"Queen, if you go out with us, it will cause panic in the city. There might even be strong experts following and monitoring us. I think it's better not to." Xiao Ting tried to persuade Medusa not to go, his face carrying an expectant look.
"They're the ones afraid of this Queen. This Queen isn't afraid of them. Besides, if I go with you, I can instantly clear the area. Wouldn't that be better?" Medusa showed a stubborn attitude, determined to go.
"Fine then." Xiao Ting looked as if he had no choice but to agree.
Medusa's lips curved slightly, proud of her victory.
Whatever Xiao Ting didn't want her to do, she insisted on doing.
…
[Random Note: Queen Medusa is not only a woman who says one thing but means another, but also a woman with a strong competitive spirit who is easily provoked and stimulated.]
[Some people need to be stroked with the fur. For Queen Medusa, you just have to go against her. Pretend you can't win against her, and she will gladly accept it.]
[Smart as I am, I successfully brought her along.]
…
Medusa suddenly couldn't smile anymore: !
It wasn't because Xiao Ting had found a way to guide her.
She was angry at herself. She clearly knew Xiao Ting's goal was to take her out, yet she had been smug about falling for it.
…
"Let's go."
Xiao Ting nodded to Xun Er and Qing Lin and walked downstairs first.
After taking a few steps, he turned back to look at Medusa with an expectant face and said, "Queen, why don't you think about it again and not go?"
If she didn't have the Journal and didn't know what Xiao Ting was really thinking, Medusa felt she would definitely have been fooled by him.
That was exactly her personality. The more Xiao Ting didn't want her to do something, the more she wanted to do it with him.
Therefore, she definitely had to go now!
But Xiao Ting's inner thoughts clearly wanted her to go.
According to her temperament, she wouldn't go unless Xiao Ting begged her.
Yet she couldn't expose that she knew his true thoughts.
"Go!" Medusa smiled on the surface, but felt extremely stifled inside.
Xun Er and Qing Lin were having a hard time holding back. They felt that Xiao Ting and Medusa were truly a pair of destined rivals.
"This Queen wants this."
"This Queen wants this too."
"This Queen wants to buy this whole pile."
"Get lost, or I'll kill you. Take the money properly."
"..."
What to do when she was unhappy but couldn't vent it on Xiao Ting?
Queen Medusa instinctively used a woman's innate divine skill—she transformed into a shopping machine.
She bought candied haws, bought delicious street food, and when she entered a clothing store, she bought every piece she liked.
If someone tried to run after recognizing her identity, she would threaten them, then immediately make Xiao Ting pay for the items in their hands.
Xiao Ting didn't mind at all. It was just a small amount of money. As long as Queen Medusa was happy, it was fine.
"What do you want to do with buying this?" Entering a shoe store, Xiao Ting was about to leave, but Medusa wanted to buy everything. "You can't even wear them."
"There will naturally be a time when they can be worn in the future," Medusa replied.
"Then can't we buy them when the time comes?" Xiao Ting's lips twitched slightly.
The money spent wasn't much, and the items could all be stored in a storage ring, so there was no need to carry them. But Queen Medusa had bought far too many.
"This Queen is happy to." Medusa shot him a glance, her tone teasing. "What? Young Master Xiao is reluctant to spend this little money on this Queen? Is this the reason you didn't want this Queen to come along?"
"You're right about that." Xiao Ting didn't refute her. Instead, he took Xun Er's hand. "Queen, all my money is managed by Xun Er. It's not very appropriate to spend it on women outside."
Medusa's expression instantly stiffened. Fortunately, Xun Er stepped in to smooth things over. "Then let's pack everything up. In the future, Sister Medusa will be able to wear them."
"You don't have to buy everything." Medusa had only been looking for trouble with Xiao Ting. She didn't want Xun Er to spend money meaninglessly. She quickly said, "Just pick one or two pairs."
"Brother Xiao Ting, pick two pairs for Sister Medusa." Xun Er smiled gently with lowered eyes.
"Can his taste be trusted?" Medusa snorted lightly.
"My taste isn't good." Xiao Ting raised one hand, palm up toward Xun Er. "This is proof of my taste."
Medusa: "..."
She really couldn't argue with him on this.
In the end, Xiao Ting picked a few pairs of beautiful-looking shoes for Medusa.
Medusa finally lost interest in shopping and asked when they could return to the restaurant.
"I want to buy some maps to gain a more detailed understanding of the Jia Ma Empire and surrounding regions. I heard there's a good map shop in Desert City. Come with me." Xiao Ting finally mentioned the goal of the trip.
The three girls naturally had no objections.
On the way, Xiao Ting stopped a passerby, asked for directions, and the group headed straight to the map shop named "Ancient Map."
From the outside, it wasn't luxurious or flashy. Instead, it looked simple and rustic.
Pushing open the door and walking in, they saw that the interior space wasn't large either. Only two moonstones were embedded in the corners for simple lighting, yet the entire room was brightly lit.
Perhaps because it was quite late, there wasn't a single customer inside, nor was the shop owner present. There were no shop assistants attending to guests either.
The group walked straight into the shop and stopped in front of the counter to look around. They found many hand-crafted maps with various locations and routes clearly marked.
Xiao Ting only glanced briefly before walking directly to a somewhat old, worn-out wooden shelf that looked like it might collapse at any moment. He picked up the maps piled on top.
Some maps were yellowed with age, while others looked unfinished—like a batch of junk.
With a sweep of his soul power, Xiao Ting found one of the targets of the trip—a tattered, ancient-looking map fragment.
It was one of the remnant maps of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame. However, it was only half of what Hai Bodong possessed; the other half was still in his own hands.
At this moment, the temperature inside the shop suddenly dropped sharply. Immediately after, a cold voice rang out: "This shop is closed at night. Put down what you're holding and leave."
As he spoke, a door on the inner side of the counter against the wall was pushed open from inside. An old man with silver hair and a haggard appearance walked out. His eyes were turbid, yet no one dared to look at him for long.
"Hmm?"
The old man was about to continue driving them away, but before he could speak, it was as if he had seen some terrifying magical beast. He instinctively took a step back, his voice trembling. "Qu-Queen… Medusa!?"
His pupils shrank to the size of needle tips. His entire body trembled, and his facial expression completely lost control.
After swallowing hard several times, he pinched his own arms and thighs repeatedly.
Not only that, he closed his eyes and opened them several times, seemingly hoping what he saw was an illusion.
Seeing this scene, a line of lyrics suddenly popped into Xiao Ting's mind.
…
[Dare not open my eyes, hoping it's my illusion ×9]
[Jie jie jie, bringing Queen Medusa over really let me see an interesting scene. Hai Bodong was sealed and tormented by her for more than ten years.]
[Queen is the nightmare he thinks about day and night!]
…
The girls: "..."
The girls: "Jie jie jie? Are from Hall of Souls?!"
…
…
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