Chapter 144: The Goddess Is Way More Impressive Than Him

In the end, for the sake of making big money, they gritted their teeth and paid the entrance fee. After that, they received a temporary entry pass, which allowed them to freely enter and exit Chaos City for ten days.

At least the person who set this entrance fee had a bit of conscience—ten days was just about enough.

Maybe it was because Yun Qimu’s looks were so striking that the guard’s conscience was pricked. After collecting the fee, he discreetly warned her, “Red Lotus Stronghold in the city is recruiting beautiful women to select as their boss’s wife. Miss, please be careful.”

After saying this, he put on a stern face again, stared straight ahead, and continued fiercely collecting entrance fees from the people behind.

Yun Qimu raised her brows with a smile, accepting his kindness.

She put the temporary entry pass, worth ten spirit coins, into her spatial storage and strode into the city.

Zhong Qiu would’ve been happy to pay the energy coins for the goddess, but first, he’d come and gone so many times without ever paying a fee that he’d forgotten about it, and second, as a member of Longteng—one of the three major powers in Chaos City—they had special privileges. They didn’t need to queue up with everyone else and could just walk straight through the green channel.

By the time he turned around, Yun Qimu’s group of five was already gone.

“Where’s the goddess? Where did my goddess go? She couldn’t have been kidnapped, right?” Zhong Qiu exclaimed in panic as soon as he exited the green channel.

Ayi smacked him on the back of the head. “They’re first-timers, not like us. They went in through the main gate. Stop freaking out like an idiot. Just wait for them inside.”

“Yeah, Qiu, Miss Yun is pretty and all, but aren’t you getting a bit too invested? Anyone can see she’s not a match for a pretty boy like you,” another companion said, slinging an arm around Zhong Qiu’s shoulders.

“Besides, with that guy by Miss Yun’s side, you don’t stand a chance.”

Zhong Qiu angrily shrugged off his arm and glared at him. “Weren’t you all encouraging me to go for it before?”

His friends shrugged. “That was when Miss Yun was around. We had to save you some face. We couldn’t just tell you to give up in front of her, that you’re not worthy at all. Wouldn’t that just embarrass you?”

As much as it stung, it made sense. His friends were thoughtful, but why did he feel so bitter inside?

Zhong Qiu tried to argue, muttering, “Maybe that guy is her brother or something.”

Ayi patted his head affectionately. “One’s surname is Yun, the other’s Wu. How could they be family? Besides, they don’t look alike at all—except for both being ridiculously good-looking.”

Zhong Qiu puffed out his cheeks and grumbled, “But I’m not that bad either! My ability is pretty strong—I even smashed Kuihu’s head open. I might get even stronger in the future. Why am I not good enough for the goddess?”

Ayi looked at him like he was an idiot. “You really think that was your ability at work?”

Both Manniu and Zhong Qiu stared at him in surprise. “It wasn’t?”

Ayi facepalmed. “Of course not. Kuihu is an S-rank strength ability user with tons of combat experience, and he’s a berserk beast to boot. With your just-awakened ability, at best you’re a B-rank. You think a B-rank can take on an S-rank? Dream on.”

“Besides, Kuihu was just standing there, looking furious, but his body wasn’t under his control. He stretched out his neck for you to hit him. Clearly, someone had complete control over his body. You think you could do that? Even if your ability is special, there’s no way you could pull off that level of control.”

“And did you even feel like you used your ability?”

“No,” Zhong Qiu replied instinctively.

Then, like a bolt from the blue, he hung his head in disappointment. “Then what is my ability, anyway?”

Manniu scratched his head and asked awkwardly, “So who helped Qiu out back there?”

Ayi shrugged. “Who knows? But it had to be someone among Yun Qimu’s group of five. They were the only ones there.”

“Not true—I saw a cobra. Not big or thick, actually thinner than my wrist. Haven’t seen such a small animal in ages,” Manniu muttered.

“We’re talking about people, not snakes. You think a snake could have such a powerful ability to help Qiu?”

Manniu refused to be laughed at and argued, “Why not? The beastkin can turn into animals, right? Maybe that snake guy has two abilities, and one of them is controlling people.”

Well, he actually managed to make that sound plausible.

Ayi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The group clustered around the dejected Zhong Qiu, waiting just inside the city gate.

Compared to the idea of a snake shapeshifter with a mind-control ability, they clearly preferred Ayi’s theory that the helper was among Yun Qimu’s group.

As members of Longteng, they prided themselves on being the most honorable people in Chaos City. Since someone had helped them, they knew they had to repay the favor.

Before long, Yun Qimu’s group of five entered through the city gate.

Manniu hurried over—he was a straightforward guy, so he asked directly, “Brother Pei, Miss Yun, was it you guys who helped Qiu out with Kuihu earlier?”

Pei Yu looked blank. “Wasn’t me.”

Yun Qimu’s eyes curved in a smile as she admitted, “It was me. Are you planning to pay a reward to your savior?”

Zhong Qiu’s face turned bright red at this confirmation. He’d just been boasting about how awesome he was and how he could protect the goddess, but it turned out she was the one who’d helped him. The goddess was way more impressive than him.

But a life-saving favor had to be repaid. He shuffled forward and asked shyly, “I—I’ll give you all my pocket money. I have three thousand energy coins. My brother gave them to me, but I’ve never spent them.”

Only three thousand? Yun Qimu clicked her tongue in disappointment. She’d thought he was a fat sheep, but it turned out he was just a little pauper who hadn’t grown up yet.

Still, Yun Qimu didn’t mind. She accepted the three thousand energy coins with a clear conscience—it at least made up for the thousand-coin entrance fee.

Then she asked if they could stay at Longteng’s base for the night, using the excuse that it wasn’t safe to be out after dark.

She’d already calculated it: if the entrance fee was so expensive, lodging must be sky-high. She wasn’t about to be a sucker. Staying at Longteng would save her the accommodation fees, and maybe she could even snag a few free meals. That would be perfect—a nice reward for saving the silly kid and wasting so much of their precious time.

Zhong Qiu didn’t hesitate for a second and agreed immediately.

“Goddess, stay as long as you like! We’ve got plenty of empty rooms at Longteng.”"