Chapter 109 A leader is subtly emerging among the three…

The female cultivator, who subtly exuded the aura of a leader among the three, sized up Xie Baoqiong and Qi Gui before her gaze finally settled on the more straightforward young man. The two young men before her, still bearing the marks of youth, possessed weak spiritual energy, especially the one who spoke to them, whose aura was almost that of an ordinary mortal.

However, the female cultivator couldn't discern the two men's true nature from their appearance. Not only could cultivators not be judged by their skin's appearance, but there were countless spells and magical artifacts that could conceal one's cultivation level. The young man leading the group possessed such a cleanly concealed cultivation level that both his magical artifacts and techniques were of superior quality; it was not advisable to antagonize him.

With that in mind, she took the initiative and asked a question first.

Despite the bustling street, the female cultivator's words were clearly audible, and Xie Baoqiong readily nodded in agreement.

"My friend and I have never been to Fenghai City."

Upon hearing this, the female cultivator did not hide anything and told the two her address.

After thanking the female cultivator and bidding her farewell, Xie Baoqiong intended to find someone else to verify the situation. However, when she encountered other cultivators, they all appeared wary and fierce upon approaching her, unlike the three who had been more approachable.

Xie Baoqiong had no choice but to go with Qi Guixian in the direction the female cultivator had indicated.

As they got closer to their destination, the atmosphere on the long street gradually changed. More and more people with strange appearances appeared, and the atmosphere became more mixed. The scent of ordinary people became weaker and weaker, making Xie Baoqiong stand out in the crowd.

A large, black-robed figure brushed past them and disappeared into the alleyway beside them.

Xie Baoqiong and Qi Gui exchanged a glance and silently followed.

However, after the two followed the man in black into the alley, the empty alley stretched as far as the eye could see. The two boys stood at the end of the alley, facing a towering brick wall. Moss covered the corners of the wall, and the shadows of the mud bricks could be seen under the peeling plaster.

Xie Baoqiong looked up at the place where the green tiles met the blue sky, and faint, inconspicuous ripples spread through the air.

"Ah-Qiong, look!" Qi Gui's loud voice suddenly rang out.

He turned his head and saw Qi Gui's outstretched right hand, which had been touching the brick wall, plunge straight into the somewhat dilapidated brickwork, creating ripples like water at the joint. Having attracted his attention, Qi Gui buried his face in the wall as well, then pulled it out after a moment, his eyes crinkling with laughter.

"Ah-Jung, the inside is just like the market outside, let's go in."

This time, Qi Gui extended his hand to Xie Baoqiong.

"good."

Their hands clasped together again. Qi Gui, who was close to the brick wall, felt the warmth of her palms and stepped into the door of that new world first.

Xie Baoqiong watched Qi Gui, whose body was half-integrated into the brick wall, and followed without hesitation.

"Thump!"

His head slammed against the brick wall with a loud thud.

Part of the plaster on the wall had fallen off, exposing more of the brick wall. The falling plaster hit his shoes, leaving a layer of dust.

The two hands, which were tightly clasped together, were suddenly separated.

Xie Baoqiong belatedly realized something, temporarily closed the jade pendant that concealed his aura, and reached out to touch the mottled wall in front of him again. The originally solid wall instantly melted like frozen frost, and the touch of water through a membrane enveloped his hand.

He pressed on through that void, and a different world came into view.

Although it was daytime, the long street in front of us was still brightly lit. The street had a more ancient style, with several buildings separated from the buildings below, floating in the air. Occasionally, a few flying swords would pass overhead and fly into them.

Unlike mortals, demons revealed their true forms in this world, with inhuman horns and downy feathers appearing on their bodies. Xie Baoqiong had never seen so many demons before; there weren't even so many in the Four Waters Mountains...

Just as he was immersed in this dreamlike world, he was suddenly embraced:

"Ah-Jung, where did you go?"

Qi Gui's timid, soft voice rang in his ear again.

"It's nothing, I just..."

Xie Baoqiong met the boy's worried gaze and recounted what had happened, soothing his tense nerves caused by being in an unfamiliar environment.

After hearing the explanation, Qi Gui loosened his grip on Xie Baoqiong's hand, a hint of shyness appearing on his face, and the skin under his doe-like eyes glowed with a warm light under the reflection of the lamp.

He scratched his cheek sheepishly, "I haven't seen you since I came in, and the wall is gone too. I... I don't know where to look for you..."

Xie Baoqiong turned around, and sure enough, the wall they had passed through when they came in was gone. The two of them were standing at the intersection of a small road that led into the main street. He looked into the distance and saw many small paths like the one they were standing on on both sides of the main street.

"Yes, I believe Arjun!"

His hand was held tightly again, his slightly damp palm pressed against Xie Baoqiong's. Qi Gui's plain robe was adorned with the glow of lanterns of different colors. He rarely wore such bright colors, and the smile on his face, now free of gloom, made him look even more radiant and like a young man of his age.

The two, of similar age, blended into their own world like fish swimming in water. The bustling street, a scene unlike anything in the mortal realm, was reflected in their eyes along with the lanterns hanging on both sides of the street.

Although there were many people on the street, it wasn't a place to ask for information.

Although the sight before them was novel and unfamiliar, neither of them forgot their purpose. After taking a brief look around, they headed toward the largest teahouse on the street.

When they were still some distance from the teahouse, the two saw the female cultivator who had given them directions enter the teahouse, only to be blocked by the figures on the long street.

As the two made their way through the crowd to the teahouse, a familiar voice suddenly called from above:

As the drawn-out note faded, Xie Baoqiong looked up, and a crimson two-tailed fox descended from the sky, landing on his face.

Soft fur covered his face, undulating with his breath. A force gripped his scalp; Su Xiaochun's paws clung to his hair, and with a light leap, landed on his shoulder, her fox head nestled against his shoulder, where she was standing shoulder to shoulder with Qi Gui.

"Little duckling, it's been a long time."

"Young Master Su..." Qi Gui stared blankly at Su Xiaochun's unique entrance and stammered.

Xie Baoqiong skillfully lifted the fox off her shoulder with one hand:

"Xiaochun, what are you doing here? Did you find your sister?"

Before Su Xiaochun could speak, an apologetic voice suddenly sounded above her head:

"Did you hit someone?! I'm so sorry, fellow Daoist."

Xie Baoqiong looked in the direction of the sound and saw a boy of about half a year old peeking out of a second-floor window above the lantern. His face was blurred in the halo of light, but his outline looked somewhat familiar.

"Fellow Daoist, may we go upstairs to discuss this? Please bring the fox along as well."

Xie Baoqiong agreed to the man's request. While the two of them and the fox were walking upstairs, he took the opportunity to ask Su Xiaochun:

"Xiaochun, do you know that person?"

A vivid, indescribable expression appeared on the red fox's face, and its tone was one of utter frustration and annoyance:

"Just stupid humans."

He didn't lower his voice, so Qi Gui couldn't help but take another look.

They walked to the steps connecting the two floors. Unlike the lobby, there weren't many people there, but a few people still looked over when they heard the noise.

Xie Baoqiong smoothed down the bristling fox fur. He knew that although Xiaochun disliked humans, she wouldn't get all worked up at the mere mention of them, so he couldn't help but worry: "What happened?"

Su Xiaochun didn't speak immediately. His wet nose brushed against Xie Baoqiong's hand as she stroked his hair. He closed his eyes and spoke in a muffled voice, his voice barely audible in the narrow stairwell:

"I unexpectedly formed a pact with him."

"What's going on?!" Xie Baoqiong's hands, which were holding the fox, suddenly tightened, and her voice changed in surprise.

"I was originally going to find my older sister, but I accidentally entered a formation. The formation was activated by accident, and that human just happened to be bumped into it..."

After Su Xiaochun finished speaking, the three of them came out of the stairwell. The bright light made Qi Gui squint and ask:

"Is there no way to break the contract?"

The red fox stepped on Xie Baoqiong's arm, shook its tail, and regained its fighting spirit:

"Fortunately, it's not a life-or-death pact, so it can still be broken, though it's a bit troublesome. My older sister should know a way..."

"If it's not a life-or-death pact, wouldn't it be better to just kill that person?"

As soon as she finished speaking, not only the fox in her arms and Xueyan beside her, but also everyone at the table waiting for them to come up all looked at Xie Baoqiong, who had spoken those words.

Having lived in human society for a short time, never been bound by rules, and quite indifferent to life, Stone spoke as if it were perfectly natural, his expression remaining calm even as he saw the gazes directed at him.

The atmosphere at the scene immediately froze; it only needed one more spark to ignite it completely.

Fighting is prohibited in the market.

A single calm word instantly extinguished the flames that were about to ignite.

Fortunately, Xie Baoqiong didn't say anything more like "then let's go outside" to stir up trouble. His gaze was drawn to the person who spoke; the silver-white Taoist robe on that person, and the touch of green at the waist, evoked his memory:

"I've seen you before."

"Senior Brother, do you know him?" the person sitting opposite the young man asked.

“We met once before.” Xie Heng’s gaze swept across Xie Baoqiong’s face.

While they were talking, Xie Baoqiong took a moment to turn her head and look at the other people around the table, and found that three of them were the ones who had given them directions.

Overall, it was a table full of familiar faces.

Su Xiaochun's defeated voice echoed in his mind: "I wanted to too, but I couldn't beat that senior brother."

...

The group didn't end up sitting at the same table. Su Xiaochun transformed into human form and sat at the next table with Xie Baoqiong.

"Xiaochun, is your older sister in Fenghai City?"

"No..." Su Xiaochun mumbled, a pastry she'd taken from the next table in her mouth. "I came here with them. There's a rumor that a secret realm is about to open near Fenghai City. I don't lack magic weapons or spiritual herbs, so you can go if you want."

“We’re here to find someone.” Xie Baoqiong leaned back in his chair, politely declining Su Xiaochun’s friendly suggestion. Having inherited most of Chishong’s “legacy,” he now had some savings: “Xiaochun, do you know where a flock of snow geese might stay nearby?”

Su Xiaochun fed the choked fox pastries with tea, and the teacup he set down reflected Xueyan's expectant eyes. He habitually acted coquettishly towards his friend:

"You won't come with me to find my older sister, or help this little duck find its owner."

Qi Gui was unclear about the dynamics between the two and worried that he might cause a rift between Xie Baoqiong and her other friends, so he hurriedly explained:

“Ah Qiong is coming to Fenghai City to look for someone, I just wanted to look for her on the way.”

Su Xiaochun suddenly stood up, placed her hands on the table, leaned forward, and stared intently at the serious-looking Qi Gui. Suddenly, she burst out laughing:

I saw Xueyan around here a few days ago, but I don't know if she's still here.

He turned his head to look at Xie Baoqiong, who was reaching for the plate of pastries in front of him: "Who are you looking for again? It's not for that mortal, is it?"