[Cloud City · Streets]
Stepping out of the building, Yin Wuwang was momentarily stunned by the sight before him. The streets were bustling with people—more crowded than any market he had ever seen. Mortals hurried past, shoulders brushing shoulders, as if this were perfectly normal. Iron boxes after iron boxes hurtled down the road, emitting rumbling sounds.
"Those are cars," Little Deer Assistant said. "Transportation for mortals. We'll take a taxi to the bank."
"A taxi? Is that what Fuguang just ordered on the phone?"
"Yes! It's a type of car that carries passengers. You don't have to pre-order through an app; some will stop if you wave them down."
Yin Wuwang watched the iron boxes speeding down the road, his brow furrowing slightly. They looked like some kind of artifact-powered carriage, but there were no horses and no spiritual energy driving them. He had no idea what made them run. Little Deer Assistant told them to wait at the building entrance. Before long, a yellow car slowly pulled up in front of them.
Xie Qingyan checked the license plate number as Little Deer Assistant had taught him, then said to Yin Wuwang: "This is the one. Get in!"
Xie Qingyan had already watched videos online. He opened the car door and slid inside naturally, as if he were a modern person. Yin Wuwang was happy to follow his lead, and even cleverly closed the car door behind him.
"Hello! Mr. Shen, going to City Bank?"
Yin Wuwang instinctively opened his mouth: "I—" He stopped himself abruptly and changed course: "Indeed, we are going to City Bank."
The driver glanced at him, seemingly finding his manner of speech a bit odd, but didn't ask further.
Yin Wuwang surveyed the interior. The space was unexpectedly small—his knees nearly touched the seat in front of him. A strange fragrance hit his nose, mixed with leather and some scent he couldn't describe. Xie Qingyan sat beside him, their shoulders almost touching. This compartment was truly cramped, but he didn't move away.
The car started and began weaving through the streets. Just as Yin Wuwang was about to relax, a gust of cold air suddenly blasted down from above, making his shoulders hunch.
"Where's this wind coming from?" He looked up and saw several thin slits in the car's ceiling, blowing cool air.
"That's the air conditioning," Little Deer Assistant explained. "It regulates the temperature inside the car. Similar to... hmm, similar to a formation array that keeps things warm in winter and cool in summer."
Yin Wuwang frowned. Mortals couldn't use spiritual energy, yet they could create something like this—they did have some skill. But this wind blowing on his body felt chilly and unnatural, nothing like the fresh breeze on an immortal mountain. He watched the scenery fly past the window and thought that the speed wasn't bad—much faster than an ordinary horse-drawn carriage—but still far inferior to flying on a sword.
He turned to look at Xie Qingyan. Xie Qingyan was gazing out the window, his expression calm, apparently already adapted to this mode of transportation. This man adapts quite quickly, Yin Wuwang thought.
The car suddenly stopped. Yin Wuwang lurched forward, nearly slamming into the seat ahead. "Why did we stop?"
The driver pointed ahead. "Red light."
Yin Wuwang followed the gesture and saw a pole standing at the intersection ahead, with a red light glowing at the top.
"You stop at red lights; you can only go at green lights," Little Deer Assistant explained. "These are traffic rules. All vehicles and pedestrians must follow them. If you violate them, you'll be fined."
At the mention of fines, Yin Wuwang's ears twitched. He scoffed internally: Being fined is absolutely something that will never happen to this sovereign. However... using lights to direct everyone's movements was quite a clever method.
The light turned green and the car continued forward. Before long, the driver stopped and announced they had arrived, then stated a number. Yin Wuwang didn't understand what it meant and was about to ask when Xie Qingyan had already pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to the driver. The driver took out a small box and tapped it against the card. Beep.
"All done, thank you." The driver returned the card to Xie Qingyan. Xie Qingyan pushed open the car door and got out; Yin Wuwang followed behind.
After the taxi drove away, Yin Wuwang looked at the card in Xie Qingyan's hand. "What's that?"
"An EasyCard," Xie Qingyan said. "It stores money and can be used to pay for fares. Little Deer Assistant taught me last night."
Last night? Yin Wuwang blinked. Had he been so busy admiring Fuguang up close last night that he'd completely missed what Fuguang had learned? Before he'd returned to his room, Fuguang had still been studying the computer. Had he not slept at all? Yin Wuwang glanced at Xie Qingyan, his gaze unconsciously falling on the faint bluish tinge beneath his eyes. They were in mortal bodies now, without spiritual energy to sustain them—how could he stay up all night like this? He wanted to say something, but the words died on his lips. What would he even say? Make sure to rest properly? Given their previous relationship, such words would be far too abrupt. Yin Wuwang pressed his lips together and buried that concern deep in his heart.
[Bank · ATM Area]
The bank wasn't crowded. Little Deer Assistant guided them to a row of machines. In the eyes of the two cultivators, the devices looked bizarrely shaped—a glowing panel on top, rows of buttons below.
"This is an ATM, an automatic teller machine," Little Deer Assistant 9527 said. "Insert the card, enter the password, and you can withdraw money. You can actually withdraw money at convenience stores too, but you might need to use banks for future investigations, so I'm bringing you here to familiarize yourselves."
Xie Qingyan pulled a card from his pocket and inserted it into the machine. Several lines of text appeared on screen, requesting a password.
"Six digits," Little Deer Assistant said. "You'll need to deduce the password Shen Xinglan set."
[End of V2_Chapter 08]
Next: Time to withdraw money. But the password... has to be guessed?!