Chapter 106

Chapter 106: The Show Begins

Yun Xi and Qin Tong Shuang exchanged a look. Their eyes were full of excited anticipation.

Mu Ning Zhu and Zhang Yan also recognized the male cultivator from the ruined temple, and they quickly guessed who the two female cultivators beside him were.

Yun Xi immediately sent them a voice transmission: “Senior Sister Mu, Zhang Yan—the two women are the ones who chased after that Zhou-surnamed cultivator yesterday. The one with bright features is Zuo Die Er. The one with the gentle face is her follower and friend. She seems to be called Xiao Ya. Keep an eye on her. Zuo Die Er’s obsession with Daoist Zhou probably has a lot to do with her.”

After hearing Yun Xi’s voice transmission, Mu Ning Zhu and Zhang Yan’s gazes swept lightly over the two women. Once they confirmed who Yun Xi meant, they nodded. Neither of them asked why Yun Xi thought that way—they trusted her instincts.

Yun Xi had her reasons. First, just from their clothing and accessories, it was obvious Zuo Die Er had better conditions than Xiao Ya. Her robe and ornaments were basically all magical treasures. Yun Xi couldn’t tell the ranks yet, but even an idiot could see Zuo Die Er wasn’t short on spirit stones.

Second, in their relationship, Xiao Ya clearly played the role of a follower. If she chose to follow Zuo Die Er, she was definitely after something. For cultivators, that usually meant cultivation resources.

But in Yun Xi’s eyes, Xiao Ya also wanted Daoist Zhou. Once in a while, Xiao Ya’s eyes would flick toward him, full of love. She tried hard to hide it, but Yun Xi’s divine sense still caught it.

The Famed Sword Sect was the strongest fighting force in the western region and the number-one sect there. Not every disciple was a peerless genius, but none of them were weak. Being close to one of their disciples was also a kind of invisible connection.

Daoist Zhou was at late Foundation Establishment and a sword cultivator—someone who could fight above his level. Yun Xi didn’t know what battle had left him heavily wounded before, but his injuries gave Zuo Die Er and Xiao Ya a perfect chance to approach him.

The idea of offering healing pills was probably Xiao Ya’s suggestion. Once they had that point of contact, it didn’t look strange for them to stay near him.

Of course, all of this was Yun Xi’s guess. Still, her divine sense stayed fixed on them, and she whispered to Qin Tong Shuang, “Tong Shuang, now this is going to be fun. Yesterday’s scene ended too quickly. Now that we’re on a flying ship, Daoist Zhou has nowhere to hide. It’ll probably get louder.”

Qin Tong Shuang’s face stayed calm, but her eyes were full of gossip. She nodded. “I wonder how Daoist Zhou will handle it.”

“We just watch,” Yun Xi said quietly.

Zhou Lang Chen’s face looked calm, but inside, he was irritated. He hadn’t expected that joining a temporary team to capture a Third Rank Liu Li Beast cub would bring him two clingy followers. It was unbearable. If he had known, he never would have accepted Zuo Die Er’s healing pills.

Zuo Die Er smiled with practiced restraint. “Brother Zhou, I didn’t expect we’d be so fated—riding the same flying ship again.”

Zhou Lang Chen only nodded. He clearly didn’t want to talk.

Ming Ya could see his impatience. She stepped forward and tugged Zuo Die Er’s sleeve. When Zuo Die Er turned her head, Ming Ya gave her a meaningful look, then spoke in a soft, gentle tone. “Daoist Zhou, my senior sister and I are going to pay respects to our elders. We truly didn’t expect to take the same flying ship as you.”

She continued, “The Tian Lin Flying Ship tickets are cheap right now, and Senior Sister was injured while fighting the Liu Li Beast. Flying by sword isn’t suitable for her, so we chose to travel by flying ship. We don’t mean to bother you.”

After hearing that, Zhou Lang Chen’s expression finally eased a little. He said flatly, “My injuries also haven’t healed, so I chose the flying ship. If that’s the case, Daoist Zuo should recover as soon as possible. I’m going back to meditate.”

He cupped his hands in farewell and left. Zuo Die Er didn’t even have a chance to cling to him.

After they watched Zhou Lang Chen enter his cabin, Zuo Die Er complained, “Xiao Ya, why did you pull me back? That was such a good chance to get close to Brother Zhou!”

Ming Ya felt helpless, but she still explained gently, “Die Er, we can’t rush this. Yesterday in Chong Ming City, you made Daoist Zhou feel embarrassed. You have to fix his impression of you first.”

“Then what do we do next?”

“Daoist Zhou’s injuries haven’t healed,” Ming Ya said. “Let him recover first. For the next two days, we shouldn’t disturb him. After we get off the ship, we can follow him.”

She added, “I already have an excuse. We’re going to visit elders. Daoist Zhou can’t exactly forbid us from going to the same place as him, can he?”

Zuo Die Er’s eyes brightened. She nodded right away, then pulled Ming Ya back to their cabin.

Yun Xi had eaten the freshest gossip and immediately whispered about it to Qin Tong Shuang. Just then, the flying ship filled up. It slowly rose into the air and sailed out of Chong Ming City.

Yun Xi didn’t bother hiding her gossip from the other two in their group. Mu Ning Zhu and Zhang Yan were forced to listen too.

Mu Ning Zhu spoke with a serious tone. “That Xiao Ya really is deep-minded. She grabbed that point and used it to steer Zuo Die Er’s choices. She looks like trouble. If you run into that kind of person, be careful. Don’t fall into a pit they dug for you.”

“Yes, Senior Sister.” “Yes, Martial Aunt.” The three of them answered quickly.

The next three days of the voyage went smoothly. They didn’t run into a single flying beast trying to block the way. Zhou Lang Chen also never appeared on the deck again, which meant Zuo Die Er and Ming Ya didn’t show up either. Yun Xi lost a bit of her entertainment.

When the flying ship landed outside Twin Mountain City, Mu Ning Zhu’s group got off. Zhou Lang Chen also hurried off the ship, and Zuo Die Er and Ming Ya followed right behind him.

After dropping everyone off, the flying ship rose again and headed for the next stop.

Mu Ning Zhu’s group paid the spirit stones to enter the city and stepped into Twin Mountain City.

This was a major cultivation city. A thousand years ago, a pair of Divine Transformation cultivators had appeared here—twin brother and sister. After their Minor Ascension into the spirit realm, many cultivators came here just to visit, and the city became even more bustling.

Mu Ning Zhu still told everyone to rest for a day and leave the next morning. This time, the four of them still chose to stay at an inn.

They went straight to the Twin Mountain Inn. People said it was a business owned by the City Lord’s Residence, with guaranteed safety. It could meet any cultivator’s needs, so they chose two upper rooms.

The waiter leading them upstairs was very friendly. “You seniors came at the perfect time. Two upper rooms just happened to open up this morning. Otherwise, you’d have to settle for lower rooms.”

Mu Ning Zhu asked casually, “Is your business so good because this is the City Lord’s property?”

The waiter immediately smiled. “Senior, you misunderstand. If you go to other inns in Twin Mountain City right now, it’ll be the same as here.”

Yun Xi smiled. “So did something big happen in Twin Mountain City recently?”

On their way to the inn, they had already seen many cultivators gathered around. They even spotted two Golden Core cultivators.

The waiter beamed. “Something did happen. The City Lord’s Residence is hosting a Dao companion ceremony.”

“Oh?” Yun Xi asked. “Who’s forming a Dao companion?”

“It’s the City Lord’s eldest son, Li Cang Yuan.”

“So that’s why.” Yun Xi nodded. “No wonder.”

“If you seniors aren’t in a hurry, you can stay two more days and watch the ceremony,” the waiter suggested.