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When Jiang Huali woke up, she found that her injuries had mostly healed, and the wound on her shoulder and the broken leg no longer hurt. She was stunned for a moment, then realized something and looked at Xuan Qing, who was meditating beside her.

Xuanqing noticed her gaze, but kept his eyes closed and focused his energy, unwilling to explain anything.

Jiang Huali blinked, stood up, dusted herself off, and asked Xuan Qing, "When are we leaving here?"

Jiang Huali touched her stomach; it was empty. She was hungry.

Those who cultivate immortality abstain from grains, but she has now lost all her cultivation and is no different from an ordinary person.

As mortals, we naturally need to eat grains and meat.

Xuan Qing opened his eyes and said, "Soon."

Jiang Huali was initially confused, but she quickly understood what Xuanqing meant.

Perhaps because they couldn't find her yesterday, those masked men in black appeared in the vicinity again, searching for any trace of her.

She was injured and had lost her cultivation, so she couldn't have run far. The men in black understood this as well.

This time, Xuan Qing did not use magic to conceal his aura, and the man in black quickly found him.

Jiang Huali stayed in the cave, sitting cross-legged beside the rock, listening to the rushing water mixed with a few screams.

A moment later, Xuanqing walked in carrying a blood-dripping sword.

He flicked his sword, and the blood on it fell to the ground and disappeared in an instant.

Jiang Huali asked, "Is it done?"

"Hmm." Xuanqing sheathed his sword. "Let's go."

Jiang Huali walked out of the cave and saw no trace of the people who had been chasing her. The surroundings were clean, with no signs of a fight or bloodstains.

Xuanqing and she walked one after the other. Jiang Huali walked very slowly, carrying a sword on her back. Her stomach felt empty, and her legs were trembling.

Under the scorching sun, Jiang Huali stopped and collapsed to the ground, only to be burned by the scalding heat, forcing her to squat instead.

Xuanqing noticed her movement, stopped, and looked over in confusion.

"Can we rest for a while first?"

Jiang Huali originally wanted Xuanqing to take her flying on his sword, but since this place was not far from Lingxiao Sect and belonged to Lingxiao Sect's territory, a no-flying formation was set up. Xuanqing refused Jiang Huali on the grounds that his spiritual power had not recovered and that flying on his sword would easily trigger the restriction.

Xuan Qing watched as Jiang Huali walked to a large tree nearby to find shade, and silently followed her, finding a place to sit and meditate.

Jiang Huali tried to clear her mind, but to no avail. She then opened her storage bag and rummaged through it.

No.

There was no food at all.

Hearing the sound, Xuanqing opened his eyes and looked over, asking in confusion, "What are you doing?"

"Looking for food."

Jiang Huali answered weakly.

She thought for a moment and asked, "Can you catch a fish for me?"

As he spoke, he pointed a finger at the river not far away.

Xuan Qing raised his head slightly, showing no dissatisfaction with her request. He channeled spiritual energy in his hand, causing a splash in the river, and a fish was flung in front of Jiang Huali by the spiritual energy.

Jiang Huali: "Thank you."

She gathered some firewood, prepared the fish, and asked Xuanqing for a fire-starting spell. After all that fuss, she finally got to eat a hot, grilled fish.

She even kindly shared some with Xuanqing, but Xuanqing only glanced at it and said, "Mortal food is too mixed up, I don't eat it."

Jiang Huali wasn't annoyed; she took them all back and ate them all herself.

Ordinary food contains many impurities, so cultivators generally don't eat it. They usually eat spiritual food, which is rich in spiritual energy and free of impurities, and is beneficial to both cultivators and mortals.

After eating and drinking their fill and resting well, the two set off again.

They followed the path all the way down the mountain, and then traveled hundreds of miles eastward until they finally arrived at Jinye Village.

Every household here has a tree planted in front of their door. Its leaves turn golden all year round and never fall, hence the name Golden Leaf Village.

It is said that a long time ago, a celestial being traveled through this place and casually sowed seeds that took root and sprouted here, hence the name "Celestial Tree".

Not long ago, an incident occurred here where evil cultivators harmed people, causing widespread panic. After the Lingxiao Sect sent disciples to handle the matter, no similar incidents occurred in the village. However, due to the incident, the villagers reduced the frequency of going out, and the village was deserted.

In this world, qualified mortals can embark on the path of cultivation and, upon reaching a certain level, may ascend to become immortals. There are also demons and monsters in the world, with the demon race being the most prominent. This is merely a difference in race.

Since the great war a thousand years ago, the various races have maintained a delicate balance. Occasionally there are conflicts, but no major wars have broken out again.

Whether human, demon, or monster, they all share the same world, transforming the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for their own use, and embarking on the path of cultivation.

However, some practitioners of Taoism go astray, become possessed by evil spirits, and practice heretical arts; these are called heretical practitioners.

The one who used ordinary people to cultivate in Jinye Village was an evil cultivator.

Only human cultivators who have gone astray are called heretical cultivators; other races, such as demons and monsters, are not distinguished.

Because humans consider themselves a righteous and orthodox race, believing themselves to be the legitimate successors of heaven and earth, while demons and monsters are all evil.

Jiang Huali and Xuan Qing walked along the village path, observing their surroundings as they went, until they finally arrived at a large farmhouse.

Jiang Huali raised her hand and knocked on the door. She knocked three times and then stopped. It took a while before someone came to open the door.

An old woman, dressed in hemp clothing, looked haggard with cloudy eyes, and looked at the two people in front of her with some wariness.

"Hello, we would like to stay here for a few nights, is that convenient?"

Jiang Huali spoke first, and at the same time took out a bag of silver from her storage bag.

The old woman seemed hesitant, but seeing that Jiang Huali was a girl with a clean and honest face, and with her gaze falling on the bag of silver in her hand, she slowly nodded.

"Sure, but I only have one room available."

The old woman spoke slowly, her voice hoarse.

“It’s alright,” Jiang Huali said, stuffing the silver into the old man’s hand. “My brother and I have been traveling around and were passing through this place. We were tired from our journey and wanted to rest for a while.”

Upon hearing the word "elder brother," Xuanqing's brows twitched slightly.

The old woman's surname was Li. She originally had one son and two grandsons, but some time ago, her son and one grandson were kidnapped by evil practitioners and died without returning home.

Now, only one granddaughter remains in the family.

Grandma Li led them into an empty room and then left. The room was dusty and somewhat dilapidated. Jiang Huali walked to the table, wiped the dust off the stool, and sat down to rest.

Xuanqing closed the door and leaned against it, holding his sword in his hand.

“We already agreed last night that I can help you find the ruins, but you have to rescue my senior sister first,” Jiang Huali said.

Xuan Qing lowered his eyes and hummed in response.

"Also, although you are penniless now, you will have to pay me back once your memory returns. We will each pay half of the money for your lodging tonight."

Jiang Huali felt a pang of regret. She didn't have many spirit stones, but the original owner liked to go down the mountain to collect mortal trinkets, and she had secretly saved up some money.

Xuanqing nodded again.

[Host, I think I can sense a trace of Yu Tian's aura!]

The system suddenly spoke to Jiang Huali.

Where are you?

Hmm... That's strange, it seems to be underground.

The system carefully sensed the surroundings and then spoke.

underground?

Jiang Huali frowned.

She wanted to ask something more, but suddenly a noise came from outside the window.

"—Who's there?"

Jiang Huali got up and walked towards the window.

She looked outside and was taken aback.

It was a little girl with two small tufts of hair on her head, a dirty face, old and gray clothes, and timid eyes. When she realized she had been discovered, she immediately ran away.

"Eh..."

Jiang Huali looked away; this must be Grandma Li's granddaughter.

She returned to the table, put down the sword on her back, looked at Xuanqing at the door, and asked curiously, "What are you doing standing there? This room is full of dust. If you have nothing to do, why don't you tidy it up?"

Although she didn't know why Xuanqing insisted on having her take him to find the ruins, they were traveling together temporarily, and she couldn't possibly pay for everything and do all the work.

Xuanqing: "..."

He made a hand seal and cast a dust-removing spell, instantly making the room much cleaner.

Jiang Huali took out bedding from the cupboard and spread it on the bed and the floor. After laying it out, she hesitated and said, "How about we play rock-paper-scissors? Whoever wins sleeps on the bed."

Xuan Qing then made a move. He walked to the table, sat down, and said, "No need, I can meditate on the ground."

That's true. Cultivators don't need to sleep, unlike her, who is a mortal and needs to sleep well.

As evening approached, Grandma Li prepared dinner and called the two of them over to eat.

Jiang Huali put the sword in the room and sat down in the courtyard.

The meal was simple, and Jiang Huali had only eaten one fish that day. She was starving and ate with great relish.

Xuanqing sat to the side, not touching his chopsticks.

Little Liu shoveled rice into his bowl, a grain sticking to his cheek, and looked at Xuanqing curiously, "Grandma, why isn't big brother eating?"

Grandma Li asked hesitantly, "Is it because the food doesn't suit the young master's taste?"

Xuan Qing paused, about to speak.

Jiang Huali remembered what this person had said when she shared grilled fish with him under the tree earlier that day, and she lifted her foot and lightly stomped on his foot under the table.

She smiled at Grandma Li and said, "My brother has been weak since childhood and has a small appetite. We ate some food on the way today, so he is probably not hungry yet."

Grandma Li suddenly realized and nodded.

Xuan Qing moved his feet away with a blank expression, his dark eyes staring at Jiang Huali with an ambiguous look.

Xiao Liu finished the last grain of rice in her bowl, licked her lips, and stared longingly at the food in front of Xuan Qing.

Xuanqing lowered his eyes and pushed the bowl of rice in front of Xiaoliu.

Xiao Liu's eyes immediately lit up, and he hurriedly started eating Xuan Qing's bowl of rice.

Grandma Li noticed it, and she smiled apologetically at Jiang Huali and the other girl, then put some food into Xiao Liu's bowl.

Jiang Huali ate her rice slowly and deliberately, trying to ask Grandma Li for some information.

“My son is a good-for-nothing. A few years ago, Xiao Liu’s mother passed away from an illness, and ever since then, he’s been acting strangely, spending all his time in his room fiddling with something—”

Grandma Li wiped away her tears, reached out and patted Xiao Liu's head after he had finished eating, "Go play now that you're full."

Xiao Liu seemed to sense the unpleasant atmosphere. Upon hearing this, he ran to the side and started playing with the mud by himself.

"Then, about a month ago, many strange things suddenly started happening in the village. Many children in the village disappeared without a trace, including my little grandson. My son went to look for him, but he also lost his life there—"

“Some immortals from the nearby major sects came, saying that evil cultivators were causing trouble. They came and left, lingering outside the village for a few days. After that, the village became peaceful and no more strange things happened.”

Grandma Li's head was bowed, and her expression was not visible. Only her hunched figure and trembling shoulders revealed the old woman's sadness.

Jiang Huali didn't ask any more questions. The events described by Grandma Li were similar to those in the original owner's memory. When the Lingxiao Sect sent disciples to handle the matter, the original owner just stayed behind and it was other disciples who went to gather information.

Therefore, Grandma Li must not have seen her.

This is also one of the reasons why Jiang Huali initially concealed her identity.

After finishing their meal, the two returned to their room.

Jiang Huali glanced at Xuan Qing, who was meditating on the ground, then got up and started walking around the room.

The room wasn't big. Jiang Huali recalled the system's words and tapped around, wondering what could be underground.

As she walked to a corner, Jiang Huali narrowed her eyes.

There was a spider web in the corner of the wall, with two small spiders on it.

Jiang Huali muttered to herself, thinking that Xuanqing was really careless in his work; he hadn't cleaned the dust properly at all, and there was such a big spider web here.

However, Jiang Huali didn't intend to do anything to the two little spiders. She squatted on the ground and blew a breath into the spider web out of boredom, causing the two little spiders to sway left and right.

Jiang Huali smiled and was about to get up when she suddenly heard two sobbing sounds—

"You big bad guy, stop blowing on me! You're going to blow my hard-earned web to shreds!"

"That's right!"

Jiang Huali's smile faltered, and she stared blankly at the two slender spiders in front of her, somewhat shocked.

The spider has become a spirit?