity and find a substitute to act as her daughter.

Ye Wenxin’s gaze lingered slyly on Fairy Fengya. She found the perfect use for her pawn.

While Ye Wenxin silently calculated how to convince Fairy Fengya to play along, Wu Yong spiritedly introduced Cosmos Academy’s history. He wished Ye Wenxin would send her daughter there immediately.

Ye Wenxin only smiled wordlessly, prompting Wu Yong to continue.

“Ah, but there is one rule at Cosmos Academy. Once a child enrolled, they can’t leave until they have completed their studies.”

This was such an obvious trap that Ye Wenxin could see the conspiracy behind it. She acted as if she was deeply conflicted. After chatting for about one turn of an incense stick, Ye Wenxin finally agreed to bring her ‘daughter’ to visit the academy.

Wu Yong was overjoyed, and they arranged a time for her to bring her daughter. He even paid the bill on her behalf, saving Ye Wenxin from the awkward situation of skipping out.

Once Wu Yong left, Ye Wenxin took Fairy Fengya to a pawn shop. She sold a few pieces of jewelry in exchange for silver coins humans used, before leading Fairy Fengya to a clothing shop.

“Xiao Fengfeng, do you think this outfit looks good?” Ye Wenxin was picking out children’s clothing.

Fairy Fengya was unaware of her fate. She assumed Ye Wenxin was choosing clothes for Madam Yu’s child, Qiao Ni, and ignored her.

“Xiao Fengfeng, give me some feedback! Which one looks better, this one or that one?” Ye Wenxin was in an excellent mood.

Fairy Fengya finally opened her eyes, glanced at the two outfits, and said, “The black one.”

After hearing her answer, Ye Wenxin chose the pink children’s outfit. In one breath, she bought a variety of colorful clothes.

Fairy Fengya watched in silence.  She couldn’t understand why Ye Wenxin asked for her opinion only to choose the opposite of what she recommended…

Next morning, Ye Wenxin took Fairy Fengya out of the city again. They spent half the day in a nearby village, while Fairy Fengya grew more bewildered about Ye Wenxin’s plans.

That was until she watched her pull out those colorful clothes and start holding them up against her body.

For the first time, Fairy Fengya felt a strong sense of crisis. After some thought, she remembered Ye Wenxin’s conversation with the man called Wu Yong.

Ye Wenxin already had a disguise, so she couldn’t pass as her ‘daughter’. Now, Fairy Fengya seemed to be the perfect candidate. Not only did she know the Bone-Shifting Technique, but she was also Ye Wenxin’s only companion on this journey.