Chapter 105

Chapter 105: Meeting Again

“Ladies and gentlemen, you’re in luck!” shouted the enthusiastic shopkeeper from Celestial Kirin Airship Company. “Our Chongming City branch is celebrating the opening of three new routes! For these three days only, cultivators traveling with us will enjoy half-priced tickets. And that’s not all—groups of three or more can even bring along one additional guest for free!”

Mu Ning Zhu’s eyes brightened with interest as she asked, “Such a generous offer? But are there any hidden conditions?”

After all, no cultivator would believe in good fortune without cost.

The shopkeeper cheerfully explained, “Indeed, there is one small condition. This promotion applies only to our newly opened routes. As these are the maiden voyages, we’re offering discounts to attract customers.”

Qin Tong Shuang’s curiosity stirred immediately: “Senior Aunt Mu, how about we ask about the routes? If there’s one that overlaps with our journey home, we could take the airship. It would save us time and make it harder to be tracked.”

They all knew very well who might be following them.

Mu Ning Zhu nodded thoughtfully: “Very well. Zhang Yan and I will go inquire about the specifics. If the routes match our journey home, we’ll book the tickets. Otherwise, we’ll rest here as planned and leave tomorrow.”

“Understood,” Yun Xi and Qin Tong Shuang answered readily.

After Mu Ning Zhu and Zhang Yan left the inn, Yun Xi and Qin Tong Shuang decided to stroll around Chongming City.

The city was lively and vast. The pair wandered down a bustling street filled with rogue cultivators selling their wares, observing much but buying little. Only if something special caught their eye would they make a purchase.

Both had swapped out their noticeable sect robes for inconspicuous attire, moving through the crowd, stopping at each stall to take a casual look.

Qin Tong Shuang’s attention lingered on ice-element spirit plants, artifacts, and ores. Yun Xi herself purchased several spirit-plant seeds to plant in the herb garden she’d rented from the sect—Zong Hao would help her grow them. When Qin Tong Shuang bought some ice-type ores, Yun Xi also bought two pieces, following her friend’s example.

Halfway down the street, they spotted a commotion at a stall ahead. Many cultivators were gathered around, and Yun Xi immediately sent out her spiritual sense—she would never miss a good drama.

Unexpectedly, she recognized a familiar face: the refined-looking male cultivator they’d briefly encountered three days ago.

Right now, he was awkwardly held by his robes as a female cultivator demanded in an accusing voice, “Senior Brother Zhou, how could you treat me like this?”

The cultivator addressed as Senior Brother Zhou looked annoyed as he replied, “Fellow Daoist Zuo, what are you accusing me of? What exactly have I done?”

Yun Xi immediately sensed the issue from their dialogue: clearly a one-sided romance. Intrigued, she pulled Qin Tong Shuang along, pushing gently through the crowd to get a better view. She wouldn’t miss a single juicy detail.

On the other side, the female cultivator named Zuo Die’er protested unhappily, “Senior Brother Zhou, you accepted my pills. How could you still fool around with another female cultivator?”

Zhou Lang Chen replied helplessly, “Fellow Daoist Zuo, I was injured during a mission, and had run out of healing pills. You kindly lent me some. But yesterday, I already repaid you fully with spirit stones. There’s no debt between us. As for your accusation that I’m involved with someone else—what nonsense is this? I cultivate the Emotionless Dao, I have no interest in romantic entanglements.”

Surrounding cultivators pretending to shop all perked up their ears, pretending nonchalance as they listened closely, feet firmly planted in place.

Yun Xi and Qin Tong Shuang successfully squeezed their way to the front row, pretending to browse at the stall. The stall keeper didn’t mind the crowd, pleased at the unexpected attention.

Despite watching the drama, Yun Xi genuinely liked one of the items for sale. This stall keeper was clearly an Artifact Refiner, showcasing carefully crafted artifacts, including two spiritual-grade items. The highest grade was third-tier—small, elegant, and clearly intended for female cultivators.

Yun Xi’s eyes fixed immediately on a pair of adorable rabbit-shaped earrings. The rabbits’ eyes sparkled with tiny violet crystals, making them irresistibly cute. Though smitten, she first pointed at a bracelet, asking:

“Senior, what does this bracelet do?”

“It temporarily changes your appearance to help you escape pursuers,” the stall keeper explained before secretly transmitting the price.

Hearing the cost, Yun Xi quickly withdrew her hand, silently mourning the fate of her spirit stones.

Unfazed, the stall keeper smiled knowingly. She understood that the young girl wasn’t really interested in the bracelet.

At the same time, Zuo Die’er continued relentlessly, “Senior Brother Zhou, if you truly avoid women, how could your robes carry the scent of feminine perfume?”

“I have no idea,” Zhou Lang Chen responded coldly. Just then, he glimpsed two familiar faces distractedly shopping nearby—two of the four cultivators he’d embarrassingly encountered at the ruined temple. Desperate to avoid further entanglement, he quickly turned away and disappeared into the crowd.

“Senior Brother Zhou!” Zuo Die’er stamped her foot angrily.

Her companion quietly advised, “Die’er, you’ll only embarrass Senior Brother Zhou further.”

“Xiao Ya, why didn’t you stop me earlier?”

“I tried signaling you repeatedly! Didn’t you see?”

“No! Let’s hurry, we’re losing sight of him!”

The pair rushed away, hastily chasing after Zhou Lang Chen.

Yun Xi and Qin Tong Shuang felt slightly unsatisfied by the anticlimactic end but soon refocused on the artifacts before them.

In the end, Qin Tong Shuang bought the bracelet, while Yun Xi happily chose the rabbit earrings, replacing her cracked ruby pair immediately.

Her storage pouch indeed felt empty afterward—ten thousand medium-grade spirit stones, recently gained from counter-robbing demonic cultivators, were now fully handed over to the stall keeper. Yet, she felt it worth every stone. The earrings possessed an illusory-face function lasting one hour per use, each time consuming one of the tiny violet crystals in the rabbits’ eyes. Although a consumable, the earrings could even fool a Golden Core cultivator’s spiritual sense, a priceless advantage.

The delighted stall keeper generously accepted Yun Xi’s cracked ruby earrings as a trade-in and gifted her two red strings. When tied on wrists, these strings prevented companions from losing each other—a useful bonus for traveling.

Satisfied, Yun Xi accepted the gift. To avoid unwanted attention, the two swiftly returned to the inn.

Mu Ning Zhu and Zhang Yan had already returned, informing them promptly:

“I’ve booked our airship tickets. We’ll travel for one day to Twin Peaks City, cutting our journey by half. From there, we’ll enter Grand Righteous Sect’s territory, greatly reducing danger.”

“Wonderful! No more flying swords!” Yun Xi sighed happily.

She wasn’t pretending. Riding a sword always made her uneasy.

After settling the expenses, Yun Xi and Qin Tong Shuang briefly mentioned their encounter at the market.

“Just act like you don’t know him,” Mu Ning Zhu waved dismissively.

“We did exactly that,” Qin Tong Shuang assured. “We feared that female cultivator would turn her wrath on us.”

Zhang Yan frowned thoughtfully: “If he cultivates the Emotionless Dao, he must be from Famed Sword Sect. They dedicate their lives solely to their sword.”

“Famed Sword Sect?” Yun Xi asked curiously, “Then he must be quite strong. How did he fall victim so easily back at the ruined temple?”

“He was probably wounded. That female cultivator seems to be using her medicine as an excuse to claim a relationship. Obviously, he rejected her,” Mu Ning Zhu explained calmly.

They spoke briefly before ending the topic. However, boarding the airship the next day, Yun Xi was startled to discover that the male cultivator surnamed Zhou, Zuo Die’er, and her friend had also joined the flight.