Wen Zixing looked over and saw a group of merchants escorting their goods down the street. They had already passed him, so he only caught a glimpse of their backs.
“Do we know them?” He muttered, unable to remember if he had seen these people somewhere.
Lu Yaoyao reminded him, “Didn’t you recognize them? They’re the same merchants we saw in Luotian City.” At first, she hadn’t paid much attention to the passersby. But when she casually glanced at them, they seemed somewhat familiar. Her sharp memory quickly matched them to the merchants she’d seen in Luotian City. After watching a bit longer, Lu Yaoyao realized she’d seen several groups of merchants from Luotian City.
“Really?” After Yaoyao pointed it out, Wen Zixing thought they looked familiar too, but he couldn’t be sure.
Chao Muxue and Du Qianshan discreetly observed as well. “I don’t really remember. Do they look familiar?” They had seen so many unfamiliar faces over the past few days that those without distinctive features hadn’t left a lasting impression. However, by paying attention to the style of clothes and such, they could somewhat recognize the merchants.
“After the auction in Luotian City, did these merchants pass through Moxuan City too? That’s quite a coincidence,” Chao Muxue remarked.
“It’s not just one group of merchants. I’ve seen several groups with familiar faces,” Lu Yaoyao added. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have found it strange and paid more attention to her surroundings.
Only then did Yan Zihui notice, thinking it was quite a coincidence.
Suddenly, Du Qianshan suggested, “Could it be that Moxuan City is about to hold an auction?”
“We haven’t heard any talk about an auction in Moxuan City,” Lu Yaoyao said, looking at her friends for confirmation. They all shook their heads, indicating they hadn’t heard anything either.
Yan Zihui had already thought of a possible reason, but since he didn’t have any solid information, he didn’t share it. Instead, he said, “I’ll go ask around.”
Lu Yaoyao and the others were very interested to see how he would gather information and decided to stick with him. Unable to shake off the nosy little followers, Yan Zihui resigned to his fate and led them to the gate of a house in the western part of the city.
Yan Zihui knocked on the door, and after a short while, a sleepy-looking young man answered, yawning, “Who is it?”
The man lifted his eyelids and, seeing it was Yan Zihui, exclaimed, “Well, well, a rare guest! No wonder the magpies wouldn’t stop chirping today—turns out we have an esteemed visitor. You’ve truly brightened up my humble abode!”
Yan Zihui stepped inside, “When did you get so good with words?”
“Business isn’t doing well these days, you know. Gotta throw in some extra flattery.” The man yawned lazily and shut the door, then noticed the line of followers trailing behind Yan Zihui, instantly piquing his interest.
“So these are your legendary junior brothers and sisters?”
Yan Zihui beamed with pride. “Of course. Guys, let me introduce you. This person goes by the name ‘Young Master Baitong,’ a gossip connoisseur.”
“Hello, junior brothers and sisters,” Baitong greeted them, then rolled his eyes at Yan Zihui. “Gossip connoisseur? Do you think just any gossip is worth my attention? Call me Baitong the Know-it-all.”1
His gaze then fell on Lu Yaoyao, eyes lighting up. “And this must be the esteemed daughter of our Dao Venerable!”
“Hello, Senior Brother Bai.”
“Ah, hello!” Baitong rubbed his hands together. “You can just call me Brother Baitong.”
Lu Yaoyao smiled politely, but before she could respond, Yan Zihui interjected with a look of disdain. “Don’t even think about cozying up to my junior brothers and sisters under my watch.”
As the group, led by Baitong, entered the main hall, Yan Zihui casually took a seat.
“Junior Sister Yaoyao, have a seat. The kitchen just made some pastries—they’re delicious. Have a taste, have a taste,” Baitong said, completely ignoring Yan Zihui’s words as he busied himself around Lu Yaoyao.
Lu Yaoyao shyly thanked him. Wen Zixing and the others didn’t mind being ignored; instead, they were surprised. “Have we already become so famous?”
Although they often bragged about their fame, it had always been just talk. Now that someone else was saying it, they felt both embarrassed and curious. Had they really become famous? But they had never done anything noteworthy!
Baitong responded, “In the Cultivation Realm—or rather, across the entire continent—who doesn’t know your names now?” Nowadays, everyone knows the name of the daughter of Dao Venerable Hengwu. The group of close friends who are inseparable from the young girl also received a lot of attention. It goes without saying that the Know-it-all Baitong, given his fame throughout the three realms, pays close attention to them as well.
Wen Zixing was quite proud, “It seems we are basking in Yaoyao’s glory.” Back in his original world, they must be the talk of the internet!
Yan Zhihui knocked on the table, “I’m not here for some chit-chats.” He pulled out a pouch and tossed it onto the table, causing a loud thud. “Is there an auction in Moxuan City recently?”
Baitong didn’t look at the pouch of spirit stones on the table. Instead, he looked at Lu Yaoyao with bright eyes, “As long as Junior Sister Yaoyao tells me who your mother is, I’ll tell you.”
Lu Yaoyao: “…”
Yan Zhihui sneered, “You’re a shrewd businessman. Is the information about Yaoyao’s mother really worth just that bit of news?”
Baitong smiled, “Of course not—it’s worth much more. As long as Junior Sister Yaoyao answers my question, I’ll answer any of her questions, anytime, as long as I know the answer. There is no limit.”
Yan Zhihui was surprised. He had known Baitong for many years and considered him a close friend, but he still had to pay spirit stones for information and hoped Baitong was in the mood to answer. While the value of Baitong’s promise was enormous, it was more than worthwhile to trade it for information about the woman who had given birth to Dao Venerable Hengwu’s only child. Not just the Cultivation Realm, but even the Demon Realm and Devil Realm were likely curious about the identity of this mysterious woman.
So many forces had attempted investigations, but no one had uncovered the answer, and Yan Zhihui was naturally curious, too. However, he suppressed his curiosity to avoid putting his junior sister in a difficult position.
“Senior Brother Bai, do you really know everything?” Lu Yaoyao tilted her head curiously.
Baitong proudly boasted, “Of course. For every ten things happened in the Three Realms, I know at least nine.”
Lu Yaoyao nodded, “Then do you know where to find a natural resource called the Star Sand?”
“…” Baitong paused a bit, then suddenly conjured a fan out of thin air and fanned himself, “The highest reward currently posted in the mission hall of Guiyuan Sect is a mission to find Star Sand, put up anonymously over four months ago.”
Lu Yaoyao blinked, “So, do you know where the Star Sand is?” This mission was actually commissioned by her, and she knew very well that no information had been delivered during this period.
Baitong fanned himself, “Out of ten things, I know at least nine…”
Wen Zixing casually added, “And it just so happens that the one thing Yaoyao asked, you don’t know.”
Yan Zhihui: “Pfft!”
“…” Baitong tried to salvage his image, “It’s an ancient legendary natural treasure. If it weren’t for Guiyuan Sect revealing the existence of Star Sand, no one in the world would have known about it.” The implication: Isn’t it normal for me not to know?
“Ask something else. I’m sure I’ll know!”
Lu Yaoyao nodded and asked, “Do you know what happened to the Devil Venerable after he was stranded in the Cultivation Realm during his childhood?”
Baitong: “…” The Devil Venerable was stranded in the Cultivation Realm during his childhood? How did he not know that?
Lu Yaoyao was disappointed, “You don’t know?” She wanted to find out about what actually happened more than a thousand years ago, but her Father and Daddy never told her anything.
Yan Zhihui was also curious, “The Devil Venerable was stranded in the Cultivation Realm during his childhood? How do you know that?”
Wen Zixing was also trying to recall if the novel had mentioned this plot—it seemed like it wasn’t?
“I heard Father mention it, so I got curious,” Lu Yaoyao rolled her eyes. She then looked up at Baitong and said regretfully, “It seems you don’t know everything after all.” He didn’t know anything about the questions she asked!
Baitong felt his reputation as the Know-it-all was seriously challenged. He closed his fan and quickly ran off, saying, “I’ll go find my second brother Qiantong!”
Lu Yaoyao didn’t have time to call him back before Baitong’s figure disappeared.
Second brother Qiantong?
Du Qianshan, holding his sword, remarked sarcastically, “I suppose there’s an eldest brother named Wantong?”2
Yan Zhihui nodded, “Indeed, Wantong, Qiantong, and Baitong formed a brotherhood, swearing an oath of loyalty as sworn brothers. They are dedicated to collecting and mastering gossip from all over the Three Realms. Apparently, no one is more well-informed than these Know-it-all brothers; there’s nothing they don’t know…”
Yan Zhihui glanced at Lu Yaoyao and, recalling how she stumped Baitong with just two questions, corrected himself, “They might not know every single thing in this world, but they certainly know a lot of insider information. If you have any questions, you can ask them. If even they don’t know, then no one else likely does.”
Lu Yaoyao’s spirits lifted when she heard about Qiantong and Wantong. They sounded even more impressive than Baitong!
“Can we also meet Qiantong and Wantong?”
“These three are as elusive as ghosts, and it’s hard to find them. We were lucky to run into one today. Usually, out of ten attempts to find them, you might succeed only once or twice.”
“And only the three of them know how to find each other. If you want to find them, go to their usual spots. If they’re not there, someone else will attend to you…” Yan Zhihui spoke for a moment and then added, “Wait here. I’ll drag Baitong back.” The information hadn’t even been shared yet, and Baitong had already vanished. He wasn’t going to let that guy escape so easily!
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- The name Baitong (百通) can roughly be translated as ‘Knowing One Hundred.’ In the Chinese language, the terms hundred, thousand, and ten thousand are usually used to denote very large numbers (think of ‘eon’ or ‘myriad’ or ‘countless’ in English), not exactly their literal meaning. When Baitong introduces himself as a Know-it-all, he actually uses the term Baishitong (百事通), which literal translation is ‘One Hundred Knowledge.’
- Baitong: Know One Hundred, Qiantong: Know One Thousand, Wantong: Know Ten Thousands.
I know Lu Yaoyao is curious about the past of her fathers, but hopefully she doesn’t let her curiosity get the best of her and end up opening up old scars they don’t want touched.
Thanks for the chapter! 😀