Jiang Lu led the others into the market, where the sounds of street vendors calling out filled the air.
“Come take a look! Cheap prices here!”
“Boss, this is a bit expensive. Can you make it cheaper?”
“On sale now! Come and see!”
“Boss, a bowl of noodles, please.”
“Coming right up!”
“Honored guest, please step inside~ Are you stopping for a meal or staying the night?”
...
As Jiang Lu and the others walked through the crowd, their splendid clothes and dashing, youthful energy drew frequent backward glances from the passersby.
Jiang Lu was already immune to this attention. After all, people were only looking. They carried magic treasures on their backs and stood tall and straight; one glance was enough to tell anyone that they were not ordinary people to be trifled with.
Naturally, no one would be foolish enough to cause trouble in front of them.
“Junior Sister Jiang, look.”
Lu Lingfeng pointed to a bulletin board not far away.
The group squeezed through the crowd and saw the notice posted on it.
“Last night, a gentleman of the manor disappeared with a valuable treasure of the estate. Anyone who spots this individual and reports his whereabouts will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver upon confirmation.”
Jiang Lu read the message on the notice aloud in a soft voice.
Right next to the text was a portrait of the evil cultivator.
It seemed they had already discovered the evil cultivator's disappearance. A reward of fifty taels of silver was quite generous.
It appeared Prince Qi was aware of his capabilities, though it was unclear whether Prince Qi knew that they consumed human essence and blood.
“Let's go buy some horses in the market,” Jiang Lu said to the others, stepping back after glancing at the notice a few times.
“Why?” Liu Qingqing asked.
Jiang Lu glanced at her and took a deep breath.
“Senior Sister Liu, isn't using spiritual power to travel a bit too extravagant?”
For a moment, Liu Qingqing did not react. She looked at Jiang Lu with a puzzled expression, and once she realized the point, she awkwardly rubbed her fingers together.
After purchasing the horses, they leapt into their saddles and rode toward the city gates. Once they were out of the city, looking at the official roads branching out in all directions, the group felt a bit lost.
“Junior Sister Jiang, where are we heading?”
Jiang Lu led the way, pulling on her reins and letting out a soft shout.
“Whoa—”
She sat atop her horse, her hair tied up high, her deep red robes fluttering in the wind.
She looked toward the southeast, her gaze deep.
“We go southeast. Since they were all traveling in this direction together, and only a few were here while the rest are not in the imperial city, they can only be somewhere to the southeast.”
Hearing this, though the others were still somewhat puzzled, they nodded in agreement.
A day later, they crossed the boundaries of the provincial capital. The commoners passing by them were clearly not as prosperous as those in the city.
Liu Qingqing looked down at herself in her travel attire, an indescribable mix of emotions welling up in her heart.
“Little Junior Sister, you...”
Seeing how quiet and well-behaved Liu Qingqing had been along the way without throwing any tantrums, Xi Siyu felt a bit uneasy.
Just as he spoke, Lu Lingfeng sent a strand of spiritual energy toward him, silencing him.
Xi Siyu turned to look at him, but Lu Lingfeng shook his head and transmitted his voice,
“Don't disturb Little Junior Sister.”
Lu Lingfeng looked at her, seemingly understanding why she had changed. Perhaps once they returned this time, they wouldn't have to worry about her anymore.
“Thank you, Grandma.”
Jiang Lu handed some copper coins to the street vendor. Holding a small plate of buns in her arms, she gripped another in her hand and took a bite. The savory flavor lingered on her palate; it tasted quite good.
She walked back and handed the buns to the others.
“These are Impurity-Cleansing Pills. If you don't eat to sustain your life here, your spiritual energy will deplete very quickly. If you take this before eating mortal food, it will filter out most of the impurities. Once we return to the cultivation world, we can cleanse whatever is left.”
The others leaned forward to accept them. Looking at the buns in the oiled paper bag and the pills, they sincerely said, “Thank you, Junior Sister Jiang.”
It had to be said that Junior Sister Jiang was extremely thorough in her planning. If they could return this time, they would owe her a great favor.
Jiang Lu saw Liu Qingqing's face, which was even calmer than before, and felt a bit puzzled, much like Xi Siyu.
Had she finally seen the light?
She flipped herself onto her horse and nudged its sides with her legs. The horse let out a whinny, and the group continued forward.
Holding the bun in her hand, Liu Qingqing turned to look back at the spot where Jiang Lu had bought them. Vendors of all kinds were busily moving about, radiating a vibrant, lively energy.
She frowned slightly. Why did these scenes feel so foreign to her, yet so desirable? It was as if she longed for them to live well.
“We will camp out in the wild tonight. Do any of you senior brothers and sister have any objections?”
Jiang Lu looked up at the darkening night sky. Although a bright moon hung high and cast plenty of light, it was not suitable for traveling.
Although they didn't need to sleep every day like mortals, they still needed rest, whether through sleep or meditation.
Leading the horses to a clearing, Jiang Lu waved her hand, piling a heap of spiritual grass before them, which she then sprinkled with water mixed with powdered Beast Spiritual Pills.
Doing this would only strengthen their constitution and increase their spirituality, without any other side effects.
The horses: !!! Good times had finally come for them!
Lu Lingfeng cast a fireball toward a pile of dry firewood in front of him. Within a few breaths, Xi Siyu emerged from the forest, carrying two wild pheasants in his hands.
The four of them gathered around the fire, eating roast chicken. The flickering flames cast dancing shadows across their faces.
“Senior Sister Liu, have you been feeling unwell lately?” Jiang Lu asked with concern. They were both women; perhaps Senior Sister Liu was dealing with something she couldn't share with the two senior brothers, which was why she had been so quiet these past few days.
Seeing Jiang Lu take the initiative to speak to her with eyes full of concern, Liu Qingqing felt a sudden tug in her heart.
Her heart was touched in an instant.
Her Eldest Senior Sister was strict, her master was always busy, and her two senior brothers were men. The other disciples in the sect only obeyed her because of her status as a direct disciple and her generosity.
Coming from another world, her heart had always been tightly strung. No matter how much her senior brothers doted on her, she still felt insecure.
Perhaps she could talk to Junior Sister Jiang.
She glanced at her two senior brothers. The two of them stopped chewing their chicken, exchanged a glance, and turned around together to give them some privacy.
Jiang Lu found this rather amusing.
She then set up a Sound-Isolating Array between the two of them.
“Senior Sister Liu, what is it you want to say?”
“Junior Sister Jiang, I feel like you are different from them.”
As she spoke, she leaned slightly closer to Jiang Lu, casting aside all of her usual pride and arrogance, revealing a rare quietness and loneliness.
She looked up at the night sky, where the bright moonlight poured down. A round, full moon hung high in the cloudless sky, clean and bright—too bright, in fact, making the void in one's heart feel even emptier.
Jiang Lu's heart skipped a beat. For a moment, she froze, her hands stiffening. Snapping back to her senses, she asked, “Oh? Can you tell me why, Senior Sister?”
Liu Qingqing pursed her lips into a smile, her face showing a rare sincerity. “Because you seem to live with such clarity.”
Without waiting for Jiang Lu's reply, she continued to talk to herself.
“Did you know? I don't actually belong to this cultivation world. Years ago, by a stroke of luck, Master brought me into the sect and took me in as a disciple. But the memories in my bones—my past life—were never easy.”
A hint of bitterness crept into her soft tone.
“Back at home, my parents never cared about me. Because of that, I've cared deeply about what others thought of me since I was a child. I desperately yearned to be favored and surrounded by people.”
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