Unknowingly, the sky had turned bright. Luo Kai didn't feel anything, but Li Gui looked tired. He sighed and said, "I can't take it anymore. Time is unforgiving. I'm going to rest for a while. Second brother, stay with me today. I'll take you to find someone tomorrow afternoon."
"Who are you looking for?"
"We can't show our real faces in this kind of business. We need to change our appearance."
…
Luo Kai sat cross-legged on a large, soft bed. This was a guest room. The floor was covered with a thick carpet, and the nylon quilt was soft and smooth. Li Gui was obviously a person who pursued quality of life.
Just as he was about to calm down and study his heartbeat, he smelled a strange smell. He sniffed carefully. The air seemed to be filled with a faint fishy smell. When he tried to identify it, the fishy smell disappeared. He thought that Li Gui might have mixed with pirates for a long time. His body was stained with a strong fishy smell, so much so that the room was filled with this smell. It would be difficult to get rid of it in a short period of time.
Meeting Li Gui again today, he felt that this person was even more mysterious. Although he seemed to have nothing to hide, he always felt that Li Gui had too many secrets. Moreover, he was too scheming. He didn't like it.
At noon, the two went out to find a place to eat. The streets were filled with strange deformed people. Some had huge tumors, some had deformed limbs, and some were even covered with long hair.
If an ordinary person came here, they would definitely have goosebumps. Luo Kai and Li Gui didn't care. They found a breakfast shop that sold pancakes. The shop owner was a man with fish scales all over his skin. His appearance was a bit frightening, but his attitude was very warm. He was no different from an ordinary human vendor.
Most of the deformed people here wore old clothes and had emaciated faces. Obviously, life wasn't easy for them. Like ordinary people, they had to rush about every day to make a living. They also needed to get married and have children. However, almost all of the children of the deformed people were deformed. They couldn't go to school and work like ordinary human children. They could only stay in this community for the rest of their lives.
Luo Kai sighed in his heart, but he was powerless to change anything. They ate a simple meal. Li Gui was obviously very familiar with the city. He didn't call for a taxi, but instead took some small alleys. Gradually, they arrived at a dilapidated neighborhood. It was the Lobster Alley where Luo Kai lived.
The two of them walked to a small courtyard that emitted the fragrance of flowers. Li Gui went forward and knocked on the door. An old and hoarse woman's voice came from within the courtyard. "Who is it?"
"Lady Hua, an old friend has come to visit!"
The sound of footsteps could be heard as an old woman opened the door. She glanced at the two of them and said coldly, "I don't know you. You've got the wrong person."
"Lady Hua, don't you recognize me?" Li Gui said with a smile.
The old woman glanced at him with her turbid eyes, but her voice was even colder. "You stinky rat, you're not dead yet. As expected, good people don't live long, but scourges live for a thousand years!"
"Granny, I'm a guest. How can you treat a guest like this?"
Li Gui didn't care. He walked around the old woman and opened the door. A strange fragrance assailed his nostrils. He could see that the courtyard was filled with all kinds of flowers and plants. Although it was winter, these flowers and plants were very lush. Among them, there was a strange flower with a blooming purple flower that was the most eye-catching. It was different from ordinary flowers and plants. This purple flower was as tall as a person. It didn't have any branches or leaves, only the purple flower at the top. When the sun shone on it, it emitted a purple halo. It was very beautiful.
The old woman glanced at Luo Kai at the door. Her turbid eyes moved slightly. After staring at him for a long time, she turned her head and said coldly to Li Gui, "Hmph, what are you looking for me for? Business is business. I've clearly marked the price."
"Of course, this time I want granny to make two face changing masks. They need to be more realistic. The price is negotiable."
The old woman ignored the two and went straight back into the house. After a long time, she didn't come out. It was unknown whether she had agreed or not.
Li Gui smiled bitterly and explained to Luo Kai, "Third brother, this Lady Hua is very good at face changing. I accidentally offended her in my early years."
Luo Kai nodded. His eyes were attracted by the purple flower. He couldn't help but walk up to it. He reached out to touch it. To his surprise, the flower seemed to feel his arrival. The flower moved slightly to the side and actually avoided his touch!
Luo Kai was very surprised. He reached out again. This time, the flower couldn't avoid his touch and was caught in his hand. It felt very much like the skin of a young girl. It was soft and smooth. When the flower touched his hand, it didn't resist. Instead, it gently rubbed against his hand. It was like a pet acting coquettishly with its master.
At the same time, a strange fragrance filled the air. It was like the fragrance of orchids, intoxicating people in an instant. After an unknown amount of time, the old woman's surprised voice sounded in his ear. "Young man, it seems that Zi Lan likes you very much. It hasn't emitted its fragrance for a long time."
Luo Kai came back to his senses. Li Gui and the old woman were looking at him strangely. He reluctantly let go of the purple flower and said embarrassedly, "Granny, I'm sorry. I thought this flower was very beautiful, so I couldn't help but touch it."
The old woman looked at him deeply with her turbid eyes. After a long time, she said, "You have a lot of fate with nature. If you have time in the future, you can come here more often."
Before Luo Kai could say anything, Li Gui said happily, "Thank you, Lady Hua. This brother of mine will come often in the future."
The old woman took out two things that looked like face masks and handed them to Li Gui. She said coldly, "The color will fade in ten days."
Li Gui hurriedly took them and said happily, "Thank you, Granny!"
Then he took out a few shiny gold coins from his pocket and said with a smile, "Granny has always marked the price clearly. I can't break this rule!"
The old woman took the gold coins and gently rubbed them. Her expression suddenly became pleasant. She asked Li Gui, "Mouse, you have a lot of information. Do you know if there have been any strange movements in the Misty Mountains recently?"
Li Gui thought for a while and shook his head. "I haven't heard of any strange movements."
The old woman pointed at the flowers and plants beside her and sighed. "Plants are very sensitive to changes in the outside world. For the past two years, they have been spreading seeds day and night. This is completely against the laws of life. I'm afraid they have already sensed something."
Li Gui's expression changed greatly. He said in surprise, "Granny, do you mean that the weather will change again?"
The old woman didn't answer. Her turbid eyes looked at Luo Kai and said softly, "Young man, I can see that your body is full of killing intent. In the future, you must not rashly have killing intent. Otherwise, nature will abandon you."
Luo Kai was a little confused. Just as he was about to ask, the old woman waved her hand. "You two can go. I'm tired."
The two left the small courtyard. Li Gui seemed to have a lot of things on his mind. Luo Kai was also pondering what nature was.
"Second brother, do you know what nature is?"
Li Gui shook his head. "I don't know either. However, this Lady Hua is not ordinary. Didn't you always want to know about Elementalists? According to my guess, this granny is very likely an Elementalist who can control plants. She was like this ten years ago, and she is still like this now!"