The young soldier already felt favorably towards the two of them, and now seeing the mid-grade spirit stones, he was eager to fawn over them.
"Certainly, certainly! Please wait a moment, and I'll get your soul tokens for entering the city right away!"
"Soul tokens? What are those?" Zi Linling asked curiously.
"This is your first time in Eastern City, isn't it?" the soldier asked, surprised.
Zi Linling nodded. "It truly is our first time! We heard that Eastern City is the most prosperous city on the Tianyuan Continent, so we've come to see for ourselves!"
The soldier's confusion vanished. He said solicitously, "Since it's your first time, I'll explain them to you."
"Soul tokens are each person's identity plate, made by embedding a wisp of soul force into a specially crafted wooden token."
"With a soul token, you can stay in Eastern City, rent accommodations, and purchase goods."
"Without a soul token, it means you are not under the jurisdiction of the Four Great Families, and no one in Eastern City will dare to accommodate you. After all, if anything happens, no one can bear the responsibility."
"Therefore, soul tokens are very important. Remember to protect yours well and never let it fall into the wrong hands!"
Having said this, the soldier took out two wooden tokens from a drawer and continued, "Please infuse a wisp of your soul force into these wooden tokens!"
Soul Nourishing Wood?!
Zi Linling's eyes lit up. She knew that the ancient poison, Moon Glaze, on Ye Lingyuan's body had not yet been cured, and refining the antidote pill required five extremely precious main ingredients. Soul Nourishing Wood was one of them.
The Azure Dragon Empire actually used such a rare treasure as Soul Nourishing Wood to make identity plates. This was not just a wanton waste of resources, but akin to a prodigal son showing off his wealth.
A bold idea was conceived and rapidly grew in Zi Linling's mind.
However, for now, the priority was to obtain the soul tokens and enter Eastern City.
Zi Linling took the Soul Nourishing Wood token and infused a wisp of her soul force into it.
Ye Lingyuan also took the other token and infused his soul force.
Seeing that the two were not arrogant, the soldier's favorable impression of them grew.
He took back their soul tokens, swiped them across a crystal box on the table, and then handed them back, smiling. "Your identity soul tokens are ready. Please keep them safe and don't lose them."
This was the second time he had reminded them to safeguard their tokens.
It seemed the soul tokens had other hidden functions they were unaware of.
Zi Linling and Ye Lingyuan exchanged a glance unobtrusively, then took the tokens and tucked them into their sleeves.
Of course, this was merely for show; in reality, they had placed the tokens into the Nine Spirit Ring and the Nine Dragon Ring.
"Thank you for your guidance! Consider these spirit stones a token of our gratitude!"
Zi Linling casually took out ten low-grade spirit stones and placed them in the soldier's hand.
Then, under Ye Lingyuan's slightly displeased gaze, they entered Eastern City.
The Prince raised an eyebrow, glanced at the soldier, said nothing, and followed Zi Linling.
"No more touching other men in the future!" Ye Lingyuan said sternly.
"Your jealousy is growing more potent by the day!" Zi Linling chuckled.
Ye Lingyuan raised his eyebrows and revealed a dangerous, faint smile. "Lin'er, my other abilities have also been improving. Would you like to test them?"
Zi Linling said coquettishly, "Ye Lingyuan, are you getting too bold? If you dare to insinuate further, I will..."
She paused, looked at the area below his waist, and then continued, "I'll study men's anatomy!"
As she spoke, a scalpel appeared in her hand.
The scalpel glinted coldly, giving off an eerie aura that made Ye Lingyuan shiver.
"Lin'er, since you wish to study, let us find a place to conduct a thorough investigation!"
Ye Lingyuan shook his head slightly, signaling Zi Linling not to act rashly.
Zi Linling understood and said chillingly, "Alright! There's an inn ahead. Let's stay there first, and then we can study at our leisure."
"I couldn't wish for anything more!" Ye Lingyuan said with a playful grin.
"Then let's go!"
Zi Linling replied calmly and walked towards the nearby Yuelai Inn.
Ye Lingyuan followed closely, lamenting, "Lin'er, wait for me!"
They entered the Yuelai Inn, requested a superior room, and disappeared inside.
"Lin'er, come, let's research together!"
Ye Lingyuan's voice held a hint of flirtatiousness.
"Bang!"
The heavy sound of the door closing echoed, followed by a barrier forming outside the room.
"Lin'er, you feel it too?"
Ye Lingyuan's expression and voice returned to seriousness.
Zi Linling nodded solemnly. "There should be no less than four."
"Six!" Ye Lingyuan stated with certainty.
"It seems these soul tokens really are problematic!" Zi Linling said, then took out the token from her Nine Spirit Ring and examined it closely.
"Mmm! Indeed!"
Ye Lingyuan nodded. "It seems the Four Great Families monitor the entire Eastern City using these."
"These are made from branches of Soul Nourishing Wood. There must be a large Soul Nourishing Wood tree somewhere in Eastern City! Ye Lingyuan, you're lucky; someone has brought you a pillow!"
Zi Linling played with the soul token in her hand, a wry smile on her lips.
Don't flaunt your wealth!
The people of the Azure Dragon Empire were using something as precious as Soul Nourishing Wood for ostentation. If she didn't find a way to uproot the Soul Nourishing Wood, she would have come to the Azure Dragon Empire in vain.
Ye Lingyuan looked at the flickering light in her eyes and shook his head helplessly.
Given Zi Linling's tendency to "pluck feathers," he wondered which of the Zi, Shen, Qin, or Dongfang families would be unlucky.
Ah... he quite enjoyed the feeling of plucking feathers himself!
"Ye Lingyuan, who do you think has the Soul Nourishing Wood?"
Zi Linling toyed with the soul token, her eyes sparkling.
Ye Lingyuan smiled faintly. "Isn't it simple to find out? We can visit them all, and then we'll know, won't we?"
Zi Linling nodded with satisfaction. "Excellent! You're teachable! Let's do as you say; we'll pay them a visit tonight."
They spoke of doing something illicit as casually as if they were planning to visit a scenic spot.
"Mmm! Alright then! Since we don't have the money to prepare calling cards, we'll just have to go tonight."
Ye Lingyuan nodded earnestly, concurring.
"It's still early. Why don't we go fly kites for a while longer?" Zi Linling smirked.
Ye Lingyuan smirked back. "What's so good about those six toothless old kites? It's still early; why don't we do something more meaningful?"