In the end, Xie Shuci actually bought him a wooden sword.

However, this thing, which seems to be just something for children to play with and has no harmful properties, takes on a different feel once it's in Xiao Xun's hands.

Xiao Xun's temperament is different from ordinary people. Even the most ordinary clothes look like they are something that ordinary people can't afford when he wears them. It's like some people are born with an aura that makes them superior to others, and Xiao Xun is one of them.

He held the wooden sword up to his eyes, looked it over for a moment, and made it seem as if he was holding a real sword that could kill, not just a wooden one.

Although it is far inferior to his sword, since Xie Shuci bought it for him, he will reluctantly keep it.

He slung the wooden sword over his shoulder, turned to Xie Shuci, and said, "Let's go."

Xie Shuci nodded, but couldn't help glancing at him again.

He was carrying a broken wooden sword, yet he exuded the aura of a reclusive swordsman. Indeed, the protagonist is different, and his little blind boy is just different.

Xie Shuci had no intention of staying here. He wanted to return to Tianzhu City as soon as possible, return the token to Miss Luo, and then take Xiao Xun to the place of the Immortal Sect Selection.

It is said that the location of each Immortal Clan Election is different, and the exact location of this year's election is still unknown.

After resting in the city for half a day, Xie Shuci bought a carriage and released the crane that had been kept under the cabin.

He hadn't paid attention to the crane during this time. If Chu Guiyi hadn't occasionally fed it some hay, it probably would have rushed out from under the deck to settle scores with Xie Shuci long ago.

Nevertheless, when Xie Shuci led it off the boat, it still spat in his face. Xie Shuci had to talk and persuade it for a long time before he finally got it off the boat.

There was nothing we could do about leaving it on the ship; it's not like the Great King, who can transform and be convenient to carry around.

With the crane, Xie Shuci originally wanted to buy a horse, but the king volunteered to pull the carriage with the crane. However, the king's original form was becoming more and more ferocious, and Xie Shuci did not want to attract attention or frighten the people along the way, so he turned it into a big dog, and the king and the crane pulled the carriage together.

It was unclear whether the two were communicating in dog language or horse language. Xie Shuci, sitting in the carriage, could hear the king's "woof woof" sounds from time to time, and the crane would sometimes respond softly. It seemed they were having a pleasant conversation.

"Little lapdog," Xie Shuci muttered, leaning against the car wall.

At first, the crane looked down on it and ignored it completely. But the king was persistent, loved to act cute, and had a particularly thick skin. Over time, the crane stopped ignoring it as it had at the beginning.

They chatted happily, while Xie Shuci was bored.

He looked at Xiao Xun, who was silent across from him, and then lowered his head to wipe his wooden sword with a piece of fine fabric that Xie Shuci had bought, making sure there wasn't a single speck of dust on it.

The wooden sword was very crudely made. He ran his fingertips along the rough edges, looked up at Xie Shuci, and asked, "Do you have a dagger?"

Xie Shuci rummaged through a pile of odds and ends and pulled out a dagger, handing it to him and saying, "What are you going to do?"

Xiao Xun said, "Shave the edges."

Xie Shuci paused, thinking to himself, how could he entrust such a dangerous thing to a little kid? "Give me the sword, I'll cut it."

Xiao Xun raised his eyebrows but said nothing, handing the wooden sword to Xie Shuci.

Xie Shuci took the wooden sword, placed it against the edge of the table, and used the dagger to trim the burrs on the edge.

Xiao Xun sat opposite him, staring intently. The wood used to make the wooden sword wasn't good quality. Every time Xie Shuci shaved off a splinter, other shavings would come out. Before he knew it, he had pricked his hand, and a bead of bright red blood oozed from his fingertip. Xie Shuci couldn't help but curse, "You get what you pay for!"

Xiao Xun stared quietly at the blood droplets on his fingertips, and a very strange thought suddenly popped into his mind.

He got up and walked to Xie Shuci, took the wooden sword and dagger from his hand, put the dagger aside, and then held Xie Shuci's hand, which was covered in blood.

His hands were not much smaller than Xie Shuci's, and could also envelop Xie Shuci's hands in his palms.

"What are you doing?" Xie Shuci asked, puzzled.

Xiao Xun didn't look at him, his dark eyes fixed on his fingertips. Then he slowly pressed the finger, which was bleeding, against the blade of the wooden sword. The blood immediately seeped into the wood, darkening its color.

The shards of the wooden sword rubbed against Xie Shuci's wound, but Xie Shuci didn't feel much pain. However, looking at Xiao Xun's serious expression, he had a very subtle feeling in his heart.

There were many times when he couldn't understand Xie An's behavior.

For example, why would he use his own blood and essence to nourish a common peach branch?

Blood seeped into the wooden sword, leaving a dark red mark on it, like a wound.

A moment later, he removed Xie Shuci's fingers from the wooden sword, gently brushed away the wood chips from Xie Shuci's fingertips, and watched as a drop of bright red blood oozed from his wound again. His gaze suddenly darkened.

His silence gave Xie Shuci a strange feeling. He pulled his hand away from Xiao Xun's and asked suspiciously, "Are you really only nine years old?"

Xiao Xun glanced at him, picked up the dagger and wooden sword, returned to his original position, and said, "Just because I only have memories from before I was nine years old doesn't mean I'm only nine years old."

Xie Shuci nodded awkwardly, "...Oh."

Xiao Xun didn't speak again. He deftly used his dagger to remove the splinters from the wooden sword, then carefully put it away.

When night fell, Xie Shuci laid out a soft couch for him to rest, while he went out to check on the king and the crane.

After a journey of seven or eight days, Xie Shuci and his group entered a neighboring country of the country where Tianzhu City was located.

Thinking that they were not far from Tianzhu City, Xie Shuci did not rush on his way and stopped in a small border town.

The journey proceeded smoothly, just as Xie Shuci had anticipated. Aside from a few cities near Jiyue City, the local populace remained largely unaware of what had transpired. It seemed the cultivators genuinely hadn't expected Xie Shuci to lead Xiao Xun along the trade route, passing through mortal territory.

After all, if they accidentally cause trouble on their territory, not to mention the punishment from Heaven, the Hundred Sects would not allow their presence to affect the lives of ordinary people.

The carriage slowly drove towards the city gate. Xie Shuci sat in front of the carriage and, seeing several guards approach, immediately handed over the documents and tokens in his hand.

The guard glanced at his documents, frowned, and asked, "Are you going to Dongli Kingdom?"

Dongli Kingdom is the country where Tianzhu City is located.

Xie Shuci nodded and said, "Yes, sir. I'm going to Dongli Kingdom to visit relatives and buy some medicinal herbs while I'm there."

The guard glanced at the carriage behind him and asked, "Who's inside?"

Xie Shuci turned around, lifted the curtain, and pointed to Xiao Xun sitting against the wall, saying, "This is my eldest nephew. To be honest, sir, my eldest nephew's parents died early, and I raised him with great difficulty. However, his mother's relatives want me to send him back. I am also seriously ill, and I heard that there is a medicinal herb in Dongli Kingdom that can cure my illness, so I..."

The guard glanced at him, then at Xiao Xun, who was expressionless inside the carriage. He seemed to believe Xie Shuci's words and said, "Young master, the war between the two countries has just ended, and the border is heavily guarded. It is very dangerous for you to travel from here to Dongli City. You should wait until Dongli withdraws its troops before you can leave."

Xie Shuci had inquired and found that the closest route to Tianzhu City was through the southwest gate after passing through this city. If he were to take a detour now, it would probably waste several more days.

After pondering for a moment, Xie Shuci asked, "When will they withdraw their troops?"

The guard's expression darkened. "If things go quickly, they'll withdraw within two days; if things go slowly, I'm afraid they won't withdraw at all."

Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci frowned. "Hasn't the war between the two countries stopped? Why aren't they withdrawing their troops?"

The guard sighed, “After months of fighting, our army is running low on food supplies, and the people are displaced and starving. Moreover, the weather is turning cold. Even if we win this battle, we will suffer heavy losses, and the Emperor will have no choice but to order peace talks with Dongli. However, Dongli has suffered just as many casualties as we have in this war. It’s just that their territory is too large, and they have no shortage of food and soldiers. If we want to negotiate peace, we will definitely have to pay a price.”

Xie Shuci nodded as if he understood, and said, "Dongli agreed to the peace talks, but there are conditions?"

The guard sighed and nodded, returning the travel permit to him. "That's right. Young master, you may go in first. You can leave once Dongli withdraws its troops."

Looking at his weathered expression, Xie Shuci's heart grew heavy. "Thank you, farewell."

Xie Shuci never experienced war. History books only use a few strokes to record the rise and fall of a country, but the cold words are the traces left by countless hot bloodstains.

War is always the most merciless disaster in the world.

Since she couldn't leave, Xie Shuci decided to find an inn to stay in.

Since the war had just ended, there weren't many outsiders like Xie Shuci in the city, but the streets were still quite lively.

Xie Shuci found out the best inn in the city, but since there were not many outsiders left in the city, the inn was very quiet. A few guests were sitting in the lobby drinking, and the waiter was dozing off by the door. When the cold winter wind blew, he shivered and huddled up.

The wheels rolled to a stop in front of the inn. The servant, startled by the noise, immediately opened his eyes, which gleamed with excitement.

As soon as Xie Shuci lifted the curtain, the waiter rushed over to greet him. "Oh, sir, are you here for a quick bite or to stay the night? Our inn is fully equipped, and there are staff in the lobby 24 hours a day. Please feel free to ask if you need anything."

After saying that, he very attentively helped Xie Shuci down from the carriage.

"I need a superior room at the inn," Xie Shuci said.

"Alright, sir, please go in first. I'll help you park the carriage in the backyard."

Xie Shuci turned around and called to Xiao Xun, "We've arrived, come down."

Xiao Xun walked out of the carriage with his broken wooden sword on his back. The waiter was about to help him up when he jumped off the carriage with a clean and decisive motion.

Xie Shuci removed the reins from the crane. He didn't know why this little sycophant liked the crane so much. He even rubbed against the crane's neck with some reluctance, but the crane raised its head and puffed out its chest, ignoring him.

Seeing how reluctant it was to part, Xie Shuci said, "Why don't you stay with Brother Crane..."

Before Xie Shuci could finish speaking, the king nimbly broke free of his ropes, ran to Xiao Xun's side, and looked at Xie Shuci with an innocent expression.

Daddy, what are you saying? I don't understand.

The crane glanced at them, then raised its hooves twice with an air of aloofness, and led the servant towards the backyard.

"Why only one room?" Xiao Xun asked Xie Shuci suddenly.

Xie Shuci was taken aback. Looking at his unusually serious expression, she chuckled dryly and said, "Well... sorry, it's just a habit."

Xiao Xun glanced at him, said nothing, and walked into the inn first.

Xie Shuci walked to the counter and said to the waiter, "I would appreciate two superior rooms."

The waiter said with a bitter face, "Sir, I'm really sorry, but we only have one superior room left."

"Hmm?" Xie Shuci was a little surprised. "Don't you usually have many customers in your shop?"

The waiter said, "News has come from the capital that all the bandits from Songjiu Camp are coming. Our shop only has a dozen or so superior rooms, and they've already taken up most of them."

Xie Shuci asked curiously, "Didn't you come here to make peace with Dongli Kingdom? Why are you sending troops here?"

"I don't know the details either, but the leaders of Songjiu Camp never stay in the military camp. Every time they go to a new place, they have to send someone to deliver a message in advance and reserve a few superior rooms for them in the best inn in the city. Even if the rooms are already full, they have to kick people out when they arrive."

Xie Shuci found it amusing. "Are they bandits or soldiers? And they call themselves 'bosses'? Aren't they just bandits?"

The waiter sighed, “Sir, you’re absolutely right. They really were a bunch of bandits before! Even the imperial court couldn’t do anything about them. In the end, it was only the emperor who intervened and persuaded them to surrender. They were originally called Songjiuzhai, but after surrendering, they became known as Songjiuying. They only obeyed the emperor’s orders and made many contributions to our Qi Kingdom. Their arrival at our Southwest Pass this time is probably also on the emperor’s orders.”

"Oh, okay then. Besides the superior rooms, are there any regular rooms available?"

Yes, yes.

Xie Shuci paid the money, and the waiter gave him two plaques, one with the character "天" (heaven) and the other with the character "地" (earth).

"Young man, I also have a dog at home, it shouldn't be a problem, right? If those bandits from Songjiu Camp come, they won't cause me any trouble, will they?"

The king is now depicted as a large dog, which looks quite frightening.

Seeing the waiter looking at him, the king immediately sat obediently on the ground and stuck out his tongue at the waiter in a fawning manner.

The waiter said, "Please rest assured, sir. It is said that the chief of Songjiu Camp also carries a big dog with him everywhere. He should not mind. Although they are a group of bandits, they are not arrogant."

"That's good."

The waiter had someone lead them back to their room. As they reached a corner, the man said, "The room with the Earth-level designation is this way. Which of you gentlemen would like to come with me first?"

Without a second thought, Xie Shuci said, "I'll go with you."

He handed the plaque with the highest rank to Xie An and said, "Let the King keep you company these next few days. It can sleep by your bedside at night."

"Ouch."

But the baby wants to sleep with Daddy. What if he accidentally makes Mommy angry?

Xiao Xun was stunned for a moment, watching Xie Shuci hesitate to take the plaque.

Xie Shuci was a little confused, thinking that he didn't want to stay in the top-tier room, so he said, "Then...why don't you have to make do? There shouldn't be much difference between the top-tier and the bottom-tier rooms."

The waiter said, "Sir, please rest assured, the only problem with the Earth-class room is the feng shui; everything else is the same as the Heaven-class room."

Despite this, Xiao Xun still showed no sign of accepting the plaque.

He stared at Xie Shuci for a long time, his lips pressed tightly together, it was hard to tell if he was angry or something else.

Xie Shuci looked at his expression, somewhat puzzled, and hesitated before asking, "What's wrong?"

Xiao Xun pressed down on his lips, didn't speak to Xie Shuci, kicked the king beside him with his foot, and calmly uttered a single word: "Go."

Xie Shuci and the king were both stunned, their faces blank with confusion.

Seeing that they didn't move, Xiao Xun directly told the waiter, "Take it to the Earth-class section."

Upon hearing this, the king looked at his mother in disbelief. "How could you say something so hurtful to your baby with such a beautiful mouth?"

The king walked to Xie Shuci's feet and lay down, crying. It howled twice in protest, saying that if its father dared to throw it, a dog, into some kind of room, it would work itself to death, starve itself to death, and die of thirst.

Xie Shuci: "..."

Damn, he thought Xiao Xun was just shy and didn't want to live with him. Good grief, he's just like him eight years later, letting a dog sleep alone in a room. No wonder it's the same person. His thought process has always been different from ordinary people since childhood.

Xie Shuci looked down at the teary-eyed king at his feet, their eyes meeting. The king, a little timid, let out a soft "Aww..."

Don't leave the baby alone...

Xie Shuci sighed, turned around and returned the "Earth" room number to the waiter, saying, "I'll cancel one room; I only need the "Heaven" room."

The waiter nodded and took it. "Okay, please follow me, gentlemen."

The king breathed a sigh of relief, but Xiao Xundao behind him frowned in dissatisfaction.

The waiter led the two to the top-tier room and said, "Please wait a moment, sir. I will bring you the money for your check-out shortly."

Xie Shuci said, "No need, we'll probably be staying here for a few days."

"Yes. You two can rest now. Please let us know if you need anything."

Thank you.

After everyone left, Xie Shuci pushed open the door and entered. The king, afraid of being left behind, squeezed into the room before Xiao Xun could, then found a corner to lie down and pretend to sleep.

The baby is already asleep, so the naughty mother can't possibly throw the baby out again!

Xie Shuci turned around and saw Xiao Xun with a tense face. He was a little amused and exasperated, so he simply pulled him in and closed the door.

"Are you angry?" Xie Shuci couldn't help but laugh at his silent expression.

Xiao Xun looked at him and asked, "Did he allow this dog to share a room with us before?"

Xie Shuci suppressed a laugh and said, "You know what, he was just like you back then, planning to let the King have his own room."

Xiao Xun glanced at Xie Shuci, his eyes inexplicably reproachful, "Then why did you bring it in?"

Xie Shuci chuckled, "We can't really let it go by itself, can we? That would be too pitiful. Besides, it doesn't take up much space; it can sleep anywhere."

"Then let it go find that horse."

Xie Shuci: "..."

Xie Shuci couldn't hold back a little, a smile playing on his lips, and said, "To be honest, you had the same plan eight years later."

"Didn't work?"

"It didn't work."

Xiao Xun tightened his lips, his dark eyes glancing at Xie Shuci. "He didn't punish you?"

"???"

Xie Shuci laughed. "Why would he punish me?"

Xiao Xun simply looked at him without saying a word.

Xie Shuci asked curiously, "So, you want to punish me now?"

Xiao Xun lowered his eyes and said, "Mm."

Xie Shuci found his childhood self amusing, with even stranger ideas than his own eight years later, so he asked, "How do you plan to punish me?"

The latter was silent for a moment, then raised his head and stared at Xie Shuci, saying, "Xie Shuci, I will not punish you for now, but I will remember this and punish you with Xie An's body and memories."

This means settling scores later. Xie Shuci didn't take it too seriously, "Alright, alright, then you'll remember it."

After several days of travel, Xie Shuci hadn't had a good night's sleep. He washed up early that night and planned to go to bed to rest.

Xie Shuci had just knelt on the edge of the bed when Xiao Xun, who was on the couch, looked at him.

Xie Shuci paused, "What do you mean?"

"I am not Xie An."

Xie Shuci shrugged. "You're Xiao Xun?"

Seeing that he didn't understand what he meant, Xiao Xun added, "This body is not mine."

Xie Shuci: "..."

This is a path I never imagined.

"All of them?"

"Therefore, you should keep your distance from me."

That poor kid! Why is he so persistent?

"Okay, okay, I'll keep my distance from you."

Xie Shuci turned to leave, but as soon as she took a step, she heard the brat behind her say, "Where are you going?"

Xie Shuci said, "I'm going to find the King."

Why are you looking for it?

"I can't exactly sleep on the floor, can I? Besides, it's warm."

Seeing that he didn't speak, Xie Shuci became curious about what he wanted to do, so she turned around and looked at him.

He frowned slightly, looked at Xie Shuci, then at the hard floor, and then at the expectant King in the corner. After a series of weighing of the pros and cons and a struggle, he looked up at Xie Shuci, moved a few inches closer, patted the spot next to him, and said, "Come up and sleep."

Xie Shuci: "..."

He couldn't quite figure out what this guy was thinking.

The little brat in front of him was only nine years old. Although he had an appearance and soul almost identical to Xie An, to Xie Shuci, he was just a little kid.

Xie Shuci didn't think much of it. The king drools in his sleep, so having a bed to sleep in is the best thing ever.

Xie Shuci lifted the covers and sat down. Xiao Xun said with a serious expression, "Don't move around at night, and don't touch me, or Xie An will definitely punish you when he wakes up."

Xie Shuci: "..."

"Okay, okay, I won't touch it."

"Hmm." He reluctantly agreed.

After Xie Shuci lay down, he moved a few inches closer, keeping at least one person's distance between himself and Xie Shuci.

Xie Shucui was speechless. She was truly speechless. She couldn't understand what was going on in this little thing's head.

It's so hard to guess what's on a kid's mind.

Xie Shuci was too lazy to think about it, so he covered himself with the blanket and went to sleep.

Xiao Xun lay on the couch for a long time without feeling sleepy.

He had assumed Xie Shuci was like him, but after a moment of silence, he heard Xie Shuci's steady breathing behind him.

Xiao Xun: "..."

If Xie Shuci accidentally bumps into him tonight, he will definitely punish him in the future.

However, as the night passed, Xie Shuci turned over several times but never approached him.

Xiao Xun felt that his heart was very strange.

He felt both satisfied and dissatisfied.

He was satisfied that Xie Shuci hadn't touched anyone other than Xie An after falling asleep, but he was dissatisfied that even though he was right next to Xie An all night, he hadn't even stretched his arm towards him.

This resulted in Xiao Xun not saying a word to Xie Shuci for a full half hour after Xie Shuci woke up refreshed in the morning, ignoring everything Xie Shuci said.

Xie Shuci was innocent and frustrated. He didn't know how he had angered him again.

Fortunately, when the waiter brought the food, Xie Shuci handed it to the little king first before turning to the hungry king on the ground. When he turned back, the little brat was back to normal.

Xie Shuci found it very confusing, even thinking that the thoughts of a little kid were harder to fathom than those of Xie An himself.

After breakfast, Xie Shuci planned to take them out to take a look around and find out when Dongli would withdraw its troops.

However, when Xie Shuci and his companion stepped out of the inn, they found that both sides of the long street were lined with people, leaving the middle passageway open.

Xie Shuci was very curious and asked the waiter, "What are they doing?"

The waiter said, "The soldiers of Songjiu Camp have already entered the city, and everyone wants to see their heroic figures."

"Aren't they bandits? Why are they so popular?"

The waiter laughed and said, "They may look like bandits, but they are soldiers too. What common people don't like soldiers who protect their homes and country?"